Fig Custard Cake

 

Two years ago I ordered two fig trees from Baker Creek. They came as little sticks in dirt. I was not sure if they would grow here in Boston. As an experiment, I planted one in the yard and one in the greenhouse. Both have grown huge, and year 3....WE HAVE FIGS! They are so tasty! We inevitably end up eating the first few right off the tree because we are greedy. They are fantastic with some goat cheese. But the thing with figs is that you really need to eat them right away if you want to experience the magic, and once you pick them they need to be used. So on days when there are a lot of figs that ripen all at once we bake fun things.

This is our second crop of figs of 2024 coming in...I am waiting so patiently!!

This cake is made in a springform pan. It is a moist, dense cake punctuated by bursts of fig. We liked it a lot.

Yard garden haul for the day: figs for the cake, jalapenos, banana peppers, black cherry tomatoes and a chrysanthemum melon

Fig Custard Cake

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 teaspoons vanilla

8 figs, halved

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. 

3. With a mixer, whip the eggs and sugar until they are light and frothy. With the mixer on low, combine the sour cream, butter, rum and vanilla until completely incorporated. Add the flour mixture a few tablespoons at a time with mixer on low until just incorporated. Do not over-mix.

4. Add the batter to the prepared pan and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. 

5. Arrange the fig halves on top of the chilled batter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

6. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from the pan and finish cooling on a cooling rack. 

Sweet & Spicy Zucchini Relish

 I kept the name of this recipe because most people will be familiar with zucchini as the main ingredient. We didn't grow traditional zucchini this year or use it in this relish, we grew trombonchino!! 

Meet trombonchino!

Trombonchino is an Italian zuchini variety that grows a super long seedless fruit with a smaller bulbus end that contains seeds. I love this variety. It grows prolificly on our garden trellises all summer and into the fall. I find it is heartier and less prone to diseases than the traditional zucchini. It is all the best parts of the zucchini without the tendancy to get hard skin and hard seeds in a day if you forget to pick it. If you leave them on the vine for a very long time, they can get brown skinned and hard like a butternut squash, but that takes a lot more waiting than we can handle. Like I already said, it is super prolific so we have come up with a TON of ways to prepare it. We love it grilled, it does great in veggie lasagna, sauces, stir fries, and bakes. Basically, any way that you would use zucchini, you can use trombonchino. That being said, it makes a great sweet and spicy relish. You can use zucchini...if you want, but a trombonchino is pretty much always better.

Sweet & Spicy Trombonchino Relish

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds trombonchino squash

3 purple onions

2 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

3 jalapeno peppers

3 tbsp salt

6 cups apple cider vinegar

3 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground mustard

1 sachets of pickling spice (1-2 tablespoons)

Directions:

1. Using a food processor or grater finely chop the zucchini, onions, and peppers. Mix them together in a larg bowl and toss with 3 tablsepoons of salt. Let the veggie mixture sit while you prepare the brine. 

2. In a large, heavy bottomed stock pot, combine the vinegar, sugar and spices. For the pickling spice, you want the falvor, but you don't want the seeds and bay leaf pieces in your relish. You can use a sachet bag, or a tea strainer to infuse the flavors. I have a mana-tea, which floated hapily in the brine to infuse our relish. 😄

3. Bring the brine to a boil, then add the veggies. Bring the whole mixture back up to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 45 minutes to cook the veggies. After 45 minutes, check the consistency. Continue to reduce until the relish has the solid/liquid ratio that you desire. 

One big quart for the refrigerator and a small jar that wasn't quite full. the small jar was eaten on the firsd day. 

4. At this point you can put your relish into cans and put them in the refrigerator to make refrigerator relish, or you can hot water process them. This relish processes for 15 minutes.  For more information on hot water bath canning check HERE. The recipe makes about 20 cups of relish.

