Rosemarried

vegetarian Archive

garlic confit.

Confit (French, prounounced cone-fee): “Meat cooked and preserved in fat: meat such as goose, duck, or pork that has been cooked and preserved in its own fat.”

Recently, I have had a mild obsession with all things confit. Specifically, duck confit…I could eat it for days. So, whilst planning my Easter Feast for this year, I came across a recipe for a roast leg of lamb that was stuffed with sundried tomatoes, rosemary, and garlic confit (yes, yes, and yes please.). Knowing what I do about the nature of something that is confit, I assumed that garlic confit would be garlic that is slow-cooked in some sort of fat. And I was right.

This recipe is quite simple, and the results are stunning. The garlic – which is slow roasted in olive oil with thyme and peppercorns – becomes rich, fatty, buttery, and wonderfully fragrant. While I made the garlic confit specifically for the roast leg of lamb, I realized quickly that it can be used to add flavor to any number of dishes. With garlic confit, you end up with whole roasted cloves of garlic and an amazing garlic oil (you store the garlic in oil it was roasted in), so you can use either the garlic or the oil to spice up a recipe. I used some of the garlic confit cloves in my roasting pan when I roasted the lamb, and I used some of the oil on the winter vegetables I roasted for Easter dinner. The confit can be pureed and spread on crostini, using in dressings and sauces, roasted with vegetables, etc. The list goes on.

I am still getting back into the swing of things from my vacation, but never fear – the rest of my easter lamb recipe will be posted shortly. For now, go make some garlic confit!

Garlic Confit
Adapted from How to Roast a Lamb by Michael Psilakis
MAKES 3 CUPS

3 cups garlic cloves, peeled (to make your life MUCH easier, you can buy peeled garlic cloves at Trader Joes)
1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried leaves
8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt and whole black peppercorns
About 2 cups blended oil (50 percent canola, 50 percent extra-virgin olive), as needed
Put the garlic cloves in a heavy, covered braising pan or Dutch oven. Add the bay leaf and thyme, a scant tablespoon kosher salt, and 15 or 20 black peppercorns. Barely cover with the oil.

Cover the pan and braise in a 300°F oven until the cloves are pale golden and very tender, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool it to room temperature.

Transfer the garlic and all of the oil to a sterilized jar. Press a square of plastic wrap down directly onto the surface of the oil. Place another square of plastic over the rim of the jar and twist on the lid or secure with a rubber band. With every use, replace the square of plastic that touches the oil and use a perfectly clean fork or tongs each time to prevent cross-contamination from other surfaces in your kitchen. As long as the cloves are covered with oil, they will last for at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

eating green: spinach pasta with kale and a pistachio & meyer lemon sauce.

In honor of our little sister Candyce’s wedding, Danielle and I made a date to hang out this past Saturday morning. Since we couldn’t be with Candyce on her wedding day, It seemed appropriate that we should at least be to be together. Danielle had the brilliant idea of going to the big Portland Farmers Market downtown. I have dearly missed the farmers markets (as they close down during the winter), but Saturday was the grand re-opening of the big farmers market by PSU.

I had never been to this particular market, as I usually go to a smaller one in my neighborhood. I was completely and totally blown away by the PSU farmers market. There were so many amazing vendors and farms! So much to taste, smell, sample (and buy!). I quickly realized that I was ill-prepared with my meager $5 in cash, and set about finding an ATM as I knew I would be buying much more than $5 worth of goods. After much deliberation, I ended up with a few potatoes, a beautiful (and huge!) leek, a big bunch of kale, a few yellow onions, a quart of coconut and lentil soup (SO DELICIOUS) and a 4 pound leg of lamb from SuDan Farms. (Note: The lamb is for our Easter feast…to break the Lenten fast! I will write more on the lamb when I actually cook it).

Needless to say, I am thrilled that it is farmers market season again. I came home from the market and promptly whipped up a light & fresh dinner that was inspired by the kale I bought at the market. I had seen a few adaptations of this pistachio and kale pasta recipe on Tastespotting (though, the recipe is originally from 101 Cookbooks) and so I set about putting my own spin on the pasta. This recipe caught my eye as the sauce is made from pistachios, and I don’t believe I’ve ever had a sauce made from pistachios. It just soundeded different. And good. So I set about making it.

