Top your salad with some grated carrot, chopped pears, pomegranate, and a homemade oil and vinegar dressing: balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, bit of maple syrup, drizzle in olive oil as you whisk.
Use pear instead of apple on the pizza.
Salad: Chop up some Fuyu persimmons, and toss with roasted almonds, chopped pears, and a homemade oil and vinegar dressing: red wine vinegar vinegar, salt, pepper, bit of maple syrup, drizzle in olive oil as you whisk.
This week marks a year since A Cooking Show with Rachel O made its debut into the world of culinary entertainment (or whatever you want to call it). Armed with my Minestrone Soup recipe and a lot of excitement, I began. Now, a year later, I’ve learned a lot, eaten a lot… I’m not sure which I’ve done more of… I’ve also burned myself, pinched my hand, scared the dog with my horn thingey (that was today), dropped tons of food on the floor, eaten lots of veggies, laughed a lot, knocked the iPad/second camera off the counter‚ pronounced things incorrectly, learned how to cook new things, invented dishes I’ve loved, made a few things I wasn’t absolutely crazy about, learned some more, ate some more, chopped about a million veggies, and developed a new found respect for those who wash dishes and/or edit video for a living. Neither is my favorite part of the job (although one is definitely more favorite), but both are necessary.
My favorite part of the job… favorites actually: Chopping food, the smell of Bari‘s olive oil, the smell of garlic when it hits a hot pan, photographing food, editing my photos, the inspiration that comes when I open the box of Abundant Harvest Organics produce, planning a menu, writing furiously so I don’t forget the recipe idea that popped into my brain, hearing Husband exclaim “MMMMMMMMMmmmm” after taking his first bite (it happened with this meal!), watching the dog pretend not to watch us eat because he too would like a bite, laughing at myself, eating amazing organic produce, working with a company I respect, sharing my love for food with you… I could go on for hours. I feel truly blessed to do what I do.
Thank you for being a part of that. Thanks for watching, for reading, for commenting, for telling me that you liked a recipe. It means so much to me. I create these dishes, write about these foods, share my ideas because I think they taste good. But, I also share them because I want you to enjoy them just as much as I do. I hope this is happening.
I also hope you like Mac and Cheese as much as I do. We can still be friends if you don’t, but it is one of my favorite go-to/comfort/quick meals. I know it’s tempting on a tired night to grab a box of the really quick stuff. I’m not judging if you do. I’ve done it. Buuuut, I’ve also discovered that homemade Mac and Cheese is almost as fast. Really! You have to wait for the water to boil regardless. So while you’re standing in the kitchen, starving, staring at the water, willing it to boil, trying to keep from eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, grab some milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, and flour, grate some cheese and make a simple sauce. If you have a few more minutes, roast some fennel and add it to some sautéed onion and garlic. It’s a good idea.
I didn’t think I liked fennel. Then I roasted it. Roasting is the key to making almost any vegetable a thousand times better (even though I usually like them just the way they are! Here’s how: Buy olive oil (personally, I like Bari‘s). Turn on oven. Combine olive oil with halved fennel. 350F. Done. Boom. Roasted. Good right?!
Now it’s your turn. Have fun!
Happy Eating!
Roasted Fennel Mac
Recipe Type: Main, Pasta, Dinner, Oven, Stove Top
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
When fennel is roasted it becomes sweet and slightly caramelized. It’s paired with pears and Gruyère and added to traditional Mac and Cheese to dress it up.
Ingredients
1/2 to 1 C onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, halved
3-4 T plus 1 t olive oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 to 1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 C cheese (combination of Gruyère and Parmesan), grated (1/4 C reserved for topping)
2 T flour
1/4 C cream
1/2 to 1 C milk
1/2 to 1 C vegetable stock
1/4 C pasta water
2 C pasta
1 pear, thinly sliced (for topping)
Instructions
Drizzle fennel with 1 t olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (or until fennel is tender).
Cook pasta.
