Matcha Ravioli filled with Spring Pea Garlic Scape Pesto and Italian White Bean Purée

I contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. Here is another recipe I created using their matcha tea.

Matcha Tea, made from stone-ground, Japanese green tea leaves, has a body and flavor that is thick and rich and green with a slight bitterness. It’s thought to be even healthier than regular green tea, because the entire tea leaf is consumed, instead of just the infusion as with normal teas. And since it is a powder, it can be incorporated into just about any cooking recipe, swapped out for a little flour. Its deep green hue and flavor add a lot of appeal to homemade pasta.

Inspired by the green of the coming spring, I used Arbor Teas cooking grade organic matcha green tea to make matcha ravioli. I filled the pasta with a green pea and Italian white bean purée, and topped it with a garlic scape-kale pesto. So very green!

A more simple filling idea would be to use an herb-laced ricotta. After reading this post by Smitten Kitchen, I’ve taken to making my own. It’s really very simple to do.

Even simpler, cut the fresh matcha pasta into thin linguini strands, cook in boiling water, and top with your favorite sauce.

Matcha Pasta
(serves 3-4)

9½ ounces (scant 2 cups) all purpose flour
1 heaping tablespoon organic Matcha Green Tea
3 large eggs, beaten

Add the flour to the workbowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to evenly distribute. Add the eggs. Process again for about 30 seconds until the dough forms a rough ball. It’s OK if some small bits remain unincorporated. Turn the contents of the workbowl onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours, allowing the dough to relax.

Dough that has the perfect amount of moisture will come together in one large mass. If the dough resembles small pebbles it is too dry; with the motor running, add water ½ teaspoon at a time until the dough forms a rough ball. If the dough sticks to the side of the workbowl it is too wet; add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until the dough is no longer tacky and forms a rough ball.

Using a manual pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll out the dough into thin, satiny sheets. It should be rolled thin enough that you are able to see the outline of your hand through the pasta. Lay the sheet of pasta on a clean kitchen towel and cover it with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. Leave the pasta as is for use in filled pastas or cut the pasta sheets into long strands to make fettuccine.

If making ravioli, place a dollop of the filling (recipe below) along the rolled sheet every few inches. Lay another sheet of dough directly over the filling and press down to seal the ravioli. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel. Place the cut ravioli on a floured baking tray and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

If you don’t plan to cook the ravioli right away, place the baking tray full of finished ravioli (in one layer only) in the freezer. Once the ravioli have frozen solid (half an hour or so), you can transfer them into a zip-top plastic bag and continue to freeze until ready to use. When ready to serve, drop the frozen ravioli directly into a large pot of salted boiling water for 4 or 5 minutes. Carefully remove cooked ravioli with a slotted spoon and then toss with sauce.

Filling: Spring Pea, Garlic Scape, Italian White Bean Purée

¾ cup garlic scapes, diced
1 cup shelled peas
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups cooked white beans, drained

Lightly sauté the garlic scapes and peas in butter until softened. Transfer to the bowl of food processor. Blend the scapes, peas, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until fairly smooth. Add the cooked beans and blend again. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Let cool before filling the ravioli.

Garlic Scape-Kale Pesto Sauce
Makes about 1½ cups of pesto
From 365daysofkale.com

1 cup garlic scapes, chopped
3-5 leaves kale, stems removed
⅓ cup pecans, toasted
¾ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper to taste

Process scapes, kale, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor until well combined and somewhat smooth but not completely pureed. Slowly drizzle in oil and process again until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Honeybush Tea Jelly

I sometimes contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. Recently, they were featured in the February edition of MetroParent Magazine. (Click through to see a picture of Jeremy, Aubrey, Arthur and Penelope.) Here is a kid-friendly recipe I created using one of their teas.

This one’s for the kids!

