Freezer meals part II: Caribbean Shredded Pork

Serves 8

   

Another installment of the freezer meals that mom and I made to ease the family into life with two kids—it was great to be able to pull this out for dinner last night and only worry about making rice and some vegetables. And of course Chris loves such versatile leftovers. I wager he’ll be eating it at noon wrapped in a tortilla or in a toasted bun.

1 1/2 pound lean boneless pork loin

1 (8-ounce) can unsweetened pineapple tidbits, juice reserved

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons raisins

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

3/4 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons rum

1 Tbs molasses

2 Tbs honey

Combine all ingredients (including reserved pineapple juice) in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

 

Shred pork once it’s done cooking.

Asian Chicken Salad with Orange-Ginger Dressing

Asian chicken salad has been a favorite of the Grays for a long time now—it’s the only way Chris will accept eating salad as a main course. To ensure that he does, I have to pack it full of hearty, crunchy niblets. It had been awhile since we’d done it, but the real inspiration for this salad was the dressing. It’s JAPANESE RESTAURANT DRESSING. If you eat at Japanese restaurants from time to time, you know exactly what I mean, and you’re wiggling in your seat right now, just like I did when I found the recipe. Oh that gingery, orange loveliness that they drizzle over iceberg lettuce—so deeply flavored! so mysterious! Why is it so hard to find a recipe? I don’t have the answer, but I did come across one that, with a little tweaking, tastes just like the real thing. And I can’t get enough of it. From the list of ingredients it looks a little painstaking, but honestly I didn’t measure anything—I just eyeballed it, tossed it in the food processor and let it blend away.

Salad

Lettuce (we had romaine, anything is good)

diced green onion

chopped red pepper

chopped apple (mandarin orange is also good)

julienned carrot

crushed dried ramen noodles

toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts

optional (but indisputably divine): chopped fresh basil to garnish

Chop and rinse your lettuce, top it with all of your vegetal additions

Grilled Chicken

Marinate two chicken breasts in a mix of soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, honey, ketchup, and peanut butter. Grill:

Then slice into thin strips:

Place chicken strips on salad, top with crushed ramen noodles, chopped peanuts or toasted sesame seeds, and chopped fresh basil, if you have some on hand.

And then drizzle on this amazing concoction:

Dressing

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4-1/2 C orange juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root

2 tablespoons minced celery

2 tablespoons ketchup

4 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Puree all ingredients in food processor. This is best if it can sit overnight to let the flavors meld. Strain before serving.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Serves 2-3

   

Oh yeaaaaah, talk about smooth, creamy, sweet, velvety luxuriousness. Chocolate mousse made from avocado is something I’ve been meaning to try for a long time, and something about which, no matter many good reviews I’d read or overheard, I was still a little doubtful. The moment of truth came when I was brainstorming dairy-free dessert ideas for my nephew. His mom just had a baby and we’re bringing dinner over next week. He’s almost four, so I know he hasn’t been exposed to loads of different desserts and can only, realistically, be so bummed about his allergy and about all the desserts that he misses out on—I imagine the biggest ones in his mind are birthday cake and ice cream. But I still like to think outside the box for him, when possible. I resist just making cookies with margarine or shortening because I love a culinary challenge, and it brings me such joy when someone gets to eat something they thought they never would. Case in point: chocolate mousse for the lactose intolerant. Long story short, I had an extra avocado lying around and decided to give it a go last night. Actually, I have to admit another motivation: Sawyer has refused avocado his whole short life. This, to me, is the greatest freaking mystery on the planet. Every other baby we knew, during the phase of introducing solids, loved avocado. Most of them still like it. But his categorical refusal of anything green has branded this food for him, and it drives me crazy. Every time he sees it in something he says, “mama I don’t want dat green bean!” Saying that it’s an avocado and not a green bean is beyond pointless. So I thought, “If I can get this mule-child têtu to eat avocado mousse, my hope in his future will be restored.” (Because I’m pretty sure avocado is the first step on the path toward world peace.) So, back to the mousse: I consulted a few recipes and ended up winging the simplest version possible—many variations have cashew, peanut or almond butter, but as you probably know, lactose intolerance often goes hand-in-hand with nut allergies, as is the case with my nephew. So here’s more or less what I included:

