Winter Veggie Tempura

I discovered a problem with my current cooking system.  Due to my working girl schedule these days, I no longer spend as much time looking through cookbooks as I once did.  I find myself making the same meals over and over--mostly just using this blog and my pinterest boards for menu planning.

Thus, I am back to adding some new recipes to the blog, in hopes of mixing up the menu planning a bit.

Of course, my cooking boyfriend, Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for veggie tempura is my return to blogging recipe.  It's what's for supper tonight.

Winter Veggie Tempura
adapted a bit from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Dipping Sauce
6 cardamom pods
grated zest and juice of 4 limes (about 1/3 c lime juice)
1 fresh green chile (optional)
2 3/4 c cilantro, leaves and tender, thin stalks
1 T sugar
4 T sunflower oil
1/2 t salt
2 T water

Tempura
approximately 2 3/4 lb winter veggies:  our favorites are:

1. leeks, white part sliced 1/4" thick
2. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
3. broccoli, divided into medium florets (cauliflower would be good too)
4. carrots, peeled and cut into 3/8" sticks

1/2 c cornstarch (plus possibly some extra)

1/2 c self rising flour (to make use 1/2 c regular plus a fat 1/2 t baking powder and small pinch of salt)

3/4 c seltzer or sparkling water

2 t grapeseed oil

3 C sunflower oil (for frying)

cooked udon noodles

To make the sauce, break the cardamom pods using the flat side of large, heavy knife.  Discard the pods and put the seeds in a food processor.  Add the remaining dipping sauce ingredients and blitz to get a smooth, runny sauce (you could also create the sauce using an immersion blender).

Mix the 1/2 c cornstarch, flour, seltzer, and grapeseed oil, along with 1/4 t salt in a bowl.  Whisk well to get a smooth runny mix.  On a dinner plate, sprinkle some additional cornstarch for coating the veggies.  

Pour the 3 c sunflower into a heavy saucepan or black skillet (I fry everything in my black skillet).  Place over high heat until oil is hot and then reduce heat to medium.    If you are unsure if the oil is hot enough, test the temperature using a candy thermometer.  The thermometer should register between 325-375 degrees.  

Toss each vegetable in the cornstarch.  Shake to remove any excess cornstarch and then dip into seltzer water batter.  Shake gently and then carefully ease the veggies into the oil (a few pieces of at a time--don't overcrowd the pan).  As the veggies fry, gently turn them over to fry evenly.  Leeks will take only about a minute.  Sweet potatoes would take 2 or more minutes.  Once they are cooked transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

Serve on rice or over udon noodles (our favorite).  Steamed veggies on the side are also a good counter balance to the tempura veggies as well.

Vegetable Pot-au-Feu

One of my favorite cookbooks is Dorie Greenspan's Baking:  From My Home to Yours.  The recipes are rich, comfort food, gift worthy desserts.  I've worked my way through it, particularly the scones/muffins section and the cookies section.  I've attempted a few of her cakes with good results.  It's a book that has a permanently reserved space on my top-tier cookbook shelf.

A few years ago, Dorie (we're on a first name basis, you know?) came out with a new cookbook, Around my French Table.  I hemmed and hawed over whether or not I should buy it and I eventually decided against.  It just sounded too fancy.  I perused it at the bookstore and most of the recipes were heavy on meat, making it just a company cookbook (not an everyday cookbook, since we eat meatless at least half the week or more most weeks).  I finally realized I could check this book out of the library.

My expectations were more or less correct.  I found a handful of recipes I wanted to try, but not enough to warrant buying the book, at least not now.

This recipe is the exception.  In this vegetable pot-au-feu, vegetables have a starring role and it is a main dish (most of the vegetarian recipes in this cookbook are relegated to side dishes).  We loved it, M and Curtis especially.  I made poached eggs to serve in it, and learned for next time, the kids would rather go eggless.  That makes it even easier!

I made this in a wok, like Dorie suggested, but a dutch oven or soup pot would work just as well (and I'll probably use that next time).  Dorie also said this wasn't good leftovers--don't tell that to M!

This serves 4 - 6.

Vegetable Pot-au-Feu
adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Around my French Table.

