Brother's Bday Brunch

One of my brother's has a birthday this month and while I'm not big on presents, I love to get a bit of the family together and share a meal made with love.

me and my brother, almost 30 years ago

For me, brunch is easier and simpler than a dinner party, so I'll probably get a chance to actually sit down and eat with the family.  Here's what I'll be serving:

muffins

poached eggs

roasted fingerling, yukon, & purple potatoes

sautéed garlicky lacinato kale

strawberries (JR Organics Farm has beautiful, delicious berries in season now!)

fresh squeezed citrus juice from Schaner Farm

organic, fair trade coffee & teas

Pasta Salad

I've been wanting to make pasta salad but it's been so cold I've only wanted to eat hot food.  But now it's warmed up a bit...

3 cups dried bite-size pasta (penne, bowtie, corkscrew...), boiled up in salted water until al dente (I'm using an interesting, beautiful little pasta I picked up at the Hillcrest Farmers Market)
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 pound 5 grain tempeh, cubed small
olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
balsamic vinegar
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin, from Schaner Farm
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, from Schaner Farm
1 small romanesco cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces, from Suzie's Farm
large handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped, from Suzie's Farm
3 baby heads of gem romaine lettuce, chopped, from Suzie's Farm
1 teaspoon dried oregano
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a loaf pan, bake the tempeh cubes tossed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, tamari, and a tablespoon of vinegar, at 350° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.  Enjoy slightly warm or allow to cool (it will keep beautifully in the refrigerator; this is a good one to keep around to pack for lunches).

Makes 6-8 servings

Variations
Mix it up the beans with whatever you might have on hand (kidney, cannellini...) or skip beans altogether.
Don't have or don't like tempeh?  Skip it.
Use whatever herbs and veggies are in season: basil, tomato, celery, summer squash, bell pepper...
Use other greens or leave greens out.
Use other vinegars (such as red wine).
Try adding olives or toasted pine nuts.

Kale for Breakfast

I eat a fair amount of kale.  I love the flavor and it's a "superfood" (very high in many nutrients especially to prevent cancer).  It's grown year-round by most of the SD farmers and it's very easy to grow at home.

My favorite kale is lacinato or "dino" kale because the stems are soft enough that I don't need to destem it (I can eat the whole leaf - faster to prep and less waste), it's easy to cut (the leaves lay flat and I can chop the thicker stem parts real thin so they are easier to eat), the texture is less tough, it's a beautiful dark color and the flavor is wonderful - sweet, delicate, earthy and green!

I love to cook it for breakfast as a bed for a bit of roasted fingerling, Yukon, or sweet potatoes, topped with an egg from Schaner Farm or drizzled with a touch of stoneground mustard and local honey.
Yum yummy yuminess.

Sautéed Kale
For each serving:
a large handful (a cup or so) of Suzie's Farm kale sliced about 1/4" - 1/2" ribbons (thinner on the stemmy parts)
1/2 teaspoon Springhill butter or olive oil
a clove of Schaner Farm garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the kale, toss with the butter, and cook, stirring for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring for a couple more minutes (I like my veggies just softened and still al dente but if you prefer softer greens, cook them longer). Season with a bit of sea salt and pepper.

Variations
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes in with the garlic.
After cooking, add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to brighten the flavor.
Add other vegetables: increase the amount of oil or butter and sauté thinly sliced onions or other veggies for a few minutes before adding the kale.
Try other greens, such as mustard, dandelion, chard, or a mix.

Filo Rolls of Winter Greens

Filo dough tends to make me crazy; it's a bit tedious to work with but once in a while I'll break it out for special occassions. People's Co-op carries an organic filo, which is nice because I don't have the talent to make such thin sheets of dough from scratch.

1 cup or so of extra virgin olive oil
1-3 fennel bulbs - Suzie's has them but they are small (leaves and stalks removed), diced
3 medium leeks, julienned
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 medium bunch kale, sliced
1 medium bunch mustard greens, sliced
1 medium bunch chard, sliced
1 tsp fennel seed, toasted, freshly ground
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
½ package filo dough

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add fennel and fennel seed; cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add green onion/leeks and garlic; cook for 2 more minutes. Add greens; cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in mint and pine nuts.

