Why hello there. Yet another recipe that I need to get up on the blog for easy access. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. It was a much needed break from a particularly nuts December at work.

Chocolate Scotch Shortbread Cookies

Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (1978) From my In-Laws Cookbook Library

These little Chocolate Guys (or Stars or Trees) are the go to cookie recipe in the Schmidt family. Not too sweet. Intensely chocolately. Great with coffee!

“Traditionally, shortbread is not chocolate.  Untraditionally this is verychocolate.  These are thick, dry, crisp cookies that are buttery and plain. They keep well, mail well, and are lovely to package as a gift.”

35 to 40 Cookies

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ cup strained unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
1 cup confectioners sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry instant espresso powder
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*If you make this in a food processor, the butter should be firm and cold, right out of the refrigerator.  If you make it in an electric mixer, the butter should be removed from the refrigerator about 20 or 30 minutes before using.

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 300 degrees.This may be prepared in a food processor or in an electric mixer.

To use a processor: Fit it with a steel blade and place the dry ingredients in the bowl.  Cut the cold butter into ½ inch slices over the dry ingredients.  Add the vanilla.  Cover and process until the ingredients hold together. I always use a food processor because it is so easy!

To use an electric mixer: Cream the butter in a large mixer bowl.  Add the vanilla, sugar, and salt and beat to mix.  On low speed add the flour and cocoa, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until the mixture holds together.

If the dough is not perfectly smooth, place it on a board or smooth work surface and knead it briefly with the heel of your hand.

Form the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly. Flour a pastry cloth, rubbing the flour in well and a rolling pin.  Place the dough on the cloth and turn it over to flour both sides.  With the floured rolling pin (reflour it as necessary) roll the dough until it is ½ inch thick (no thinner).  It is important to make it the same thickness all over.

Use a plain round cookie cutter 1 ½ inches in diameter.  Before cutting each cookie, dip the cutter in flour and tap it to shake off excess.  Cut the cookies as close to each other as possible.  Place the cookies 1 inch apart on unbuttered cookie sheets.

Press together leftover scraps of dough, reflour the cloth lightly if necessary and reroll the dough.

Now each cookie should be pierced three times in a vertical row in the middle with the tines of a four-pronged fork, piercing all the way through the cookie each time.  If the dough sticks to the fork, or if removing the fork causes the cookies to lose their shape, transfer the sheets of cookies to the refrigerator or freezer only until the dough becomes slightly firm—do not let it freeze or become too firm or the fork will crack the cookies.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once during baking to insure even baking. Watch these carefully—they could burn and become bitter before you know it unless you check them often.  If you bake only one sheet, bake it on the higher rack; one sheet will bake in less time. Once you start smelling the chocolate, you know they are close.

With a wide metal spatula transfer the cookies to racks to cool.

Somehow I managed to go a year without posting to this space. Sure there are a million excuses (new job, no time, long commute) but really, I just didn’t want to blog anymore. It was just too much to take the perfect picture to get onto Tastespotting or Foodgawker (which ironically, I never visit anymore), try to say something witty and meaningful and keep up regular posting. So I just stopped. But now I’m realizing that I have a years worth of recipes I’ve tried out with no documentation. Take these Zucchini Corn Fritters. I made them last year around this time. I know this because the picture was still on my iPhone. Once again, I am overrun with zucchini from my CSA share and corn just hit the market, so I went to my blog to find this recipe and I realized, it wasn’t there. Thankfully, some searching with Betsy of our GChat histories allowed us to find this recipe. So, I have no idea how often I will make it back to this space. But I’m going to try to start posting again, mostly just for me, my family and my friends so that I can remember the highlights in my kitchen. But if you happen to still be reading after all this time…all the better.

