Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

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Ricotta and Tomato on Toast or Crostini

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on July 29, 2010 at pm

I had some ricotta cheese leftover from making wild mushroom ravioli (recipe here) and lemon ricotta muffins (recipe here).  But I didn’t really have enough to make anything else, so I made Ricotta and Tomato on Toast.  This is a lovely and fresh summer snack.  Toast any bread that you like (ie. crusty bread or rye).  Spread the ricotta on the toast and top it with thin tomato slices, a pinch of coarse salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Infused olive oils are great for this, ie. garlic, herb, or lemon.  Use your favourite variety of tomato.

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After John’s housewarming party, I made ricotta and tomato crostini to use up a variety of our leftovers.  Ricotta and tomato crostini are beautiful and easy to make for any party.  Top toasted baguette slices (baked in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 7 minutes) with a thin layer of ricotta cheese, baby arugula or rocket, and halved cherry tomatoes (try combining red and yellow cherry tomatoes).  Top with coarse sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, a light drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil, and some fresh basil for garnish (if desired).

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Cheese Ball Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on June 13, 2010 at pm

I needed to make a quick and easy snack for a weeknight because I was having some girls over for a clothing exchange party.  I was already making hummus, deep fried ravioli and fudge brownies and decided that I was missing cheese.  Instead of doing the standard cheese platter, I thought I’d try making a cheese ball, because I already had most of the ingredients that I needed.  It’s a nice, flavourful cheese spread.

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Cheong Fun with Teem Cheong (Rice Noodle Roll with Sweet Sauce)

In Dim Sum, Other Asian Foods on June 8, 2010 at pm

I love Chinese rice noodle rolls (chee cheong fun).  These are steamed and can have various fillings such as shrimp, Chinese BBQ pork, ground beef, or dried shrimp and green onions.  They are also delicious plain when served with the flavourful sweet sauce (teem cheong / timzheong) and sesame paste.  We order this a lot in Hong Kong restaurants, so I was ecstatic when I learned how easy it is to make.  I love making food from scratch to avoid the added preservatives and chemicals.  I’ve heard that the cheong fun sold in grocery stores (and used by the restaurants) contain a particularly harmful additive – borax.  (For cheong fun with shrimp, see here.  For cheong fun with dried shrimp and green onions, see here.)

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Deep Fried Ravioli

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on June 3, 2010 at pm

I made deep fried ravioli for my Deep Fried Food Party and for my latest clothing exchange party.  This has been sitting in my “to try” pile for years now, so I was very happy to finally make it.  I compared a milk wash to an egg wash and I compared a bread crumb coating to a corn meal coating.  I didn’t notice a significant difference between the milk and egg washes.  For the coating, I preferred the bread crumbs, because it gave the ravioli a nice brown colour.  Also, bread crumbs coat the ravioli more lightly than cornmeal, so the ravioli maintain their slightly chewy texture.

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Four Different Sauces for Mushroom Ravioli

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs, Sides and Sauces on May 27, 2010 at pm

I made ravioli from scratch for the first time (recipe here).  For the filling, I used porcini, chanterelle, and lobster mushrooms with ricotta, parmesan and goat cheese.  I wanted to make a sauce that would pair well with mushroom ravioli, but there were so many suitable (and delicious) options, that I couldn’t pick just one or two.  So, I made 4 different sauces.  They are all easy to make and range from simple and comforting to sophisticated and fancy.

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #1 is a comforting and hearty tomato sauce.  It is the simplest of the 4 recipes.  The tomato contrasts the creamy mushroom filling nicely.

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #2 is a rose sauce.  It is the only cream based sauce and it’s fun to make because it involves setting vodka on fire.  This sauce is very similar to the sauce that I make for my vodka penne (recipe here).

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #3 is a white wine and butter sauce that goes really well with the mushrooms.  I like to serve this sauce over giant raviolis.

Mushroom Ravioli Sauce Pairing #4 is one of the simplest, yet the fanciest sauce that I’ve paired with mushroom ravioli.  If only I could afford white truffles to go with this, because that’s how they serve it in some parts of Italy.  I like to serve this browned butter over giant raviolis.