Heat pan over medium heat. Add 2 T oil. When oil is hot, add onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
When fennel is done, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Chop. Add to pan with veggies.
Move veggies to one side. Add 1-2 T more oil. When it’s hot, whisk in 2 T flour, cook 30-60 seconds. Slowly, a little bit at a time, whisk in milk, stock, cream, and pasta water. Let it thicken a little after each addition of more liquid. Add pasta water. Cook until just before it boils.
Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Toss pasta with sauce. Top with thinly sliced pear, and top pear with cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melted.
This is a little post about lentils. And specifically about lentil stew. ‘Cause it’s fall. It’s really fall! It doesn’t feel like it everyday, but there are a few cold ones here and there! (I’m sorry for anyone who’s sad that they don’t live where it’s warm-ish year round… I like the cold weather, so sometimes LA is hard to take. But, I’m dealing with it and trying to make the most of it. OK? OK.) And even on the autumn days where it gets warmer than some places get in the summer, I’m still gonna eat things like soups, stews, roasts, root veggies, and all sorts of warm, hearty foods.
One of the reasons we’ll eat these kinds of foods is that we eat seasonally. We do this because of the produce that we get in our Abundant Harvest Organics box. I like this. We get what’s ripe right now, so that’s what I cook with. Maybe I’ll give out persimmons and pomegranates instead of candy tonight. OK, I actually won’t. That would be weird. But kinda funny. I think I may have just turned into the person who gives out walnuts and raisins. Oh dear. Actually, I want to give out Rolos. Actually, I’d probably just eat them instead of handing them out to the mini pirates, princesses, frogs, and spidermen. Why am I talking so much about candy? I’m not even a sweets person.
So I made some stew. It’s an earthy, hearty (hello protein in the lentils!), warming meal. I’ve made a variation of this before, but I changed it to fit what was coming in this week’s AHO box and what I had on hand at home. You could do the same. Or if you don’t love something I’ve included, use something you do. For example: don’t like radishes (daikon or regular)? Omit them and add an extra potato. Don’t like potatoes, but love the spicy daikon radishes? Omit them and add an extra radish. Want to save your collard greens for another dish? Add some more spinach. Want it more like a soup? Add more vegetable stock or water. You get the idea, right? It’s a soup-ish food, so it’s flexible. Make it to suit your tastes. Please. Thank you. And if you feel so inclined, you could serve this in a large (or one mini per person) pumpkin for a festive fall meal.
Last modified on 2013-12-24 17:49:37 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Hearty Lentil Stew
Recipe Type: Main, Soup, Stew, Dinner, Stove Top
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
A hearty fall or winter stew that’s earthy, healthy, and delicious.
Ingredients
2 T olive oil
2 carrots (about 1 1/2 C), diced or chopped
2 celery ribs (about 1 C), diced or chopped
1 daikon radish (about 1 1/2 C), diced or chopped
1 potato, (about 1 1/2 C) diced or chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 radishes, (about 1/4 C) diced or chopped
3 C spinach, roughly chopped
4 collard green leaves (about 1 C), roughly chopped
2 T tomato paste
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
pinch ginger
pinch cayenne (or more if you want it spicier)
1 T sweet paprika
1 T smoked paprika
1/2 T chili powder
pinch nutmeg
1 C lentils, uncooked
4 C vegetable stock (plus 1/2 to 1 C water, if necessary)
parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
Heat soup pot. Add oil. Add veggies and 1 t salt. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until veggies are getting tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, stir, and cook 2 minutes more.
Add tomato paste and 1 T balsamic vinegar, stir around and cook 2 minutes.
Add remaining seasonings, including another t of salt (if desired) and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until lentils are soft, about 30-40 minutes. Add another 1/2 to 1 C water if it’s getting too thick. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
Remove from heat. Add in spinach, collard greens, and 1 T balsamic vinegar. Stir until wilted down. Taste and add more seasoning if desired.
Serve topped with parmesan cheese.
Notes
It would be fun to serve this stew in a hollowed out pumpkin or squash!
