Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Ruth Reichl's Peach Cobbler

Peel 4 - 5 large peaches, and slice them directly into a glass or ceramic pie plate, being sure to capture the juice. Squeeze half a lemon over the fruit and toss in a quarter to a half cup of sugar and a tablespoon of cornstarch.

Mix a cup of flour with a teaspoon of baking powder, and a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and salt. Cut in half a stick of butter and very gently mix in a third to a half cup of buttermilk. The dough should be like damp biscuit dough. Plop the dough onto the fruit, shake a little sugar over the top and bake in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour.

Tortellini with Kale and Garlic Bread Crumbs

The Crumbs
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (about 2 slices of bread)
1 Tbs. fresh mixed herbs, chopped (I used basil and rosemary)

The Pasta
1 lb kale
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. grated parmesean cheese

To prepare the crumbs, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in bread crumbs and cook until toasted, tossing often, about 5 minutes. Stir in herbs. Scrape mixture into a bowl to cool. Don't wash out skillet

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the tortellini

Prepare the kale by ripping of the stems, then cutting the leaves into shreds. Put the kale in a large bowl of water to rinse.

In the skillet, heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds. Add the strips of kale without fully drying it so that the water goes into the skillet too. Stir to coat the kale in the oil and garlic then cover the skillet tightly and cook the kale until it's wilted and soft, about 5-7 minutes. There should be s few tablespoons of liquid in the pan- if not, add some pasta water. Stir in the balsamic, salt and pepper.

Stir the tortellini, parmesean cheese, and 1 Tbs of oilve oil into the kale mixture. Serve with a generous topping of bread crumbs.

From Simple Vegetarian Pleasures cookbook.