The Cottage Cooking Club | July Recipes

The CCC is cooking their way through River Cottage Veg
by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

My selections for July:

(Not necessarily cooked in order)

Panzanella

Shaved Summer Vegetables

Tomato, Thyme, and Goat Cheese Tart

Pasta with Raw Tomato

Marinated Zucchini with Mozzarella

Chocolate-Beet Ice Cream

Click here to see the complete list of July's recipe options.

Marinated Zucchini with Mozzarella: 

This dish consists of only a few ingredients, yet it is full of flavor. 

 

To begin, you thinly slice your zucchini - we are talking 1/16 of an inch here. If you want beautiful wide zucchini ribbons as shown in the book, I would suggest slicing them a bit thicker, for after they are cooked and mixed with the rest of the ingredients, they pretty much shriveled up; nevertheless, I was happy with the outcome.

The instructions say to put the slices into a bowl, and using a pastry brush, coat them all lightly with oil. There was no way they would all be coated evenly if tossed into the bowl, so I took the tedious route - lined the bowl with the slices, coated with oil (just one side), then added another row of slices, oiled, and so on, until all the slices were lightly coated.

Once your zucchini is coated with oil, you sauté the slices until tender and golden. Hugh recommends about two minutes per side. However, I found some of the slices were tender and the brown spots showing through to the other side before turning, so I only cooked those on the one side.

The marinade is made up of olive oil, garlic and lemon zest, which is briefly heated in the pan to take the raw edge off the garlic, and to infuse the flavors into the oil. The marinade is then poured over the zucchini, and some salt, pepper, lemon juice, and basil are added. This is all mixed together, and left to sit at room temperature for one hour.

Just before serving, coarsely torn or sliced mozzarella is added to the zucchini. I used burrata, which if you haven't tried burrata, you are missing out on something wonderful. It looks like your typical ball of mozzarella, then you cut into it to reveal its creamy softness in the middle, which is made up of mozzarella shreds and cream. Sublime.

I wish this did not take so much time to make. This would be an elegant first course to serve to company. Cooking the slices was a bit laborious - imagine cooking like sixty pieces of bacon..

It just occurred to me, that you could speed up the cooking process by using one of those griddles that fit over the two burners of a cooktop. Wish I had thought of this before - I could have cooked more slices at one time. There just may be a next time after all.. :)

Aside from the amount of time it took, I really enjoyed this recipe, and I just may revisit it sooner than later.

Hugh suggests serving this with some good bread or warm flat breads. I served it as a side dish to our dinner of beer butt smoked chicken.

Have you ever made a beer butt chicken? I used to roll my eyes at this fad. Andy finally got around to making one. Wow! does it turn out incredibly tender and moist. He also used for the first time, the smoker box attached to the grill - a winner! We'll definitely use this technique again.

I really thought this was going to be the favorite of the month - but it has been bumped to second place. Continue reading for the winner!

Pasta with Raw Tomatoes:

How pretty is this?

I was just looking for a recipe like this a few weeks ago to use our bounty of fresh tomatoes in. The recipe calls for one and a half pounds of tomatoes - I was lucky enough to have just that amount ready (at one time!) from our tomato plant from my last picking. I have never had a tomato plant give off as many tomatoes as this one has.

For this recipe, you start by marinating the peeled and seeded (I did not do either) chopped tomatoes and their juices, with some garlic, capers, fresh red chili pepper (I used died red pepper flakes), basil, oil, salt and pepper; this then sits at a cool room temperature for about one hour, before being added to a bowl of cooked pasta, along with some additional fresh basil shreds and a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper.

Hugh mentions he sometimes uses mint in place of the basil, and suggests you may also add some chopped red onion or fennel, or replace the capers with sliced olives, even add some Parmesan or goat cheese. 

I had to up the seasonings, for I found this to be rather bland; which could be the result of using a pound of pasta, whereas the recipe calls for only twelve ounces. I added extra salt and pepper, more red chili flakes, and added some feta cheese (it really is better with cheese), and I think Hugh's suggestion of red onion would be really good in this. It could have used less oil however - even using more pasta than the recipe called for, I felt it was a little too oily for my liking.

Shaved Summer Vegetables:

Eating foods in their natural state (raw) will always be more beneficial than when cooked. I was excited to try this recipe for we love the Raw Kale Coleslaw I make (often).

