Rhubarb Slush: The Grown-Up Snow Cone

When I was a kid, there was nothing I looked forward to more than our trips to my Grandma's cabin in Cross Lake, Minnesota. (It is just north of Brainerd, and if you are an American folklore buff, you will know Brainerd as the home of Paul Bunyan Land.) Everyone who grew up in Minnesota either had a cabin on a lake, was related to someone with a cabin on a lake, or lived on a lake. It's pretty unavoidable in those areas.

Me, with my Grandma.

The best part of our vacation was the long lazy days we spent playing in the lake, jumping off the dock, and sitting in floating chairs with a glass of Rhubarb Slush. This sweet and tangy alcoholic slush, much like the Glop-Topped Cookies at Christmas, was, curiously, not off-limits to us as children. I can clearly remember scooping great spoonfuls of it from the Kemp's gallon ice cream bucket in which my mom kept it in the freezer. It was the perfect treat for a hot day: fruity, sweet, sour, and tooth-achingly cold.

Neither of my parents recall the genesis of this recipe, only that it was probably "from the '70s." I'm guessing it came from a Lutheran church cookbook, newspaper story, swingers party, or something like that.

Rhubarb is about to come into season in many parts of the country, and if you get tired of making Rhubarb Pie, Rhubarb Cake, Rhubarb Crisp, Rhubarb Jam, Rhubarb Tart, etc., and your rhubarb plant still giveth, give this one a try.

Whether you let your kids try it is your business, but I suggest you at least have it ready for the inevitable heat waves this summer. Just when you can't take the heat anymore, invite your friends over, fill up the kiddie pool, and pass around plastic cups of Rhubarb Slush. Close your eyes and feel yourself floating in the water, the warm Midwest sun on your face; hear the sounds of kids playing in the water and motor boats passing by with water skiers in tow.

Rhubarb Slush Recipe
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
2 cups sugar
8 cups water
12 oz cranberry juice
12 oz lemonade
1 quart vodka
1 quart club soda (optional)

Bring rhubarb, sugar and water to a simmer in a large saucepan and cooke until rhubarb is very tender. Cool mixture.

Add cranberry juice, lemonade and vodka. Freeze in an ice cream bucket (or other freezer-safe container) overnight. Mixture will not become hard frozen.

When ready to serve, scoop out the mixture into glasses and, if desired, top with club soda. Serve with a spoon or stir stick.

Sauce Gribiche: Hardboiled Eggs All Grown Up

So, you've eaten the ears off the chocolate rabbits, filled your cheeks with jelly beans, and polished off several boxes of marshmallow Peeps. But what to do with all those painstakingly dyed hardboiled eggs still staring at you from your Easter basket? There's egg salad sandwiches, Cobb salad, Casey's Ham Salad recipe, perhaps some ramen noodle soup. And then what?

Might I suggest a savory sauce gribiche to really make the most out of those leftover hardboiled eggs? Before you dismiss it as sounding a little too fancy, just know that it's basically vinaigrette with chopped hardboiled eggs and capers mixed in. Easy! If you do any cooking at all, you will have all the ingredients on hand already.

You can spoon it over beautiful spring vegetables, spread it on broiled white fish, and toss warm new potatoes in it. You will typically see this sauce served with asparagus, but I paired it with blanched green beans and thought they were a really great foil for the briny, rich sauce. Trust me, if you can look beyond the inelegant name ("Ermahgerd, Green Beans Gribiche!"), this sauce will become a regular in your cooking repertoire.

Green Beans Gribiche
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon shallot or onion, finely chopped
4 cornichon or other mild pickle, finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
handful of fresh herbs (whatever you like), chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 hardboiled eggs, peeled and chopped finely

1 pound green beans, blanched

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking. Add hardboiled eggs and combine. Adjust consistency with more olive oil if you wish. Taste for salt and add if needed. That's it!

