Culinary Adventures with Camilla

It's my turn to host  The Food Matters Project  once again. This dish - inspired by Mark Bittman's Stir-fried Fennel with Grapefruit and Shrimp - is pulling triple duty as my Food Matters post, a post for #BrunchWeek, and a wrap-up of my adventures in cooking with flowers for the book review I did for Quirk Books of Cooking with Flowers  by Miche Baker of  Mali B Sweets . Well, my review was done, but I still had flowers to use. So, the orchid-addition is more gratuitous than anything else, but they are pretty and they do actually taste good. Still, they won't make or break this stir-fry; feel free to skip them. I also added dandelion greens because I had them leftover from my CSA box from Fogline Farm . I never miss the chance to add a handful of nutrient-rich greens to our food. Another quick note, whenever I buy seafood - which is multiple times per week - I try to be diligent about making sustainable choices. Here's what the Seafood Watch told me about sh...

This week  Laura of Chef Laura at Home  picked our recipe for the week: Lemon-Blueberry Crisp with Pine Nut Topping. Here's her take ; and here's what the rest of us made (look in the comments section). While Mark Bittman's recipe looks fantastic, if you have ever had pine nut mouth , you might steer clear of pine nuts as our family does. Those three days of a tinny taste in our mouths after eating anything soured us to the poor pine nut. So, tonight I swapped out the pine nuts for almonds. 6 T butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan 4 C organic, fresh blueberries ½ C sliced almonds ½ C organic, dark brown sugar ½ C white whole wheat flour ½ C ground almonds ½ teaspoon ground cardamom zest from 1 lemon Butter your baking dish and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dust your blueberries in 2 T of flour so that your crisp won't be too watery. Lay them in your dish. Sprinkle the zest over the top. In a large mixing bowl blend...

We've come full circle and I am thrilled to be hosting  The Food Matters Project  once again, my first for 2013. Last April I selected a recipe full of Springtime flavors: Fish Braised in Rhubarb Sauce.  My first attempt was rhubarb-less ;  my second attempt was successful . I will definitely be making that again when rhubarb appears on market shelves in a few months. In November, I hosted Braised Beef with Barley . This time, my recipe pick was driven by an admittedly silly play on words; I wanted to cook a "We're quite a 'pear'!" dinner for Jake... not for Valentines'. I actually - and unapologetically -  boycott Valentines' (click to read why I really dislike this 'holiday.' ). So, we did this dinner this weekend, two full weekends early. I chose Mark Bittman's Cardamom-Scented Pear Crisp for The Food Matters Project piece and - inspired by the magical combination of cardamom and pear - rounded out the dinner, using them in all t...

The Food Matters Project  challenge for this week was Mark Bittman's Sesame Noodles with Spinach and Salmon, chosen by Sara of Pidge's Pantry .  Click here  to see what everyone else made. Look in the comments section. This was an easy dinner on a Sunday night. Well, easy for me. My husband had to pick the crabs clean...which I really, really appreciated. I did pour him an oatmeal stout while he cracked and pulled. And I especially loved that the crab was pulled from the bay this afternoon. I am so grateful to have friends who fish and crab. Or, in this case, friends of friends. 3 C baby kale leaves 1 C thinly sliced shitake mushrooms 1 T minced garlic enough whole wheat spaghetti noodles for everyone you're serving olive oil sesame oil soy sauce sesame seeds for garnish 2 handfuls haricots verts, blanched crab meat smoked salmon Cook the pasta. In the meantime, brown the garlic in a large flat-bottom pan. Add the shitake mushrooms and baby kale. Co...

The Food Matters Project  challenge for this week was Mark Bittman's Roasted Butternut Squash Chowder with Apples and Bacon, chosen by Jen of Prarie Summers .  Click here  to see what everyone else made; look in the comments section. I really wanted to call this a pumpkin 'bisque'; that sounds more sexy than pumpkin 'soup'. But then I did some reading and realized that you can't categorize something as a bisque unless it has fish stock as its base. So...this is fenneled pumpkin  soup  made with pumpkin puree from the bounty of pumpkins I had gotten for a pumpkin-themed baby shower last month. I roasted and pureed all of the leftovers, stocking my freezer for things such as this. The bacon adds a delicious smokiness and the persimmons impart an exotic sweetness. I served this as the first course for our Thanksgiving lunch. It was a hit! 1 C diced bacon 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and diced 1 T minced garlic 6 C pumpkin puree 10 C organic chick...

The Food Matters Project  challenge for this week was Mark Bittman's Sweet Potato and Corn Fritters with Thai Dipping Sauce, chosen by Aura of Dinner with Aura . Click here to see what everyone else made; look in the comments section. Just this morning the boys had asked me "What is a fritter?" Granted they were talking about the sugar-glazed apple monstrosities that they had eyed at the donut store with my husband, but I figured it was perfect timing. And since I wanted to turn this into dinner, I decided to make two different savory fritters. Curried Pumpkin-Corn Fritters I didn't have any sweet potatoes, but I had some pumpkin puree leftover from my son's pumpkin pie , so I swapped that. And I added in some curry powder for extra oomph. 2 C pumpkin puree 1 C corn kernels 2 eggs 1/2 C white whole wheat flour 1 t curry powder freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste Mix all of the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl to form a ...

