Birth of a chef

For almost as long as she has been walking, my adorable daughter Emma has loved being in the kitchen with me while I cook. At first -- like most children -- it was playing with the pots and pans, or stirring a spoon in an empty bowl. But as soon as she was tall enough (with the help of a stool) to see over the kitchen counter, she was eager to help.

Together, we've made countless cookies, dozens of muffins, gallons of lemonade. She's helped me chop vegetables, measure out spices, organize my ingredients. And as many moms can tell you, that's where some of the best conversations start. I get lots of "Mommy, when you were a little girl ..." questions. It's where I learn about what's going on at school, and who are her best pals -- all the relevant Emma information.

Knowing all this, I wanted to further her love of cooking. So when I found that the city of Concord offered a kids' cooking class, I decided to enroll my little chef. And while it was a little on the expensive side, I decided it was worth the extra money.

When I told her about the class, she practically bounced! Every day for weeks, she asked us "Does cooking class start today?"

Four weeks ago, it finally started. Right after she got home from her first class, Emma instructed her dad to call me at work so she could tell me that she had made something to share for dinner. That something: tabbouleh. It was so delicious! And it meant even more to me because my beautiful, talented little girl made it for us.

It was the same for the next three weeks. Week two was herb-roasted potatoes in parchment; week three, risotto. And week four was her very favorite: choco-marshmallow cookies. Each week, Emma had to ask the same questions: Is this recipe your favorite? Which one did you like best? Why did you like it? The answer was the same: I absolutely love it. I can't pick a favorite, because I love them all. And I honestly meant it!

One of the best parts for me was this class encouraged her to try new things. For instance, I cannot get my child to eat potatoes. However, Aaron found her munching the roasted potatoes she made in that second class. And after the last class, she told randomly told us at dinner: "Mom, do you like eggplant? Because we had it at class today, and it was kinda good." That left her parents -- the ones who struggle to get her to eat her vegetables -- speechless.

For a while now, if you ask my 5-year-old what she wants to be when she grows up, she will tell you "a chef." After this class, she's more determined than ever. And when that goal happens, I hope to score the first reservation. Because I can't wait to find out what treats she has in store.
To learn more about Emma's cooking instructor, go to http://www.letsgetkidscooking.com/.


This recipe, obviously, is from Emma's class. This is the one she wanted me to share.

Choco-marshmallow cookies

Cookies:
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
18 marshmallows, cut in half
1/2 cup whole pecans

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
5 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1/8 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter, softened
4-5 tbsp. heavy cream or half-and-half

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking pans, and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and cocoa powder. With a mixer, cream shortening and sugar; add egg, vanilla and milk. Beat well.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix. Drop by tablespoon onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes -- do not overbake!

Remove from oven and press 1/2 marshmallow, cut side down, on top of each cookie. Bake 2 minutes longer. Cool on wire racks.

To make icing, combine all ingredients together until smooth. Frost each cookie, covering most of the marshmallow. Top each cookie with a pecan half. Store cookies in a single layer in an airtight container.

Makes 36.

Mmmm ... ginger!

Ginger is one of my absolute favorite flavors. I love the spicy sweetness of this delectable ingredient. It's amazing how the subtle flavor can be missed when it's not there. For instance, Aaron made a good stir-fry last week, but we both noticed its absence immediately.

As I've mentioned before, I keep a small jar of pre-minced ginger in my fridge. I find it at Safeway in the produce aisle, near the tomatoes and the jars of pre-minced garlic. Ground ginger is certainly great to keep in the pantry. And if you haven't tried crystallized ginger, you absolutely must. It's fantastic in gingersnap cookies.

This vegetarian dish is a great for a picnic. I received it from a former colleague at the Times, and Aaron and I adore it. Enjoy!

Ginger-peanut pasta salad

Salad:

8 oz. corkscrew pasta

20 fresh pea pods, tips and strings removed (about 1 cup)

1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and diced, or 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced

2 medium carrots, cut into long thin strips (about 1 cup)

1 medium yellow and/or green sweet pepper, cut into thin strips

3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes

1/2 cup bias-sliced green onions

3 tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro or parsley

1/3 cup chopped peanuts

Dressing:

1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. chili oil or several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce

Cook pasta. During the last 30 seconds of cooking, add pea pods; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.

To make dressing, add ingredients in a screw-top jar. Cover and shake vigorously to combine.

Combine pasta and pea pod mixture, kohlrabi or cucumber, carrots, peppers, radishes, onions and cilantro or parsley in a large bowl. Add dressing, and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 2 to 8 hours.

To serve, toss the salad again and sprinkle with peanuts.

Serves 12 (side-dish servings)

Cook's notes: If you haven't tried kohlrabi, it's a delicious bulb-like vegetable with a lovely cabbage flavor. A nice alternative would be jicama.

Satisfying your sweet tooth, at dinner

I haven't included a lot of salad recipes, and I'm not entirely sure why. I really love salads, but I tend to find that many of the recipes are so similar to ones I already have. Or, they're full of great ingredients that I simply won't eat. Hmmm.

