The Charmed Kitchen

Easy Blueberry Blintzes

Blueberries seem to be very abundant this year. Even getting a nice harvest from my fairly new plants. I had some flour tortillas and decided to use them for a quick blueberry dessert. These can be made with pretty much any fruit pie filling or fresh fruit. I had a lot of blueberries so I made a homemade blueberry pie filling. I canned most of it but had enough left over to make some blintzes. While blintzes are traditionally made with crepes, these use the tortillas instead.

To make them just soak some flour tortillas in milk to soften. I normally allow at least 10 minutes for this. Place a tortilla on your work surface and spoon some pie filling in the middle. Fold in the sides until they just touch. Starting on the side nearest you gently fold the blintz up. It should like like a flatter version of an egg roll. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Heat some butter up in a skillet and place a few blintzes in at a time. Turn when they get golden on one side and cook until light golden brown on both sides. Serve dusted with powdered sugar or with ice cream, if you prefer. Super easy.

If you want to use fresh berries instead just toss them with some sugar before using.  If you want to make a pie filling for this recipe, just cook together fresh berries with a little water and sugar. Once the berries have softened, mix a small amount of water with cornstarch and pour into the blueberry mixture, cooking until it thickens. Add the cornstarch mixture slowly so the mixture doesn’t get too thick.

Cold Blueberry Soup

If you want something a little different to do with blueberries consider making a cold soup. It is a fun first course and very refreshing on a hot day.  I garnished mine with a little blueberry syrup and a couple of fresh berries. Sometimes I garnish with a little mint, too.  Simple and fun.

Cold Blueberry Soup

1 pint blueberries

1 1/2 c. water

2 T. honey, or to taste

1 (3-inch) strip lemon peel

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

1 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt

In saucepan combine all ingredients, except for the sour cream or yogurt and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool for a few minutes then remove peel and cinnamon. Puree mixture and chill for at least 4 hours. Combine with sour cream before serving. Serves 4-6.

I was looking for a salad to go along with a taco bar, for a party. I had some nice sweet corn and used it to make this salad. After cooking the corn and cutting it off the cob I added roasted red peppers and garbanzo beans. Cilantro, sweet onions and a simple dressing and I was done. One of the party guests ask for the recipe, so here it is.

Fresh Corn Salad with Garbanzo Beans

6 ears of corn

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 red peppers, roasted, skinned and seeded, chopped*

1 medium sweet pepper, diced

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. cider vinegar

2 T. sugar- or 1 T. honey

1 T. hot sauce

2 t. cumin

1 t. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Cook corn, cool and cut off the cob. Place corn kernels in a bowl and combine with the remaining veggies and cilantro. Combine dressing ingredients and pour over the corn mixture. Stir to combine well and chill before serving. Serves 6-8.

*Here is the information on how to roast peppers. I used  medium hot red peppers for this recipe, but sweet peppers would be fine, too. I just placed the peppers on the open flame on my gas stove, turning them until blackened all over. Once the peppers are charred, remove the peppers from the flame and wrap in paper towels or place in a small paper bag to cool. When cooled the skins will slip off easily. Then just remove the seeds and chop. If you don’t have a gas stove you can also roast peppers on a grill or under the broiler.

Roasting Peppers

Blueberry Liqueur

Blueberries are abundant this year. I have made jam and pie filling with some, frozen quite a few, and of course, eaten plenty. I also decided to preserves some for later in the form of a blueberry liqueur. I make two different ones, actually. One is unsweetened- just blueberries, vodka, lemon zest and a clove. It is sometimes called an eau de vie- French for water of life, or just blueberry vodka. The other is sweetened a little with a sugar syrup- but you could use honey. That is called blueberry liqueur or blueberry cordial. Both are wonderful. The color is so pretty and they can be sipped, as is, or used in cocktails. I make a lot for gift giving at the holidays. You can use blackberries, too, if you prefer.

Blackberry or Blueberry Liqueur

4-c. fresh berries
Sliced and scraped peel of one lemon, optional
1 clove, optional
3-c. vodka or 2 c. vodka and 1 c. brandy
1 c. sugar syrup, optional, recipe follows

Lightly crush berries with a fork. Combine with peels and clove and vodka and steep 3 months. Strain and filter and add sugar syrup. Mature 4-6 weeks.

Sugar Syrup

Simple syrup is made from 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water. Bring to a boil, then cool. You will have 1 cup of syrup. Some recipes call for plain sugar and others for honey. Watch when you substitute honey for sugar, as it is sweeter and stronger flavored. Better to use orange or clover honey.

Peach and Vanilla Preserves

A lot of foods remind me of summer. Peaches, I think, more than most. We had a couple of peach trees in my back yard when I was a kid. Watching them ripen, and finally picking and eating peaches right off the tree, is a favorite memory of mine. When summer is long gone and I am watching snow fly outside my window I can open a jar of these preserves and it will feel a little more like summer.

Peach and Vanilla Preserves

 8 c. peaches, peeled, pitted and cubed or sliced

1 box powdered pectin

2 T. lemon juice

1 T. pure vanilla extract

7 c. sugar

Place peaches in a pot with the pectin, lemon juice and vanilla. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Add sugar and stirring constantly, bring mixture to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Pour mixture into jelly jars leaving 1/4 -inch of headspace. Wipe rims and screw on lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about 9 half- pint jars.

Adapted from Ball Blue Book

Rainbow Cheese Ravioli

The kids and I had so much fun this week. We made pizza one day and vegetable pasta another. We also dipped a lot of things in chocolate. The kids in camp range in ages from 6-12. I was so impressed at how well they did- especially making pizza dough and pasta dough from scratch.  Here are some pictures of what they did. Looking forward to next week.

