KPK At The Market 2013

BIG HUGS AND MANY THANKS to all of our wonderful family members (actual family, extended family, farmers market family, friends family, work family, walking family and more) who came out in support of KPK's first day at the 2013 Frankfort Country Market in beautiful Frankfort, Illinois. Thank you for sharing Father's Day with us and stopping by for a Fried Asparagus Bruschetta Special, an Herb Infused Lemonade Iced Tea or the KPK TRIO. We had a blast and were very touched and excited to FEEL THE LOVE : )

Looking forward to our next day at the market . . . Sunday, June 30th. If you can't make it, come on out the following weekend on Sunday, July 7th! We'll let you know about our seasonal specials and we're baking some extra COOKIES too!

Stay posted with KPK right here (or on our Facebook page) for more updates.

Thank you everyone!

Love,  Katie

Blog Jilt

My blog feels jilted. The guilt is overbearing, LOL. Lots of cooking and not much writing. Will catch up soon. I cannot wait to share some recipes, tips and ideas with you. Gearing up for the market this week. Hope to see y'all in Frankfort next Sunday, June 16, 2013 from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Love, Katie 

Here's what's been cookin' in KPK lately . . .

Roasted Beet & Orange Salad with Fresh Mint Leaves, Feta & Pistachios

Mediterranean Style Creamy Hummus with Parsley Oil, Lemon & Toasted Pignoli

Black & White Chocolate Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Umbrian Style Onion Soup with Pancetta, Tomatoes, Fresh Parsley & Eggs

Spring Fava Beans

Fuzzy Fava Interiors

Roasted Eggplant for Polpette di Melanzane (Fried Eggplant Balls)

Cooling Grains for Taboulleh (pictured here Barley, Quinoa & Millet)

Moroccan Style Carrot Salad with Sheep's Milk Feta, Raisins & Fresh Parsley

Oozing, boiling hot pan of  Pecan Caramel Bars . . . eventually cooled and dipped in Ghirardelli Chocolate, oh my

Pecan Shortbread, Chia Flowers and Macadamia Chocolate Cookies

Polpette di Melanzane (Fried Eggplant Balls) 

KPK At The Market ~ Summer 2013

KATIE'S PASSION KITCHEN will be returning to the Frankfort Country Market in beautiful, historic downtown Frankfort, Illinois this summer on alternating Sundays. Mark your calendar for the above dates and bring your appetite to our "KPK At The Market" BRUSCHETTA BAR. We are bringing back last summer's favorite seasonal bruschetta, gourmet cookies and some new flavors for 2013. We are so excited to be back in Frankfort and looking forward to a fun and delicious summer with all of our market customers. Last year was a blast and we can't wait to see you starting June 16th!

Stop by for a

 KPK Fresh Herb Infused Lemonade Iced Tea

 and say hi!...

Love, Katie

Pineapple Cheeseball

OK. I am pretty sure that cheeseballs are out. I personally happen to know some cheeseballs that are whacked out. This particular cheeseball is way in. Here’s a totally retro recipe that you can adjust to your liking and have fun decorating. I bet you either have this recipe, ate it, made it, or your mom or grandma or next door neighbor has it, etc. It’s been around for a long time. Just like this author.

Delicious.  Easy.  Adorable. I know it’s fattening, but you don’t have to eat the whole thing and it’s for a party, right? The pecans help add goodness like antioxidants and vitamin E and monounsaturated fatty acids and fiber. That’s how you can justify eating the cheese which contains a mere 80 fat calories for every 100 calories per serving, LOL. Mere. 

Lately, we have been enjoying some sweet and juicy pineapples which apparently triggered the KPK spontaneous need to “theme-up” a lunch and search for all things pineapple. KPK NOTE: Peak pineapple season is March thru July FYI.  So, whilst googling around for pineapple recipes, I happened across a few of these adorable pineapple “cheeseballs” even though I wasn’t looking for dip recipes. So this cutey pops up in a few places on the web,  including, of course, Pinterest. Which means, btw, that this pretty appetizer is gonna be popping up all over the potluck / party circuit. This is my first. Loved it. Sharing it. I did read many versions of pineapple cheese spread recipes and there are many with these very same ingredients with few changes. Make it as shown or vary it according to your personal tastebuds.

