Category Archives: food and drink

vegan cassoulet

archive, food and drink, , , ,

This archive post from our original acornometrics blog on Tumblr was posted in December of 2104, under the title: Grace Your Holiday Table with Vegan Cassoulet. We’re bringing it back today because a reference to it popped up on Facebook, stirring up new interest in the recipe. Enjoy!

Wait, isn’t cassoulet full of duck confit and all kinds of pork and sausages? Well yes, but … what it really is, more abstractly, is a garlicky bean stew full of “chunks of things” and I couldn’t see why those chunks couldn’t be veggies. The results turned out to be totally yummy. This isn’t a precise recipe, more like a “plan of attack” because the best cassoulets are a reflection of the chef who is preparing it. 

Ingredients

1 lb white beans (we prefer cannellini), rinsed, picked-over, and soaked overnight

1 shallot, studded with about 6 to 8 cloves

5 cloves garlic (peeled, whole, not chopped)

¼ teaspoon salt 

fresh cracked white pepper

Mirepoix: diced shallots, carrots, garlic

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¼ c diced sun-dried tomatoes (“vegan bacon”)

1 Tablespoon of harissa (Tunisian chili paste)

1 Tablespoon diced preserved lemon (or the zest of one fresh lemon)

½ c white wine

Thyme (several fresh sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried)

1 quart of vegetable broth (may need more)

1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved, oven-roasted with a handful of fennel seed. 

1 lb butternut squash cubes (about equal size to a brussels sprout half), oven-roasted

1 lb rutabaga cubes (about equal size to a brussels sprout half), oven-roasted

1 lb of pearl onions, blanched and pealed

Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

½ cup chopped parsley at end

1 cup of panko or other breadcrumbs, moistened with olive oil and seasoned with a bit of salt

Salt and fresh cracked pepper

Vegan Cassoulet in the works (photo: Larry Dunn)

Cook the Beans

Drain the soaking liquid, rinse the beans, and put them in large heavy sauce pan with enough water to cover by an inch or two. Add the clove-studded shallot and garlic cloves and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cover and cook until beans are just tender. This should take at least 30 minutes and possibly 45 minutes (depending on the type and age of the beans, etc.). Remove and discard the shallot. Remove the garlic cloves, mash them into a paste, and stir that paste into the beans. Set beans aside. 

Assemble and Cook the Cassoulet

In a 5-quart Dutch oven (that can go from stove-top to oven) heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the mirepoix and sauté, season with salt and pepper. Add the sun-dried tomato and preserved lemon, and harissa. De-glaze the pan with the white wine. Add the cooked beans, thyme, and vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the brussels sprouts, squash cubes, rutabaga cubes, and pearl onions. Add more stock (or water) if needed. Consistency should be like stew, flowing, but thicker than soup. Simmer for about 20 minutes to meld flavors. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat and add chopped parsley. CAN BE MADE AHEAD TO THIS POINT AND EVEN REFRIGERATED AND FINISHED A DAY OR TWO LATER 

Finish the Cassoulet in the Oven

If you have prepared ahead of time, bring the stew back to room temperature. If it has thickened too much, add more stock (or water) to bring back to stew consistency. 

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F. Bring the stew back to serving temperature on the stove-top. Check and adjust for salt and pepper. 

Spread the prepared bread crumbs in a generous layer over top of rewarmed stew and bake until the crumbs are nicely browned and stew is bubbly. 

Serve with crusty bread or brown rice and sautéed greens or salad on the side. 

Wine pairing: a fruity dry red wine from Southern France, Italy, or Spain 

gazpacho: sunshine in a bowl

archive, food and drink, plants and gardens, recipe, , , , ,

[Editor’s note: this is an archive post from the original Acornometrics blog on Tumblr. We posted it soon after we had uprooted ourselves from our beloved homestead Acorn Ridge Gardens in LaCrosse, Indiana, and moved to Oberlin, Ohio. We’re re-posting it now because we just made our first gazpacho of 2021.]

August 12, 2013

We’re having a bit of separation anxiety from leaving our garden behind at Acorn Ridge and moving to Kendal at Oberlin. But frankly, we’re not missing all the back-breaking work. Fortunately, there is an excellent farmers market in Oberlin and lots of farm stands nearby. So we have had plenty of tasty, fresh, often organic produce available all summer long.