1 ripe avocado

1/4 C maple syrup

2 Tbs soy milk

2 Tbs dark cocoa

pinch of salt

Put it all in the blender or food processor and process until smooth. The result? Is it as good as they say? I’d venture to say it’s better. Truly. It’s like the greatest culinary hornswoggle ever, but, like, a horswoggle for good. A world peace farce, if you will. However: as someone who has both made and eaten a lot of chocolate mousse, here and abroad, it is not—in the spirit of full disclosure—very much like mousse. It’s more like chocolate cake batter pudding…which is maybe even better.

As you can see, it was a big hit with monsieur anti-veg. Maybe when he’s 18 he’ll learn the truth about his new favorite dessert.

Mango Dal (with Chard)

Serves 6

  

I’m a dal fiend, so when I saw this recipe in Eating Well magazine, and imagined the blissful combination of my favorite fruit and my favorite legume preparation, I knew it would be on the menu soon enough. I finally got around to trying it when we had guests the other night. We served it with an Indian-spiced roast chicken (I made a spice rub with salt, cumin, curry, biryani seasoning, cinnamon, chili powder and ginger), and homemade parathas, which are kind of like an Indian version of a tortilla. I call them the lazy man’s naan, since there’s no yeast involved. Below is the recipe as written, but I found that it need a little extra….something. Salt being part of the something. I also dipped into my Indian spice mixes and added a tablespoon of a basic vegetable curry spice blend. Oh, and I added chard because I’m a chard disciple lately.

1 C yellow lentils

4 C water

1 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1 Tbs canola oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 onion, chopped

(1 bunch chard leaves, washed and chopped)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs minced fresh ginger

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro

Rinse lentils, then combine with water, 1/2 tsp salt and turmeric in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion (and chard) and cook until soft. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cayenne and remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and cook for one minute longer.

Stir the spice mixture and the mangoes into the lentils. Return to a simmer and cook 15 minutes longer. Serve with rice and garnish with cilantro.

Orange-Roasted Tofu and Asparagus

serves 4

So I have a new goal for this blog: to cook through most or at least many of the recipes that I have gathered from cooking magazines in the past few years. They’re all collected in a big notebook where I’ve been trimming and pasting them in, a monument to the old analog age. There are hundreds of them, but I’ve probably tried under ten; I’d like to make an effort to remedy that. The recipes are taken from Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Eating Well, Healthy Cooking, Vegetarian Times, and Saveur Magazines—with the occasional Martha Stewart contribution. The most daunting part of the project will definitely be the dessert section; I tend to save waaayyy more dessert recipes than I have occasions to make dessert, but luckily we’re coming into birthday season…

To kick off this new endeavor is a totally delightful recipe adapted ever so slightly from Eating Well. I loved this, and Chris liked it…for a racquetball night (ie: something light that will allow him to go exercise right after eating). We served it with quinoa (cooked with chicken broth), but you could also use brown rice or soba, rice or udon noodles.

1 14-oz package extra firm tofu, rinsed and pat dry

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-in pieces

Marinade

2 Tbs oil (peanut, coconut, canola, etc.)

1 Tbs red miso

1 Tbs rice wine vinegar

Sauce

2 Tbs oil (same as above)

1 Tbs red miso

1 Tbs rice wine vinegar

2 Tbs minced freshly grated orange zest

juice of one orange

3 Tbs minced fresh basil

2 Tbs honey

1 tsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with non-stick cooking spray. Toss tofu with marinade, then roast for 15 minutes. Gently stir in asparagus and roast 8-10 minutes more, until asparagus is tender and tofu is browned. Toss the roasted tofu and vegetables with the sauce, and serve with rice, noodles or quinoa.

