I hate potatoes

Sweet Potato GnocchiSorry tubers, but I've never been a fan.  I do have fond memories of growing potatoes as a kid, especially the harvesting (i.e. digging in the dirt) part.  I just don't like eating them.  I think it's a texture issue--they are too mushy and starchy.  This attribute makes potatoes a great ingredient to use in soups, sauces (potato starch is a good thickening agent), and of course dumplings.

Besides using potatoes to make pie, I love making gnocchi.  Gnocchi are actually a bit challenging to make.  You have to add enough flour and knead them enough so that they don't fall apart when you cook them.  Yet, if you add too much flour or over knead them, you get lead sinkers instead of light, fluffy dumplings.  My advice is don't be afraid to get up close and personal with the dough.  It should be somewhat moist, but not too sticky.  Knead it to activate the gluten, but remember, you aren't making bread!Duo of Gnocchi with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and Blue Cheese Sauce

Gnocchi are great vessels for delicious sauces.  I made two different sauces--roasted red pepper pesto and a blue cheese sauce--for my sweet potato gnocchi.  It was delicious.

So maybe I don't hate potatoes.  I just strongly dislike them.

Triathalon Food

My husband and brother competed in the nation's triathalon  last Sunday.  I promised both of them I would cook whatever they wanted for dinner the night before the race.  To all of you cooks out there, beware of what you promise.  I ended up making two different meals (meat for my brother, pasta for my husband) and a sweet potato pie for dessert. 

I decided to make a rack of lamb for my brother.  I love lamb.  Rack of lamb is delicious and actually is easy and quick to make.  I rubbed the lamb with olive oil, mint, garlic, thyme and rosemary and roasted it in the oven for 45 minutes until the lamb reached 140 degrees.  I made my favorite pasta with mushrooms (with homemade noodles of course).

Sweet Potato PieThe highlight of the meal was probably the sweet potato pie.  I was actually going to make a spiced pear crisp for dessert, but I bought local sweet potatoes at the farm market and the boys were carbo loading.  I use a Culinary Institute of America recipe, with a couple of modifications.  I added a Tbs of vodka to the pie crust.  The alcohol evaporates and makes the crust incredibly delicate and flakey.  The key to a good sweet potato pie is of course delicious sweet potatoes.  This may seem obvious, but it is important that you use real sweet potatoes and not yams. Sweet potatoes and yams look similar but they are not related.  Sweet potatoes are starchier, but not as sweet (and most importantly not as watery) as yams.  I also modified the recipe by using maple syrup instead of sugar and fresh ginger.

After all the calories I consumed, I need to run a couple of triathalons.

Fabulous Favas

Blanched FavasI fell in love with fava beans on my first trip to Italy.  The large, slightly starchy, flavorful beans are only available in the spring (they wither and turn black in hot weather), but its a treat I look forward to every year.  In Italy, Favas are prepared simply--a bit of fresh spice and maybe some broth. 

Because they are fresh, they cook quickly.  However, I am the first to admit they are a pain in the neck to prepare.  Trust me it's worth it (or if you don't trust me, the next time you see them on a restaurant menu, try the dish!)  First you must remove the beans from the shell.  This is fairly easy and mindless.  You can watch Favas in the half shelltv, listen to the radio, or blog at the same time.  The beans that emerge look ready to eat, but they're not.  Blanch the beans for 10 seconds in boiling water, drain, and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.  Now the time consuming part begins.  Pierce each shell with a sharp knife and squeeze.  The bean should pop out!

TFavas and couscousonight we are going to have beans prepared two ways--with tomatoes and herbs, and Favas with garlic and thyme.  We are also going to have Mushroom couscous.

Springtime in Shenandoah

It's my favorite time of year...high seventies, sunny, low humidity. Waterfall in White Oak CanyonThe best time of year to go hiking! My brother and I went to Shenandoah National Park to climb White Oak Canyon to Cedar Run, my favorite hike in the park. It's a fairly steep climb during which you pass a series of waterfalls. The hike is always beautiful, but we have gotten so much rain lately that it was even more beautiful than usual. The waterfalls were Picking strawberrieshuge! I remembered my camera and I would include pictures, but I left the battery in the charger dutifully preparing for the hike.

Besides the scenery and the joy of being outside, another perk of hiking is being able to eat anything calorie free. Today we had my favorite hiking sandwich...caramelized onion, cheddar, and black bean wraps. They are delicious and high in protein. On the way home we went strawberry picking and I made another seasonal favorite, strawberry-rhubarb preserve.

Update: The pictures I took on my iphone actually came out.  amazing!!!!

Spring Time In the Farmer's Market

Morel MushroomsI always feel a mixture of happiness and annoyance during the The Distinctive Hollow Interior of Morelsfirst springtime farmer's market.  It's always lovely when color returns to the market--green asparagus, peas, and spring onions, purple irises, and red swisschard.  Of course with spring, the fair market attendees return (I am one of the few who go to the outdoor market year round to purchase bread, meat, potatoes and, if the hens are laying, eggs).  With higher attendence, even if you arrive Garlic Shootswith the opening bell, the market is very crowded.

This past Saturday I purchased some of my favorite ingredients--fresh morel mushrooms and delicate garlic shoots.  Morels grow wild in nearly every state.  They are distinctive in appearance and flavor, but the truest way to identify morels is by cutting them opening to reveal their hollow Pasta with Garlic Shoots and Morelsinterior.  Garlic shoots have a much more mild flavor then the older bulbs.  You can try them raw (I did) but I wouldn't recommend it.  However, when sauteed they become tender and sweet.  Together, the mushrooms and the shoots provided the perfect base for a light pasta sauce with the sweetness of the shoots playing off of the earthiness of the mushrooms.