MEATLESS MONDAY: brown rice with mint cilantro pesto

While Lola is apparently on cloud number nine (can we please all just appreciated how nice this is and really be happy with her?) - I have been experiencing quite the eventful Monday myself.. I just arrived at my hotel (The Banks) in Antwerp, Belgium. I'm here for a training that my agency is offering to me, and I'm so glad i got the opportunity to learn new things (about social media - I hope I will be able to tell more next week. It's been quite an eventful trip - and not really short (from Zurich via Munich and Brussels) - but with several meaningful coincidences that I'm planning to all neatly stash away in my 'good memories' archive.

For one, I sat next to a really nice (and handsome - honestly the perfect green-brown eyes, too) guy on the plane. We spotted and admired two rainbows together; one in Zurich when we left - and one in Munich (where i had to take my connecting flight). Then a nice family father helped me with my luggage (big suitcase....) without being overly fussy about it. Just a nice gesture, no biggie. He even saw me to the train station at the airport, despite his waiting family. Then one guy on the train (through nowhere, no less) began to chat with me, being curious but not in a pushy way, as to where i come from. He introduced me to his home-town Antwerp with the words: "You know, Antwerp people are the least shy in all Belgium".

Well, hello, pretty city with charming strangers...! Now that I finally got here after a long day and a long journey, I'm simply wearing a really big smile on my face (despite my imminently frizzy hair and wrinkly skin, ugh)! How good it is to change perspectives, get out of the rut, experience something new from time to time. What a charming city Antwerp is (what I've seen of it - from the short taxi ride here). And it really is true what they say: traveling broadens your horizon - even if it's only a business trip (laugh). I'm certainly planning to make the most of it.

So here's a recipe i prepared some time ago for you: a healthy, meatless brown rice (i like it, it's got texture and a nice nutty taste) with a mint cilantro pesto, french beans and peas. Curious as to what kind of food the Belgians have and what my colleagues will feed me tomorrow?

BROWN RICE W/ MINT CILANTRO PESTO

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup brown rice, cooked according to directions
• 1 tbsp organic butter
• 2 cups french beans, blanched
• 1 cup peas. blanched
• 1 cup mint leaves, minced
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, minced
• 2 cup basil leaves, minced (half of it left whole for decorating)
• 1 handful arugula leaves, for decorating
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 20 g or 3 tbsp. pistachio nuts (not salted), toasted and crushed in a mortar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lime, juice
• Fleur de sel
• freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Cook the rice according to directions (it might take around 45 minutes until tender), then stir in some butter and put aside to cool.
2. In the meantime, blanch the beans and the peas in salted water. Drain and chill in ice water. Pat dry and put aside.
3. Make the pesto: combine the mint, cilantro and half of the basil leaves, plus some arugula (not too much, as you won't wanna make it to bitter), the olive oil, pistachios, garlic, lime juice, salt and black pepper in a food processor and blend. Pulse until mixture is smooth.
4. Now mix the pesto with the rice, place the beans and peas on top, drizzle some more pesto on everything and garnish with the remaining herbs, arugula leaves and some leftover pistachios.

I'm sorry, dessert will come again next week (I currently can not visit my own blog for the hotel has blocked it due to violation? What, I'm only a food blogger...?). Anyway, there is always something to look forward to: profiteroles, uhu, that's right. Next week.

Wishing you all a fabulous week! Thank you for reading.
Love, as always,
Scarlett

SUNDAY SUPPERS: brown butter banana muffins, tomato basil spaghetti, chocolate beet cake

And she fell for him. Hard. As if into a shallow pool of melted white chocolate; knowing how easy it would be to climb out, but having no desire at all to do so.

I'm starting to become the person that's harder on myself while cooking than I am while getting dressed or applying makeup for day wear (you know...when the sun shines directly into all your disgusting open pores). When the heck did that happen? My only culinary hypothesis is my new man crush. I'm a little infatuated with my former sous chef who has now been upgraded to co-chef. You may remember him as the fearless garlic pesto master. How quickly things change. These days, my hours revolve around seducing him with my domestic goddess gourmet powers. Each meal has become a challenge, with the pressures not much unlike that of Iron Chef. I not only wake up anxious to concoct masterful day starters, but the night before is pent up with a pacing version of me pouring over a myriad of recipe options; the most inferior ones getting chucked out like rotten tomatoes (well even that's not true, as I learned while making the below pasta that spoiled tomatoes are as good as the love you put into them). The reason I've been unforgivably absent from the blog for over a week is not just the new flicker in my life, but also because I'm slowly realizing how easily infatuated you can become with cooking, the same way you would a cute boy. It grows with you or on you like a tumor, but the best kind. The kind that breaks you down but rewards you in the end. And if I could wish anything on anybody, it would be the love hate relationship with cooking for anyone other than yourself. You won't even know whose looking at you back in the mirror after a while. Trust me.

Oh right, back to the food. This menu will win hearts. It even won the hearts of ones I wasn't trying to please. You're in good hands.

BROWN BUTTER BANANA MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup self-rising flour

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
2. Add bananas and sugar to a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork until very liquefied but still a little lumpy.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids have turned a nutty golden brown.
4. To the brown butter, add about 1 cup of the mashed banana mixture and whisk to combine. Cook for a few more minutes until a darker golden color is achieved. Add to the remaining mashed banana mixture and whisk to combine, then whisk in the egg.
5. Fold in the flour, in 2 batches, with a rubber spatula, until just combined; do not over mix. With an ice cream scoop, evenly divide the batter among the muffin tin cups.
6. Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown and the tops spring back when pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm.