Tomatoes are fully in season now, and we have been getting particularly tasty golden cherry tomatoes at the Saturday market (our favorite is one called ‘Sun Gold’). The plethora of tomatoes means it’s gazpacho time! And these golden cherries make for a really tasty outcome. Here is our favorite recipe.

CLASSIC ANDALUSIAN GAZPACHO

(Adapted from Restaurant El Faro in Cádiz, Spain in Gourmet, August 2002)

The classic Andalusian gazpacho is found all over the region with, according to the authors of this recipe, surprisingly few variations; most chefs prefer to allow the pure taste of the tomatoes, Sherry vinegar, and olive oil to shine through.

Any ripe tomatoes will suffice for this recipe, but we are partial to the “Sun Gold” cherry tomato. The result is like sunshine in a bowl.

Yield: Makes 4 to 8 servings (depending on serving size)

Active Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1/2 gallon

Total Time: 3 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS

1 (3-inch-long) piece baguette

4 garlic cloves

1 teaspoons salt

3 Tablespoons Sherry vinegar “reserva” (or similar)

1 teaspoon palm sugar (or other raw sugar, or omit)

4 lbs. ripe tomatoes (whole cherries, or cored and quartered if larger)

2/3 cup extra-virgin Andalusian olive oil (or similar)

METHOD

Soak bread in ½ cup water 1 minute, then squeeze dry, discarding soaking water.

Mince garlic and sweat it with a little olive oil, salt, and fresh-cracked white pepper in microwave (or in a small skillet over a low flame). 

Place the garlic, bread, salt, vinegar, sugar, and half of the tomatoes in a food processor with the cutting blade and process until tomatoes are very finely chopped. Gradually add half of the oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute. Put this first half of the soup into a Foley food mill (or similar fine sieve tool) and force into a large bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids.

Place the other half of tomatoes in the food processor and process until they are very finely chopped. Gradually add the remaining half of the oil in a slow stream, blending until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute.

Put this second half of the soup into the mill (or sieve) and force into the large bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Discard solids. Whisk together the combined soup thoroughly and transfer to a 1/2-gallon glass jar and chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Adjust final seasoning with salt, pepper, and vinegar before serving.

Garnish possibilities: sprinkling of Aleppo pepper, dollop of creme fraiche, strewn snipped chives, finely chopped cucumber, dollop of greek yogurt, cucumber raita, chopped hard-boiled egg … 

Sun Gold cherry tomato gazpacho with a floated zucchini fritter, dollop of cucumber raita, and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper. (photo credit: Larry Dunn)

[downloadable recipe follows]

CLASSIC-ANDALUSIAN-GAZPACHODownload

hot dish tater tot pot pie

food and drink, recipe, , , , ,

By Larry Dunn, December 29, 2020

Awhile back we got obsessed with tater-tot-topped hot dish recipes, in part because of their mildly odd upper Midwestern roots as potluck dinner fare, and in part because Oberlin is a tater tot mecca, thanks to The Feve, a local watering hole.

Out here on the internet, you can find plenty of tater tot hot dish recipes with a classic Midwestern quick-fix approach, using ground beef, frozen vegetables, and canned soup. But in developing our own recipe, we were much more intent on a made-from-scratch approach. So ours features fresh vegetables and a scratch-made bechamel sauce. The recipe is include in this post, and there is also a link to a downloadable PDF at the bottom.

HOT DISH: TATER TOT TOPPED SALMON POT PIE

Our own take on the tater tot hot dish phenomenon, with a make-from-scratch approach. It specifies left-over grilled salmon, but it can also be made with canned salmon (easiest to use the skinless and boneless types), any leftover fish or roast chicken, or even all vegetables. Any of the veggies can be substituted or omitted. In order to ensure the tater tots get crispy, we pre-bake them in the oven to 12 to 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium carrots, roll-cut or in a medium dice
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, finely diced
1/2 pound of mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 to 4 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine

4 Tablespoons of butter
4 Tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
1 cup of broth (or sub another cup of milk)
dash of hot sauce
pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
salt and pepper to taste
8 to 12 ounces leftover grilled salmon (or canned salmon)
1 cup of frozen peas
1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill, or thyme)

1 to 1-1/2 pounds of tater tots (depending on shape of baking dish and desired density of tots)

METHOD

If pre-cooking the tater tots, spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in an oven preheated to 450F for about 12 minutes until they start to crisp and brown. Set aside.

