The Holistic Kitchen- A feast for the senses and soul

Dedicated to all that is wonderful about food and cooking- how it feeds mind, body and spirit and connects us to the earth and to each other.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

White Bean and Potato Ragout with Rosemary




2 Tb. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup water
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 cups cooked white beans ( or 1 15 oz can, drained)
Salt and pepper to taste
optional: handful of fresh spinach leaves

In large saute pan, warm oil and add garlic. cook gently to soften- do not let brown. Add tomatoes, potato and water. Cover pan and cook over medium heat until potato is nearly cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.
Add zucchini and rosemary. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans and spinach, if using. Warm beans thru and cook until spinach is wilted.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Cardamom Rolls

For those of you who love cardamom as much as I do, and I know you are out there, you MUST try these rolls from the November '06 issure of Sunset Magazine.
I halved the recipe, but after trying them I was sorry I didn't do the whole thing and freeze one pan for next weekend. I will next time!
If you do halve your recipe consider this: If it says to roll out to a 2x2 square half of that would be 1x1, right? Uh,... no. It would be 1x2 and then begin rolling from the narrower side. Mine still turned out fine, just not as many turns in the dough.
Enjoy!





Cardamom Rolls

Ingredients
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup unsalted butter, plus more for buttering pans
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
4 1/2 cups flour, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons ground cardamom
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Preparation
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (about 110°). Let sit until foamy bubbles form on surface, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 1/2 cup butter in a pan over low heat and let cool just until warm. Let remaining 1/2 cup butter soften in a warm place until spreadable.
2. To the yeast, add melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 4 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Stir or mix in a standing mixer with a dough hook until smooth, 5 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Butter two 9-in. cake pans. When dough has doubled, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 2-ft. square, spread with softened butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar and cardamom. Roll dough into a log, pinching the seam to seal. Cut log into 16 pieces and arrange, cut sides up, in a single layer in cake pans. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove plastic wrap from rolls and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make glaze: Whisk together 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Remove rolls from pans and drizzle with half of this thin glaze. Add remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar to remaining glaze and drizzle over rolls. Serve warm.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per roll.
Yield
Makes 16 rolls
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 330(35% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 7.9g); PROTEIN 5.4g; CHOLESTEROL 60mg; SODIUM 286mg; FIBER 1.2g; CARBOHYDRATE 47g