Baba Ganouj

Makes about 2 cups

Sing with me now: “I’m in heaven, nightshade heaven…” I’m glad lots of people don’t like eggplant—more for me! Here is a recipe for the unforgettable Middle Eastern roasted eggplant dip, made from garden eggplants

1-1 1/2 pounds eggplant

olive oil for roasting

1/4 C tahini

1 clove garlic

2-3 Tbs lemon juice

3 Tbs olive oil

salt to taste

First you need to roast your eggplants. Coat them with olive oil and place them on a foil- or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour until eggplants are shriveled and easily pierced with a fork.

 

When cool enough to handle, peel the eggplants and place the flesh in the blender or food processor with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth. Serve with pita, crackers, raw vegetables, etc.

Harmony’s Creamy Pesto Dip

Makes about 2 cups

 

My delightful neighbor Harmony, author of the inspiring A Healthier You, recently gave us a container of her luscious and uber-healthy pesto dip. Chris and I both went crazy for it. So, having cornered her this morning where our fences meet, I asked her for the recipe. She said that she makes pesto with basil, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice (she didn’t say whether or not she adds pine nuts), then blends it into silken tofu. I came straight home and made my own batch with the quantities below.

1 16-oz container silken tofu, drained

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 C loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 Tbs lemon juice

3 Tbs olive oil

salt to taste

Puree all ingredients in your blender or food processor.

Chris and I mostly dipped crackers and vegetables into the batch that Harmony gave us, but for lunch today I tried a few other things with my dip. I was in the mood for pasta, but I didn’t want to forgo my greens, nor did I want to turn on the stove top and start chopping stuff. So my solution was to eat my pasta over a spinach salad, and hence the Tortellini Spinach Salad was born:

 

I added strips of red pepper, some diced avocado and about 10 halved grape tomatoes to a pile of spinach, topped with cooked spinach-ricotta tortellini and a beautiful glob of the pesto dip. I had planned on drizzling a little balsamic vinegar, but went to my pantry and found NONE! One more thing to add to the shopping list…

I also tossed a few tablespoons of the dip with the rest of the cooked tortellini and put it in the fridge—I’m pretty sure Chris will WEEP when he finds that snack in there later today.

Basil Tofu Scramble

Serves 3-4

In my world, there’s just nothing like tofu scramble. I have lots of variations that I do, which is part of what I love about it; you just can’t go wrong, flavor-wise. When you can get your hands on fresh herbs, however, you should keep the additions to a minimum and just let the harmonious green herbiness shine through. Any vegetables at all will do for tofu scramble, so below I’ve just written what I happened to use last night in this one.

1 pkg extra firm tofu

1 C panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, sliced

3 green onions, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

large handful of fresh basil

olive oil

Saute the onions, mushrooms, zucchini and basil in olive oil until soft; set aside.

Drain the tofu, pat dry, and half the brick horizontally, then cube. Mix the bread crumbs and salt in a shallow bowl. Toss the tofu cubes until coated, then combine in a frying pan with olive oil.

Let them brown for 3-5 minutes on each side before stirring. They should be nice and golden. When they’re done, add the vegetables back in and season to taste with additional salt, pepper or all-purpose seasoning salt.

Greek Salad with Sardines

Serves 4

Another photo stolen from a website—now that I found our camera, the battery is dead. This recipe is from Eating Well magazine, and Chris—truly, this is some kind of miracle—had flipped through the issue and DOG-EARED the recipes that he wanted me to try. That’s the most enthusiasm and interest he’s shown for anything in the kitchen pretty much since we’ve been married. Greek salad is nothing new for the Grays, we do quick dishes like this a lot, but the addition of sardines was something new. Buying sardines at all was something new, in fact, even though we’ve both heard how good they are for you. We had the perfect family dinner last night, yumming up this refreshing salad on the back porch with toddler and dog, enjoying the 80 degree evening.

