Yesterday I went to the farmer’s market here in Stone Harbor, NJ. I love farmer’s markets and possibility of all the good things to eat.  I want it all – fresh vegetables, loaves of crusty bread, and juicy rich fruit that I can bring to the beach. Summer produce is one of my favorite things  – and today’s recipe for garlic scape pesto pasta salad has lots of summer veg. I admit, some of the ingredients are more spring vegetables (asparagus, peas, garlic scapes) and so slightly out of season. However, this recipe is worth sharing anyway. 

If you’ve stuck with me beyond gushing about vegetables, let me tell you why I really love this recipe. It’s the mozzarella. Mozzarella might be my favorite food. For real.

I believe that when people go to the grocery store they sometimes buy themselves a treat. Maybe it’s a soda, a candy bar, or a trashy magazine. For me, it’s a ball of mozzarella. I buy it for myself when I’ve had a great day. And I buy it for myself when I’ve had a bad day. Sometimes I take that ball and eat it like an apple. Or perhaps, I’ll slice it and eat pieces little by little. If I’m feeling really fancy, I’ll make a caprese salad and sprinkle flaky salt on top. I love mozzarella.

And the small globes of soft, creamy, milky mozzarella make this garlic scape pesto pasta salad really special. Yes, fresh seasonal vegetables are delicious and good for you. Sure, pasta is delicious and filling. And duh, pasta salad is a staple of summer time cook-outs and parties. But add balls of cheese and you’re truly stepping up your game. Have I talked enough about cheese? I think so. Let’s move on and talk about garlic scape pesto.

I like this pasta salad also because it’s not coated in mayonnaise. “Salads” that are basically sloshing around in a mayo soup skeeve me out. Instead, this recipe retains moisture through garlic scape pesto. It’s just like regular pesto, but instead of basil you use garlic scapes.

What are garlic scapes? They’re the flower bud of the garlic plant and they’ve got a lovely garlic flavor without being as bitter as raw garlic. Although the Nickelodeon green slime color of garlic scape pesto might not be so appetizing it’s really delicious. And besides, you’ll feel good for eating some veggies. Make a big batch for this recipe and then use any leftover to coat cauliflower florets and then roast them. SO GOOD.

Ok so get to it. Make this for your next summer party and people will thank you for stepping it up with something so delicious and perfectly straddling the line between feeling healthy and indulgent.

Adapted from Epicurious and Five Heart Home.

Messy level: I hate calling this a four spoon recipe because I feel like that could put people off. The method is really simple, so please consider making this! But unfortunately, you’ll need a few pots, pans, and a food processor. That’s a lot of dishes. Sorry folks.

Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta Salad

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

37 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Garlic Scape Pesto

• 10-12 large garlic scapes, roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup/ 45 grams pine nuts
• ⅓ cup/ 35 grams finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup/ 78 milliliters olive oil
• salt and pepper

Pasta salad

• 1 pound/ 454 grams orecchiette
• 8 ounces/ 230 grams pancetta, cut into small bite sized pieces (I bought the pre-cut package from the deli counter)
• 1 pound/454 grams asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1½ cups/ 225 grams frozen peas
• 8 ounces/ 230 grams small mozzarella balls
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put the garlic scapes, pine nuts, and Parmesan in the food processor. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Turn it on and let it go until you have a chunky puree.
2. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Let it go until it all comes together in a thick sauce. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if need be.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. Then add the orecchiette. Cook until al dente, according to package instructions.
4. While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the panchetta until crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
5. Four minutes before the pasta is done throw the asparagus into the pasta pot and give it a stir.
6. One to two minutes before the pasta is done throw the peas into the pasta pot and give it a stir.
7. When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander. Then put the pasta, asparagus, and peas into a large bowl.
8. Add the mozzarella and pancetta to the large bowl.
9. Put one cup of the garlic scape pesto into a small bowl. Then stir in the red wine vinegar and the olive oil. Stir until smooth.
10. Mix the pesto in with the pasta. Add more pesto if you think it looks too dry.
11. Serve as a main or a side dish.

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Last summer when I wrote about tomatillo salsa, I also wrote about Star Hollow Farm. It’s a farm in Pennsylvania owned and run by my friend Anna’s family. I am excited about it again because I just joined their CSA. So yeah, it’s early spring and I have gorgeous fresh vegetables from a farmer I know. Woot!

I like this CSA because I can pick the foods I want. Purple carrots? Yes. Lots of leafy greens? Pass.  As I went through the online store, I was most drawn to the kit for sorrel soup. The kit came with sorrel, a potato, an onion, and the recipe. All I had to do was pick up a few things and get in the kitchen. 

I know talking about a CSA, and knowing my farmer, and being jazzed about sorrel soup are super nerdy/hipster/foodie things to say. Perhaps you’ve rolled your eyes at me. It’s fine, I accept that. The thing is, I just can’t help myself. I love food and vegetables and trying new recipes. Food nerd: it’s who I am.

Prior to this soup, I’d only had sorrel a few times before. Part of my job is taking elementary school students out of the classroom and around DC. One place we go is the Washington Youth Garden, which is where I’ve had sorrel before. So get ready for it, because here comes another hipster/foodie/eye-rolling statement: I’d only had sorrel plucked fresh from the garden. Talk about farm to table! What’s fresher than that?!

