Dorot Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe Revisted (sponsored)

As promised, here's my interpretation of George Duran's brussels sprouts recipe, as published here just before Thanksgiving.  

I took at look at the Dorot Gardens website to see where their frozen herb cubes were sold. Not only does the site say in what stores their products are available, but also which products. Originally we were going to go to Safeway, but the one nearest to me only had the garlic and basil. The closest ShopRite, however, had all three herb cubes, plus the garlic and the glazed onions. As it turned out, they were out of parsley. No worries, I substituted the onion cubes for the parsley, and it worked out just fine. See below for my additional changes.

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Herbs and Alliums

2 lb brussels sprouts

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Salt 

2 cubes Dorot Gardens Basil

2 cubes Dorot Gardens Sauteed Glazed Onions

2 cubes Dorot Gardens Cilantro

2 cubes Dorot Gardens Garlic

Trim the stem end off the sprouts, remove the outer layer of leaves and any others that look less than fresh, and cut the sprouts in half.

 

Preheat your oven to 375°F

Put the prepared brussels sprouts on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir (or use tongs to turn each piece individually). Return to oven for another 20 minutes.

While the sprouts are roasting, place all frozen Dorot Gardens cubes in a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 1 minute until cubes are mostly melted. Stir to combine the various flavors.

After the second 20 minutes in the oven, remove the baking sheet and pour the herbs over the sprouts. Using tongs, toss the sprouts with the herbs so they are well mixed. Put back in the oven and cook an additional 10 minutes. At this point the sprouts should have some serious brown bits and crispy leaves here and there. (Sometimes I turn the oven off and leave the sprouts in for 15-20 minutes in the residual heat to get extra crispy without really cooking them further.) Dump into a serving bowl and pass around the table.

Serves 4-6. 

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Another Brussels Sprouts Recipe! (Sponsored)

Brussels sprouts are one of our favorite vegetables, so it's not surprising that I have multiple recipes for preparing the mini cabbages on this blog. Normally I make something with a sweet-spicy edge, like roasted sprouts tossed in a gochujang-maple syrup glaze, but I really like the idea of this recipe. I'd make it in the summer with fresh herbs from my garden, but it's November and the weather forecast called for snow flurries this weekend (!) so I'm officially kissing my basil plants goodbye. Sometimes I buy herbs from the supermarket, but that tends to be wasteful. I end up tossing as much or more than I use into the compost bin. But I love these frozen herb cubes by Dorot Gardens, and buy them when I can. The garlic is especially useful, as I really hate chopping garlic (and get Mr Minx to do it when I can). One frozen cube = 1 clove of garlic. The herb cubes each equal a teaspoon of chopped fresh herb. 

George Duran's Herbed Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I like my roasted brussels sprouts to be really brown and crispy, so I'd make changes to this recipe. I'd toss the sprouts in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast them at least 30 minutes to start, then toss them with the defrosted herbs + other tablespoon of oil and roast another 10-15 minutes until they are much browner and very tender. I wouldn't add the onion at all. Carrots are optional, but I might like to roast those separately, in larger pieces, and then combine them with the sprouts. I'm going to make this for Thanksgiving and will post the photo here and on Instagram later.

3 cubes Dorot Gardens Basil

3 cubes Dorot Gardens Parsley

3 cubes Dorot Gardens Cilantro

3 cubes Dorot Gardens Garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, trimmed, and cut in half

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Preheat your oven to 425°F

Place all frozen Dorot Gardens cubes in a microwave safe bowl and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Microwave for 1 minute.

Place brussels sprouts in a medium bowl and add carrots and onions. Mix in microwaved herbs and garlic, season generously with salt and pepper, and place on a baking sheet.

Roast for 30-45 minutes, just until it begins to brown. Remove from oven and season more to taste.

Serves 4-6. 

