Do Kids Enjoy Cooking?

I never met a child who didn't enjoy cooking. Of course, I realize my universe is very, very small, but still ... over the years I have seen kids interested in food and be curious about such things as:

How big chunks get chopped into little pieces.

What happens to eggs when they're boiled.

What vanilla extract and whole cloves smell like.

What okra tastes like.

Why some people fry "grilled cheese" and some people cook it in a toaster oven.

How sushi/sashimi feels in your mouth.

Big questions. All of them. And if you encourage their curiosity, children learn much more than about the food. They learn that you will feed the hunger in their brain as well as in their stomach.

That's a good thing.

I think maybe kids begin the want-to-cook process when they are really young and they get to lick the bowl or taste a hunk of whatever it is you are cooking. Usually something sweet like cake batter or cookie dough. 

Two of my grand daughters once shared a batter bowl and spatula, as you can see in the first photo. YES I KNOW ALLOWING THEM TO LICK THE SAME SPATULA isn't the most sanitary thing. But that picture, one of my favorites of all time, reminds me of the great time we had that day. And that they continued to enjoy cooking, with me and their parents.

They are older now and recently graduated to knife skills. In the second photo they are chopping scallions. Another wonderful day. They are fully into the whole cooking thing and I know that these early adventures will make them unafraid of cooking for the rest of their lives.

The recipe for the cake they made on the sharing-spatula day is here. 

The scallions? Used for the salad recipe that follows.

If you have a child or niece or nephew or neighbor or know some other kid, encourage him/her to cook. And better yet, do it with them and have some fun.

Chopped Salad with Chickpeas and Avocado

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into dice
• 1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
• 1/2 cup tangy black olives, pitted and halved
• 2-3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
• 3–4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
• 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice or red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, chick peas, olives, eggs, scallions, parsley and dill in a bowl and toss ingredients gently. Just before serving, mix together the olive oil and lemon juice and pour over the salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

Veggie Here, Veggie There

When my family comes I buy about 83 pounds of fruits and vegetables. And it is never enough! After a couple of days with 6 grownups and 5 kids eating three meals/day plus snacks, I have to run out again and get a few packages of blueberries or a bunch of spinach and stuff.

But last visit I got it right! Not only did I buy enough, there were a couple of leftover items.

Not enough of one particular thing to do much with -- a couple of yellow squash, two portobello caps, a few grape tomatoes. Like that.

I put them all together in a saute pan with a little olive oil and some fresh basil and we polished it off as a side dish for dinner. The recipe will serve 4, but Ed and I finished most of it.

Mixed Vegetable Saute

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 2 small yellow squash, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 portobello mushroom caps, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the jalapeno pepper, scallions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes, or until softened. Add the squash and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes or until the tomatoes have softened slightly.

Makes 4 servings

Baked Potato

What do you eat when you're feeling sad or emotionally wrecked or furious at the world?

I grew up in a family in which, whenever there was a crisis of some sort, the grownups would say "how can you eat at a time like this?!"

But I'm an eater and, in fact, when I am feeling like life is closing in, I want to eat more than ever, fill myself with food and just keep pecking away like a chicken in a barnyard.

People talk about comfort foods. You know, the foods that supposedly make you feel better.

So what is that food, that one thing that I want the most when I'm at a low point? I've thought about it, that's for sure.

Do I want my Mom's Mac n' Cheese?

Actually, I would rather have my Mom, thank you.

Ditto, my Mom's Apple Pie and Chicken Soup.

Popcorn helps, but isn't sustaining.

Ditto Li-Lac chocolate's Butter Crunch. 

Actually, what I want is the very simplest of foods. What helps me most is a plain baked potato.

Russet-Idaho. Organic. Crunchy crusted. Faint metallic taste to the flesh.

This is food so basic and sustaining, so wonderful that, IMHO, it needs just a bit of butter, salt and pepper. Skip the sour cream. No chives. No cheese.

Keep it simple. 

I just ate one. I might have another later.

So easy to make perfectly:

Baked Potato

• 4 organic Idaho, russet type potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the potatoes. When the oven reaches 400 degrees, place the potatoes in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Pierce each potato with the tip of a sharp knife. Continue to bake for another 45 minutes or until the outside is crusty and the inside is tender (pierce the flesh with the tip of a sharp knife). 

