tabbouleh salad with chicken
(serves 4)

1/2 cup bulgur
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups diced tomato
1 cup diced cooked chicken
3/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 red bell pepper, in 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded, in 1/4-inch dice
1 Tbsp. minced fresh mint
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. good olive oil or lemon olive oil
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, cover bulgur with 1/2 cup of boiling water; cover and let sit 15 minutes until water is absorbed and bulgur has a texture like al dente pasta. In a salad bowl, throw together all the ingredients and toss to coat with lemon juice and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve at room temperature.

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That’s because Hamilton County and the Metropolitan Sewer District are cutting off all funding for The Ohio State University’s Extension office in the county. For the first time since 1917, our area will be without this vital source of university-led research, education and information. Every dollar Hamilton County invests in OSU Extension returns $2.45 in services.

Last fall, after many years of wanting to do so, I enrolled in the Master Gardener program in Hamilton County. For those of you not familiar with Master Gardeners, these are folks who, after going through a thorough training program based on OSU’s horticultural research, volunteer throughout the community. Master Gardeners share their knowledge of plants, pests and practices through a local call-in garden helpline. We volunteer at Cincinnati parks, the zoo, Krohn Conservatory, Gorman Heritage Farm and other sites, lending labor and expertise to their planting and education programs.

More important, though OSU Extension programs support local farmers and growers by sharing the university’s latest research on growing practices, land and pest management, season extension, crop selection and more. And then there’s 4-H, which helps kids learn leadership as they take on projects involving raising animals, growing crops or creating crafts.

Lately, OSU Extension’s work in Hamilton County has involved working with the Metropolitan Sewer District on stormwater management initiatives—projects like planning, planting and maintaining massive rain gardens and landscapes around the county that mitigate rainwater runoff. MSD is under federal court order to get this problem under control, as the county’s insufficient sewer system allows waste- and stormwater to run into local creeks and rivers. (ICK!)

To my surprise, I haven’t seen this story reported in any local media. And, my Master Gardener experience notwithstanding, I’m dismayed to learn that local farmers and growers are losing access to this essential resource, and that our community is losing the coordinated efforts of horticultural volunteers who help keep our city beautiful.

So I’m publishing here to help spread the word. If you’re in the Cincinnati area and you’re also bugged by this, drop a note to our county commissioners, will you?

Best Chef: Great Lakes
Richard Blondin, Refectory Restaurant & Bistro, Columbus, OH
Jean-Robert de Cavel, Jean-Robert’s Table, Cincinnati
Greg Hardesty, Recess, Indianapolis
Anne Kearney, Rue Dumaine, Dayton
Regina Mehallick, R Bistro, Indianapolis
Kent Rigbsy, Rigsby’s Kitchen, Columbus, OH
Jonathon Sawyer,  The Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland
David Tallent, Restaurant Tallent, Bloomington, IN

A bit farther afield: Harvest in Louisville, Salt in St. Louis, and Bistronomic and Next in Chicago are all nominees for Best New Restaurant; Tru in Chicago is among the contenders for Best Restaurant. The Aviary and The Violet Hour (Chicago) and The Old Fashioned (Madison, WI), got semifinalist nods for Outstanding Bar Program.

Funny: I didn’t see the Side Porch Café anywhere on the list …

When Rob and I ventured to San Francisco and Sonoma County on our honeymoon more than two decades ago (I was a child bride), we stayed at a sweet little bed-and-breakfast in Pacific Grove, CA, called the Gosby House Inn. Our first afternoon, the innkeeper put out a plate of these cookies, and I’ve been baking them ever since.

special K cookies
(makes 30)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 cups unsweetened cereal flakes (see Note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add vanilla and blend to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and blend well. Fold in cereal. Scoop out tablespoons of dough, form into rough balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies are lightly brown around the edges. Let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.

Note: While the original recipe calls for Special K (hence, the name), I’d suggest any unsweetened flake-type cereal: Kashi flakes, bran, wheat, rice or corn flakes.

Over the weekend, though, I glanced a bit of hope, and it’s this: We CAN make a difference by the small choices we make, especially when it comes to food.

I attended the annual conference of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association and, while I’m not a farmer or grower or producer, it was amazing to be in the company of those folks. I attended sessions about season extension, cover crops, companion planting, seasonal eating (other sessions dealt with topics like business planning and marketing for small farms, large-scale composting, raising livestock, fracking and Monsanto and GMOs). Over and over, I heard the mantra that the food community is at the heart of a movement (or revolution or whatever you want to call it) that can reshape our economy, our health, our industry, our environment, our communities and our relationships.

Now, before you think I’ve gone and drunk the Kool-aid, I’ll admit that I am already part of the choir to which the event was preaching. I’m not a farmer, but I know that my health and wellbeing depends on farmers doing their work with integrity and care. I love good, healthy, local food, and so I benefit from their labor.

The most important takeaway I gleaned (pun intended) from the conference was this from Andrew Kimbrell of the Center for Food Safety: We are not consumers. That which consumes, destroys. We are creators. And with every choice we make about our food, we can create one of two futures: 1) an industrialized, modified, commoditized, adulterated food system, or 2) a localized, holistic, humane, just, biodiverse food system. WE get to decide.