Lay 1 sheet of filo dough on flat work surface. Brush half with oil (the long half), fold in half (the long way) and brush top with oil. Place ¼ cup of green filling at one end of phyllo and roll up into a cigar shape. Place roll on parchement-lined baking sheet. Repeat ad nauseum (just kidding).

Brush rolls with oil. Bake at 375º until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Oh-so-pretty.

Stuffed Mushrooms

A bit old-school but so delicious...

1 pound whole mushrooms (prefer cremini but white also work), destemmed (save stems form your stock)
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for drizzling
1 tablespoon butter (or more olive oil)
3 shallots, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt
fresh thyme, destemmed, minced
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, destemmed, chopped
Parmesano reggiano, optional

In a large bowl, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over mushroom caps; toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet (hole side up). In a large skillet, melt butter and/or oil over medium-high heat and cook shallots until soft. Add garlic, thyme and a few pinches of salt and cook, stirring constantly until just soft. Remove from heat. Toss in remaining ingredients (except parm) until combined, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture. Grate parm on top if desired. Bake at 350º for about 15-20 minutes, until caps look well-cooked. Let cool slightly before serving so folks don't burn their mouths.

Smashed Cannelini Bean Spread

4 cloves garlic from the Schaners, peeled, pressed
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves from Suzie's or the Schaners, minced
sea salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup cooked cannellini beans (Suzie's Farm recently had them fresh in the pod!), saving the cooking liquid
juice of a lemon from the Schaners or your tree

Over medium heat, sweat the garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil with the sage and a few pinches of sea salt until tender. In a food processor, add the beans, another tablespoon of oil, lemon juice, 1/4 - 1/3 cup bean broth, red pepper flakes to taste and the garlic mixture.  Blend until smooth, salt to taste, maybe add more bean broth if it's too thick.

Makes about 1&1/2 cups.

Top with a drizzle of your favorite olive oil, fresh chopped parsley, caramelized onions, and/or some nice olives.  Serve with toasted ciabatta.

Build Your Own Cheese Platter

Easy, fast, delicious and beautiful! Choose your favorite combinations from any of the following catagories:

Cheeses
Go with what you love, or ask your local cheese monger (Mary from Taste) to help you with your selections (which is always fun and you get to taste a bunch of lovely cheese). I like to choose 3 that go together somehow (maybe all from the same region) or I choose 3 that are completely different. My favorite is to have one soft, one hard, and one blue.

Breads & Crackers
Bake your own or buy local. Choose an assortment or just one type. I almost always choose a fresh crusty baguette to slice up, maybe a seeded baguette to pair with a mild cheese. 

Fruit
Fresh, dried, jammed or compoted, pick fruit that pairs well.  I tend toward fresh, so right now that's dates, apples and persimmons.  I would avoid citrus, but maybe that's just me.

Nuts
My favorites are walnuts from Terra Bella Farm or almonds from Smit Orchards.

Honey
If you like, drizzle over cheeses, nuts, or fruit. Or put it in a little bowl for dipping. I love local honey and there is a lot to choose from.  Right now, I'm loving the buckwheat honey in People's Co-op bulk section.

Roasted Garlic
Lovely to include if it goes with the cheeses.  Lately, I get my garlic from Schaner Farm.  I especially love roasted garlic with soft cheese such as brie or Nicolau goat cheese (a recent favorite).

A Few Examples

• triple cream brie & cranberry compote wrapped and baked in a pie crust
• goat chevre rolled in chopped parsley and chives with roasted garlic
• english stilton, cotswold & derby cheeses, with toasted walnuts, fresh figs (quartered) and local wildflower honey
• saint-andré, winchester gouda & point reyes blue cheeses with pear, raspberries, cashews and local orange blossom honey

Arrange your selections on a pretty platter or a wood or stone serving board. I start with the cheeses arranged toward the middle, I slice thin and fan out hard fruit or pile berries in between the cheese, place the nuts so they might cascade down the cheese or fruit, then lightly drizzle honey over a bit of the fruit and nuts. Finally, I fan out sliced baguette or crackers in a circle around or alternatively, serve in a basket lined with a cloth napkin. Don’t forget to include a cheese knife, preferably one for each cheese.