Bring it to YOUR next potluck, book club or office party. Everyone will love it AND you, ya cheeseball!

Pineapple "Cheeseball"

2 - 8 ounce packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup of finely chopped bell pepper (I like red and green)

2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion (I like sweet onion)

1 - 15 ounce can of crushed pineapple, well drained OR about 1 cup of fresh, finely chopped pineapple, well drained

1 cup of finely chopped toasted pecans*

1  teaspoon of seasoned salt (or more, to taste)

Whole toasted pecans* for decorating

1 attractive pineapple top (not to discriminate)

Easy cheesy directions:

Mix all of the ingredients, except for the last two, duh. Chill in the fridge. Mound onto a serving platter in the shape of a pineapple (as shown). Place and lightly press the toasted pecans onto the mound of cheese as shown. If you're like me, eat one, place one, eat one, place one, and so on. It's so fast. Add the pineapple top. You're done. Serve with crackers (another duh, sorry). I recommend making the cheese spread the night before and then assembling your pineapple before your party. Here's one of my favorite pineapple tricks that I learned long ago from my friend Tammy and her daughter, Meghan: Twist off the top!!!!!! That's it! Grab your pineapple and simply twist off the top, as you would a jar lid. It twists right off! Isn't that cool? Here's another picture to help illustrate the mound of cheese, the placement of the pecans and the twisted off pineapple top, before full assembly.

Another tip for you: Start at the bottom. See? I do this stuff FOR YOU so that you don't have to think about the details. Just enjoy the fruits of my labor. In this case, the pineapple. 

*Toast your pecans whole in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cool completely. They will be so much more flavorful than NOT toasting. Trust me. No question about toasting vs. non-toasting when it comes to nuts. Do a taste test and you'll agree.

KPK Interesting Pineapple Fact: If you eat a lot of pineapple, you'll taste sweeter. Ponder that, my friends.

Love and Pineapple Passion,

Katie

Oh, and btw, I understand that you can find this recipe in 50 words or less elsewhere on the web, but where else can you get all of this deep pineapple hodgepodge? 

Uh oh, I can't stop. One more thing you need to know . . . During the winter holidays, use whole toasted almonds (don't talk to me if you don't toast them), and make smaller cheeseballs, shaped like PINECONES!  I know, right? You are soooo welcome! 

Recipe Update Bulletin: I just modified the recipe, changing the amount of canned pineapple from 1 8 oz. can to 1 15 oz. can. Reason: More pineapple is better. Period. Now that I've made a few of these, let me give you some KPK insight: For the seasoned salt, try using Essence of Emeril (the original) and then add a generous shake of ground cayenne pepper. The spread is even more delicious after you chill it overnight. I upped the amount of pineapple because 1 cup of finely chopped fresh pineapple (drained) is equivalent to 1 15 oz. can of crushed pineapple (drained). After all, you're presenting it in the shape of a pineapple, right? The pineapple flavor should be pronounced. Using fresh pineapple brings really optimum flavor but it's delicious with canned as well. There you have it. All secrets revealed. OK. Go make one now and don't blame me if you don't toast your pecans, skimp on your pineapple or omit the onion or something. LOL. Enjoy! P.S. The cayenne adds a nice amount of heat that is not overpowering and it does kick it up just perfectly. And. . .enjoy this beautiful spring weather! Ta Ta!

It's Not Hard to Love CHARD

I know what you’re thinking.
I should have been a rapper cuz I’m a rhymer. 

CHARD. Beta vulgaris, cicla (huh? what? vulgar beets?) Beta vulgaris is the common beet. Adding “cicla” from sicula, referring to both SIcily and a beet variety grown there, you have CHARD!  If you like spinach, you’ll love chard. Next time you reach for the fresh spinach at your favorite produce market, try the chard instead, just for a change of pace. It is not only super-nutritious, but it’s so damn delicious!!! Buy some. Wash it. Cook it. For first-timers, just try this: Cut the stems from the leaves with a sharp knife. Roughly chop the leaves and simply toss them into a simmering pot of chicken soup or broth. In a few minutes, when it’s tender, enjoy! That alone would make me happy. 

It is so gorgeous, it might just call to you from the produce shelf. It’s dark green, sturdy, shiny leaves are vibrant and scream GOOD HEALTH! You can hear them! The stalks are either white, red or rainbow colored. Rainbow Chard is astoundingly beautiful with multi-colored stalks of yellow, orange, purple, pink, red and more. Just amazing! Here’s a link if you’d like to learn more about great seeds from the creator of the award winning chard cultivar known as “Bright Lights”:  http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-50-swiss-chard.aspx

Chard is something that we grew up eating. My mom would just kind of saute’~braise it with a little olive oil, kosher salt and maybe a hint of garlic and a fresh hot chile or crushed red pepper flakes. Maybe a bit of water or broth. Of course, the stalks were chopped and cooked along with the leaves because you know, it would be a sin to waste any of the vegetable. Italians use it all, my friends. So, when you use both, it makes sense to cook the chopped stalks first until almost tender and then toss in the leaves and finish cooking.I think Americans tend to eat the leaves and not the stalks and the French tend to eat the stalks and not the leaves. Italians - all of it!

Here’s my own simple recipe for Swiss Chard Risotto. I used only the chard leaves in this recipe but next time, I’ll use "the whole nine". Risotto is rich, creamy, warming and fabulous.  It’s a great dish in which you can showcase your favorite vegetables! And, since I’m on a chard kick, here ya go:

Delicious Swiss Chard Risotto

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil 

1 tablespoon of butter

2 large shallots, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups of good quality risotto rice ~ Recommended: Carnaroli

 or Arborio or Vialone Nano 

1 cup of dry white wine (not sweet, something crisp and dry with good acidity) ~

 Recommended: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio 

5 to 6 cups of vegetable or chicken broth*

2 bunches of Swiss Chard, washed, stems removed,

 leaves coarsely chopped

1/2 cup or more of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 more tablespoon of butter, for finishing

It’s true. Risotto is hands on. Probably a good twenty minutes of adding broth, cooking and stirring. Pour yourself a glass of wine (just drink the wine that you’re using in the risotto), turn on some great music, and if you’re like me, you will thoroughly enjoy standing there, stirring and sipping. It’s not just the destination, right? It’s the journey. Especially when cooking risotto. 

The Process

1. Heat the broth to a simmer in a medium pot and keep it hot on the stovetop. 
2. In another medium, heavy pot, heat the oil and butter.  Add the shallot and onion.
3. Saute and stir on medium-high heat for a few minutes until slightly tender. 
4. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, pepper and rice. Stir to coat the rice well and continue cooking.
5. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook at a high simmer, while watching and stirring occasionally until all of the wine is absorbed into the rice.
6. Add about 2 ladles of hot broth to the rice. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until all of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat the process with another ladle of broth. Simmer, cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat the process and continue adding broth, one ladle at a time, cooking, stirring, etc.
7. When there are a few ladles of broth remaining, toss all of the chopped chard into the pot and stir into the rice. Continue adding broth and cooking until all of the broth is gone and the rice is tender and creamy, but still al dente. 
8. Now, the finishing touch. Stir in the freshly grated Parm and the butter.  Taste.  
9. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt & pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.

*NOTE: If you use all of the broth and the rice is undercooked, don’t fret. Continue the process with another ladle or two of boiling water (or more hot broth if you have it) until the rice is tender. 

This should be enough for four side dish servings for four normal people. Mark and I polished off the whole pot. 

Don’t be barred from chard. Have some today.

Very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Folate, Phosphorus and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Love, Katie

Cippolini

CIPPOLINI ~ chi poh LEE nee . . . In English, “small onions”. The Italian word for onion is “cippola”. Small onion: “cippoline”. Small onions (plural): “cippolini”. So, then, of course, it bugs me to refer to cippolini as "CIPPOLINI ONIONS" because then, that would be redundant, am I wrong? “No, you’re not wrong, Walter, you’re just an _ _ _ _ _ _ _.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdoo43sp3ZY tooooooo funny..... sorry about that. I couldn’t help myself. Big Lebowski fans will understand.

