Fruit and Nut Oatmeal Cookies

After a very busy spring, this weekend I finally had the chance to experiment in the kitchen. I produced another oatmeal cookie recipe for this blog.

To read more about oatmeal, see my first recipe. That one makes dense, crunchy, super sweet, chocolately cookies. This one produces soft, spicy and light treats which contain half the butter!

These cookies are fragrant and flavorful because of the cinnamon and cardamom. Feel free to use any type of dried fruits or nuts, though I would stay away from walnuts which can be a touch bitter.


Makes 30

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup applesauce
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a small bowl mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom.
3. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar for 4 minutes until fluffy.
4. Add applesauce and beat on low speed. Add flour mixture and continue to beat.
5. Add oats, cranberries, cherries and pecans and mix with a spatula.
6. Refrigerate the batter for at least one hour.
7. On a large, ungreased baking sheet drop heaping tablespoons of batter. Flatten with a spoon.
8. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Can be frozen for up to three months.

Seven Layer Cookies

My friend Lauren recently told me about a seven layer cookie that she makes, and I was immediately mystified. It turns out it neither has seven layers nor is a cookie; however, it has seven ingredients which I assume were originally put down in layers. The seven layer cookie (also known as ‘magic bars’) belongs to the genre of confections that – like Rice Krispies treats and confetti marshmallow squares – are tooth-achingly sweet, rely heavily on processed ingredients, and are forgiving for amateur cooks. Other hallmarks of this form include no-bake cakes and pies, ambrosia and s'mores. The origin of such recipes is unclear – I suspect it’s a combination of the desire for instant gratification and corporations inventing new ways to market their products.

Seven layer cookies are popular at Christmastime. I also found an eleven layer version that includes dark chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows, toffee chips and dulce de leche. This recipe should not be confused with the more sophisticated Venetian seven layer cookie (often called rainbow cookie) which is a sandwich of three multicolored, almond-flavored sponge cakes separated by apricot jam and covered with chocolate. In contrast to its American namesake, the Italian version is massively labor-intensive so you’re unlikely to see it on this blog anytime soon.

Makes 32 bars

1 stick unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips
1 pound butterscotch chips
12 ounces walnuts or pecans, chopped
12 ounces shredded, desiccated coconut (unsweetened if available)
20 ounces sweetened condensed milk (do not use evaporated milk)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Mix in graham cracker crumbs, and press mixture along the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass Pyrex dish.
3. Bake crust for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. In a large bowl use a spatula to mix chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, walnuts and coconut. Pour evenly over crust.
5. Carefully drizzle condensed milk over mixture, making sure to spread evenly.
6. Return to the oven and bake for a further 30-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and fragrant.
7. Remove from the oven and cool for several hours. Cut into small pieces.
8. Cookies can be stored in the fridge for one month or in the freezer for six months. Frozen cookies are best served slightly reheated in the microwave with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Baked Cod with Roasted Vegetables

Those of you who read this blog frequently know how much I love to bake. My passion for this method of food preparation is not only based on my predilection for cookies, pies and cakes. Baking also provides a controlled and predictable method of preparation that is conducive to entertaining.

Some dishes are decidedly difficult to make for guests. If you’ve ever tried to prepare risotto for a crowd, you’re familiar with the challenges of “entertaining while stirring”. Of course one can make a dish in advance (a curry, chili or soup for example) but reheating can present its own challenges (overheating or underheating) and it often requires attention soon after your guests have arrived. For a dinner party, one is often preparing several dishes at once and ensuring that all items are at the right temperature just before serving can be a mighty challenge even for an experienced cook.

For all these reasons, I appreciate baked entrees. They come out of the oven hot, require minimal handling, and fill the house with a delicious aroma. Some of my favorite baked entrees include lasagna, frittata, pizza and stuffed vegetables. While all of these make lovely meals, my fiancé and I have been searching for more ‘sophisticated’ baked entrées to serve to dinner guests.

We especially like to serve fish for dinner, but have had less than ideal experiences grilling fish on our George Foreman Grill or searing scallops in a skillet. They have both created fishy smoke in our poorly ventilated Manhattan apartment. Having experimented with a few baked fish recipes, we came up with this one which we recently served to our friends Andrew and Andrew.


Serves 4

1 head of garlic, peeled
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and sliced or baby carrots
1 zucchini, sliced
1 or 2 red peppers, sliced into strips
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cod or hake fillets (approximately 2 lbs total) - you can substitute another light, white fish
salt and pepper, to taste
1 bunch parsley for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. In a 9 x 13 glass baking dish, toss first five ingredients with most of the olive oil.
3. On the middle rack, bake vegetables for 30-40 minutes until slightly roasted.
4. Place fish fillets on top of vegetables and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.


5. Return dish to oven for 20-30 more minutes.
6. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Valentine Borscht

Borscht is a peasant soup popular in Central and Eastern Europe. The word comes from the Slavic word borshchevik which means hogweed, a vegetable once important to the Slavs. Today the defining ingredient in borscht is beet root although there are some versions that do not contain beets. For more information about beets read my post from last year about a summer beet salad.

In the Ukraine, where borscht is likely to have originated, it is the national soup and was sometimes eaten multiple times a day as a main meal. It is also served as the first course of a traditional Polish Christmas meal. In other places, it is generally consumed before the main meal.

There are two key types of borscht – hot and cold. The hot version is often chunky, made with potatoes, vegetables and sometimes beef. The cold version is sometimes strained before serving and thus has a thinner consistency (similar to gazpacho). Variations abound and recipes have been known to include dried mushrooms, parsley, dill, lovage, green onions, basil, beans, pickled apples, plums, cherries, eggplant, olives, prunes, ham, mint, ginger, leeks, tomatoes, bell peppers, tarragon, paprika, oregano and sausage.

Many versions require the addition of an acid to sour the – this can be achieved through the addition of lemon, vinegar or citric acid. Some recipes call for natural fermentation which requires the soup to be made several days in advance. Borscht is often served with sour cream, yogurt, cream or a local dairy equivalent.

In North American borscht is closely associated with Ashkenazi Jewish traditions. The term ‘Borscht Belt’ refers to the swath of summer resorts in upstate New York that were popular with New York City Jews between the 1920s and 1960s.

As a humble and quotidian dish, I’ve never heard of the soup in conjunction with Valentine’s Day. However, it seemed perfect as a bright red starter on a cold winter day. It freezes well but will stain plastic containers so we opted to use one gallon freezer bags.

Serves 10-14

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/2 pound russet potatoes (about 2), peeled, chopped into small cubes
1/2 lb carrots, sliced
small cabbage or half a medium cabbage, thinly chopped
6-8 cups vegetable (or meat-based) broth
15 ounces diced tomatoes
4 large beets, peeled and chopped into small cubes
5 bay leaves
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (balsamic or other)
1 bunch of dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper
sour cream, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Sauté for 10 minutes.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, beets and bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add red wine vinegar and 1/2 dill. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Flavor with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and remaining dill.