Strawberry and Lemon Curd Tart

Sweet strawberries heaped in a crisp crust make a beautiful tart, but a thin layer of lemon curd between the pastry and berries transforms it into something truly special.

Ingredients:
For the lemon curd
5 egg yokes
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
freshly grated zest of 2 lemons
6 Tbs of unsalted butter

For tart pastry
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 Tbs, or more, cold water

For currant glaze
1 cup red currant jelly
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice


~To make Lemon Curd, combine the egg yokes and sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan saucepan. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk 1 minute more. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened; don't let it become too hot or the egg yokes will scramble. Remove from heat and add the butter. Stir until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally. There should be about 1 cup. Transfer to a tightly capped jar and chill before assembling the tart.
~To make tart pastry. Food Processor Method: Place the flour, sugar and salt in the work bowl of a processor. Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and add them. Process, using rapid off-on pulses, until the mixture resembles small particles about the size of oatmeal flakes. Add 1 Tbs of the water and process for a couple seconds. Add another tablespoon of the water and process with 3-4 off-on pulses. Feel the dough; it should be damp enough to form a rough mass. Add a few more drops of water if necessary to achieve the correct consistency. Dump the dough onto a work surface, gather it together and pat it into a cake . The dough may be used right away, although you may find the dough easier to roll out if it is wrapped in a plastic wrap and chilled for 30 minutes or so, especially on very hot days.
Hand Method: Combine flour sugar and salt in the mixing bowl, and toss together. Cut the butter in to bits and add to flour mixture. With your fingertips, two knives, or a pastry blender, blend the ingredients together, until it resembles oatmeal flakes. Continue, by adding water and making sure the dough is not too wet.  Then dump onto a work surface; continue as you would with Food Processor Method.
Roll dough out on a generously floured work surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick and 11 inches in diameter. Try to keep the shape as round as possible. Transfer rolled-out pastry to a tart pan. Pat some of the overhang back in around the edge to make the sides thicker than the bottom. Trim off any of remaining  overhang.
~To make Currant Glaze: Bring jelly and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool fro a moment. The glaze is now ready to use. If the glaze thickens too much upon standing, reheat gently to liquefy it.

To assemble Tart: Bake tart pastry at 425F, until browned and crisp. Cool completely before filling. Spread the lemon curd in the cooled tart shell. Take 4 cups of strawberries, and if the strawberries are large, slice each one lengthwise into 2-3 pieces. Arrange the strawberries on top of the lemon crd. Brush with warm currant glaze. Serve tart as soon as possible.

Broccoletti saltati con aglio

This dish (broccoli with oil and garlic), is a very simple way of transforming steamed or blanched broccoli into a succulent Mediterranean dish. Peeling the broccoli stalks is easy, and allows for even cooking.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh broccoli
3 Tb olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1) Wash broccoli. Cut off any woody parts at the base of the stems. Use a small sharp knife to peel the broccoli stems. Cut any very long or wide stalks in half.
2) Boil water in the bottom of a saucepan equipped with a steamer, or bring a large pan of water to a boil. If steaming the broccoli, put it in the steamer and cover tightly. Cook for 8-12 minutes or until the stems are tender when pierced with the point of a knife. Remove from the heat.  If blanching, drop the broccoli into the pan of boiling water and blanch until tender, 5-6 minutes. Drain.
3) In a frying pan large enough to hold all the broccoli pieces, gently heat the oil with the garlic. When the garlic is a light golden brown (do not let it brown or it will bitter) add the broccoli, and cook over moderate heat for 3-4 minutes, turning carefully to coat it with the hot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold.

