Simple By Cindy

Parsnip Bisque

Sep. 25
2017

I love soup any time of the year, but since we are stepping into autumn, I thought it was a good time for a soup recipe. It is an unusual one, as most people have not yet experienced the joy of eating a parsnip.

A parsnip is a root vegetable, most closely resembling a carrot in its shape and origin. It has a cream colored skin and becomes sweeter the longer it remains in the ground. It is high in dietary fiber, contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antifungal ingredients.

When roasted, it takes on this magical sweetness that becomes almost addicting. I usually peel and cut it into cubes, mix it with olive oil, salt and pepper, place it on a baking sheet and roast it at 450F for about 40 minutes. The more brown and caramelized it becomes, the sweeter it is.

This soup is as fast and easy as it is wonderful. Combined with the onions and potatoes, the parsnips have a sweet and smoky flavor that is both satisfying and enjoyable.

This recipe is courtesy of Kosher By Design, by Susan Fishbein, and will serve 8-10 people who will love this unusual vegetable.

Ingredients for Parsnip Bisque

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 spanish onion, diced
3/4 celery stalk, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
6 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh chives, optional

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.

Add the onions and sauté about 6-7 minutes or until translucent. Add the celery, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes longer.

Add the parsnips, potatoes and chicken or vegetable stock.

Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer about 30-35 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Let cool.

Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and puree. You can also use a handheld immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth.

Season with salt and pepper.

For extra smoothness, you can strain the soup through a fine chinois.

Garnish with fresh chives in the center of each bowl, if desired.

It’s that simple!

Quinoa with Brown Butter and Spinach

Sep. 18
2017

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient crop that has been eaten by the South American people for 5,000 years. It means “mother grain” in the Inca language. While some people refer to it as a grain, it is actually a seed. It is gluten-free, comes in different colors and is just plain delicious.

This hardy little seed looks a little bit like couscous, but is smaller in size and crunchier in texture. Quinoa has many health benefits. It is rich in lysine, which promotes tissue growth throughout the body, has a very high range of anti-inflammatory benefits and is rich in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, vitamin-E, potassium and fiber. Have I convinced you to try it yet?

Quinoa is a very versatile food. It can be used in soups, salads, side dishes, and stuffing. I loved this particular recipe because of the use of the browned butter and spinach. Actually, the original recipe called for arugula, but because I am not a fan of arugula, I substituted spinach. The author was kind enough to share some other ways of making yummy adjustments. For example, you could use whole wheat couscous, or cooked millet instead of quinoa. You could also add some grated cheese, which I did as well, or some dried cranberries or toasted pine nuts. Any way you choose to make this recipe, it will be wonderful!

This recipe is courtesy of Cook This Now and will serve 2-3 people who will become new quinoa enthusiasts!

Ingredients for Quinoa with Brown Butter and Spinach

1 cup quinoa
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces spinach (about 4 cups)
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan -Reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the quinoa and cook until the center is opaque and the husks begin to loosen from the grain, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Cook until the foam subsides and the butter just begins to turn a nutty brown, about 2 minutes (watch it carefully to see that it doesn’t burn).

Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.

Add the spinach, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper.

Cook, tossing until the greens are just wilted, about 1 minute.

Stir in the quinoa and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and heat through for 30 seconds.

It’s that simple!

Rustic Greek Pie

Sep. 14
2017

I love Greek cuisine and its combination of ingredients. Although I had never tasted haloumi cheese, when I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It turns out I liked the cheese, and I loved it in this recipe.

Inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, this rich, Greek pie is similar to a tiropita. A favorite Greek mid-morning snack, a tiropita is a traditional cheese pie made with a light, buttery phyllo dough and filled with a cheese and egg mixture.

The author of this recipe altered some of the traditional ingredients for a tiropita. I also made an adjustment and switched the frozen shortcrust with a puff pastry sheet. I could not find frozen shortcrust at my supermarket, and the puff pastry worked well. I really enjoyed the combination of the feta and the haloumi cheeses, making this pie both sweet and savory. The spinach and the oregano gave it a nice Mediterranean aroma. This rustic Greek pie would work well as a side dish or an appetizer. For any vegetarians out there, this would make a fantastic main dish.

This recipe is courtesy of Vegetarian Cooking and will serve 4 people who will love this version of Greek pie.

Ingredients for Rustic Greek Pie

1 pound packet of frozen spinach, thawed
1 large sheet of frozen shortcrust (pie) pastry, thawed (I used puff pastry sheets)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 1/2 oz. haloumi cheese, grated
4 1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp. oregano leaves
2 eggs
2 oz. (1/4 cup) pouring cream (whipping or heavy cream)
Lemon wedges to serve

Preheat the oven to 415.

Squeeze out the excess liquid from the spinach.

Place the pastry (or puff pastry sheet) on a baking tray.

