Midweek Delicacy Time: Sage Bean Spread with Tomatoes Bruschetta

Using what is at hand can spark the greatest creativity. The beautiful country bread I had from the previous post and the last of summer tomatoes inspired this weeks delicious appetizer/mid-day snack.

I love a good bruschetta or crostini. Older breads are good to use for this recipe. Be sure to adjust toasting time. For older dryer bread take off 2-2.5 minutes. The olive oil will give the toast a nice light browning. You can vary the toppings using cheese as a spread and cucumbers. Have fun mixing it up.

Happy eating friends!

Ingrid

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

1 loaf country Bread, about 12 by 5 inches, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces, ends discarded (reserve to use in other recipe)
2 pounds ripe Heirloom or Cherry Tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can (15 ounces) Cannellini or Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup Good Olive Oil, divided
2 tbsp Good Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Garlic (about 1 clove), minced
2 tbsp Red Onion, minced
2 tbsp fresh Sage, julienned
3 tbsp fresh Basil, julienned
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Up to an hour before serving, combine onion, garlic, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the tomatoes, stir gently, and set aside for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and taste for seasonings.
In a medium bowl place the beans, sage, 1/3 cup olive oil, and lightly salt. Mash with potato masher until smooth and well blended. Salt and pepper to taste.
Pre-heat oven to 350º. Lightly brush the bread slices with remaining olive oil and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes.
To assemble the bruschetta, spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of bean spread. With a slotted spoon, place the tomatoes on top. Serve with extra drizzle of olive oil and basil.

It’s Midweek Delicacy Time: Pumpkin Bread & Butter Pudding

The first time I ever had bread and butter pudding I was in northern England. It was love at first bite. How can something this easy be so delicious. Well butter and sugar can work their magic on almost anything. I do not have much of a sweet tooth. For my part I usually want to fill up on something savory and healthy, but every once in a while it is fun to indulge.

The other benefit of this recipe is you get to use up day old bread starting to go stale. So often I buy a nice hearty bread to make a sandwich or dip in soup. I can never use it all up in one sitting. The better the bread the faster it starts to go stale. By the next day it feels more like a crouton. Instead of throwing it out, you can make this delicious dessert.

Fall happens to be one of my favorite seasons. The beautiful colors light up the landscape drawing you out promising wonderful weather. It is also a time where our harvest changes. Pumpkins are everywhere supplying an abundance of vitamin A and other nutrients. By adding pumpkin and nuts to this dessert we have made it healthier. Enjoy with ice cream or whip cream.

Happy eating friends!

Ingrid

Ingredients

Serves 12

5 large Eggs
3 large Egg whites
3 1/2 cups whole Milk
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp Salt
1 can Pumpkin puree
2 tbsp unsalted Butter, divided
8 cups day-old Challah, firm high-quality Sandwich Bread, or Hearty White Bread may be substituted – cut bread into cubes (1/2-inch)
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped

Preparation

Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees.
Spread bread cubes in single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, tossing occasionally, until just dry, about 15 minutes. Cool bread cubes about 15 minutes.
Whisk eggs and egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk in milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and salt until combined. Add pumpkin and stir until incorporated.
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Coat a shallow 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Add bread and disperse 1 tablespoon of butter in small chunks among the bread.
Pour the pudding mixture over the bread and butter. Let stand for 30 minutes, pressing the bread down into the liquid a few times to help it absorb the custard.
Disperse remaining tablespoon of butter in chunks over the top. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar evenly over the top.
Cover the pan with a piece of foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with pecans and continue baking until puffed and firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Midweek Delicacy Time: Zucchini Cornbread

Lately, every time I turn around, someone is giving me zucchini from their garden. There are so many recipes I can make with zucchini, but to use it up quickly requires some ingenuity. This recipe uses up one whole zucchini and one whole ear of corn. It is hearty, filling, and a delicious fun side to any summer cookout or just fun to have anytime.

I’ve been in a baking mood lately and have a new iron skillet I keep making excuses to use getting it well seasoned. I like the crispness it gives the cornbread. For this recipe it is not necessary to use an iron skillet, an oven-safe 10-inch skillet can be used in its place. Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch cake pan. Happy eating friends!

