Twin Obsessions: Nicoise and Pesto

I have been a fan of a good nicoise since the first encounter many years ago in France, but it's not something I have attempted at home more than once or twice. Pesto is another of my Mediterranean obsessions. This year, I already have basil thanks to a huge plant from Trader Giovanni and some unseasonably warm weather. Ergo: the Primo Pesto Plate. First make a pesto: Not having pine nuts but blessed with a surfeit of almonds in the freezer, I blanched 1/2 cup almonds briefly in salted water, since they still had on their skins, then cooled them and removed the skins. That was kind of fun, as they squirt out like grapes. Next I toasted them, shaking them frequently in a heavy dry skillet (I was careful to add only a trace of color). I added the almonds to the food processor with a big handful of fresh basil leaves; 2 sprigs of fresh oregano stripped off the stems; 2 T. olive oil, 3 garlic cloves; juice of half a lemon and 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar; 1/4 pound feta, crumbled; 1/4 cup chopped or grated parmesan, salt and pepper. I processed the mixture, adding a little water until the consistency was like a thick salad dressing, not a paste. I already had a piece of baked salmon in the refrigerator (or you could steam an uncooked piece of fish with the vegetables. If I hadn't had the cooked salmon, I could have used a can of solid albacore tuna, drained). Next, I steamed two red potatoes, cut into fours; four spears asparagus; and half a pound of fresh green beans over salted water. I started with the potatoes, then added the green beans and asparagus, cooking them until the potatoes were fork tender. If your steamer is small and you're also cooking the fish, you could briefly cook the green beans in a little salted water in a saucepan, shocking them in cold water to stop the cooking. The vegetables cooled to nearly room temperature. Meanwhile, I chopped two scallions, and washed and halved six cherry tomatoes. To assemble the meal, I arranged the potatoes, green beans, asparagus and fish pieces on each plate, placing cherry tomatoes around the edges, and scattering scallions on top. Then I placed a generous serving (about 1/4 cup) of the pesto in a small container next to each plate, to drop spoonfuls of pesto over the vegetables and fish to taste. Mom is not a big pesto fan, so I had more pesto readily at hand. The extra pesto freezes well. Walnuts, even pine nuts as per the original recipe might be substituted for the blanched almonds Other options: Low carb people could steam half a head of cauliflower, broken into florets, to replace the potatoes. Kalamata olives would be tasty additions arranged around the plate with the tomatoes. Or I could have eliminated the asparagus and added steamed or marinated artichoke hearts. Now I am eating more Mediterranean than ever by combining twin cravings.

Closet-Pole-Falling-Down Dinner

Sunday dinner was easy, which was a necessity while undertaking reconstruction of Mom's closet for the second time, a process involving sweat, swear words, jerry-rigging, iffy sheetrock screws and the available tools. Meanwhile, there are piles of her clothing on the bed, triage for Goodwill or the seniors' thrift store. Mom heard what she thought was a limb crashing down on the back roof. I promptly investigated and found nothing amiss. It wasn't until later when Mom opened her closet to discover heaps of clothing on the floor amid the shelves and collapsed pole that we found the source of the crash. Two screws were broken off in the wall, and metal was bent. A trip to Home Depot was needed to try to approximate the fix that came into my head, an ugly but functional support involving PVC pipe, a base and pipe fittings to cradle the pole on its precarious screws, a stalagmite solution to a stalagtite problem. As I worked on the porch next to the hanging fuschia basket Mom couldn't resist at Home Depot, I dodged occasional raindrops and went through the charged battery for the Dremel trying to saw through PVC pipe. Waiting for it to charge again, I started dinner and measured the closet pole and supports for the third time. I liberated a frozen Alaskan wild salmon fillet (approximately 1-1/2 lbs.) from the freezer.Laying it out still frozen on a large piece of heavy aluminum foil on a half sheet pan, I drizzled it with Asian salad dressing (Walden Farms calorie-free); a dash of low-salt tamari; a small line of toasted sesame oil down the fish; approximately 1/2 tsp. of cilantro paste from a tube (or use 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh); 1/2 tsp. applewood smoked salt; 1/3 tsp. each of garlic and onion powder, and freshly ground black pepper. Using a small spoon to evenly distribute the seasonings over the fish, I then laid 4 fresh basil leaves over the fish (I had a sprig of purple Thai basil, but Italian basil would work just as well). I left the pan out on the counter for about 45 minutes, until the fish was not quite thawed, then folded the foil into a loose package on the baking sheet, sealing it but leaving some air space above the fish. Meanwhile, I placed spears of sweet potato on a glass pie plate, spraying them with a little olive oil and seasoning them with salt and pepper. In another glass baking dish, I broke apart half a head of cauliflower, spraying it with oil and seasoning it with onion powder and a little smoked Spanish paprika. I started the vegetables first at 325, then added the fish to the already working oven, cooking the fish in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. Dinner couldn't have been healthier or more delicious. Now, back to the closet so Mom can sleep in her own bed again. This meal also be done on the grill. Variation 2: The salmon could be baked in parchment packets with smaller, flatter pieces of fish, plus a few thinly sliced vegetables like zucchini or other summer squash, with mushrooms and green onions or chives, sprinkled with the above seasonings.