I could see adding a dash of Tabasco sauce, chopped olives, lemon zest, sundried tomatoes, or any other flavor that you think might complement the food you are serving it on. Give it a try!

Super Ramen: Instantly Healthier

Recently, I had a discussion on Facebook about "white trash food" with my friend, Brook, from Learn to Preserve. She described making a "mocha" out of hot cocoa mix and coffee while on jury duty, and I related my undying love for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and ramen noodles. (Just so there is no confusion, when I say "ramen noodles," I don't mean a steaming bowl of hand-made noodles from an authentic ramen house tucked away in Little Tokyo. I mean the package of instant Top Ramen that costs 19¢ at any grocery store.)

There are just those certain foods that you carry a torch for your whole life, foods that give you comfort and satisfy a craving that no other food can. It may be Captain Crunch, Cheez-Wiz, or Mountain Dew, but we all have at least one of these embarrassing (usually unhealthy) foods tucked away in our pantry.
I started thinking about whether instant ramen should really be considered "white trash." (And what does "white trash" mean anyway?) I don't think I know anyone of any ethnicity, income or background who doesn't like a bowl of instant ramen noodles. The consumption of instant ramen noodles seem to span all demographics, based on my observations and conversations over the years. While instant ramen noodles have certainly helped many poor college students survive their lean years, plenty of people who can afford to spend more than 19¢ on a meal eat it regularly. And according to the World Instant Noodles Association (yes, it exists), 98 billion portions were sold in 2011 across the world. With numbers like that, it's clear that instant ramen noodles have a place in the hearts of a good chunk of the world's people.
While instant noodles are certainly ubiquitous, I have to admit they are still not a healthy choice. There is really no nutritional value, except to provide calories and a little protein. That seasoning packet packet isn't doing you any favors in terms of sodium (910 mg per serving) and MSG, and the fact that the noodles are fried is just another strike against them. (Disturbingly, the serving size is a half a packet. Really, have you ever eaten half a packet of ramen?)

So we can all agree that these have no place in a rational person's diet, but since I wasn't about to give up an occasional indulgence in instant ramen, I started making what I call "Super Ramen," a take-off on my "Super Salad." I make it healthier and more filling by adding a cup of Trader Joe's Soycutash and a handful each of broccoli, carrots, and onions, which I always have in my fridge. I use half the packet of seasoning, and I also line my bowl with spinach, which cooks quickly when the hot soup is poured over it. A generous dash of hot sauce, and you have a quick lunch that beats a fast-food combo meal any day of the week.
It may not be a "super food," but it's definitely Super Ramen.

Vegan Queso Dip with a Side of Rant

The other day I was searching the internet for uses for the bag - of all things - of nutritional yeast flakes I found tucked behind the lentils in my cupboard, which I was using for a Vegan Carrot and Lentil Soup. I had bought the smallest amount I could find several months ago to make Stephanie Stiavetti's Vegan Mac & Cheese, and wanted to make sure I used up that expensive bag of dust.

The Magical Answer Machine brought me to a blog called One Sweet Vegan and this recipe for Vegan Queso Dip. This website got me thinking about veganism. Now, I am not vegan, I'm not even vegetarian, but I'm always looking for healthier options for the fatty foods I like the most: Caesar dressing, mac 'n cheese, ice cream, etc. Vegan recipes can offer a lower-calorie heart-healthier alternative that can often come close to the high-calorie version, if made right.

(Warning: Rant Ahead.) I was in a meeting recently listening to the carnivorous owner of my company talk about how his vegan diet had drastically reduced his cholesterol, when exercise and medication had had little effect. Based on the audience reaction, you would have thought he had announced he had started consuming human stem cells. Rather than applauding him for making a lifestyle change that improved his health, the audience shouted, groaned, and shook their heads.

Working in the food business, the extreme reaction a lot of people have to the very idea of a vegan diet always surprises me. And it's not just my company, it's just about everyone I come across in my life and in the media. This very basic lack of understanding of how the food you eat effects your health (not to mention the larger world), is, to say the least, puzzling to me.

