Potatoes with Herbs, Spinach & Lemon

I’m always on the look-out for no-mayo potato salads or sides. If you read my recent Southwestern Potato Salad post, you’ll know why. I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, The Kitchn. As is usually the case with their recipes, it was delicious.

My herb garden, a row of pots, doesn’t include parsley or dill this year, so I’m not using the original name of this recipe: Herb Garden Potatoes. I suppose you could use any combination of herbs, but I really loved the fresh bright taste of parsley and dill with the spinach and lemon. I imagine that tarragon, basil, thyme, lemon thyme or marjoram would work too.

Warm and humid North Carolina is so much better for herbs than Sacramento. Because of Sacramento’s hot and dry climate, I had to water my herbs every day, and that didn’t always happen. So I gave up on herb gardening and bought them instead at the farmers market.

This year we have basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and mint in pots on our deck – the only place on an acre of land that gets enough sun. Next to the deck we (well, Jim) planted a few grape tomato plants that don’t look so good but give us a handful of tomatoes every few days. We also have two small eggplants and several banana pepper plants in pots. I wish we had other pepper plants because the banana peppers don’t have a whole lot of flavor or heat. Next year, serrano and jalapeno!

Back to potatoes… I made this as a side for Coconut Citrus Tilapia. I loved how the lemon and green herbs complemented the sweet coconut citrus fish. It’s a perfect summer potato dish. Play with the herbs and serve it either warm off the stove, at room temperature or chilled.

Little bit of leftovers - I added extra spinach so it's really green

Potatoes with Herbs, Spinach & Lemon

Serves 4 to 6. You’ll need a large pot with lid, large bowl, whisk and small bowl.

• Salt
• 2 pounds red skin, new or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into large bite-size chunks
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 5 ounces baby spinach, leaves only, sliced into thin ribbons
• 2/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, loosely packed, minced
• 2/3 cup fresh dill, fronds only, loosely packed, minced
• 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper

Boil a pot of generously salted water. Add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, or until they are tender. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, olive oil and sugar. Whisk until well-combined — it will be thick and opaque yellow. Pour over the hot potatoes and stir gently until the potatoes are coated with dressing.

Add the spinach, parsley, dill and shallots to the potatoes, toss gently. The spinach and herbs will wilt in the potato heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Original recipe: Herb Garden Potatoes with Fresh Spinach & Lemon, The Kitchn

Irish Soda Bread

Even though St. Patrick’s Day has passed us by, don’t relegate this soda bread recipe to the seasonal file. Keep it handy for those times you want a little something extra for breakfast or a sweet but substantial side for dinner. It takes very little time to put together. I was in the midst of a cooking whirlwind making beef and Guinness stew and colcannon but was still able to get this from the bowl and into the oven while other pots were cooking away.

I learned in The Atlantic magazine that this isn’t a real Irish soda bread because it includes sugar and raisins. The real deal probably isn’t as tasty.

“It was for everyday use, and its distinctive soft, crumbly, dense texture results from the “soft” wheat that grows in the cool climate of Ireland, meaning that it doesn’t have enough protein to form the gluten structure of yeast-raised breads. Hence the use of baking soda, originally potash, as a leavening agent.”

I didn’t get the idea to make Irish soda bread until just before I started cooking dinner. I decided on this recipe from the Three More Big Bites blog because it used only whole wheat flour, plus I already had all the ingredients on hand. I always keep dried buttermilk in the cupboard for just these kinds of last-minute baking whims. You can usually find it in the baking aisle. If you have vanilla sugar in your cupboard, use half granulated and half vanilla sugar for the recipe, and sprinkle the top with vanilla sugar.

Vanilla sugar is real easy to make. Fill a saved-from-recycling glass jar with granulated sugar. Slice a vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife. Scrape the tiny seeds onto the knife blade. Stick the bean and the seeds into the sugar. Give it a good stir. Seal the jar and let it sit a few weeks. I like to occasionally sweeten and flavor my coffee or tea with vanilla sugar or add it to recipes like this one.

Photo by The Bitten Word (Flickr)

Irish Soda Bread with Raisins

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 6 tablespoons sugar, or mix of sugar and vanilla sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1 cup buttermilk, or use dried buttermilk per package instructions
• 3/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 7” cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. If you’re using dried buttermilk, add it to the dry ingredients. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in the butter until is mixed in. Or, do what I did and blend the dry ingredients in a food processor, add the butter and pulse to mix it in.