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

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Flashback Friday - Summery Couscous Salad

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on July 27, 2012.
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This summer, we planted four kinds of mini tomatoes and one larger yellow tomato, and a plethora of herbs (Greek oregano, Thai, purple, and sweet basil, lemon balm, tarragon, and thyme to go with the perennial chives and mint). Despite the heat and relative lack of rain, everything's been growing like crazy and I find myself harvesting a pint of tomatoes a couple times a week.

I'm not complaining!

One can only eat so many Caprese salads, so the basil and tomatoes need to be put to other uses. I found some tri-color pearl couscous at Shop Rite recently and thought it would make a nice variation on a pasta salad. It was also a good way to use up some of the garden's bounty.

Couscous Salad

1.5 tablespoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup pearl or Israeli couscous, cooked according to package directions
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (dill, basil, parsley, mint) plus more for garnish
1/2 pint tiny tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup diced cucumber
3 tablespoons roughly chopped pistachios
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion

In a medium bowl, stir together the mustard, honey, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the couscous and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, and add more olive oil if the consistency seems dry. Stir in fresh herbs, sliced tomatoes, cucumber, pistachio and green onion. Chill before serving. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

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Easy Chilled Root Vegetable Soup

In the summer, I love making cold soups - just toss a bunch of stuff in a blender, add stock if it's not already liquidy, and refrigerate. So easy. Gazpacho is my fave; it takes no time at all if I'm really lazy because I'll used canned tomatoes and jarred roasted red peppers. But woman does not live by gazpacho alone. Sometimes the farmers' market (or grocery store) has other interesting veg on offer, like celery root.

I love celery root, or celeriac, both raw and cooked. I use it raw in a salad like celeri remoulade, and I always roast it as part of a Thanksgiving side dish. For this dish, I used it two ways, both raw and cooked--very Fine Young Cannibals of me. (Despite the cannibal reference, it's completely vegetarian and can be made vegan as well.) I thought my concoction was reminiscent of vichyssoise, the classic French chilled potato soup, but with the twist of celery root. Also, regular onion was used in place of the traditional leeks, but you could certainly substitute 2-3 leeks if you prefer.

I can't not make a bit of celeri remoulade if I have a celery root. The flavor is hard to describe, but I'm crazy about it. Celery root tastes somewhat like celery, very aromatic, but has a texture closer to a carrot or parsnip. Sliced thinly and combined with a mustardy remoulade sauce with lots of tangy capers, it's great as a substitute for cole slaw with dishes like bbq or crab cakes. And it added much-needed texture to the pureed soup. Even if you don't like celery (it's not my fave) you might enjoy celery root, so I say it's definitely worth trying if you see it somewhere.

Celery Root Vichyssoise

1 medium celery root
3 medium potatoes, like Yukon Gold, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cups of stock (I used 1 Bou Bouillon cube in the Vegetable flavor)
2 or more cups of milk (use your favorite non-dairy milk for a vegan version)
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons capers in brine
1 scant tablespoon mayonnaise
Dash champagne vinegar
Dijon mustard
Lemon juice
Several sprigs fresh thyme

Peel the celery root. Thinly slice about 1/4 of the root and cut the slices into matchsticks and set aside. Cut the remaining root into 1" chunks.

Put the chunks of celery root, along with the potato and onion, in a large saucepan. Add the stock and milk and the bay leaf and bring mixture to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat to a simmer. Watch the pot so it does not boil over and cook the potatoes and celery root until tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf from the pot and add about half of the potato/celery root/milk mixture to the jar of a blender (do not fill all the way). Remove the stopper from the blender lid and place a folded tea towel on top. Hold the towel down tightly over the opening and start the blender on the lowest speed. If the mixture is too hot, it will shoot out the top of the blender, so it's very important to keep a tight grip on the towel. If the mixture is adequately cool, it will blend without exploding. Still, it doesn't hurt to keep your hand on top. Puree the mixture, adding more milk if it's too thick, into a soup-like consistency. You don't want it too runny, nor do you want something resembling mashed potatoes. Pour the puree into a container with a lid and add the remaining potato/celery/milk mixture to the blender. Repeat the steps to puree. Add the new batch of puree to the container with the first batch and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

While the soup is cooking, put the capers on a cutting board and smash them into a chunky puree with the side of a knife. Make a dressing with the mayo, vinegar, a small dollop of Dijon, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the capers. Taste for seasoning and add salt if you need it, but the ingredients are probably salty enough. The dressing should be lightly tangy and taste of capers. Toss with the matchstick cut celery root and refrigerate  until ready to use.