The Polska Stuffed Cabbage Polka

A humongous cabbage has been lurking in the crisper drawer. It was on sale for 99 cents after St. Patrick's Day, no doubt left over from corned beef and cabbage at the brewpub owned by the local grocer. Goaded by the need for more refrigerator space and a desire for something adventurous in the comfort food category, I decided to make stuffed cabbage. My grandmother was not Polish or Jewish, but her version had elements of both cultures. I decided to try to emulate hers while adding healthier elements. Climbing on a ladder, I pulled down a large steamer/stockpot combination that I use for canning and put the head of cabbage to steam over boiling salted water after removing the core. I thawed a pound of low-fat chicken breakfast sausage rather than drive further afield for ground turkey breast or really lean (4 percent or so) ground beef. To extricate the flavor profile from its breakfast leanings, I mixed together some augmentation: TVP (soy based, non-GMO, no solvents) with a bit of water and tomato sauce, dried shiitakes reduced to near powder, raisins, garlic, miso, dried onion, a little black bean garlic paste, Spanish paprika, a dash of allspice, a dab of balsamic vinegar and a squirt of agave syrup. After that mixture hydrated, I added the chicken sausage and about a cup of cooked brown rice with a little Tony's and few sprinkles of Bufalo chipotle sauce. Into another large pot, I chopped a red sweet pepper, a third of a small onion and three cloves of garlic, opening a large can of crushed tomatoes and simmering it all with a bit more balsamic and malt vinegar, some coconut sugar and a squirt of agave. The cabbage pot had been pulled off the burner, and I peeled a pile of leaves. I cut off the fibrous core base in a triangular pattern, and placed generous mounds of filling into the giant leaves, placing the bundles in layers on a base of sauce in a large Dutch oven, adding sauce between each layer. The covered pan went into the oven at 325 for a little more than two hours with a casserole of acorn squash as its later accompaniment. The resulting cabbage rolls had the requisite Polish/Jewish sweet and sour tang. The savory filling laced with raisins had the right texture, and the TVP was not detectable. The cabbage was also quite tender and I am happy to report the rolls did not fall apart. Mom asked, "What it this?" That is a sign that in spite of her own mother's efforts, such ethnic offerings are now outside of Mom's acceptable-because-they-are-recognizable food categories. I may freeze some of the leftovers.

Caucasian Asian Breakfasts

I have steadfastly eschewed cereal as a breakfast option for some time. Until recently, I had not been breakfasting much at all, except perhaps on weekends when a fritatta, huevos rancheros or sourdough buckwheat pancakes were more brunch items than breakfast. Cereal, especially those that come in a box, leave me cold. However, I have a new reality. My morning routine must begin with a fasting blood sugar reading, and I have to take my morning Metformin with something to eat. My nurse practitioner (aka my sister) was aghast at my breakfastless state, and has urged low-fat protein as preferable to carb-laden breakfasts, the American norm. I have been trying Greek yogurt with half a fresh pear or banana, or a fresh fruit smoothie, which are okay but a bit too filling. Eggbeater omelettes are not the same as the lovely bright-yolked eggs I had been getting from local hens and placing over easy atop a tortilla and salsa fresca (actually a formerly favorite lunch). I have been trying various options, and recently hit on the most satisfactory breakfast of all, at least for my palate --- miso soup/pho in all their possible, if not totally authentic, permutations. This morning, I made a real winner incorporating some red organic non-GMO miso paste that I found in my favorite little Asian store on Mill Plain in Vancouver. I have not got up enough nerve to go home with the fish swimming around in their tanks, but that store is where I find reasonably priced baby bok choy, oyster mushrooms, dried sliced shiitakes, buckwheat and brown rice noodles, sesame oil, black bean garlic paste, various types of soy sauces and fish sauce and all the other Asian items now lining my shelves and the door of the refrigerator. This morning's repast began with a teaspoon of black bean garlic sauce and a little Bragg's amino sauce mixed in water, followed by dried shiitakes, oyster mushrooms, 2 scallions, 2 baby sweet orange peppers, 2 baby bok choy, ginger, garlic, about a half cup of frozen stirfry vegetables, the last of a frozen bag of mixed seafood (about 3/4 cup), and a handful of buckwheat noodles, topped off with a heaping tablespoon of red miso plus a drop of sesame oil and a couple of sprinkles of red pepper flakes. One big soup cup later, I was sated and ready for the day, with enough left over for a light supper. It is my version of stone soup, and can include tofu, light coconut milk, broccoli slaw strands, leftover salmon or other fish, mung bean/glass noodles (not that low carb, alas), asparagus, chicken breast, frozen green beans, chili paste, shredded carrot, or whatever else is lurking in the crisper drawer. One of these days I will make it out to Uwajimaya in Beaverton to stock up on bonito flakes, seaweed and other more authentic Japanese miso soup ingredients. Back in my macrobiotic hippie days, I used to enjoy spring miso, which is a more delicate, pale version of the tub of red miso I have now. One great thing about miso is its versatility (a tasty and healthful marinade for salmon or salad dressing ingredient) and its longevity in the refrigerator. Mom is not much of a fan, so I have been doing batches of vegetable/chicken/rice soup she can eat for her lunch with a pressed turkey and low-fat processed cheese sandwich. I cook pots of hot cereal for her breakfast. The latest version she heated this morning included steelcut oats, seven-grain rolled flakes, chopped dried apple, raisins and cinnamon. Tuesday morning, I had an early clinic appointment and had to eat something to go with my medicine, so opted for a little of her cereal, nuked and topped with a little fat-free half and half. Hey, it wasn't half bad, just a little too breakfasty for me.