A few other nuggets I jotted in my notebook:

• Because of poor soil stewardship, in 2008 alone, 2 million acres of Iowa farmland lost 20 or more tons (each!) of topsoil … it all washed down the Mississippi River, carrying with it chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. There’s a huge biological ‘dead zone’ at the Mississippi Delta. Think about this for a sec.
• Collectively, we’ve invested more than $600 trillion (that’s a ‘T’) in the global derivatives market. The world’s GDP is $65 trillion. Do the math: There’s not enough money to cover those investments—and this complex financial system is incredibly opaque and off-the-radar. We’re making incredibly risky global investments … and yet, the farmer up the road can’t get a loan to buy fencing to house his livestock? WTF?
• We need to break the physical and psychological disconnect between the industrial food system and our plates. Andrew Kimbrell noted that we’d make very different choices if we could see what goes into making this stuff.
• Food is the most intimate relationship we have with our environment.

Wow. Heavy stuff, maybe too heavy for a Monday. [Sorry 'bout that.]

But here’s the thing: We have the power to improve our communities, our economy, our bodies, our planet. We do. We can shape our future simply through the foods we choose to eat ourselves and share with our families and neighbors.

Before you hit ‘unubscribe’ and never visit writes4food.com again because it’s justtoodamndepressing, take heart. My next post will be about cookies. Promise.

I’ll confess that I’m newly geeked about the ‘cute food in jars’ trend that’s been going on for awhile. [See Cheesecake in a Jar and Smores in a Jar.] This was my first dessert-in-a-jar attempt, and it made perfect use not only of the leftover quatre-quarts poundcake I made two weeks ago, but also of the recently acquired pair of 9-ounce Weck ‘Mold’ jars that I picked up at Crate & Barrel. [Yay!]

adapted from My Baking Addiction

individual blueberry trifles with whipped yogurt cream
(serves 2)

for the yogurt cream
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar

In a chilled bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and whip to incorporate. Gently fold in Greek yogurt.

for the blueberry sauce (adapted from My Baking Addiction)
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp. cold water
1/4 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1/2 lemon

Stir together blueberries, sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan; bring to a low boil over medium heat. Stir in cornstarch/water mixture and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens nicely. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Cool.

1 cup cubed poundcake (I used leftovers from Dorie Greenspan’s quatre-quarts recipe I made recently)

In jars or individual serving dishes or glass jars (I used Weck 9-ounce Mold jars), layer cubed poundcake, whipped yogurt cream and blueberry sauce; repeat, ending with blueberry sauce. Serve chilled.

But oh my, was my vegetable tart incredibly delicious: full of savory vegetables, flecked with flavorful fresh thyme and enhanced with a generous hit of fresh goat cheese. You may think this resembles a quiche, but this tart recipe includes just 2 eggs and less than 1 cup of cream, so it’s less wicked than, say, your typical quiche Lorraine.

A few observations: This recipe is not difficult. It is, however, time-consuming. [And totally worth it!] Don’t do as I did an overlook the step of blind-baking the crust, which set me back a little time-wise. And be prepared for your blind-baked crust to shrink in the pie plate (that’s why my tart wasn’t as pretty as Bon Appétit’s).

This recipe was created by influential London chef and restaurateur Yottam Ottolenghi, whose inspiration shows up in the work of 101cookbooks.com founder Heidi Swanson, among others. Ottolenghi’s food tends toward the vegetarian, but it’s robust, complex, intriguing and full of flavor. I’ve adapted it by using my Grandma’s pie crust recipe and by making a few substitutions. (See the original vegetable tart recipe here.)

vegetable tart
(makes 6 servings)

For the tart crust (can be made 1 day ahead)
pastry for a single pie crust (Grandma’s foolproof flaky pie crust)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll the dough into a round about 13 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick; transfer to a pie plate and crimp edge. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes. Line the dough with a piece of foil that you’ve lightly sprayed with nonstick spray; fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until crust is very lightly golden.

For the filling (vegetables can be cooked 1 day ahead and refrigerated, separately)
1 red bell pepper (alternately, 1 jar of roasted bell peppers)
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium onion, quartered top-to-bottom and thinly sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, quartered top-to-bottom and thinly sliced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and rinsed (I used oven-dried tomatoes from my freezer)
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
4 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Roast the bell pepper: Preheat broiler. Trim stem from pepper, slice in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place pepper halves on a foil-lined baking sheet; press to flatten with your hand. Broil until skin is charred black all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer pepper to a bowl; cover with foil to steam the skin loose. Remove skin and tear pepper into wide strips.

Roast the squash and sweet potato: Preheat oven to 450 degrees; line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss potato and zucchini cubes with 1 Tbsp. olive oil; season well with salt and pepper. Spread on foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until vegetables are lightly browned and tender but not mushy.