I got this recipe from my wonderful mother-in-law a few years ago. She served it one night at dinner for us, and Aaron and I couldn't stop talking about it on the way home. The original recipe is relatively high in fat, but I've found many ways to make it a bit healthier. Be creative -- the recipe is very forgiving!

Winter fruit salad with lemon-poppy seed dressing

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tsp. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Salad:
1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 10 cups)
4 oz. (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 apple, cubed
1 pear, cubed

In a blender or food processor bowl with metal blade, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Cover; process until blended. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream, processing until thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds; process a few seconds to mix.

In a large serving bowl, combine all salad ingredients; toss to mix. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat.

Serves 12 (1-cup servings)

Cook's notes: To cut down on the oil, I add more lemon juice -- make sure it's freshly squeezed for this recipe. In addition, I might add a little freshly squeezed orange juice to cut down on the sugar, as well. A shallot would be a nice replacement for the onion. I would not use extra-virgin olive oil here. There's too many flavors competing, and the oil's fruity flavor would lose out. Pecans or hazelnuts would be a delicious replacement for the cashews. As for the cheese, I would make sure to use a very mellow one. Danish fontina might be a nice choice. However, a strongly flavored cheese, like gorgonzola, would overpower the sweetness of the fruit and dressing.

Warm and wonderful

Vegetarian eating requires lots of dedication, and a dose of bravery. One of the toughest parts, I've found, is finding the nerve to try some new foods.

For me, there's some vegetarian staples that I can't stomach, no matter how many times I try. Take tofu. It's so healthy, but it's so bland. No matter how you dress it up, it's just boring and flavorless.

The one food group I've turned to for new flavor ideas is, unsurprisingly, fruit and vegetables. Some are truly wonderful and have become favorites, such as asparagus and brussels sprouts. Others, such as zucchini and summer squash, not so much. One I have absolutely fallen in love with is celeriac. It's also known as celery root, and it's so delicious. I plan on searching for recipes for celeriac salad this summer.

But for now, it's at the heart of a delicious soup I hope you will enjoy as much as I do. In fact, this soup is so simple and delicious, I used to feed it to my daughter instead of baby food when she was first starting to eat solid foods. She loved it even then.

This recipe is from a 2003 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

White velvet soup

4 cups (1/4-inch) diced, peeled celeriac (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
4 cups (1/4-inch) diced, peeled Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/3 cup white wine
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup 2 percent reduced-fat milk
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. thinly sliced green onions

Combine celeriac, potatoes, broth, water, thyme and garlic in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Place half of potato mixture into blender; process until smooth. Repeat with remaining potato mixture. Return pureed potato mixture into pan, stir in wine and salt. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove soup from heat, and stir in milk.

Divide soup evenly among 6 bowls; drizzle oil evenly over soup. Sprinkle with onions.

Serves 6

Cook's notes: To make this dish truly vegetarian, you easily could substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I usually make this without the wine, instead using extra broth with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice or vinegar to add some bite. I also use fat-free milk, and it turns out smooth and delicious.

A vegetarian feast

Back in the mid-1990s, as a young, impressionable college student, I decided to try a rather shocking way of life -- vegetarianism. It lasted only a few months, but it had many of my friends and family worrying about my health. Even then, the concern seemed ridiculous to me.

However, I discovered that giving up meat led to some killer cravings for hamburgers. In the end, the cravings won out. But I learned some lessons that I still carry with me today. Some of them:

4 Beans are delicious, even without meat.
4 Meat is expensive.
4 Vegetables -- especially fresh ones -- can make a filling meal.

I've also discovered that vegetarianism doesn't mean making meals full of just beans, or lentils, or celery. Salads are an obvious first choice. But pastas and soups also are a great way to go vegetarian, without missing any of the meat.

So, in the spirit of theme months, I decided to make March the vegetarian month. I mostly did it in honor of my Catholic upbringing, and all those no-meat Fridays for Lent. While I'm no longer religious, I like the idea of giving up meat for at least one day a week. It's something Aaron and I have tried to do for a while now, mostly for the health and cost reasons.

So, I promise to offer lots of ideas -- many from around the world -- on how to love the vegetarian way of life.

This first recipe is one of the easiest I have ever found -- EVER! It's Italian in nature, but with a very small amount of effort, this can be on the table in about 45 minutes. We've found that this, with a salad or some roasted vegetables, makes a very filling meal.

This recipe is from a 2006 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

Mock risotto

4 cups low-salt chicken stock
1 cup water
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (about 10 oz.)
1/2 cup Asiago cheese (about 1 oz.)

Bring broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Pour 2 1/2 cups broth mixture into rice mixture; bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low; cover pot and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add remaining broth mixture to pot; bring to a boil and stir 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; cover pot and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer risotto to bowl and serve.

Serves 6.

Cook's notes: There are tons of ways to add flavors to this risotto. Try experimenting with cheese. A combination of Asiago, blue and gruyere would be delicious. Vegetables are another great way to flavor the risotto. We like peas at our house. Sauteed mushrooms or asparagus, or some sun-dried tomatoes would also be great. For a little added crunch, try some toasted walnuts or almonds. For a traditional risotto Milanese, add a little saffron. This recipe is very amenable to your creativity!