Fresh Corn and Chickpea Salad

I feel like I'm playing catch up again. I'm still working on that burger story I mentioned in my last post. I thought I was done, but we added three more burgers to the already bulging list. I don't mind much. Sure I'm a bit tired of cheeseburgers (especially the mediocre ones,) but I've gotten to try so many restaurants I might not have visited otherwise. In fact, two of my next few burgers come from restaurants I've never eaten at, rather expensive restaurants that I normally couldn't hope to afford. And I think I'm getting my burger appetite back. I ate some delightful little lamb sliders at the Rail last week. Tiny and juicy on adorable little pretzel rolls, the lamb patties were topped with a tangy chimichurri and caramelized onions.

But about this little salad, I made it weeks ago. While I was still deep in burger overload, when just the thought of ground beef sent an unpleasant rumble through my being. It's a lovely side dish, but a larger serving with a hunk of crusty bread would certainly make a satisfying meal.

There isn't much corn left at the market but if you can find some good stuff, this is a quick and super satisfying salad. Colorful and fresh, full of texture. The recipe is slightly adapted from this one at Serious Eats. I added some gorgeous watermelon radishes for color and a bit of extra crunch. Gosh, they're pretty, innards blooming with fuchsia streaks (after they're peeled and chopped of course, before, not so much.) And pretty peppery too, they have a bite. I upped the corn ratio since I had an extra ear, microwaving them around 7 minutes in the husk until they were crisp tender. I skipped the edamame because I didn't have any (well, mostly I forgot to buy any at the store, oops) and added ground coriander and fresh thyme for an extra boost of spice.

The vinaigrette is tangy with lime, just sweet enough with the honey and lightly spiced with cumin, thyme and coriander. You could even add a bit of chipotle for more of a kick. The only problem I had was that the longer the salad sits, the wetter it gets. I'm still not sure if it was the corn weeping or if I added too much dressing initially. So I recommend being conservative with the vinaigrette, add half to the veggies, then a little at a time to get the right consistency. You can always add more later. I waited until right before serving to add the radishes, as they can lose their crunch and tend to get a little odoriferous once they've been sliced (store them in cold water to keep them crisp if you slice them more than a few hours before serving.)

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Fresh Corn and Chickpea Salad

by Aubrey Dunnuck October-17-2011

This fresh and colorful corn salad is full of bright flavors and textures. Sweet corn pairs beautifully with creamy chickpeas and crisp peppers and radishes, held together with a tangy honey-lime vinaigrette. Adapted from Serious Eats.

Ingredients

3 Ears Cooked Corn 1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 Red or Orange Bell Peppers, diced 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 Watermelon Radish, diced 1/3 cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tablespoons Honey 1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme  1/2 teaspoon Cumin 1/2 teaspoon Coriander 1 small bunch Cilantro or Parsley

Instructions

Slice corn kernels from the cob. I like this method using a bundt pan to steady the ear and catch the kernels. In a medium bowl, toss corn with bell peppers and chickpeas. Add the radishes if serving right away or cover and refrigerate until ready. Vigorously whisk lime juice, garlic, olive oil, honey, and spices to make the vinaigrette. Pluck the thyme leaves and add them to the vinaigrette (quickly dice the leaves for more intense flavor.) Add half of the vinaigrette to the corn mixture and stir. Taste and drizzle in more vinaigrette if necessary. Tear off or chop the leaves of cilantro or parsley and mix into the salad. Add the radishes, if you haven't already, and serve.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Summer of tomatoes

The truth is I haven't been cooking much these last few months. At least, I haven't been cooking anything new and interesting. When I've taken the time to make my own food, I've stuck to my tried and true recipes (lots of roasted broccoli, lemony chickpea pasta, pickles.) And I've been inhaling tomatoes left and right. Gorgeous slow roasted grape tomatoes, burst-in-your-mouth teeny heirloom tomatoes, and lots of salt & pepper seasoned, olive oil drizzled heirlooms.

For most of my formative years my dad kept a massive garden in our backyard. He grew all sorts of veggies; peppers, green beans, snap peas, and, of course, tons of tomatoes. But I rarely ate the tomatoes. I was an oddly picky eater, I devoured bowls of garlic and wine soaked mussels, adored spicy hot & sour soup, and ate my way through thousands of steamed asparagus spears. But any food involving onions, cabbage, or chunky  tomatoes would be met with a grimace and a resounding no.

So while I loved certain parts of those gorgeous gardens, I didn't really appreciate the tomato bounty. My parents have since moved and majorly downsized their garden. A small selection of cherry and heirloom tomatoes grow out of planters on the deck, but its not quite the same. It's only been in the past year or so that I've grown to enjoy tomatoes, raw and cooked. I still prefer a smooth tomato sauce to chunky and mealy raw tomatoes kind of gross me out. But it's progress. I'm still working on the cilantro. And the onions.

The main reason I haven't done much cooking (other than my profound laziness) is a new project I'm working on. It's an article on burgers in Bloomington for a local magazine. So far I've tried burgers at over twenty restaurants around town. Tons of fun but also rather overwhelming. Between the burgers and the heat, when I get home all that sounds good is quick, meatless, and, frequently, a mostly vegetal food.