We've come full circle and I am thrilled to be hosting The Food Matters Project  once again. Back in April I selected a recipe full of Springtime flavors: Fish Braised in Rhubarb Sauce. My first attempt was rhubarb-less ; my second attempt was successful . And I will definitely be making that again when rhubarb appears on market shelves next Spring. So, in keeping with this season, I wanted to make a hearty, Autumn-appropriate stew. I picked Bittman's Wheat Berries with Braised Beef and Parsnips as my inspiration. Admittedly, I made a few adjustments based on what I had in my cupboard. I subbed beer for the wine, skipped the garlic, added pumpkin, quince, and chestnuts, swapped watermelon radishes for the parsnips because I had some leftover from my CSA box, and ended up having to change out barley for farro . This recipe is definitely not for when you are in a rush. But if you have multiple hours - and I did because I was cranking on an article deadline - do it! Y...

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project was chosen by Jess of Cheese Please . Naturally, caseophile that she is, she picked a cheesy recipe, Bittman's Cheese-Nut Balls. Here's her post: Cheddar Cheese and Almond Nut Ball . Bittman writes that "cheese balls take well to additions, like olives, fresh chiles, cranberries, dried fruit...." Done. While I opted to stick with his parmesan and gorgonzola combination, I added roasted figs for some extra flavor. Then I drizzled the ball with some raw, local honey and served it all with some multi-grain baguette slices. It was the perfect start to our Sunday feast. Roasted Figs   Destem and halve your figs. Lay them on a baking stone and sprinkle them with some organic granulated sugar. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the figs are softened and caramelized. Let cool. Cheese Ball 1/2 C ground almonds juice from 1 lemon freshly ground salt and pepper to taste 1/4 C grated ...

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project was chosen by Jen of Prarie Summers : Apricot Polenta Cake. I've made polenta cakes before...but usually with fresh cherries and lemon zest. Bittman's version calls for dried apricots and orange juice. I doubled the recipe and skipped separating the eggs; none of the recipes I've used before called for that step...and I needed to simplify tonight. Then I decided to shake it up a little bit by using fresh figs, sweet lime juice, and adding some fresh rosemary needles. What a delightful dessert! 2/3 C olive oil 1 C polenta (coarse corn meal) 1 C white whole wheat flour 3 t baking powder 1 C raw turbinado sugar 4 eggs 4 T sweet lime juice halved fresh figs, enough to press into the top of the cake 1 sprig of fresh rosemary organic granulated sugar for dusting Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease your cake pan. I used a 10" round. Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add t...

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project was chosen by Kathleen + Tom of Life with the Lushers : Edamame Cakes with Soy Drizzling Sauce. From the look of their blog, they are a fun duo; and this recipe was fun as well. I had some cranberry shelling beans from my CSA box and made up the difference with some fresh peas. I've used cranberry shelling beans before, but this was the first time I noticed that they are snowy white when you first shell them. Then, after cooking, they turn a deep cranberry color. Hence the name. Perhaps. 1 C fresh cranberry shelling beans 1 C fresh peas 1 egg white whole wheat flour, as needed ground ginger freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Add the shelling beans to boiling water and cook till tender; this probably took about 20-25 minutes. Drain the boiling water into a bowl and blanch the peas in the cooking water. Drain the peas and place both the beans and peas in a bowl. Use a potato masher to create a...

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project was chosen by Sara of Simply Whole Kitchen : Quinoa Tabbouleh. Mark Bittman writes that tabbouleh is usually made from bulgur wheat and warns against turning this into a grain salad; tabbouleh should be an herb and vegetable heavy dish. Done. Here's our hostess's take on the recipe: Simply Whole Kitchen's tabbouleh ...and here's what the rest of the gang did. Click here and look in the comments section. What I used... cooked organic tricolor quinoa (1 C uncooked) 2 Persian cucumbers 3 kumato brown tomatoes 2 C fresh chopped Italian parsley 1/2 C fresh chopped mint 2 fresh chopped scallions olive oil freshly ground pink Himalaya salt freshly ground rainbow peppercorns juice from 1 yuzu 1/4 C chopped pecans What I did... I cooked the quinoa according to the package directions, then let it cool. Then I added the cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. And tossed it w...

This week's challenge for the  Food Matters Project inspired a dinner teeming with Asian flavors with the assigned Vietnamese-style rolls with peanut sauce as the centerpiece. So delicious! Mark Bittman describes these as "nothing more than salad wrapped in moistened rice paper." Taking that to heart, I used whatever fresh veggies I had in my fridge. What I used... spring roll wrapper / rice paper green leaf lettuce, rinsed and dried carrots, julienned cucumbers, julienned enoki mushrooms, rinsed and rootball trimmed avocados, peeled and sliced extra firm tofu, cut into long strips fresh mint, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped What I did... Submerge the rice paper in cool water until softened and pliable. It took about a minute or two per piece. I made two rolls per person. Lay the salad on the softened rice paper. I did lettuce, carrots, cucumber, enoki mushrooms, tofu, avocado, mint, and cilantro.  Fold the ends...