One of my favorite naturally non-caffeinated Arbor Teas is their organic Honeybush. Steeping the leaves, stems, and flowers of this plant indigenous to South Africa yields a sweet, light and woody infusion. It is enjoyable both hot and iced, and makes quite a pleasant transition beverage when you are ready to stop drinking caffeine for the day. Here honeybush is used to flavor a jelly. Its woody sweetness balances the tartness of the homemade apple pectin used to thicken the jelly. Really any loose leaf tea could be substituted in this recipe, but I chose honeybush for the kids! Honeybush tea jelly makes fantastic PB&J sandwiches. I’ve also combined the jelly with nuts and spices and stuffed the mixture into apple dumplings. Its sweet tart flavor is fairly versatile and broadly appealing to all sorts.

Honeybush Tea Jelly


6 tablespoons loose tea leaves
2¼ cups boiling water
3 cups green apple pectin stock (see recipe below)
¼ cups fresh lemon juice
3¼ cups sugar

Steep the tea leaves in the boiling water for 5 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 6-8 quart pan. Add the pectin stock, lemon juice, and sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until the jelly registers 220 °F on a candy thermometer.

Ladle the jelly into sterilized canning jars and process for storage using whichever method you prefer best.

Green Apple Pectin Stock

3 pounds green apples (I used early transparent, one of the first apple varieties available at my farmer’s market in early fall. More readily, commercially available Granny Smith will work as well.)

Cut the apples into 8 sections. Discard the stems only. Peels, core, seeds and remaining fruit all contain valuable pectin. Place the apple sections in a 6-8 quart pan. Add 6 cups of water. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until the apples have broken down and the peels separate from the pulp. This should take 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent apples at the bottom of the pot from scorching.

Set a large mesh sieve over a deep bowl. Pour the cooked apples and juice into the sieve and let drain for at least half an hour, until you have about 5½ cups juice. Stir occasionally, to dislodge the pulp at the bottom of the sieve and allow proper draining, but do not press down too hard so as to push the pulp through the sieve.

Once strained, the pulp can be passed though a food mill to remove seeds and skins. This yields a very tart applesauce that can be eaten straight out of hand (sweetened and spiced at will) or incorporated into another recipe.

Bring the 5½ cups juice to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to about 3 cups. This should take about 20 minutes. Refrigerate pectin stock, up to 2 weeks, until ready to use, or freeze for several months.

Holiday Spice Black Tea Red Pepper Relish

I sometimes contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. Here is a recipe I created over the winter holiday using one of their special seasonal teas.

Over the final few weeks of my CSA share last year, I built quite a collection of red peppers. Both hot varieties (Krimzon Lee, Serrano, Jalapeno, Shishito) and sweet bells (Apple Pimento, Carmen, Red Knight Bell) were filling up the crisper until enough accumulated to make this relish. Sweet with piquant heat and spiced just so with orange, cinnamon, and clove using Arbor Teas Organic Holiday Spice Black Tea, this ruby-toned relish makes a useful condiment to have on hand to dress up holiday meals or to gift away to friends this season. Use it to top cheese and crackers for a quick snack, mix with ketchup for a fancy chili dipping sauce, or dollop over your take-out ramen bowl to add a festive touch.

Holiday-Spice Red Pepper Relish
Makes 1½ pints

About 2 ½ pounds mixed types of red peppers (sweet and/or hot varieties)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups white vinegar
3 tablespoons Organic Holiday Spice Black Tea
3 cups sugar


Directions:

Pulse red peppers in a food processor to finely chop. This should yield about 4 cups. Combine chopped peppers and salt in a large bowl. Set aside for 2 to 3 hours, until a considerable amount of liquid is drawn out of the peppers. Meanwhile combine the vinegar and the tea in a separate bowl and set aside at room temperature to steep for the duration of salting the peppers.

Place the peppers in a sieve to strain, pressing with the back of a spatula to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the peppers to a wide, 6-quart, heavy-bottomed pan and add the sugar. Place the sieve over the pan (to catch the loose tea) and pour in the steeped vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Cook until the pepper is translucent and the syrup is somewhat thick. Jelly-like consistency is achieved at 220° F. This may take 25-35 minutes of stirring. Temperatures higher than 220° F will yield a more resinous-like relish that will be difficult to spread, so be attentive to the thermometer throughout the boiling.