Sorrel has a lemony flavor and is a bit tart. It looks like any old green, but it also has a fun and surprising flavor. When cooked the color darkens, and while not so pretty, it still tastes great.  This soup is also a perfect dish for springtime weather. It’s warm and soothing during cold snaps. It’s also light, and not too hearty, for when the weather warms up. According to the recipe, it’s also good cold. Try it, it’s totally worth it. I’ve been eating it for every meal – breakfast included!

If you have other uses for sorrel let me know! I’d love to try them.

Adapted from Star Hollow Farm.

Messy level: There’s so little work involved here it’s amazing. The only chopping is for the onion and potato! And the messiest is part is pureeing it. Be careful and gentle with your immersion blender and your kitchen will remain splatter free.

Sorrel Soup

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

27 mins

Total time

37 mins

 

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 1½ tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into ½" cubes
• 3 oz/85 grams/ 1½ cups tightly packed sorrel, washed and stems cut off
• 3½ - 4 cups stock (I used chicken, but feel free to use vegetable)
• ¼ cup sour cream
• salt and pepper
• juice of ½ lemon (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the onions until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, sorrel, and 3½ cups of stock.
3. Bring soup to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Puree the soup using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.
5. Add more stock if the soup is too thick. (If you used a blender or food processor, return the soup back to the pot.)
6. Add the sour cream, lemon juice if using, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and then make sure everything is heated through, just 1-2 more minutes
7. Remove from heat and serve. (Add another dollop of sour cream for serving if you like.)

3.5.3226

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A few months ago Ryan and I had a friend, Ryan, move to town. Since then, we’ve been creating a weekend tradition of making homemade pizza. It’s definitely a weekend event as it takes some time, some gear, and occasionally an all-hands on deck approach. But in the end, it’s totally worth it. And I hope, you’ll consider giving it a go, because then, you too can have the best homemade pizza of your life. 

For awhile, we were satisfied with homemade pizza using pre-made dough. Then I dabbled occasionally in various pizza dough recipes, that were better, but not life changing. Certainly, not the best homemade pizza of your life. But then everything change with the addition of Ken Forkish’s The Elements of Pizza to our cookbook collection.

The dough recipes in his book are so flavorful! When baked they have a crispy exterior crust just like you get from professional kitchens. And the inside, just slightly soft and bready. It’s the perfect combinations of textures. Not so hard is breaks into shards, and not so doughy it’s like eating a bread stick. The pizza comes out beautiful and delicious. I am not exaggerating when I say, the quality rivals many restaurants.

The book has many dough recipes, but my favorite is the 24-hour dough recipe. That’s the one I’ll share today. I like it because I think that amount of time gives the yeast plenty of time to slowly develop flavor. As well, I find it the least invasive to my day because the dough spends most of its time in the fridge (that means less time kneading/turning/working the dough throughout the day). Start it on Saturday and then end your weekend with a great Sunday dinner. It’s also great because at the end you’ll have 5 personal sized pizzas.

What I’ve really loved about making this pizza, is that  the ingredients are incredibly straight forward. The dough is flour (“00” Flour, a finely ground flour is great if you can find it), water, salt, and yeast. And the sauce is canned tomatoes and salt. And the toppings are whatever you want. It’s inexpensive, easy, and your pizzas are easily customized.

My favorite part of making pizza though is that we’ve made it a communal activity. The kitchen becomes a hub of activity and conversation for me and the Ryans. We shape the dough, we chat, prep the toppings, we snack on the toppings, and we hang out. No one person had to be responsible for everything. And then every so often, we all have to frantically run to waft cool air towards the fire alarm.

Ok so the dirty secret is this: we set off the fire alarm every single time. Not for the whole duration of cooking, but it always happens at least once. Basically, the oven is set at such a high temperature any spill causes lots of heat and smoke. The shrill sound of the alarm starts to blare and we run to the couch to grab pillows and frantically wave at the fire alarms. We think this rustic, homey practice will give our future restaurant a quirky and charming quality not provided by other establishments. That would work, right? You’d eat there?

The other thing is, we’ve found that doing pizza well requires a fair bit of kit. It can be done without, but it’s so much easier with. Here’s a list of what I think are must-haves (and alternatives if you don’t have it):

• Pizza Steel or Pizza Stone. The book recommends a steel, so that’s what I have. If you don’t want to invest you can use a baking sheet turned over, but make sure it’s a good one that doesn’t buckle a lot. If it buckles your pie will be cooking at an angle and that can lead to drippage.
• Pizza Peel. It helps get the pizza in and out of the oven. Ryan and I have had success with a cutting board and some tongs, but a peel is a lot easier because it has a thin sloped edge for sliding the pizza.
• Parchment paper. There’s no substitute, it helps get your pizza easily off the peel and onto the stone so that it keeps its shape.
• Pizza Cutter. A knife works, but a cutter gives a smoother cut. And if you’re going to invest in all the other gear why not go all out?
• Digital Scale. This is generally important for the kitchen, and especially so when it comes to baking. Measuring by weight is consistent every time. I’ve also included volume measurements, but I do think going with grams is best.
• Kitchen Thermometer. Again, generally valuable in the kitchen. This is important for the water at the beginning of the recipe. You could use a thermometer for people if you needed to.
• Ken Forkish’s The Elements of Pizza. It’s just a crazy good book with helpful images to ensure pizza success.

Let me end by saying, this pizza is totally worth it. It is the best homemade pizza of my life. As well, it might be one of the best pizzas of my life, end of sentence. Sure it takes a little work and some gear, but it’s so good. And so fun to do with people you care about. Consider making it yourself, and if you do share photos with me on Instagram and tag me @cookingismessy.