Each of the recipes I saw (the original and an adaptation) called for a fruit element – one tossed the pasta with pomegranate seeds, and another with dried cranberries. For whatever reason, I wasn’t terribly excited about the prospect of either of those ingredients and decided to brighten the whole dish with a hint of Meyer Lemon juice instead. If you ask me, it was a great decision. The dish is something akin to a cold pasta salad, but lighter and fresher than your typical heavy (and creamy) pasta salad. The pistachios add a beautiful color and a great nutty texture. The meyer lemon really brightened the whole dish, and rounded out the flavor. When I make this dish again (and I will. It was delish!), I think I will try adding in roasted asparagus and fresh parmesean. I think that would make this a nearly perfect meal.

Pasta with Pistachio & Meyer Lemon Sauce
(Adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

1 package of spinach (or whole wheat) pasta noodles (I used spaghetti)
1 (small) bunch of fresh kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped.
3/4 cup of roasted (shelled) pistachios
The juice of 1 Meyer Lemon (or regular lemon, whatever you have on hand)
2 gloves of garlic, smashed
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

To make the sauce:
Blend the olive oil, garlic, pistachios, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste (if you use salted pistachios you may want to be careful not to oversalt). If the sauce is too thick, add small amounts of olive oil and lemon juice to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. If you like spice (like I do) feel free to add more black pepper and chili flakes.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Once the pasta is ready, add in the chopped kale and immediately remove from the heat. Make sure the kale is immersed in the water (use tongs, fork, etc) and immediately strain the whole pot (noodles & kale) and then rinse with cold water (to ensure that the noodles don’t stick together). If serving immediately, try to pat the pasta and kale dry, so as not to have excess water. A salad spinner works for this, too!

Toss the pasta and kale mixture with the pistachio sauce. Serve cold (or room temperature).

On Truffled Mac & Cheese and Orthodox Lent.

A week or two ago, Nich and I began a conversation about Lent and what it might look like for us this year. Lent isn’t something I practiced growing up, but discovered during college through various friends and roommates. I never researched the history of Lent, I just mimicked the Lenten practices of my friends. From what I gathered, Lent was the practice of giving something up: coffee, sugar, chocolate, etc. You would pick one thing (that you really liked) and would fast from that thing for 40 days (From Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday). I haven’t been great about practicing Lent for the last few years, but I have always enjoyed the practice of Lent and have always felt that fasting is an important part of faith.

So, when Nich approached me a week or two ago and asked me what I thought about participating in Great Lent (which is the Greek Orthodox Lent), I was open to the idea. (For those of you who don’t know, my husband has a deep love for the Greek Orthodox tradition. He attended a Greek Orthodox church for a number of years, and is well-versed in the Orthodox theology and history. Being the born-and-bred evangelical that I am, I am not well-versed in Orthodox theology, but I am slowly learning the beauty of this tradition.) When Nich first divulged the details of Great Lent, I was fearful. Great Lent is hard! However, he wasn’t demanding that I participate, he was simply asking me to consider it. He thought it would be a good thing for us to try, as a couple. I thought it sounded a little crazy.

You see, for Orthodox Lent you are asked to give up Meat, Dairy, Wine, and Oil. And I love all of those things oh-so-very much. Giving up these things seemed impossible. But after voicing all of my objections to Nich (But what about the food blog? What about yogurt in the mornings for my cranky stomach?) he explained to me that I didn’t need to worry so much about it. You see, Lent isn’t about the rules – it is about grace. There is room for error, and there is an understanding that mistakes will be made. If someone offers you meat in their home, you eat it. While “wine” isn’t allowed, most people still drink beer (in moderation) during Great Lent. And, the most comforting fact of all: most people end up using some oil. When Nich told me that, I felt a flood of relief. If I could use just a little oil here and there, I was pretty sure I could give up meat, dairy, and wine for 6 weeks. The point of Lent isn’t to see how “good” you can be. The point is to sacrifice, to grow, and to be thankful; to meditate on all that Easter means.

(In addition, with all I’ve learned about the state of the world, I also feel that abstaining from meat and dairy for a time is a very good thing to do. Interesting article on Lent from The Huffington Post if you’re interested).

That being said, the food blog will look a little different for 6 weeks. I will still do my best to cook interesting and delicious meals, but the meals will all be essentially vegan (Please note: I am not labeling myself as a vegan. However, fasting from dairy and meat essentially means that Nich and I will be eating a vegan diet). I am excited to see food differently, to eat differently, and to experience a new kind of Lent.