Mom & Vito on H.S. Graduation Day
circa 1947

Next up . . . why cippolini remind me of my maternal grandfather,

“Buh-vi-TOOCH”:

Daddy, Mom, Mom's Great Grandma & Papa Detroit
(aka Vito DePalma, aka "Buh-vi-TOOCH"

Cippolini are much loved in my family and are certainly at the top of my onion love list.  The cippolini of my mom’s childhood are onions of a stronger and larger variety. Very flat shape. Very distinct flavor.  My mom has vivid memories of her father, Vito’s, cippolini. Mom remembers these delicious onions and how they ate them with everything. Vito regularly picked them up at “the market” near their home in Detroit. Vito DePalma (fondly known as “Buh-vi-TOOCH”), hailed from Bari, Italy (located in the Puglia region of Italy along the Adriatic Sea). He was an excellent home cook, pan frying cippolini in olive

oil, and known for frying his delectable artichokes (“skar-CHOFE”) while “Nani Detroit” (aka Theresa DePalma) made the pasta. As a testament to Vito being a fearless and adventurous cook, the family woke one morning to Vito’s yelling & ranting about the live snails that had apparently tipped the lid off of the pot in which they were being stored.  They were crawling around on the floor and stairs! Hmmm, ya think they might have known that escargot was on the day’s menu? I’m sure Papa was p.o.’d. Em was crackin’ up laughing when she recounted the story with me on the phone this morning. I have yet to attempt snails. I have never been able to duplicate Vito’s artichokes and I still tend to mutilate them when trying to trim them properly. I want to be sure I have some Vito in me.  At least I know how to make cippolini.

So, there are many easy methods of cooking these onions, from stovetop to oven to grill, but today, I’ll share this really simple method with you. Today’s cippolini can be found at your local supermarket, right near the garlic, shallots and pearl onions in the produce section (“Melissa’s” brand must be rakin’ it in because I never see any other brands at the local stores) although Whole Foods does sell bulk cippolini in the produce section of their stores. Note: Feel free to roast pearl onions if you can't find cipollini . . . shallots are also delicious. 

Sammy demonstrates the process,
using pearl onions (New Year's Eve 2009)

Roasted Cipollini

1 1/2 lbs. of Cippolini (three 8 oz. packages)

A drizzle of olive oil (few tablespoons)

About 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar*

A sprinkle of kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh herbs**, whole or torn

*Your choice of balsamic vinegar - I love Honey Ridge Farms award-winning Honey Balsamic Vinegar or a sweet and delicious authentic Italian Balsamic from Modena or a sweet and tangy white or golden balsamic vinegar. Select a vinegar that has a bit of sweetness.

**Fresh thyme and onions are a match made in heaven. Sage is also excellent. Fresh oregano is excellent in season. Fresh rosemary would be delicious. In a pinch, use a bit of dried thyme or oregano if you don’t have any fresh herbs.

Before I explain this, please don’t try and get away with buying one 8 oz. bag of onions. Make it worth your effort. One bag will yield very little. By the time you peel, trim and cook them, you’ll only end up with a teentsy amount. I usually end up with one pint size deli container of roasted onions from 1 1/2 lbs of raw, unpeeled onions. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add the onions to the boiling water. Slightly reduce the heat to medium high and let onions boil for a few minutes so that their skin will be easy to remove. Drain in colander. Peel and trim them with a sharp paring knife, leaving onions whole. Seriously, that’s the most tedious task. The rest is a breeze.Toss into a baking dish. You can use an aluminum foil pan or pie plate if you like, for easy cleanup. Add all above ingredients. Stir to coat. Pop into preheated oven on the middle rack for about an hour, stirring once or twice until the onions are nicely coated and glazed. Remove from oven and allow to cool. I keep these stored in the fridge in a plastic deli container (they don’t sit around for long because they’re hard to resist). If chilled, allow to sit and and warm to room temperature before serving.