2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small to medium onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, halved lengthwise and well rinsed, sliced
3 medium potatoes (6 small), sliced 1/4" thick
2 - 4 small to medium carrots, cut on the diagonal into 1/4" slices
3 c water (can also use vegetable or chicken stock)
1 2-inch piece lemongrass, split lengthwise
8 - 12 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" pieces
4 - 6 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1/2 lb spinach, chard, or kale, stemmed, washed, and coarsely sliced
4 large eggs, hardboiled or poached
slices of crusty bread, toasted

Heat the olive oil over medium hat.  Add the onion and leek, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until they just begin to soften, about five minutes.  Toss in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the potatoes and carrots, followed by the water and lemongrass.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered, until the vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes.  (While the vegetables are simmering, you can cook the eggs).  Add the asparagus and shiitake mushrooms to the vegetables and cook for an additional 4 minutes, or until tender.  Stir in the spinach (or other greens) and cook until  spinach (or greens) are slightly wilted.  Spinach will take about 2 minutes, chard slightly longer, and kale even longer.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a slice of toasted crusty bread in a bowl.  Ladle soup over top and slice in the egg.  Serve immediately (I found it easiest to serve at the counter, not on the table).

Smoky Minestrone with Cheesy Tortellini and Parsley Pesto

I am coming to learn that Minestrone is the Italian version of stone soup or the Mexican chicken caldo. It works great as a clean out the vegetable crisper soup, which could be why I have so many different versions of minestrone on my blog. This one is great for using zucchini, potatoes, and leafy greens.

There are several things I love about this soup. Thing 1 is the tortellini. In my humble opinion, one can never go wrong with cheese tortellini. Ever. Thing 2 is the parsley pesto. Although we are starting basil season her in CenTex, I used store bought parsley that was languishing in my crisper drawer. I like the slight bite of parsley better and had no desire to use the basil that was also languishing in my crisper drawer.

We all love this soup. The kids even ate the zucchini in this without a complaint. Being swim season and all these days, M ate three servings. I was pleased to be able to pull a leek from my little raised garden to use in this soup. The vegetable amounts are estimates--since I had small carrots and potatoes, I used 6 small carrots and 4 small potatoes.

This serves at least 6 and possibly 8. It is equally good on a warm, muggy early summer (yes, the end of May is early summer here) afternoon as it is on a cold winter's evening.

Smoky Minestrone with Cheesy Tortellini

adapted from WinnieAb on Food52

3 T olive oil

2 oz bacon or pancetta, chopped into small pieces (both chop easier if partially frozen)

1 lg onion, peeled and chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 ribs of celery, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 medium-large potato, peeled and chopped

4 c chicken stock

1 (15-oz) can chickpeas

1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes

salt

1 c kale, chard, or collards, roughly chopped

1 (9-oz) pkg cheese tortellini

Pesto
1 c packed parsley leaves

2 T pine nuts, toasted

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T Parmesan cheese, grated

1 T olive oil

Heat 1 T of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon or pancetta and cook until they have started to brown. Add 2 more T of oil, if the pot looks dry, along with the onion, leek, and garlic. Continue to cook over medium heat until softened. Add the celery, carrot, zucchini, and potato. Stir for a minute or two. Add the stock, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or so, or until the potatoes are tender (that will depend on how small you cut the potatoes).

If you are making this soup ahead of time, stop here. Finish right before you are ready to eat.

While the soup simmers, make the pesto. I find it easiest to do this by hand, based on the small recipe. Chop the parsley until it is very, very fine. Chop the toasted pine nuts and garlic. Add to the parsley, along with the Parmesan. Stir in the olive oil. Set aside.

Add the kale and tortellini to the soup(if you are using chard, add that a minute or two after the tortellini), and cook 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Taste and add more salt. Serve and garnish individual bowls with a nice spoonful of parsley pesto, as desired.

Beauty Paste Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables

I've been on a Turnip binge lately. It hasn't been out of choice. They've been collecting in my crisper drawer in the fridge for a few months now. Occasionally, I'll make my yummy braised root vegetables as a side, but I am not a side lover. I would rather find a main course that can incorporate as many vegetables and parts of the meal as possible. Since Friday, I've made Homespun Potpie (with kohlrabi, turnips, and sweet potatoes--hold the chicken), Moroccan Vegetable Stew, and Beauty Paste Chicken with roasted vegetables (which included turnips). All of these meals, I've really enjoyed. I don't mind turnips, I just have a hard time remembering to use them. Needless to say, after all of this turnip binging, I've put a significant dent in my turnip collection, however, it is far from gone.