Ladle hot relish into clean jars and process for canning or store in the refrigerator for use within the next few months.

Smoky Yerba Mate Lentil Burgers

I often contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. Here is the latest recipe I created using a few of their teas.

BBQ season is upon us! Will you have a vegetarian to feed in your group? Often meatless patties are dry and disappointing, especially the ones that come packaged from the grocery store. Veggie burgers are so easy to make in your home kitchen, requiring fairly minimal forethought and prep work. Here is a unique idea to impart a tea flavor into a vegetarian burger. This recipe combines the earthiness of Arbor Teas organic Yerba Mate with a bit of smoke from organic Russian Caravan Black Tea. The lentils are cooked directly in the steeped teas, gaining an extra boost of flavor as they soak up the liquid and soften. Black beluga lentils retain their shape fairly well when cooked, so they are worth seeking out. Other varieties may cook up too mushy, causing the patties to fall apart.

Happy Summer everyone!

Smoky Yerba Mate Lentil Burgers
makes 6 burgers

2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon loose leaf organic Yerba Mate
1 teaspoon loose leaf organic Russian Caravan Black Tea
1 cup dried Beluga lentils, picked over and rinsed (will yield about 3 cups cooked)
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 cup whole grain bread crumbs
olive oil, if pan frying

Pour boiling water over tea leaves in a medium bowl. Cover and steep for about 4 minutes, then strain tea into a large saucepan, discarding tea leaves. Add the lentils to the sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are firm but tender, about 30-40 minutes. Cover the pan and let rest it rest off heat, until remaining liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the lentils, eggs, and salt. Pulse until the mixture becomes a thick paste, allowing some lentils to remain whole. Transfer the lentil mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the onion, shredded carrot, and garlic. Next add the breadcrumbs and stir to combined. Let rest for a couple of minutes to allow the bread crumbs to absorb some of the moisture. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form into 1½-inch-thick patties.

Grill for 5-8 minutes on each side until browned and crisped on both sides.

Alternatively, if cooking indoors, heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add the patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Flip and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden.

Citrus and Tea Cream Pie

I often contribute recipes to the blog of my friends' tea company, Arbor Teas. Here is the latest recipe I shared using a few of their teas.

Hurry! Before Meyer lemons are out of season, go make this pie! Or don't. Just wait for the right occasion and be inspired by what citrus is in abundance at that time. The original inspiration for this recipe came from Martha Stewart as a chamomile version of lemon meringue pie in a homey cornmeal crust. All of these elements, the mellow chamomile flowers, the zesty lemon, the pillowy marshmallow meringue, and the crunchy cornmeal work together in a wonderful, satisfying combination. But with the variety of organic loose-leaf teas available from Arbor Teas, why stop there? You could alter the recipe into a summery mojito rendition by subbing in lime for lemon and organic moroccan mint green tea for chamomile, all atop a buttery shortbread crust. Organic jasmine green tea and grapefruit (or those giant pumelos) would make a sophisticated, perfumed dessert. Tangerine and organic schizandra white tea, orange and organic earl grey black tea, or even blood orange and organic holiday spice black tea are a few more pairings I brainstormed to go with your favorite graham cracker, gingersnap, or chocolate cookie crust. Here is the original lemon-chamomile recipe. Let me know what combinations you dream up!

Citrus and Tea Cream Pie
adapted from Martha Stewart

Cornmeal Pie Dough
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup medium-ground yellow cornmeal
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup ice water

Lemon-Chamomile Cream Filling
3 cups whole milk
3-4 tablespoons loose organic chamomile (or whatever other tea flavor strikes your fancy)
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (or other citrus zest)
¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or other fresh citrus juice)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Meringue
4 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
a pinch of salt

To make the Cornmeal Crust:

Pulse flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and process briefly until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, slowly add ice water until dough just begins to hold together.

Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Roll cornmeal dough to ⅛-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie dish and trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck overhang under dough so edges are flush with rim and crimp edges. Prick the bottom of dough with a fork in several spots and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line dough with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, about 15 to 18 minutes. Lift up the parchment to remove the pie weights. Continue to bake, uncovered until the crust is golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes more. Let cool completely before adding the cream filling.