Tofu Gnocchi

 

Recently we have been experimenting with adding more non-meat protien to our diet. I saw this recipe for tofu gnocchi, which uses tofu, chickpea flour & nutritional yeast, all great sources of protien, and thought we would try it. My expectations were low. I love gnocchi and I doubted that this recipe could replicate the texture of the original potato gnocchi. So I was SUPER surprised when these tofu gnocchi turned out fantastic!! The texture is spot on. They are tasty, and easier to make than boiling and ricing potatoes like the traditional version. (plus, way more protien)

We used the tofu gnocchi in a veggie pesto sauce with ricotta, and broied it to brown the ricotta. (also a great source of non-meat protien) You could use any of your favorite pasta sauces. The recipe makes a lot of gnocchi! We used about 2/3 of the recipe and froze the rest for later. Just a note...frozen gnocchi can be put directly into the pot of boiling water and cooked as normal.

This recipe was tried by my budding professional chef. Keep an eye out...you may see this recipe on the menu of a local restaurant soon!

Tofu Gnocchi

Ingredients:

330 gr firm tofu

170 gr chickpea flour

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor fitted with the blade attachement, process the tofu until it forms a smooth paste. 

3. In a medium bowl, combine the tofu paste, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, olive oil and salt. Start incorporating  with a fork. When the dough is coming together, turn the dough out onto a floured surface andknead  gently until the dough comes together and is smooth.

4. Shape your gnocchi. Shaping gnicchi isn't hard, it just takes practice. It really helps to have someone show you and explain it step by step. Please check out this VIDEO with all the info you need.

5. While you are shaping your dough, bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Also, have your sauce prepared before you start cooking your gnocchi. You will want to put the cooked gnocchi directly into the pan of sauce. Cooked gnocchi will stick together into a large gluey mess if they don't go directly into a sauce. 

6. Cook your gnocchi. When your dough is shaped, and your water is boiling and your sauce is ready, gently drop a handful of gnocchi into biling water. You will know the gnocchi are cooked when they rise up to the surface. This usually only takes about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked, floating gnocchi and place them in the awaiting sauce. Cook whatever gnocchi you need and freeze the rest. Enjoy!

Stuffed Mogogo Squash

 This year we grew something new...Mogogo squash!! Mogogo is a Guatamalan zucchini variety. It is best picked when it is the size of a softball. Similar to zucchini, mogogos have thin outer flesh when they are small, but get harder and have larger seeds the longer they stay on the vine. Mogogos are sweeter than zucchini and have a creamier texture. We love them grilled. We had a couple that got too big while we were away on vacation, so we stuffed them. Stuffing is always a good idea when squash get too big, you scoop out all the hard seeds, and the long cooking process softens the harder flesh and skin. Just like making soup, stuffed veggies can be a vehicle for eating pretty much anything you have in your kitchen. Below is a recipe that reflects what was in our kitchen, but you can taylor the method to the ingredients at your disposal.

One of our first mogogo squash (just the right size)

Stuffed Mogogo Squash

Ingredients:

2 Large mogogo squash

1lb ground turkey

1 cup rice cooked

1 lb spinach

2 tomatoes chopped

1 onion chopped

1 bell pepper chopped

3 garlic cloves chopped

2 tablespoons fresh oregono

1 small chili pepper diced

1 egg

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Cut the stem tops off of your squash and scoop out the seeds and soft flesh then put the prepared squash in a baking pan. Season the empty squash with salt & pepper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, rice, spinach tomatoes, onion, pepper garlic oregono, chili & egg. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stuff the two squash with the filling, drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and put it in the oven. Bake for 60-70 minutes. After 60-70 minutes, check that the squash is thoroughly cooked by piercing it with a sharp knife. If it goes in like butter, your squash is done. 

4. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and return to the oven uncovered for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

Beer Batter for Seafood

The feast

 Last week our family gathered for vacation on Cape Cod. The day vacation ended was Dad Riddle's 70th birthday. 

Happy 70th Dad!

We decided to celebrate him in a very New England fashion with a seafood feast. Doug grilled shrimp, Joseph prepared a bass Aaron caught, he wowed us with seared scallops with herb butter, we steamed lobsters, prepared crabcakes and fried some fresh New England cod. I know frying fish isn't the most healthy way to eat fish but DAAAAAANG it is the most tasty. Don't worry, we made a salad too.

