LOVE SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER

I just love Sunday night dinner. After a long week of work, study and the "stuff" of life, the inspiration and repose of church in the morning sets the tone for the week. What better way to jump back into the new week than preparing and enjoying a wonderful meal, full of the good things God provides.

Sunday night used to be Family dinner when we lived together as a family. It was always special regardless of the menu. Sometimes it was at the table, other times on the floor or couch gathered around the fire or at the kitchen island joking and playing as we ate. I still enjoy Sunday night dinner, Sola. I remember the good times in the past, but also enjoy and appreciate what I now have and celebrate it with making myself a nice meal!

So often I hear people say, "I love (this or that food), but I have no one to cook for." WELL..you have YOU to cook for, so why NOT??  It is wonderful to give others pleasure with the food you prepare with love, but you and I also deserve this love and pleasure.

Tonight I enjoyed Fresh Caught Trout Almondine with Tumeric Scented Basmati Rice and Peas and a Kale Salad with Avocado, Roasted Pepper and Red Onion.

You don't really need a recipe to create a meal like this. It is simple and fun to put together.
I coated the trout with seasoned flour, I used lemon pepper from Penzeys; you can use anything you like.
The trout was sauteed in butter from grass fed cows,( beautiful, yellow and rich) for about 3-4 minutes a side. I removed it from the pan, added more butter to saute the almonds, squeezed in some lemon juice and tossed in some chopped parsley. Pour this over the trout and voila! Trout Almondine.

The rice is basmati and very fragrant by itself. I always like to add more veggies when possible, so first I sauteed some onion and shallot in butter, added some freshly shelled organic English peas, the rice and water and a dash of tumeric. The rice is 2:1 water to rice. Brought the whole thing to a boil and then turned down the heat and simmered for 20 minutes. At that point I started the trout as above.

Just before serving, I washed a few leaves of kale, chopped them and put them on a plate. Added a sliced avocado, some roasted red pepper from a jar, a few slivers of red onion and tossed it all in white balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

As simple as that...maybe a half hour total time and I enjoyed a relaxing, simple, elegant meal to end the week and begin another.

Happy cooking and eating, Sola

ARTICHOKE SEASON AND ARTICHOKE SEASON, MY TWO FAVORITE SEASONS OF THE YEAR

I am serious. Artichokes are available, fresh, frozen and canned all year long, but spring and fall are the main seasons in California where most of the fresh artichokes here in the USA originate.

Fall is my favorite season most likely because on the New England coast, my home, spring was non-existent. We went from "winter is over" to "summer" suddenly one day in June or July. Of course, winter and summer definitions depend on where you live. Now, I am a Florida resident and our winter (a season I love except for the tourists!) is akin to New England fall and spring is in February through April or May if we are lucky. The rest is a blur to my New England weather sensitivities, and probably the reason I am consistently confused about what month we are in!

 Spring Bouquet  

(Ok, they're fake, but the colors brighten my rooms!!)

 Now to the subject, artichokes. Their history is long, known at least as far back as the ancient Greeks and Romans in 300 B.C. The Roman poet, Horace,( who, incidentally tells us a lot about ancient food and agriculture including the use of "truffle sniffing pigs"), retells an ancient Greek myth about the origin of the artichoke. See http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/artichokeHistory.htm, for interesting artichoke facts and lore.

In the USA we eat Globe artichokes, although there are many other varieties. It is considered a thistle, a  plant with prickly edges. In the mediterranean, artichokes are common fare and not too expensive. Here in the US, they are a bit feared due to their shape, price, thorns, and a lack of knowledge about cooking, eating and serving.  In truth, they are a simple vegetable to prepare, eating them is fun and not at all "elitist".

One simply cuts the top and bottom off, snipping the thorns if necessary, adds a squeeze of lemon to prevent discoloring, boils or steams it for 40-50 minutes and then removes the leaves, one by one, dipping into some wonderfully flavored sauce and enjoys! Of course, one has to remove the "furry" stuff before enjoying the best part, the heart, but it is worth the effort. All good things have to be earned!

Steamed, cut and hollowed out Globe Artichoke

In addition, artichokes are good for you. They have plentiful fiber, and are a good source of Vitamin C and Folacin. Even if you indulge by dipping them in butter or a fat based sauce, the time it takes and energy required to consume them, keep it a wise choice!

