Orange Yogurt Loaf Cake

Anyone who knows me also knows this for a fact: that I absolutely love cake. I'd eat it daily if I could. There was an embarrassing stretch while I was 7 months pregnant, when I actually DID eat cake (from the hospital cafeteria) every single day for two weeks. With milk. And it was goooood. Thankfully I ended the cake habit when I switched rotations (and luckily the baby came out adorably chubby, not morbidly obese).

I also love baking cake, although I've had my share of baking mishaps. Including:

1) Genoise - I attempted this classic French cake at the age of 14 with my mischievous cousin Maya. Instead of following the recipe (involving folding beaten egg whites) we decided to use whole eggs instead. The resulting cake looked and tasted like a hockey puck. We covered the whole thing in raspberries and tried to pass it off to the boy cousins. Ha ha.

2) Mustafa's birthday cake- In med school, I decided to bake my best friend Mustafa a gorgeous chocolate devil's food cake from the Magnolia bakery cookbook. I slaved away for HOURS on this beautiful cake, even beating the buttercream by hand in a freezing New York City apartment. Unfortunately I cut the cake-baking a little too close, leaving me with steaming cake layers that needed to be frosted quickly. You know how they say to wait until the cake is completely cooled? There's a reason why. If you frost it, and it's still warm, not only does the frosting melt and slide off but THE CAKE MIGHT JUST CRACK! My masterpiece grew a Y-shaped crack (like the scar after a liver transplant, Mustafa helpfully pointed out) and the frosting slid down the cracks. Later, when I carried the cake in as people sang Happy Birthday, I couldn't help but notice people staring at it. And not in a good way.

Thankfully today will not go down as a disastrous cake making day. This dessert, an orange-flavored oil-based cake, was a winner! Yay Dorie Greenspan. This is an amazingly easy and tasty cake that you can (I kid you not) whip together in an hour with ingredients you probably already have lying around. I substituted canola oil for EVOO (which is OK per Dorie) and used the zest of one large orange instead of lime.

The flavor of this little cake is fantastic - lightly sweet and permeated with orange flavor. The oil and yogurt make for a moist crumb and the cake (per Dorie) keeps beautifully although personally I would have a hard time not eating the whole thing in a day or two! I sent this one to daycare for Teacher's Week (where it was enjoyed, I'm told) but this cake's going into the permanent repertoire. I can see all kinds of variations with this - orange cardamom, blueberry lime, even chocolate chips! Thanks Dorie. This one's a winner!

EVO and Yogurt Loaf Cake - Recipe by Dorie Greenspan

- makes 8 servings -

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup EVO (extra-virgin olive oil)

Procedure

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch loaf pan, place the pan on a lined baking sheet and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and keep near by.

1. Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and rub the ingredients together until the sugar is fragrant. Whisk in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla. When the mixture is well blended, gently whisk in the dry ingredients. Switch to a spatula and fold in the oil. The batter will be thick and shiny. Scrape it into the pan and smooth the top.

2. Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is golden and starts to come away from the sides of the pan; a knife inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then run a knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up.

Storing: You can keep the cake at room temperature for at least 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months

Asparagus orzotto

Have you ever tried cooking pasta risotto-style? You start with your chosen sauce or vegetable in a large pan, then add the pasta. Then you merely add water or broth in small increments, stirring every so often, until the pasta is done. The starch surrounding the pasta combines with the liquid you've chosen to create a creamy sauce. I know this may sound heretical but I discovered this method in an Alain Ducasse recipe (which, by the way, is scrumptious and I promise to share with you). And if it's good enough for Alain Ducasse then it's definitely good enough for me.

We used this method (with delightful results) to cook up an asparagus "orzotto" tonight. You simply saute asparagus with a few aromatics (onion and rosemary, in our case but this recipe welcomes substitutions such as thyme, red pepper, shallots, etc) then pour in a bag of orzo and pretend you are making risotto. Although we are a risotto-loving household, orzotto wins points for speed (done in less than 15 minutes!). It reheats beautifully in case you're looking for leftovers.


Asparagus Orzotto
If you want to make asparagus risotto instead, simply subsitute 2 cups of carnaroli or arborio rice for the orzo. Your cooking time will be closer to 20 minutes. Rest assured that risotto or orzotto (in the case of a vegetable-based dish; not so sure if you were going to make a risotto alla milanese) really can be made with water instead of broth.

1 1/2 bunches asparagus
2T olive oil
1 small onion, minced or sliced thinly
2 sprigs either thyme or rosemary
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lb orzo
optional - 1/4 cup of white wine or the juice of 1 lemon + the zest of that lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2-4 T Greek yogurt or creme fraiche (we prefer the yogurt)
Water (or broth) - you'll need 6-8 cups.
2T finely chopped parsley
Salt, pepper to taste

Start heating a small pot full of water or broth. Rinse off the asparagus spears and snap off the ends. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. When hot, add the onions, herbs, garlic and red pepper flakes as well as about 1 tsp of salt. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft.