Zucchini Corn Fritters
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients:

• 4 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 small onion, diced small
• 3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• bunch of chives, minced
• 3/4 cup flour
• 8-10 grinds of black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Sour cream, for serving

Directions:

1) Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater or with the shredding disc of a food processor. I used the food processor. Place the shredded zucchini in a colander in the sink or over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Toss to combine. Let drain while you get the rest of the recipe ready.
2) Crack the eggs into a large bowl and give them a quick scramble with a fork. Cut the kernels from the cob using this method and add the kernels to the bowl along with the onion, scallions, cilantro, chives, flour and pepper.
3) Grab the shredded zucchini in small fistfuls and squeeze out as much water as possible over the sink. You want to get out as much liquid as you can. Add the zucchini to the bowl and mix well to combine.
4) Pour the oil in a large frying pan to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until not but not smoking. Drop a handful of the zucchini mixture into the pan and press down with a spatula to form a disc. Cook in batches without crowding 2-4 minutes on each side. You want the side to be golden brown. Remove to paper towels on a plate to drain. You may need to add some more oil between the batches.
5) Serve with some sour cream on the side. The fritters should be crisp on the outside and slightly custardy on the inside.

Summers are just different in the midwest. After a long winter, a short spring, summer is a welcome change. The markets are finally filled with something other than potatoes and storage apples. Sure I get excited for asparagus and peas but one of the truly special market arrivals are sour cherries. i have spent the past two saturdays spending a lazy afternoon of watching the Women’s World Cup (YAY USA!!!) while pitting a few quarts of sour cherries. Some of last week’s haul went into a delicious pie and I have a few bags tucked away in the freezer to save for a chilly fall or winter day but I was really the most excited by this sour cherry jam.

I have been enjoying this jam stirred into my morning breakfast of greek yogurt and raw oatmeal.  If you are able to get your hands on some sour cherries, I hope that you will give this jam a try.

Sour Cherry Jam with Balsamic Vinegar
Recipe adapted from Melissa Clark

1 cup sugar
2 pints sour cherries, pitted
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Place a small plate in the freezer. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar with 1 cup of water. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup has thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the cherries and balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally, while the cherries soften and release their juices. Feel free to mash the cherries up to help them along and break them up a bit. Continue cooking until the juices reduce by half and the mixture begins to thicken, 15 to 20 minutes. It could take as long as 30 minutes. Test to make sure the jam will set by dropping a small spoonful on the cold plate. If the jam forms a puddle that wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is done. Transfer the jam to a sterilized jar and store in the fridge.

Sour Cherries previously: Coffee Cake

It is pretty hard to grow up in Texas and not have a thing for salsa. The quality of the salsa can make or break a Mexican dining experience. If I sit down at a Mexican place and the salsa is lackluster it is rather difficult to look forward to the rest of the meal. However, really good chips and salsa can almost ruin the rest of my meal, because I just can’t stop eating the scoops of salsa and I spoil my appetite for the rest of my dinner.

Growing up in The Woodlands, our neighborhood Tex-Mex place, Los Cucos, had two really awesome salsas served with those incredibly addicting thin style chips. One was a slightly spicy, classic roasted tomato but the real star was a spicy, creamy green salsa. It was great spooned on top of faijtas or just shoveled into my mouth with those chips. When I saw this recipe back in February on Lottie + Doof, I immediately remembered the green salsa at Los Cucos and wondered if this recipe could live up to my childhood memory. It does. For such a short list of ingredients it is really amazing how bright and vibrant and tasty this salsa is. I can’t wait to try it with garlic and jalapeños from the farmers’ market later this summer. Give it a try. Its really better than anything you may find in a jar.

Creamy Roasted Jalapeño Salsa
Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless via Lottie + Doof

6 ounces jalapeño chiles (about 5-6), stemmed
10 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
handful of cilantro (optional; I used it the 2nd time I made it and I liked it)
salt

In a large skillet over medium heat, roast the jalapeños and unpeeled garlic until soft and blotchy brown, 15-20 minutes. I turn the jalapeños somewhat often to try to get all the sides. Cool*, then peel the garlic and roughly chopped the jalapeños. (you can remove some of the seeds, to control heat) Combine the garlic, chiles, and lime juice in a blender and pulse to finely chop. Turn blender on and slowly dribble in the oil. Pour into a small bowl and add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the salsa. Taste and add salt, about a teaspoon.

This salsa is really best in the first 24 hours. You can keep it for a day or two, in the fridge- re-blend if it starts to separate.

*The 2nd time that I made this salsa, I roasted everything and put it in a bowl and stuck it in the fridge for 2 days, then blended everything up the night I wanted to have it. It tasted just as good as making everything in one day.