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano (I used Greek seasoning instead)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 medium tomatoes, cut into large chunks (I used cherry tomatoes, halved)

1 large English cucumber, cut into large chunks (I used 2 regular cukes, peeled and seeded)

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

2 tablespoons sliced Kalamata olives

2 4-ounce cans sardines with bones, packed in olive oil or water, drained

Whisk lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Add tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, feta, onion and olives; gently toss to combine. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top with sardines.

Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad

 

This is about to be straight plagiarism, because I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit this month, decided to try it, couldn’t find my camera, and therefore have copied the entire thing, picture included, from their website. It’s a weird half-picture, so you’ll just have to believe me when I tell you that the salad is both beautiful and delicious. Chris gave it the ultimate compliment: “These are Spanish potatoes!” I did, of course, make a few changes, mostly out of lack of ingredients; now that our organic produce box arrives once a week, I can’t be troubled to go to the store for much of anything, which I guess means that we really are saving money with this new set up. So continue to rock potato salad paradigms and bring this to your next summer bbq.

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing—CONFESSION: I used bacon fat instead of olive oil. Mmmmm.

1 1/2 pounds 1-inch-diameter fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise

2 green onions, thinly sliced (I used diced white onion, soaked in water 15 minutes)

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves (I used fresh thyme from the garden)

1 1/2 tablespoons Banyuls vinegar or red wine vinegar (I used part white, part balsamic)

1 tablespoon coarse-grained Dijon mustard

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Brush heavy large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place potatoes and 2 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss. Arrange potatoes, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet. Roast until potatoes are brown on cut side, about 23 minutes. Using tongs, turn potatoes over. Roast until crisp, deep golden, and tender, about 12 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir green onions, parsley, tarragon, vinegar, mustard, and 2 teaspoons oil in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to dish. Spoon chopped eggs and herb salad over.

Quinoa Tabouleh

 

Quinoa tabouleh is one of my favorite culinary augurs of summer; it was practically demanded by our organic box this week, which was full of tomatoes, cucumbers and parsley. You can, of course, use bulgur, which is equally as delicious and requires no cooking (just pour boiling water over it, cover and let it sit for an hour). But why deny yourself the insane amount of nutrients that quinoa has to offer? I like to garnish my tabouleh with toasted nuts, and sometimes include garbanzo or white beans for a little extra protein.

1 C quinoa, rinsed (it has a bitter coating, so rinse it well)
2 C water with 1 tsp salt
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, chopped (and peeled if they’re not organic)
1 bunch parsley or cilantro, minced
a few tablespoons olive oil
a large lemon
salt

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil, then cover and simmer 30-40 minutes until water is absorbed. Stick it in the fridge to cool. In the meantime you can chop all your veg. Mix quinoa and vegetables together and toss with olive oil and the juice from your large lemon. Salt to taste.

Stir it all together and, if you have the patience, chill for a bit before serving. I especially like to eat this with grilled meat like kebabs or pork loin.

Aloha Sweet Potato Salad

Serves 4

 

Mmm…this was a refreshing, cool, and indulgent picnic treat, a wonderful twist on the usual potato salad which, normally, I can’t get too excited about. And who would ever choose russet potatoes over sweet potatoes??

1/2 pound Bacon

3 cups Diced cooked sweet potatoes

2 cups Pineapple chunks, (fresh or canned and drained)

3-4 stalks celery, diced

1/2 sweet onion, diced and soaked in cold water

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons Lime juice

1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup Macadamia nuts

Cut the bacon slices into 1/2-inch pieces and fry in a skillet until well browned. Drain on paper towels. Combine the bacon, sweet potatoes, onion, celery and pineapple in a large mixing bowl and toss lightly. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice and pepper.
Add dressing to the potato mixture and stir until combined. Just before serving, stir in the macadamia nuts.

Making a Star Wars birthday cake

 

A friend of mine recently agreed to let me have a go at making a birthday cake for her son who has a food allergies, and who loves Star Wars. So I used my trusty egg/dairy/nut free chocolate cake recipe to get started.