It's been a good summer, a crazy summer. But I'm ready for fall. I had my first honeycrisp apple of the season today. It was wonderful. I should have a few recipes coming up soon. A lovely corn and chickpea salad and some pickles serrano peppers. In the meantime, here's some tomato porn and a few of my favorites photos from this summer.

Tangy Shiitake Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme

I don't have any formal cooking training. I love to read cookbooks and food blogs, but when it comes down to it, I'm mostly just experimenting in the kitchen. I like to think I have the intuition of a cook, a fairly good palate, and a bit of knowledge on what flavors taste good together. And often my experiments work out, but occasionally I do have massive failures. (I'm still a bit bitter about that one sour meal of lentils in wine, garlic and lemon last year that didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped...) These mushrooms though, they were a success.

My favorite meals are often the ones resulting from a bit of spontaneity. I love coming across a recipe I just have to make right now. Or finding a unique or super fresh ingredient and rushing home to find the perfect recipe. And sometimes the best dishes come out of necessity. Those times when you have something in the fridge that's going to go bad if you don't use it asap.

I had a handful of gorgeous Shiitake Mushrooms, grown by my dad's basketball buddy, Jim. They sat in my fridge, bundled in paper towels and a paper bag for a week and a half before I finally got off my butt and spontaneously tried out this recipe. I couldn't waste them. After all, I'd practically forced my parents to give them to me in the first place.

So there I was, planning on a quick supper of roasted broccoli and a box of rice pilaf. And I thought, what if I roast these mushrooms too? A quick google of "Roasted Shiitake Mushooms" took me to this New York Times recipe from 1993. I adapted it quite liberally, ending up with more of a braise than a roast, in a small baking dish with water and sherry vinegar instead of wine.

After 15 minutes in the oven my whole apartment smelled like the best restaurant ever. Luckily, the mushrooms tasted as good as they smelled. The garlicky, slightly tangy broth revived my slightly dehydrated shiitakes beautifully. The result was plump, tender mushrooms with a silky texture and plenty of flavor.

Now, this recipe really only makes enough for one person. Though you could probably squeeze out two servings if it's part of a larger meal. I had ten mushrooms, in varying sizes, so that's what I cooked but I'm sure the recipe can size up just fine in a larger baking dish. If you don't have sherry vinegar, other wine flavored vinegars would work just fine. I'm sure lemon juice would be delicious as well. The mushrooms made a lovely meal alongside my broccoli and rice. My only regret was the lack of crusty bread to mop up the tablespoon or so of remaining broth.

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Tangy Shiitake Mushrooms with Garlic and Thyme

by Aubrey Dunnuck July-15-2011

Plump shiitake mushrooms braised in a light, tangy broth flavored with garlic, sherry vinegar, and fresh thyme.

Ingredients

around 10 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms 1 clove Garlic 1 tablespoon Sherry Vinegar 1/4 cup Water 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 sprigs Fresh Thyme 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes Kosher Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 350˚F. Remove and discard the stems from the shiitake mushrooms. With a damp paper towel, brush mushroom caps to remove any dirt or debris. Thinly slice the garlic.

Pour water and sherry vinegar into a small baking dish. Arrange mushrooms in dish and sprinkle with garlic slices, pepper flakes, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper then drizzle the olive oil all over the mushrooms.

Cover the baking dish in foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and check liquid level, if it looks dry, add another tablespoon or two of water. Return to oven, uncovered, for 15 more minutes until the mushrooms are plump and tender.

Serve hot with plenty of crusty bread!

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 1-2 servings

Slow Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad

It's the middle of summer and for some reason I've been craving roasted veggies like crazy. It seems so silly heating up the whole kitchen just for a little crispy-tender-sweet broccoli or cabbage. Luckily these slow roasted tomatoes are delicious compromise. Given a light coating of olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, and a low 225˚ oven, little cherry and grape tomatoes transform into juicy, sweet bombs of flavor. Tossed with fragrant basil, nuggets of creamy mozzarella, and a bit of balsamic glaze you have a gorgeous summery side salad.

This recipe calls for a pound of tomatoes, but really the salad only uses about half of that. Don't worry, you'll find a way to use the remainder. You could smear a few of the roasted garlic cloves on some bread with a little olive oil and few roasted tomatoes. Or make a sort of bruschetta - pile on top of toasted, garlic rubbed slices of bread. The tomatoes are truly divine on their own as well, I ate most of my leftovers like little tomato candies. The rest I tossed with orecchiette, a pat of butter and some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Likewise, the balsamic glaze cooks down to about 1/3 - 1/2 a cup of liquid, more than you'll need for this salad. The leftover glaze will last in your fridge for quite a while. It's lovely over grilled meat and fresh or cooked veggies. Make sure to use fresh mozzarella, you want whole balls shrink wrapped in plastic or sold in tubs full of whey. I used boccocini, delicate bite sized rounds of fresh mozzarella, you can usually find them with the gourmet cheeses. 

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Slow Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze

by Aubrey Dunnuck July-10-2011

Grape and cherry tomatoes turn sweet and deeply flavorful after slow roasting in a low oven. Tossed with fresh mozzarella, basil, and a balsamic glaze you have a beautiful summer salad.

