Wheatberry Apple Salad

Wheat Berry Apple Salad Salads are what I should be eating for about a month after I indulged in eating the most delicious chocolate cake (which was described as addictive by my Father) for about a week. And this one is a great one. I love this salad for many reasons: it’s tasty, it fills you up, and it’s full with nutrients. What else can you ask for?

What attracted me to it initially was the fact that it called for wheatberries. I love them. They have a buttery-nutty flavor that is mildly sweet and very distinctive. They are crunchy and chewy at the same time, which means they’ll fill you up and you won’t feel hungry after eating this salad. However, if you don’t like to chew, they are probably not for you. I digress, the mild sweetness of the wheatberries and salad dressing are a delightful contrast to the tartness of the apples and cranberries. And the leafy greens add freshness to this dish. It is a delicious way to get all the nutrients you need if you are not a big salad fan. So, without further ado, here is the recipe:
Wheatberry Apple Salad
Adapted from Ultimate Party Food Book
Portion: 6 cups

Wheatberries

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked wheat berries
 ½ teaspoon salt
2 Apples
½ cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Grated peel and juice of one medium orange
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Lettuce and spinach leaves

Directions:
1. Place wheat berries and salt in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 45 min. to one hour or until what berries are tender, but chewy. You may have to add additional water if what berries become dry during cooking. Drain and let cool.

2. Cut unpeeled apples into bite-size pieces. Combine wheat berries, apples, cranberries, walnuts, orange peel, orange juice, extra virgin olive oil, and vinegar in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend. Serve over lettuce and spinach leaves.

Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut and Rum Frosting

“Where have you been?” you may be asking. Between work, new projects, and family and friends, writing has taken the backseat. However, that does not mean that I have taken a break from cooking and trying new recipes. In fact, I just made my first chocolate cake from scratch (frosting included). My intention was to post this recipe on Sunday so you could make it for your significant other for Valentine’s Day… but, as I mentioned earlier, life got in the way and I didn’t have time to type the recipe. Oh well, you don’t need to wait until next Valentine’s Day because you can make this cake anytime of the year for anyone who occupies a special place in your heart… or when you are going through a bad breakup since there are few things chocolate cannot fix.

Enough chatter. Let’s talk about this recipe. I was looking for good chocolate cake recipe when my friend and coworker Cheryl shared with me a chocolate cake recipe she found online. I read the recipe and it looked easy to make. I decided to make it this past Saturday for Gayle’s birthday (my brother’s girlfriend). I wanted to make her feel special by making her a luscious and decadent chocolate cake. I spent all Saturday morning (and part of the afternoon) baking the cake and making the frosting. When I started decorating the cake, the snow that had been falling since early in the morning, turned into sleet. Not a good sign. Minutes later, cake in hand, we left home to meet Gayle and the family at our favorite Mexican restaurant (which was featuring live Mariachi). Half way there, Mother calls me to cancel. The roads where slippery and they didn’t feel comfortable driving all the way to Harrisburg… Nate and I looked at each other and then looked at the cake that was sitting on the backseat. What to do know? Well, we took it home and could not resist having a piece. Yes, I know it’s rude to eat someone else’s birthday cake but it looked so very good and we are not very good at resisting temptation. We’ve been eating a piece of cake daily… but we saved the other half in the freezer for Gayle.

This chocolate cake is very, very good. The cake is a bit dense with a clear chocolate flavor that is not overwhelming. Although it did not call for it, I decided to use raspberry jelly as filling, which added a bit of tanginess to the sweetness of the cake and frosting. Which reminds me to tell you about the frosting: it was combination of butter (of course), hazelnut cream (I used Nutella), and rum (because rum makes me smile). The cake is very decadent and probably not very good for your figure but it is so worth it. I’m not going to lie to you, making a cake and frosting from scratch is time consuming and at times frustrating. So I recommend you make either the cake or frosting a day ahead of time.

Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut and Rum Frosting

Ingredients:

For the Cake
1 1/4 cup of sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup good quality cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/3 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Filling:
3/4 cup raspberry jelly

For the Frosting:
1 cup butter (at room temperature)
1 cup Hazelnut butter (I used Nutella)
1 tbs. dark rum

Directions:
For the cake:
1. Heat oven to 350 Degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Pour into a floured cake pan/
5. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Once the cake is ready, take it out of the oven and let cool for approximately an hour before removing it from pan.

For the frosting:
1. Beat all the ingredients until completely mixed. Chill for 20 minutes (not more) before using.