In this recipe soy milk, olive oil and margarine replace the butter, while silken tofu and cornstarch replace the eggs.

3/4 C olive oil

2 C sugar

4 oz. (about 1/2 C) silken tofu

1 1/2 C + 2 Tbs soy milk

2 tsp vanilla

2 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 Tbs cornstarch

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 C cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place olive oil, sugar and tofu in your blender or food processor and blend for 2-3 minutes. In the meantime mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add milk and vanilla to the oil-tofu mixture and blend until combined.

Pour liquid into large mixing bowl, add dry ingredients and beat until well mixed. Pour into two greased 9-in. round pans, or one greased 9x13 in. pan. Bake 25-30 minutes for round pans, and 30-35 for 9x13. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Dark chocolate frosting

1 C dairy-free, non-hydrogenated margarine, such as Earth Balance

4 C powdered sugar

4-6 Tbs soy milk

2 tsp vanilla

2-3 oz unsweetened dark chocolate, melted

2 Tbs corn syrup

Blend margarine and powdered sugar in food processor until ingredients begin to come together. While processing, add vanilla and corn syrup, then soy milk in a steady stream until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer frosting to bowl and beat in melted dark chocolate.

Here’s the triple layer baby all frosted and ready to go:

 

Next I covered it with blue fondant:

It was Chris’ idea to put tiny Vader helmets on the sides—genius in action. An exacto knife made quick work of these tiny galactic overlords:

Hmm, sort of a Vader-Skeletor effect, but I think everyone will know who it is:

On the black fondant ribbon at the base of the cake I used my trusty letter cutters to write the immortal Star Wars message:

Personalized for the birthday boy:

Then added stars:

And more stars, and light sabers:

 

And then Meredith’s wicked cake topper:

 

And the birthday boy himself, the Force flowing through his veins.

Leftover Cereal Muffins

Makes 12 muffins
 
I don’t know if other families face this problem, but Chris is a cereal eater--a particularly nocturnal cereal eater, I might add. But being forced to more or less be a lone ranger when it comes to finishing a box (I have different cereal tastes, and sometimes prefer other things for breakfast), he often leaves a few in the pantry with just a half cup or so, and they sit there for weeks, stalled out, in cereal limbo. So today I decided to clean up the loitering flavors and make them into some healthy muffins.
2 C leftover cereal (today’s mix included granola with raisins, some kind of banana clusters and Product 19)
2 C milk or soymilk
1/4 C olive oil
2 eggs
1/3 C honey
1 banana, mashed
2 small apples, cored and grated
1 1/2 C flour (I mixed whole wheat, barley and rice in equal parts)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the milk over the cereal in a large bowl and let it sit for an hour or so. The cereal will absorb the milk and get nice and soft. Next stir in the oil, eggs, honey, banana and apple:

Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fill your muffin cups to the brim, and bake for 16-19 minutes, or until muffins spring back when toughed lightly.

Roasted Potatoes and Grape Tomatoes à la Grèque

Serves 6

We got a 2 lb bag of potatoes in our box of organic goodness today. Here’s what’s interesting about that: we learned recently that the average American eats 150 lbs of potatoes per year. Among the group present at the time, some claimed to eat much more than that, but I was the only one who said, “No way…I bet I eat 5 lbs of potatoes a year…” I like potatoes just fine, it just doesn’t occur to me to eat them that often. And since you’re supposed to store them in a cool, dark place, I have often forgotten about them in the past when I did buy a bag, and have only rediscovered them when their sprouted tendrils have started to take over some part of the pantry and grow body snatcher pods. So when the produce arrived today the first thing I asked Chris was, “How do you like your potatoes?” It’s not that often that he really has a say, so this was a big moment. “Slice them thinly,” he said, “and cook them with that herb…what is it…the one that is like little sticks.” With some coaxing we arrived at rosemary, and from there this recipe was born.