Even though it is only July 3rd, it is already a pretty awesome 4th of July weekend. A long weekend out of the office. It actually has warmed up and feels like summer here in Chicago. The Crosstown Classic. A game of bocce in the park. BBQs at friend’s apartment while watching with suburban firework shows in the distance to the west from balconies. Summer is really a great time in Chicago. If I can suggest one thing, make a batch of these paletas tonight, so they are ready for the 4th tomorrow. You could probably even tweak the recipe a tad and make some boozy sugared blueberries and strawberries for a festive look. The sour cream base just screams to be tinkered with.

Sour Cream and Cherry Paletas
Recipe adapted from Fany Gerson via Lottie + Doof

8 ounces stemmed and pitted cherries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons rum {original recipe called for tequila, but I was out}
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Put the cherries in a nonreactive saucepan with the confectioners’ sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and simmer, stirring often, until the syrup has thickened and has a consistency like maple syrup. Remove from the heat, stir in the rum, and refrigerate until completely chilled.

Drain the cherries, and save the liquid. It makes for a yummy add-in to diet 7up. Combine the milk, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture just comes to a boil.

Remove from the heat, add the sour cream, and stir with a whisk until completely smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Refrigerate the mixture until completely chilled.

Put a bit of the sour cream mixture into each of your molds, to a height of about 1 inch. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 30 minutes. Divide the drained cherries among the molds, then pour in the remaining sour cream mixture, dividing it evenly among the molds.

Freeze until solid.

Even though it is only the second week, I’m already so happy that we joined a CSA this summer. It is pretty nice to drop by Green City and just buy some strawberries and cherries and know that I’m already set for most of my veggies. This week we received a few repeats in our CSA share from the week before including asparagus, kale, lettuce, bok choy, japanese turnip, dill and spinach. But we also got carrots, broccoli, garlic scapes, and cilantro. I decided to make a big pot of veggie soup, loosely inspired by this recipe, to pack for lunches for the week. Since the summer solstice is tomorrow, celebrate now with this “spring” soup.

Last Day of Spring Soup
Recipe loosely based on Spring Minestrone Soup

I used what I had on hand but this is really adaptable. Let me know if you try another mix of veggies!

1 onion, diced [I regretted not grabbing a bunch of spring onions to use]
2 large or 3-4 carrots, diced
1 russet potato, diced into spoon sized pieces
1 quart of chicken or veggie broth [I used chicken since I have 6 quarts to use up before next month's move]
5-6 stalks of asparagus, diced
1/2 a large bok choy, stalks diced, leaves cut into ribbons
quick pesto (just food process a handful of basil leaves with a clove of garlic and some olive oil)

Saute onion in some olive oil in a dutch oven or other large pot until softened. Add carrot, bok choy stalks and potatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Salt and Pepper to taste. I threw in a little ground chipotle pepper at this point to give it a little depth. Add the quart of chicken broth and a quart of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes, until potato chunks are fork tender. Add asparagus and bok choy leaves. Simmer for a few more minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings as necessary.

A month ago I became a Schmidt.  I’ve only legally changed my name with the social security office because there just hasn’t been time for all the other places (DMV, banks, credit cards, ARDC, etc).  I still haven’t totally mastered my new signature.  And just this Wednesday, I signed my old WM initials while signing a lease for a new! bigger! apartment {we move at the end of July and I can’t wait to share our new home with you!}.  But in the past month, I’ve mastered Cacio e Pepe.

I like to say that cacio e pepe is a grown-up, more nuanced, more Roman mac-n-cheese.  A mere 48 hours about becoming “Whit Whit Schmidt”, we flew to Rome for our honeymoon, with only one day scheduled (a tour of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s), our trusty Rick Steves guidebooks, and the April 2010 Issue of Saveur.  We stayed on the Via Veneto in a hotel paid for by hotel points, a perk to our Westin-held wedding.

We spent 5 days in Rome, seeing the can’t-miss sights (Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain) and taking the time to people watch in the Piazza Navona and the Borghese Gardens.  We stuffed our faces with cappuccinos, pizza, pasta and gelato. After Rome, we took a train* to Cinque Terre, which is a beautiful cluster of 5 towns in the Italian Riviera.  This was a welcome, relaxing change to our time in Rome.

