perfection weekend

Perfection, as I define it. That is, a weekend chock full of friends, food, and music.

It began on Friday with (can you imagine a more evocative phrase) Food Truck Rodeo.

An exquisite outdoor space, Christmas lights aplenty, happy neighbors of all ages. Live music. Food trucks. A last really warm and lovely night of Indian summer.

Sidewalk bedecked with chalk (can you tell they’re raising their kids to be hippies here in the Triangle?)

Bluegrass! We ended up sitting right next to the bandstand to eat.

I’d stumbled upon the scene during setup earlier in the day. And made a note of the more whimsically named food trucks for my pun-loving boyfriend.

(that says “baguettaboutit”!)

Once the rodeo officially began, enormous lines formed behind said trucks. Ended up stopping at neither of those (though they, and the crepe truck, are definitely on my to-do list).

Instead I took in the music scene and stole my friends’ baby for awhile.

Then got in a much more reasonable line for pizza and salad. This pizza was boss- it had wild mushrooms, caramelized onion, and entire cloves of roasted garlic *swoon*.

Let me note that this was the second live band of the day for me. After I got off work, I stumbled upon a New Orleans brass band that was lots of fun (particularly enjoying Saint James Infirmary, which was a depressingly themed song- about a woman discovering her beloved in a morgue- and is traditionally played at funerals, but which I found to be quite beautiful and somewhat oddly upbeat).

The next morning, I returned to the same outdoor space for the amazing Carrboro farmer’s market. This lady is my absolute favorite- she has delicious baked goods (many of which are gluten free, FYI) and yummy drinks (mint lemonade, anyone?) and she’s also just delightfully cheerful and lets me know about fun things like when Krishna’s birthday is.

Some of the goodies:

 

And what I opted to buy for breakfast:

Then there were cheese samples from Chapel Hill Creamery. Mmm.

Fresh ginger- so gorgeous!- was in abundance.

 

This was practically the same price as the grocery store, and farm-fresh garlic is something that is truly transcendently delicious if you can get your hands on it. I nabbed some up!

Steve selected this hilariously huge bunch of collard greens.

Someday, when I have some surplus money (so… not holding my breath on that one) I’m going to buy one of these gorgeous, wonderful-smelling, handmade cedar chests.

This particular morning, we strolled from the farmer’s market to my favorite brunch destination in Carrboro: Panzanella. I’ve been a couple of times, including during Mom Weekend 2013 (as dubbed by my roommate and I- the weekend both of our mothers coincidentally were visiting us and we all hung out together!).

The brunch menu kind of makes your eyes roll back in your head. Even better than the sublime-sounding combinations is the fact that they’re purchased through a co-op and mostly local.

They serve delicious Equal Exchange tea in individual teapots.

 

While we waited for our orders to arrive, we admired the interior. The outdoor deck is a WONDERFUL place to eat but it’s been a little too raw lately. The interior has art, a lot of it sort of fun and weird.

 

Soup sounded great to me, and though I wasn’t wild about their special (tomato-cilantro) I still ordered it and ended up LOVING it. I also got some really awesome cheesy grits on the side.

Meanwhile, Steve has become completely obsessed with their vegan wrap, which contains the most creative assortment of ingredients.

Along with being inventive, it is PRETTY and YUMMY!

This post is already quite bulky and we’ve only reached midday Saturday of an epic weekend, so part 2 is forthcoming!

i heart summer vegetables

Title is self-explanatory, though ever so slightly ripped off from another blog!

Let’s do a bit of case study here, shall we? We begin with pristine farmer’s market lima beans. 

 

I do as many photoshoots as possible on the deck to capture its lovely natural light. This always amuses my cat, who starts nuzzling the camera.

 

Being in a soup mood, as I am often inclined to be, I decided I wanted something cold, creamy, and herb-y.

This is not a recipe (though get excited, as there are two recipes- real ones!- below, but an approximation. I feel like it’s worth it to share an approximation, if it produces something wonderful with lima beans, as so many people are oddly scared of lima beans. I promise, they are good this way!)

Basically:
- Cook ‘the beans til they’re tender. In whatever. I used chicken broth cause I had some languishing in the fridge.
- Let them cool a bit and puree them with their liquid.
- Add creaminess, if desired. Pureed beans, especially starchy ones like lima beans, already do a pretty good job of making a creamy soup, but since I had some buttermilk in the fridge I opted to add that too, which made it even creamier and contributed a welcome tang, which leads me to…
- Add flava! I added copious amounts of the wonderful fresh basil growing on my deck, lotsa salt and pepper, and lemon juice

It. was. greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat! 