Add the orzo and stir for a few minutes to toast the pasta (just 2-3 minutes). Do not brown. At this point, you can add the optional white wine or citrus juice. Stir to evaporate all of the liquid.

Add the asparagus pieces and 1 cup of water. Crank up the heat to high and stir. From now on, keep a close eye on the pot. Add liquid as necessary to keep the orzo surrounded by a small amount of liquid at all times; don't let it dry out. I usually add a cup of liquid every 3-5 minutes and stir pretty frequently.

Orzo usually cooks in about 10-12 minutes. Start tasting around 9 minutes. It should be just tender (not mushy). When the orzo is done, take it off the heat. Stir in the cheese, yogurt or creme fraiche and parsley. Taste for salt, grind pepper over the top and serve.

Easy Whole Moong Dal and Potato Curry

Many folks seem to think that Indian food is somehow difficult and time consuming to make. If you want to make the elaborate North Indian food that you eat in restaurants, it may take you awhile. But Indian home cooking is a different thing altogether. With the help of a pressure cooker, you can turn out a complete dinner (lentils, rice and a veggie stir-fry) in 45 minutes or less. Usually less!

Unfortunately I ran out of the dal I usually use for my South Indian dal recipes (either split peeled moong dal or toor dal) but I did have a jar full of whole green moong. Whole green (or unpeeled) moong has a wonderful flavor, although it does take a little longer to cook. It tastes great plain, as I've prepared it today, or in combination with other dals, which is what I usually do. Today's recipes come from northern India (Gujarat for the potatoes; the dal is sort of a northern Indian-inspired dish).

Caveat - Although I've called for whole green moong in the first recipe, I assure you that you can use ANY lentils that you find with equally delicious results. Plain "lentils" from the grocery store will work. Pink lentils (aka masoor dal) cook up particularly fast. And if you live near a Trader Joe's, may I recommend trying the pre-cooked lentils that you can find in the refrigerator section? Just start the recipe after step 1 and add a little water to make a more soupy consistency.


Easy Moong Dal -- any dal can be substituted but you'll have to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Also feel free to add minced garlic (toss it in with the ginger) and/or curry leaves if you have them. If you have curry leaves, I recommend sauteeing them briefly (for a few seconds) on hot oil and then adding to the cooked dal at the very end.

Serves 2 hungry adults for dinner + leftovers for lunches

1 cup whole green moong, soaked if possible for a few hours. You can also quick-soak by covering with boiling water and leaving for one hour.
1 inch of ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 or 1 fresh green chile, optional
2 tomatoes (fresh or canned), chopped.
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Chile powder, to taste (I used 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1/2 lemon
A handful of chopped cilantro


1. Start by rinsing the soaked moong dal. Place in pressure cooker (or in any large pot) and cover with fresh water.
2. Add the ginger, green chile (if you are using), tomatoes and turmeric. If you are using a pressure cooker, consult the manual to calculate how much water to add. I usually add water in a 3:1 or 4:1 (for larger whole dals) ratio. Better to add less water and then drain it later then burn your dal. Cook until completely soft and tender - there should be no crunchy parts but it shouldn't be mush either. You should still be able to discern whole beans, though many of them will have split. Using a pressure cooker, this took me 10 minutes. Without a pressure cooker it will take much longer, probably 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending upon the freshness of your lentils.

3. Once the dal is cooked, if you've added too much water, drain enough so that the lentils are a spoonable consistency (they should be surrounded by a small amount of liquid). Turn the heat to low. Add the salt, cumin, coriander, chile powder and garam masala. Let cook for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

4. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. Taste -- the salt and lemon should be balanced. Sprinkle the cilantro on top and serve.


Batata Shaak- adapted from the Los Angeles Times
1 T oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch asefetida (hing) - if you have it
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 inch ginger root, peeled and grated
10 curry leaves - optional
1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced (2 cups)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the next six ingredients and stir.
Cover and cook for a few minutes or until the mustard seeds begin to pop.

Add the potatoes and stir. Then add the water and salt to taste. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Then cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are done (12-15 minutes depending on how big the potatoes are).

If you want a drier dish (as I did), then when the potatoes are done, uncover and cook over high heat to evaporate most of the liquid. You can also thicken the gravy by mashing a few of the potatoes with a wooden spoon or a fork.