We stayed at a cute little hotel complete with lemon groves, free afternoon batches of pesto, and a comfortable room.  I dipped my toes into the Mediterranean and we hiked the trail connecting all 5 towns, getting pretty dirty and exhausted in the process. That night we rewarded ourselves with big bowls of pasta, mine with mussels, Dave’s with pesto and a round of icy cold Limoncello shots.  It sounds silly to say, but the Cinque Terre towns were almost too perfect in a way that I felt like I was back at Epcot!  Really just so beautiful, relaxing and perfect.  Needless to say, it was a great trip, and I can’t wait to someday get back to Italy.  But thankfully, I have now have cacio e pepe in my cooking arsenal for the meantime.

Cacio e Pepe
Recipe adapted from Saveur. Other verisons: Smitten Kitchen & Bon Appetit

1 lb. pasta, traditionally tonnarelli or spaghetti but we also like more forkable shapes like Cavatappi or fusilli so really use whatever you like
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, this is the time to bust out your good bottle
2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper, plus more
to taste
1 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
3⁄4 cup finely grated Cacio de Roma {I found this at Whole Foods but you could also just use parmigiano-reggiano in its place}

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta of choice and cook until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add pepper and cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Ladle 3⁄4 cup pasta water into the skillet and bring to a boil. Using tongs, transfer pasta to skillet; spread it evenly. Sprinkle 3⁄4 cup each Pecorino Romano and Cacio de Roma over pasta; toss vigorously to combine until sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta without clumping, about 2 minutes, adding some pasta water if necessary. Transfer to a big bowl or plate and sprinkle with remaining Pecorino and more pepper. Serves 2-4 depending on how hungry you are. The leftovers are pretty decent with just a little water added before microwaving.

You are see all our pictures here.  Or just some of my favorites.

*Pretty funny story with our train trip.  Apparently we traveled by train on a day of a scheduled train strike.  Our train from Rome was VERY crowded which we later realized was because many trains had already been cancelled that morning.  On the way, our train doors got stuck open in Follonica, and we waited about an hour to keep moving forward, only to make it to La Spezia, the transfer town near the Cinque Terre, and have no more trains coming.  After a quite scary 60 Euro cab ride with an older couple from Seattle, we finally made it to Monterosso al Mare.

This summer I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) through Growing Home. My best friend Betsy recommended their CSA not just for their delicious organic produce all summer long but also for their social mission of providing job training to those who might have difficulty finding traditional employment. I thought it would be fun to try to let you see what I get every week and one dish I created from the produce box. Dave and I are splitting our box with Betsy This week we got asparagus, kale, green garlic, lettuce, bok choy, japanese turnip, radish, spinach, mustard greens, dill and oregano. I decided to cook up the kale and bokchoy with the green garlic and eat it over rice with a fried egg on top. It was a good decision. I’ve also enjoyed a few salads with the lettuce and spinach with sliced radishes and the japanese turnip (mildest and sweetest of turnips, best eaten raw) and some carrots I picked up from another vendor at the market. Looking forward to the summer season of produce and experimenting in my kitchen!

CSA Greens & Garlic over Rice with Egg

3 stalks of green garlic; sliced then roughly minced
1-2 heads of garlic, diced
1/2 head of bokchoy stalks sliced into 1/2 inch pieces, greens roughly chopped
1/2 bunch of kale, stems removed*, roughly chopped
olive oil
soy sauce, I used low-sodium
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
cooked white or brown rice
1 egg, preferably also from the market or at least an organic, cage-free source
Sriracha, or your favorite hot sauce

Saute the green garlic in a good glug of olive oil for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes, just don’t burn it. Add the bokchoy and kale with a splash of water. Cover and allow to cook down, approx 5 minutes. Once the greens feel tender, throw on a good glug of soy sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a separate pan with cooking spray and fry an egg sunny-side up.

Put rice in a bowl and top with the greens, then slide on the fried egg. Squirt on some srircha for good measure.