The reliable potato makes an appearance on this week’s episode (#43 if you’re counting). In a slight twist on a traditional Twice Baked Potato, I’ve added things like broccoli, carrots, and bell peppers. I used russets. They’re a little bit starchier, so are great for something like this.
I served the potatoes with some German sausage, a Simple Tomato Salad, and some Roasted Broccoli. They would also be great alongside a Roast Chicken, Roast Beef, Pork Chops… Or as the main event: You could cook, then mix in some ground meat, or tempeh, Â and serve it with a simple salad on the side. If you made Chili this week, it would be amazing over top of the potatoes! And, here’s an idea:Â If you have leftover filling, you could make it into potato pancakes, or a hash with scrambled eggs.
Now watch the episode, please. And enjoy. And, come back on Friday. I want to tell you about last weekend. 😉
Last modified on 2014-04-25 20:24:12 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Twice Baked Potatoes
Recipe Type: Side, Appetizer, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
Twice baked potatoes are jazzed up with broccoli, carrot, bell peppers, tomato… and of course cheese!
Ingredients
2 large potatoes (Russets if you have ’em), halved lengthwise
1 bell pepper, diced
1 C broccoli (about 1 head), chopped or diced
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, diced
2 cloves roasted garlic (or 1 t garlic powder, or both!!)
3 T plus 1 t olive oil
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t sweet paprika
3/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 C Greek yogurt
10 cherry tomatoes (or 5 cherry and 1 small regular tomato), chopped
3/4 C cheese, grated
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Brush cut side of potatoes with 1 t olive oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes (or until a fork can be easily inserted into potato).
In last 10 minutes of potatoes’ baking time, heat a skillet; add 1 T olive oil. Once it’s hot, add veggies (all but tomatoes) and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove potatoes from oven. Cut around edge, leaving a 1/4″ wall, and scrape out the middle into a bowl (be careful not to pierce the skin). Add veggie mixture, seasonings, yogurt, tomatoes, 1/2 C cheese, 2 T oil. Mash together. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Fill skins with potato mixture. Top with remaining cheese and return to oven and bake 10 minutes (or until cheese is melted).
Notes
Serves 2 if it’s more of a main or large side course. Can serve 4 if it’s a side and each person gets a half.[br] Prep and veggie cooking can be done while the potatoes roast.
You want to know one of the challenges of my job? Not eating ALL THE TIME! Like right now, I just finished editing this taco episode. Then I had to retouch the photos. Then I had to type the recipe. All the while getting hungrier and hungrier. You know how you’re not supposed to go grocery shopping when you’re hungry? I think the same applies to writing about food. To be fair, it is lunchtime. But, there are other times when it’s not, and I’m thinking about the food on the computer screen so much that I can hardly keep myself from snacking on it (and sometimes I give in and eat the cold leftovers while standing in front of the fridge).
Whew, now that that’s been said, want to talk about this episode? It’s a simple dish. A perfect meal for a night when dinner hasn’t been planned and you need something quick. All you’ve gotta do is chop up a few veggies, cook some tempeh and some of the vegetables, warm up the tortillas (totally optional), and you’re ready to dish up!
If you’re afraid of the tempeh, don’t be. It’s good. But, if you insist that you don’t want to try it, no big deal, use your favorite kind of ground meat. I’m into that too.
Heat oven for a few minutes. Turn off and place tortillas (wrapped in tinfoil) to warm.
Heat pan. Add oil. Add crumbled tempeh, onion, corn, peppers, and seasonings. Cook about 10 minutes over medium heat (or until veggies are tender and tempeh is heated through), stirring occasionally. (Note: If using meat, add meat in place of tempeh, cook completely.)
In center of tortilla add a bit of the tempeh mixture and top with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, yogurt, and any other toppings.
Either fold at one end and roll sides in, or fold in half (works well for a larger taco).
Notes
This meal is vegetarian (unless you substitute for the tempeh with meat), and can be gluten free by using corn tortillas.