Adapted slightly from Ken Forkish’s book,  The Elements of Pizza.

Messy level: I’m going to give this a five. I don’t want to because I feel that creates yet another barrier to making it. And I want you to make this recipe. It’s so good. I can’t say that enough.  But kneading dough, flouring the counter, plus chopping toppings, using a blender, and potential spills in a hot oven all lead to a five spoon.

Best Homemade Pizza of Your Life

 

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Prep time

26 hours

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

26 hours 8 mins

 

Serves: 5 10" pizzas

Ingredients

Dough

• 350 grams/ 1½ cups water at 90°-95°F (32°-35°C)
• 13 grams/ 2½ teaspoons salt
• 1.5 grams/ ¾ of ½ teaspoon instant dried yeast
• 500 grams/ scant 4 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose)

Sauce

• 1 28oz can, whole peeled tomatoes
• 8 grams/ 1½ teaspoons salt

Toppings

• olive oil
• 1 large ball of mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
• shredded mozzarella (optional)
• shredded Parmesan (optional)
• 3-4 basil leaves per pizza (optional)
• other cheese and toppings of your choice (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure the water and put it in a large bowl or tub. Notes: I use a tub that would usually store cereal. Also, if your tap gets pretty hot you should be able to get this temperature water without use of the stove or microwave.
2. Add the salt to the water. Swish it around until it is dissolved.
3. Add the yeast and let it sit there for a minute to moisten. Then swish it around until it's dissolved.
4. Now add the flour. Mix it in by hand until it starts to come together. Then alternate folding the dough over on itself and pinching the dough apart by squeezing it between your index and middle finger. Do this for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until it is a unified mass of dough. Check the temperature, it should be about 80°F (27°C).
5. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes in the bowl or tub.
6. Flour your counter and knead the dough for 1 minute until the dough has a smooth skin. Note: Need help kneading? Check this tutorial out.
7. Lightly oil your bowl or tub, then place the dough ball seam side down. Cover tightly. Then let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
8. Flour your counter again. Gently ease the dough out of the tub and onto the work surface. Use your scale to help you cut the dough into 5 equal pieces.
9. Shape each dough ball into a tight round. To do this, take a piece of dough and stretch ⅓ of it sideways until starts to resits, then fold it back on itself into the middle. Continue doing this around the whole piece of dough until it forms a round shape. Then, flip the ball over seam side down. Cup your hands over the dough to create a dome, with your pinkie fingers pressed against the counter pull the dough 4-5 inches across the counter (unfloured) toward you. Do this 1-2 more times until the dough feels round and tight. Repeat with all five pieces of dough.
10. Flour a baking sheet and place your shaped dough onto it. Leave space between for the dough to expand. Flour the tops of the dough then tightly cover with plastic wrap.
11. Put the baking sheet into the fridge and let it sit there for 24 hours.
12. Remove the pizza dough 1 hour before making the pizza
13. After the dough has been out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes place the pizza steel in the oven and preheat it to 550°F (290°C). Let it heat up for 30 minutes.
14. Now make the sauce! It's the easiest part. Pour the tomatoes and salt into a blender (or use an immersion blender). Pulse on low until the tomatoes are just blended (there will be a few small chunks). You're done.
15. Time to shape the dough! Cut a piece of parchment paper about the size of your peel.
16. Flour your counter. Take a dough ball and use your finger tips to punch down the middle and then slowly push the dough towards the outside. Continue this motion, of using your fingertips to press the dough outward. Do it all around the dough leaving about ½ inch of the edge untouched. Then, hold the dough off of the counter with your hands at 10:00 and 2:00. The rest of the dough will hang down vertically, and the weight of it will help stretch the dough. Slide your hands all the way around the edge of the dough until it's reached your desired size, which is about 10".
17. Place the stretched dough onto the parchment paper and onto your pizza peel.
18. Spoon tomato sauce onto the dough until it's about ½ inch from the edge.
19. Use the peel to slide the pizza and parchment into the oven onto the steel. Bake for 4 minutes.
20. Remove the pizza from the oven. You should also be able to remove it from the parchment paper if you wish.
21. Drizzle the pizza lightly with olive oil. Top with your slices of mozzarella and any other cheeses of your liking (I like Parmesan and Burrata). Add a few slices of basil too. I've also used peppers, pepperoni and other dried meats.
22. Use the peel to place the pizza back on the steel. Bake for 2 minutes.
23. Switch the oven setting to broil and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until you see a few spots of charring.
24. Remove from the oven and let sit for 1 minute.
25. Use your pizza cutter to slice the pizza. Serve! We like to eat it sitting around the kitchen island and as we prepare the next pizza.
26. Repeat from step 16 until you've made all of your pizzas. Note: parchment paper can usually be used for at least 2 pizzas before it needs replacing.

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Not to brag… ok well to brag a little… I ate really well this past weekend. Ryan and I have a friend staying with us, whose name is also Ryan. The three of us went to Eastern Market with the purpose of buying ingredients for fish and chips – which is where this recipe for beer battered fried cod came from. Then, we got to the market and each of us was drawn to something different. Instead of compromising, we went our separate ways and bought what we wanted. The goal – cook off. Each of us making a delicious meal with artisan ingredients. 

The Ryans went for Italian foods. Three kinds of ravioli with homemade sauce and meatballs. Homemade pizza (sauce and dough made in our kitchen!) topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, and sopressata. The boys did really well. In fact I think they won (maybe because I didn’t have to do any work). And also, I went first. I stuck with my beer battered fried cod, it was really delicious, and kicked off our eating weekend right.