Mixed Green Salad with Roasted Cippolini

Tender mixed greens like arugula,

tango, red oak, frisee’ and baby red romaine

(about 10 or 12 ounces)

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

feta cheese 

roasted cippolini (as explained above)

Into a very large mixing bowl, toss in the salad greens. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. More vinegar than oil. I’d say I usually go with a 3 to 1 vinegar to oil ratio. Please don’t ask me how much oil! Don’t overdo it. Vito used to say “...just baptize the greens...” Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss gently. Taste! If you like it tangier, add more vinegar. Spread tossed and dressed greens onto serving platter. Crumble desired amount of feta cheese onto the salad. Top with cippolini. Add more freshly ground black pepper if you like. Serve immediately. 

KPK Interesting Cipollini Fact:

Did you know that there’s a very colorful, ex-professional-bicyclist by the name of Mario Cipollini? “Mario Small-Onions”. You'll only find it here, in KPK.

http://www.mariocipollini.eu/en/gallery

Today's Onion Quote:

"Life 

is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep".                                                                     

Carl Sandburg 

Love, Katie

Kookoo 4 Kookoo

I've always been a frittata inamorata. Hey, that sounds like a great name for my new restaurant. Don't steal that while I shelf the idea. Anykoo, (I did that on purpose) it's no wonder that I have developed a weird fascination (obsession, if you wish) with KOOKOOS. You can say kuku. I say kookoo. I friggin' cannot stop saying KOOKOO. I feel like Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. I got Jeopardy at Five O'Clock. Jeopardy at Five O'Clock. Ten minutes to Wapner. Ten minutes to Wapner. Kookoo. Kookoo. The same thing happened when Aaron told me that, in Hawaii, the word for appetizer is Pu Pu. Then, I couldn't stop saying Pu Pu. And... I had to have a Pu Pu Party and make a Hawaiian Pu Pu playlist to listen to while I was making grilled pineapple burgers and "Monkey Lunches". Um, did I totally get off the track?

A Persian favorite, kookoos are generally egg and vegetable dishes that are either made on the stovetop, not unlike a frittata, or even more simply baked in the oven. Eggs, combined with herbs or eggplant or green beans or zucchini would all be delicious. I want to make them all. A potato kookoo would be similar to a potato pancake or latke. If you combine potato, egg and onion (in any form or method) and then fry them in olive oil, how can you possibly go wrong, I ask?

The main difference between kookoos and frittatas, I find, is that the kookoos seem to be more dense and contain a much higher ratio of vegetables (or herbs) to eggs. For example, when I make a frittata in, let's say a 10 inch frying pan, I would most likely use 10 or 12 eggs. One kookoo (as shown in the photo) only requires 5 eggs! Now, the 5 eggs were joined with 6 cups of finely chopped herbs and leeks which formed a much thicker mixture. Another difference is that the kookoos are typically seasoned with a bit of turmeric along with salt and pepper. Turmeric is an earthy tasting, deep golden colored spice, from the ginger family, and is used as a basis of many Iranian dishes, along with onions. It's used in curries and very common in South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It's a tad mustardy and is also used to give a lovely yellow color to all sorts of foods. I'm all over it right now. Note of caution: please do not irritate your friends by pronouncing it "TU-meric"; don't forget to pronounce the "R" . . . "TuRmeric", ok? My friend, Lynn, and I, will be so much happier.

This recipe has been adapted from a fabulous blog which is my new favorite go-to for Persian specialities, "Turmeric and Saffron". Many beautifully presented dishes and authentic recipes . . .

Kookoo Sabzi

(Herb Kuku)

2 cups flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 cups fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
1 cup scallions, leeks or chives, finely chopped
5 extra large eggs
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I used finely ground)
2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons flour
1 large tomato, cut into thin slices (optional)
4-5 tablespoons of olive oil

When I made this last night (for the first time), I used 2 bunches of flat leaf parsley, 2 bunches of fresh cilantro, one teentsy package of fresh dill and three large leeks (just the white parts). Rinse the herbs very well in cold water. If they have a lot of dirt, soak them in cold water, rinse and repeat. Spin them dry in your salad spinner, cut off the stems and toss the leafy parts into your food processor. I chopped all of the herbs first, emptied the processor and then chopped the leeks in the processor. All in all, I knew I needed about 6 cups of "green". I'm sure chives would have also been divine. The original recipe calls for barberries (zereshk) as an option but I didn't want to sub cranberries for barberries, so I did not. I did, however, opt for the addition of walnuts which I would definitely recommend because they added a nice bit of texture and flavor. One more thing, this recipe fits perfectly into a Corningware 10-inch quiche dish. I've had the French White (and the black) for a hundred years. Just the right vessel.