In our family, we ate artichokes, steamed, with hollandaise, butter, lemon, olive oil and garlic, pesto or any other sauce we could invent. Amanda always liked hot sauce with her butter! Sicilian stuffed artichokes or Romano style braised in herbs, garlic and lemon were other favored preparations.

In my cooking class, we all made a mess and thoroughly enjoyed, Grilled Baby Artichokes (they are chokeless) marinated and stuffed with a mixture of olive oil, garlic, parsley, basil, thyme, mint and breadcrumbs or pine nuts. No one spoke as we ate. All you could hear were muffled groans of ecstasy!

Now, Sola, I still want to enjoy the artichoke experience when they are at their peak. So I do, selecting a large, gorgeous specimen and stuffing it for an exquisite dinner.
Last night I made a stuffing with Sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, olivada, parsley, basil, garlic and panko  breadcrumbs. I licked my fingers and scraped the plate...yes, that good! And here is the recipe for you to try and do the same, sola, solo  or with friends...

STUFFED ARTICHOKE (sun dried tomato, olivada, feta)

• 1 large, fresh* globe artichoke
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large clove garlic (or to taste) finely minced
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped olives, kalamata and green mixed
• handful each fresh parsley and basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• good quality fruity olive oil

Cut artichoke top about 1 inch down, and cut stem. Put in a bowl of water with lemon or simply squeeze lemon juice over the artichoke. Set in a pot and steam or simmer with the lemon for 40-50 minutes, until you can easily remove one leaf. Do not overcook.
When cooled enough to handle , separate leaves and remove the tight leaves around center. With a melon baller or spoon, remove furry inside which covers the heart. The artichoke is now ready to stuff.

While it is cooking prepare stuffing:

Mix crumbs and remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Use enough oil to moisten and make stuffing stick together. I used some of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to give extra flavor. Also I had some muffaletta olive mixture left from another creation and used it, but the chopped olive combination will do as well. It should not need salt or pepper, but if you want heat, add some red pepper flakes. A dash of white wine is good too, but not necessary.

Ready to stuff the artichoke!

Fill the artichoke center cavity with stuffing. Then separate leaves around it and stuff. You are now ready for the last step which makes this incredible.

 Ta Dah! I put some of the extra stuffing on the inner leaves and "cheated" before the dish was done!

Mince another clove of garlic and place in a pot with some olive oil. Add a dash of wine and stand the stuffed artichoke in the pot. Cover the pot and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Do not let it run out of oil and wine (or use stock and water). You want this to reduce and absorb all the flavors of the stuffing mix, but not dry out. Remove and ENJOY!! Pour the extra sauce all over and all around..

YUM!!!!

How to eat this is another story..fingers and dipping and licking...fork and knife...you'll need and want it all. Lots of napkins too, or paper towels!

This recipe is for those of us "sola". If you plan to make several artichokes, you can put them in a baking dish with some oil, garlic and wine, cover the dish and bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour.

*look for artichokes that are green and "fleshy" and tightly compact and closed, not woody or with leaves opening. Also, this is an entree, so select a large artichoke. Save the small ones for a side dish.

Carnivore Variation:  Add some prosciutto to the stuffing mix.

THE GOOD SEED: GLUTEN-FREE MILLET CAKES

I know it's way past the New Year and I haven't been on Sola Gina for some time! I have been visiting with my daughters :), writing for the University Palm Ledger, studying hard with Institute for Integrative Nutrition, keeping up with my Facebook page and IIN groups and friends, oh yes, working, active in my church, but still cooking sola!! Finding ways to eat healthy for myself and really enjoy the process and the results are still my passionate pursuits. Hello! in 2013..

I wrote about millet last fall, promoting it's nutritional qualities, and with delicious recipes for millet breakfast pudding and millet stuffed peppers.  Now I am adding to the possibilities of using millet with a recipe for a great side dish, Millet Cakes.
I am trying to cut back on wheat consumption, not because I don't like it; I love it! And because I love it, I tend to pile on the pasta and bread with abandon and it punishes me for my over indulgence. Alternative grains like quinoa, brown rice and millet are good substitutes and help me to be moderate in my consumption of wheat for which my body is grateful! I am enjoying all of it, including a little wheat..the durum type in pasta, especially when combined with legume flours as in Barilla Plus works quite well.

Anyway, I had some left over millet which I had cooked in chicken broth and decided to try making Millet Cakes for a vegetarian dinner the other night (this is the part of cooking sola that I like the best..being able to decide on the spur of the moment which direction my meal will take).
I make risotto cakes out of left over risotto and potato cakes from extra mashed potato, so, millet cakes were a natural next step. I had toasted the millet a little before cooking which gives it a little nutty taste. Millet is quite bland, a good side for a spicy, saucy meal and is very digestible.

