Easy Tabbouli

I'm back! I took a longer-than-planned sabbatical for the winter/spring. Originally, I'd planned to change up the look of the site to something more "professional." I ended up deciding that it's fine as-is.

Anyway, here we are in summer. As I've said many time before, I love summer. The weather, sandals, late sunsets and, best of all, the food. Summer veggies are the best. I have a lot in store for you this summer, starting with this little gem.

Every time I'm at a party or potluck where someone brought tabbouli, I wonder why I don't make it more often. I can eat it by the bucketful. I know, it's basically just an elaborate parsley delivery system, but who doesn't love parsley? And mint? I'm already sold right there.

This summer, I planted some potted herb gardens which are going gangbusters. I have no idea mint grows like crazy once it's set loose. Part of the reason I made tabbouli was because of all this excess mint.

This is a back-to-basics recipe. Tabbouli has gotten a bit complicated lately. Nothing wrong with that, but when the classics work, I don't see any reason to mess with them. Aside from oil, this is what you're dealing with:

Ingredients
1 cup bulgur
1-2 bunches curly parsley (depending on how much you like parsley)
12 large mint leaves 
6 green onions
2 medium tomatoes 

1 cucumber 
2 lemons, juiced 
1/2 cup olive oil

Put the bulger in a bowl and fill the bowl with water until it's about an inch over the top of the bulger. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. It won't look like much at first, but it'll double in size during that time. It'll go from this:

To this:

While the bulger is soaking, finely chop the parsley and mint and put them into a large bowl. Peel, slice and seed the cucumber, then chop it and add it to the bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add them as well.

Pour the bulger into a large sieve, pressing out as much water as possible. 

Once it's dry, add it to the bowl and stir to combine it well with everything else. 

To make the dressing, combine the lemon juice and olive oil and whisk vigorously to combine them. Pour it over the tabbouli and add salt and pepper to taste. Keep the tabbouli refrigerated until you're ready to eat.

Cauliflower Steaks with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

How long has it been since you had steak for dinner? I grew up in steak and barbecue country, but I don't miss it at all. The cauliflower version of steak is superior in every way. Easier to make, tastier and not deadly to any being or the planet. You won't have a coronary if you eat one of these a day, either. Win-win all around.

This dish is super simple to make. Some people I've talked to feel a little intimidated by cauliflower steaks, but there's nothing to fear. As long as you get the thickness of the steak and the cooking time right, they'll turn out perfectly every time.

The sauce is sort of a cheater version of romesco. I didn't have any almonds or pine nuts on hand, so I just skipped that part and used the rest of the cauliflower to make it creamier. Any sauce will do for this, so if you prefer a true romesco sauce, go for it. Chimichurri or pesto would be great, too.


Ingredients


1 1-2lb. head of cauliflower
1 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
1 1/2 cup water
1 red bell pepper, roasted (or 4 segments of jarred roasted red peppers)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Make the steaks: trim the leaves off of the head of cauliflower, stand it up on its stem and slice it right down the middle, making two even halves. Stand one half up, move your knife over about an inch and slice straight down again. Then repeat with the other half. You want to only use the two center-most pieces, as those will give you the biggest steaks. If you're making more than two, you'll need another head of cauliflower. Set the rest of the cauliflower aside.
 

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in an oven-proof skillet or pot. I used a dutch oven, which isn't ideal, but it gets the job done. Drop one steak and sear it on both sides. Remove it to a plate and do the same with the other. Put both steaks back into the pan in a single layer, cover and put it into the oven for 10 minutes.

Make the sauce: Cut up 3 cups of the remaining cauliflower into florets. In a large saucepan, combine the florets, water and non-dairy milk and a little salt and pepper. Turn up the heat and bring it to a boil, then turn it down so it'll simmer. Check in around 8 minutes. It should be fork tender by then.

Strain out the cauliflower, reserving a cup of the liquid. Put both into a blender, along with the roasted red peppers and the garlic.

Turn the blender on high and let it go until it's smooth. You may need to add a little more of the simmering liquid if it's not as smooth as you like. It shouldn't be runny, but it shouldn't be a paste, either.

After 10 minutes has passed, check on  your steaks. They should be fork tender, but not mushy. They need to be able to retain their shape. If they're an inch thick, 10 minutes ought to do it. They'll have a beautiful color to them.

Check the sauce for seasoning, then pour a generous dollop onto a plate. With the back of a spoon, spread it around and top it with a steak (or two). Garnish it with something green (it stands out against the orange sauce) and serve.

Ramps with Curried Potatoes

I love seasonal foods. It gives you something to look forward to as another year passes. Some things are available, but not plentiful, during off-seasons. Other things, like ramps, are only available in season for a short while. You have to strike at just the right time and now is the right time.

Ramps are a cousin of the leek. They taste like a combination of onion and garlic, with a bit more bite. Normally a recipe like this would have sauteed onions and garlic in it, but there's no need for them. The ramps are the perfect two-for-one veggie. Ramps can be a little hard to find if you don't know where to look. They won't be at your normal, run-of-the-mill stores. In Seattle, I find them at Central Market or (sometimes) Whole Foods. You can usually find them at farmer's markets as well. If you don't see them, just ask. The people there usually know where things are if they don't have them.

Fenugreek can be the same way, so don't worry if you can't find any. There's so little of it in here it won't hugely alter the flavor profile if you substitute it for thyme or parsley.

This is a quick and easy thing to make. It's substantial enough to be a nice light dinner, or it could be a great little side dish. You can also fool around with the flavors very easily and make it your own. Chop up a small pepper and add it to the skillet, or use any number of other flavors in the spice mixture. It's really up to you.

Ingredients
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
10-12 whole ramps
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 tsp lemon juice
I bunch of cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges


In a small bowl, combine the ginger, cumin, coriander and garam masala and then set it aside.

Add the potatoes to a pot of salted water. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are just fork tender. You're not going to mash these potatoes, so don't boil them too far past that point.

Meanwhile,  clean and chop the ramps. This probably looks like more work than it really is. Ramps usually come looking like they were pulled out of the ground right before you showed up to buy them:

Your first instinct will be to wash that dirt off. Don't do it! At least not yet. There's a thin membrane between that dirt and the actual plant. If you wash them, the membranes get slimy and harder to remove. Instead, take the back of your knife and run it carefully down the stem. The membrane (and the attached dirt) will slide right off. When it's stripped all the way down to the roots, chop the tip off.

Once all the dirty membranes have been removed, wash the ramps. Bunch them up and start chopping your way through, just like you would with green onions. You want all the white parts as well as the greens.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large skilled or medium-sized pot. Add the chopped ramps and saute them until wilted.

Once the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander and add them to the ramps, stirring to combine. Cover and cook them for a minute or so over medium heat. Add the spices, fenugreek and lemon juice and stir it all around to coat them well.

Cook it for a few minutes until the flavors have combined. Taste for seasoning and pepper and salt (if needed). Remove from the heat and add the chopped cilantro. Serve it with the lime wedge and a little extra cilantro on top. Serve with naan or as a side dish for other things.