The Process

Beat the eggs with a whisk in a large bowl. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, except for the tomatoes and olive oil. Gently mix well. Add one tablespoon of oil. Mix. Pour the rest of the oil into an ovenproof baking dish. Pour in the egg/herb mixture and smooth evenly. Lightly cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven on the middle rack. After 20 minutes, remove the foil, top with the tomato slices (if using) and sprinkle with kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper. If you're not using tomatoes, simply remove the foil. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until set and barely brown around the edges. Let rest for 5 or 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or cold with yogurt and warm bread.

KPK Notes: I decided to top the kookoo with tomatoes as Azita does in her recipe for Kookoo Bademjan (eggplant kuku). I loved the flavor and color of the tomatoes on top. I served the Kookoo Sabzi with a simple salad of artisan greens, some roasted eggplant and a homemade yogurt sauce that was a combination of plain, Greek style nonfat yogurt, some fresh herbs (the same ones used in the kookoo), some finely chopped sweet onion, kosher salt, pepper, a dash of freshly ground cumin and a shot of white balsamic vinegar. It was a delicious vegetarian meal. I liked it well enough to have a cold wedge of the kookoo for breakfast with a bit of the yogurt sauce. Really healthy, my friends!

KookooPassionKitchen

Love, Katie

Knee Deep in Cookies, Birds, Glitter & Frou Frou

To anyone who's enjoying KPK cookies (visually or otherwise), please feel free to stop by and throw out the dead mums that are still on my front porch. Much love and holiday cheer to all! : ) LOL,

Long Love & Short Bread, Katie

Happy Holidays 2012

I'll get back to you sometime soon : )

Piri Piri Query

Piri Piri Vegetable Bean Soup with Brown Basmati Rice

I am now in love with Piri Piri. I made this killer pot of soup last night with a Piri Piri blend that was given to me by my friend, Joann who purchased the precious farrago of flavor from the Dual Specialty Store, a spice shop in New York City. Keep in mind that she was in NYC several MONTHS ago and FINALLY brought me my spices after much textual harassment like  . . . " . . . bring me my  #%*$&#!  ALEPPO PEPPER NOW!!!!! . . . " I guess you had to be there. Joann's been toting these awesome spices and forgetting to give them to me for awhile. I told her that I was miffed because I had to sub paprika for aleppo pepper in a recent request for authentic Middle Eastern style lamb kebabs . Joann brought me three interesting blends. Honestly, I'm not usually into spice blends, but I'm SOLD on this mouthwatering Piri Piri concoction.  My other aromatic gifts include a trio of Aleppo/Halaby/Marash (which are all peppers, by the way) ~ a Syrian blend ~ AND a bag of golden wonder which brings pure joy to my accessory olfactory system (i.e., makes my schnozz as happy as a pig in doodoo), the Vadouvan Spice Blend. This blend includes cardamom, cumin, clove, fenugreek, nutmeg, mustard, turmeric, curry leaf and red pepper flakes. I cannot wait to try these blends!

Back to the Piri Piri blend. First of all, piri piri (or peri peri) is pepper pepper in Swahili. You can read up on the origins back to Portugal and so on, but basically, it's the delicious African Bird's Eye Chili (pepper). This particular blend exudes the amazing flavors of South Africa . . . paprika, black pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, sesame, oregano, cardamom, nutmeg and mace. I KID YOU NOT, I added this blend to a pot of soup and I was instantly hooked! It was love at first waft, not to mention first slurp. I was making a pot of what my brother Lou calls "Got-To-Go" Soup, meaning, everything's got to go (like whatever's in the fridge and whatever else that's in the pantry or on the shelf that needs to be consumed while it's still fresh). I had a hankering for a great bowl of soup yesterday.