The results were very good, but they can be improved by making a few changes next time around. The millet does not stick together as well as the rice in risotto cakes, even though I had cooked it very well. Possibly due to the starch released by the risotto making process, risotto cakes adhere better and/or perhaps, it's the cheese in the recipe. My millet recipe (which follows) would not have fared well with the addition of cheese. Next time I may add yogurt or mayonnaise in addition to the egg to help bind the cakes and make them more "sticky" and more "creamy". Pureeing the veggies or binding with a vegan type mayonnaise would make them suitable for vegans as well.

Another suggestion would be to dip them in flour or panko crumbs before sautéing, eliminating the gluten-free aspect of the dish, but it is an option for some.

The spices used in the recipe could also be altered to make them more compatible with cheese, and open up a whole range of flavor possibilities. Parmesan and sundried tomato, feta and olive, cheddar jalapeño, etc. Cooking sola is fun!

MILLET CAKES

• 1 1/2 cups well cooked millet
• 14 cup grated carrot
• 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• 1 finely minced garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons minced sweet red pepper
• 1 egg
• peri peri seasoning to taste*
• olive oil for sautéing approx. 2-3 tablespoons, divided

Saute the veggies in about 1 tablespoon olive oil until softened, adding the peri peri seasoning. Mix all together with the millet. Add a beaten egg and form into the size patties you desire.

Cooked Millet with sauteed veggies

Allow to sit in the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour to help them hold together.
Saute in remaining olive oil turning once. Let the first side brown well before turning.

Imperfect, but tasty!!

I served them with a spicy mustard sauce. Chutney or salsa would also work well.

Haricot Vert with a little Umeboshi vinegar were a nice balance

*Peri Peri is a spice made from North African hot red peppers by the same name. Penzey's now has it in dry form. It is also known as Ethiopian Berbere and can be used as curry or chili seasoning.

Keep cooking and keep healthy!!
Sola Gina

MANICOTTI AND MEMORY LANE

On Decembeer 15, 1966, I invited one of my Music Professors and his wife to dinner at Bob's and my home. We had spent the previous year together in Naples, Italy and learned, shared and enjoyed so much! I did not drive, then, and Professor King's wife, Marnie, had a little VW Beetle and she took me all around in exchange for access to the NATO base and it's benefits (Bob was in the Navy at that time, but he was in the Caribbean!).

Dr.King and other professors had their own apartments, but we students lived in a Pensione, an Italian residence or boarding house. Ours was famous for it's Sunday dinners of a Pea and Tomato Ragu filled Puffed Pastry, Roasted Chicken and Rum Cake for dessert. The boys in the class, however, lived in a different Pensione and they had Homemade Manicotti as a "Primo" every Sunday. It was a toss up between the "Wedding Cake", as we so affectionately called it, and the Manicotti. Often the Manicotti won and even the professors would come to Sunday dinner at the boys Pensione! It was outstanding! This was Napoli! I might add that the girls lived in a genteel part of town, but the boys were allowed to live in a less reputable area, savory food, but unsavory neighbors! Enough said!

Back to December 15, 1966...I was at that time a graduate student and Bob and I were spending our first year alone in our big house on Ipswich Bay in Gloucester. School, at least for me, had closed for the Holidays and I went about decorating the tree which Bob had set up the night before, cleaned and decorated the house, was all the while playing Christmas music, Gregorian Chant and Medieval and Renaissance songs were my favorites at that time. It's a wonderful memory...

Well, as you have probably guessed by now, Manicotti was on the menu that night. I made the pasta, and rolled it out on the machine, boiled it, made the filling and a meatless tomato sauce for it. Dr. King was a Pescatarian, so no meat for him, ( I do think the sauce in Napoli had meat in it..he must have ignored  it because the opportunity to eat this treat was so rare in our experience at that time)!

It all went well. It is one of my most pleasant memories of beginning the Christmas Season. My Manicotti, although a lot of work, was a huge success. I followed it with Filet of Sole with Lemon and Capers and a salad of simple greens with oil and vinegar. I recall dessert being a raspberry sorbet (I am sure I purchased that!) which I put into a ring mold with a fruit compote in the center.  Rum Cake was NOT in my repertoire at least then. I think I had just turned 22...Espresso and biscotti.  I could probably not tell you what I ate last week, but I remember this dinner and evening well. I was not even a "foodie" back then...just a graduate student planning to teach Classics in some college or other..what a change of plans!!