Add buttermilk, or water if you’re using dried buttermilk. Stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Stir in raisins.

Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared cake pan and flatten slightly. The dough will not come to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake bread until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and serve.

Original recipe: Three More Big Bites, Irish Soda Bread with Raisins

Scraping a vanilla bean - photo by Joyosity (Flickr)

Cranberry Nut Bread

It’s cranberry season! Check your supermarket for sales. Lowes Foods and Food Lion had them on sale for $1.99/pack recently. I always stock up the freezer every fall when they’re on sale so I have fresh berries throughout the year. If you’re friendly with the produce guy, he may give you the scoop on upcoming sales and you won’t have to buy them at full-price. I owe my good cranberry fortune to the produce guy at the Lowes Food at Rts 42 and 50 in Garner.

I’ve made countless loaves of cranberry bread over the years. Usually I follow the recipe on the back of the Ocean Spray cranberry package. It’s convenient, easy and a delicious version that my mother always makes. Last weekend I gathered my ingredients, including a package of Trader Joe’s cranberries that’s been lingering in the freezer for way too long. However, when I looked at the back there was only a recipe for cranberry sauce. I pulled out my cookbooks and found a good recipe in The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook.

It’s been years since I’ve baked out of this cookbook. I forgot how good and reliable it is. It has a strong New England slant that I like. King Arthur Flour started in Boston in 1790 as Henry Wood & Company and today is still going strong in Norwich, Vermont.  Browsing through other cranberry recipes, I came across one for a New England version of a Festival Bread that I once made. According to my note on the page, it was “Excellent!” I plan to make that one this year during the holidays. It’s a yeast bread filled with cranberries, golden raisins, currants and warm spices — cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.

The Ocean Spray cranberry bread uses a lot more orange juice than the King Arthur version, omits the milk and boiling water, uses more cranberries and less nuts, and bakes at a higher temperature.

I did a combination of the two recipes and was very pleased with the results. As I usually do with quick breads, I substituted whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose flour, and brown sugar for part of the granulated sugar. I also added vanilla and cinnamon to the mix. Next time, I will forgo the milk and boiling water and stick to orange juice. In case I don’t have oranges in the fridge, it’s good to know that the King Arthur version is equally delicious. Proof: the loaf was sliced only a little while before I took this photo. Look how much the two of us already ate.

cranberry nut bread in the rough

Cranberry Nut Bread

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Juice of one orange — zest the orange first, then juice it
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• Boiling water
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen) cranberries, chopped if you wish
• 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• Zest from one orange, about 1 Tbsp but more is okay

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a 1-cup measuring cup, combine the orange juice, oil, milk and enough boiling water to make it 1 cup of liquid. Add this to the beaten egg and vanilla. Whisk to combine well.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring only enough to combine. Fold in the cranberries, walnuts and orange zest. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan and tap it on the counter to release any air pockets.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60-75 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine took closer to 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing.

Adapted from The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook.

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

It’s football season. Chili time! When Jim makes chili, I make cornbread. I can’t remember what recipe I used last season, guess it wasn’t memorable, so I hunted for a new one. This irresistible recipe from Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network) adds jalapenos and cheddar cheese to the bread. Ina’s recipes are always delicious, but this one called for two sticks of butter, that’s a bit excessive. The alterations began. How about half butter, half canola oil? That’s still plenty fatty but works for me. I may even use less butter next time.

Ina’s recipe called for only one cup of cornmeal and three cups of all-purpose flour. I wanted more corn flavor so I doubled the cornmeal. I also substituted whole-wheat flour for half the remaining all-purpose flour. Next time, I may skip the all-purpose flour altogether and increase the cornmeal and whole-wheat flour. I also increased the sugar just a bit. I like cornbread to have a noticeable hint of sweetness.

I increased the jalapenos, using canned pickled jalapenos instead of fresh since we always have those in the fridge – one of Jim’s favorite snacks.