To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls. Top with a handful of the celery salad, and garnish with the thyme leaves and fresh pepper.

Serves 4.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!



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Rhubarb Mostarda

I picked up some rhubarb at the farmers' market a couple weeks ago, because I like to buy rhubarb. I never know what to do with it once I have it though. I never buy enough for pie, and even if I did, never remember to buy strawberries. Sometimes I just boil the rhurbarb with sugar for a while and call it a jam. This time I wanted to be different and try something savory. I saw something called rhubarb mostarda on a restaurant menu; a google search brought up a recipe from a blog called the Joy of Cooking. That recipe claimed to be more of a chutney than a true mostarda, and I wanted something more similar to the pear mostarda I had eaten at Momofuku Ssam Bar. That is, something that tasted very much of the source fruit, but also very much like mustard. I basically just eliminated the golden raisins called for by the recipe and changed the other proportions a bit. I also used brown mustard seeds because that's all I could find in the pantry, despite swearing that I recently bought a fairly large quantity of yellow mustard seeds for another project. (I'll probably find them when I don't need them and then misplace them again.)

What did I serve the mostarda with? Braised pork belly. I had some sliced pork belly languishing in the freezer and figured it was best to just use it up. There's really no recipe here, just guidelines: brown the pork belly on all sides. Add enough chicken stock to cover and then season it as you wish. I added a tablespoon of brown sugar, a couple glugs of soy sauce, a half-teaspoonful of grains of paradise (you can use regular peppercorns), a bay leaf, a clove of garlic, a bit of fresh thyme, some onion powder, and some smoked paprika. Cover and cook at a low simmer  until very tender, 3-4 hours. Remove the meat from the pot and reduce the sauce until it's thick and syrupy. Add the pork back to the sauce and turn to coat.

I also made some simple polenta as a base, and cooked some frozen peas (what? you think I'm going to shell peas? if I could even find them now), added a knob of butter, and lots of fresh chopped herbs from our newly-planted garden (mint, basil, chives, thyme flowers).

Personally, I think this turned out great. I should do the pork belly thing more often. It's dead simple, just throw stuff in a pot and cook it, and it comes out restaurant-quality. The fat was juicy, the meat was moist, completely yummy. And the tangy mostarda was a perfect foil.

Just a really nice dinner all around, and despite the fancy looks, not a lot of effort. I even got Mr Minx to trim and chop the rhubarb for me.

Rhubarb Mostarda (adapted from Joy of Cooking)

1 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons water

Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook until rhubarb is soft and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir regularly to prevent rhubarb from sticking (mine didn't, but YMMV.)

Store in a covered jar in the fridge. Makes about 1/2 - 3/4 cup.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Vietnamese Noodles and Pork

I mentioned the blog The Woks of Life a few weeks ago. I am so in love with their food photography - it makes everything look absolutely mouth-watering. So of course I want to try every recipe. The latest one I tried was for a Vietnamese noodle salad with pork, bún thịt nướng. I've eaten this dish in Vietnamese restaurants, and what was most striking to me about it was that the pork had a lovely caramelized sweetness to it. The Woks' recipe didn't include sugar in the pork marinade, so I added some. It really makes a difference.

Nuoc cham doesn't always involve garlic, and the three cloves indicated in the original recipe seemed excessive, so I put it in the meat marinade instead. Which actually makes more sense. And it gets cooked eventually, so that makes for less garlic-breath.

Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Pork (adapted from The Woks of Life)

For the nuoc cham:
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
¼ cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Sriracha
½ cup cold water

For the pork chops:
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon cornstarch
4 boneless pork chops
Vegetable oil

To serve:
6 oz. dried rice vermicelli noodles, prepared according to package directions
1 small cucumber, julienned
1 medium carrot, julienned
A large handful of snow peas, blanched and cut into lengthwise strips
½ cup cilantro, mint, and thai basil leaves, roughly torn

To make nuoc cham: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

To make pork chops: In a zip top bag, make the pork chop marinade by adding the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, cornstarch, and wine. Marinate the pork chops for at least 20 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Sear the pork chops on both sides until cooked through. Set the pork chops aside to rest.

To serve: Add the noodles, cucumber, carrot, and snow peas to a bowl. Top with the pork chops and herbs, and serve with the nuoc cham.



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Les Trois Petits Cochons

Les Trois Petits Cochons (the Three Little Pigs) specializes in charcuterie. While the name is fancy and French, TPC products--from dry sausage to fancier mousses, pâtés and terrines--can be found in grocery stores and specialty shops all over the U.S. The company offered to send us some samples, and while I would have loved to try their Pâté de Campagne, Mousse de Foie de Canard au Porto (duck liver and pork mousse with Port) or the Terrine des Trois Rois (chicken and duck foie layered with Armagnac-marinated prunes), I was worried about shipping delicate meat products on a muggy late Spring day. So I opted for the much safer options of Saucisson Sec aux Cepes (air-dried sausage with porcini mushrooms) and Spanish chorizo, both of which can safely be stored at room temperature if not opened.

Dry sausages are such a versatile product. Both the chorizo and the saucisson sec are delicious on their own, eaten in slices or chunks as a snack, maybe with cheese or bread. We chopped 'em up and cooked them, too. Some chorizo, cut into tiny pieces and fried with yellow bell peppers, made a flavorful filling for an omelette flatbread sandwich. We also diced some of the saucisson sec and used it to flavor a very non-Asian version of fried rice that used tons of fresh herbs from our garden (that will come up in another post!)

Omelette Sandwich

About a 1 1/2" chunk cut from a Les Trois Petits Cochons Chorizo
1/4 yellow bell pepper
Olive oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Your choice of cheese, shredded
Fresh basil and chives
4 pieces buttered toast

Cut the sausage into small cubes and place in a large saute pan with the peppers and a bit of olive oil. Cook over medium high heat until the sausage starts to brown and release its fat, and the pepper softens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Wipe out the pan and add a knob of butter to it while the heat is still off.

Beat the eggs with a little water. Season with salt and pepper and pour into the buttered pan. Turn the heat on to medium and cook the eggs until they start to look a little dry on the top. Using a spatula, flip the omelet. Immediately sprinkle on the cheese and add the peppers and chorizo. Flip half the omelette onto itself to make a half moon. Turn off the heat.

Cut the omelette in half with the edge of the spatula. Scoop one half onto each of two pieces of toast. Sprinkle with chives and basil. Top with other piece of toast.

Eat.

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In the Baltimore area, Les Trois Petits Cochons products can be found at Safeway, Whole Foods, and The Fresh Market. Not surprisingly, you can also get them at Amazon.com.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!



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Mint-Cilantro-Mango Chimichurri

Our visit to Ananda, an Indian restaurant in Maple Lawn (Howard County), introduced us to a variation of the beloved coriander chutney served with samosas and other fried appetizers. There, cilantro is combined with mint, mango, and avocado, giving it both richness and sweetness. I decided I wanted to make this at home and put in an inquiry to the restaurant. By the weekend, I hadn't received the recipe, so I tried to recreate it.

