Savory Biscotti

http://community.jeroxie.com/groups/cookbook-challenge/

I'm posting this a day late, but the last Cookbook Challenge theme was Crunchy. This one wasn't quite as easy as you would expect! It's hard to find a recipe in a cookbook based on the crunchiness, because they certainly don't list anything in the index under "Crunchy". So I had to think of food that was definitely crunchy, and I remembered this recipe I had seen in the Best of Weight Watchers Magazine cookbook for savory biscotti. They didn't turn out quite as crunchy as I thought they would, but they were yummy!

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp curry powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 egg whites

1 large egg

Note 1: I'm assuming that because this is a Weight Watchers recipe, they replaced 1 egg with 2 egg whites to save calories. So you don't need to use 2 egg whites and 1 egg if it's too much trouble, you can just use 2 whole eggs.

Note 2: Three cloves of garlic may seem like a lot, but the fennel balances it out!

Note 3 (from the cookbook): To crush the fennel seeds, place them on a piece of wax paper, fold over some of the paper to cover, and then press down with a rolling pin.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Stir the oil, butter, garlic, fennel seeds, and curry powder in a medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on High until aromatic, 10-35 seconds. Let cool.

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl.

Whisk the egg whites and egg into the butter mixture; stir into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until a stiff dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into two 12-inch logs and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

 Bake until light golden and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely. With a serrated knife, slice the logs on a slight angle 1/4-inch thick.

 Arrange the slices flat on the baking sheet. Bake 5-6 minutes, turn, and bake until light golden on both sides, 5-6 minutes more.

 

Spinach- and Ricotta-Stuffed Tomatoes

This fortnight's Cookbook Challenge theme is love. I had some ideas for recipes I could do that had some significant meaning to my relationship with my husband, but instead I decided to go with a tomato recipe. Why tomatoes? Because they used to be known as "love apples" in Europe!

I didn't realize at the time that I chose my recipe that there's actually a shortage in tomatoes right now, so I ended up having to halve the recipe because I couldn't afford to buy eight tomatoes at $2.69 a pound. Luckily this recipe is really easy to halve, and now I have extra spinach in my freezer that I'll probably put in a quiche.

The recipe is from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, published in 1982.

8 ripe red tomatoes, the best you can find

salt for draining tomatoes

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup finely chopped yellow onions

10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted, drained, and squeezed dry

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

nutmeg, to taste

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (see below for toasting instructions)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese to top tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley 

To toast pine nuts: Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet; place in a preheated 400F oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir once or twice during baking. Remove immediately when well browned and transfer to a cool plate; otherwise the heat from the baking sheet may cause them to burn.

 

Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut off their tops with a serrated knife. With the handle end of a small spoon, scrape out seeds and partitions, being careful not to pierce the sides of tomatoes. Salt the cavities and set tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions and cook, covered, over low heat until tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes.

Chop the spinach and add it to the skillet. (Yeah right, as if I didn't buy my spinach pre-chopped.) Combine onions and spinach thoroughly, season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and cover. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Do not let the mixture scorch.

 Beat ricotta and egg yolks together thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Add spinach mixture, pine nuts, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, and the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Gently blot tomato cavities dry with a paper towel and spoon an equal share of the spinach mixture into each one. Top each tomato with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan.

Arrange tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and set in the upper third of a preheated 350F oven. Bake until tops are well browned and filling is hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Note:  I don't know if it was because my baking dish wasn't very shallow or if they simply needed more time, but I didn't think the tomatoes baked well enough in only 20 minutes. I was in a hurry (hence the lack of photos) so I didn't try to bake them any longer, but when I reheated a couple of them the following day in the oven, they came out much better. Just make sure the Parmesan on top is definitely browned, and the skin of the tomatoes is fairly wrinkly, and they should be perfect. Either way, the filling tastes fantastic.

Spicy Fettuccine with Red Peppers & Mushrooms

 

This fortnight's Cookbook Challenge theme is rice/noodles. I decided to go with a pasta dish from 101 Meatless Family Dishes by John Ettinger, published in 1995. Despite the cheesy cover photo, it's actually a really good cookbook. Most vegetarian cookbooks focus too much on tofu and weird products that you can only find at health food stores, whereas this cookbook just has recipes that are delicious and full of vegetable-y goodness. This pasta is just as good as it sounds and looks, if not better.

1 pound fettuccine

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried

3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped with juice or 1 can (28 ounces) with juice

2 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley

1 bell pepper, seeded and julienned

4 to 5 mushrooms, sliced

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)   

Cook fettuccine according to package directions, drain.

Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, cayenne and oregano in a saucepan and saute 6 minutes.

Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in parsley.

 Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and saute pepper and mushrooms until just softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Toss pasta with pepper mixture, then with the sauce. Serve with Parmesan if desired.