Best-Yet Croutons

I LOVE homemade croutons. Zealously. Shamelessly.

Usually, I make croutons from day-old french-style bakery bread, the kind with a nice crunchy crust, like those from the Tall Grass Bakery or Essential Baking Company. Last November, I started freezing bread cubes for Thanksgiving stuffing. When it turned out that I didn't make the stuffing for Thanksgiving, I started using the bread cubes to make my croutons.

Croutons are easy and fun to make, and you can season them with just about anything. You simply mix the bread cubes with melted butter, olive oil, or a mixture of both; season with dried herbs; and bake. You can experiment by trying different oil/butter combos, using fresh instead of dried herbs, or adding some cheese or minced garlic. Try baking them or toasting them (while watching!) under the broiler. They're great on salad or soup, and I've been known to actually just munch on them because they're just so damn good.

Last night, I used no butter, just olive oil, and added some parmesan cheese. I was delighted with the result! We ate them atop yet a new variation of Sausage and Chickpea Stew, which featured turkey sausage instead of pork, and lentils instead of chickpeas. I'm posting this recipe because, I dare say, these croutons turned out mighty fine.


BEST-YET CROUTONS
bread cubes
olive oil
dried parsely
parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Place bread cubes in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil with one hand, mixing the bread with your other hand (yes, your actual hand). When all of the bread cubes have some oil on them, stop drizzling and mix with both hands, until bread has soaked up as much oil as possible from the bottom and sides of the bowl. Sprinkle with dried parsley, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and mix again with hands or a wooden spoon, until seasonings are distributed evenly. Spread on a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browned at 500 degrees.

These homemade croutons keep a few days in an airtight container. They don't last indefinitely, like storebought ones, because they're not quite as dry and eventually get stale. But you sometimes can freshen up week-old croutons by toasting them again for a few minutes.

Necessity, the Mother of Invention

You may have noticed a theme in the last few posts: Chris and I have both been extremely busy recently, which has created a situation where neither of us seems to get the meals planned or the groceries bought on a regular basis. Chris gravitates toward grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup under these circumstances. I'm not complaining, but we do need a little nutritional variety, and when the soup runs out, someone's got to pick up the slack. Here are two classic recipes that I made last week without going shopping.

1. Lentil Soup

This simple soup was made from some black or beluga lentils that I've had in my pantry for about three years. (Yes, I've moved twice and they came along.) I finally gave up on using them in a special recipe specific to this type of lentil and threw together some good plain soup. Any type of lentils that have taken up permanent residence in your pantry could be used. You can also throw in any vegetables starting to wilt in the crisper. This dish used up a variety of fridge and pantry items, tasted like heaven, and was gorgeous to boot with the bright green and orange colors on the black background.

1 c. black (beluga) lentils
1 T. olive oil
1 bunch leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced (tender parts only)
(onion can substitute for leeks)
3-5 whole peeled garlic cloves, to taste
3-5 c. chicken or veggie broth (or mixture of broth and water)
1/2 c. carrots, chopped
(1 potato, diced, optional)
1 lb. chopped spinach
1/2 to 1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander seed
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 c. chopped cilantro

[In the morning, I put the lentils in a quart-sized bowl and covered them with water a few inches above the lentils. I think this is optional for lentils, as they don't take as long to cook as do beans. I did it anyway and the result was good. However, when I rinsed them I also rinsed away much of their black color, and I don't know the nutritional consequences of that.]

Saute leeks until soft. Add whole garlic cloves and saute until garlic is tender. Add lentils, broth, carrots, and potato and bring to a boil. Boil about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in chopped spinach and spices; cook 1 minute if desired. Stir in cilantro. Serve over rice or cous cous.


2. Au Gratin Potatoes

Growing up, I always thought of au gratin, or scalloped, potatoes, as a side dish. My mom usually made it to go along with a ham dinner. I've since decided that this hearty casserole is as much of a main-dish meal as homemade macaroni and cheese, and probably more nutritious. After all, it's made almost exactly the same way, but with sliced potatoes instead of pasta. This dish has a longer cooking time than many meals I make, but since it's hands-off while it's in the oven, you can be doing other things! You could also make it up to step 3 ahead of time, pour the sauce over the potatoes, cover and refrigerate for a day before baking. Since the sauce won't be hot, you should plan on a slightly longer baking time.