To make the Cream Filling:

When ready to make the filling, bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat, add the loose leaf tea directly to the hot milk, cover, and steep for 5 minutes. Strain the milk through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing on the spent tea leaves with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard tea.

Combine cornstarch, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the tea-infused milk. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thickly coats the spatula. This should take about 7 minutes total (about 2 minutes after it comes to a boil).

Whisk yolks in a separate bowl, then pour in the milk mixture into the yolks in a slow, steady stream, whisking until thoroughly incorporated. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it returns to a boil, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Remove from the custard from heat, and stir in lemon zest and juice. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until butter melts before adding the next piece. Let cool in the saucepan off heat, whisking occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Pour custard into the prepared crust. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of custard, taking care to smooth out any wrinkles as these will appear on the finished pie as it firms. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight) so that the custard filling is chilled and firm.

To make the Meringue:

Just before serving, combine egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof mixing bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt. Transfer the bowl to the mixing stand and whisk on medium-high speed until shiny, stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes.

Pipe the meringue in dollops over the pie. If you’d like, toast the tips of the meringue with a culinary torch. Or, bake the meringue-topped pie briefly on a rimmed baking sheet under a broiler until lightly golden.

Serve immediately.

Vegan Papas Rellenas

A few weeks ago I had a pot luck brunch with friends. The agenda was to plan a community garden in my backyard. There was still snow on the ground, but I was thinking warmer thoughts of digging up dirt and pushing in seeds. My contribution to the meal were these fried Peruvian potato thingys over mixed salad greens. While a more traditional version would be filled with spiced beef, I chose the vegan route and filled them with quinoa, beans, raisins and kale. Sounds like a weird combination, but it works. A dash of hot sauce and a topping of pickled onions (salsa criolla) add a whole lot more flavor.

Not sure how many to feed, I doubled the recipe. I don't recommend this unless you enjoy potato ricing or have an army of kitchen help. Though after peeling and ricing (gives the best texture, so worth it) 10 pounds of potatoes the night before, I learned how to finally use my ricer properly, it's a bit of a struggle if you overstuff it.

Vegan Papas Rellenas
Makes about 1½ dozen

For the dough:
5 pounds russet potatoes
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper

For the filling:

olive oil for sautéing
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
½ chili pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 cup cremini mushrooms, small dice
2 cups cooked cooked beans
½ cup raisins, soaked in 1 cup boiling water for 10 minutes, then minced
1 handful kale, roughly chopped
1 cup cooked quinoa
¼ cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

For the final preparation:
1 tablespoon ground flax seed

3 tablespoons water
1 cup all-purpose flour
Dash cayenne pepper
Dash salt
1 cup bread crumbs

Canola oil for frying

For the dough:

1. Boil unpeeled potatoes whole until tender when stuck with a fork. Let potatoes cool.

2. When potatoes are cooled, peel them and either mash them with a potato masher or force them through a potato ricer.

3. Add cornstarch, salt and pepper and knead “dough” thoroughly to ensure that ingredients are well combined and uniformly distributed.

While potatoes are cooling, make filling:

1. Cook onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the garlic and chili pepper and cook several minutes more.
3. Add the cumin and paprika and cook briefly.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft.
5. Add beans and raisins.
6. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add kale and wilt.
7. Add the quinoa and season with salt and pepper.
8. Allow filling to cool before forming “papas.”

Finishing the dough and forming the papas:

1. Using a food processor or blender, emulsify the ground flax seed with the water. Allow the mixture to stand for a few minutes before using.

2.Use three small bowls (or other shallow containers) to prepare the papas. In one, combine flour, cayenne and salt. In the second, combine the flax seed emulsification and a bit more water to thin the solution. Put bread crumbs in the third

2. Flour your hands and scoop up a fistful of the dough about the size of a baseball. Make a round pancake with your hands. Then make a slight indentation in the middle for the filling.

3. Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center and then roll the potato closed, forming a smooth, potato-shaped casing around the filling. Repeat will all dough.