To finish the cake:
1. Slice the cake horizontally in half.
2. Spread the raspberry jelly over the bottom part of the cake. Add the top part of the cake.
3. Spread the frosting on top of the case and sides. 

Oatmeal Orange Scones

I love to eat scones with my morning coffee. About two years ago I made scones for the first time. Somewhere, I don’t remember where, I found a recipe to make blueberry scones and decided to give it a try. Well, they did not turn out great. I used frozen blueberries which turned the dough into an ugly gray mess. The dough was too runny and as a result, shaping the scones was close to impossible. I had to add more flour which led to very doughy scones. I decided to never make scones again.

However, this past Christmas I found a recipe that I loved courtesy of Liz, my brother-in-law’s wife. She let me try some of the scones she made for Christmas morning and I loved them. She was not only kind enough to give me several scones to take home but she also shared the recipe with me. Two weeks later, on a cold Saturday morning, I decided to make them. However, I made some tweaks to the original recipe: I added orange zest and flax seed, and instead of using raisins, I used dried cranberries. As the scones were baking in the oven, the smell of freshly baked goods filled my kitchen. We could not wait for the scones to be ready. After 20 minutes in the oven, we took them out and they looked gorgeous. And they tasted as good as they looked.

 If you like scones, give this recipe a try. They are easy to make and very filling. You’ll be good to go until lunch time.

Oatmeal Orange Scones

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
1 ¼ cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. salt
Orange zest (1/2 orange)
2 tbs. ground flax seed
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, and ground flax seed.

2. In another bowl mix the butter, milk, orange zest, and egg. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Finally, add the dried cranberries.

3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 7 flat balls and place on a cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden – about 17 min.

Note: If you prefer triangular scones, once the dough is ready, pat it into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick and use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles. Place on a cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart and bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Boullabaisse

I have fallen victim of a nasty cold, so this week’s post it’s going to be short and sweet. No more rants or preaching (at least for a while). This week I have a wonderful recipe for you: Bouillabaisse – a traditional French fish stew that originated in Marseille. My friend Lauren and I made it a few months ago and I was surprised by how easy it was to make and the fact that it was not time consuming. Everyone loved it and had seconds. If you don’t have plans for dinner tonight, go the grocery store, buy all the ingredients, head to kitchen and make Bouillabaisse. It is the perfect dish for a snowy, cold night. 

Bouillabaisse

6 to 8 servings

Adapted from What’s 4 Eats: http://www.whats4eats.com/soups/bouillabaisse-recipe

Note that ideally bouillabaisse is made with rascasse, an ugly fish found only in the Mediterranean. However, feel free to make it with any combination of fish and seafood available to you. Try to use as many different types as possible, as it improves the flavor.

Ingredients:

Broth

•Olive oil -- 1/4 cup

•Onion, chopped -- 1

•Celery, chopped -- 2 ribs

•Garlic, crushed -- 4 cloves

•Tomatoes, chopped -- 1 pound

•Orange peel (no white pith) -- 1 piece, about 2 or 3 inches long

•Parsley -- 6 to 8 sprigs

•Fresh thyme -- 2 sprigs

•Bay leaf -- 1

•Saffron (optional) -- 1 pinch

•Salt -- 2 teaspoons

•Peppercorns -- 6 to 8

•Water -- 2 quarts

•White wine (optional) -- 1 cup

Rouille

•Red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded -- 1

•Potato, cooked and peeled -- 1

•Garlic, crushed -- 4 cloves

•Hot chile pepper, minced -- 1

•Fresh basil -- 2 tablespoons

•Salt and pepper -- to taste

•Olive oil -- 1/4 cup

Rouille

To Finish :

•Fish and seafood (see variations) -- 5 to 6 pounds. We got a combination of clams, mussels, fresh shrimp, langoustines and white fish.

•French bread sliced and toasted -- 2 to 3 pieces per person

Directions:

1.For the Broth: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven oil over a medium flame. Add the onions, celery and garlic and sauté slowly until the onions are wilted and translucent. Stir in all the remaining broth ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

2.For the Rouille: Place the roasted pepper, potato, garlic, chile pepper, basil, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor with a little of the broth from above. With the blender or processor running, gradually pour in the olive oil. Thin out the sauce a little with more of the broth if needed. The rouille should be thick but spreadable. Adjust seasoning and place in a sauce boat or small bowl.

3.To Finish: Bring the broth to a simmer again over medium heat. Add the fish and seafood in batches, starting with the firmest fish first and ending with the most delicate seafood. Simmer until all the fish and seafood is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

4.To serve, place the toasted bread in the bottom of each individual's bowl. Place a piece of each type of fish and seafood over the bread in each bowl and spoon the broth over all. Pass rouille at the table for each guest to stir into the bouillabaisse.