Makes 4 servings

You can never have too much caulifower

Frequently, if I am at a loss for what to serve as a side dish with dinner, I opt for cauliflower. There's always a head in the house. I can clean it quickly while the oven preheats. It's one of the milder cabbages, so everyone in the family likes it. And it is so incredibly flexible that, after a rubdown with olive oil I can squirt it with lemon juice or some other liquid, like maybe wine. I can season it with just about any spice or herb. I can give it a final flourish of cheese if I wish. 

I can break the cauliflower head into small chunks or cut it into thick slices, like "steak" (a recipe from The Modern Kosher Kitchen). Or roast it whole.

Saute it instead of roasting it in the oven.

Make it into salad.

And so on.

This is the latest version. Quick. Easy. Goes with everything.

 

Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 small cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
• salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (substitute ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Wash the cauliflower, trim the ends and break the head up into smaller pieces. Wipe dry with paper towels. Mix the olive oil and white wine vinegar in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower pieces and toss the pieces to coat them on all sides. Place the pieces on the prepared sheet, drizzling them with oil left n the bowl. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally, or until the pieces are crispy and lightly browned.

Makes 4 servings

Roasted Chermoula Spiced Parsnips

I realize most people never get to say this but I had some Chermoula Dressing left over from some experimenting with recipes for a Grilled Goat Cheese Panini.  

Chermoula, a Moroccan style sauce made with spices and fresh cilantro, is a condiment that goes with so many foods it actually pays to have some stocked in the fridge. Like ketchup or mustard or Sriracha. 

My latest using the stuff? Roasted Chermoula Spiced Parsnips. Terrific side dish with chicken, lamb or beef. Nice with scrambled eggs too. Or part of a vegetarian dinner.

Roasted Chermoula Spiced Parsnips

Chermoula Dressing:

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine the garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne, parsley and cilantro in a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice. Add the olive oil gradually, beating it into the other ingredients. Set aside. (You may use a small food processor to combine the ingredients.)

Parsnips:

• 2 pounds parsnips
• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the parsnips and cut them into strips about 4-inches long, 1/2-inch wide and place them on a baking sheet. Pour 1/4 cup of the Chermoula Dressing over the vegetables and toss them to coat each piece. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning them once or twice, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly crispy.

Makes 6 servings

Quickie Ratatouille

Classic ratatouille is time consuming and labor intensive. Also fabulously delicious.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time or patience to cook the authentic recipe these days. Especially not for Passover.

So, whereas a cartoon rat might win raves for his ratatouille, and my version might not be quite so beautiful as the one in the Disney movie (Ratatouille), here are the benefits to my recipe:

it's easy: about 30 minutes prep time

it's quick (less than 30 minutes to cook)

it's a perfect dish for Seders, vegetarian meals or side dishes, any old dinner

it's fabulously delicious

So here's the recipe:

Quickie Ratatouille

• 1/3 cup olive oil, approximately
• 8 thick scallions, chopped
• 6 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium fresh chili pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 2 cups diced eggplant
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 8 large tomatoes, chopped
• 6-8 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• salt and freshly ground red pepper to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallion, garlic and chili pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for one minute. Add the eggplant and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Pour in the remaining olive oil and add the zucchini (add more olive oil if the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan). Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and basil and cook, stirring frequently, for 12-15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and there is little liquid left in the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings

My Husband is Addicted to Celery

For some reason Ed has been devouring celery lately, so I've had to buy a few bunches at a time just to keep up.

I guess sometimes you just get a hankering for some food or other. I remember a time when I had a craving for Banana Cream Pie. 

Celery is healthier than cream pie, of course.

Still, it can become boring to eat it as is, splashed with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper, which is the way Ed prefers to eat it. So I decided to embark on a few celery-based side dishes. Here's one for braised celery that went over well.

Consider this one for Passover because it goes so nicely with just about any main dish you might serve, and also makes a good side dish for vegetarians.

 

Braised Celery with Toasted Hazelnuts

• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1 bunch celery
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup sweet white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes or until the nuts are golden brown and tasty. Set aside. Wash and trim the celery, peel the stalks and slice them. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the celery and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle the ingredients with the marjoram, salt and pepper and pour in the wine. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove the cover, raise the heat to medium–high and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to a glaze. Dish out and sprinkle with chives and the toasted nuts.

Makes 4-6 servings

How Many Servings Was That?

Last night my sister-in-law Eileen and brother Jeff were supposed to come over for dinner and watch the Oscar show with us, but she has a cold and needed to stay put at home.