I had this together in no time at all. Take a variety of vegetables - I used zucchini, carrot, turnip, and radish - Hugh also suggests beets and kohlrabi, slice them as thinly as possible - using a mandoline if you have one is the best way.

The dressing is made up of canola (I used olive) oil, lemon juice, honey, English mustard (I used a sweet hot mustard - I did not need yet another type of mustard opened, sitting in my fridge), salt and pepper.

I preferred the vegetables tossed with the dressing and allowed to sit for a few minutes, rather than having the dressing just drizzled over the top as instructed. Allowing it to rest, the vegetables become softer, making it more manageable to pierce the vegetables with your fork.

I found this recipe to be just OK. 

Tomato, Thyme, and Goat Cheese Tart: 

I can sum this up in one word:  F A B U L O U S ! ! !

The recipe calls for thirteen ounces of puff pastry to be rolled out rather thinly, and trimmed to the size of a ten by twelve rectangle.

My package was fourteen ounces, and I had the measurement in mind, and found the sheet was almost the recommended size. I completely spaced on the rather thinly part, and rolled it out to the specified size, not paying attention to the thickness of the dough. It turned out just fine, other than the edges appear to be higher than the picture in the book.

My plan was to have a picture showing only a third of the tomatoes layered, so you can see the fresh minced garlic sprinkled over the dough, under the tomatoes - however, the doorbell rang and when I returned I went into automatic mode and finished placing the tomatoes on top. Oh well.

This was incredibly easy to throw together, and made for a delicious weeknight meal served with a simple green salad.

All you do is - roll out the pastry, cut off about half an inch from the edges, brush them with some beaten egg and place on top of the rectangle - this will give it a rimmed edge when baked. Sprinkle on some minced garlic, layer tomatoes on top, season with salt and pepper, and give it a drizzle of olive oil, and bake for fifteen minutes before adding the cheese and thyme leaves, continue baking until golden and bubbly (mine never bubbled).

This is one you will want to make for company or bring to a potluck; it comes together quickly and can even sit for an hour before serving, as Hugh prefers it that way. I wouldn't know how it holds up - Andy and I polished this off in no time, straight out of the oven. Yep, the whole thing (cover your ears eyes, Kelley!) - and the recipe states it will serve four to six... it was that good. Andy even gave it an A+.

Convinced yet?

If not, one word: Puff Pastry. OK two. What doesn't taste great when made with puff pastry?

This, was by far the favorite of the month. :)

Whenever a recipe calls for puff pastry, I have always reached for Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry. Then this box caught my eye - I will a lot of the time, choose my books and wine this way - by the label. :)

I was however, curious as to why this brand was twice the price for less product.

   

Dufour: 

USDA GRADE AA BUTTER, UNBLEACHED FLOUR, WATER, SALT, LEMON JUICE

Pepperidge Farm:

UNBLEACHED ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID], WATER, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE SHORTENING (SOYBEAN AND COTTONSEED OILS COLORED WITH BETA CAROTENE) CONTAINS 2 PERCENT OR LESS OF: SALT, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WHEAT GLUTEN, DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES (FROM HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL) AND SOY LECITHIN. - (source)

Well there you go, it's safe to say I didn't mind paying the extra money.

Chocolate-Beet Ice Cream:

I have a tendency to lean toward the unusual - and ice cream is no exception. I had never really been into ice cream, until I started making my own. My first flavor was coffee, and boy was it good. Then I ventured out and made strawberry-basil - d e l i s h! I also have made orange- Szechwan peppercorn, and cinnamon, both of which were darn tasty too.

First, melted chocolate is stirred into a custard mixture which is made from whole milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks. Next, puréed roasted beets that have been mixed with some of the milk is added, the mixture is then strained into a bowl and left to cool, then chilled.

After the mixture is chilled completely, it is processed in an ice cream machine until it is soft-set, then transferred to a freezable container and frozen until firm.

The beets give the ice cream a beautiful, bright, deep-pink hue. It tricks the brain into thinking you are about to indulge in a sweet, tart, berry flavored ice cream.

This really should be called Beet-Chocolate Ice Cream - not the other way around. All I could taste was beet; the chocolate wasn't discernible at all.