It's hard to find ripe avocados at the last minute, so I omitted them. While the result doesn't taste exactly like the stuff at the restaurant, it's pretty good. But what to put it on? I've been contemplating making samosas for a while now, but not that particular weekend. I did have a nice London broil defrosting though, and beef is great with a chimichurri sauce. And chimichurri is basically herbs + garlic + oil + vinegar. So I added oil and vinegar to some of the existing chutney, and it was great.

Mint-Cilantro-Mango Sauces

For chutney:
1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, loosely packed
1/2 mango, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
Generous squeeze of lime juice
Pinch salt

For chimichurri:
3 tablespoons mint-cilantro-mango chutney
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch cumin
Pinch salt

To make chutney: Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend to a puree. Add more salt to taste.

To make chimichurri: combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste.



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Goddess-y Dressing

So, more snow. I really can't take much more of this. And I like winter--I just don't like the seemingly endless cycle of shoveling and salting, shoveling and salting. Walking the dog on slippery sidewalks (because nobody else in the neighborhood seems to understand that they should salt their sidewalks so pedestrians won't slip and break anything) is annoying and scary and I just want this crap to melt and never come back.

While it seems most appropriate to make a comforting stew or other such cold-weather food, I felt like I needed a reminder that Spring was somewhere around the corner. We had a bunch of cilantro and basil in the fridge, so I whipped up a green dressing with them. The lovely color and zingy flavor was a nice harbinger of things to come. If they come.

A typical green goddess dressing has tarragon and anchovy, but I think any combination of flavorful green herbs (except rosemary) works fine. In place of the anchovy, I added a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.

Goddess-y Dressing

1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and stems
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
3 scallions, white and green parts chopped
extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
lime or lemon juice to taste
few drops of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

Place the cilantro, basil, and scallions in a food processor and pulse to a puree with the help of some of the olive oil. Just use enough to get the herbs going. Add the yogurt and mayo and puree. Season to taste with the citrus juice, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper.

Makes about half a cup.

We had some leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, so I made a chicken salad using some of the herb dressing. Chopped apple adds additional green flavor and a nice texture.

Goddess-y Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, torn into medium-large chunks
1 small apple, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons or so of Goddess-y dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Serve on greens or in sandwiches. Serves 2.



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Avgolemono Soup

When I made that Greek-ish pasta dish the other day, I ended up with far too much for two people. That means leftovers, and while we do appreciate not having to cook on some random weeknight, I I am not particularly fond of eating rewarmed pasta that already has a sauce on it. After a few hours in the fridge, the pasta has sucked up whatever moisture there might have been in the dish to begin with, and if there's no extra sauce in a separate container, it's just too dry for me. But since this particular pasta dish had some lemon in it, and certainly a lot of other flavors that work harmoniously with lemon, I thought dumping the leftovers into some avgolemono soup might provide the necessary moisture.

Avgolemono (Greek for egg-lemon) can be a soup or a sauce, usually made with eggs and lemon juice, heated with stock until thick. It's pretty easy stuff, one just has to watch not to add too much hot broth to the eggs all at once so as not to curdle them. At that point though, it's egg drop soup and not necessarily a bad thing. There's usually some rice or orzo in a classic avgolemono soup, so if you don't have leftover pasta, then add about 1/3 cup of raw rice or orzo to the chicken stock and boil it for about 10-12 minutes, until the grain is done but not mushy, before adding the egg and lemon.

Avgolemono Soup

6 cups chicken stock
2 cups leftover Greek-ish pasta
4 eggs
1/3 cup lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste

Bring the chicken stock to a simmer. While stock is simmering, warm the leftover pasta.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Whisk in the lemon juice.

Slowly pour 2 cups of hot chicken stock into the eggs, whisking constantly. When combined, slowly add the egg mixture to the pot of simmering stock.

Immediately remove stock from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Portion the warmed pasta into large serving bowls and ladle soup over top.