I made fried fish because I always buy fish when I got to Eastern Market. There is so much variety and it’s so fresh! It’s so much better than what they have at my nearby grocery store. However, what I didn’t like is when I ordered the fish the guy behind the counter said I had a nasally voice. When I looked at him in confusion he added, “in a good way.” What does that mean? It’s bugging me as I keep talking about it.

Forget that though, let’s get back to fish. I bought tuna, for an undetermined future recipe, and lots of cod. I haven’t found – or even looked – for a fish and chips place here in DC because this recipe is really good. The beer battered crust comes out crisp and never greasy. Instead of chips, I like to take an American spin and serve it with sweet potato fries and broccoli (instead of mushy peas which I don’t like). It’s a yummy lunch.

I like the flavor the beer adds to the batter, but if you’re alcohol or gluten averse, use sparkling water instead. The carbon dioxide is important and helps create that perfect crust. If you’re curious about the science, read about it here.

This recipe is pretty simple, but I do have two tips that help ensure it’s deliciousness. First, once you mix the batter you must let it sit. When you let it sit, the batter thickens and that helps it effectively coat the fish. Second, use an oil with a high smoke point peanut, sunflower, or vegetable oil. Then get the oil really hot and keep it there.

If you have a deep fryer then use it, because that’s going to be better at regulating the heat. When you put the fish in the pan it will bring the temperature down. Don’t be afraid to adjust the temperature as you go so that you can ensure a nice crisp crust. Fair warning though, high heat means oil does fly out of the pan. Use one with high edges. I didn’t and I did a fair bit of squealing as oil hit me during cooking.

Adapted from BBC Good Food.

Messy level: Dredging the fish is messy, there’s no way around it. Be prepared that to effectively coat the fish, both the fillet and your hands will get covered. Make sure your kitchen is set with soap and towels for lots of hand washing, and you’ll be fine.

Beer Battered Fried Cod

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

48 mins

 

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• ¼ cup/ 50g all-purpose flour
• ½ cup/ 50g corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ground black pepper, a few sprinklings to your liking
• ½ cup plus two tablespoons/ 150ml beer (lager or something not too heavy is recommended)
• vegetable oil (sunflower or peanut works too), enough to have ⅓" inch in your pan.
• 2 pounds/ 900 grams cod, cut into 6 fillets.

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, turmeric, and pepper. Mix well, then spoon 1 tablespoon out and put it on a plate.
2. Slowly pour the beer into the bowl of the flour mixture. Mix with a spoon or fork until you have smooth batter without lumps. I don't recommend a whisk because it gets very clogged up.
3. Let the batter rest for 20-30 minutes so it can thicken.
4. Once the batter is thicken, pour about ⅓" of oil into a deep saucepan and heat over medium-high. The oil is ready when a drop of batter will crisp on contact with the oil.
5. Working in batches of two fillets, pat the fish dry with a paper towel.
6. Dredge into the reserved flour mix and then shake off any excess flour.
7. Then, carefully dip the fish into the batter. Make sure it's well coated, but let any excess batter drip back into the bowl.
8. Carefully put the fish into the hot oil. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes per side. You might need more or less time depending on the thickness of the fish. The fish is ready when the crust is crisp and golden brown.
9. Remove cooked fish with a slotted spoon. Place it on a plate lined with paper towels (to absorb the oil) or on a wire cooling rack.
10. Let cool for 1-2 minutes then serve.
11. Top with flaky salt, a squeeze of lemon, and a hearty shake of malt vinegar.

3.5.3226

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Early this week I got to video chat with all three of my London girls at the same time. It was delightful! And also far too rare. Still, a delight. However, they assure me they’re coming to visit in April. Now that I’ve post it here on the internet, it had better come true. Anyway, they got together to have a vegan feast, and while I can’t participate in person, I can in spirit. So, for my girls here is a recipe for vegan curried butternut squash soup. 

Actually, this recipe is all about friends for me. I got this recipe from my friend Emily, who is the one who got me started cooking and experimenting with yummy vegetable dishes. And then at work my colleagues were talking about vegetarian dishes since my boss has recently decided to go off meat. They were even talking about curried butternut squash soup! All signs pointed to it being time for me to finally publish this recipe – a tiny way to recognize many of the lovely friends in my life. Hope this tasty recipe will be enjoyed by them – and hopefully by you and anyone you share it with.

Now I know you might be thinking, Mariel this is a vegan recipe. Is it really that good? Is it really going to be something I’ll want to eat? Let alone share with my friends?! I promise you it is. I sometimes have a nose crinkle at the word vegan, but this recipe is legit and doesn’t feel like going without.

In fact, this recipe is a good one for this time of year. It’s warm, a bit spicy, and not too heavy. Perfect for chilly winter evenings and next day lunches that brighten up your workday. Also, between Thanksgiving and Christmas it’s so easy to eat hearty foods and lots of sweets. Sometimes I need a break between all the cookies, mulled wine, and heavy roasts. This soup is it. It’ll make you feel cozy on a cold day. It’s a good way to eat some vegetables. It makes a lot. And if you need a bit of heft it’s great for dipping bread into it. I’m telling you, perfect winter meal to share with friends.

Adapted from All Recipes.