The Beauty Paste chicken was easy and the roasted vegetables were great. I tried the roasted vegetables two ways--one on a separate sheet pan below the roasting chicken and the other was in the roasting pan with the chicken. I liked them both ways, but I think I may have slightly preferred the roasting pan over the sheet pan. The potatoes developed their rich, buttery taste more in the roasting pan (maybe because the chicken was coated in butter?). The vegetables didn't quite all fit in the roasting pan, so more than likely, I'll do it both ways again next time.

I can't go wrong with making chicken for my kids. I can't go wrong with making roasted vegetables for me. We loved it (Curtis wasn't home this evening). I am looking forward to make chicken stock today with the bones and am scheming about what I may make with the leftover chicken (enchiladas, anyone?).

I was hesitant about using 5 T mustard powder. I only used 3 T, because that was all I had. The chicken could definitely handle 5 - 6 T, and if you are feeling really bold, find hot mustard powder (I wasn't because of M's sensitive tastes). I also inadvertently forgot the celery, I think because I was so excited about using more turnips.

This serves 4 - 6.

Beauty Paste Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
adapted from SaySchwartzandBeSure on Food52.com

5 T soft (mostly but not quite melted) butter
5 - 6 T dry mustard powder
1 T fresh thyme leaves
fresh ground black pepper
1 roaster chicken (3 - 5 lbs)

3 carrots, sliced 1/4" thick
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced 1/2" thick
2 celery stalks, cut into 2" chunks
2 medium white turnips (about the size of apples), cut into wedges
12 new red or white potatoes
1 red or sweet onion, cut into wedges
1 t sea salt
1/2 - 1 t lemon zest
fresh ground pepper
1 - 2 T olive oil

yellow onion, cut into quarters

Wash inside and out of chicken. Trim access fat. Pat dry and set aside.

Combine softened butter and mustard powder in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in pepper and fresh thyme. (If you've accidently melted the butter, let the butter/mustard combo stand at room temperature for a while). Set aside.

Combine the carrots, leeks, celery, turnips, potatoes, and red onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Toss to equally coat all the vegetables.

Sprinkle the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff with yellow onion quarters. Using your hand, scoop the beauty paste all over the chicken in a thick layer. (The paste is what crisps the skin and keeps the chicken moist, don't skimp on this. If you run out of paste, make more). Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Surround the chicken with as many vegetables as well fit (you want the vegetables in a single to double layer at most. Don't fill the pan to the top with vegetables). Put remaining vegetables on a sheet pan.

Roast the chicken in a preheated 400 degrees oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the the heat to 350 and roast an additional 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours, depending on size and kind of chicken (organic vs free range vs conventional), until internal temp in the thickest part (between the thigh and leg) is 180 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the vegetables on the sheet pan, stir occasionally and remove from oven once they are tender. Warm right before serving the chicken and combine with the vegetables cooked in the roasting pan.

Savory Leek and Gruyere Souffle

Sigh. When I think of this dinner, I sigh a little. The souffle was fabulous. It rose perfectly, it didn't fall and it tasted divine. However, while the recipe said it would take 25 minutes to cook, my souffle took closer to an hour (thanks to a deep souffle dish). It worked out just fine--I knew the kids wouldn't eat it anyway so they enjoyed a dinner of cooked beets, sweet potato biscuits, and cucumber and tomato slices. I held out for the souffle and it was worth the wait!

May I just mention again my achilles' heel of cooking---biscuits. I managed to make a perfect souffle without deflating egg whites or having the souffle fall. The simple biscuits however just barely rose. The taste was wonderful, they were flaky enough, and the texture was great. They just didn't rise. I just don't understand it. Someday maybe I will figure out the secret. Until then, I guess I'll just be content with flat biscuits and perfect souffles. This recipe serves 4 - 6 as a main and 6 - 8 as a side.

Savory Leek and Gruyere Souffle
tweaked slightly from Williams-Sonoma Cooking from the Farmer's Market

2 T olive oil
4 leeks (about 1 1/2 lbs), dark green parts trimmed, washed well, and chopped
1 t fresh thyme, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
5 T cold butter
5 T flour
2 1/2 c half-and-half, warmed
6 large eggs, separated
2 c (approx 8 oz) Gruyere cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the leeks and thyme until leeks are tender, about 12 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside to cool. While leeks cool, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute, until combined. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half. Cook, whisking, until sauce is smooth and thick. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in 1 1/2 c Gruyere and cooled leeks. Season with salt and pepper (even though the Gruyere tastes salty, it needs more salt).