Taste for salt. Sprinkle over the cumin, coriander and cilantro. Mix well and serve hot.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper's Cheese-Gilded Linguine with Smoky Tomatoes

Lately I've had one thing (and one thing only) on my iPod - Lynne Rossetto Kasper's "The Splendid Table" podcasts. For an hour each week, Rossetto Kasper talks about one of my favorite subjects - food. The first half is devoted to random food topics (including a regular segment by the wonderful and ebullient Jane and Michael Stern, who talk about road food) and, during the second half, Rossetto Kasper fields questions from viewers. She's funny and knowledgeable and she has a terrific radio voice to boot. It's a warm and cozy voice, the voice of a woman who would be fun to gossip or cook something delicious with. She's also a wonderful cookbook author (check out The Italian Country Table) which is why I signed up for her weekly emails with dinner tips (How to Eat Supper, which you can get here).

This week's recipe featured an easy pasta recipe, Cheese-Guilded Linguine with Smoky Tomatoes. The original recipe features bacon, hence the smoky flavor. I left the bacon out and added a pinch of my favorite new spice, pimenton de la vera (or Spanish smoked paprika). Veggie folks -- you need this paprika. Just a sprinkle adds a hint of smoky, delicious flavor to so many things. It's great with eggs, black beans (definitely black beans!), mashed potatoes ....

I used a little less garlic (3 cloves instead of 5 because, frankly, 5 seems like a lot). Otherwise I stuck to her recipe and I was glad I did! This is a quick but rich-tasting, spicy sauce with a hint of smoky flavor. This despite using canned tomatoes! I found that I didn't need the whole recipe to sauce my pasta, mostly because I like a light coating of sauce instead of a drenching. Leftover sauce could, of course, be used for another round of pasta. Or --
-mixed into eggs for a spicy frittata
-spooned over polenta
-spread on bread and layered with cheese for a panini
-my favorite: thinned slightly with water or vegetable stock and then used to poach a couple of eggs in

The one change I might make next time is to toss some fresh parsley in at the end and to use a mix of pecorino and parmesan cheese. I find that the saltiness of pecorino contrasts well with spicy sauces.


Cheese-Gilded Linguine with Smoky Tomatoes
Adapted from Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories and Opinions from Public Radio's Award-Winning Food Show)

• 5 quarts salted water in a 6-quart pot
• 3T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp pimenton de la Vera
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper (I used a generous amount of freshly ground pepper)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (I used 1/2 tsp)
  
• 5 large garlic cloves, minced
• One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with their liquid, plus one 14-ounce can, drained
• 1 pound imported linguine
• 1 generous cup fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for the table

1. Bring the salted water to a boil.

2. Heat 3T olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to brown (5-8 minutes).

3. Add garlic, cook 1 minute, then add tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes as you go, making sure to discard the core. Sprinkle in the pimenton de la Vera. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and then cover while you finish cooking the pasta.

5. Drop the pasta into the boiling water, and cook until it is tender but still a little firm to the bite. Drain, and turn it into a serving bowl. Toss with the 1 cup cheese until it clings to the noodles, then toss with the sauce. [I think there's too much sauce for this recipe. You may want to add half the sauce, toss, then see if you need more sauce.] Serve hot, with additional cheese at the table if desired.

Lunch for two

A crusty Acme baguette, leftover tabbouleh and a bowl of pasta e fagioli soup for me. Tiny slices of baguette and a little bowl of soup for the baby. She loved the soup and munched contentedly on a slice of bread (before tossing it on the ground). Then she tossed all the Cheerios to the ground. Then she flung the yogurt to the ground. Lunch over!

Kim Boyce's Apple Oatmeal Muffins

I love muffins. And who doesn't? They're quick little breads, not overly sweet like cupcakes and hopefully filled with tasty things like fruits and nuts. I have a vision of the perfect muffin: small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, moist with a fluffy crumb, not too sweet and crammed with nuggets of something delicious. Blueberries with orange zest? Dates and walnuts? Apples and cinnamon? Yes please!

But make it a little healthier, would ya? See, muffins often fall into the category of what I call Not-Worth-The-Calories. A good example would be your typical coffee joint muffin. Satisfying when you're starving, yes, but if you really taste the muffin and judge it by its merits? SO not worth the calories. Especially since it probably has 400 of them.

So here's my vision - a healthy muffin which also happens to be delicious. Imagine my delight to see this article in the Los Angeles Times, featuring nutritious breakfast muffins created by Kim Boyce. Boyce used to be the pastry chef at Campanile so you can be sure she knows her stuff. I really wanted to try one of her muffins and luckily, I had *most* of the ingredients to make her apple oatmeal muffins. I say most because I didn't have graham flour or oat flour. I decided to wing it using 2 cups of all-purpose instead.

This is an interesting recipe. You start by simmering oatmeal in a mixture of milk and water while caramelizing apple chunks with cinnamon (in a different pan). This sounds complicated but it takes just a few minutes. Then you mix the dry ingredients with a few spices (including a surprisingly generous amount of fresh nutmeg - 1 tablesp0on!) and the wet ingredients. A very small amount of butter is used; milk and applesauce provide the remaining moisture. That's it! The whole prep took me about 20 minutes.



