Easy Gourmet Dinners

Asparagus and Green Garlic Pastries

Everybody gets excited about asparagus season.

Well, almost everybody.

I like asparagus season well enough, but what really gets my culinary juices flowing is green garlic season.

Luckily, for me, it coincides with the beginning of asparagus season.

My favorite way of eating asparagus is smothered in green garlic that has been lightly sautéed in olive oil.

Not familiar with green garlic?  It's just very immature garlic.



It has a wonderful, mild garlic flavor.  You can use the entire stalk, greens and all. 

Add some to scrambled eggs, or mashed potatoes, or rice or.... anything.

Cook it or not.

But enjoy it quickly.... The season only lasts a few weeks.

Asparagus and Green Garlic Pastries

6 asparagus spears, 5" (12.5cm) long           112gr, 4oz
3 green garlic, 2.5" (6cm) long           36gr, 1.3oz
2 tbs Greek Yogurt           37.5gr, 1.3oz
4 cherry tomatoes          45gr, 1.5oz
1/2 sheet puff pastry           100gr, 3.5oz
Chive Vinaigrette

Thaw the puff pastry, if needed. Cut out 2 circles, 6" (15cm) in diameter. (Use a bowl as a guide). Lay the cut pastry on a baking sheet. Using a table knife, lightly score a line .5" (1.25cm) inside the edge of the pastry.

Trim asparagus to 5" (12.5cm). Reserve ends for another use. Trim green garlic by slicing off root and and removing 1 layer. Trim to 5" (12.5cm), using as much green top as possible. Reserve the white ends for another use.
Bring 1 - 2 inches (5cm) of water to a boil in a skillet large enough to hold the asparagus and garlic in one layer. Add the asparagus and blanch for 2 - 4 minutes, depending on thickness. Mine were as thick as my index finger and I did 3 minutes. Remove and refresh in cold water. Blanch green garlic for 2 minutes. Remove and refresh in cold water.
Cut the asparagus in half the short way. Cut the green garlic in half the long way
Slice cherry tomatoes into wedges.



To assemble: Spread Greek yogurt on the pastry, out to the scored line.
Laying them like the spokes of a wheel, radiating out from the center: put the asparagus tips at third intervals; put the asparagus ends next to the tips; put the green garlic next. Put one tomato wedge in each 'space'.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 420F (205C) for 10 - 13 minutes, until sides of pastry have puffed around middle and are golden brown. Remove and put on plates. Drizzle with Vinaigrette and serve.

Chive Vinaigrette

1/2 tsp Dijon-style mustard            2.5gr, .09oz
1 tsp white Balsamic vinegar           5.5gr, .19oz
2 tsp fresh snipped chives
2 tbs olive oil, the good stuff             27gr, 1oz

Whisk mustard and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking constantly. Add chives, whisk well.

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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories:    746 / 373
Total Carbohydrates:    48 / 24
   Dietary Fiber:    4 / 2
Total Fat:    59 / 29.5
Saturated Fat:    20 / 10
Cholesterol:    7.5 / 3.75
Protein:    44 / 22
Calcium:    108 / 54
Sodium:    86 / 43

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

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For more recipes check out my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts, two ways

As we had both Brussels sprouts and a chestnut tree in our garden, how could we pass up this classic Christmas vegetable combination.

When you are only two, however, one has to have a recipe to use up the leftovers as well.....

Cannes chestnuts work just fine in this  - but if you have access to fresh and want to use them you have to peel them first.

To peel chestnuts:  Make an X through the outer shell of each chestnut.  Put in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit only long enough to be able to be handled.  Leave them in the water.  They are much easier to peel when hot.  Pluck them out of the water and, with fingers or knife, peel both the outer and inner skin away.  If they are difficult, reheat them. 

Alternatively, you can make the X, then roast them for 25 minutes in a 400F (200C) oven.  When done, remove and wrap in newspaper for 15 minutes.  Then, remove and peel.

1 chestnut has app. 20 calories and 4.5 carbs.

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts

25 - 30 Brussels sprouts          450gr, 15.9oz
18 - 24 chestnuts, fresh or canned           168gr, 6oz
2 cups  (16oz, 500ml) beef stock if using fresh chestnuts
1/2 cup (4oz, 125ml) beef stock if using canned chestnuts          112gr, 4oz
3 tbs butter          42.6gr, 1.5oz
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt and fresh pepper           1.5gr, .05oz

If using fresh chestnuts: Put peeled chestnuts into a saucepan, cover with beef broth, bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until tender. Drain.
If using canned chestnuts: Rinse and drain.
To cook Brussels sprouts: Slice a bit off of the stem end and peel away the outer leaves - any that are damaged, wilted or discolored. With the tip of your knife make a small X in the stem end - that, supposedly, aids even cooking. Put into a saucepan with 1/2 cup beef stock, and enough water to almost cover. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until done, 10 - 15 minutes. They should be just tender when pierced with a sharp knife. When done remove, drain and set aside.
Both steps can be done earlier in the day and finished at the last minute.
To finish: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add thyme and pepper and combine. Add sprouts and chestnuts and sauté about 5 minutes (longer if sprouts and/or chestnuts are cold) Sprinkle with salt and serve.

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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories:    920 / 230
Total Carbohydrates:    129 / 32
   Dietary Fiber:    26 / 6.5
Total Fat:   40 / 10
Saturated Fat:   25 / 6
Cholesterol:    93 / 23
Protein:    22 / 5.5
Calcium:   254 / 64
Sodium:    1286 / 321

Glycemic Index:  low

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

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Sautéed Leftover Brussels Sprouts and Chestnuts

leftover sprouts and chestnuts           half of the above recipe
1 onion or shallot           88gr, 3.1oz
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp butter           5gr, .17oz
1 tsp olive oil          4.5gr, .16oz

Peel and thinly slice onion. Slice sprouts (they'll kind of shred) and chestnuts (they may crumble). Heat butter and oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Add sprouts, chestnuts and thyme and sauté another 5 - 10 minutes or until heated through and starting to brown. Remove, sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired and serve.

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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories:    572 / 286
Total Carbohydrates:    72 / 36
   Dietary Fiber:    14 / 7
Total Fat:   28 / 14
Saturated Fat:   16 / 8
Cholesterol:    58 / 29
Protein:    12 / 6
Calcium:   148 / 74
Sodium:    676 / 338

Glycemic Index:  low

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

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For more recipes check out my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners

Spinach Burgers; the Pizza Phenomenom

There is something undocumented but widely accepted among diabetics called (by me, anyway) The Pizza Phenomenon.

Basically, it's this:  A diabetic can have one slice of pizza, take the appropriate insulin, an all is well.  Most can even have 2 slices, take the right insulin, and still be fine. 

But, for some reason, for most, more than 2 slices and the blood sugar goes through the roof.

The last time we had pizza for lunch, V's blood sugar hit 350 shortly after lunch.  He took more insulin, waited an hour and it was higher.  He took more again, waited an hour and it hadn't moved.  He took more again and it came down 10 points.  Roughly 6 hours later he finally had it under control again.

That's the Pizza Phenomenon.  V is not unique.

The problem, of course, for V and most people, is to stop eating the pizza when it's staring back at you from your plate.

Yesterday I convinced him to split the pizza with me (In Europe, the pizzas are for one person). 

We had an accommodating server:  We each had a rather large salad and split the pizza.  

The result:  He said he would have happily eaten more pizza.

But he was very happy that, 2 hours later his blood sugar was right on target.

Lesson learned!

Spinach Burgers with Mushroom Sauce

Don't let the greenish tinge to these burgers put you off. They fry up to a lovely dark, proper burger color, they taste fantastic and you get a healthy dose of vegetables almost without noticing!

1 large onion           175gr, 6.2oz
2 cloves garlic           8gr, .28oz
2 ribs celery           100gr, 3.5oz
4oz mushrooms           125gr, 4.4oz
1 egg           65gr, 2.3oz
12oz ground beef           350gr, 12.3oz
3/4 cup cooked, chopped spinach - or frozen, thawed, & squeezed dry           225gr, 8oz
3/4 cup red wine - 2 tbs for the patties, 2 tbs for the cornstarch and the rest for the sauce           180gr, 6.3oz
1/2 cup bread crumbs          54gr, 1.9oz
1 tsp thyme
1 cup beef broth           225gr, 8oz
2 tbs tomato paste           30gr, 1oz
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch (maizena)           12gr, .42oz
4 tsp olive oil           18gr, .64oz

Finely chop onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sauté half of onions, celery, garlic and mushroom about 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and set aside. Thaw and squeeze all moisture out of spinach.
In a large bowl lightly beat egg. Add bread crumbs, 2 tbs of red wine and thyme. Mix well, then add the beef, spinach and sautéed onion mixture. Mix well - hands work best, and form into 4 patties.
Heat remaining 2 tsp of oil in same skillet, add patties and sauté about 5 minutes per side. Remove, put on oven-proof plate or platter and put in 250F (125C) oven to keep warm while you finish sauce.
Add remaining onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms to skillet and sauté about 5 minutes or until tender. Add 1/2 cup red wine, beef stock and tomato paste to pan and bring to a boil. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 2 tbs of red wine (or water) and add to sauce, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove patties from oven, pour some of the sauce over and serve with remaining sauce on the side.

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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories:    1632 / 816
Total Carbohydrates:    98 / 49
   Dietary Fiber:    16 / 8
Total Fat:    82 / 41
Saturated Fat:    26 / 13
Cholesterol:    513 / 256.5
Protein:    100 / 50
Calcium:   548 / 274
Sodium:    1574 / 787

Glycemic Index:  low

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.

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For more recipes check out my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners

Forest Mushroom Mini Frittatas; Mushrooming

I love wild or forest mushroom season!

I don't pick them myself as I haven't a clue what's edible and what kills.

I started learning, a few years ago when we lived in Andorra.  The mountain fields are full of all sorts of lovely, and not so lovely, mushrooms.

In Andorra, as in most of Europe, one can take their gathered mushrooms into the local pharmacy and the pharmacist will sort through them, discarding the poisonous ones - and giving a mini-lesson in mycology at the same time. 

Everyone I knew was out gathering, cooking and enjoying wild mushrooms.

It seemed the thing to do....

Until a famous, local mushroom-er, of some 20-odd years experience, died from a fresh, wild mushroom omelet.

His wife had made it for him, as usual, but she didn't have one herself, also as usual.

It seems she never had much faith in his abilities.

It seems she was right.

I hung up my mushroom basket after that.  I buy them in the local markets - and hope that they know what their doing.

You can use wild, cremini, or regular button mushrooms for these mini frittatas. They are good when made ahead and served at room temperature for a picnic, but tonight they'll be served warm with a roasted tomato to garnish.

Mushroom Mini Frittatas   

2 1/2oz (75gr) mushrooms wild or an interesting cultivated variety    75gr, 2.6oz
2 shallots    75gr, 2.6oz
1 clove garlic   3gr, .1oz
3 eggs    195gr, 6.9oz
1/2 cup Gruyère cheese or other cheese   60gr, 2oz
1 tsp dried thyme 
2 tsp olive oil    9gr, .3oz
butter or cooking spray
1 tomato    200gr, 7oz
1 tsp olive oil    4.5gr, .15oz
Olives for garnish optional - if you have them

Cut tomato in half. Place in a small baking dish, drizzle with oil and bake for 20 minutes.
Clean mushrooms, discard stems and chop caps. Mince shallots and garlic. In medium nonstick skillet sauté mushrooms, shallots and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until golden, 7 - 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Butter or spray a nonstick muffin (tartlet) pan - one that holds 6. If you're using silicone you don't need to. Divide mushrooms evenly between the cups. Slice the cheese then cut into smaller pieces. Divide evenly and place on top of mushrooms. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add thyme and whisk well. Using a ladle or spoon divide mixture evenly between 6 muffin cups, spooning over mushrooms. Bake at 400F (200C) for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden and set. 
Frittatas will puff up considerably and then fall when removed from oven. Allow to cool 5 - 10 minutes before removing from pan - they will start to come away from the sides of the pan as they fall making them easier to get out. Serve with a tomato half and a garnish of olives, warm or at room temperature.

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Entire Recipe / per serving
Calories:    753 / 376.5
Total Carbohydrates:    26 / 13
   Dietary Fiber:    3 / 1.5
Total Fat:    53 / 26.5 
Saturated Fat:    21 / 10.5
Cholesterol:    889 / 444.5
Protein:    44 / 22
Calcium:    588 / 294
Sodium:    668 / 334

Glycemic Index:  low

I try to be accurate, but I do not guarantee it.  I use 'grams' as the unit of weight; with an approximate conversion to ounces.  

Lentil and Herb Salad; Cooking with Herbs

Nobody eats parsley!

That's the punchline to an old, somewhat naughty, joke.

At the time I was telling that joke, back when I was self-appointed queen of the dirty joke, the statement was true.

Every plate in every restaurant (in the entire universe) was sent out of the kitchen with a little sprig of curly parsley. 

Every plate in every restaurant (in the entire universe) was returned to said kitchen, cleaned, except for the little sprig of parsley.

I didn't know it was edible until I was a teenager, working in a restaurant, and the cook (gasp) popped a sprig in her mouth, chewed and (double gasp) swallowed!  She lived!

It was an epiphany!  I had discovered herbs.  And the rest, as they say, is history!

Having a large herb garden, which I did, once, is wonderful. 

But, just having a few pots of a few different herbs can do wonderful things for food.  

In particular, they can encourage creativity and add variety, which can become important when trying to work the kinks out of a, somewhat more rigid, eating plan.

Rigid in the sense that one has to know what one will be eating so the insulin is correct; and, also, that one must eat carbohydrates at every meal.... just not too many.

The old method of having people with Type 1 Diabetes eat a diet to conform to their insulin regime is gone.  Now, a varied diet full of healthy carbohydrates, and, specifically, legumes, is encouraged.  The insulin regime is designed to fit the diet.

Carbohydrates are vitally important.  When digested they become glucose.  Glucose feed's the brain.

You don't want your brain to go hungry, now, do you?  Do you??

Lentil and Herb Salad

1/4 cup small green lentils
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup snipped, fresh parsley
1/4 cup snipped, fresh basil
a few pine nuts for garnish (optional)
Lemon Vinaigrette

Cook lentils in stock until done, about 30 minutes.  Combine lentils, celery, parsley and basil in a small bowl.  Add vinaigrette, toss gently to combine and serve.   Sprinkle on a few pine nuts or walnuts if you are so inclined.

Lemon Vinaigrette

2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp white Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 tsp good olive oil

In small bowl whisk lemon juice, vinegar and mustard.  Add olive oil 1 tsp at a time, whisking to emulsify.

Now, does anyone know the one-line joke to go with my punchline? 

Artichokes with Dill Dip; A glass of wine....

The first thing I heard from many people when they were told about V's diabetes was:

No more wine for him!

As well as no more martinis; no more afternoon beers; no more after-dinner port....

They were right.

And they were wrong.

Diabetics can drink alcohol.  They just have to be very careful.

Alcohol, while high in sugar and calories, lowers blood sugar levels, and can do so dramatically if not consumed with care.

First, and probably most important: while a glass of red wine is perfectly okay, more than that is not. 

Overindulging is bad for everyone but can be extremely dangerous for a diabetic.

Second, and only slightly less important: always have something to eat with it. The food will help to mitigate the blood-sugar-lowering effects of the alcohol.

Third, as with anything else a diabetic consumes, the effects are individual.  What works for one may not work for someone else.

Normally, we would be having a glass of wine with dinner.

But, there might be a more social evening when V would like to have a glass before dinner instead.

Here is a perfect dinner party 'nibble' to have on hand. 

It can all be made in advance and is easy finger food - until you get to the bottom....

Steamed Artichokes with Dill Dip

The artichokes take about 45 minutes to steam. This can be done anytime and the artichokes can be served warm or cold. Have a small, sharp knife handy so that when you get all of the leaves off and are at the fuzzy choke you can cut it off and enjoy the bottom....and an extra bowl on the table for the 'used' leaves.

2 globe artichokes
1 tbs lemon juice
Dill Dip

Cut off bottoms of artichokes and remove any tough lower leaves. Dip in water to which a tbs of lemon juice has been added (to prevent discoloration). For a nicer presentation cut off the tips of the bottom half of the leaves - using a scissors. Cut the top 1/3rd of the artichoke off and discard. Don't worry about the choke (fuzzy hairs inside) Put in steamer and steam 35 - 45 minutes. Serve artichokes with small dipping bowl of Dill Dip, pulling the leaves off, dipping and scraping the edible flesh off of the tough leaf with your teeth. Have a bowl for the discarded leaves and have a small, sharp knife handy so that when you get all of the leaves off and are at the fuzzy choke you can cut it off and enjoy the artichoke bottom.

Dill Dip

1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) Greek or plain yogurt
1/4 cup (2oz, 60ml) mayonnaise
1 tsp dill weed (dill leaves)
1 tsp snipped fresh chives
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp soy sauce

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Best if made at least 30 minutes in advance. Serve.

V has not yet had any wine so we don't know first hand what effect it will have. He's still on antibiotics for the original toe infection and they make even the best Gran Cru taste like bad vinegar....

Poor me, I have to drink it all myself....

Puff Pastry and Prosciutto Pizza; it's all about taste!

Taste versus Calories.

Most people would agree that you can smother almost anything in heavy cream and full fat cheese and it will taste good.

Most people would also agree that it's, just perhaps, not the healthiest way of making food taste good.

If you want to make some changes to your diet, because you have high cholesterol, are diabetic, pre-diabetic or would just like to get into last year's clothes, it's important to make the foods you eat full of flavor.

It's not that you can never eat the heavy cheese sauce (or whatever) again.

It's that you want to get to the stage where you no longer think of that type of food when you're hungry.

Impossible you say?

If your new diet consists of dry hay with a dash of oats and a sprinkle of warm water, yes, it will be impossible.

It's not difficult to add flavors and still keep your diet healthy.

As in most things, the key is moderation.

Take my very favorite: Prosciutto.

I buy it, sliced, in 100gr (about 3.5oz) packages.  There are 4 slices in the pack and it costs about 4 US dollars.  It's expensive.

During the week I might chop up a slice and add it to a sauce for pasta, or the green beans or the carrots, or a frittata.  It's amazing how much flavor one thin slice can add!

The same works with a few Greek olives.

Or capers.

Or anchovies.

If you use something with a strong flavor to start, a little goes a very long way (especially with anchovies...)

I wanted pizza last weekend.

A European style pizza - a few ingredients, a lot of flavor, no extra sauce or cheese or pepperoni or anything.  (If you have so much stuff on the pizza you can't lift it... How can you taste what's there?)

I didn't want to make the crust... I wanted easy.

The problem was, since V's diabetic, he has to control his carbohydrates... not rigidly, but reasonably.

If 30 is the target, 40 is okay (on occasion), 130 is not.

I went to the refrigerator section at the supermarket.  I checked out both pizza crusts and puff pastry crusts.

While the pizza crust had fewer calories and carbohydrates per serving than the puff pastry, the puff pastry had fewer in the entire crust. (The old serving size trick.)

I know, regardless of the facts, we have never, ever not eaten the whole thing. 

I needed to exercise the control with the purchase 'cause is wasn't going to happen with the finished pizza!

The puff pastry was easy, delicious, lighter than the traditional, met V's requirements (pretty closely) and mine(to not stuff myself).

Puff Pastry and Prosciutto Pizza

1 puff pastry
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup (4oz, 125gr) shredded or sliced mozzarella
4 thin slices Prosciutto, (3.5oz, 100gr)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano

Lay the pastry crust out on a baking sheet.
Slice tomatoes as thinly as possible, 8 - 10 slices per tomato. Tear Prosciutto into small pieces. Arrange the tomato slices on the pastry. Lay the Prosciutto on top. Sprinkle with herbs, then cheese. Bake in a preheated oven, 400F (200C) for 20 - 25 minutes, or until crust and top are golden brown.

Strawberries with Greek Yogurt for dessert?