So, in honor of Lent (and all the things that I cannot partake in), I will now post a recipe for Truffled Mac & Cheese with Crispy Shallots. I made this recipe a few nights ago, knowing that I would not be able to partake in any mac-and-cheesy goodness for awhile. So I whipped up the richest, creamiest, and most delicious mac and cheese ever. It was so good. So good, in fact, that I will look foward to eating this in 6 weeks.

As for the rest of you…I hope you enjoy. Eat some mac for me!

Truffled Mac & Cheese with Crispy Shallots
*Please note that I happened to have Truffle Oil on hand because Nich got me some for Christmas. Its pretty spendy stuff, but totally worth it. If you don’t have truffle oil, don’t worry about it. It isn’t essential to the recipe (but it is realllllllly good).

3/4 cup grated Asiago Cheese
3/4 cup grated Smoked (Applewood Cheddar)
1/2 Cup cream (or milk)
3 Tbl Flour
3 Tbl Butter
1 lb bag of Pasta (Elbo macaroni, Fusili, Penne, etc)
Salt & pepper
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Drizzle of Truffle Oil
1 Shallot, sliced thinly
Panko Bread Crumbs

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add in pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a small fry pan, drizzle a small amount of olive oil. Heat the pan over low heat. Add in the thinly sliced shallots, and cook for 15 minutes (they can be cooking the whole time you are making the mac & cheese). Stir occasionally, and add oil if they are browning too quickly or are sticking to the pan. You essentially want to carmelize the shallots.

3. In a small sauce pan (med-low heat), melt the butter and whisk until the butter has melted and is starting to foam. Slowly add in flour, whisking the entire time (to form a roux). Once the flour and butter is combined, slowly add in the milk or cream, constantly whisking. Whisk for a few minutes until the mixture is thick and creamy. Add in paprika, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and a few drops of truffle oil (if using). Stir in the cheese, and mix until all the cheese has melted.

4. Toss the sauce mixture with the pasta. I didn’t end up using all of the pasta (I used about 3/4 of it), because I wanted a good sauce to pasta ratio. Transfer to greased baking dish(es) – I used 4 small baking dishes but any baking dish will do. Top with a layer of panko bread crumbs and the carmelized shallots. Drizzle a small amount of truffle oil over the top. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Note: My shallots got a little darker than I wanted them to, so my advice would be to add them on about halfway through the baking time.

potato kale soup

My mom is a funny creature.

This is a woman who raised her three kids on salads and baked potatoes (and no sugar cereals!). And, yet, she has recently decided that she hates vegetables. She likes fruit, grains, meats, etc. But no greens. She wants nothing to do with greens right now, which I find really funny. Perhaps she’s just eaten too many in her lifetime?

In any case, I can’t get enough of them. Its winter in Portland, which means that greens are one of the few produce items we can get that are fresh and local. Kale, Spinach, Chard, Collard greens, etc. I love them all. In the dark and cold of the Portland winter, there is just something so satisfying about eating something crisp, and fresh, and green. Specifically, kale. I have been on a kale kick. I’d been hunting for an interesting recipe for a soup that featured kale, and found this potato and kale recipe and couldn’t wait to try it.

 I ended up making a big batch of the soup, and delivered half of the batch to friends of ours whose baby girl had surgery the night before. They had been up all night at the hospital and were completely exhausted. Not being a parent myself, I can only imagine how hard it must be to watch your baby go through something like that. Thankfully, she made it through surgery like a champion – she is such a strong little girl!

In any case, bringing over some soup seemed like the least we could do. (Brief side note: I have been thinking a lot about how to put my cooking to good use. I really want to be able to bless people in the way only way that I know how: with food. So if any of you have any good ideas or people you know that might need a healthy and hot meal – please let me know!)  

It may sound silly, I was really worried that the soup had turned out too bland and that I had brought my friends an inferior product. I used store-bought veggie stock (as I made the soup the day before I made my own stock. Bad timing on my part.), which is oftentimes very bland. I also didn’t use as many onions and garlic as the original recipe called for (it asked for 2 onions and 6 cloves of garlic), because I think I have an allergy to both of these things (which is an awful thing to realize…). But, all my fears aside – the soup was scrumptious. I just needed to adjust the seasonings a bit (salt, pepper, cayenne, and cream do a WORLD of good) and it was great! And even better leftover, I must say.