Tomatoes and Sausage Bake

It’s been one year of happy cooking and blogging. Can you believe it? It’s been a good experience overall… sometimes I’ve thought about stopping blogging because I get lazy and don’t feel like updating my blog on weekly basis. But this is too much fun.

I have a very good recipe for you but, before we get to it, I want to talk to you about something that has been on my mind lately. For the past year I have avoided discussing politics or other more serious matters because this is a cooking blog. However, there are some serious issues that do need to be discussed and talked about because our health and the health of the planet are at stake: our food supply.

If you read my blog often you probably know that I am a big supporter of organic farming and healthy eating. No, I am not trying to be a “yuppie” or a “hipster.” I am trying to feed my body with vegetables, fruits and meats that contain no pesticides, that are not genetically engineered, that come from farms that I know are paying fair wages to their workers, and that engage in environmentally-friendly processes. “Why bother? Organic foods are more expensive” you may say. This is why:

1. Most of the food we eat has been heavily processed and is full of chemicals. As a result, we’ve lost one-third of America’s original topsoil; buried toxic waste everywhere; and polluted and depleted water systems, worsened global warming (yes, it is happening), and exacerbated ailments ranging from cancer to obesity.

2. Obesity may soon surpass lung cancer as the number one cause of preventable deaths in the United States. As a rule of thumb, try to avoid golden/brown foods.

3. Frankenfoods are scary. Animal genes, and even human genes, are randomly inserted into the chromosomes of plants, fish and animals. And the FDA does not require companies to inform consumers that the foods we are buying have been genetically modified.

4. The majority of farms inject cows, pigs and, chickens with high doses of antibiotics and hormones.

5. Slavery still exists on many farms scattered throughout the country where migrant workers work long hours, are paid less than the minimum wage, work in unsafe conditions, and receive no health-care. Furthermore, because there are few regulations, these farm works are exposed to a very high amount of pesticides that have been proved to cause cancer.

Unfortunately, these issues are just the tip of the iceberg. We take care of our appearance, we take care of our house, cars and clothes, but… are we taking care of what we are putting in our bodies? To be well, you have to eat well. That is a fact. Personally, I don’t feel comfortable knowing that a majority of the meat I eat comes from animals that have been injected with hormones, has been fed a combination of animal waste and genetically engineered corn, and comes from farms where animals live in inhumane conditions. I also don’t feel comfortable eating vegetables that have been sprayed with pesticides, with water contaminated with animal waste, and that is picked by workers who are not paid fairly. For these reasons I try to eat organic vegetables, fruits and meats. I also try to support local farms where I have the opportunity to meet the people who work the land, the animals, and their workers. Is it more expensive? Yes, but I rather pay extra money than adding pesticides and hormones to my menu.

To learn more about these issues watch the documentary Food Inc. If you live in the central Pennsylvania area and are interested in organic food, visit Spiral Path Farm (vegetable CSA) and North Mountain Pastures (meat CSA).

Ok, now that I got that out my chest, I feel a lot better. Now, back to the recipe I promised you. Several months ago I was exercising on the treadmill and watching the food channel as entertainment (yes, I am masochist) when I saw Jamie Oliver cooking pork sausage over tomatoes. The dish, although very simple, looked beyond delicious. A few weeks later, when I got spicy Italian sauce from my meat CSA, North Mountain Pastures, I decided to make the dish. Fortunately, I still had some (organic) tomatoes from my garden – which by the way won the 2011 Top Tomato competition our friend Lauren hosts every year. I put the two together on large glass dish, added sliced onions, chopped garlic, fresh thyme and oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper. I proceeded to put the dish in the oven for 20 minutes and voila, dinner was ready. Let me tell you, the tomatoes, onion and garlic were roasted to perfection. The Italian sausage was just perfectly cooked. The dish was as good as it looked on TV. It was such a simple dish but so very delicious. I was very tempted to eat the whole dish. I still don’t know how I stopped myself from doing that.

If you are short on time but want to have a memorable dinner, this dish is for you. It is fast, easy and delicious. What else can you ask for?



Italian Sausage from North Mountain Pastures



Tomatoes and Sausage Bake

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:

1 pound ripe tomatoes (quartered)
2 prigs each of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
4-5 good-quality Italian pork sausages
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 Directions:

1. In a large roasting tray put in all your tomatoes, the herb sprigs, oregano, garlic and sausages. Drizzle well with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss together, then make sure the sausages are on top.

