Poco-Cocoa

I was drawn to this recipe because it seemed simple and quick to pull together…most of the ingredients are easy to find, though I had to do a search for udon noodles (which I found at Central Market and Whole Foods). Udon is a thick Japanese noodle…the ones I found were made from wheat, and were shaped a bit like fettucine. I tasted them straight from the pot, and was a little nervous, because they had an odd, sort of bitter aftertaste. But once we mixed the pasta in with the rest of the ingredients, that flavor seemed to disappear. I loved the texture of the udon…they tasted like fresh pasta as opposed to dry. If you can’t find udon noodles, I think any other long pasta would work just as well.

Today I walked down to Whole Foods to check out the farmer’s market that will be held there each Wednesday. I was so disappointed…there were very few booths…only one for produce, one for mushrooms (gorgeous ones, though), one for honey, one for goat cheese, and then a few prepared foods and soaps. I had hoped to stock up on local produce each Wednesday, but it looks like the Saturday market is still a better deal.

On the reading front, I gave Julie and Julia 68 pages before I finally gave up on it. I agree with Connie’s comment on my last post…the idea of trying to prepare all of the recipes from one classic cookbook is a great one; but I just couldn’t jive with Julie Powell’s writing style. It seemed too wordy, as if the book could have been half the length without all the extra metaphors and thesaurus-like descriptors. On the upside, I found The Best Food Writing of 2006 at BookPeople, and I’m loving it. I try to buy this little collection every year, because the essays have already been culled through and chosen for their readability and content.

Tonight we’re going to Rob and Shara’s for movie night, which means I’m going to miss the first part of the Project Runway finale. I’m okay with it, though, because they’ll re-air it at midnight or 1:00 a.m., and I took a nap today in preparation for that. 🙂 Tonight won’t be the actual runway shows, anyway…just the preparation for them and all the drama that goes with that. I finished up Season 2, which was lots of fun to watch, so now I’m officially all caught up.

So, here’s the udon.

Udon Noodles with Sesame and Tofu

• 8 ounces udon noodles
• 2 tablespoons seasoned rice or cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 cups diced cucumber
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup (1-inch) diagonally sliced green onions
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8-ounce) package baked Asian-style tofu (such as White Wave), drained and diced

Cook noodles according to package directions.

While noodles cook, combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drain noodles. Combine cooked noodles, cucumber, and remaining 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar mixture; toss well.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Cooking Light magazine.

I made this cake on Friday for a little get-together a friend’s house…I was surprised how perfectly it turned out. The cake was high, but still dense and moist, and the icing was a perfect match for the pumpkin and spices. I usually don’t like cream cheese icing, but paired with this cake, I thought it was fantastic.

I’m about halfway through Season 2 of Project Runway…oh, Santino. I had heard of him, but nothing prepared me for his drama. He’s different from Wendy Pepper, though…it seemed that Wendy was never really nice to anyone, and was always scheming. Santino is just a drama queen, who seems to be a real person underneath. I think.

I’ve just started Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell…I’m only a couple of pages into it, so I don’t have much to say about it yet, but I’m anxious to read about her year of cooking Julia Child’s recipes. I’m also on the waiting list for The Omnivore’s Dilemma at the library, but I’m 28th on the list, so it will be a while before I can report on that.

Until then, have some cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice and cloves)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 can (15-ounces) solid-pack pumpkin puree
• Honey Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350ËšF. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin-pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and pumpkin puree until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently until smooth.

Turn batter into prepared pan, and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan, then turn out of pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.

Spread top of cooled cake with Honey Frosting. Cut cake into squares to serve.

Honey Frosting

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) very soft unsalted butter
• 1 bar (8 ounces) very soft reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup honey

In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

Makes 16 servings.

Source: Everyday Food magazine.

Yesterday Justin stayed home from work, sniffling and aching and generally just feeling sick. He was medicated all day, but I decided to give him a dose of some chocolate lovin’…and I think it worked.