At first bite, my brain said definitely not - not liking this - it tastes like... beets.

With each consecutive bite, it does start to grow on you. But you have to like beets. Though the ice cream is soft, and seems creamy at first, it has a sort of rough texture to it - imagine running your tongue along a piece of suede (not that I have..) - soft, but not smooth.

I would have liked a stronger chocolate flavor with a slight beet undertone; this is what I was expecting with chocolate being first in the name.

I'm still undecided about this one. Like I said, it starts to grow on you.

No... no, I'm not. You either like it, or not. I wanted to like it. I really did. It's barely OK, definitely not worth the fat and calories; and the texture is weird.

They say you can't win them all. Excited for my next (and last) recipe - panzanella!

(Update: My sister was over for dinner, and just before she had to leave, [I completely forgot about wanting to serve the ice cream!] I asked her to try the new ice cream flavor I made. I did not tell her what it was made from. When she saw it, she thought it was going to be raspberry flavor. I gave her a small taste, and her first reaction... I taste chocolate! Gave her another taste - grass! Ha ha ha. Grass. Beets. Close enough. She actually liked it.)

Panzanella:

Every time I came across a recipe for panzanella, I would say to myself, I want to make that.. and never did. So I was excited that it was a chosen recipe for this month!

I had panzanella once before, long ago; I think it was my sister-in-law, Darc, that made it, and I do remember liking it - a lot. Why it has taken me so long? Who knows..

Panzanella. A good recipe to use up some stale bread. As much as we love bread, a whole loaf of French bread is just too much for us to consume in one sitting; we could - it's just not a good thing.

I had a whole loaf of French bread in the freezer that needed using up (next time - I'll use a better quality of bread than the store brand), and it was Saturday - farmer's market day! Tomato season!

This lovely salad is made up of stale bread, tomato juice (crushing & straining fresh tomatoes), olive oil, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, Kalamata olives, cucumber, red onion, cherry tomatoes, capers and basil.

I stayed true to the recipe, with one exception - I added two cloves of garlic to the dressing; I so wanted to use my favorite Cabernet vinegar, but refrained, and used the cider vinegar that was called for in the recipe.

This was a wonderful salad, aside from my not so great bread. The bread was, I think, a bit too airy for this dish. I think a more dense bread would work better here.

I'm going to make this again with a different style bread; maybe cube it, toss it with some olive oil, salt & pepper, and roast it until it is dry. I think it will be even better this way.

(Update: We ordered a panzanella salad at dinner from a fancy restaurant when we went out; I was curious to see the difference; even with the less than stellar bread I used - Hugh's recipe was way better! It rocked!)


To see what recipes the other members chose for this month, head over to the LYL post for July on the CCC website, by clicking here.

We have been asked not to publish the recipes here on our blogs. We encourage you to go out and purchase the book and join us on this fun and healthy adventure!

                                                                                             (source)               

Wok Wednesdays | Stir- Fried Fuzzy Melon with Ginger Pork

WW wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young

Fuzzy melon with ginger pork - absolutely delicious!

Mise en place.

Bowl l:  Pork, water, scallions, soy sauce, cornstarch

Bowl 2: Ginger

Bowl 3: Fuzzy melon

Bowl 4: Salt, pepper

Bowl 5: Chicken broth, soy sauce

Bowl 6: Scallions

Bowl 7: Sesame oil

I am so glad I persevered in looking for the hard to find fuzzy melon (aka moa qua or chi qua); after two farmer's markets, three produce markets and two Asian grocers, I found the elusive melon at a farmer's market while out on a bike ride.

You may be asking yourself, "What is a fuzzy melon?"

They are part of the gourd family, and look like a large spotted cucumber or zucchini. When very fresh, they have a white fuzz covering their skin (click here for photo) - hence the name.  They have a mild flavor similar to a cucumber, and the texture (to me) of zucchini (when eaten raw).

Oddly enough, according to the book Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, watermelon rind may be substituted - which I had at the ready, just in case... 

I am so thankful the butchers at our upscale market (a term my sister despises - she says it sounds snooty - it's not Safeway, and costs a whole lot more) do not mind me asking for only two ounces of ground pork. They are always so accommodating. I always say I'm going to buy a half pound and freeze the rest in two-ounce increments, but I never do. I so don't utilize my freezer as much as I should. 