We talk with urgency about the health care crisis, obesity, hunger, rising energy costs, climate change, then we throw up our hands and go get another cheeseburger. All of these modern issues can be traced back, at least in part, to our current diet which relies on "growing" (in the industry parlance) animals for food, and the fossil fuel- and water-intensive process it involves.

The best thing you can do for your health, and the health of the environment, is to eat more plants and eat less meat. It's not a matter of opinion, it's a fact. And yes, it is that simple. All that other stuff will fall in place.

Okay, rant over. For now. Back to the recipe.

I was pleasantly surprised and how closely this vegan queso dip approximated real queso dip. Now, you won't mistake it for a cheddar fondue, but it's certainly not far off from a queso made with melty, processed cheese. Give it a try. Make it for your Super Bowl party and don't tell anyone it's vegan. I can guarantee no one will know the difference. The best part is you can eat all you want without wondering how much time you'll have to spend on the treadmill to work it off. If that's not worth it, I don't know what is.

Vegan Queso Dip
Adapted from One Sweet Vegan 

I've changed the proportions of the original recipe quite a bit, but I imagine that this recipe has a lot of flexibility. I could see adding some Soyrizo or other meat alternative for "meatiness." 

I like Trader Joe's Salsa Especial for the salsa. It's not too watery and has a good heat. If you don't want heat, use a mild salsa and leave out the cayenne.

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. turmeric
dash of cayenne
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 cup spicy salsa (not too watery)

In a saucepan, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk in water and turn on heat to medium-low. Whisk constantly until the sauce is thickened, about 3-4 minutes.

Remove from heat and add margarine until melted. Stir in salsa. Return to low heat until heated through.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Vegan Carrot and Lentil Soup with Spinach Pesto

I should know better by now. The Costco 5-pound bag of carrots is only a good deal if you eat all of it. And yet, every time I leave the anesthetizing aisles of Costco I somehow have a cartful of what I can only describe as Hope. Hope that Anson and I will eat a standard pillow case-sized bag of spinach in a week. Hope that there is enough room in my freezer for three pounds of Antioxidant Berry Blend, and Hope that we will eat five pounds of baby carrots before they expire. I tell myself, being someone who gets twitchy at the thought of wasted food, that this will force us to eat lots of spinach, berries, and carrots.

In the past, I've regretfully thrown out what didn't get eaten and felt terrible. But not this week, not with my resolution to only buy what we will eat, and keep the freezer and cupboards turning over, rather than storing lots of random, impulsive food products.

And so we have my latest creation: "Creamy" Vegan Carrot and Lentil Soup with Spinach Pesto. This recipe uses one whole pound of baby carrots and a large amount of spinach. (As much spinach as I use daily, it seems to reproduce in the bag. Can someone tell me what is happening here?) It also uses the nutritional yeast flakes I found in my cupboard, which allowed me to make the pesto vegan. From there, I figured I might as well go all the way and make the whole recipe vegan.

You can make a non-vegan version if you want to by adding some cream at the end, tossing on some crispy bacon, or using parmesan instead of nutritional yeast in the pesto. But I swear, if I made this for you and didn't tell you it was vegan, you would think it has loads of cream in it. You would be tempted to dip your fried mozzarella cheese sticks in it. Healthy and decadent? Yes, it's possible.

"Creamy" Vegan Carrot and Lentil Soup with Spinach Pesto

Spinach Pesto
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted almonds or pecans
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
6 handfuls of spinach
1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and crushed red chile flakes
juice of half a lemon
1/4 to 1/3 cups olive oil

Add first 6 ingredients to a blender, turn on blender, and slowly drizzle in olive oil until the pesto is pasty. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender halfway through. Set aside. You may have more than you need; the rest can be tossed with hot pasta or spread on toasted baguettes.