We decided to use a beer batter. This recipe is perfection. Super easy to prepare, it coats the fish lightly and crisps up well. There are a few tips in the recipe that will make sure your beer battered fish turns out great. (marked with an *) Be sure to read those carefully. We have used cod and halibut with this recipe, both are meaty white fish, but this beer batter recipe will work for shellfish, thin veggies or tofu as well.

Beer Batter for Seafood:

Ingredients:

2lbs white fish

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp seasoned salt

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/3 cups beer (a lighter summer beer works well for fish)

Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Directions:

1. Prepare your fish. You want to cut your fish into smaller portions, 1x3 inches works well. *If your fish portions are too big, it will cool down your fry oil and not cook well. Pat your fish dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

My little chef!

2. In a heavy bottomed pot, dutch oven or fryer, heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees. 

3. While your oil heats, make your fry batter. Combine the flour, garlic powder, paprika, seasoned salt, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk in the egg to combine, then whisk in the beer until the batter forms and is no longer lumpy. 

*I have found that this recipe requires 3-4 tablespoons of extra flour to get to the perfect coating consistency. It may depend on the beer you choose. The batter should resemble a thin pancake batter. It should just coat your finger if you dip it in the batter, and a few drips should drip off. It should not be runny, but it also should not be as thick as a cake or muffin batter.

4. *Test that your oil is hot by either using a candy thermometer or dripping a bit of batter in the oil. If the batter test bubbles up to the surface right away you are looking good. When your oil is ready, dip your fish pieces one at a time in the batter and carefully drop in the oil. The fish is ready when it has turned a beautiful golden brown...3-5 minutes. 

*if your fish sinks to the bottom and sticks, or your batter comes off in the oil or it takes a really long time...that is a good indication that your oil is not hot enough

* be aware that if you are using a gas stove, drafts can impact your burner's effectiveness. 

5. Carefully remove your cooked fish with a slotted spoon and let it cool on a wire rack. 

*The wire cooling rack preserves the crispyness of the batter while the fish cools. Cooling on a paper towel will result in soggy fish.

6. Enjoy with tarter sauce :)

Exploring our Culinary History

 Food in the context of family is often more than just sustinance. It is celebration, care, love, joy, comfort, or mourning. The table is a place where people gather, and a meal prepared with time and love opens the mind, loostens the tongue, breaks down the walls and creates space for connection.

Throughout my life many people have cooked for me, my mother and grandmother most often. 

Last year we moved my mother from my childhood home in New Jersey to California. In the process of packing up her things, she packed a box for me filled with the recipe boxes of my elders. I have my mother's recipe box, her mother's recipe box, and full notebook from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, my great grandmother's recipe box, and my father's mother's recipe box. 

Looking through these hand written cards and magazing clippings feels sacred. It is fun to see the cultural trends that have changed, and some themes that tell me more about these chefs. My Nana really liked dates, there are so many recipes in her box that use dates. I would never have known that about her. 

I also found a hand-written recipe for Dandelion Wine from my dad's grandmother! When I started makeing dandelion wine he told me that he remembered going with his grandmother to pick dandelions for wine and that he hated the job because it took so many flowers. I guess as a kid he didn't get to taste how amazing Dandelion Wine is so he would not have appreciated all the long harvesting work via the end product. The fun thing is...her recipe is the same as mine! What a treasure to have that connection. 

My great-grandmother Campbell was super trendy and progressive, and while her box includes a good amount of dinners involving canned soup, she was ahead of her time with her salad recipes. No joke, she was using avocado in the 70's way before avocado toast was cool. 

Gotta love the typewriter throwback

I also found recipes for homemade hard  soapusing beef tallow and lye. 😳 We probably will skip this one.

Thanks Mrs. Davis

As we have looked through these, the boys have had to learn how to disciper cursive. 😄 Some of them are hard to read anyway because they are scrawled on the back of dry cleaning receipts or on napkins. Others look like they were carefully written in pen and ink. I can't imagine how old these ones are.

It is also surprising how many are lacking important details like pan size, oven temp and cooking time!