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold in 1/4 of whites into leek mixture with a rubber spatula. Quickly, but gently, fold in the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Prepare a large (14-inch) gratin dish or large souffle dish. Butter gratin dish or souffle dish well and sprinkle with 1/2 c of the cheese. Pour leek and egg mixture into prepared dish. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees oven until top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center is not wet (a little moist is ok). Depending on depth of dish, it will take 25 - 60 minutes. Serve immediately.

Risotta alla Primavera

I had been looking for asparagus at the Farmer's Market for a little, but evidently the wrong Farmer's Market (Wed at the Triangle). I came up empty handed and succumbed to the desire to consume asparagus and bought some at the grocery store. (I did find wonderful fresh asparagus at the Barton Creeks Farmer's Market on Saturday. Yippee!!! It was totally worth taking two cranky preschoolers out on a Saturday morning and getting caught in a torrential downpour). I was feeling like a risotto and made the following recipe.

We all liked it. Baby I (who isn't a baby any more--he just turned one!) devoured it. M ate it rather well too. Curtis and I liked it and had the leftovers several days. I adapted the recipe slightly to use the vegetables I had in my fridge---carrots instead of fresh peas.

This recipe will feed a small army. Next time, I'll halve it. It easily serves 6 - 8 adults as a main dish.

Risotto all Primavera
adapted from Bon Appetit

6 1/2 c chicken broth
3 T butter
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 medium leek (or 2 small in my case), white and light green parts only, sliced crosswise into thin rings
1 garlic clove, minced
2 c arborio rice
1/2 c dry white wine
1 c 1-inch pieces asparagus
1 c carrots, cut in half and sliced (if large carrots, otherwise, just sliced is fine)
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broth to a simmer. Cover and continue to lightly simmer. In a separate large sauce pan, melt 1 T butter and oil over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and garlic. Saute until wilted and almost tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice and stir until rice is translucent at edges but still opaque in the center, about 3 minutes. Add wine, simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Add broth 1 c at a time until rice is about half cooked, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Stir in asparagus, carrots, and parsley. Continue adding broth by cupfuls and stirring until rice is tender, but still firm to bite and mixture is creamy, about 8 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and 2 T butter. Season with salt and pepper.

This is classic colcannon (Irish dish of cabbage and potatoes) dish with some extra ingredients. I threw in some bacon which the original recipe didn't have (it was from a vegetarian cookbook). The dish was a hit. M had seconds and Curtis and I really enjoyed it. J was being almost 2 and wanted to eat cookies for supper instead, so he basically just didn't eat supper (because he sure wasn't getting cookies!). This is a good way to use some cabbage and never even notice it (only problem is it doesn't use much). This recipe will serve 3 - 4 adults.

Rumpledethumps
3 potatoes (1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into chunks
2 strips of bacon
1 1/2 c chopped cabbage
1 leek, washed and chopped
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped broccoli
3 T butter
a pinch of mace
salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 c milk
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese

Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, steam or blanch the cabbage, leeks, and broccoli. Cook the bacon, drain, and crumble into small pieces. Melt 1 T butter and stir in the mace. Mix the seasoned butter and salt and pepper to taste into the steamed vegetables. Drain the potatoes and mash with 1 more T butter. Stir in the seasoned vegetables and bacon and mix evenly. Spread in an oiled 9 x 9" baking pan. If desire, melt the remaining 1 T of butter and drizzle it over the potato mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake at a preheated 450 degrees oven for 15 minutes or place under the broiler for 3 -4 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

White Bean Soup and Celery Salad

The meal my sister decided to make was White Bean Soup (from Epicurious) and Celery Salad. I must admit, I was a little hesitant about the celery salad, especially the dates, but it was really, really good. The white bean soup recipe recommended drizzling white truffle oil on top, but next time I will skip that part--I couldn't tell any difference when the white truffle oil was added and at almost $20 for a bottle, it's too expensive not to notice (thankfully, my sister bought that and not me!). However, when Sunday came around and my sister was supposed to make lunch, she was sick with the stomach bug which went around our house. My mom and I followed the recipe closer than my sister would have. We used canned beans instead of dried beans (3 cans to be exact) and used some of the leftover homemade turkey broth from the turkey we made for Christmas day. We didn't quite puree all of it, but I think next time, I will. I love pureed soups!