Messy level: If you have an immersion blender this is hardly messy at all! There’s very little prep and everything is poured into one pot. Fairly easy, and not too much clean up. It’s nearly easy enough for a weeknight dinner.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour 15 mins

Total time

1 hour 25 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1, 2 pound butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, plus a little more for greasing
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ cup coconut milk, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons agave
• cilantro leaves, chopped for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
2. Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
3. Place the squash on a baking sheet, skin side down. Lightly brush the butternut squash flesh with some coconut oil. If desired, season with extra curry powder.
4. Bake the squash in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until fork tender.
5. When the squash is 30 minutes into baking, melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat
6. Add the onion and garlic to the pot. Cook until softened and starting to brown, about 15 minutes.
7. Using a spoon, scoop the baked squash flesh out of the skin and into the pot. Also add in the vegetable broth, curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Turn off the heat. Stir in the coconut milk and agave.
9. Using an immersion blender (or transfer soup to a blender), pulse until soup is smooth.
10. Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle a little bit of extra coconut milk on top and sprinkle with cilantro leaves, if desired.

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It’s Labor Day, which pretty much marks the end of summer. School has start, pumpkin spice lattes are back, and the weather is a bit cooler (for now). To mark the end of summer, I’ve got a recipe for an Old Bay shrimp boil. I think it’s a pretty great end of summer transition meal. It’s perfect for dumping out on a table during a barbecue on a hot summer day. However, it’s also lovely bubbling on your stove and served in a bowl to warm you up on a slightly crisp fall day. 

I’m from Maryland, so it’s no surprise that I love seafood and Old Bay seasoning. I put Old Bay on everything, but on seafood it’s the best. Steamed crabs with Old Bay is my favorite thing to have in the summer. Absolute favorite. But, it’s a bit more of a to-do than a shrimp boil. Enter this shrimp boil. This recipe combines my love for seafood and Old Bay plus it’s crazy easy to make with less fuss and expensive.

And I’ll be honest, sometimes seafood can be pretty expensive. I am crazy for peel and eat shrimp (I ate a pound of it by myself on vacation) but it’s not cheap. This shrimp boil though can go pretty far without breaking the bank because of the addition of corn, potatoes, and sausage. Each bowl-full has a lot going on, so you don’t need a ton of shrimp to satisfy. You get just enough seafood alongside other hearty yummy foods.

My biggest endorsement for this recipe is that it is so simple to make. All you do is chuck everything into a pot at various intervals and just let it happily simmer away. It’s low maintenance for a party or even for weeknight dinner. Best part? You don’t even have to use dishes if you don’t want to. Cover your table in newspaper, drain the pot and bring it to the table, dump it all out, and dig in. Could not be easier!

I do have one important recommendation. It’s vital. Use the biggest pot that you have when making this recipe. I used a 5 1/2 quart Dutch Oven and it was barely big enough. Everything was bubbling right up to the edge of pot. I was lucky and it didn’t overflow. So learn from me and use the biggest pot available!

Adapted from OldBay.com.

Messy level: If you use a large enough pot, the cooking should not be messy. The messiest part is the eating. This is a meal best eaten with your bare hands, so be sure to have a lot of paper towels handy.

Old Bay Shrimp Boil

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy, adapted from Old Bay

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 8 cups/ 2 quarts water
• 12 ounces/ 355 ml beer
• ¼ cup/ 85 gramsOld Bay Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 medium red potatoes quartered
• 1 large onions cut into large chunks
• ½ pound smoked sausage cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4-6 ears fresh corn shucked and cut into 3" pieces
• 2 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp

Instructions

1. In a very large pot, bring water, beer, Old Bay, and salt to a boil.
2. Stir in the potatoes and onions to the pot and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Add the sausage, stir and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Next add the corn and cook for 8 more minutes.
5. Add the shrimp. Stir in so it is mixed all the way through. Cook for 4 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat. Drain cooking liquid. Serve directly from the pot into bowls. Alternatively, cover your table in newspaper and dumb the contents of the pot and eat the food directly using your hands.
7. Season with more Old Bay if needed.

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My friend Charlotte and I took a big step in our friendship. We went halfsies on a kitchen appliance – specifically a spiralizer. Now, I know this might raise a lot of questions. Such as, why are we splitting a spiralizer which costs just $30? And how do two people share custody of a kitchen appliance? Aren’t we risking our friendship since one of us could potentially hold the spiralizer hostage for too long?! Yes, it’s a weird thing to do. But we did it. And to celebrate she and I got together and made a sweet potato and beet salad. It was delicious!!

We decided to split the spiralizer because neither of us felt ready to commit wholeheartedly to a spiralizer. It seemed like such a silly, trendy, single-use appliance. Would we really use it that often? Would we even like it? In fact, I think we might love it. Already we’ve both had possession of it more than once. It’s also really fun to use! I find great amusement in turning a crank and transforming a round vegetable into a pile of gorgeous ringlets. And also the end result is so pretty. I know food doesn’t have to be pretty, but it does make it a little bit better though right? And in fact Charlotte and I also made a spiralized pear and apple dessert that cooked down to what Ryan called “fruit slop,” so I think food appearance can matter.

I would also feel remiss if I didn’t mention what Charlotte calls “nubbins.” She was delightfully giggly over the left over bits of sweet potato and beets. Basically when you spiralize a vegetable you push it through a corer and as the vegetable turns it creates spirals. But, the part pushed through the corer makes a cylinder attached to a base of vegetable that’s too thin to spiralize. It’s perfectly edible vegetable, but more hilarious looking than normal. I begrudgingly took a photo of them. But now I think maybe you’ll enjoy the behind the scenes world of spiralizing. Anyway, we roasted our nubbins along with the our veggie noodles.