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Jerked Around

Normally, I'm not a big fan of jerks. Humans, obviously, but also chicken. I really don't enjoy the flavor of dried thyme when used in quantities larger than a pinch, and while I do like hot food, I also like to have the ability to feel my palate, lips, and tongue after eating.

In the naiveté of youth, I tended to give jerks a chance. This often resulted in disappointment - by an imbalance of seasoning or, well, just plain imbalance. Recently, however, I have found that I can have a meaningful relationship with jerks, but only those that spent the majority of their lives flapping their useless forelimbs and shitting copiously. For some, that description may well include the random ex-boyfriend, but for me, it refers to chickens that have been marinated in a mixture of herbs and spices (most notably thyme, allspice, and scotch bonnet chiles) before being grilled.

My friend Raine recently came back from a cruise to the islands and presented me with a souvenir jar of jerk spices. I gave it a taste, right out of the container, and was pleased by the balance of seasonings and heat. I had some cornish game hens in the freezer and thought I'd cheat a bit. Rather than marinating the suckers, I rubbed them with garlic butter and coated them with a goodly amount of my newly acquired seasoning. And while that particular day would have been perfect for grilling, I popped the birds into the oven, instead. The results were succulent, spicy, and just a little bit hot.

Jerky Hens

2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 cloves garlic, crushed (I used 2 cloves of regular and 2 cloves of black garlic, just because)
2 1¼ - 1½ lb cornish game hens
2 generous tablespoons jerk seasoning (if you want to make your own, here's a recipe)

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Mash the garlic and butter together until well-blended.

Using your fingers, loosen the skin on the hens' breasts to make pockets; be careful not to tear the skin. Place blobs of butter under the skin (also using your fingers) and rub the rest of the butter on the skin all over the hens. Coat each hen with about a tablespoon of jerk seasoning.

Place hens, breast side up, in a roasting pan lined with foil and roast for 25 minutes at 450°F. Turn heat down to 350°F and roast for 25-30 minutes more, until a thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the bird registers 165°F.

Remove birds from roasting pan and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut the chickens in half and serve one half per person.

Serves 4

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Summery Couscous Salad

This summer, we planted four kinds of mini tomatoes and one larger yellow tomato, and a plethora of herbs (Greek oregano, Thai, purple, and sweet basil, lemon balm, tarragon, and thyme to go with the perennial chives and mint). Despite the heat and relative lack of rain, everything's been growing like crazy and I find myself harvesting a pint of tomatoes a couple times a week.

I'm not complaining!

One can only eat so many Caprese salads, so the basil and tomatoes need to be put to other uses. I found some tri-color pearl couscous at Shop Rite recently and thought it would make a nice variation on a pasta salad. It was also a good way to use up some of the garden's bounty.

Couscous Salad

1.5 tablespoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup pearl or Israeli couscous, cooked according to package directions
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (dill, basil, parsley, mint) plus more for garnish
1/2 pint tiny tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup diced cucumber
3 tablespoons roughly chopped pistachios
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion

In a medium bowl, stir together the mustard, honey, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the couscous and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, and add more olive oil if the consistency seems dry. Stir in fresh herbs, sliced tomatoes, cucumber, pistachio and green onion. Chill before serving. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

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Leftover Flank Steak

Marinated and broiled flank steak is a versatile leftover. Rarely will I rewarm it and serve it in its original form; more likely, it will end up in pasta sauce, on pizza, or in tacos. We had a small piece of steak left over from last week's Korean-esque sandwiches and I decided to use it in sandwiches once again, this time changing up the bread and other fillings.

Lightly toasted flatbread formed the base, with sautéed mushrooms supporting the small bit of meat. A chopped pineapple relish, herb salad, and spicy mayonnaise added sweet and savory elements.