Where was this when I was cooking for Boston Project?

It has been fun to explore these small family time capsules. The boys and I have decided that we are going to work our way through them and try a sampling of the recipes. Some recipes we chose because we know they will be delicious: sweet potato pudding, spice cake and lemon coconut cookies made it on the list easy. Others made it on the list because I have no idea what we are making and how it will turn out: spiced grapes & tomato mincemeat will be fun. We are working through 2-3 recipes a month, so keep an eye out for some fun coming your way soon. The boys are also hoping to add a video component. More info on that as it develops. 

We are heading on a tasty adventure, it should be fun!

...even if Pennywise Pot Pie sounds terrifying!!!

Grilled Brioche with Mediterranean Layer Spread

 

My son Joseph works in a fantiastic little restaurant in Dorchester. This weekend the baker was on vacation and Joe got to make all the bread for the weekend. He brought home a beautiful braided brioche to share. 

This is my cute chef who got to bake this weekend

Naturally, we grilled it up with a fancy spread for dinner. The Mediterranean spread is a combination of things easily found in our refrigerator. Simply layer, spread and enjoy. It was delicious. We served it with spicy grilled chicken and grilled summer squash.

Grilled Brioche with Mediterranean Layer Spread

Ingredients:

10 slices of brioche bread

1/2 cup pesto (we made homemade pesto with celantro from our garden, but you can use store bought too)

1 cup of hummus

1/2 cup smoky spiced yogurt (season the yogurt with 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, salt & pepper)

1/3 cup muffaletta (you can make a mix of olives, capers and banana peppers)

1/2 tomato diced

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. On a medium plate, layer the pesto first, then hummus. Gently drop tablespoons of the yogurt on the hummus and smooth gently. Spoon the muffaletta over the hummus. Sprinkle diced tomato over the top and season with salt and pepper.

2. Grill the brioche lightly on both sides. Be sure to scoop through each layer when you spread it on the toast. 

Enjoy!

There were also beautiful flowers on the table tonight

Three Bean Salad

 Three bean salad is something I associate with my mother and cookouts in the 80's. It is kind of on the level of seven layer salad (also a pretty good cookout offering). Letely we have had a lot of green beans in our life. I really like greenbeans better fresh and not cooked. In my mom's 80's version of this "convenient" salad canned green beans were traditionally used. I decided to try it with fresh snapped beans, and I think it works even better. The recipe below is the traditional combination, but I often substitute or add depending on what I have on hand. Tonight I made the dressing with scallions instead of red onion, and I didn't have any celery, but I did have a poblano pepper, which worked great for that nedded veggie crunch. I also love to add any fresh herbs I can grab from the garden. Parsley is called for, but basil, oregono, chives or tarragon work well too. 

This salad is a great way to get fresh veggies and protien. It is easy to put together and leftovers are great for lunch the next day. 

Three Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh greenbeans, snapped into 1-inch pieces

2, 14-oz cans of beans, your choice, red, pinto, black or garbanzo work great

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup chopped parsley

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

1 cup diced red onion

2 garlic cloves diced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Combine greenbeans, canned beans, celery and parsley in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.

2. In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients until well combined. Pour dressing over the beans, toss and enjoy. 

Grilled Plantains

 

This night we served the grilled plantains with curry chicken and grilled cabbage with smoky/spicy yogurt

It is patio season. The season where our family's living space doubles because we can go outside. Patio season also means it is grilling season. Thus far, Riddles have grilled and smoked a lot of interesting things, but shokingly enough, it was not until a few weeks ago that we tried to grill plantains. We have fried them and made pastelon, but it had never occurred to me to try grilling them. They are amazing grilled! Now we snatch them up any time we get to the store. Grilled plantains pairs well with pretty much anything else you are throwing on the grill. We have had them with bratwurst, jerk pork loin and curry chicken. They are savory, spicy and sweet and pair excellently with a side of guacamole. Both the prep and cook time are short. Grilled plantains are a huge winner.