Photo above:  Giant raviolis in White Wine Sauce

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Wild Mushroom Ravioli (from scratch)

In Pasta, Rice, and Doughs on May 26, 2010 at pm

I’ve been wanting to make ravioli from scratch for a long time now.  When I received samples of dried mushrooms from Marx Foods (see my review here), I knew that they would be perfect in ravioli and, more importantly, I would finally get to use my brand new fluted pastry wheel.  🙂

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Warm Mushroom Salad with Goats Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

In Soups and Salads on May 25, 2010 at pm

I love designing salads, because you can play with infinite [delicious] combinations of greens, fruits, vegetables, meats or eggs, seafood, nuts, seeds and dressings.  You can be creative with textures, flavours, and visual interest.  Salads are great for entertaining too, whether they are simple and relaxed or fancy and formal.  When I received samples of dried mushrooms from Marx Foods, an online fine foods distributor, I decided to create a salad in their honour.  See my review on Marx Foods here.

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Soft Polenta (3 Ways)

In Sides and Sauces on May 3, 2010 at pm

Firm polenta is perfect for hors d’oeuvres, fancy looking meals, and parties.  But I prefer to eat soft polenta.  Soft polenta is a simple side dish made with cornmeal.  It also makes a fantastic substitute for rice or pasta when served with saucy or flavourful or meaty (or vegetarian) dishes such as stews, ragu, etc.  A friend introduced it to me a few years ago when I was at her place for dinner.  She served it with melted cheese and sour cream and I could not get enough of it.  Prior to that, I didn’t think that polenta was eaten in any other texture than firm.  I’ve been making soft polenta regularly ever since.  (See my shrimp on polenta recipe here.)

I have posted two different recipes for soft polenta.  The first is very basic and light, and I’ve included 2 different ways to serve it.  The second is a rich, creamy, and heavier polenta recipe.

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Indian Lentil Soup

In Indian, Soups and Salads on April 29, 2010 at pm

Most Indian lentil soups are pureed and very thick.  But the vegetable soup that I had at a popular local Indian restaurant was light, brothy, lemony, and in my opinion, much better than the typical pureed lentil soup.  So I re-created it at home.  You can easily adjust the water or boiling time to achieve your preferred consistency.  See here for tips on how to get the most flavour out of your Indian spices.

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Fruit Salad

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Other Desserts on April 16, 2010 at pm

I love fresh fruit salads.  I like serving them with brunch, or as a snack or dessert.  Instead of following a recipe, I usually choose fruits based on 2 textures and 4 colours.  I like to use one fruit that adds a slight crunch, so I usually use grapes (red or green) or apples (red or green).  Then I choose fruits of each of the colours: red, green, white, and orange.  For the red, I like to use strawberries or raspberries.  For the green, I like to use kiwis.  For the white, I like to use bananas or pears.  For the orange, I like to use citrus slices (orange, tangerine, and/or grapefruit), mangoes, peaches, or nectarines.  Sometimes I like to add blue or purple by adding blueberries or plum slices.  Use any fruits in any combination that you like.  You could try making an exotic fruit salad using fruits like papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, dragon fruit, etc.

If you’re eating the salad right away, there’s no need to dress it.  But if it’s going to sit for a while, then you should dress it with some freshly squeezed lemon juice (do not substitute with bottled lemon juice) and some honey or white granulated sugar to taste.  This will prevent certain fruits from browning.

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Stuffed Celery Sticks

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 9, 2010 at pm

Celery is not one of my favourite vegetables, but when I have leftover celery, I like to make stuffed celery sticks.  They’re great snacks and they’re very quick and easy to make.  I’ve posted two versions of stuffed celery sticks here, one sweet (kid friendly) and one savoury that’s sophisticated enough to entertain with.

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Deep Fried Chick Peas

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 8, 2010 at pm

I’ve been trying to incorporate more legumes into my diet in hopes that I’ll develop a better appreciation for them.  I love hummus but I don’t like eating chick peas whole.  So when I first heard of people deep frying chickpeas, I knew I had to try it.  It was the perfect snack for a poker night that I hosted, because I needed a vegan alternative for one of the guys.

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