I loved food then and I certainly do now...fast forward to December 15, 2012.
I am alone in a condo in beautiful Sarasota, Fl. , Sola. Not on the ocean, but close to the Gulf of Mexico.
I have had a career in food and not classics, and am still studying food and nutrition. It is a life long pursuit.  Homemade Manicotti is my dinner tonight, the main and only course, other than a small Kale and Avocado Salad. I wanted to recreate the flavors of that meal in 1966 without all the labor. I''m not 22 any longer...the tree is artificial and small, but serene with a star and white lights; the house was cleaned yesterday by my cleaner.  Nothing is the same, I miss my inspiration and my love, yet what I have is not so bad, and I can enjoy my manicotti and my memories, Sola!

This recipe is simple in taste. Like most authentic Italian foods, natural, quality ingredients are what make it special. Make your own sauce if possible or use a really good commercial one with no added sugars or artificial ingredients!

Christmas Memories

SIMPLIFIED HOMEMADE MANICOTTI

• 1 package of *Barilla no bake Lasagne, 8 noodles
• 15 ounces ricotta
• about 2 cups, fresh, organic spinach, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• grated fresh nutmeg (approx. 1 teaspoon)
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups plus of favorite marinara or meat sauce
• additional grated parmesan and grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375.
Blend the ricotta, chopped spinach, egg, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper together.
In a skillet large enough to accommodate 1 or 2 lasagna noodles, bring enough water to cover to a boil and let simmer.
Place 1 or 2 noodles in water at a time for a fe minutes each, until just pliable. Drain on paper towels.
Immediately fill each noodle with ricotta mixture and roll up. Place in a baking dish coated with some sauce on bottom.
Top with sauce and more parmesan and some grated mozzarella.
Bake, covered for about 25-30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

*You can use another brand as long as it has only flour and egg as the ingredients. I wanted this to be like homemade pasta without all the work and it is!

Enjoy and create your own memories, Sola, without all the work! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Gina

ROCKIN' RISOTTO AND SUPER GREENS SOUP

Say the word risotto and everyone thinks, "a lot of work", "tricky", "difficult".  It does not have to be true. I often make risotto for a quick dinner, yes, SOLA! When you add some veggies and/or protein, it is a meal-in-one, and a great vehicle for using up bits and pieces of leftovers we "Sola" folks tend to collect!

You don't need perfection to have a delicious and healthy dish. An authentic, creamy, unctuous risotto is a pleasure beyond compare, but for a last minute, nutritious treat, a less than perfect version is a welcome option. Butter, arborio or other short grain rice, broth, cheese and whatever else you have on hand, can become a real treat for dinner in a very short time with little effort. My version the other night using a few organic shiitake mushrooms and some kale, was delightful and a nutritional a powerhouse as well! What more could you ask?

Shiitake mushrooms are especially nutritious. They are considered a "medicinal" mushroom as well as an "edible" mushroom. Science is proving them good for the cardiovascular system, the immune system and possibly as a deterrent to cancer. They are rich in B vitamins, have the most protein of the mushroom family, and have several minerals including calcium and selenium. More importantly for the cook, they have a meaty texture and flavor, called umami, which is prized in the culinary world.

Kale is reputed to be one of the most nutritious vegetables on the planet. The book, 50 Shades of Kale  has, now, made it a fun and popular veggie as well! Full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, kale also has a bright and beautiful green color when used raw in a dressed salad or briefly cooked.
There are many types of kale, all a little differtent in appearance, texture, size and taste. Try them all and pick your favorite! I like the curly kale at my organic market. It is young, tender and sweet. They also have red kale and lacinato kale. Try collard greens for an alternative!

