FamilyFood

Simple Sides: Roasted King Trumpet Mushrooms

I love King Trumpet (or Oyster) mushrooms because they have the same meaty texture of fresh porcinis (which are nigh impossible to find) even if they don't exactly have a fresh porcini's rich flavor. They also don't have the creepy gills and unappealing sponginess that portobellos have. (I love mushrooms and simply cannot choke down a portobello.)

The easiest way I know to make them is just to stick 'em in a hot oven and don't bother them too much.  You begin with beautiful raw mushrooms, ends trimmed. Toss them with olive oil, garlic, and alae (pink) Hawaiian salt (or sea salt).

Get into my belly!

Put them into a 375º oven for about 25 minutes. You can give them a gentle stir about half-way through the cooking time.  When they are done, they come out looking like this:

Chewy, garlicky yumminess.

I served these alongside lamb chops when the smart and soignée Katherine came to dinner a few weeks ago.

Crunchy Korean Cucumber Salad

This salad is so easy to prepare it's stoopid.  The key, though, it making sure you serve it immediately after you toss it so that the salt doesn't have a chance to wilt the cukes. I like it when the cucumbers are still icy-cold from the fridge and you get the pleasant crunch of sea salt with every bite. The recipe calls for ground toasted sesame seeds (You can find sesame seed grinders at any Japanese market.), but if you can't find a grinder a mortar and pestle will work.  Or just sprinkle them on without grinding.

KOREAN CUCUMBER SALAD

• 2 medium-sized cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped into chunks
• half a thinly-sliced small yellow onion, or 1-2 green onions, thinly-sliced
• a drizzle of toasted sesame oil (maybe a teaspoon or two)
• a hefty grinding of toasted sesame seeds (see photo)
• sea salt to taste (large flakes are great, but avoid large the coarse rocks usu. found in salt grinders)
• optional: shaved garlic is great in this, so are a few very thinly-sliced green chilis.

Toss everything together and serve immediately. Serves 4 as a side dish (or two of my children--they love this).  We had this along-side kalbi (Korean BBQ ribs) last night.

Panzanella: Italian Bread Salad

This classic Italian dish is the perfect way to transition from summer to fall. You combine hearty leftover bread—the drier the better—with juicy tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Some people like to add all manner of things like cucumbers or peppers or olives. I'm a purist and I like to keep it simple. I might add some thinly sliced sweet red or yellow onion or a splash (just a splash) of red wine vinegar, but I try to let the tomatoes shine through.

For this recipe, I used about 1/3 of a loaf of very stale La Brea Bakery whole grain loaf, three large and juicy heirloom tomatoes, a couple handfuls of fresh basil, about 4 glugs of fruity olive oil (use the best you have), half a thinly sliced onion added just before serving, a slug of red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper.

You need to start the recipe at least two hours before you serve it.  The best part about it is that it needs no refrigeration, in fact, refrigeration destroys the flavors, so make sure to keep and serve it at room temperature.

The procedure is as follows:

• Dice bread into 1-inch cubes, and layer into a bowl.
• Placed chopped tomatoes (no need to seed) and any accumulated juices into the bowl atop the tomatoes.
• Salt the tomatoes, drizzle olive oil over everything, scatter basil over the top, and just let the bowl hang out on your kitchen counter for 2-4 hours.
• Just before serving, add the onions and a splash of vinegar.  Toss well. Salt and pepper to taste, and add a touch more olive oil.  Serve. Serves 4.

You can also omit the last step and just serve it after the bread has had a chance to absorb the tomato juices.

Pasta with fresh white corn, heirloom tomatoes, and herbs

This is that salad that everyone makes in the summertime. I just love fresh (raw) corn, just off the cob, and summer tomatoes together.  When I want to make it into a heartier main dish or side, I add pasta to it, and perhaps some cheese (crumbled sheep's milk chevre is wonderful in this).