Ingrid

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8

1 1/3 cups ground Cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose Flour
6 tablespoons unsalted Butter, cut into 6 pieces – melt 5 pieces & bring back to room temperature, reserve 1 tablespoon at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons Baking Powder
1/4 tablespoons Baking Soda
3 tablespoons Brown Sugar, divided
1 1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 Ear Corn, Kernels cut from cob
1 medium Zucchini
1 cup Buttermilk (can be swapped with organic whole milk – use a local one that still contains the fat)
2 large Eggs

Preparation

Trim the ends off the zucchini & thinly slice 3 to 5 rounds from one end & reserve for garnish. Shred the remaining zucchini. In a medium bowl add the shredded zucchini and fresh corn kernels, toss with 1 tablespoon of sugar and place in colander. Allow to drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess water before using.
While the zucchini and corn is draining move the oven rack to the middle position and heat to 400º. In large bowl whisk cornmeal, flour, remaining sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, melted butter, and eggs.
Gently stir in zucchini and corn mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold together until no traces of flour remain.
Prepare skillet or baking dish by coating with 1 tablespoon of softened butter.
Pour the batter into the prepared skillet and top with the reserved zucchini slices.
Bake until the bread is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool in the skillet for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. The bread can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

Food Myths Part 1

There are probably as many myths as there are dialecticians. In my opinion specific beliefs on food depend on the beliefs of our mothers who told us from childhood what we should eat and what we shouldn’t. Some say that we are the only species that drink milk as adults; others say that red meat is really bad for us or that we shouldn’t be eating eggs every day. I would like to give you some examples of food myths that in fact are not true according to PhD. Malgorzata Drywien from the SGGW (Warsaw University of Life Sciences).

EGGS People that naturally produce more cholesterol should not be eating eggs. As far as healthy people are concerned there are no limits. There are studies that revealed that by eating one egg a day we become healthier. Eggs have luteine, which is good for the protection of our eyes. Moreover eggs are a good addition to diets, because they release hormones that make us feel full.

RED MEAT There is no actual problem with red meat itself. However, many people eat it in form of steaks or in hamburgers, which is not the healthiest way of preparing red meat. Many people forget that red meat also includes pork, goose or wild meat, which is much healthier than beef. Moreover, people who eat 500 gr of meat every day definitely have to reduce it, because the suggested amount doesn’t pass 200 gr a day. Another fact is that people who actually avoid meat are often those who have already a very balanced diet filled with eggs, fish, cheese and beans.

Another thing is that red meat has a lot of iron, which is an important element for the functioning of our blood system and the meat proteins help iron to get into our blood. This is a big problem for vegetarians that don’t get enough of iron and they are much more likely to get anemia. However, Asians are used to a plant based diet for hundreds of years so their intestines have adapted to their diet.

CHICKEN The nutritious value of chicken is high, because it is low in fat, especially when it is correctly bred. It doesn’t mean that we should eat chicken every day. We should look for animal proteins in other products such as pork, fish, eggs or cheese. Chicken meat doesn’t have vitamin B12, which pork has or omega acids, which fish has.

FISH In fact eating fish every day wouldn’t be such a great idea. Long living fish, such as Tuna, should be avoided because they gather in their body dioxins and heavy metals, e.g. Mercury. Much safer are sweet water fish, which we should eat once or maybe twice a week.

CAFFEINE Drinks that consist of caffeine are of course coffee and among others tea or chocolate (in powder). It is also a rich source of bioflavonoids and antioxidants that protect against cancer. However, they contain oxalic acid, which is a substance known as antinutritious. It is present more in chocolate than tea and in coffee. After drinking these beverages our level of magnesium will go down, but we can always eat something that will help us to get back to the suggested level of magnesium.

If you are interested in reading more about food myths, please come back to our site in the next few days, as we will keep updating them on a weekly basis.

References:

http://natemat.pl/51163,czerwone-mieso-zabija-chleb-pelnoziarnisty-ma-mniej-kalorii-a-ryby-mozna-jesc-bez-ograniczen-obalamy-mity-o-jedzeniu

60 day bread

American scientists have brought us a new technological breakthrough- 60 day bread! Imagine that, having bread that lies around in the house for almost 2 months without going bad. Today, regular breads start going mouldy by day 10, so how is this possible?

Scientists at Texas Tech University are using a microwave like machine to zap out the “Rhizopus stolonifer,” a fungus that leads to mould. And since this fungus feeds off the evaporating water that is produced by bread sitting in plastic, having no fungus, means having no mould. This breakthrough was created by an American company called Microzap.

While the idea of this bread is very innovative, the taste and habit changing of consumers might be harder to innovate. As far as we know, the technology works only on bread.