Bibb Salad with Anise Croutons

These croutons are simple to make, and also differ from the usual crouton, and are a nice match for the soft goat cheese in this salad.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1tsp. anise or fennel seeds
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed with a chef's knife
8 baguette slices, cut on the diagonal, about 1 inch thick and 4 inches long
4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 head bibb (or Boston, or butterhead, they are all the same), broken apart
1/4 cup crumbled soft goat cheese

1. Put on some Billy Joel (or another old favourite)
2. Preheat oven to 375F. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the anise or fennel, and the garlic. Stir well, and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes so the garlic can flavour the oil.
3. Place the bread on a baking sheet. With either a spoon or a brush, coat the top and side of the bread pieces with the seeds and flavoured oil. reserve the bowl, even if only the garlic is left in it. Bake the croutons for 8 - 10 minutes, or until they are golden. Let them cool.
4. Into the bowl in which you mixed the oil, anise or fennel, and garlic, put the remaining 2 Tbs. of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Stir well, and add salt and pepper.
5. Assemble the salad: Divide the lettuce among four plates. Lay the croutons on the lettuce, then drizzle the dressing (holding back the garlic clove) over the lettuce and croutons. Sprinkle with the goat cheese, and serve.

From Didi Emmons' Vegetarian Planet 

Salad Tips:
Use a large enough bowl, so you will have plenty of room to toss the salad thoroughly. The optional extras--cut up vegetables, tomatoes, nuts, fruit, etc. should be mixed in gently or laid on top just before serving. Rule of thumb:
be a benefactor with oil
a miser with the vinegar
a poet with the salt, and
a demon with the pepper!
      

Kale chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Tear bite size pieces of kale from the stalk
3. Wash and dry kale thoroughly
4. Spray a cookie sheet with canola oil (make sure to use oil, not a kind of pan spray)
5. Add pieces of kale to the cookie sheet and spray kale with canola oil (or olive oil)
6. Sprinkle with sea salt
7. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove quickly, or they will burn.

Or


1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Wash and dry kale. Remove leaves from stems and rip into chip size pieces. Place kale into a large bowl.
3. Drizzle about 2 Tb. of olive oil onto kale and evenly massage onto leaves. Add 1/4 tsp. of salt, and any other spices of your choice. Mix.
4. Spread kale evenly on a very lightly oil coated baking sheet or parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place in oven and bake for about 12 minutes, checking on them to make sure they don't burn.
5. Remove when done, and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Kale and Pineapple Smoothie

This is my very own recipe, and I find that you can not really taste the kale--so this may be a good recipe for people who do not like kale.

5 kale leaves
1 pineapple
1/2 - 1cup of juice (orange, apple, mango, pineapple, etc.)
optional: 1/2 tsp. flax seed oil

Blend, and serve cold.

Drying herbs

I know this isn't a recipe, but dried herbs are essential for cooking, and you can have them all year long.
To dry fresh herbs: Either Take a bunch of herbs and tie a string or ribbon around the stems and put tops of herbs in a paper bag and hang to dry, in a dry (and preferably darker) room, and let dry until leaves crackle when touched (this takes close to a week, depending on the humidity in the room).
Or take window screens that are not being used, and lay them in a dry (and preferably darker) room. Place herbs on screens, and let dry.
Or you can dry herbs in the refrigerator (this can only be done in a frost-free refrigerator). This method is best for small amounts of herbs. Place chopped herbs on a plate on the refrigerator shelf, where they will be   crisp and dry in 5-6 days.
After herbs have dried, put in jars to keep them from getting damaged etc. and store in a cool, dark place.

Herbs in season: oregano, thyme, peppermint and cilantro.

Sauce Vinaigrette

French Dressing:
For salads, make the dressing in an empty bowl or a jar, so that all ingredients are well blended and flavoured before the salad is mixed with the dressing. And be sure the salad greens are perfectly dry so the dressing will adhere to the leaves. Salad dressings are always best when freshly made; if they stand around for several days they tend to acquire a rancid taste.

For about half a cup
1/2 to 2 Tb wine vinegar or a mixture of vinegar and lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
Optional: 1/4 tsp dry mustard
6 Tb salad oil or olive oil (salad oil is tasteless)
Big pinch of pepper
Optional: 1 to 2 Tb minced green herbs, such as oregano, thyme or chives (dried herbs can also be used)

Directions: Either beat the vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl with the salt (and optional mustard) until the salt is dissolved, then beat oil by droplets, and season with pepper. Or place all ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake vigorously for 30 seconds to blend thoroughly. Add herbs at the end before dressing the salad.

From Julia Child's Mastering the art of French Cooking