KPK Cookie Fever

So, I've done a little baking lately . . . Here are a few samples of what's been happening in KPK. Coming soon, I'll be posting on the reg. XO. Katie

Holiday Cookie Gift Boxes for Veena

Traditional Homemade Custard Creams (Big with the Brits)

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

My dining room table (just a wee portion of my holiday output)

Starry 

Pecan Shortbread dipped in White Chocolate with more pecans and more white chocolate. More.

Gussied up Pecan Shortbread ~  nonpareils and candy coated sunflower seeds

For Maria's New Year's Party; Toasted Hazelnut Shortbread ~ The Labut Collection

Marbled Biscotti with No Nuts ~ Orange & Chocolate

Traditional Bourbon Creams (I have a thing for the U.K.)

Mark's All Time Fave Biscotti - before their journey to our "West Coast Connection"

Organic Spelt Capellini Pasta with Super Fresh Never Ending Cherry Tomato Marinara. We have a lot of cherry tomatoes…….and they're still wonderful! Add some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a  sprig of fresh basil. What else do you need? Oh, right. Vino!!! Note to self: Carbs cannot be bad.

Strawberry Buckwheat Bars

Made with a blend of unbleached flour and buckwheat flour, filled with fresh strawberries and preserves, these are summery and delicious. A few wholesome ingredients and a food processor make these a cinch :). Here's the link to this "healthy-ish" recipe from Epicurious! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/strawberry-buckwheat-bars-56389816

Enjoy!

Love, Katie

Please note ~ Update: Serve these the day you make them. They're great on Day 1 and still good on Day 2. By Day 3, I found that they  became a bit too soft. Bake 'em and eat 'em :)>.

Fried Asparagus

The simplest of foods cooked with the most basic preparations will provide amazing results. You just need to start with great quality food (in this case, fresh asparagus at peak season) and master some straightforward techniques. This applies to so many things I love to cook and love to eat!

My mom has always fried asparagus. Frying asparagus in olive oil with only kosher salt to enhance the flavor cannot be duplicated in any other method of cooking asparagus. I have grilled and roasted a ton of asparagus. I have steamed it, topped it with fried eggs, poached eggs, shaved parm, etc. etc. Nothing can compare to the flavor of properly fried (ok, you can say sautéed) asparagus. It is divine. It will always happily remind me of my mom and dad and the springtime seasons of my life. Read more about my love affair with asparagus and other funny stuff in this earlier post on KPK: http://katiespassionkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/06/asparagus.html

Here are the techniques for your new most favorite way to make asparagus. No recipe required.

Wash and dry some fresh asparagus. Technique tip #1 - Make sure it is DRY. If you don't dry it, it's going to steam and not brown. Snap off the tough, fibrous bases of the stalks. They'll snap right where the stalk goes from tender to tough. Slice on a diagonal for faster cooking. That's Technique tip #2.  Slice thick stalks vertically. Note: I do like frying the stalks whole also, but slicing them makes them a bit more manageable and they definitely cook faster. You get more browned spots too. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a sauté pan. More tips. A sauté pan is a nice choice because it has a flat bottom with high, straight sides. This way, you'll have more surface area for great caramelization and the sides will prevent the asparagus from going overboard every time you flip them around. Make sure the oil is hot (medium-high to high heat). Drop in a piece of asparagus. If it doesn't sizzle, the oil is not hot enough. If it sizzles, it's ready. Drop in all of your asparagus. It will splatter and sputter a bit. Don't be afraid to cook it. We're not cooking this over low heat until it's tender and steaming it in it's own juices. You need higher heat for caramelization. Don't move it around for awhile. Let it cook and brown a bit without disturbing it. Caramelization changes everything for the better. Trust me.

With a spatula, flip the asparagus over and allow it to cook on medium high heat until it browns a bit more. Resist the temptation to sprinkle with salt until it's cooked at least halfway. Salting too early will cause the asparagus to release some liquid which interferes with the browning. Now you can flip it around a couple of times until the asparagus is nicely browned in spots and tender. Sprinkle with kosher salt. My favorite is still Morton Kosher Salt. I couldn't live without it.

Taste. If you don't sprinkle with salt, it won't be as delicious. Pile onto a platter or into a bowl and dive in. Enjoy all by itself. Pile onto a plate of scrambled eggs. Make a frittata. Enjoy as a side dish with pretty much anything, lol.  At KPK At The Market, we piled it onto grilled ciabatta bread that had been brushed with olive oil and rubbed with cut garlic. It was a delectable and popular spring special.

Mark always says that keeping things simple is not that simple. Getting simple right is an art. What are you doing here? Go make your asparagus sing!!!