Here's the celery salad recipe:

Celery Salad
1/2 of a large bunch of celery
1/2 c chopped dates
3/4 c pecans or walnuts, toasted or chopped

1/2 lg shallot, minced
1 T sherry or red wine vinegar
3 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan or Asiago) cheese, shaved

Combine celery, dates, and nuts. In a small jar or dressing shaker, vigorously shake together shallot, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper. Stir into celery mixture. Top with grated cheese.

Mizutaki

My grandparents lived in Japan for a year (or two?) working in a school there. One of the things we gained from that experience was the festive dish of Skiyaki. I found this recipe a year ago. It is similar to skiyaki in that it is a communal meal--a hot pot in the center of the table to cook the food in. However, the cooking sauce is water and seaweed based instead of soy sauce based which reduces the salt considerably! I also like how this recipe uses more ingredients that may be found in Japanese cuisine instead of our very, very Americanized version.

All the work of this meal takes place in cutting the food for eating and making the dipping sauce. When it's time to eat, new ingredients as the old ingredients get eaten right out of the pot! It's a fun, festive, healthy meal. This time of the year, a lot of the ingredients can be found at the farmer's market. We used our leftover vegetables the next evening (mushrooms and leeks) on top of a pizza. We sat the kids at the end of the table, farthest away from the hot pot to prevent them from burning themselves. They both loved it. M especially liked the shrimp.

Mizutaki
Dipping Sauce
1/2 c fresh lime juice
2/3 c tamari soy sauce
1 T sake (or mirin)
1/2 c daikon, finely grated
2 t ginger root, peeled and finely grated
1/2 c chopped scallions

Liquid for hot pot
3 c water
8 -inch piece of dried konbu

Ingredients for cooking in hot pot
2 medium bok choy, cuting 2 inch pieces
4 bunches scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 leeks, well rinsed, tender white parts cut into rings 1/4" wide
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound spinach, washed and stemmed (we omitted and just used more bok choy)
1 cake tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2" cubes (I may or may not use next time....)
1 pound scallops
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 - 6 servings of cooked rice

Slice and prepare vegetables, putting each a separate bowl. Prepare tofu and seafood, putting each in separate bowl. Refrigerate until everything is ready to cook.

For the dipping sauce, combine the lime juice, soy sauce, and sake in a saucepan and heat on low heat. In each of four individual bowls (or however many people that are eating--this will comfortably feed 4 - 6 adults), put 1 T grated daikon, 1/4 t of grated ginger root, and 1 T chopped scallions. To each bowl add 3 T of soy sauce mixture. Some extra dipping suace and garnishes will be left to freshen each bowl during the meal.

In a large shallow pan on a hot plate (or I've found a large electric skillet works great!) in the center of the table, heat the water and konbu until it begins to boil. Let it boil slowly for 2 minutes. Remove the konbu. During the meal, heat more water in the microwave to boiling and add to the skillet as needed. (The electric skillet should be set to around 250 degrees).

Once everyone is seated, beging cooking, adding the scallops and shrimp first, then the leeks and tofu, then the bok choy and mushrooms, then the scallions, and finally, just when everything is ready to eat, add the spinach.

To eat, remove desired ingredients from hot pot, dip into dipping sauce and put on top of rice (in a small bowl for each guest). Keep adding and removing ingredients as long as everyone is still hungry.

Scallion Crepes with Bok Choy, Braised Root Vegetables, and Hazelnut Crisps

Tonight's meal was out of one of my library books---Local Flavors by Deborah Madison. Of the three things I made, the scallion crepes were by far the most work--the other two were simple (the hazelnut crisps are not pictured).

A little overview about how I jigsawed prep for this meal together. The hazelnut crisps (cookies) need to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, so I mixed those up first. Then I prepared the crepe batter and let it sit for awhile. As the crepe batter sat, I got the braised root vegetables started. While they cooked (they have a 15 minute cook time at one point), I cooked the crepes and the crepe filling. Yep. My kitchen was crazy busy. It was a disaster area when I finished, but it mostly fell together. I think if you make a single recipe (I doubled the recipe because we were having friends over), the timing would be just right. Also, if you son decided to nap when he should instead of 4:15, supper also probably would be ready on time. Since I have 3 recipes, I will write them out in more typical recipe form (and let me know if you would prefer that in the future or if the narrative is preferable) to make things a little clearer. At the end, as usual, I will include reflections on the meal.