Picking your plantains: If you are unfamiliar with plantains, learning how to select them when purchasing is important. Plantains are sweeter the darker their skin gets, but you don't want them to be moldy. It is pretty rare that I find plantains ready to eat at the store. Usually, we have to buy them green or yellow and wait patiently while they ripen up on the kitchen veggie cart. For this kind of grilling, you want them ripe and the skins to have dark streaks and spots.

Grilled Plantains

Ingredients:

Ripe Plantains (see note above)

Olive Oil

1 Packet Saizon con azafran

Chili Powder

Smoked Paprika

Cumin

Oregono

Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

1. Cut the ends off all your plantains, then slice your plantains in half lengthwise .

2. Brush all the flat, flesh sides of the plantains with olive oil, then sprinkle with all the seasonings.

3. Grill the plantains over a hot grill. Start the plantains flat, seasoned side down first for 4-6 minutes. Then turn the plantains over to the skin side and let them continue to cook until the flesh begins to come away from the peel.

4. Remove from the heat and eat with a side of guacamole or cucumber salsa. 

Grilled Plantain served with jerk pork, grilled zucchini and jerk pineapple.

Gingersnap Bars

 

Our family likes things spicy! I found this bar cookie recipe and we are all in LOVE. A batch of these doesn't usually last the day, especially if Papa Riddle is visiting. We like these because they have a crunchy outside and a soft, sweet spicy inside. Also...being a bar recipe it is easy to execute.

Gingersnap Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 cup unflavored oil (I use avocado but vegetable, canola or grapeseed also work)
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon coarse decorating sugar, for sprinkling on top

NSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a 9×13 glass baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In medium bowl, sift together flour, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a large bowl add the oil and sugar; whisk to combine. Whisk in egg and molasses, taking are not to over mix. Stir in the flour mixture just until flour is combined.
4. Spread the cookie dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. Use your hands to push the dough into the corners and evenly press the dough into the pan. Sprinkle evenly with coarse sugar.
5. Bake 22-25 minutes just until the cookie bars are cooked through. The edges will be golden and crispy and the center will be just sent. Take care not to over bake. Remove the bars from oven and let cool completely on a cooling rack. The bars will continue to cook in the pan while they cool. Cut into 24 slices.

Karidopita, Greek Walnut Cake

 

There was so much baking this Easter. We really got excited! One new recipe we tried this year was Karidopita, or Greek walnut cake. We had purchased a bulk bag of walnuts a while back and they really needed to be used. This recipe is a great way to feature walnuts without being overwhelming. My walnut-averse son loved this cake. The key is to really pulverize your wallnuts into a fine crumb. It keeps the cake moist and lends the beautiful nutty flavor. 

That is my finished soaking karidopita in the back :)

Karidopita, Greek Walnut Cake

Ingredients   

1 cup sugar
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup walnuts crushed coarsely (option to add another 1/4 of chunky walnuts pieces if you like more crunch)
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp cinnamon & 1 tsp clove ground
30 ml brandy
1 cup olive oil

Syrup
1.5 cup sugar
1.5 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1/2 lemon juiced and the other half sliced

Directions:

1. To prepare the syrup, combine all the ingredients, bring to the boil and remove from the heat after 5 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Please note the sugar syrup must be completely cold to be used on the hot cake.
   
   
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Grease a  10 inch round cake tin with a little olive oil.
4. Combine eggs, oil, sugar, spices, brandy, walnuts and vanilla sugar, then gradually add flour. Mix for a few minutes until well combined.
5. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until a golden colour.
6. Once the cake is ready, make some small holes on its surface with a skewer and pour the cooled syrup over the hot cake bit by bit, allowing each spoonful to be absorbed before proceeding with the next. It is essential that it absorbs well. The longer it stands, the better the result as it will soften even more.
7. Serve with ice-cream or a Greek coffee.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

 

We have a few things we do for St. Patrick's day as a family. Ironically, while we live in Boston, we have never been to the St. Paddy's Day parade in Southie. We are much happier to bake yummy things and stay at home. 😆

We always make Irish Soda Bread, and have for a long time. And a Guinnes stew is standard. Recently, we started baking this Chocolage Guinness Cake. It is a delicous, moist and flavorful cake. You can eat it straight, or dressed with some whiskey butter cream.