4. Heat 1½ - 2 inches of oil in a pan to about 350 – 375° F.

5. Dip each papa in the three bowls to coat: first roll in flour, then dip in flax seed emulsion, then roll in bread crumbs.

6. Fry the papas in batches about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip once in the middle of frying to get both sides.

7. Drain on paper towel and store in a cool oven 200°F until ready to serve.

8. Serve with salsa criolla (see recipe below) and your favorite hot sauce.

Salsa Criolla

2 medium red onions, cut in half length-wise and very thinly slice.
1/2 chili pepper
1 tablespoon vinegar
Juice from 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak the onions in cold salt water for about 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the onions with the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the onions to macerate and the flavors to combine.

Kathlyn of Bake Like a Ninja was our Daring Cooks’ March 2011 hostess. Kathlyn challenges us to make two classic Peruvian dishes: Ceviche de Pescado from “Peruvian Cooking – Basic Recipes” by Annik Franco Barreau. And Papas Rellenas adapted from a home recipe by Kathlyn’s Spanish teacher, Mayra.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Kumquat Gelée

The first time I had panna cotta was this summer when in Norway. Expressly for the purpose of tasting reindeer carpaccio, I ate at a restaurant that claimed to have an authentic Norwegian menu. As a bonus for the total local experience, the dessert menu listed a panna cotta topped with cloudberries. Panna cotta, is by no means Nordic, but I was more interested in eating those cloudberries. The guide book made them sound rare and special. As a maker of jam I was intrigued. The name alone connotes loftiness!

The cloudberries, served as a pretty amber-colored glaze on top the panna cotta, were nice. Distictly tart. They made for a good pairing with the creamy panna cotta, resulting overall in a light and refreshing summer-y end to a meal.

For those that don't know, panna cotta is honey-sweetened cream and milk, stabilized with unflavored gelatin. Though cream-based, it's really only a fancy Jell-O of sorts, that's very simple to make. In my version here, I top it with a season-approapriate, citrusy and spiced kumquat gelée, which also has a jello-like consistency due to the addition of gelatin. With the free-floating fruit, it is perhaps somewhat reminiscent of the Jell-O salad ubiquitous at retro potlucks. But I'd like to believe this is a slightly more sophisticated version.

The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies. I attempted the florentine cookies as well, but gave them all away before photos could be taken.

Giada's Vanilla Panna Cotta

serves 6

1 cup whole milk
1 TBS (one packet) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup honey
1 TBS granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Pour the milk into a chilled sauce pan and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.

Place the saucepan over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes, whisking a few times as it heats.

Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn't boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved, 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into individual glasses or ramekins.

Refrigerate about 6 hours or until firm. When firm enough to support the gelée layer (see recipe below), pour the room temperature gelée over the panna cotta, distributing evenly among all the glasses. Room temperature is important so as not to melt the panna cotta, which would disturb the distinct separation of layers. Chill several more hours to allow the gel to set up firm.

Kumquat Gewurztraminer Gelée
from Jamie Stachowski, Restaurant Kolumbia

1 pint kumquats

1½ tsp powdered gelatin

1¼ cup Gewurztraminer wine, divided

½ cup sugar
½ cup honey

1 small knob peeled ginger root

1 star anise clove

zest of ½ a lemon

1½ tsp lemon juice

a pinch of salt

In a saucepan, cover the whole kumquats with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 2 minutes, then drain. Repeat process twice until kumquats are very soft, don't worry if some begin to split. This process removes the bitterness. Slice into thin rounds and remove seeds. Set aside.

In a bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over ¼ cup wine. Set aside.

Set a pot over medium heat and mix the sugar with the honey. When the sugar dissolves, turn heat to low and add the ginger, anise clove, and lemon zest. Simmer for a few minutes until aromatic. Stir in the remaining cup of wine, then add sliced kumquats and simmer on low until the flesh is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Take ¼ cup of syrup and whisk into gelatin/wine mixture, then stir the gelatin mixture back into pot of kumquats and syrup. Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Stir to evenly distribute kumquats and whole spices. Cool until room temperature and then remove spices.