The tomatoes (especially the Green Zebras) were so outstanding that I didn't add cheese to it. I didn't want to take away from their sweetness.  I simply dressed the pasta with olive oil, salt and pepper and tossed it with the tomatoes and corn which I seasoned separately with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of white balsamic vinegar. The final touch was the addition of freshly pick oregano and Italian and Thai basil, all of which I grow in pots on my patio.

We had company and I served this alongside grilled chicken paillard. It was a match made in heaven. It tasted so good sitting outside in our backyard sipping wine and chatting with our guest.  We had leftovers of both so I just chopped the chicken into the pasta and we ate it the next day for lunch.

Chunky Tex-Mex Gazpacho

This soup doesn't really resemble Spanish gazpacho at all, but nevermind. It's more like a cold tomato soup with veggies, but on a hot summer day, it really satisfies. My toddler gobbles this up probably because I ate so much of it when I was pregnant with her.

I originally got the recipe from Patti who got it from Trader Joe's. I've tweaked it over the years, and every time I make it, it's different, but when summer hits, it's time to make this.

Put the following in a large bowl:

• 1/2 a large English cucumber, finely diced
• 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 large, sweet yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 can of garbanzo or black beans
• a couple of handfuls of frozen sweet white corn
• one avocado, diced (but it's great without it, too) 
• 1/2 a 15 oz. container of prepared refrigerated salsa (best quality)
• a handful of chopped fresh cilantro
• a splash of sherry vinegar or fresh lime juice to taste
   

Mix well, and to this mixture add chilled organic chicken broth (or no-chicken broth) and chilled V-8 or tomato juice (I like a ratio of 1 part chicken broth to 2 parts V-8) until it's the consistency you like.  If you want a soupier soup, add more liquid. Mix well and season to taste with sea salt and hot pepper sauce.

Top each serving with a dollop of Mexican Crema (sour cream) or thick Greek-style yogurt (optional) and a squeeze of lime.

Local Goodness: Three things I'm enjoying this week

I rarely buy ready-made salad dressing, but I lately, I've been buying Annie's Naturals Woodstock dressing two bottles at a time. It has just enough creamyness and tang without being overly "tahini'd." So good on a chopped salad full of crunchy veggies like cukes, peppers, radishes, and carrots that stand up to the assertive dressing. The corporate headquarters of the Vermont company located in Napa, CA.

GoRaw Flax Snax Crackers. Amazingly tasty and full of flavor. Hits the spot when you need something crunchy/salty. Made in Mountain View, CA.

Home Craft Breads' raisin walnut cinnamon rolls. Dense and soft, and wonderful when toasted in a toaster oven. Not overly sweet. Not sticky. Made in Redding, CA.

All available at Country Sun, Palo Alto.

Silky Chilled Avocado Soup

Okay, since posting yesterday's post about Ani Phyo, I've been obsessing over her "Kreamy Avocado Soup." I love soups, especially cold soups in the summer time, and when I woke up this morning, I knew what I had to have for lunch.  I varied her recipe since I didn't have chipotle and rosemary on hand. It still came out delicious, and over the course of the day, the kids and I have devoured a whole blender full.  If you love avocados, I highly recommend this recipe.

SILKY CHILLED AVOCADO SOUP

Adapted from Ani Phyo

In a blender, combine the following and process until silky smooth. This recipe is raw and vegan. Mine soup didn't turn out as vibrantly green as Ani's, I think because my miso was very dark brown.

The best part about this recipe? It took 5 minutes to make.

• the flesh from two avocados
• 2 cups of ice water
• juice of 1-2 limes
• 2 tablespoons of brown rice miso (unpasteurized)
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• fresh pepper

Garnish with rough-chopped tomatoes.

Link Love: Ani Phyo

Ani Phyo a raw food/vegan chef...and despite that (heh), her food looks delicious.  I'm digging her videos on YouTube . They are instructional and informative and I want to climb through my computer screen to taste everything she makes. Her cookbook is the next one I'll add to my collection.

She's also likeable and personable without seeming self-righteous about the whole raw food thing. Plus, you know, she's easy on the eyes.

Check her out!