2. Turn on your oven using the “broil” option. Put the tray in the oven. After 10/15 minutes, turn the sausages and vegetables around.  Cook for another 10/15 min.

3. Once it’s cooked, check the seasoning and serve with a good-quality loaf of bread. 

 

New Year's Eve Dinner: Bacalao

I often think that my love for cooking is in my DNA. See, I come from a family of excellent cooks, if I may say so. My great-grandmother, on my dad’s side, worked as the head cook (this is before women could be considered chefs) at a restaurant in one of the best hotels in Mexico City. Her daughter, my grandmother, followed her lead and worked at several restaurants as a cook. There was not a dish she did not know how to make – in fact she made the best Chinese fried rice – and everything she made, was ridiculously good.

Although she is no longer with us, I remember with fondness when we visited her and the smell of whatever she was cooking inundated her house. Growing up, we usually spent New Year’s Eve at her house. It was a night full of fun: all of the cousins lined in her yard to hit a piñata full of candy; we were allowed to drink a small glass of rompope (Mexican eggnog); and we would stay up until midnight to eat 12 grapes for good luck in the new year. Another highlight of the night was the food, of course. My grandmother would always make Bacalao, a dish made with dried salted codfish that the Spaniards introduced to Mexico and which is traditionally eaten on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. When we moved out of Mexico City, my grandmother gave my mother the recipe to make Bacalao and since then, she makes it every year on Christmas Eve. Every time she makes it, the smell of the Bacalo takes me back to my grandmother’s house...

So, if you still don’t know what to make on New Year’s Eve (and if you like fish), try making Bacalao. It is very easy to make and it pairs beautifully with champagne. There is nothing else I would rather eat for New Year’s Eve than Bacalo.

Ingredients
2 pounds salted cod fish
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds tomatoes (diced)
2 pounds onion (diced)
1 bunch parsley (chopped)
6 garlic cloves
1 pound potatoes (peeled and diced)
1/3 cup green olives
5 or more whole banana peppers pickled

Directions
1. Soak the salted cod in hot water changing the water two times over the course of eight hours. Drain and shred the fish.
2. In a large pan, toast the garlic cloves in hot olive oil. Once they turn brown remove.
3. Sautee the onions, tomatoes, and parsley. Once cooked, add the shredded salted cod and potatoes. Keep in medium heat and covered until potatoes are cooked.
4. Add the olives and banana peppers and cooked for five more minutes.  Do not add salt.
5. Serve with baguette. It pairs very well with champagne.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

“Where have you been?” You may be asking since I haven’t posted a recipe in several weeks. Between work, Christmas parties, Holiday dinners, the gym, Christmas shopping, caroling and other shenanigans, I haven’t had time to either cook or post any recipes. I am sure you understand.

I do however, have a recipe for you. This is a recipe I meant to post a month ago: hojarascas, a type of Mexican (from Monterrey to be more specific) cookies. I wanted to give it to you so you could bake them for Christmas and give them to friends and family for the holidays. I guess you could still do that if you really make the effort. Anyhow, these type of cookies are not, per se, Christmas cookies, so you can make them whenever. However, I do not make them often because they are time-consuming and mainly because once I eat one, I have to eat 35 – and that, my friends, cannot be good for my heart or my physique (yeah, yeah, I’m shallow). So yes, they are highly addictive… but they are so good. Before you start your new year’s resolution of getting in shape (which seems to be everyone’s resolution) bake yourself some hojarascas, eat them all, and throw the recipe away. If you don’t do that, you will be very tempted to make them over and over again and, as I said before, that is not good for you.

Here it is!

Hojarascas (it makes 140 cookies approximately)

Ingredients:
Dough
2.2 pounds of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups of sugar
1.1   pound of lard
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Mexican vanilla is preferable)
¼ cup milk (or more if necessary)

Topping
½ cup of sugar
1 tablespoon powdered cinnamon

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350 F.

2.  In a large bowl (or electric mixer) mix eggs, lard and vanilla. Add the flower and baking powder. Add the milk slowly until the consistency of the mix is soft and it no longer crumbles. You may need to add more mlk.

3.  Divide the dough into four or five balls. In a floured surface, spread out one dough ball with a rolling pin and roll out (1/8 inch thick). Cut using a flower-shaped cookie cutter. Repeat.

4.  Transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 17 min. In the meantime, mix topping (sugar and cinnamon) in a wide bowl.

5.  Take cookie sheet out of the oven and let it sit a few minutes. Use  a metal spatula to transfer cookies to the bowl where the topping is and cover each cookie with it.

6.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.