Chocolate Guinness Cake:

• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup Guinness stout beer (drink the rest while you cook)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9-inch springform pan by greasing and laying a parchment circle in the bottom. 

2. In a saucepan heat the butter and Guinness over low heat until the butter is just melted. 

3. In a medium bowl combine eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Set aside.

4. Combine the brown sugar, instant coffee and cocoa powder to the beer and sugar. Whisk to combine. 

5. Slowly add the butter/beer/cocoa mixture to the eggs/sour cream/vanilla mixture. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until just combined.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes, then eat or ice to your liking. Enjoy!

Throat Punch: Roasted Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

 This season I got a lot of scotch bonnet peppers in my farm share. Scotch bonnet peppers are super hot, and I have not learned quite how to use them in cooking yet. I am kind of afraid to just "Throw one in the soup." the way my West-Indian friends advise, but I figured that if I made a hot sauce and it was too hot, it would only ruin the sauce and not dinner. 

Such a pretty color!

I decided to roast the peppers with some other seasonal veggies and see what happened. It ended up being magical! The sauce is creamy, savory smooth, and then it punches you in the back of the throat on the way down...hence the name. It is really tasty, I will totally do it again. We used it on fish, chicken and sandwiches, and then we ran out. I am excited to try it again next year. This sauce needs to be stored in the refrigerator.

Throat Punch

Ingredients:

12-15 Scotch Bonnet Peppers

1 large onion

3 carrots

2 medium zucchini

4 cloves garlic (keep in the skin)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

2-3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Dorections:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While the oven heats, half the peppers and chop all vegetables. Add all veggies to a large baking pan and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. Roast the veggies for 30-45 minutes until they are soft and slightly browned.

3.Transfer all the veggies and all pan juices into a blender or food processor. *Be sure to remove the garlic cloves and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins into the blender or food processor*

4. Blend until smooth. Add more olive oil or water to get the consistency you desire. Add 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar at the end to taste. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Homemade French Onion Dip

 I came across an Alton Brown recipe for homemade french onion dip. It was just before Super Bowl weekend so I figured I would try it out. My family are fans of store bought french onion dip, and I grew up with my mom stirring the freeze-dried and powdered french onion soup mix into sour cream, but I had never tried making it from scratch with actual onions. Alton made it look pretty simple, so we made it for our game night snack. 

The first try came out pretty great. We loved the fresh onion taste, and the method of deglazing with the vinegar added the perfect tang, but my boys felt it was just a little bit too rich. So I made some tweaks and came up with this version that we now enjoy very much. We substituted non-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and mayonaise. It is still rich and creamy but not overwhelmingly rich. For us, a great change. 

French Onion Dip

Ingredients:

4 Large Onions

1/5 teaspoon plus one pinch Baking Soda

1 tablespoon Salt

1 tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Apple Cider Vinegar for deglazing

1 tablespoon Blasamic Vinegar

2 cups non-fat Greek Yogurt

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

1. Thinly slice the onions and put them in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. 

Remember that cutting onions with glasses on is a bad idea

Sprinkle the onions with baking soda, salt & brown sugar. Stir the onions to break them up and evenly distribute the salt, soda and sugar. Cover the pot and let the onions rest for 10 minutes.

2. After the onions have rested, uncover the pot, and place over high heat. Drizzle with olive oil and cook, stirring often until the onions are reduced by 75% and are a light golden color. 

3. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking approximately 15 minutes, stirring often.

4.When the onions begin to brown, deglaze the ban with a splash of apple cider vinegar. I did this three times before the onions were the desired dark brown. 

When the onions have reduced to about 1 1/2 cups in volume, deglaze one last time with the balsamic vinegar, stir a few times then remove from heat and let cool.

5. When the onions are cool, stir them into the 2 cups of yogurt. Add the garlic powder and pepper. Cover the dip and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. It is best when it sits overnight. 

I had just the right amount of yogurt left in my container so I just mixed the onions and seasoning right in. :)