The wee amount of pork is mixed with some water, scallions, soy sauce and cornstarch. This is stir-fried just until opaque, then transferred to a plate to be added back in toward the end. Next, some oil and ginger are added to the wok, cooked just until fragrant, before adding the wonderful fuzzy melon, along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. This is cooked for a very short time (about one minute), then the broth mixture is swirled in, the pork is added back in and stir-fried some more just until the liquid has almost evaporated and the melon is tender. The wok is removed from the heat, a bit of sesame oil is stirred into the mixture, then the remaining scallions are added. 

Whoala! You have another fabulous tasting dish from the amazing wok guru, Grace Young.

P.S.: When I went back to clean the wok after dinner, the scent was still tantalizing - I wanted to lick the wok clean instead of washing it (I did refrain..).

Got Wok? Got Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge? No? What are you waiting for?!!!

We are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 232 of  Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed. 

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like information about joining us, click here, or visit us on Facebook. Would love for you to wok along with us!

Book 115: The Pastry Queen | Sugar Saucers

by Rebecca Rather

These are called sugar saucers because they are as large as, you guessed it, a saucer - the plate, not the UFO, that I had imagined.

I was craving something sweet, and wanted something quick and easy. Aside from the hour chill time in the fridge (or fifteen minutes in the freezer) these fit the bill perfectly.

These are basically a sugar cookie. In addition to the normal ingredients of butter, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, baking soda and salt, this recipe also includes powdered sugar and canola oil.

After the dough has chilled, using a standard-size ice cream scoop (mine apparently is larger than standard - for I only got six cookies instead of twelve), the dough is dropped onto a cookie sheet about two inches apart. The dough is then flattened to about a quarter inch thick. I covered the ball of dough with a piece of parchment paper and used the bottom of a glass to flatten.

Whoa. Two cookies took up the whole sheet pan. Good thing I started out with the pan that had only two on it.

I had four on the first sheet pan. The dough was too soft to transfer, so I cut the parchment and lifted two of the cookies to another pan.

If you look closely, you can see the edge of the cookie peeking out - they are saucer sized! The finished cookies were six inches in diameter, giving me six cookies; as where the recipe states I should have gotten a dozen of four-inch cookies.

I decided to add some sugar to the tops before baking. I left two plain, two were sprinkled with granulated sugar, and two with demerara sugar. I actually liked them best without any sugar.

These cookies were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Perfect in by book. And they seemed to get better with each passing day. 

Being these were so huge, I cut them up shortbread style. These would be a great addition to a potluck - or better yet, even a sit down dinner - put the cookies in the middle of the table and let your guests just break off a piece; there is just something fun, to eating such a big cookie.

 amazon

TWD: Vanilla Pound Cake

Tuesdays with Dorie baking through Baking with Julia
by Dorie Greenspan
Contributing Baker: Flo Braker 

Need to make a dessert at the last minute? I bet you have everything you need on hand to make this cake - it's a simple and straightforward recipe.

This cake is made up of standard ingredients of flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla.

When recipes call for milk, I'm assuming they mean full-fat milk. I only have non-fat milk, so I used a mixture of non-fat and half and half; other than that, I followed the recipe as directed. 

The cake has a wonderful sweet vanilla flavor, and is lighter and not as dense as your typical pound cake. My cake was a tad on the dry side, so I served this topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt and berries. Unfortunately the yogurt was a bit overpowering - it masked the lovely vanilla flavor this cake has. I think whipped cream would be a better option.

I read that this is also tasty toasted; this I did not get a chance to try, for I had already sent the cake off with my sister for her to take to work.

Hop over to the Tuesdays with Dorie website and check out the LYL: Vanilla Pound Cake link to see what my fellow bakers thought of this recipe. 

Wok Wednesdays | Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd

WW wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young 

Water spinach is nothing like the the spinach your thinking of (at least to those unfamiliar with Asian cuisine). Water spinach has long narrow leaves and hollow stalks, and the flavor is milder than regular spinach.

Did you know that water spinach is from the Morning Glory family? And that this plant requires a permit to be grown in the United States according to Worldcrops.org, for it is considered to be a federal noxious weed? A mighty tasty weed, if I may say so myself.