Spread the spinach in the middle, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge.

Sprinkle garlic over the spinach and pile the haloumi and feta cheese on top.

Sprinkle with the oregano and season with salt and pepper.

Cut a short slit into each corner of the pastry, then tuck each side of the pastry over to form a border around the filling.

Lightly beat the eggs with the cream and carefully pour the egg mixture over the filling.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling has set.

Serve with lemon wedges.

It’s that simple!

A Fragrant Onion Tart

Sep. 11
2017

While raw onions have a “sting” when you bite into them, baked onions are tender and sweet. Raw onions frequently make me cry, but this onion tart definitely made me smile. Apparently, when you allow raw, biting onions to cook over low heat for a while, they will do an about-face and become soft and sweet, and totally irresistible.

This recipe does not call for a deep caramelization of the onions. They are cooked just enough to reach a beautiful, golden hue. They are then complemented by gruyere cheese, creme fraiche, milk, and thyme, and enveloped by a light, buttery and flaky crust. The result is pure, awesome, homemade comfort food.

Just to note— I doubled the crust, as I always do, and found I needed it when pressing it into the tart pan. I wonder why such small amounts work perfectly for the experts, but not for “home” cooks such as ourselves?

This is an elegant tart that I will be making for one of the upcoming holidays. It will perfectly accompany any main dish, or make a perfect main dish itself.

This recipe is courtesy of Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison and will serve 4 as an entree or 6-8 as a side dish or appetizer. I would make two, because as soon as you serve it, there will be nothing remaining but crumbs!

Ingredients for A Fragrant Onion Tart

The filling:

1 1/2 pound onions, preferably white, (about 3 medium)
2 slices of bacon (optional) cut crosswise into small pieces
2 tbsp. butter
1 heaping tsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 2 pinches dried
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 eggs
1 cup creme fraiche or cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated aged Gouda or Gruyere cheese

The Crust:

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. white whole-wheat or spelt flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. butter, cut into small bits
3 tbsp. ice water or more, if needed

To make the filling, cut your onions in half, peel them and if they are strong, put them in a bowl of cold water. It doesn’t take long for them to reduce their sting.

Finely dice the onions.

If you are using bacon, fry it until browned and nearly crisp, then scoop it out to drain on a paper towel.

Throw out the bacon grease, wipe out the pan, and add the butter.

When melted, add the onions, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes in all. At first the onions will be very moist, but after 10 minutes, their water will be cooked off and they will begin to color. They needn’t be caramelized, but just take on a faint golden hue.

Preheat oven to 400.

When they are done, let them cool slightly. Taste for salt–they’ll be very sweet so you might want to add more–and season well with pepper.

While the onions are cooking, whisk the eggs with the creme fraiche and milk.

Stir in the cooked onions and the cheese.

To make the crust, put the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Add the butter and turn mixer to a low speed until the butter has broken into small, pebble-sized pieces.

Drizzle in the ice water until the dough looks clumpy and damp. You’ll use about 3 tablespoons or less if the butter was soft.

Form the dough into a disk or a rectangle to correspond to the shape pan you are using, wrap it in a plastic bag, and refrigerate.

Roll the dough to fit your chosen tart pan, then drape it into the pan.

Neatly press the dough up the sides of the pan and shape it.

Pour in the onion mixture, even it out, then bake until the surface is golden and browned in places, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cool to warm before cutting into slices and serving.

It’s that simple!

Summer Fruit Crisp

Sep. 7
2017

I am always amazed and saddened by how fast the summer flies. We are forced to leave behind the memories of summer trips, beaches, long days and beautiful warm nights.

However, I also love the fall, when the air is crisp and cool in the morning, and warm during the day. It is a busy time, with kids going back to school, and the holidays looming over us. It is also a time when you spend special occasions with family and friends and show your gratitude for those you love.

So, for my last “summer” entry I decided to make a fruit dessert. Crisps, crumbles and cobblers are all fruit dishes that are baked with a crust or pastry on top. This crisp is delicious, that when baking, the fruit juices bubble up onto the streusel-like topping. There is so much flavor and texture in this dish. You absolutely must experience it for yourself! Give summer one last hurrah.

Just to note, I doubled the ingredients for the topping. Am I the only one who thinks there is never enough streusel topping in crisp desserts? You should double them too; you will thank me for it.

This recipe is courtesy of Bon appetit and will serve 6-8 people who will be deliriously happy when eating it.

Ingredients for Summer Fruit Crisp

Oat Topping:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into piece

Assembly:

8 cups sliced stone fruit, berries, or pitted cherries
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. lemon, lime or orange zest
2 tbsp. fresh lemon, lime or orange juice
Pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375.

For the topping:

Pulse flour, brown sugar, salt, and 3/4 cup oats in a food processor to blend.

Pulse in butter until no dry spots remain.