Prepare the fennel and onion: In a large skillet, warm 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add fennel and onion slices; reduce heat slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are translucent and still crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

Assemble the tart: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk eggs and cream together in a bowl; season with pepper. Distribute onion/fennel mixture in the bottom of the tart shell. Top with zucchini/sweet potato mixture, then roasted red peppers, then 1 tsp. of fresh thyme. Top with crumbled goat cheese, then with sundried tomatoes. Carefully pour egg/cream mixture over the top, then sprinkle with remaining fresh thyme. Bake for 45–50 minutes, until filling is set. (Note: If you find the crust is browning too quickly, then take a square of foil and cut out a circle, about 6 inches in diameter, from the middle. Place foil over the pie to cover the crust.) Serve warm or at room temperature.

I think I must have been a farmer in a former life …

See, here’s one of the great things about these grains: You can cook up a big batch any time (cooking times vary between 15 and 45 minutes, give or take), and stash any unused portion in the freezer, easy-peasy.

Finding myself with odd quantities of orzo, wild rice and farro, I wanted to come up with a way to use all of them together, preferably in a dish that was as hearty and delicious as the other grain recipes I’ve been playing with. I turned to Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day for inspiration and found her recipe for a savory casserole with mushrooms and brown rice. I swapped the mushrooms for fresh broccoli and made several other substitutions, generally following Heidi’s proportions of liquid ingredients.

The result? Healthy comfort food: cheesy, savory, delicious.

broccoli-rice bake
(serves 4)

2 cups total of any of the following: cooked wild, white or brown rice; farro or barley; orzo pasta
1 head of broccoli, tender stems and florets chopped into roughly 1/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (whole or part-skim)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
2/3 cup shredded cheese of your choice
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray a 1.5-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. In a large lidded sauté pan, warm a generous Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add onion and stir to coat with oil; reduce heat to medium and sauté until translucent and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chopped broccoli stems and florets (if the pan seems to need a bit more oil, go ahead and add some), raise the heat to medium-high and stir-fry the broccoli for 2 to 3 minutes, until it just begins to brown slightly. Add 2 Tbsp. of water to the pan and quickly cover; steam the broccoli until it’s just tender, about 2 minutes. Taste the vegetables and add seasoned salt (I like Jane’s) and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, yogurt and egg until well combined. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rice or orzo, cooked vegetables and basil.  Add ricotta mixture and and 1/2 of the cheese, and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish; top with remaining cheese, then cover the pan with a piece of foil that you’ve spritzed with a little baking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 20 more minutes, until the cheese begins to brown in spots.

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These little fritters [we could also call them croquettes or cakes] are packed with huge flavor and flecked with colorful vegetables. They’d make a fine vegetarian main course, a yummy side to grilled fish or chicken, a fun party food.

And this recipe is hugely flexible. I first encountered millet during a cooking class on whole grains hosted by Dandelion Chef Laura Robinson. Millet cooks to a thick porridge-like consistency, so it holds together well when formed into patties or balls that can be sautéed or baked. Laura guided us through a recipe for millet croquettes with an Indian flair, flavored with curry and garam masala and finished with an interesting tomato-coconut cream sauce. Delicious.

I began with Laura’s recipe and tinkered extensively with the add-ins and spices (though the essential base of cooked millet is hers). I decided to play with North African flavors, inspired by my trip last year to Marrakech, where I enjoyed a cooking class that highlighted Moroccan cuisine. I added warm spices to the millet fritters, and then kicked things up with a hit of harissa (the North African chile-based condiment) in the tomato sauce. Also delicious!

millet-vegetable fritters
(makes about 16 fritters)

1 cup dry hulled millet (find this in the natural-foods section or at Whole Foods)
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. regular or smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice (divided use)
5 garlic cloves, minced (divided use)
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, pureed in a blender
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
harissa to taste (or use sriracha or the hot sauce of your choice)

vegetable oil
olive oil

For the fritters
In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the millet in cool water. Bring 2 3/4 cups of water, the millet and 1/4 tsp. salt to a boil in a saucepan; cover, reduce heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In the meantime, combine cinnamon, ginger, cumin, chili powder, paprika and nutmeg in a small nonstick skillet; cook, stirring, over medium heat until the spices become aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Quickly transfer the spices to a large mixing bowl.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers; add 1/2 the diced onion and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, red pepper and zucchini and continue to cook until they’re cooked through but still crisp-tender. Season vegetables with salt.

Transfer the cooked vegetables and the cooked millet to the mixing bowl with the spices; add parsley and stir gently to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Set this mixture aside to cool a bit so you can handle it. Scoop out 2 Tbsp. of the millet-vegetable mixture and gently press it into a disk about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with remaining mixture; set fritters on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper. Alternately, you can form the mixture into 1-inch balls and bake them according to the directions below.

In large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp. of canola or vegetable oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, add the fritters and sauté until they’re nicely browned, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Alternately, you can bake the fritters (on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray) at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re lightly browned.

For the sauce 
In a sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers; add 1/2 the diced onion and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add pureed tomatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in Greek yogurt and harissa or hot sauce to taste.

To serve, ladle some sauce on each plate, then place the millet-vegetable fritters on top.

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