SHIITAKE MUSHROOM AND KALE RISOTTO

• 3-4 shiitake mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 3-4 leaves fresh organic kale, washed and sliced, * chiffonade
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup short grain rice such as Arborio, or Sushi rice
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion 
• 1 shallot, chopped (optional)
• approx. 3 cups good chicken or vegetable stock
• parmesan to taste
• salt and hot pepper flakes

Melt butter in a sturdy saucepan on medium high heat. Simmer stock in another pan.
Add chopped onion and shallot and cook until slightly softened.
Add rice and stir to coat with butter. Add additional butter if needed.
Stir in mushrooms and cook until aroma starts to be released. Next add some white wine if you have some, about 1/3 cup and stir until it is absorbed. If you do not have or do not want to use wine, start stirring in stock about 1/2 cup at at time. Continue to stir until liquid is mostly absorbed.
Traditional risotto requires constant stirring, but if you are busy or tired, just stir intermittently, but keep a close watch. When the liquid is absorbed, add another 1/3 -1/2 cup and continue. The mixture will begin to be creamy as the rice absorbs the liquid and releases the starch. When the rice is almost cooked, add the kale and more liquid and stir. Cook until rice is done, but still has a little texture. The kale should remain bright green. Add some parmesan, salt and pepper flakes to taste. I like a little "kick" of spice in my Mushroom and Kale Risotto!
Eat, enjoy and be healthy...you can add a side salad of marinated tomatoes and olives if you like.

Yum, look at those meaty mushrooms and glistening kale! 

The whole thing takes about 30 minutes, and is easy enough to do after a long day at work. If you don't have mushrooms and kale, use spinach and broccoli, or butternut squash and peas, whatever sounds good to you!  And the best part of making this "sola" is that you will maybe have enough left over for a risotto cake in the morning. Just form a patty, dip in breadcrumbs or flour and saute. One of my favorite breakfasts with or without sausage on the side.

Super Greens Soup is just that. Had some greens left from my trip to the organic farm, a lone zucchini, and a yukon gold potato.  Took an onion and chopped it with the veggies. Put it in a saucepan with some butter, added a dash of curry powder and some stock left from the risotto, a splash of wine and cooked it all together for about 1/2 hour. Voila! Super nutritious and delicious soup for dinner and some left for lunch later in the week.

Variegated Sorrel, Zucchini, Upland Cress, Yukon Gold Potato

This one took 15 minutes to make. I semi-blended the soup when done. I like  thickish soup with chunks. You could eat it all chunky, or make a smooth puree if that is your pleasure. It is all good and good for you!  

*chiffonade:  roll leaves into a cylinder and slice thinly to make thin "ribbons"

Happy Healthy Eating

Sola Gina

http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2012/11/15/the-coming-of-the-health-coach-revolution/

http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2012/11/15/the-coming-of-the-health-coach-revolution/

Good reading for my sola gina followers..

COMFORT FOOD THAT'S FAST AND HEALTHY? REALLY!!

Sometimes you crave something delicious but just don't have the energy or time to fuss. Along came fast food. It provides something to eat with no effort, but comes at a price to our health and taste buds. Fast food is really not an option in my life, unless I am traveling and there is no other choice. I love food and and want to enjoy and savor it's flavors and partake of its health benefits, so I usually try to find a way to eat well, even when exhausted and pressed for time.

So, over the years, I have developed my "little or no effort" dinners and most of them are pretty good. Often, they involve pasta and a good quality jar of some type of sauce. Tonight I did not even want to cook the pasta (well, truthfully, I made pasta for lunch, and I did fuss over it a bit, so had no desire to repeat the effort). I opened my pantry and "ecco", there were the makings of a dish I knew would make me happy and still leave time and energy to finish my studying. Because of my studies at IIN, I now feel even more compelled to eat well and keep it healthy. My dinner plan even fit the healthy lifestyle! What more could you want?

Baked Artichoke Hearts with Chick Peas will be a new favorite in my house for many reasons! You hardly need a recipe to make it, but I'll give some guidelines here. Feel free to ad lib and add things like capers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, hot peppers, mushrooms, etc. to make it special, but the simple version that follows is sure to satisfy.

I was hungry and had to taste a sample before the photo!

BAKED ARTICHOKE HEARTS WITH CHICK PEAS

• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• approx. 1 cup chopped tomatoes (I like Pomi, just tomatoes!)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• grated parmesan
• panko breadcrumbs
• mozzarella (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Mix artichoke hearts, chick peas and tomatoes in a baking dish. Add garlic. Toss with some olive oil, about 2 tablespoons, red wine vinegar, about 1 tablespoon, and fresh basil.

Top with parmesan, panko and mozzarella if using. Drizzle with a little more oil and bake for 25 minutes.

Of course, I had a version of my latest addiction with the casserole, Fresh Kale Salad with Avocado, Red Onion, Pepitas and Lemon Vinaigrette. I make it a little differently each night, but it is always wonderful, and I look forward to it all day!!

 This is one from the night before with Apples, Radish Arugula and Cashews

I made a red wine pomegranate vinaigrette for this one.

Sola Gina