Carrot and Lentil Soup
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 starchy potato, roughly chopped
1 pound of carrots, roughly chopped
1 1/2 quarts of vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. turmeric
1 cup red lentils
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil

In a dutch oven or other large soup pot, saute onions and celery in olive oil for a couple minutes. Add garlic, saute for another minute. Add potatoes, carrots, and 1 quart of broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat for a gentle boil for about 10 minutes.

Add lentils and turmeric. Bring to a boil again, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered. Cook about 20 minutes more until potatoes are very soft and lentils have fallen apart. You may need to add a little more stock as it's cooking if it gets too thick. The soup should be almost stew-like when it's done.

Taste for salt and pepper and add if necessary. Stir in red wine vinegar. Remove from heat and let cool for about 20 minutes. Very carefully (in two batches if necessary), ladle the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. At this point, you can decide how thick you want the soup and add more broth if necessary as you are blending.

Re-heat soup if you are serving immediately, or store in the fridge for later. Serve with dollops of Spinach Pesto on top.

Makes about six 8-ounce servings.

Paso Robles Wine Country Vacation

I first remember adding Paso Robles to my wine country checklist back in 2007 when Sunset magazine ran an article touting it as "The Next Wine Country." What used to be cattle ranching country with a handful of vineyards (whose grapes were mostly sent to Napa), was slowly becoming a destination in itself for wine lovers. Over the last decade or so, more of those grapes began to stay in "Paso", as serious winemakers raised the profile of the area and it hasn't taken long for Paso Robles to fulfill it's predicted destiny as the next wine country.

Anson and I finally got a chance to see for ourselves over this past Thanksgiving weekend, and we can't wait to go back.

While there are over 150 new wineries since 1997, there are many older big-name torch bearers such as J.Lohr, Eberle, Peachy Canyon, and of, course, Wild Horse. Being at the south end of the appellation, we stopped there on our way.

We have always enjoyed their wine and were excited to see where it is made. We were happy to discover a modest tasting room and friendly, helpful attendants. After our experience at Drytown Cellars in Gold Country (where we learned that Amador County is pronounced "Am-a-door," not "Ahh-ma-door"), we asked them how to pronounce the name of the county we were in--Paso Robles. Our deliberations in the car on the way were answered when we were told it really is "Pass-o Ro-bulls," not "Pah-so Ro-bless."

Wild Horse has a beautiful property which lends itself to perusing the garden with a glass of wine, checking out wine-making antiques, and taking in the expansive view.

We had heard that Hansen Winery was an entertaining experience, so we headed over there. I can't get enough of the sun, skies and trees this time of year.

The owner makes only Cabernets in a very bold, hearty style. The property was beautiful, and, as you can see, still had that rural feel.

The next morning we took a spin around downtown Paso Robles. It's a charming small town, with wide streets, Victorian houses, independent restaurants, and prestigious brick buildings surrounding a traditional town square.

This morning a farmer's market/craft market was set up in the town square and that's not something I can ever pass up. We picked up these homemade caramels from Sugar and Spoon Caramels...

Some fresh local olive oil from Legacy Olive Company...

And beautiful produce. We picked up some fresh tamales and plums for lunch later on the road.
* * * * * * * * *
Now it was time to hit the wine trail! Paso Robles is really easy to navigate, all you need to do is take the 101 for about 4 hours north of Los Angeles, then get off on Highway 46. From there you can go either east or west and run across dozens of wineries either way. It's nice to have a map of Paso Robles to get a lay of the land and find the outlying wineries as well. The area is not nearly as vast as Napa and Sonoma, so you can easily span the entire appellation in one day.

We started out at Villicana Winery because our intended destination was not open yet, but it turned out to be a really great visit because they not only have a delicious Syrah, but they are distilling spirits as well. 