So, I started with a little bit of olive oil in the bottom of my favorite soup pot. I added sliced shallots (about 4 large) that I had from the farmer's market. They were beautiful. I added one medium, roughly chopped sweet onion, a large sliced carrot, a few bay leaves and about a quarter of a head of purple (red) cabbage, thinly sliced. After letting everything cook with a bit of kosher salt, pepper and cayenne, I added one large can of whole tomatoes, with their juice, crushed by hand, one 48 ounce box of Swanson 100% fat free chicken broth, one 32 ounce box of Swanson Organic Vegetable broth, a few new yellow potatoes, cut into large cubes (unpeeled) and about a heaping 1/2 cup of brown Basmati rice. Remember, this soup was all about what I had on hand. I love cooking "off the shelf".  I also added about 1/2 can of water (to rinse out the tomato can). This is when I decided to go for it with the Piri Piri blend. On one hand, I was worried about "ruining" a whole pot of soup with an unknown outcome. On the other hand, I was ready to try something new. So, I added about a heaping teaspoon of the delectable mix. It smelled fabulous and the broth tasted fabulous, like immediately! I let the soup come to a boil and let it continue to boil (or high simmer) until the rice and potatoes were tender. This actually took 20-30 minutes, I think, for the rice to really cook. During this time, I tasted the soup several times because I LOVED the flavor. I adjusted the salt and added more cayenne pepper and black pepper. It tasted so delicious, I added about another heaping teaspoon of the Piri Piri blend. The last thing I added was one can of rinsed and drained cannelini beans and one can of rinsed and drained black beans. I usually add canned beans to soups last since they are already cooked. They just need to heat through. Once the rice was tender, the soup had thickened nicely from the rice and potatoes and the beans made the soup even more filling and healthy. I CANNOT wait to experiment further with these incredibly fragrant and flavorful spices. I want to make another pot of soup now but I may try something else like Piri Piri Grilled Chicken or something. I know this will be an addiction. OK. Don't tell anyone but I actually ate like 4 bowls of soup. They were small. Not. It was impossible to stop. That happens.

So, here's the moral of the story. Try something new today or this weekend when you have a chance to cook from scratch. Changing up your spices can transport you to a different country with a shake. You can go to the Far East, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India, South America, or in this case, South Africa, in a pinch! (or a teaspoon) : ) --------- xo

Heat up your life - and your soup,

Love,

Katie

This just in: After I published this post, I was back in KPK concocting another simmering pot of exotica using the Vadouvan spice blend, fresh spinach, multi-colored organic quinoa and chick peas. OMG I can't wait to tell you about it . . . when I get back from Pondicherry. PEACE!

Salad Sublimity

 Marinated Haricots Verts and Roasted Tomato Caprese

I know what you're probably thinking. Is "sublimity" a word? Ha! YES. Don't you like the title "Salad Sublimity" much better than "Sublime Salads"? Anyhoo, let's discuss Salad Creativity. Salad Inventiveness. Salad Happiness. Salad Satisfaction. Salad-Outside-The-Box, Salad Love, if you will. What constitutes a salad? The ubercoolness of salads is that it DOESN'T MATTER ! ! ! They're so non-committal. So free-wheelin'. So all-over-the-board. When you go home tonight and you KNOW you need to be eating something GREEN, please think of something other than iceberg lettuce and an under-ripe, mealy pink tomato with some bottled dressing that has too many ingredients . . . like xanthan gum, for example. I know that stuff's in a lot of things from salad dressings to medicines to friggin' drilling mud to concrete (really!) and I understand that it's a USDA approved food additive, but, if you want viscosity, use your dang whisk! Nuff Sed. OK. Gettin' back down off that high horse.