We decided to roast our noodles, but you can also boil or saute them. What we liked about roasting is that some of the ends and skinnier pieces got crispy and crunchy and really wonderfully delicious.

I’ll be honest, while I’m someone who believes in tricking myself to eat vegetables, I wasn’t sure I’d buy into vegetable noodles. I mean real pasta is pure joy. How could veggie noodles compare?! Wheat pasta will always have a place. Always. But I here’s my discovery: I love vegetable noodles. I have bought in. I get the same pleasure from twirling the colorful strands around my fork and slurping them up, just like I do from regular pasta.

Spaghetti is my favorite meal, and it always has been. So the connection that this meal had to that nostalgic sense memory is pretty powerful. Plus, sweet potatoes and beets have really lovely flavors. Along with the spirals, I threw in some goat cheese (because it’s creamy goodness), I made a balsamic dressing (yum!), and also tossed in some kale (because I’m trying to finish this giant bag – will it ever end?!).

In summation, I wholeheartedly recommend spiralizing. I recommend it so much that I think you should consider going out and buying a spiralizer that’s all yours. Yeah, you don’t even have to share. But I do think sharing is nice as I don’t have to store it all the time. Plus, it’s sort of fun taking this very serious friendship step with Charlotte. So go ahead, find a friend to share a spiralizer with.

Messy level: This is a hard one to judge because beets are inherently messy and they stain everything. However, the cooking part of this is pretty clean. Sprialize you vegetables, roast them in the oven, and then toss a few other ingredients in. Easy peasy friends.

Sweet Potato and Beet Spiral Salad

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Serves: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 medium sweet potato, washed and peeled
• 3-4 medium beets, washed and peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 2 oz goat cheese (more or less to your taste)
• 1 cup kale, leaves washed, torn, and massaged

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon dijon mustard.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
2. Depending on your thickness preference, choose the spiralizer blade that will give you either the thin noodles or slightly thicker noodles. Don't use the blade that cuts ribbons. Once you've chosen your blade set up your spiralizer with a baking sheet placed next to it so it can catch the vegetables.
3. Spiralize the sweet potato and arrange it on the baking sheet. I recommend doing the potato first because it will make a lot.
4. Next spiralize the beets. Spiralize as many beets as you need to get an even ratio with sweet potato. Arrange the beet spirals on the cookie sheet.
5. With a knife or kitchen scissors cut the super long spirals into edible lengths.
6. Toss the spirals with the 1 tablespoon olive oil
7. Season the spirals with salt and pepper (about ¼-1/2 teaspoon of each should do it)
8. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. When the timer is done test a piece to make sure it's cooked to your desired level. If it's still too crunch cook the spirals further, at 5 minute intervals, until it's to your liking.
9. While the spirals are roasting, make the dressing. In a jar with a lid, or in a bowl, mix together all ingredients for the dressing. Shake the jar (or stir vigorously) until you have an emulsion and all the ingredients are mixed together.
10. When the spirals are done put them in a large bowl. Toss in the kale leaves, goat cheese, and dressing. Mix until everything is coated.
11. Serve in individual bowls with forks.

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This past weekend Ryan and I had a cabin weekend reunion with a bunch of our friends. After a two-year drought on getting together, it was wonderful to be in the same house for a weekend! The weekend was filled with meat, s’mores (yum!), and beer. Copious amounts of all three, which was delicious, but not a good decision for the day to day. Now it’s time to get back to the work week grind – meaning I gotta stuff my lunchbox full of vegetables to make up for the weekend partying. So, to get on track I’ve got a new lunch box (it’s called Freshy Bag and I’ll tell you all about it) and it’s going to be packed full of kale Greek salad this week. 

Greek salad is my absolute favorite salad. I’ve made it once before on the blog here but with bulgur. Why with kale this time? Because Harris Teeter only sold a gargantuan bag of kale and so now I have to put kale on, or in, absolutely everything I make. Oh and also, kale is like…trendy… or a super food… or something. Most importantly, don’t forget to massage the kale. It makes a difference. It sounds like I’m joking but I promise I’m not.

But anyway, I loooooove Greek salad. I love the watery freshness of tomatoes and cucumber, the salty-fatness of olives and cheese, and the bite of raw onions. And the kale gives an added crunch and heartiness too it. It really is my favorite and it’s a meal that’s going to make me feel good about myself and keep me going during the week. No sad desk lunch for this chick.

Ok, in fairness sometimes I do have sad desk lunches. Or sad lunch on a school bus, or in the car in the parking lot, or scarfed down at museums and sites across DC. I go all over for work, often I’m out of the office all day, so I eat on the run. I try to bring my lunch along with me, shoveling down bites when I can. You know because I love food and eating. And also, so I don’t get hangry with my students and colleagues.

Recently I started carrying my lunch in the Freshy Bag and it’s really upped my lunch game. Sad desk lunches no more! First, it’s got sturdy black fabric that’s durable as I throw it around in my travels. But, it’s also pretty smashable (that’s a word right?) so it fits into my backpack with all the other things I need to carry. I also like that it’s got a simple look that’s nice but not so flashy.

However the absolute best thing about it is how it keeps things cool and fresh. I put a string cheese in my Freshy Bag and left it un-refrigerated for 3 hours. When I took it out it was still slightly cool! It wasn’t as cool as it was when I put it in the bag, but it was pretty dang fresh. In the name of science I tried this with a string cheese outside of the Freshy Bag and that cheese was… sweaty. Gross right?! I love cheese, so the fact that Freshy Bag keeps cheese tasty is a win in my book. This week as I carry around salad I know my veggies will be crisp, my cheese intact, and my food generally unwilted.