In California, wineries can make spirits in the form of brandy, so Villicana came up with the idea to use their saignée (grape juice that is "bled" off to concentrate the final product) to make an 80-proof brandy called ReFind. Now here's the thing, they distill it into a "Neutral Brandy," which is basically vodka, and a "Botanical Brandy," which is gin. We brought home a bottle of the neutral brandy which I commented has almost a sweetness to it. Our tasting lady explained that I was tasting glycine, which naturally occurs in grapes and is often added to commercially produced vodkas.

Our next destination was Le Cuvier, a delightful and eccentric winery perched at the top of a hill. This winery is definitely worth stopping in for a tasting, as they pair each wine with a little cheese, tapenade or other tasty bite that is created specifically for that wine.

The view is not to be missed either, this is looking at the northern end of the valley.

We ate our lunch while lounging in some adirondack chairs made from barrel staves.

One of our favorite parts of visiting wine country in the fall (see my post from last Thanksgiving in Napa and Sonoma) is the electric colors that carry over to the vines. 

We made a u-turn as we drove by Niner Wine Estates, we had to stop in honor of Anson's football team. But we found that the owner's last name was Niner, and the winery was not an ode to the San Francisco 49ers. That's Heart Hill, overlooking the tasting room and winery. The top photo in the post is an adjacent hill from the same property.

We enjoyed the wine tasting which had an optional cheese pairing. It was the usual suspects as far as the cheese and wine selection goes, with the exception of one: Kokos, a coconut cheese from Holland. Get some for yourself and pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc, you have never tasted a cheese like this one. Really, really delicious.

We picked up and headed to our last winery, Opolo Vineyards, which was loud, crowded, and tacky, but in a good way. 

I loved all of their fruity, easy, reasonably priced wines and the everyone-is-family atmosphere. And I was glad to see a Minnesota boy was half of the ownership!

One last stop as the last rays of sun disappeared behind this haunting hillside, with bags of walnuts stacked at the bases of the trees.  

Boozy Christmas Cookies: Not For the Little Ones

It's that time of year when circumstances may necessitate that even the most baking averse person may need to produce a plate of cookies for the company Christmas party. Feeling your pain, I am here to help you out with these decadent, no-bake "Glop-Topped Cookies" that will convince your co-workers you really do keep all that booze in your liquor cabinet for baking, not for self-medicating.

I subtitled this post "Not for the Little Ones," and yet these cookies have a very distinct place in my taste memory from childhood. I can't remember what it was, but something recently reminded me of these cookies. I asked my mom to send me the recipe, and after some searching, she dug out her old copy of Caramel Knowledge by Star Tribune humorist and food writer, Al Sicherman. I "baked" up a batch, and that first bite brought me right back to 1985.

There is a healthy dose of liqueur in the ganache which gives them, well, a boozy flavor. Growing up with parents who were anything but high-strung, I had my fill of these cookies every Christmas. Realistically, there is very little alcohol in each small serving of the ganache, so if the kids want to try one don't worry about it. Or give them three if it's been one of those days.

Glop-Topped Cookies
by Al Sicherman

1 1/2 c.  heavy cream
4 Tbsp.  unsalted butter
12 oz.    semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp.  sugar
3 Tbsp.  dry white vermouth
1 box     vanilla wafers

Put the cream and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from heat and add the chocolate and sugar and stir until the chocolate is fully melted. Cool and stir in the vermouth.
Cool the pan in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally, until it is the consistency of honey. Whip with a hand mixer until it is stiff and holds it's shape.
Top the vanilla wafers with big blobs of the chocolate, or you can pipe it on with a pastry bag.** Feel free to decorate with holiday sprinkles, powdered sugar, gold dust, angels wings, whatever you feel like. Makes about three dozen cookies depending on the size of the blob.

*The recipe calls for vermouth, but I used rum in mine and I think that just about any liqueur would be just fine.
**I did this for my first version and it looked like something you'd find on the sidewalk. So, use a fluted pastry tip, not a round one.