6 cups of potatoes, thinly sliced (I used some baby reds that were starting to shrivel in my pantry--no peeling required!)
1 c. broth (or water)
2 T. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 T. flour
2 c. milk (reconstituted nonfat dry milk works great)
sprigs of fresh or dried rosemary and thyme
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 1/2 to 3 c. shredded cheese (I used mostly medium cheddar, with some freshly grated parmesan mixed in to add some sharpness)
*set aside 1/2 to 1 cup of cheese for the topping
1/3 c. bread crumbs

1. Spread potatoes in 9x13 glass baking dish and pour broth or water over them. Microwave for 10 minutes on high. (This step can be skipped, but increase baking time by 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat; add onion and saute until soft. Add flour and stir until well mixed and bubbly. Reduce heat. Stir in milk, gradually at first, and mix well. Stirring constantly, add herb sprigs, and slowly bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute and remove from heat. Remove herb sprigs and set aside. Add 2 cups of cheese; stir until melted.
3. Pour cheese sauce over potatoes. Cook for 45 minutes in oven preheated to 375 degrees.
4. Meanwhile, mix reserved cheese with bread crumbs. After 45 minutes, take casserole out of oven and sprinkle with cheese/breadcrumb mixture. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.
5. Let set for 15 minutes before eating. Serve with a side of salad greens.

Peanut Butter Stew

The name of this dish may strike you as odd, but the flavor does not disappoint! It's west African "Groundnut Stew" in Sundays at Moosewood, but I renamed it because I love the childlike appeal of having peanut butter as a star ingredient in a main dish. Plus, renaming seemed appropriate since I really didn't follow the recipe. But the cookbook itself encourages the reader to experiment with this dish, stating that the only required ingredients are groundnuts and cayenne. With a recipe that flexible, I knew I could whip up something with the hodge podge that was in my refrigerator and pantry last night.

Peanut Butter Stew

1 butternut squash, roasted and cut up
1-2 onions, chopped
1 T. olive oil or peanut oil
1 -2 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
1 t. cayenne pepper, or your favorite ground chili pepper (this is medium spicy--adjust amount of cayenne to make more or less spicy)
3-4 cups kale, cabbage, or a combination of the two
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
3-4 cans water
1-2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 8 oz. can tomato paste
1/4 c. honey
1 t. salt
1 t. grated fresh ginger (or more, to taste)
1 c. all-natural peanut butter
fresh chopped cilantro


Cook the butternut squash first, by splitting in half, removing seeds, and roasting face down in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour. (Or, you can peel and cube it first so it will cook faster and can go straight into the pot when ready.) Remove from oven and allow to cool. When it's time to add the squash to the stew, remove from the peel and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Saute onions in oil over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add cayenne and saute for another minute or so, until well-mixed.
Stir in remaining ingredients EXCEPT peanut butter and cilantro. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. Turn heat to low (or off) and stir in peanut butter. Give the peanut butter a few minutes to melt and then stir a few more times to make sure it's mixed in very well. Add water if the stew is too thick. Serve over rice and top with fresh chopped cilantro. Makes 8-10 servings.

Substitutions:
(Or perhaps more accurately, Unsubstitutions. Here are some of the Moosewood recipe's ingredients that I switched out for stuff I had on hand.)

-3 cups raw cubed sweet potatoes in place of squash
-1 cup apple, pineapple, or apricot juice in place of honey and 1 cup of the water
-3 cups tomato juice in place of tomato paste and water

Ginger Trick: Next time you buy fresh ginger root, put the unused portion in a ziplock baggie in the freezer. Then simply grate the frozen ginger for any recipes calling for fresh ginger. Frozen ginger is actually less messy and easier to grate! (It also doesn't hurt to have a Microplane grater.)

Saucy Sausage Stew

Last night, Chris and I discovered a way to get a head start on the next day's meal by morphing one dish into the next. Planning meals that can be used to make other meals is another great way to save time and money.

On Tuesday night, we had spaghetti. I love thick, chunky, flavorful sauce on my spaghetti. My favorite method is to use store-bought spaghetti sauce and "doctor it up." Then, on Wednesday night we used the leftover sauce as a base for a new spin on one of our favorite meals, Chickpea and Sausage Stew. Both of these meals are easy to make, and using the sauce made the stew even faster to make while giving it an exceptional flavor.