Hazelnut Crisps
1 c hazelnuts
1 T sugar
1/2 c unsalted butter
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 c flour

Toast the hazelnuts: in a preheated 350 oven, roast the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and put them in the center of a clean dishtowel. Wrap up in the dish towel and roll them around to help loosen skins. Remove as many skins as possible, but if you don't get them all, that's ok. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor with 1 T sugar until fine, but leave a few chunks scattered throughout. In a mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat. Stir in the hazelnuts and flour. Roughly shape the dough into a log and wrap in wax paper. Run the dough through your fingers to lengthen and create a log about 1 1/2" in diameter. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut the log into 1/4 - 1/3 inch thick slices and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 until lightly browned on top (about 15 minutes). For something that reminds you of a nutella cookie, melt some chocolate chips in the microwave and partially dip the cookies in the chocolate.

Scallion Crepes
3 large eggs
1 T sesame oil
1 T canola oil
1 c water
3/4 c milk
1/2 t salt
1 c flour
1 bunch scallions, sliced very thin on the diagonal
14 c toasted sesame seeds

Filling
6 (or more) baby bok choy leaves, cut lengthwise into quarters
1 c snow peas, slivered diagonally
sea salt
canola oil

Combine eggs, sesame oil, vegetable oil, water, milk and salt in a blender of food processor on high speed. Add the flour and blend again for 10 seconds, scrape down sides and blend again briefly. Pour into a bowl and set aside to rest. Heat a 9-inch nonstick pan (about 7 1/2 inches at the base. Size does matter. If you use a smaller or larger pan, use less or more batter for each crepe) with vegetable oil. When the pan is the hot, add 1/3 c batter and swirl around the pan. Scatter some scallions and sesame seeds over top and cook until golden on the bottom, about one minute. Loosen the crepe, flip it over and cook the other side until it's dry, then slide onto a plate. Repeat process until all batter is used, stacking them on top of each other. Wrap the crepes in foil and keep warm in a preheated 250 oven until the vegetables are ready. For the vegetables, bring a wide nonstick skillet of water to a simmer. Add the salt and the bok choy. Simmer for 2 minutes, and then drain. Return the skillet to the stove and heat to high. Add the canola oil and then the bok choy and snow peas. Stir-fry until crisp-tender and bright green. Season with salt. To serve, roll up some vegetables in a crepe. Add a little soy sauce if desired.

Young Root Vegetable Braise
1 bunch scallions (or 4 slender leeks), sliced
2 full grown carrots (or 6 small young ones), julieneed
12 little turnips (if larger, peel), halved (and quartered if larger)
1 bunch radishes, halved (and quartered if larger)
sea salt
2 T unsalted butter
2 T finely chopped parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice

Bring 6 c of water to boil with 1 1/2 t salt. Blanch the carrots, turnips, and radishes for 7 minutes, then scoop out and set aside, saving the cooking water Melt 1 T butter in a saute pan. Add the scallions (or leeks) and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 c of the vegetable cooking water, the blanched vegetables, half of the herbs, and 1/2 t salt. Simmer until the vegetables are fully tender, 10 - 15 minutes,a dding water in 1/3 c increments to prevent sticking. There should be a little sauce. Add the remaining butter and lemon juice. Raise the heat and swirl the pan back and forth until the butter has melted into the juice. Remove from the heat and add the rest of the herbs. Serve.

Reflections
This meal was very tasty! I have learned from the crepe master (Curtis) that I make the crepes too thick. His were much thinner, but he said the batter was perfect. I need to take lessons from him (he's made just a few crepes in his life---it's one of his hidden talents). Next time I will double or triple the amount of veggies or else make different fillings to go in the crepes--we ran out of filling before we ran out of crepes. The root vegetables were incredible. I now know what I am going to do with all the radishes and occasional turnips we've been getting in our box. In a couple of months when we are also getting carrots and leeks, this meal will be even more locally made than it was tonight. The cookies were great as well, especially dipped in chocolate. M and J liked the crepes (I left the scallions and sesame seeds out for them). M ate the greens, J did not. Neither ate the root vegetables, but we didn't really push it much because we had company (who incidently brought mashed potatoes so M was more than happy to eat those). The crepes were the only time consuming portion, but I think if I plan better next time, it won't feel quite as hectic and stressful.