5 small potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4-in)

1 1/2 C grape tomatoes

1/4-1/3 C olive oil

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp Greek spice blend (I have McCormicks and like it a lot; in lieu of a blend you could mix oregano, mint and dehydrated onion)

salt (maybe 1-2 tsp)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl mix everything together:

Spread the mess on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.

Stir the vegetables and turn them as best you can, and return them to the oven for another 12. The picture at the top of the post was taken after this second 12-minute installment, but I let them go another 8 minutes or so to get them good and browned.

Total success. Sawyer needed minor prodding, Chris needed none, and even said, “This was my idea.” He gets full credit.

Gazpacho

serves 4

Gazpacho = cold Spanish tomato soup. Ever heard of it? It’s one of our all-time favorite warm weather treats, especially when the garden is going crazy in July and August. One of the great advantages of gazpacho is that it can be personalized (make the soup with tomatoes, top it with whichever vegetables you prefer), as well as easily adapted (one of our favorite variations is made with tomatillos instead of tomatoes). There’s also something sort of hilariously kitsch about it. It’s the fondue of the 80’s and 90’s: after every couple got three fondue pots at their wedding, the whole idea just took on this maize and olive green 1970’s hue of culinary disrepute. Fondue is back now, and I think gazpacho is on its way. Who could say no to such extreme freshness? Who could deny the dish that tormented Arnold J. Rimmer to his very soul? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can watch the video below to see clips (someone's clever montage) from one of my favorite British comedies, Red Dwarf, during which hopefully you’ll have a laugh, wonder so deeply why that guy has an H on his head that you watch the whole series without sleeping, or at least learn a little more about gazpacho.

 

2 lb tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1 1/2 C water

1/4 C olive oil

2 Tbs vinegar

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1 clove garlic

4 C cubed artisan bread, divided

Start by making the croutons: place 2 C cubed bread in a bowl; drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

I like to put mine in the toaster oven at 375 for 15-20 minutes until they’re golden and crispy.

Next make the soup: place first 7 ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.

Here are my gorgeous tomatoes, many of which came in my organic produce box this week. As you can see, I had too many. Most of us would be hard pressed to fit almost three pounds of tomatoes in our blenders, so stick to two, like the recipe says:

        

Just before serving chop the vegetables that you’d like the add to your gazpacho. We like cucumber, avocado, green onion, peppers, fresh corn (we cut it off the cob, raw), mushrooms, etc. and lots of fresh parsley or cilantro. Here’s our bowl of goodness next to the toasty croutons:

Roasted Red Peppers, alleged pantry staple

Most people that I would consider to be real cooks seem to always include a jar of roasted red peppers on their list of pantry staples. This has always been a bit of a mystery to me, but it might just be because, compared to flour or rice or chicken broth, it’s a rather pricey and sort of unnecessarily luxurious “staple.” But folks are always talking about how great peppers are for throwing together a quick appetizer or snack, so I decided to make a batch of my own and see what happens over the next few months.

So: set your oven to broil, line a cookie sheet with foil, and coat four red peppers with olive oil. Check the peppers every few minutes, turning them whenever you begin to see brown spots on the up side. Once they’re browned/blackened all over, you need to seal the peppers up somehow so the skins can steam loose. I locked mine into the pressure cooker (a weird solution, I agree); you could use a big ziplock or whatever. Here’s how they looked right before I sealed ‘em up:

 

Let them sit for 20 or 30 minutes before removing the skins. Every description I’ve ever read talks about the peppers “slipping” out of their skins. I have never had that experience. But I’ve found that it’s a little easier if you start at the stem and loosen all of the skin around it before trying to peel the pieces downward. Here’s a handsomely peeled pepper ready to be sliced:

I layered some thinly sliced garlic between each layer of pepper slices.

Once the jar was full (this is that sort of medium-sized mason jar; four peppers fit perfectly), I topped it off with more olive oil:

 

The jar is all sealed up and sitting in the fridge; I’m going to let it marinate a few days before trying anything. A few ideas for now: red pepper hummus, dip with cream cheese, vinaigrette, soup…and in strips on sandwiches.