Prepare the vegetables and sauté in a skillet over medium heat until the carrots start to soften, with a bit of salt and pepper. Increase the heat and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Reduce the white wine almost completely and set the veggies aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until frothy. Add the flour and stir to absorb the butter and cook it a bit. Lower the heat to medium-low and start adding the 2 cups of milk, about 1/3 of it at a time. Stir frequently to avoid lumps. When the sauce is bubbling and thickening with all the milk, add the broth and stir to combine and bring back to heat. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Drop the heat to low and add in the salmon and the reserved vegetables. Stir to combine. Add the salmon, chopped herbs, and frozen peas and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour the mixture into to 9×13 in. glass baking dish or a ~3-quart ceramic casserole dish.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Arrange the tater tots in an attractive manner on top of the pot pie mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tots are nice and brown and the mixture is bubbling. Cool for about 10 to 15 minutes to let it set, then serve.

TATER-TOT-SALMON-POT-PIEDownload

clafoutis madness

food and drink, friends and family, recipe, , , , , , ,

by Arlene and Larry Dunn, August 4, 2020

We are mad for Clafoutis! Everyone who know us, and most anyone who’s even tripped on us on social media, knows that from our frequent posts when we make one. In the middle of August, our friend composer Spencer Arias will release an episode of his Cooking with Creatives series on his YouTube channel, which features us making a classic Black Cherry Clafoutis in our kitchen, while he makes one in his kitchen. We had a fascinating conversation, via Zoom, along the way. We won’t spoil the show for you by spilling the beans on the conversation. But we thought it would be helpful to put up this post about Clafoutis (with buttons below to download our recipes), so Spencer can link to this page when he posts our episode.

Clafoutis is a centuries-old dessert from the Limousin region of France, famous for Limoges porcelain, Limousin cattle, and oak barrels for aging Cognac. The name Clafoutis derives from the Occitan (an ancient language of southern France and neighboring areas of Spain and Italy) word clafir, meaning “to fill.” This is an apt name, as traditional Clafoutis is a custardy batter, filled with black cherries.

Classic Black Cherry Clafoutis

Clafoutis, of course, can be, and often is, filled with myriad other fruits. And we would argue that it ought to be made with fruit that is fresh off your local trees or bushes, in season. But some purists claim that a Clafoutis-like thing filled with anything but black cherries is not a Clafoutis but a flaugnarde. But then plenty of those same purist also say the pits should be left in the cherries. For simplicity, we call all these derivations Clafoutis, and leave it at that.

We don’t recall exactly where or when we were first served Clafoutis, nor by whom. But we were immediately entranced, and we set out discover how to make it. There are hundreds of Clafoutis recipes online. After reviewing many of them, we settled on one from chef Hubert Keller, proprietor of the famed Fleur de Lys restaurant in San Francisco (now closed). We’ve made a few minor adaptations over the years, but we’ve had consistently good results with it. You can download our Classic Clafoutis recipe below.

Savory Clafoutis with Gravlax and Goat Cheese

A few years ago, something set us down a path to try making a savory version of Clafoutis. There are some recipes online, but we decided to see if we could simply tweak and adapt our own recipe. The first step was to remove the sugar and try filling it with some savory ingredients. That worked fairly well, but we decided we needed to increase the number of eggs. Our favorite variation so far, hands down, is home-cured salmon gravlax with goat cheese and herbs. You can also download our Savory Clafoutis recipe below.

We urge you to try making a Clafoutis, sweet or savory, in your own kitchen sometime soon. We doubt you’ll be disappointed.

CLASSIC-CLAFOUTIS-WITH-SWEET-CHERRIESDownload
SAVORY-CLAFOUTISDownload

cornmeal waffles

food and drink, friends and family, recipe, travel, , , , , , , , ,

by Larry Dunn, July 18, 2020

Until recently, we’ve never been particularly avid fans of waffles. Sure, we had our moments in the late 60s at the old Star Waffle Shop on Cass Avenue in Detroit, only a couple of blocks from our apartment, or the Apartfug, as we called it (fodder for its own post at some point). We’d wander in there in the middle of the night, they were open 24/7/365, all toked up on weed or flying high on LSD, and we’d order the namesake waffle, with a scoop of ice cream, and either maple syrup or hot fudge. A tantalizing sensation when your taste buds are in a heightened sate.

