Thayer in the Kitchen

Apparently my CSA farm had a bumper crop of Asian eggplant this year.  A book club friend mentioned this recipe which I decided to try with some of our eggplant bounty.  I highly recommend it.  The original recipe included a recipe for a homemade Mexican red sauce.  I purchased a can of enchilada sauce and think it works quite well.  I used a can marked medium (heat).  I guess next time I would use mild because Arthur thought the sauce was too spicy.  If you like spicy I'd go for it because I thought it was just fine.  8-12 tortillas (I used Gitto Family Farms 8" whole wheat tortillas--which are available at the Madison farmers' markets)  1 package was just the right amount for the filling 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chopped onions 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste 6 cups cubed eggplant (approx two medium sized ones) into 1/2 in. pieces 1 chopped sweet pepper (red or green) 1 cup toasted almond...

This is recipe that I borrowed from Martha Stewart.  We really liked this combination of mashed potatoes and kale.  I used less bacon than the recipe originally called for.  You could certainly use more if you wanted to.  The quantities in this recipe are quite flexible.  This would be a good brunch dish with fried eggs.  The patties are also tasty for supper.  2 pounds potatoes, peeled or not--your choice coarse salt and ground pepper 1 leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed well and sliced thinly.  I used some baby leeks from our CSA farm that looked like green onions.  I used the entire bunch. 1 bunch kale (3/4 #), be sure not to use the stems which are too tough.  Chop the leaves coarsely 1/4# bacon, diced 2 tablespoons butter A little flour Cook the potatoes, kale and leeks until tender in boiling salted water probably for about 10-15 minutes.  Drain and mash vegetables.  The mixture does not need to be smooth....

I found this recipe that I had saved and decided I should post it before it was never located again.  This is definitely Christmas in July.  I made this dish for a New Year's Eve party last winter. It is delicious and very festive!! 1/2 wheel of Brie (about 4" diameter), at room temperature 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 1/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice off the top of the Brie and discard.  Roll out the pastry to a 12 inch square and cut two 6" rounds from it.  Put one of the rounds on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with half of the dried cherries and thyme.  Press gently so they stick.  Set the Brie, rind side down on top of the pastry, sprinkle with the rest of the cherries and thyme.  Cover with the other circle of pastry.  Crimp the edges together to seal the cheese.  Brush the top of the pastry with ...

I made this cake to take to a Books for Cooks meeting.  We were discussing a book on olive oil that I hadn't read, but we were also going to share olive oil tastings and cold summer soups all using olive oil.  I found out that you don't need to use a super expensive olive oil in this cake because with all the other flavors you can't taste the flavor of the olive oil.  However, it is a delicious cake.  The women attending the book club all liked it and Arthur loved it and said it had to go on "the blog."  I grated the zucchini with the grating disk on my food processor.  It takes quite a bit of zucchini to make this cake, which in the height of summer is a good thing. 1 cup (135g) almonds, pecans, or walnuts, toasted 2 cups (280g) flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 3/4 (350g) cups ...

This recipe was adapted from recipe I found on the Trader Joe's website.  It was an entry for a contest on using quinoa.  I think the recipe author was one of the winners.  I like the recipe for a few reasons.  It's high in protein because of the ingredients like quinoa, cottage cheese, eggs, etc.  It provides another good use for zucchini which we all like to have at this time of the year.  And yet another couple of reasons, the patties are easy to make and tasty to eat. 2 cups cooked quinoa * 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (I actually used Tuscan Dream from Edelweiss Creamery, a local artisan cheesemaker) 1 cup cottage cheese (low fat is fine) 1 cup packed shredded zucchini 3 eggs, beaten 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour 2 green onions, chopped 1 cup Panko bread crumbs (preferably whole wheat) 1 teaspoon cumin 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic Salt & pepper to taste Olive oil for frying the patties Combine all the ingredients except th...

A few weeks ago I tried a recipe for rhubarb pancakes.  I will not be posting this recipe.  I guess rhubarb needs sugar to bring out its flavor.  The pancakes with chopped raw rhubarb didn't have any rhubarb flavor so why bother.  However, these pancakes topped with rhubarb compote made for a very pleasant breakfast.  Although rhubarb season has now passed, it will come again and I'll be ready for it with this yummy breakfast recipe.  Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes •3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour •3/4 cup yellow cornmeal •2 tablespoons sugar •1/2 teaspoon baking powder •1/2 teaspoon baking soda •1/2 teaspoon salt •1 1/4 cups buttermilk •2 large eggs •3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled Combine first 6 ingredients into large bowl. Whisk buttermilk, eggs and melted butter in medium bowl to blend. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and whisk until blended. Preheat oven to 300°F. Cook the pancakes on a griddle or...

This soup is not really a summer soup. However I don't want to lose the recipe because its a yummy soup which uses basic ingredients so I'm posting it now.  Be sure to use a very good, preferably local cheddar cheese since this is what really gives this soup its flavor. 1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips 1 large onion, chopped 3 pounds baking potatoes (about 6), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (if the potatoes are organic and the skins are in good shape, there is no need to peel the potatoes) 4 cups chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 6 ounces cheddar, grated (about 1-1/2 cups) 1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat or, if you don't have 2 tablespoons, add enough cooking oil to make up the amount. Reduce the heat to moderately low. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasi...