Celery Tonic

• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2 ounces gin
• Lemon twist (for serving)

Muddle celery with sugar and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker, 1 minute. Add gin, fill shaker with ice, and shake until outside of shaker is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a lemon twist.

Serves 1.

VERDICT:  This is refreshing and a good way to use up leftover celery.  Keep.

"Aloo Gobi"

• 2 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste, recipe follows, or 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup water, divided
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 large serrano pepper, split down the middle leaving halves attached
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (similar size to cauliflower)
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly minced cilantro leaves, to garnish

Mix the Ginger-Garlic Paste, coriander, turmeric, and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl. This is a simple wet masala (spice mix). Set aside.

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the serrano pepper, wait 30 seconds, and then add the cumin seeds and wait until they're done spluttering.

Add the wet masala (careful, it will also splutter). Cook until the paste thickens, deepens in color slightly, and oil oozes out of the perimeter of the masala, about 2 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and potatoes, stirring to coat the vegetables with the masala. Season with salt and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes. Then, remove the lid, stir, and cook until the cauliflower and potatoes are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Ginger-Garlic Paste:

• 1/2 cup cloves garlic, whole
• 1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.
Save what you don't use in a small glass jar. It should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks.

Serves 4.

VERDICT:  I didn't make the Ginger-Garlic Paste, since I don't have a mini-food processor.  I substituted a tablespoon of grated ginger and about a tablespoon of grated garlic.  Maybe that made a difference?  This wasn't as flavorful as I expected, but it wasn't bad.  I would add more potatoes, I think.  And also not touch my eye after slicing the serrano.  Keep.

Lemon and Spinach Orzo Soup

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 pinch of red chili flakes (optional)
• 5 cups of vegetable broth or water
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of orzo 
• 1 cup of coconut milk 
• 1 lemon, zest and juice 
• 2 - 3 cups of spinach (lightly packed, hard stems removed, and roughly chopped if needed)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium-low heat, add in carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and red chili flakes. Sauté for 5 - 10 minutes or until onions become translucent. Pour in vegetable broth or water and turn heat up just a bit and bring soup to a boil. Then add in your Orzo and let that boil for about 8 - 10 minutes until pasta is almost done cooking. Then bring heat back down to a low simmer, and stir in half and half, spinach, lemon zest and juice. Taste and add in salt and pepper to your liking. Allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes or so. 

Serves 4.

VERDICT: Light and delicate and lovely.  I threw in baby spinach without chopping it, which was easy, but left big floppy spinach blobs.  Chop it!  Keep.

Roasted Leek and White Bean Galettes

For the pastry:

• 1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces or 115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) plain yogurt or sour cream
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) ice water

For the filling

• 6 small-to-medium leeks, dark green tops discarded, white and light green parts halved lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2/3 cup grated gruyère cheese, divided

Glaze:

• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Make dough: Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange leeks cut-side-up in a large (9×13-inch) baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Flip the leeks so that their cut sides face down, add 3 tablespoons of water to the dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes until tender. Uncover and continue roasting the leeks for 10 to 15 minutes, or until caramelized. Leave oven on. Let leeks cool slightly, then chop into segments and place in a large bowl. Toss with beans, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, 1/2 cup grated cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble galettes: Divide dough into 4 pieces. On a floured counter, roll the first piece dough out into a roughly 8-inch round, although it really doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped. Transfer to a large parchment-lined baking sheet; I like to fold my dough gently, without creasing, in quarters then unfold it onto the baking pan. Sprinkle about 1/4 of the prepared filling into the center of the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with about 1/4 of the remaining cheese. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, making 4 small galettes.

Bake the galettes: For 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Or, if you’re planning ahead, let cool completely and refrigerate until needed. Gently rewarm before serving in a low oven.

Serves: 4.

VERDICT:  These were fairly time-consuming to make, what with the dough-chilling and the roasting, and then still having to bake them.  They were really good, though.  Keep for having people over.

Tempeh with Charred Peppers and Kale

• 1/4 cup canola oil, divided 
• 1 (14-ounce) package tempeh, cut into (1/3-inch-thick) slices 
• 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce 
• 1 cup vertically sliced onion 
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 4 cups thinly sliced Lacinato kale (about 1 bunch) 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan. Add tempeh; cook 4 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Drizzle soy sauce into pan. Immediately remove tempeh from pan; keep warm.

Increase heat to high. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add kale, salt, and pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, tossing to combine. Add vinegar to kale mixture; toss to coat. Divide mixture evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with tempeh.

Serves 4; 384 calories.

VERDICT: Not outstanding, but good enough be worth the minimal amount of effort.  I like the short ingredient list and the satisfaction of making things in the sizzling cast iron pan.  Keep.

Classic From the Vault: Spicy Cashews

• 1 T. kosher salt
• 2 T. cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 t. paprika
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• 5 cups unsalted cashews

Heat oven to 300° F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the salt, cayenne, paprika and sugar and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a small whisk until foamy. Whisk in the spice mixture. Stir in the nuts. Spread the cashews in a single layer onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 250°F., rotate the pans in the oven, and cook for 10 more minutes. Immediately spread the cashews in a single layer on parchment paper . Set aside to cool. These cashews may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

VERDICT:  Addictive.  From Martha Stewart's Hors D'Ouvres Handbook.