Fried Asparagus

Tips At A Glance

Wash and DRY

Snap off woody ends

Slice on a diagonal and vertically slice thick stalks

 Use a Saute Pan

Heat the Olive Oil

Medium High to High Heat

Allow asparagus to brown and caramelize

Flip, cook until tender and browned in spots

Sprinkle with Kosher Salt

Enjoy and love!

I'd love to hear from you. If you ever eat asparagus any other way again, I won't believe you. 

LOL : )

Eat Spring,

Love,

Katie

Carne en su Jugo

Just as this mouthwatering Guadalajara specialty is bursting with flavor, my head is bursting with a new post about this down home, comforting, flavor-packed bowl of love. But first . . . Happy Birthday to my lovely Mamasita, Amelia. We love you Mama! Before I write, I must bake! Today is also Ashley Rotondi's baby shower. Congrats to Ash & Dan on their upcoming delivery of a cute little guy . . . KPK awaits. First, coconut cupcakes and pumpkin cake for the shower ladies! Watch for the story on Carne en su Jugo right here in KPK. You're going to be able to smell the goodness from your computer screen or hand held device SOON! Love ya, Katie

Christmas Cookies 2014

Mexican Tea Cakes

Lime Meltaways

Pecan Shortbread

Gingerbread Blondies with White Chocolate

Espresso and Chocolate Mini Chip Cookies with Cassia Cinnamon

"Quattro Nut" Butter Biscotti

What To Do with a Pound of CARROTS!

Peel

Trim

Shower

Dry

Coarsely grate using a hand held grater

OR much faster, use the grating disk on your food processor

Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork

Add carrots, fresh herbs & chick pea flour plus kosher salt, pepper & spices

Mix

Heat olive oil over medium high heat and drop 1/4 cupfuls of carrot batter into pan, flattening gently

Fry until golden brown and then flip

Drain on layered paper towels and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt & cayenne while hot

Eat as you go

Serve with a light and lemony arugula salad or any of your favorite greens or fresh herbs

Carrot pancakes!  Easy, delicious, nutritious and just happen to be gluten-free for those of you curbing your gluten intake. I think I will be trying these with everything from cabbage to zucchini and I will be playing around with the spices the whole time. They’re kind of like potato pancakes and very delicious alongside some lemony greens. The chick pea flour adds a hint of falafel-ness (I know it's not a word) and makes me want to go Middle Eastern with the spices. Use this recipe as another KPK springboard and leap off with your own twists. This lovely recipe comes from Bon Appetit’. They suggest serving these little gems with salted yogurt. I’m sure that would be delicious. P.S. If you make them in advance, just reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes to warm through.

Carrot Pancakes

1 lb. of carrots

4 eggs

1/3 cup of fresh cilantro or Italian parsley (handful)

1/4 cup of chick pea (garbanzo) flour

kosher salt & pepper to taste

freshly ground cumin, coriander & cayenne or any combination of your favorite spices

Olive oil, for frying

Follow the step-by-step KPK pictorial above and enjoy. The recipe makes 8 pancakes. Mark and I each ate 4.

Oh, btw, real men eat CARROT PANCAKES
(not just quiche)! LOL

      

If you would like to read about
 the vast nutritional benefits
 of carrots, click here.

Make sure your summer includes an abundance of colorful foods!

LOVE,

Katie

Roasted Green Beans

So, ok, you know I love to roast vegetables, right? OMG. PUHLEEEZ roast your green beans tonight. Crisp. Chewy. Addictive. Delicious! Here's how easy this is:

1) Wash, trim and dry a bunch of fresh green beans.
2) Toss onto a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (a couple of tablespoons).
3) Sprinkle with kosher salt and toss around.
4) Pop into a 450 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
5) Toss with tongs and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until nicely caramelized in spots.
6) Switch oven setting to "convection roast" to speed the process for the last 10 minutes if possible.

Sprinkle with a little more kosher salt while piping hot (just like you would a bunch of french fries!). Since ovens vary, just pay attention and check your bean progress : ) . . . If it's taking a little longer to achieve the level of bean love we're looking for here, feel free to experiment and crank your heat to 475 degrees if you like.

Dig in. I can easily eat the whole batch, no prob.

Hope you're summer is delicious!

Love,

Katie

Spiced Fava Bean Soup

Speaking of being distracted, I can see the handle of the vacuum

 cleaner in the background of this photo. Hmmmmmm. Curious.

Want to showcase your spring fava beans in a deliciously spicy and flavorful soup? I thought you might. Bon Appetit’ magazine sends me DAILY recipes on purpose in order to derail my plans for the day, totally friggin’ distract me from what I’m supposed to be doing and, in general, simply FORCE me to try new recipes. All of the recipes are perfectly in tune with the season and the weather and always have something to do with food that you didn’t know you were craving and then all of a sudden, STOP EVERYTHING and let’s hang out in the kitchen! Your messy closet isn’t going anywhere. You can vacuum tomorrow. You don’t need a shower either! No worries, you sloppy dork. Just relax and cook. 