Ingredients

16 oz Cherry or Grape Tomatoes 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander Seed 1 head fresh Garlic 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar 8 oz fresh Mozzarella 4-5 large leaves fresh Basil

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 225˚F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Halve the tomatoes and separate the cloves of garlic, leaving them un-peeled. Toss tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Arrange tomatoes on the baking sheet - cut side up.

Roast tomatoes (and garlic) for around 3 hours, until the edges are wrinkled but the insides are still a bit juicy. I found that round cherry tomatoes tend to take a bit longer than oval shaped grape tomatoes.

To make the balsamic glaze - heat the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring vinegar to a boil and allow to reduce by about half, until it's thick and glossy. This will probably take around 20-30 minutes, keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

When you're ready to serve your salad, tear the mozzarella into bite size chunks and chiffonade the basil. Then, in a medium sized serving bowl, toss basil with the mozzarella and a cup of the roasted tomatoes. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze and serve right away with some crusty bread! 

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 3 hour Total time: 3 hour 30 mins Yield: 4 servings

Sugar Snap Pea Pickles

Oh man, it looks like I missed my blog-o-versary. Eat, repeat is now a little over three years old! Even more exciting, the blog just hit 100 RSS feed subscribers (now we're at 105!) which is awesome. Thanks so much to all of my readers and an extra special thanks to everyone who has commented on a post.

So! More pickles? I know, but I just can't help it. It's hot out and all I want to eat are cold briney salty crunchy veggies (although I wouldn't say no to some funnel cake from the fair, maybe.) In the last few weeks I've filled and re-filled so many jars of refrigerator pickles. Some better than others, but all pretty darn good. These peas definitely fall in the delicious category.

The Best Broccoli

I was a pretty picky eater as a child, but I always ate my vegetables. Unless, of course, those vegetables were onions, cabbage, or chunky tomatoes. Broccoli though, broccoli I ate. It was a regular fixture at our dinner table, usually steamed or in stir fry or chicken soup. But since I've moved out I can count on one hand the number of times I've cooked broccoli for myself.

These days I roast most of my veggies. Roasted cabbage with jasmine rice is a weeknight standby, and springtime always means panfuls of garlic roasted asparagus. I had been considering roast broccoli for a while, but always fell back on the familiarity of other vegetables. But no more.  I think this recipe, which is just slightly adapted from this one by Ina Garten, will quickly make it into my regular meal rotation. I love the bite of the cheese and the creamy toasted nuts with the broccoli but, for simplicity's sake, they probably won't always make it into the dish. The garlic and lemon, however, are required.

Spicy Garlic Green Bean Pickles

A few weeks ago I bought a bag of pre-trimmed, pre-washed, ready to cook/microwave/whatever bag of green beans. In February I made pot after pot of soup, so I figured I would use the beans for more soup. But then the weather shifted and we had a few weeks of warm sunny days, and suddenly soup didn't sound like such a great plan.

The beans were looking a little rough around the edges and nearing their expiration date before I finally took action. NYT linked me to a recipe on Food in Jars so of course I spent way too many hours surfing through the recipes there before I stumbled onto the page for Dilly Beans. In the recipe's comments Marisa writes about preparing the beans as refrigerator pickles, and I thought "I can do that!" Real canning isn't really something I have the patience/equipment/skillz to get into right now, but refrigerator pickles are definitely within my reach. You don't even need to heat the brine.

Austin Food Round Up : Part 2

The second day of my whirlwind Austin trip involved more delicious Mexican food and 100% more food trucks! Steph started us out Saturday morning with a fantastic frittata full of tomatoes, artichoke hearts and spinach. Plus some yummy fresh fruit and yogurt.

Lemony Chickpea Pasta

This is a super simple dish that comes together very quickly. I like to make it on nights when I work late and don't have much energy, but still want to make something yummy and homemade. I love how the heat of the pasta warms up the chickpeas so they get nice and creamy. If you want to be fussy you can remove the skin from the chickpeas. It just makes the dish a bit more elegant. I usually run a knife through a tablespoon of the capers then leave the rest whole. This would also be great with some artichokes or kalamata olives. If the capers aren't briny-salty enough for you!

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon

For years I thought I hated cabbage. I think it was one of those irrational childhood food things, I was kind of a picky eater when I was little. Or at least, I had very specific ideas about what I liked and what I would not eat. There are definitely still ingredients I'm not fond of, mostly cilantro and another staple vegetable that I am too embarrassed to admit. But, luckily, I have overcome my fear of cabbage and now I pretty much love it.

Spicy Peanut Noodles

These yummy noodles are a bit addictive. My mom used to make them for our family when I was younger. Then in high school it was one of the first (and only!) recipes I cooked myself. The noodles are based on a recipe from one of my mom's old Moosewood cookbooks. I tried to find the exact recipe online, but the one I found on the Moosewood website was a little different than I remembered, it doesn't have garlic or ginger. So I improvised a little, adding the minced garlic and ginger as well as some honey to balance out the salty/spicy flavors.