Today I caught up on a handful of Spilled Milk podcasts at work and listened to a perfectly timed topic: spouseless eating. Tonight my husband (and it feels weird to finally call Dave that) had his book club meeting (yes, our group of guy friends was jealous of our girls’ book club and started their own) so I was on on my own for dinner. Spouseless eating usually means to me epic amounts of braised kale and spaghetti (or a trip to McDs if you are Dave) but since it is springtime at the market it is time for epic amounts of asparagus. I picked up two bunches yesterday at the market with plans to make this salad but I’ve been flipping through this book the last few nights and remember a recipe that featured asparagus. And it was especially perfect for a dave-less night because it called for anchovies.

This was a recipe that came together in about 20 minutes simply because I was well stocked with ingredients, even the anchovy, which I will admit, that I’ve never used before and just picked up a tin months ago on a whim from Trader Joes. I’m glad I opened them up because the one filet added that can’t-put-your-finger-on-it-flavor to the breadcrumbs. Even though I love to cook for Dave, spouseless eating nights aren’t so bad for me.

Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs and Anchovy Bread Crumbs
Recipe adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

Serves 2 as an appetizer or side dish, or just 1 for a quick dinner

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unseasoned breadcrumbs (I pulsed from one slice of wheat bread in my food processor)
1 anchovy fillet, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs and anchovy and cook until the bread crumbs are browned and toasted, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the minced garlic and a large pinch of slat and cook until fragrant (1-2 mins longer). Add the lemon zest, then transfer the mixture to a small bowl.

Wipe out the same pan with some paper towel and return to the burner. Add another tablespoon of oil and then add the asparagus, some salt and pepper. Toss in a little water and cover and cook, stirring and shaking the pan occasionally under the asparagus is tender, 5-6 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a plate and top with the bread crumbs.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the eggs until the jet set but the yolks are runny, 2-3 minutes. Slide the eggs on top of the asparagus and dig in.

I’m still trying to sort through the 700 pictures that we took in Italy and figure out where to store all the lovely new things we received in our now quite full 1 bedroom apartment but the easiest way for me to feel grounded and back at home is to bake.

I was excited to walk through the first farmers market after we got back to see what had cropped up in the two weeks I was gone and I was glad to see that I hadn’t missed rhubarb season. Sure rhubarb isn’t as exciting as strawberries or peaches but I always enjoy the challenge of “what to make?” with this odd little first summer “fruit”.

Sure I could make a crumble, or some simple syrup for cocktails or some tarts, or just a batch of compote for my greek yogurt but as I caught up with my back log in my reader early on Sunday morning {jet lag} I saw this post on Smitten Kitchen and immediately went into my kitchen and got to baking.

Deb’s description of muffins that were “hearty but not heavy, studded with rhubarb and but not devoid of butter or sugar” sounded perfect after 10 days of chocolate pastry and cappuccino breakfasts while standing at the Bar to save a few Euros. I will freely admit that I just had 3 of these perfect not too sweet, don’t feel too bad about eating them since they have so much whole wheat pasty flour muffins with a big glass of iced coffee after my first run in over 3 weeks. Seems like the perfect way to easy into summer (and married life) to me.

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
Recipe (barely) adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Deb’s headnotes give more guidance about your flour choices. I used whole wheat pastry flour. I also ran out of brown sugar and used raw cane sugar in the muffin batter to no ill effects.

Streusel
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffin
1 large egg
1/4 cup raw cane sugar (or brown sugar if you didn’t run out like me)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced rhubarb, in 1/2-inch pieces (from about 4 to 6 stalks)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 12 muffin cups.

Make streusel: In a small dish, stir together flours, sugars, spices and salt. Make sure to really break up the brown sugar before adding the butter so that it gets mixed in well. Stir in butter until crumbly. Set aside.

Make muffins: Whisk egg in the bottom of a large bowl with both sugars. Whisk in butter, then sour cream. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking powder and baking soda and stir them into the sour cream mixture, mixing until just combined and still a bit lumpy. Fold in rhubarb and 1/3 (just guess at how much) of the streusel mixture.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with remaining streusel, then use a spoon to gently press the crumbs into the batter so that they adhere. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until tops are golden and a tester inserted into the center of muffins comes out clean. Rest muffins in pan on cooling rack for two minutes, then remove muffins from tin to cool them completely.

Enjoy with some iced coffee after a hot summer morning run.