The verdict? Well - it's a mixed bag. The flavor of these muffins is outstanding; the cinnamon and nutmeg lend a subtle warm spiciness and I love the caramelized apple chunks. I'd increase the apples next time. I also liked that these muffins were barely sweet (if you have a real sweet tooth you'll want to add more sugar).

I did find, however, the texture to be a little ... weird. The muffins were moist, certainly, but the crumb wasn't light and fluffy. It was dense and heavy. And kind of chewy. It's got that low-fat muffin texture, which frankly I'm not crazy about. It could be that I overbeat the batter slightly but I've made plenty of muffins before and never had this problem so I'm pretty sure it's the recipe.

Here's a close-up. Notice the moist crumb? And the cranny where an apple chunk was eaten?



I would make these again, however, because the mild apple spice flavor is so delicious and I'm pretty sure my 11-month baby would gobble them up in the form of mini-muffins. I noticed that Boyce's sweet potato muffin recipe uses a combination of fermented dairy products (yogurt, buttermilk) with baking soda. I've obtained a good rise and crumb with this combination in the past so I will probably use this for the moisture in my muffins next time (in addition to using the whole grain flours).

PS - Check out Luisa's experience with the sweet potato muffins, which are on my must-try list


Apple oatmeal muffins

Makes 1 dozen muffins

Note: From Kim Boyce. Graham flour is available at Whole Foods markets and health-food stores. Use any apple sauce containing only apples and water.

Vegetable oil spray for coating muffin tins
1 1/2 cups milk, divided
1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt, divided
1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons white sugar, divided
2 medium apples, (a tart, crisp variety such as Braeburn or Granny Smith), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup graham flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla


Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a muffin pan with vegetable oil.

In a small saucepan, bring one-half cup water, one-half cup of the milk and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add the oats, cover and simmer at medium-low heat until cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Most of the liquid will evaporate.

Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the white sugar over medium-high heat until bubbling. Add the apples and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, toss, then allow to caramelize without stirring. Toss again, each time allowing the apples to color. Once finished cooking, the apples should have lost their edges and be caramelized, about 5 minutes.

Into a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, oat flour, graham flour, the remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar, the brown sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and one-half teaspoon salt. Add any remaining grain from the sifter and stir to combine.

Whisk the remaining 1 cup milk, the applesauce, the melted butter, the egg and the vanilla with the oatmeal in a separate bowl. Pour in the dry-ingredients mixture. Add the apples and fold until the mixture just comes together.

Using an ice cream scoop (about one-half cup capacity), scoop the mixture into each of 12 muffin cups, about 1 scoop per muffin. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The bottom of the muffins will be dark golden brown.

Nutritional information (per muffin): 195 calories; 4 grams protein; 31 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 32 mg. cholesterol; 252 mg. sodium.

A tangy salad

In my opinion, there's nothing better than a tangy vegetable salad. Growing up, "salad" consisted of an array of thinly sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and sometimes radishes spread in a single layer. Just before dinner, my brother or I would be called upon to dress the salad with lime juice and salt. By the time we were ready to eat, the vegetables would have given off a little moisture but they remained crisp and juicy.

Since then I've come to appreciate a wide variety of zingy salads. Korean panchan, Israeli chopped salads, Greek salads -- all favorites of mine. Today I opened the fridge to a lonely looking half-bunch of parsley, a few scallions and a sack of Bob's Red Mill whole grain bulgur. I thought I'd make one of my favorite salads and clean out the fridge in one fell swoop. To avoid alienating my parsley-averse husband, I only used half a bunch of parsley rather than my preferred 2 bunches (since, traditionally, tabbouleh should consist mostly of parsley). I was too lazy to run to the store for mint, which I typically would use. Even with the shortcuts, I was rewarded with a bowl of fluffy bulgur drenched in a refreshing, lemony dressing.

** Regular bulgur (rather than whole grain) can be substituted. Just follow the package directions. I personally find whole grain bulgur quite delicious.


Tabbouleh - adapted from Gourmet magazine and Bob's Red Mill

Serves 3-4

1 cup bulgur (cracked wheat) -- (Note - I used whole grain)
1/2 bunch parsley, minced (or more to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 bunch mint, minced
3-4 scallions, sliced thinly
Black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste
1/4 t ground cumin (Note - I doubled this)
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1-2 lemons
2-4 T olive oil

For whole grain bulgur, cover with 1 cup tap water and let stand at least 30 minutes. I personally prefer to soak for a few hours to make sure the grains are soft enough.

Drain the bulgur well and then add all herbs and spices. Squeeze the lemon juice over and dress with enough olive oil to thoroughly moisten. Taste for seasoning. It should taste bright and lemony.