My mother made waffles several times a year when we were growing up, and they we’re tasty enough. But Arlene and I never invested in a waffle iron over all these years; waffles just didn’t seem worth the trouble, when we could more easily make pancakes, if we were in that sort of mood for breakfast or brunch. And we have a great, and easy to make, whole wheat (or multi-grain) pancake recipe. Arlene has regularly ordered “chicken & waffles” in restaurants over the years. But if those waffles are ever any good, it’s a bonus. For her, it’s always about the fried chicken.

Cornmeal Waffles, ceramic bowl by Brian Dunn (photo: Larry Dunn)

Our waffle consciousness changed last fall during a brief R&R side trip to the Catskills when we were in NYC for some music events. We’d first been in the region the prior summer, when we met our Florida family there for a week’s vacation. We were charmed by the area, and shocked that it could seem so remote, only two hours from NYC. On the summer visit we’d tried to grab a meal at Phoenicia Diner, which all the people and all the guides say is a must, only to find it mobbed every time we drove by. But on a late Monday morning in October, we had no trouble getting seated immediately. “Chicken and Waffles” on the menu caught my eye, thinking I’d recommend it to Arlene. But I decided to order for myself, when I learned the waffles were made with cornmeal. That seemed worth trying, and my hunch paid off. Crispy, even, crunchy, exterior, but still light and fluffy inside, and the cornmeal added aroma and a flavor punch far beyond what any standard whitebread waffles can deliver. I was hooked, and left there determined to find or devise a recipe to make them at home.

I spent the rest of the fall and early winter researching recipes . . . oh, yes, that, and having major surgery on my cervical spine and then a long slow recovery. I devised a recipe and aimed to try it during our annual winter sojourn to visit our Florida family in Sarasota. They have the waffle iron; no sense in our buying one until we knew we had a winning recipe. We made them for the whole crowd one Sunday in February, with sliced fresh local strawberries and maple syrup. They were a big hit.

Cornmeal Waffle with fresh local organic blueberries (photo: Larry Dunn)

A new waffle iron was waiting for us when we returned home to Oberlin and we’ve been making cornmeal waffles every few weeks ever since. They are especially welcome at this time of year when we have so much local fresh fruit in Ohio, as we go through a sequence of strawberries, cherries, blueberries, apricots (if we’re lucky), peaches, plums, and apples. Each waffle batch leaves us with eight or ten squares we can put in the freezer, and they taste almost as good warmed up in the toaster as they do fresh off the griddle. As soon as the freezer supply is gone, we make some more. If you’d like a PDF of the recipe, press the “Download” button below.

There’s a bit of a serendipitous postscript on my search for a cornmeal waffle recipes last fall. At the time I could find no recipes from the Phoenicia Diner, nor even any claiming to be like theirs. But as I was starting this post, I stumbled upon the fact that the Phoenicia Diner released a cookbook, just as the pandemic shutdowns were starting. I have verified that the waffle recipe is in the table of contents, though you cannot see the recipe itself. In the TOC listing, it makes no mention of them being “cornmeal waffles.” It would be hilarious if that was all a figment of my imagination! But our cornmeal waffles are a treat, no matter where I got the inspiration, and I’m guessing that cornmeal is in their recipe. The waiter must have told me about it. I’m going to get the book and find out.

Notes for Restricted Diets. Some of the Florida family have dietary concerns with milk products and with gluten. So, when we made these waffles down there, we replaced the buttermilk with almond milk, soured with one tablespoon of vinegar, and used a “vegan butter” product instead of actual butter. We swapped in whole-grain oat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour. Getting the consistency right took a bit of fiddling. But in the end the results were deemed outstanding by all our eaters. I believe you could take the recipe the rest of the way to full vegan, by substituting silky tofu for the egg yolks and whipped aquafaba (garbanzo bean liquor) for the whipped egg whites. If you try that, please let us know how they turn out.

All gone (photo: Larry Dunn)
CORNMEAL-WAFFLES-v3Download