Night 1: Spaghetti Sauce
1-2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
12-16 oz. bulk Italian sausage
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 jar of your favorite ready made spaghetti sauce (we like Newman's Own Tomato & Basil)
Extra fresh and/or dried spices (oregano, basil, paprika, etc.)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion until beginning to turn transluscent; add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more. Remove oinion and garlic mixture to a bowl. Cook sausage in the same pot; drain excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook your favorite spaghetti noodles while the sauce simmers, then enjoy! (Makes 6-8 servings of sauce, or 3-4 with enough leftover for the stew base)

Night 2: Chickpea and Sausage Stew
After setting aside our lunch portions, we placed the pot of leftover spaghetti sauce in the fridge. It wasn't very full, but we knew we'd need the pot to make the stew, and we love any excuse not to wash a pot. We then made Chickpea and Sausage Stew, but omitted the sausage and tomato paste. We started by sauteing the onion separately and adding it to the pot. We also omitted the potato and used 2 cans chickpeas (which is actually what the original recipe calls for; my blog version is an alteration). The sauce gave our stew such a delicious tomato base, we plan to make it this way from now on! (6 servings)

Brown Rice "Risotto" with Roasted Acorn Squash

If you love the creamy texture of risotto but want the nutritional benefits of brown rice, try this dish! I used instructions for "Mock Risotto" from Sundays at Moosewood, and added my own twist with the roasted squash. It was a hit!

2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 c. brown rice
5 c. stock (can substitute 1/2 c. white wine for 1/2 of the stock)
1 acorn squash
2 T. olive oil
salt
1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese (try another favorite cheese, or skip the cheese for a vegan dish!)
1/4 t. each of salt, freshly ground pepper, and nutmeg
(2 T heavy cream - optional - this is to help imitate the creamy texture of risotto - but I did not use any and it turned out great.)

Heat the oil in a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Add rice and saute 1 minute more. Add stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 50-55 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Cut the acorn squash in half with a large, sharp knife, and scrape clean with a spoon. Place the halves, skin side up, on a cutting board and carefully cut into wedges along the natural cleavage lines. Peel each wedge with a vegetable peeler. Cut squash into bite-sized chunks. Toss with 2 T. of olive oil and salt (to taste) and roast until slightly carmelized (about 15-20 minutes) stirring every 5 minutes. When rice is done, mix with squash, cheese, seasonings (and cream, if using) in a very large serving bowl or casserole dish. If desired, sprinkle additional parmesan cheese on top.

Chickpea and Sausage Stew

I first tried a version of this recipe from Real Simple magazine, but of course not without a few of my own modifications. Here is the version Chris and I love to make for a one-pot meal that is perfect for a busy weeknight. If you need leftovers for lunch, you may want to increase the quantities slightly--Chris has a habit of gobbling up a double serving of this one because it's so tasty!

(serves 3-4)
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
12 oz. Italian sausage, bulk or with casings removed (pork, turkey, or chicken)
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (curly is fine if it's already in the fridge!)
1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped
2 c. chicken or veggie broth
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 med. potatoes, scrubbed and diced (peeling optional)
3-4 c. dark leafy greens, such as kale or spinach, chopped (can substitute 1 pkg. frozen spinach)
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft, 5-7 min. Add sausage and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add tomato past and cook, stirring, for an additional 2 minutes. Add broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Add greens and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until greens are cooked through (about 20 minutes if using kale or 10 min. if using spinach). Salt and pepper to taste. Serve alone or with fresh crusty bread. Mmmm!

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Fennel

Tired of plain old potatoes? Me neither. But why not dress them up a little from time to time? Fennel bulb suits them quite well. You can reserve the feathery tops to throw in a soup or salad.

Ingredients:
red potatoes, diced
fennel bulbs, sliced
olive oil
rosemary
salt
pepper

Toss everything together. Place in a large baking pan and bake at 400, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes start to turn golden. If you cook them in a single layer, the potatoes will turn out more crisp, but if you need to feed a lot of people, you can just pile them in the pan. (The potatoes, that is.)