These little bars taste just like my favorite chocolate chip cookie, but they’re much easier to make. They’re crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, and full of chocolate and nuts. I highly recommend them when you’re short on time (or groceries) and need a little chocolate boost.

Have a great weekend!

Chocolate Chip Squares

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350ËšF. Spray a 9×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the flour mixture, blending well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is firm, the edges are just golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan comes out clean. Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan, then cut into 16 squares.

Makes 16 cookies.

Source: The Four-Sided Cookie by Lorraine Bodger.

Note: We didn’t wait until they were cool. 🙂

We fell in love with this dish. This was my first time cooking orzo, though I’m not sure why…it’s just as easy as any other pasta, and the texture is so fun. I was a little worried when boiling the orzo, because the water seemed to be completely absorbed, and it was difficult to drain, but it still turned out perfectly. We will definitely be making this one again.

So tonight is the Project Runway reunion…I’ll be watching, but what I really want to see is the final fashion shows. I know that there are photos of them already up on the web, but I’m refusing to look at them until after the show next week. I’m interested to see what these guys can do with more time, more money, and more designs.

I finished reading Fork It Over, and now I’m looking for something new to consume. I got a few books from the library, but I think I may actually re-read some of my own books. Possibly more food writing, or my lovely Jean Auel.

Last night I had a dream that I was in the final Harry Potter film. You’ll be interested to know that my version takes place in a large and colorful shopping mall, and Dumbledore comes back to strangle a masked man who he thinks is Voldemort, but who actually turns out to be an impostor. The real Voldemort ends up chasing me throughout the mall, and then I buy a mansion and decide to hire a housekeeper to clean the three luxurious bathrooms. It’s a crazy film, right? Sometimes, I love my dreams.

Orzo with Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Feta

• 1 (12-ounce) package orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic
• 1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add zucchini and cook 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in parsley and next 5 ingredients. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain and add to tomato mixture. Stir in cheeses.

Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine.

Notes: The original recipe called for 16 ounces of orzo, but I used 12 ounces and it turned out well. The original recipe also called for goat cheese instead of feta.

I love mushrooms. They’re so heady, so pungent, so earthy. And it seems there’s absolutely nothing better than mushrooms gently sauteed in a bit of butter. When I started cooking this recipe, the shallots and mushrooms sizzling in the pan, I thought I’d faint from the heavenly aroma. This recipe is so simple, but the mushrooms complement the cheesy ravioli perfectly.

I’m always amazed to see mushrooms growing in random places…when I see one on a tree or in the grass, I have to stop and smile…I feel like maybe I was the first one to see it, and I think about people who might forage for them, knowing which ones are edible and which ones would bring death. So anyway, I love mushrooms.

I’m so excited that it’s October…for some reason I feel like it’s officially okay to be autumn-centric, even though everything in Austin still seems summery. Today I wore my November apron from last year (I was supposed to make one apron a month, but I suppose that never happened), and it made me smile every time I looked down and saw the little crows and pumpkins. Tonight I made an autumny dessert (which I will post soon), and I put up our orange halloween lights and our few autumn decorations. If I had more storage space, I think I’d have boxes and boxes of autumn things. I’ve managed to keep it to two pumpkins, a trick-or-treat pail, two strings of orange lights, a spiderweb curtain, and a wooden pumpkin welcome sign.

Back to the mushrooms.

Four Cheese Ravioli with Mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced crosswise
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 5 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 1 (16- to 20-ounce) package fresh or frozen four-cheese ravioli (I used Buittoni Lite)

Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook shallots, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes.

Add mushrooms and increase heat to high, then saute, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are golden, about 4 minutes. Add wine and boil until liquid is evaporated and mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, parsley, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter until butter is melted.

While mushrooms are sauteeing, cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until ravioli are al dente. Drain in a colander.

Return drained ravioli to large pot and add mushroom mixture, stirring gently until combined.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

Adapted from Gourmet magazine.