Warm Gnocchi & Broccoli Salad with Spinach and Tomato

Roasted Turkey Breast Salad
with lots of vegetables and
homemade ranch dressing

Be creative tonight. Think about all of the things that you might have on hand to lead you up the path to "Salad Sublimity". Peas in the freezer. Cannelini beans in the pantry. Interesting cheese in the fridge. Onions in the bin. Maybe a few potatoes somewhere. Eggs? Carrots? Mushrooms? Celery? Apples? Pears? Beets? Nuts? Berries? Herbs? Cabbage? Lettuce? You get the picture. If poached chicken with mayo is a salad, and apple chunks with strawberries is a salad, if tuna, onions and mayo are a salad, if "macaroni" and Miracle Whip is a salad, if apples, peanuts and Cool Whip are a salad, etc., ANYTHING can be a salad! You are the creator! The architect! The Salad Queen or King! Think about the flavors you love. Consider combining cooked vegetables with raw vegetables. Cooked protein (like chicken or fish or eggs) with raw vegetables and/or cooked vegetables. Think about textures. Crispy. Crunchy. Velvety smooth. Hard. Soft. Chewy. Think about sweet, savory, tart, salty. Hot. Cold. Room temperature.

Roasted Beets and Pink Grapefruit Salad

After being forever influenced by the book "Fit For Life"about 20 years ago, I am always thinking about the proper combining of foods, according to Harvey & Marilyn Diamond. They're vegetarians, right? Among a lot of other stuff, they advocate something like a diet that consists of 70% high water content foods. To me, that's raw fruits and vegetables. They also explained their theory about the importance of not eating starches and proteins in the same meal, having to do with slowing your digestion and zapping your energy and so on. I'm just going by my memory and my personal interpretation of the book. Wow, talk about the condensed version. What I walked away with was this "forget traditional sandwiches" idea and goodbye to meat and bread at the same meal. Say no to meat and potatoes (at the same time). Then, my choice was always like . . . do I want to eat meat or bread with my salad????? Of course, bread always won and still wins. I love bread. I gave it up for Lent once. That won't happen again.

Traditional Greek Salad with "Pop's" Homegrown Oregano

Now, think of the amazing salad options! After reading that book, one of my absolute favorite salads became the KPK (B4 KPK) Fried Potato Salad. OMG. I haven't made it in awhile. Imagine your favorite greens. Romaine is what I was into at that time, I believe. Slices of sweet onion. Sliced potatoes, fried in olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Pile the hot crusty potatoes onto the greens and onions. Top with homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing. More freshly ground black pepper. Ridiculously good. I know what you're thinkin' again! Don't judge. We all know that the dressing is fattening, but if it's homemade, it's definitely better for you than the mass-produced, processed, gummier stuff. You can make a killer dressing with fat free Greek yogurt, buttermilk (which is LOW FAT, my friends), lots of fresh herbs, a bit of white balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Obviously, if you add some sour cream and some mayonnaise, it will be even more fantabulous, just more fattening! My KPK logic is that if you're eating a huge pile of GREEN, you can get away with the stuff that's NOT GREEN! I know it's wrong, but too bad, too sad. If you have leftover baked potatoes, make this salad by slicing them and frying them in olive oil. Mmmmmm. Oh, bummer. I have no pictures of the Fried Potato Salad. Guess I'll have to make one and resist it long enough to snap a few good shots.

Cherry Tomato and Onion Salad with Polpette di Zucchini

Lately, I'm on a kick with steaming vegetables like carrots, green beans and new potatoes separately, dressing them and then piling them  on platters with raw vegetables like red cabbage, fresh spinach, avocado slices, tomatoes and more. The KEY is that you dress each vegetable separately so that everything is delicious and flavorful on its own. Whether it's simply oil and vinegar or lemon juice & herbs, dress them first. When you pile everything separately rather than mixing it all together, your salad will have much more eye appeal and make a striking and naturally beautiful presentation. No need for a curly parsley garnish here, that's for sure!

Isn't nature magnificent? 

COLOR YOUR DIET. EAT A GREAT SALAD EVERY DAY. 

 A KPK Signature "VIBRANT" Salad

LOVE, KATIE

Wow, that was a long post, Katie, haha ~ lqtm. Seriously, I have way too much more to write here about salads. It's another passion problem . . . but, it's 2:12 am (hey, 2/12, that's my birthday) and it's time (way past time) to hit the K P Pillow. Night foodies  : ) ~ Colorful dreams . . . . .