My only gripe with the Freshy Bag is that a few of my friends said that the logo kinda looks like it says fleshy bag. I know it doesn’t say that, but they put the idea in my head and now I can’t get it out. And now I’ve put the idea in your head. I’m sorry.

I think the main top pocket being a side zip instead of a top zip is unusual. At first I didn’t like it, for no particular reason. But now I’m into it. I still think it’s an unusual design, but I think it makes putting things in and taking things out much easier and neater. We all know I’m a big spiller, so anything to keep me from accidentally empty my salad down into my lunch bag is a win. I also like that there is a bottom layer of storage that’s large and easily accessible. I don’t know the reason why there are two compartments – maybe to separate hot and cold foods – all I know is that I find it pleasing. If you’re interested in a Freshy Bag of your own, you can find them on Amazon for about $20.

And if you’re interested in upping your vegetable intake this week, definitely whip up this kale Greek salad. For me, it ticks a lot of boxes. It’s got vegetables, a bit of protein, and lovely creamy cheese. Did I mention already that I love cheese?

This recipe is good for about 4 servings at lunch (with some other snacks of course) or about 2 giant servings if you were going to have it as your whole meal.

This is a salad I definitely get excited for. And I assure you, I’ll be eager to dive in at lunch time however… all this talk of vegetables kind of makes me want to eat chocolate. Is that wrong?!

Messy level: Salad is probably one of the cleanest meals you’ll ever make. Clean, chop, and mix all the ingredients and that’s it. Don’t splash around too much as you dress the salad and you literally won’t make a mess. Boom.

Kale Greek Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups kale, leaves washed and torn
• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, cut in half
• 1 cup chickpeas, drained from a can
• ½ large onion, chopped
• ½ cup feta crumbles, or more to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix so everything is evenly distributed throughout.
3. Give the salad a look over, anything you'd like more of? Then add more of that ingredient!
4. Dress with your favorite salad dressing. I prefer making a mix of olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard.
5. Serve and enjoy!

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Today is a jam packed post my friends. There’s a delicious recipe for cheesy vegetarian lasagna, an introduction to My Happy Plates, and a giveaway for two lucky people! Seriously, get excited.

I have lived under the assumption that lasagna was a scary labor intensive meal that couldn’t be made on a weeknight. My Happy Plates showed me that I was wrong because in about an hour and smidge, Ryan and I had a yummy dinner. Basically, I mixed a few things in two bowls, layered everything on top of each other, popped it in the oven, and then sat down and watched baseball. That sounds like an ideal way to make dinner after work, right? Now that kind of night can be yours too. 

So, My Happy Plates is a subscription service (for under $7 a month) that sends you weekly meal plans with easy and healthy dinner recipes. They’ve got “everyday” plans for those without dietary restrictions, plus paleo and vegetarian plans too. Bonus, they also include a smoothie and juice recipe. This week’s recipe was banana ginger and I was very skeptical, but then I tried it and I fell in love with the creamy-spicy combo. I won’t doubt you again.

With a subscription to My Happy Plates you’ll get weekly emails with recipes and a shopping list of ingredients. All recipes are given in single servings size (which I like, sometimes I don’t want to make a ton) but also include a spreadsheet that will do the math for you so you can calculate quantities if you want to make more. You aren’t going to get ingredients or spices or anything with this service, but I don’t see that as a problem because that’s what allows you to make these recipes for as many or as few people as possible. And the recipes you get are really diverse so you won’t get bored. Last week I got recipes for a steak sandwich, Greek salad, and shrimp tacos. Overall recipes are simple, but interesting, and easy to jazz up if you’re feeling creative.

Sound enticing? Then enter below to win one of two lifetime memberships to My Happy Plates. They’re currently in beta but the full site is going to be up and running at the end of May. If you don’t win, but want to still get involved, consider checking out their Kickstarter too. Before entering, please note all recipes are written in English and using volume measurements.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now let me tell you about the recipe itself. It is so cheesy! For me, that sentence alone is endorsement enough. I love cheese! I decided to make four servings and when I plopped out ricotta out of the 32oz container and into a bowl, both Ryan and I were impressed and overwhelmed by the cheese. And there were still two more cheeses to go! However, My Healthy Plates says it focuses on healthy recipes so in addition to a ton of cheese, there is also one zucchini and one cup of spinach per serving. Always important to get your veg, even if it is coated in cheese.

I liked this recipe a lot because it didn’t ask me to buy anything that will later be forgotten and take up space in my cabinets. All the ingredients are pretty normal and the herbs will be used again. My only gripe is they didn’t tell me what to do with the zucchini. I assumed I shouldn’t just put a whole uncut zucchini in a lasagna, so I chopped it into thin quarter wedge shapes. That seemed to work fine, but I think if you’re fancy and have a mandolin long strips would be nice too. Both Ryan and I are regular meat eaters and liked this a lot so it could become part of our regular dinner rotation.

And that is something super important. I think practically everyone is looking for easy and tasty recipes to make after work. I’m definitely guilty of getting in a rut and making the same thing over and over again. My Happy Plates is a great resource to change up the routine and help me have yummy home cooked dinners. And if it’s covered in cheese, that’s even better.

Recipe from My Happy Plates. Notes written in brackets are my additions.