I had already prepared dinner -- breaded some turkey cutlets, cleaned some string beans, mixed the batter for vegetable fritters and fried them to a crisp.

Ed came in to the kitchen and sampled a hot fritter fresh from the pan and declared it fabulous.

About a minute later he came back for two more.

I was about to say something trite like "you know, these are for dinner," but realized we had plenty and why should it matter if he eats them first instead of with ....

The recipe makes about 10 pieces, (serves 4-5 people) and now there would only be the two of us to eat the remaining 7.

We finished them all. 

Vegetable Fritters

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-1/2 cups chopped cooked vegetables (I used carrots, broccoli and sauteed mushrooms)
• vegetable oil for frying

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg, stock and olive oil. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Fold in the vegetables. Heat about 1/8-inch vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Pour about 1/4-cup of the batter into the pan for each fritter, leaving about 1-inch space between the pieces. Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until browned and crispy. Do not crowd the pan. Repeat with remaining batter. Drain the fritters on paper towels.

Makes about 10 pieces

Bugs Bunny: How a Generation Learned to Appreciate Classical Music

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

If you think Bugs Bunny is just a character in a bunch of silly cartoons in which a grown man goes around trying to shoot a pesky rabbit but the rabbit usually wins, you're only partially right.

My friend's son says that he learned to love classical music from these cartoons. I remember that once, when it was my carpool day and I drove him to school, I had tuned in to WQXR on the radio and this little boy, who was all of 6 years old said "Hey, that's Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #2!"

I was totally impressed! Because his mother listened to classical music in the house and I figured it all just rubbed off on the kids. But NO! I asked how he knew and he said he heard it in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

It seems as if an entire generation also heard and learned to appreciate classic music -- and opera -- from Bugs Bunny (okay, also Tom & Jerry, Minnie Mouse and assorted others). Ask around!

And, as if to underscore the point, the New York Philharmonic is presenting three concerts featuring BUGS BUNNY cartoons for children to watch on a huge screen as the orchestra plays the music!

We are taking our 4-year old grandson. It's never too soon to hear a piece from The Barber of Seville.

But of course, I am a food writer. So what do I think of when I hear "Bugs Bunny?"

Carrots of course!

Bugs Bunny was always munching a carrot. Always an orange one or course. To the best of my knowledge, he never tasted rainbow carrots. And, although raw carrots are always a fine snack, sauteed carrots are awesome. And are especially pretty made with rainbow carrots.

Thanks for helping a generation of children appreciate music Bugs! And here's hoping that in make-believe, you can feast on these:

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

• 1 pound medium rainbow carrots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Peel the carrots, trim the ends and halve the carrots widthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 2 or 4 pieces. Place the carrots on the prepared baking sheet. Heat the olive oil and honey together over low heat, briefly, until the thick honey has softened a bit and is easy to combine with the olive oil (about one minute). Pour the honey mixture over the carrots. Sprinkle with the scallions, orange peel and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the ingredients to coat the carrots completely. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, tossing the carrots once, or until they are tender and lightly crispy. 

Makes 4 servings

Gorgeous Blood Oranges! Get them while you can!

Once upon a time fruits and vegetables such as strawberries or asparagus were nowhere to be seen except after March sometime. Peaches and melons only in the summer. Apples and sweet potatoes in the autumn. But in recent years we've become accustomed to buying almost every item of produce whenever we want it. 

With some exceptions.

Blood oranges for example. They're available at the moment, but only until March or May, depending on the variety.

Blood oranges taste more or less like regular oranges, except they aren't as sweet and they're less acidic. They cost more than regular oranges, so you might wonder whether and why they are worth buying.

I guess it's because the flesh is so beautiful. The ruby-ish color looks so fabulous when you mix it with other vibrantly colored ingredients like bright green lettuce leaves or white coconut. Or roasted beets. Like in this dish, which pairs especially well with grilled or roasted salmon or Arctic char:

Roasted Beets with Blood Orange

• 2 medium beets
• 1 blood orange
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the beets, trim the tip and stem ends, wrap the beets in aluminum foil and roast for 45 minutes or until tender. Let cool, peel and dice. Set the beets aside. Slice the blood orange and trim the peel from the slices. Cut the slices into smaller pieces. Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the beets, blood orange, mint, orange peel and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes or until ingredients are nicely distributed and hot.

Makes 4 servings