HOMEMADE BASIL TOMATO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup fresh parmigiano-reggiano
• 8 fresh basil leaves, well washed and dried, stacked and rolled into a cylinder and cut thinly crosswise
• 1 lb. spaghetti
• pinch red pepper flakes
  
• salt and pepper, to taste
•  

METHOD

1. To peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Cut a small X on the bottom of each tomato. Ease tomatoes in the pot and cook. Let boil for about 15 seconds and then promptly move them to the waiting ice water (do this with the remaining tomatoes). Pull off the skin with the tip of a paring knife. If the skin sticks, try a vegetable peeler using a gentle sawing motion. Cut the tomatoes in half and use your finger to flick out the seeds.
2. In a wide pan, heat the 1/3 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and season lightly with the salt and pepper (I always start with a light hand with the salt and pepper because as the tomatoes reduce, the salt will become concentrated).
3. Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes to soften. Then, using a potato masher, chop the tomatoes finely. Cook the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened.
4. Bring a large pot of amply salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Reserve a little of the pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook over medium-high heat, gently tossing the pasta and the sauce together with a couple of wooden spoons and a lot of exaggerated movement (you can even shake the pan) until the pasta is just tender and the sauce, if any oil had separated from it, now looks cohesive (If the sauce seems too thick, add a little pasta liquid to adjust it). Take the pan off the heat and toss the butter, basil and cheese with the pasta in the same manner and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE BEET CAKE
via Joythebaker
 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium beets, unpeeled but trimmed of their greens
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, softened
• 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons finely grated beets, mashed with a fork
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or scrapings of one vanilla bean pod
• 1-2 teaspoons milk, depending on desired consistency
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• pinch of salt

METHOD

1. Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven.  Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Thoroughly wash beets under running water, and trim their leaves, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem.  Place clean beets in a piece of foil.  Drizzle with just a bit of vegetable oil.  Seal up foil.  Place on a baking sheet in the oven.  Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
3. Remove the beets from the oven.  Open the foil and allow beets to cool completely.  Beets will be easy to peel (just using a paring knife) once completely cooled.
4. Using a box grater, grate the peeled beets on the finest grating plane.  Measure 3/4 cup of grated beets for the cake and 2 tablespoons for the frosting.  Set aside.
5. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F.  Use butter to grease two 8 or 9-inch round baking pans.  Trace a piece of parchment paper so it is the same size as the bottom of the cake pan.  Cut it out and place inside the cake pan.  Butter the parchment paper.  Add a dusting of flour to coat the pan.  Set pans aside while you prepare the cake.
6. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.  Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition.   Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Once eggs are incorporated, beat in beets and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
8. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture.  Beating on low speed , slowly add the buttermilk.  Once just incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients.  Beat on medium speed until milk and dry ingredients are just incorporated.  Try not to overmix the batter.  Bowl can be removed from the mixer and mixture folded with a spatula to finish incorporating ingredients.  Cake batter will be on the thick side… not pourable.
9. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.  Bake for 23 to 25 minutes (for a 9-inch pan) or 30-32 minutes (for an 8-inch pan).  Cake is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove cakes from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Invert cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting and assembling the cake.
10. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese for 30 seconds, until pliable and smooth. Add the butter and beat for another 30 seconds, until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary. Beat in the beets. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, lemon juice, and salt. Beat on medium speed until smooth and silky. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cakes.
11. To assemble, simply frost layer by layer then the sides. Refrigerate for an hour before serving (it will make the cake easier to slice). Cake will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

MEATLESS MONDAY: sweet pea salad & apple maple bundt cake

Have you ever tried to snap your own peas? There is something so soothing in the process of extracting the sweet tasting little peas from their pod. Only to look at those full and prim looking pretties, neatly lined one next to another, their fresh green smiling at you. I can't help but smile back at them. There is surely something in the phrase 'like peas in a pod'. Don't you wish we could all be a little more like them? Peas on earth, for everyone, so to say. Ha!

The apple maple bundt cake recipe can be found here.

SWEET PEAS SALAD WITH MINT

INGREDIENTS

• 2 kg sweet peas *
• 1 organic lemon, juice
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, minced
• 1 cup fresh flat parsley leaves, minced
• 1 tsp. fleur de sel
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

* A side note on peas: about 1 kilogram of whole sweet peas - pods and all - when podded, results in about 300 grams of peas, which equals about one cup.

METHOD

1. Snap the peas and remove them from their pods. I used a knife to tear in the edges more easily.
2. Heat a saucepan of salted water, and prepare a bucket full of ice water.
3. Blanch the peas in the salted water for 3-4 minutes. Remember: the frozen peas that you normally get at the supermarket are mostly already pre blanched! So the cooking process takes longer for fresh, raw peas.
4. Strain, and put immediately in the ice water to cool. The ice water helps the peas to keep their popping green.
5. Make a dressing out of the lemon juice, olive oil, fleur de sel and garlic cloves. Combine with the peas.
6. Add the herbs, stir to combine and serve.