Potato Kale Soup (with Lentils)  
2 Tbls butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed (not chopped)
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1cm cubes (you can leave the skins on)
4-5 cups vegetable stock (can use chicken stock)
2 large handfuls of kale, sliced very thin (about 2 packed cups raw)
1/2 cup cooked lentils (I had extras from the lentil soup I made last week, but they aren’t necessary to the soup. They just add color, texture, and protein.)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper (because cayenne makes everything better)
1/4 – 1/2 cup of cream  


Melt butter in a large pot or saucepan, on med-low heat. Add onions, garlic, and bay leaf, and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the onions are getting golden. Add potatoes, and let cook, stirring every few minutes, until the potatoes get golden bits (about 20 minutes). You may need to add more butter. Cook on med-low until the potatoes just begin to brown. If the potatoes are sticking to the bottom (as they did when I made this), just add in the stock and don’t worry about fully browning them.

After you’ve added the stock add the thyme and cayenne, and let simmer for 20 minutes (until the potatoes are soft). Add kale (and lentils if using), and simmer another 15 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf bits. Blend the soup with an immersion blender (or scoop soup into food processor and blend until pureed, but still has texture). Return the soup to the stove and cook on low heat until the mixture simmers. Stir in the cream, taste, and adjust seasonings.

I honestly can’t remember, but I think I threw a dash of soy sauce into the soup as well. I’m all for a little extra Umami…

vegetable stock.

So, as I delve further into the culinary world, I’ve noticed that most chefs differ on their ideas of preparations, ingredients, methods, tools, etc. However, I have also noticed that every single one of them harp on this one point: you need to make your own stock. All of them. They all say that home-made stock is infinitely better than store-bought stock. It has more flavor, zero preservatives, and it tastes real (as opposed to tasting like a tin can). With the amount of recipes I make these days that use any number of stocks (veal, fish, chicken, beef, vegetarian, etc) I couldn’t ignore this advice any longer. I knew I had to start making my own stock.

Since I didn’t have any chicken or beef bones laying around, I decided to make vegetable stock. I already had a couple of old potatoes, garlic, and onions in the pantry, and so I just needed to pick up celery, carrots, and parsley. This is all you need for vegetable stock! Now that I’ve made it once, I plan to keep veggie scraps on hand (or freeze them) so I don’t have to use whole vegetables (it feels slightly wasteful).

There are many variations and methods for cooking vegetable stock. For my first round of stock-making, I used a recipe from Mark Bittman’s new book, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating. I just picked the book up last week and am loving it (Its like the Michael Pollan books, but with practical solutions, recipes, meal plans, etc.). Bittman basically says that there is no one exact way to make vegetable stock. You can add any variety of veggies (mushrooms, red peppers, shallots, parsnips, etc). Canned tomatoes add color and flavor, sauteed mushrooms add and earthy flavor, etc.

For this time, I went with the very simple and classic veggie stock recipe. I did take Mark Bittman’s advice, however, and I browned my veggies in olive oil before adding in the water. This gives the stock a darker color (and richer flavor). Also note, that the longer you cook the stock – the more flavorful it will be.

Home Made Vegetable Stock
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s “Food Matters“

12 cups of water
2 potatoes, washed and cut into large cubes
2 onions, rinse and quartered (no need to peel)
3-4 stalks of celery, roughly cut
3-4 carrots, roughly cut
20 stems of parsley
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pot). Brown onions, garlic, carrots and celery on med-high for 10 minutes (until just starting to brown). Add in potatoes, parsley, and bay leaf. Add in 12 cups of water, and a pinch of salt and pepper (be careful not to over-salt. You can always add more salt later!)

Bring to a boil, and turn the heat down and let simmer gently for an hour (or more). Take off the heat and strain the liquid into a large container. Taste the stock and adjust seasonings. Let the stock cool before refrigerating or freezing.

Stock does not last very long in the fridge, so unless you plan to use in a couple days – I would recommend freezing. I have been saving various plastic yogurt containers for the freezing and storing of stock. It is much easier to thaw if you freeze in small batches/containers. I have also seen people recommend ice cube trays for freezing stock (just pop a few cubes out into a pan to thaw!). According to Martha Stewart (who also has a great-looking stock recipe with Swiss Chard), the stock lasts in the fridge for 3-4 days, and in the freezer for 3 months.