Interestingly enough, you can buy water spinach seeds from Amazon (what can you not get?). I did not see any disclaimer about needing a permit. Then again, I did not try to add it to my shopping cart - maybe at check out it states that fact.. maybe.

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Garlic

Bowl 2: Water Spinach

Bowl 3: Fermented bean curd, dry sherry

Bowl 4: Salt, sugar

This was an incredibly easy recipe. All that is required, is you rinse your water spinach, trim it, cut it into four-inch lengths,  and spin-dry it in a salad spinner (ingredients should always be dry as possible to avoid hot oil splatters). Mix your bean curd (as Grace mentioned on one of our FB posts, don't be put off by the scent of the bean curd; and I can attest to the fact that it is a bit nasty smelling... but in the end, it tasted fabulous) with some dry sherry (or rice wine), roughly chop your garlic, and combine a bit of salt and sugar together.

As usual, you start by stir-frying your aromatics (garlic in this case), add the spinach and cook until it is starting to wilt, add the bean curd mixture, the salt and sugar. Viola! You have a delicious side dish to any meal you see fit. I served it alongside leftover pasta. Italian - Chinese... I have always been on the eccentric side; and it goes with what Andy's mom always insisted on -  having a green vegetable on the plate. Works for me.

I have a small confession to make - as I was preparing this dish taking mental notes, I thought to myself, I'm not going to care much for this dish for I'm not a fan of "stalky" vegetables. You know when greens are cooked, they wilt to nothing, leaving only the hard, chewy, sometimes fibrous stems - not my thing - and not in this case! I could have easily eaten the whole thing in one sitting - on its own - with nothing else - and I would have been happy.

I always have a hard time with conveying my thoughts on how to describe the taste... I'm the same way when I go to the doctor - how to describe what I am feeling - "I don't feel well - fix me!"

I'll try (try, being the operative word here): This dish has a mellow, earthy flavor, with a bit of saltiness - kinda reminiscent of miso soup - kinda - in the background kinda way (OK, enough of the word, kinda). It is best served warm, however, I thought it was just as delicious cold, while I sat here polishing it off as I wrote this post. Yeah. This was good.

You'll just have to take my word for it, that is was delicious, or go buy the book and a wok, and make it for yourself. And if you do, please leave me a comment on what you thought of this recipe.

The recipes in this book continue to amaze me. With just a few ingredients, you can have such a delicious outcome. I just can't say enough good things about Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge. Best book yet!

We are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 211 of  Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed. 

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like information about joining us, click here, or visit us on Facebook. Would love for you to wok along with us!

Tavern Gazpacho

from The Black Dog: Summer on the Vineyard Cookbook
by Joseph Hall & Elaine Sullivan

When temps heat up, who wants to turn on the oven, stove, or even the grill? Certainly not me!

After I heard that it was going to be in the triple digits the following day, I decided it was going to be ice-cold gazpacho for dinner.

Gazpacho is a cold soup made up of raw vegetables and tomato juice.

This really could not be any simpler to make. You take a bunch (three pounds to be exact) of tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, red bell pepper, scallions, and celery, and chop everything up into small diced pieces. Toss into a large bowl or container and add some tomato juice (I like to use V8 - Spicy Hot), red wine vinegar, olive oil, Tabasco, some fresh basil, Worcestershire sauce and some salt (I omit the salt, for I find the V8 is salty enough on its own) and pepper. Give it a stir, and chill for several hours - preferably overnight.

Bam! You have dinner ready. How simple is that? Not to mention delicious!

This is the only gazpacho recipe I have made, and I think it is absolutely wonderful. 

Funny, I got this recipe from my sister, who has made other recipes in the past, and this is her favorite. The funny part is, she got it from my daughter, who got it on-line, then to find out I have the cookbook the recipe came from!

Do give this recipe a try. It really is refreshing on a hot day, and it's healthy to boot!

You can find the recipe on page 55 of The Black Dog: Summer on the Vineyard, or by clicking here.

The recipe calls for one quart of tomato juice. I always buy extra to add to the leftovers. Also, the recipe states it will serve six. That would be very generous portions. I placed my soup in a container with marked measurements, it registered at just over four quarts. I'm thinking this will serve closer to eight.