Charlie

So, largely because of Bon Appetit’ and their sneaky, mischievous ways, and partially from all of the other inspiration that keeps throwing me off course (I feel like Charlie on the walking trail when he simply cannot stop sniffing everything in sight)! - - - - because of all of that, this is what I’ve tried out in the last couple of days, what I plan to try and all of the other food paraphernalia, sugar plums and other visions dancing in my head:

Fresh Rhubarb & Strawberry Compote with Dried Tart Cherries (just throwin’ down with no recipe) . . . served with Honey Greek Yogurt (and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - oops YES)

Asparagus & Pea Salad with Crispy Fried Shallots (slightly adapted from this: CLICK) ~ I made this without the favas and without the bacon. Still fab. 

Mark, nailing down his shelling technique

Spiced Fava Bean Soup (which I’m writing about below, but here’s the original recipe from Bon Appetit' if you like.

Spring Greens with Quick Pickled Vegetables (I’m going to try this when I finish writing here) - you can read about it here.

Crispy Fried Shallots (soaked in milk, then coated in seasoned flour) - (will try those when I finish writing here also).  Note: The shallots on the asparagus salad were simply fried naked. These will be a little more like “onion ring style”.

On to the soup. I adapted the recipe below to use fresh fava beans instead of dried fava beans. So, for one, they're FRESH and for two, it cuts down on the total cooking time. The bean flavor and texture are a bit different. Tru Dat. I also reduced the amount of olive oil and added cayenne pepper for a little extra heat. Either way . . . greatness. Here’s a KPK insider tip: Trader Joe’s carries frozen fava beans in 14 ounce bags!!!!! *No need to shell (even though it’s fun). So, with that in mind, you can throw this together in a snap anytime (if you happen to not have the time to embrace fresh favas while in season). I promise you, this is a DELICIOUS recipe either way. And . . . your house will be filled with the exquisite aromas of onions, garlic and exotic spices. 

*THIS JUST IN: TRADER JOE'S NO LONGER CARRIES FROZEN FAVA BEANS. SORRY :( - BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS SOUP IS DELICIOUS WITH EDAMAME WHICH YOU CAN BUY AT TJ'S AND EVERYWHERE . . . SHELLED, FROZEN & READY TO GO! MADE THIS WITH EDAMAME! PROTEIN BONUS . . . FABULOUS!

Spiced Fava Bean Soup

with Rice & Tomato

1 large or 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

4 garlic gloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup of olive oil 

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice

finely ground cayenne pepper to taste

14 ounces canned whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand 

(half of a 28 ounce can with half of the juice)

8 cups (64 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

2 cups of shelled fresh fava beans OR

1 (14 ounce) package of frozen lava beans (if you can find them) OR
1 (12 ounce) package (or more) frozen shelled edamame (green soy beans) (Trader Joe’s & everywhere)

1/4 cup of whole grain brown rice

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

chopped, unsalted roasted pistachios for garnish (optional)

Here’s all you need to do:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened. Add the spices and cook another 5 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often for another 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the beans and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, partially covered. Add the rice, simmer and stir occasionally, partially covered, for about 30-45 minutes until the rice is perfectly cooked. Whole grain brown rice holds its firmness nicely and will be delicious. I think white rice cooks faster. Add whatever rice you like. It will be great! Be sure to taste-test for salt, pepper & cayenne. Adjust according to your taste buds. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, or, in Mark’s case, a dollop of sour cream. I opted for "sans nuts" because a) I didn’t have any pistachios in stock and b) I don’t know if I wasn’t feeling the pistachio love. Let me know if you try the pistachio garnish. Report back.

I will make this again and again and swap out the favas for other beans. It's a great basic soup. The spices are spot-on awesome and there’s just enough rice to give the soup heft. My most recent favorite canned tomato is La San Marzano brand (available at Mariano’s and other fine stores). They are sweet and amazing and not loaded with seeds as some other brands. I still love Dei Fratelli but I recommend that you try La San Marzano not to be confused with all of the San Marzano tomatoes on the market). Also, my close buds know that I recommend Swanson brand “Natural Goodness” 100% Fat Free, 33% Less Sodium Chicken Broth. Tastes clean and flavorful. Note: NOT the 99% Fat Free. The two taste completely different. Secrets revealed. Oh, and Morton kosher salt. AND . . . I do love grinding my own spices. It’ll save you some cash too : ). Buy an inexpensive coffee grinder and dedicate it to your spices. You’ll agree with me. I know you will.

ENJOY ALL OF THE INSPIRATION AROUND YOU, MY FRIENDS......….

SPRING LOVE,

Katie