Semi-veganism, Italian style

Since my resolution last winter to only consume meat from sustainable sources, my meals of cheeseburgers, chicken pot pie, and even meatballs, have been few and far between. Going “almost meatless” wasn’t a drastic step for me, considering that I’ve tended toward meat-free meals since I started cooking for myself. As the New Year arrived, I started itching for a new challenge.

Around the same time, Mark Bittman of the New York Times wrote a short piece on “semi-veganism.” For better health, he wrote, try to avoid all animal products just once a week. Not only is meat off the menu, but so are milk, eggs, cheese, and more. This is not a lifestyle I could sustain long term (some of my favorite foods are ice cream and peanut butter!), but I loved the idea of incorporating vegan meals into my diet.

That wasn’t enough, though, to motivate me to find and make a vegan recipe. I needed another push to get onto the semi-veganism bandwagon. It came a few weeks later when I read Having Faith by biologist/ecologist Sandra Steingraber. The nonfiction book tracks Steingraber’s first pregnancy through her scientist eyes revealing the many environmental dangers that threaten the baby. One fact from the book that I can’t get out of my head is the status of breast milk as “the most contaminated of all human foods.” Environmental toxins concentrate as they move up the food chain. We ingest more toxins eating animals and animal products than we do eating vegetables, which are lower on the chain. (You can read my full review of Having Faith on Goodreads.)

Inspired — and more than a little alarmed — I referred back to Bittman’s piece to review his recipes for the semi-vegan. I found the most familiar recipe (Pasta, Beans and Tomatoes) and tweaked it based on ingredients we already had at home. Here’s how I made it last night: Sauté a clove of minced garlic in olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup of canned tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until saucy; add 1 cup of cannellini beans and heat until bubbly. Add another clove of minced garlic, then half a box of cooked elbow macaroni. Add some dried basil and a bit more oil and serve. Makes enough for two big dinner portions and is best eaten with a spoon.

(Note: I used Muir Glen canned tomatoes because they don’t contain BPA. See my earlier post on BPA in canned tomatoes.)

This was an Italian-style dish — though the cheese is notably absent. Andrew added some to his dish, but I didn’t even miss it. Without the cheese to overpower the other flavors, I enjoyed the light and delicious tastes of tomatoes and garlic and basil. If every vegan meal tasted like this, I might (might!) be tempted to ditch cheese altogether.

Butternut Squash Risotto

When I heard we were getting butternut squash puree from our winter CSA program, I was thrilled. Who doesn’t love sweet and creamy butternut squash?

But when I started thinking about how to use the squash, my recipe ideas weren’t all that inspired. Butternut squash soup or butternut squash soup?

Then my friend Molly, also a CSA member, mentioned she was making butternut squash risotto. The dish turned out well (her husband raved!), so I asked for the recipe.

Like other risottos, the taste is rich, smooth, and almost decadent. The flavor of the squash comes through, but it’s not overwhelming. I’d definitely make this again.

Butternut Squash Risotto, adapted from Williams-Sonoma:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups butternut squash puree
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus a few tablespoons
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onions in the butter until they are soft and translucent. Set aside.

In the same saucepan over medium-high heat, stir the stock with the squash puree until combined. Bring to a simmer and maintain over low heat.

In a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and rice, stirring until the rice is nearly translucent (about 3 minutes). Stir in the sage and rosemary. Add the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed.

Add the stock mixture to the rice mixture one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Each time the stock is almost completely absorbed, add another ladleful.

When the rice is tender, but slightly firm, and creamy (about 30 minutes), stir in the 1/2 cup of cheese, salt, and pepper. Let stand for 2 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serves 6.

My perfect peanut butter

I’ve been making my own peanut butter for several months now (thanks to my handy food processor). But after weeks of “that’s not quite right” and “that barely even resembles peanut butter,” I think I’ve found my ideal recipe.

Why the caveat declaring this my ideal recipe, but not THE ideal recipe? Different brands of store-bought peanut butter taste mostly the same. Once you choose creamy or chunky, you know what you’re going to get.

But when you start making your own peanut butter, the possibilities are endless. Don’t have much of a sweet tooth? Go all natural with a single-ingredient (peanuts, of course!) PB. If you prefer a sweeter peanut butter, will you sweeten with sugar or honey? Want to create the creamy version of honey-roasted peanuts? Add copious amounts of honey and salt.

As you might have guessed, I’m all about sweet peanut butter. Because I love taste of honey, which is stronger than sugar and comes through in the PB flavor, I chose it as my sweetener. Alas, adding only honey to the peanuts creates a dry, crumbly mess in the food processor. Oil didn’t help much, but butter did.

Here’s the recipe, adapted from The Purposed Heart:

• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Dash of salt

Blend the ingredients in the food processor until they form a ball and the ball thins out. Store in the refrigerator.

The science of pasta

If we’ve ever gotten into a conversation about food, you’ve probably heard about my interest in the science behind cooking. I want to understand how eggs affect the consistency of homemade ice cream and how the humidity in my kitchen can change the taste of fresh pasta.

According to the New York Times, researchers have taken the science of pasta to a whole new level. Scientists are uncovering the mathematical equations behind our favorite pasta varieties — from spaghetti to gemelli. One researcher has written blog posts on the topic. Others wrote a book about the pasta “family tree.”

Talk about food for thought. (Thanks to Molly for the tip!)