I enjoyed the soup over a course of a couple of meals but I wanted to highlight a delicious lunch I had, joined by my sister. The soup was a highlight, of course, as was an enormous bowl of guacamole, with homemade tortilla chips dunked in it. My sister, demonstrating the balance in her life, included in her lunch a plate covered of two totally crack-like substances she brought home: both chips. One bag of apple chips. One bag of kettle cooked sun-dried tomato parmesan potato chips. Gahhhh.

Anyway, we both focused on the guacamole. Love us some avocado.

 

And now, I have not one but TWO recipes highlighting delicious summer vegetables! It is a joy to share them, as well as somewhat of a relief that I have not completely forgotten how to be healthy. I had been inclined to believe, for awhile, that my health related to food was on an upswing, at least to the extent that my emotions connected to my eating habits. Then, blessedly summer returned and I threw myself with gusto into preparing the wonderful produce of the season. Groove=back.

We begin with…

Greek Style Green Beans

1/3 cup olive oil
1 small/medium onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic
1 T tomato paste
1 lb fresh green beans
1 large heirloom tomato (or 2 normal sized tomatoes), chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 cup water

Wash green beans, and with a knife or scissors, trim off the tips at both ends and any coarse strings that many remain.

In a large dish like a Dutch oven, over medium heat, cook onion in olive oil until translucent. Stir occasionally. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional minute, stirring often, until they are evenly distributed through the onion. Add green beans and cook for an additional minute, stirring often, until they are evenly coated with the oil.

Then add remaining ingredients. Increase to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the green beans are tender, about 30-40 minutes for thick green beans like the ones shown above. If you want the sauce to be thinner, remove the lid of the pot for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Notes:
-The olive oil is present in large quantities. It is what gives the dish the majority of its flavor, and is authentic to the Greek origin of the recipe. If you make it with less olive oil, it will be less good. And olive oil is good for you. And you’re eating green beans, for heaven’s sake, so just add the whole 1/3 cup of olive oil, okay?
- I used the broad green beans available at many a farmer’s market this time of year. I was filled with delight when I saw them because they looked exactly like the green beans I ate with such gusto in Greece. You are, of course, welcome to use regular green beans. They will just cook for slightly less time. I also used a heaping pound of the green beans. In other words, the proportions aren’t set in stone.
- The allspice is present in small quantities because it has a distinctive, strong flavor. I love it in here, but any other herb, fresh or dried, would be great, too. If you are adding fresh herbs, of course add more than 1/4 tsp.
- Add water based on how saucy you want your final beans to be. This is a great dish for soaking up with bread or rice, but if you’d rather have a more basic side dish without a lot of sauce, you can add a lot less water.

This dish tastes like GREECE! Also, summer.

  

Since certain people’s boyfriends were leaving town, this certain person’s boyfriend left behind an ENORMOUS, almost COMICAL amount of kale in his beloved girlfriend’s kitchen. She rose to the occasion (oh, she rose. Just wait. This post is I Heart Summer Vegetables Part 1, friends), but there was just a TON, man!

Meanwhile, another ingredient I squealed with delight to see at the farmer’s market was fresh fennel.

I got out my scary dangerous trusty mandoline and made some thin slices of the good stuff, knowing they were destined for greatness.

A salad seemed a wise choice, and also a delicious one, combining the wonderful crunchy, licorice-y splendor of fresh fennel with the earthy bitterness of kale. I feel slightly silly writing a recipe for salad, and yet this was wonderful and I wanted it recorded so, if no other reason, I’d have it for the next time I myself wanted to make it.

Crunchy Kale, Fennel and Apple Salad

5 cups shredded kale
1 large green apple, very thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnuts
2 T olive oil
the juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 T honey
2 T apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Combine kale, apple, fennel, and walnuts in a large salad bowl. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, honey, and apple cider vinegar with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the salad gently so as not to totally pulverize the apple slices!

Bonus: unlike some kale salads, this was just as good the next day or two. It might’ve been good after that, but we just ate it so quickly…

giant sweet potato!

My mother’s coworker grew a VERY LARGE SWEET POTATO. Here is Steve interacting with it. 

Annnnd one with the sweet potato actually in focus, so you can marvel at its girth. I know it’s difficult to spot in the photograph, but also worthy of marvel is Steve’s blue eyes when he wears this blue shirt. Just know- know they are there.

So a sweet potato that GIANT can make many amazing things.

I made mostly lazy things. LOTS of oven sweet potato fries, with my current favorite roasted veggie spice combo: paprika, cumin, and garlic powder.

Another lazy thing I did was chopped up some sweet potato (I used the outer pieces with skin on ‘em for the fries and used the inner pieces, already skinless and not in need of peeling for this), and chucked it in a pan with some red lentils and water. Threw on some garam masala and cooked it all til tender.

Had it the first night with yogurt. Excellent.