The bread is really flavorful and not at all dry – a common cornbread syndrome. I like the heat from the additional jalapenos and for the right crowd, I might add even more. And it’s good for breakfast too!

photo from Food Network site

Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or grated
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
• 1/3 cup minced pickled jalapeno peppers
• Cooking spray
• Optional – extra cheese and scallions for the top of bread

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil and butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry until most of the lumps dissolve. Mix in cheese, scallions and jalapenos. Allow mixture to sit at room temp for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9” x 13” baking pan.

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Optional – sprinkle with extra cheese and scallions. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean. Mine took a bit longer than 35 minutes but I haven’t checked my oven temperature recently so it might be off. Cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from recipe by Food Network, Barefoot Contessa.

Zucchini and Olive Breakfast Bread

When I saw the recipe for Ham and Gruyère Bread in the New York Times food section, I almost swooned. Even better, it’s a quick bread, easy peasy, as Jamie Oliver would say. The article describes this bread as a cake salé, a tarted-up savory muffin in a loaf pan that only the French could create. It’s also called a gateau de voyage because it travels well. I’m imagining a picnic with a nice chilled bottle of wine and a crisp salad.

Then I saw another recipe mentioning the cake salé, this time a zucchini and black olive breakfast cake from The Kitchn. I happened to have a surplus of zucchini in my refrigerator. I bought some goat cheese yesterday and made the bread last night. It’s moist inside due to the zucchini’s water content (even salted and pressed, moisture remains), but also has a crumbly crust enhanced by the crunch of sea salt. You can taste the salty tang of the olives and cheese. I might have gone a bit too heavy on the salt sprinkles on top and the bread itself is pretty salty with the olives, so you may want to go a little lighter on that. I’m thinking that unsalted butter would be a nice addition to a slice, maybe even cream cheese.

This would make a good picnic, brunch or breakfast bread. Now I’m looking forward to making the ham and gruyère version.

Zucchini and Kalamata Olive Cake Salé

• 1/3 c olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan and drizzling
• 1/2# zucchini, about 1 medium squash
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lg clove garlic, minced
• 1-3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt (again)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 lg eggs
• 1/3 c milk – I used 2%
• 2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 c Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• Kosher (or sea) salt – beware a heavy hand

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with olive oil. Grate the zucchini on the coarsest side of a box grater. Place it in a colander in the sink, toss with 1 teaspoon of salt and let drain.

In a large bowl, whisk the minced garlic with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk and olive oil. Use a spatula to fold the wet ingredients into the dry until barely mixed. Fold in the crumbled goat cheese and sliced olives. Press on the zucchini in the colander, pressing out as much water as possible. Fold in the zucchini.

Pour and spread the batter in the prepared loaf pan, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher/sea salt. Bake loaf for about 45 minutes, or until golden and a knife inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Mine took about 55 minutes, but that could be my oven.

Transfer to a rack to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to release and then turn the loaf out onto the rack to firm up before slicing, about 30 minutes.

Original Recipe: Zucchini and Olive Breakfast Cake, French-Style

Banana Bread

Bananas are a staple in my kitchen. Great for potassium. And peanut butter, banana and honey sandwiches. And topping a bowl of cereal. But the last two of the bunch are sometimes too ripe by the time I’m ready to eat them. And this means banana bread! I smoosh them up with a fork and put them in a container in the frig (or freezer) until I’m ready to bake.

I’ve been using this recipe from Cooking Light for a long time. It’s supposedly “light” but I think that will depend on how many slices you have. I’ve made some changes to the recipe that I’ve put in parentheses.

Classic Banana Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• (1 teaspoon cinnamon)
• 1 cup sugar (or ½ cup sugar and ½ brown sugar)
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 3 bananas
• 1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt or low-fat sour cream (or vanilla yogurt)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• (3/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts or pecans)
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stirring with a whisk.

Beat sugars and butter in a mixer until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt and vanilla. Beat until blended. Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until moist. Fold in nuts.

Put batter into loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack. Remove from pan and cool completely. This usually doesn’t happen – it’s too tempting to have a warm slice.

This weekend I added 2 cups of bananas because that’s what I wanted to use up and the excess caused the bread to have a moist banana-y center which is fine but that texture may not appeal to everyone.

This bread freezes well wrapped in plastic, then foil and placed in a freezer bag. Sometimes I’ll cut a loaf in half before freezing so that I only have to defrost a little at a time.

What else do you do with your over-ripe bananas? I sometimes freeze chunks for smoothies, but that’s about the only other idea I have.