Leftover Flank Steak Sandwiches

Pineapple Relish
1 cup diced pineapple
1 tablespoon finely minced scallion
1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes, or ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon agave syrup or honey
pinch each salt and pepper

Spicy Mayo
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
2 Peppadew peppers, finely chopped

Mushrooms
olive oil
about 2 cups sliced mushrooms
3 scallions, cut in about 1" pieces
pinch salt

Assorted chopped herbs - basil, cilantro, mint
1/2 - 3/4 lb leftover flank steak, sliced thinly
2 flatbreads

To make Pineapple relish: mix all ingredients in a bowl, set aside
To make spicy mayo: ditto
To make mushrooms: heat a bit of olive oil in a saute pan and cook mushrooms and scallions until mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Salt to taste and set aside.
To assemble sandwich: lightly toast flatbreads. Cut in half. Spread insides with mayo. Top with mushrooms, steak, relish, and herbs. Cover with other half of bread and eat like a sandwich. Alternately, you can put toppings on both halves and eat open-faced.

Serves 2.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

Vokka

Recently we were pleased to note that Comcast Cable is offering a couple of new channels to their basic cable subscribers, one of which is Scripps' new venture, Cooking Channel. From the many ads we've seen on the Food Network, Cooking Channel seems to feature actual cooking shows, many of which come from FN archives. In addition to Emeril Live, Molto Mario, and Food 911, there are new shows like Food Jammers and Indian Food Made Easy. One show I've managed to catch twice so far is the boozefest called Drink Up.

From one episode, I learned there are basically only two kinds of beer: lager and ale. Everything else is either a lager (long fermentation) or an ale (quick fermentation). And a second episode taught me that host Darryl Robinson can't pronounce vodka. He says, "vokka," which hurts this Pole's ears. The word is properly pronounced "voodh' ka" (and spelled with a w, as there is no letter v in the Polish alphabet). Vodka means "little water" in Polish and Russian (voda being water), signifying its very important place within these Slavic cultures. In fact, it's almost a health food. Most people know that the proper thing to say when one is drinking vodka is "nas drowie!" (or "nas drovia" for the Russians). This phrase does not mean "cheers," nor does it mean "down the hatch" or "to life," but literally, "to our health" (because nobody should be drinking alone)!

Despite its "healthful" properties, we seldom had vodka in the house - we weren't what Grandma would call pijaki (drunks) even though she did make her own wine (!). Today, both the mister and I have an appreciation for the clear spirit and there's usually a bottle or two at Casa Minx, ready to be made into martinis or turn basically any other liquid into a quick cocktail.

When Robinson's guest for the "vokka" episode, bartender Jeremy Thompson, demonstrated a drink made with fresh tarragon, I paid attention. Our tarragon plant (indeed, our entire container garden) is a bit out-of-control and the Siberian Sling seemed like the ideal way to use some of the herb.

Siberian Sling
Recipe courtesy Jeremy Thompson, Raines Law Room

1 small bunch fresh tarragon leaves
1 ounce fresh lime juice
2 ounces vodka
3/4 ounces honey syrup*
6 ice cubes
Soda water or seltzer
*Cook's Note: 3 parts honey, 1 part water

Begin by slapping the fresh tarragon to bring out the aromatics. Drop the tarragon into a cocktail shaker, reserving a few leaves for the garnish. Add the lime juice, vodka, and honey syrup to the shaker. Add 2 ice cubes to the shaker, and short shake to make the liquid cold without diluting it. Strain the mixture into a high ball glass filled with 4 more ice cubes. Top the glass with the soda water, and use the reserved tarragon for the garnish.
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The drink had a mildly licorice-y flavor from the tarragon, but tasted mostly of lime juice and honey. It was dangerously easy to drink. Yes, please, I think I will have another.

Vodka always reminds me of a song my Grandma used to sing when I was a girl. That was a long time ago, and I don't know the name of the song, but I can still remember one line in particular:

"śmiej się Griszka, zajrzyj do kieliszka, wódka lepsza od dziewczyny, bo nie zdradzi cię"

"Griszka laugh, look at the glass, vodka is better than girls, because it did not betray you."

Unless of course you drink too much. Pijak. :)