Had leftovers the next day with a FRIED EGG ON TOP! YES! Continuing with the Indian(ish) motif, also had some roasted cauliflower, that I’d tossed with a bit of curry powder pre-oven.

This was deeeeeeeeeeelicious and very filling.

I am not sure why my fried egg looks so creepy and wrinkly. It tasted good. Farmer’s market egg, heck yeah!

   

And of course, the oozy yolk made the most creamy, decadent sauce. Love it love it love it.

Now for a more formal sweet potato meal.

We begin with the standard onion/carrot/celery trifecta, sauteeing in a bit of olive oil:

Then throw in some ‘shrooms.

Then get out a packet of tempeh! I’m so into tempeh. It’s such hippie food. It just tastes so… earthy and grungy and unglamorous and tasty.

I cut it into little chunks, the midpoint of which can be seen here. BUT, you could definitely do them in smaller dice, like to approximate the consistency of ground beef. I’d probably do that next time.

The veggies, meanwhile, got a sprinkling of seasoning. I could’ve put thought into herbs, but instead I chucked some Italian seasoning on.

Then sprinkled on some flour…

And in went the tempeh, some wine, and some water, to make some sauciness (I’d add more liquid next time. I would’ve added vegetable stock, but for the simple reason that I’m out and left my Better than Buillion at Steve’s like A MONTH AGO AND KEEP FORGETTING TO TAKE IT BACK).

 

Into a baking dish it went…

  

All set to be TOPPED. Because friends, here’s where the sweet potato goodness comes in. Okay so apparently giant sweet potato actually had been all used up at that point, so I roasted two new ones.

And then as a wonnnnnnnnnnnnderful treat, we had some cream in the house leftover from Thanksgiving baking, so I added just a bit (like, seriously, probably a tablespoon- it’s so FLAVORFUL, let alone rich, that that’s all I needed).

 

And shmeared it over the top. Untraditional shepherd’s pie!

Given a bakesie for 20 minutes or so at 350, til golden brown and gorgeous. Delightful.

On a final note, CHRISTMAS ALERT. If there’s someone who likes eating or reading in your life, I highly recommend getting them Blood, Bones & Butter. It’s written by a well-known chef who happens to be ( a woman, but more than even about food it’s just an incredibly beautifully written memoir about a somewhat insane childhood, a few lost years (decades?) and a really fascinating/bizarre look into a crazy relationship (including some intoxicating chapters spent in Italy). I got it from the library and inhaled it. A great read!

breakfast goes classy

You, yes, you, deserve a classy breakfast. So do I. We all should. It’s amazing how much a classy breakfast (or even better, brunch) can do to make you happy for the day. Do yourself a favor, particularly on the weekend, check yourself to hotel room service catered by you.

May I make some suggestions?

Post-church-brunch: Eggs florentine.

Ridiculous.

Here’s what I did: heated up just a little bit of water in a large skillet. Added spinach. When the water started bubbling, cracked eggs on top. Covered, and cooked on low just until the egg whites were set, at which point the spinach was perfectly tender.

Toasted an English muffin. Put the spinach on top. Put the egg on top. Topped with pesto!

Heaven!

Moving from Italy to Mexico (er, moving from “Italy” to “Mexico), these were a marvelous twist on huevos rancheros.

Toasted up a sandwich thin (or whatever bread you have). Fried two eggs. Put a bit of black beans on the bread, topped with the eggs, and topped with avocado and hot sauce. AGH SO GREAT ALSO. Fruit on the side is always nice when you’re planning a classy breakfast.

     

Moving to the sweeter side, Steve is a good boyfriend and therefore makes efforts to have Ileana-friendly breakfasts available for me. He also lives walking distance from a Trader Joe’s luckyyyy. So he obtained some Fage (something of which he would not know the existence without me; now he’s thoroughly addicted), some fresh blueberries, and some pomegranate seeds. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

So pretty and colorful too, oui? And Steve’s also great about dealing with my intense, intense aversion to natural light (essentially: if there is any daylight whatsoever and you turn on a lamp, I will yell at you).

Plus toast on the side, and a cuppa.

 

Sweet and simple, I often find myself just wanting plain ol’ french toast. It is so easy to make I’m surprised I don’t do it more.

 

And finally, the not-particularly-breakfasty, celebration-of-summer-flavors, taste-the-rainbow brunch.

I threw some thawed frozen peas in a food processor with some basil, garlic, and olive oil (also good in there: mint, ricotta, etc. Sky’s the limit). Smeared that on some bread.

Made some corn that’d been picked up that morning that we picked up from the farm stand on the way home from church. Nuked in the husk in the microwave for four minutes (wow so simple and so good!)

And finally my mom made a salad with tomatoes and green peppers, also from the farm stand. Plus basil, oil, and balsamic vin.

SUMMER YOU WIN!

Fage, you too :)