Messy level: For some reason, I decided to mix the cheese and spinach mixture with my hands. After that, I spread all the layers with my hands too. Why? Because it just felt easier and faster. Doing it that way makes it a 5 spoon recipe. But, if you’re more evolved than me and you use a spoon it’s pretty normal and not especially messy when it comes to your counter or dishes.

Vegetarian Lasagna from My Happy Plates

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Author: My Happy Plates with Adaptations from Cooking is Messy

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 small zucchini [cut into thin quarter slices]
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 0.25 cup ground Parmesan
• 0.5 tsp dried oregano
• 4 count precooked lasagna noodles
• 4 oz shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Mix pasta sauce and zucchini in one bowl; mix ricotta cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano in another bowl.
2. Spread ⅛ cup of sauce [without zucchini in it] in ungreased small glass baking dish. [For 4 servings I used a 9x13" glass dish] Spread with lasagna noodles. Alternate layers of noodles, sauce, and cheese.
3. Cover with foil and bake at 400°F/200°C for 45 minutes.
4. Remove lasagna from oven and uncover. Switch from conventional oven to broiler on high and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

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Additionally, this post does include a giveaway. By entering, you are granting me permission to contact you via email and/or any other social network that you provide.  You also indicate that should you win, you are willing to partake in any promotional content related to the giveaway.  I reserve the right to share the name of the winner on this website.  By entering, you are opting in to receiving email from Cooking is Messy. You have the right to opt out of future email communications.

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Happy New Year! And I guess also a belated Merry Christmas. I’ve been a bit out of the blogging game over the holidays and I’ve got nothing but excuses. Excuses such as: I was busy – we had family in town. I was lazy – Making a Murder isn’t going to watch itself. And I was having fun – at all the parties with my friends. But I’m here and back to business with a recipe for roast beef, plus I’ve got big news.

Let’s start with the news: Ryan and I are moving back to Washington, DC at the end of the month. After nearly two years we felt it was time to go back. I’m excited to be closer to my family, back with old friends, and living in a city that feels like home. However, I’m sad to leave London. I have loved getting to see so much of this city, learn about a different culture and history, and I have made some of the best friends of my life. I’ll stop there for now, as I’m sure I’ll get mushier as our move date approaches.

For now, let’s just say this month I’m going to pay tribute to my time in the UK by posting all British recipes this month. In the US we have the incredibly wrong stereotype that British food is bad. And sure, there’s a lot of boiling vegetables (soggy and gross) and a friend of mine has described British food as “beige” (hardly appetizing) but there’s a lot of good stuff out there and we’re starting with roast beef.

Sunday roasts are an incredible British tradition that made me love British food. Big piece of meat, potatoes, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, and some veg? What is better than that?! It’s cozy and filling and a perfect meal for a lazy Sunday inside. Not only is this good weekend food, it’s great holiday food too. Ryan and I made this for our family for Christmas and I think it was a hit.

I think that roasting a big piece of meat can be intimidating. First, It can be expensive to buy (though doesn’t have to be). I’ve been using beef top rump joints. Sometimes I also see meat in the store labeled as beef roasting joint. Ask the butcher if you don’t know! And the second worry about cooking meat is knowing when it is done. Here’s my two cents: check the meat a few minutes before you think it’s going to be done and then trust your gut.

Check it with either a meat thermometer (I got a Thermapen for Christmas and I’m in love with it! I’ve been taking the temperature of glasses of water just because). Or check it by making a small cut and seeing if the juices are bloody or clear. And then trust your gut meaning, if it seems done take it out of the oven. Ryan and I have over cooked meat more than once by putting the meat back in because the “internet” or “recipe” told us to. Trust yourself and it will all be fine.

Messy level: Surprisingly neat and straightforward. Minimal amount of cutting, then season the meat, pop it all in the oven and the let it be until it’s done. No muss no fuss. How great is that?!

Roast Beef

 

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How to roast a beef joint. For 6-8 people use a piece of meat about 5-6 pounds. For just two people I've used made an 1.8 pound joint and that made two and half big servings for each of us.

Ingredients

• 2 yellow onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 stalks of celery
• fresh rosemary
• fresh time
• 6 cloves garlic
• Beef joint
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475°/250°.
2. Cut the onions in half and remove the skin. Place in the bottom of a roasting pan.
3. Cut the carrots (no need to peel) and celery into large pieces (it's not so serious the size). Throw them into the pan too.
4. Add the garlic cloves (no need to peel) and 3-5 sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Throw those in the pan with the rest. These herbs and vegetables are going to help season your meat and create great flavor in the juices, which you can use to make gravy.
5. If your beef came tied in string, leave the string on. It will help it keep shape while cooking.
6. Rub the beef all over with a thin layer of olive oil. This helps keeps things moist!
7. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper (if you have other seasonings you like on beef you could sprinkle a bit of that on too)
8. To add a bit of an exterior crust, rub the flour evenly all over the exterior of the beef. You might not need the whole tablespoon.
9. Put the beef on top of the vegetables in your roasting pan.
10. Lower the heat in the oven to 400°F/200°F.
11. Put the beef in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes plus 15 minutes per pound, for rare beef. Add 15 minutes more for medium and add 30 minutes more for well done. So a 2 pound beef cooks for 50 minutes for rare, 65 min for medium, and 80 minutes for well done.
12. When the meat is cooked to your liking, remove the pan from the oven. Cover it with aluminum foil or a kitchen towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Resting is important! Cut it too early and all the juices fall out.
13. Once the meat has rested, slice and serve. Best with lots of gravy, potatoes, and vegetables!

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