Delicious quotations about Italian food

Since I made fresh pasta for New Year’s Eve, I haven’t been cooking much Italian food. My tastes have taken me in other directions, as I’ve tried to perfect my homemade peanut butter recipe (which I’ll share once I get it just right) and cooked my first Indian dish.

So to get back in the spaghetti-making spirit, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite quotations about Italian food. Enjoy!

“One has to be an idiot to speak badly of macaroni.” - Italian proverb

“At the table with good friends and family you do not become old.” – Italian proverb

“No man is lonely eating spaghetti; it requires so much attention.” – Christopher Morley

“The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you’re hungry again.” – George Miller

“Everything you see I owe to pasta.” – Sophia Loren

“The definitive recipe for any Italian dish has not yet appeared. We are still creating.” – Luigi Barzini

Happy New Year!

And that, dear reader, is my first attempt at homemade pasta. I made it yesterday morning and served it for our last dinner of 2011. The recipe and tutorial are to come (I was concentrating too hard to take photos this time). But I will say this: the process wasn’t as intimidating as I expected and the results were so satisfying.

I’m proud to have ended the year by tackling one of my longtime goals. Can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!

All about (Christmas) Eve 2011

My favorite holiday has come and gone. But since part of the fun of Christmas Eve is recapping our Feast of the Seven Fishes extravaganza, here goes.

This year, several family members pitched in with tasty new dishes. We skipped the traditional baccala salad in favor of steamed cod with veggies. We revisited old favorites, such as clam chowder (from Outback!) and fried shrimp. And we reached outside the borders of Italian cuisine with Asian-inspired salmon cakes and fish tacos from Mexico.

Here’s the menu, with a few links to recipes and descriptions:

• Clam Chowder – We buy this soup from Outback (it helps to have one less dish to make), but there are some unverified recipes online here and here.
• Cod with Lemon, Herbs and Wine
• Fish Tacos – My cousin Nick, who attends Philadelphia’s Restaurant School and works at Xochitl, breaded tilapia filets with fried plantains, slathered them with chipotle mayo, topped them with pickled red onions, and stuffed them into warm corn tortillas. Delish.
• Fresh Salmon and Lime Cakes - When I picked salmon as my fish for Christmas Eve, I didn’t expect to go Asian style, but this recipe from The Essential New York Times Cookbook sounded tasty and fun. I made the cakes small, like little fritters, and they were especially yummy with the lime/soy dipping sauce. I was glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.
• Fried Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce
• Lobster Spring Rolls with Citrus Dipping Sauce
• Sea Bass alla Fiorentina
• Shrimp and Pasta Salad
• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Potato Salad & Coleslaw

I loved this year’s mix of dishes — old and new, Italian and non-Italian. I’m not sure how we’ll top this tasty menu next year, but I’m going to start planning my contribution early.

Top 11 Posts of 2011

This year was an unusual one for the blog (considering I took a long hiatus while moving and getting hitched), so I was interested to see which posts would come out on top of the 2011 most-viewed list.

As it turned out, most of this year’s top posts were actually published in 2010. And they run the gamut of Spaghetti & Meatballs topics, from the traditional (Christmas Eve and Easter recipes) to the unusual (a pizza dress and spaghetti stilettos).

Here are the top 11 posts of 2011 — coming at you backward for a bit of suspense:

11. Have food processor, will make Italian food?

10. Italian food blogs to whet your appetite

9. Inside Mario Batali’s kitchen

8. It’s the Easter bread bunny!

7. Feast of the Seven Fishes: Part 1

6. The secret ingredient in tomato sauce is…

5. Nutella: From an Italian pastry shop to America’s grocery stores

4. For fresher Italian food, shop at farmers’ markets

3. Italian food-inspired… clothing?

2. Spinach, Italian style

1. Why do Italians eat the salad last?

Happy Holidays! What would you like to see on this blog in 2012?

PSA on canned tomatoes

With pizza and pasta as weekly dinner staples in our house, we buy lots of canned tomatoes. Since learning more about industrial food, we’ve been careful to buy organic. But it turns out that’s not good enough.

In a recent article on the website Wake Up World, a University of Illinois endocrinologist who studies the chemical BPA said he “won’t go near canned tomatoes.” Here’s why:

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals.

Experts suggest buying tomatoes in glass bottles or Tetra Pak boxes. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing from now on.

Read the full story, 7 Foods Experts Won’t Eat, for more info.

Feast of the Seven Fishes round-up

My favorite holiday is almost here. Finally!

Last year, I devoted a month of Wednesdays to posting family recipes we’d used for our annual Feast of the Seven Fishes celebration on Christmas Eve. They ranged from the traditional Baccala Salad to the kid-friendly Pasta with Shrimp.

Since some new readers have stumbled upon this blog using “seven fishes” related searches, I’ve decided to put all the Christmas Eve recipes in one place:

• Feast of the Seven Fishes, Part 1: Baccala Salad
• Feast of the Seven Fishes, Part 2: Pasta with Shrimp
• Feast of the Seven Fishes, Part 3: Flounder with Bread Topping
• Feast of the Seven Fishes, Part 4: Linguine with Oil, Garlic, and Anchovies

As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t stick exclusively to family recipes every year. The menu is constantly rotating with new, modern dishes — along with a few annual staples. Last year, I made Potato, Salmon, and Spinach Patties With Garlicky Dill Cream.

I’ve been assigned salmon again this year — and now I’m on the hunt for the perfect recipe. I’m sure I’ll find something in our newest cookbook, a fantastic wedding present that’s going to keep on giving.

What are your Christmas Eve traditions?