Cooking with Kate

I've started teaching Kate how to cook on Wednesday nights after our gym class. Two weeks ago was the first time we cooked together. We made coconut cashew curry with tofu and a ton of veggies and shrimp, orange, and fennel salad. The salad was supposed to have blood oranges, which I think might have made it a little more unique but we couldn't find them at the grocery store. The curry was simple, really flavorful, and tasted even better the next day. And now... the recipes!

Cashew Curry (101cookbooks.com)

1 cup whole coconut milk (we used light)
1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
1/3 cup water
4 ounces firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch segments
1 1/2 cups cauliflower, cut into tiny florets
1/3 cup cashews, toasted
a handful of cilantro, loosely chopped (NO WAY did I let us add this... I think cilantro is the devil)

*We also added carrots

Bring half of the coconut milk to a simmer in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the curry powder and salt, working out any clumps. Now stir in the chopped red onion and garlic and cook for a minute. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and the water, and then the tofu. Cook down the liquid for a couple minutes before adding the green beans and cauliflower. Cover and simmer for just about one minute, maybe two - or just until the cauliflower and beans lose their raw edge and cook through a bit. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cashews. Taste and adjust the seasoning (salt / curry powder) if needed. Serve with a bit of cilantro topping each bowl.

Serves 2-3.

Shrimp Salad with Blood Oranges and Slivered Fennel (Cooking Light)

*Shout-out to my cuz for posting this on her food blog first (ilovefood-foodilove.blogspot.com), she inspired me to make it!

1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice (about 1 orange)
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. sea salt, divided
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
cooking spray
3 blood oranges, peeled and cut crosswise into thin slices
2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 small)
chopped fennel fronds (optional)

1. Combine orange juice, lemon juice, 1 1/2 Tbs. oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and pepper, stirring with with a whisk.
2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
3. Combine shrimp, remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt; toss to coat. Thread 4 shrimp onto each of 6 (12-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from skewers; keep warm.
4. Divide orange slices evenly among 4 plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup fennel and 6 shrimp. Drizzle 1 Tbs. dressing over each serving. Sprinkle with fennel fronds, if desired.

Serves 4.

First post!

As Edie and I were roaming around the bulk food aisle at Harvest Co-Op today, we were discussing our mutual slightly obsessive love for food, and she had the best idea... to share a food blog. We'll each write about stuff we've cooked together, not together, review restaurants, and post any other food-related things. And when I move to the Philippines in August and she is in Boston, we can write about the (very) different foods we've been eating.

Today was the first time Edie and I ever cooked together, and I'm a little sad it's taken this long to do it! We decided to cook brunch today for no particular reason except that brunch is the best meal in the world. I picked a savory, and she picked a sweet, and we went to town. Edie made coconut macaroon pancakes (recipe courtesy of 101cookbooks.com), and I made a prosciutto, tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil frittata (courtesy of foodandwine.com). Here are the recipes:


Coconut Macaroon Pancakes:

1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
1 /4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose or regular pastry flour)
3 cups unsweetened dried shredded coconut
Scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs. whisked in a medium bowl
1/4 cup natural cane sugar or brown sugar

In a small saucepan heat the coconut milk and honey, bring barely to a simmer.

In a separate large bowl combine the flour, coconut, salt and baking powder. Stir the coconut milk into the flour mixture.

Whisk about 1/3 cup of the coconut mixture into the eggs. Now quickly mix the eggs back into the large bowl of coconut batter. Stir until well combined. You can do this the night before if you like.

Heat your favorite non-stick (or very well-seasoned) skillet, pan, or griddle to medium-hot and brush it with a bit of butter. Test for the right temperature. If a drop of water dropped onto the pan starts to dance, you are in the ballpark. Drop a heaping tablespoon into the skillet, sprinkle the top with a bit of brown sugar. Wait until the pancake bottom is deep golden in color, then flip with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes dozens of silver dollar sized pancakes, or a dozen or so larger ones.

Prosciutto and Fresh Mozzarella Frittata

10 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 thin slices of prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch strips
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the milk, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, parsley and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

In an 8-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the tomato and prosciutto and cook, stirring, until warm, about 2 minutes. Pour in the eggs and cook until beginning to set on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Poke the mozzarella cubes into the eggs. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the frittata for about 20 minutes, until just firm when lightly pressed.

Set the skillet over high heat and shake the frittata until it releases, about 10 seconds. Place a large, flat plate over the skillet and carefully invert the frittata onto it. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 6


We added fresh sliced strawberries to the pancakes (no they're not latkes), which was a nice touch. Both these recipes turned out perfectly as written, no complaints!