A very long sheet of pasta

Fresh made veggie pasta

Rolling out her pizza

Some of the pizzas they made

Chocolate dipped marshmallows and pretzels

Filling the ravioli

Blueberry Chef Salad

I was so pleased to be asked to return to New Day Cleveland. My assignment was to create some fun summer salads. It is that time of year, after all. Thanks to the whole crew at Channel 8, who always make me feel so welcome. So, if you missed it- the link is below- with all the salad recipes, too.

http://fox8.com/2015/07/02/how-to-mix-up-your-summer-salads/

Peach and Almond Smoothie

You can’t go wrong putting peaches in almost everything. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but I really love peaches. They may just be my favorite fruit.  I love using peaches in smoothies. I also prefer my peaches fresh, but I use frozen peaches in smoothies, to make them thicker, more like a milk shake. I cut up several peaches and froze them, so I would have them ready to use, when needed. For this smoothie I also used almond milk, a little honey and added vanilla to round it out. Flavor wise- it was simple, but really good.

Peach and Almond Smoothie

2 peaches, pitted and peeled- then frozen

1 1/2 c. plain almond milk

2-3 T. honey, or to taste

1 t. vanilla

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Makes 1 large or 2 smaller servings.

Rainbow Pasta

I love the taste of homemade pasta and I particularly like the colors and tastes of veggie pastas. Veggie pastas are sometimes a little softer than egg pasta and benefit from being mixed with some egg based pasta, for strength and ease of rolling. We are going to be making these in cooking camp today. The kids always love making fresh pasta. You can also use herbs and spices to flavor and color the dough.

I take  several different doughs and roll them together. As you roll the dough out the colors blend together and create rainbow pasta. You can use sheets of the dough to make rainbow ravioli.

I often use a food processor to make pasta dough, especially the vegetable pastas because I am using vegetables that need to be pureed, pretty much. I have a small one which is perfect for small batches, no more than 1 cup of flour. I often use my stand mixer for larger batches and for egg pasta dough. Always best to make pasta dough at least 30 minutes ahead and let it rest before rolling.  You can even make it the day before and chill until ready to use.

Basic Homemade Pasta

 3 c. flour, more if using electric pasta machine. See note.

1 1/2 t. salt

4 eggs

Water, if needed

Mix flour and salt and stir in eggs, kneading until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be very stiff. Add a little water if needed to hold dough together. You may wish to mix the dough in a mixer or food processor. Cover dough and let rest 15-20 minutes before rolling. Under kneading your dough will result in coarse, crumbly pasta. This batch makes about 1 pound. Serves 4-6.

Roll dough out on well floured board or in pasta machine (non-electric) until desired thickness in reached. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking. Cut into strips or whatever shapes are desired.  Pasta can be hung to dry or separated and allowed to dry flat on a table. When pasta is not hanging to dry it must be turned occasionally to dry evenly.      Although you may hear otherwise, homemade pasta, even when dried, should be frozen for long term storage. Storing at room temperature can lead to spoilage. Fresh pasta can also be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Note: All electric pasta machines vary slightly and you should use their recipes as much as possible. Still, for most models, adding 1/4 c. flour for each cup in a hand rolled recipe works the best. Also recipes that contain seeds and vegetables may clog an electric pasta maker. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions.

These are smaller batches which can be mixed in a processor or by hand. If you want to mix a vegetable based pasta by hand, puree the vegetables first.

Curry Pasta

1 c. flour

1 t. curry powder

1 egg

1-2 T. water, if needed

Carrot Pasta

 1 c. flour

1/2 t. dried dill

1/3 c. carrot puree

1-2 T. water, if needed

   Beet Pasta

1 c. flour

1/2 t. dill

1/3 c. beet puree

1-2 T. water, if needed

Spinach Pasta

2 c. flour

1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, cooked, drained, reserving some of the liquid

Mix this dough as for other pastas, but don’t be too quick to add reserved liquid. While kneading you’ll get water out of the spinach. May require more kneading and rolling than other pasta doughs. Be patient, it’s worth the work.

Broccoli Pasta

1 c. flour

1/2 c. broccoli puree

Cheese Ravioli Filling

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2/3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 c. ricotta or cream cheese

1/3 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Combine all ingredients well and chill until needed.

Roll a batch of dough into  a rectangle, 18×12 inches and 1/16 inch thick. Arrange well rounded teaspoonfuls of the  cheese filling two inches apart on the pasta sheet. Roll out additional dough into an 18×12 inch rectangle. With a pastry brush moisten bottom sheet of pasta around edges with water. Place second sheet of pasta on top, using fingers to seal the dough around the edges of the filling. With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut between the ravioli to separate them. You should have 24 ravioli.

Rainbow Ravioli

Tortellini and Ham Salad

Main dish salads are always a favorite of mine when the weather gets warmer. Sometimes I just don’t feel like eating hot food. I made this salad with mushroom tortellini and some leftover ham. It might sound odd to eat tortellini cold, but we eat cold pasta salad all the time. Why not? I really liked it. The mushrooms flavor worked great with the smoky ham. I served mine on a bed of fresh spinach- which made the dish even better.

Tortellini and Ham Salad

¼ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
1 t. fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. sugar, optional
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
12 oz. mushroom or cheese tortellini, cooked
1½ c. diced ham or turkey ham
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 c. sautéed, sliced mushrooms, cooled
4 green onions, chopped

Parmesan cheese, optional

Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl and whisk to blend well. Add next 5 ingredients and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side. Serves 4.