We find the weather this time of year conducive to spending more time in the kitchen and expand our repertoire, but Vanessa Barrington’s D.I.Y. Delicious inspired us to go back to basics rather than branch out into something new. We’re talking really basic, like making your own sourdough starter and yogurt.
D.I.Y. Delicious: Recipes and Ideas for Simple Food From Scratch is all about reviving lost kitchen arts to create everything from jams to mustards to vinegars to cheese from scratch. Why? Well it often tastes better, it saves money and packaging and it gives you the satisfaction of knowing exactly where your food’s come from and what’s in it. Once she covers the basics Barrington also shares recipes in which to use those from-scratch ingredients.
We suspect we’re like most D.I.Y. readers in that we’re definitely going to try some of her ideas, but realistically our lives with kids preclude us from making some of the others. But we can tell you that when we whipped up a batch of yogurt from scratch – Barrington’s also about fewer kitchen gadgets so we made ours in the oven – the feeling of accomplishment we were left with was deeply satisfying. And our kids were beyond excited to dig into homemade yogurt.
You’ll also find D.I.Y. tips for making your own baby and pet food in the book. And even if you never want to actually want to make your own cultured butter, just reading about it is inspiring.
And what’s a cookbook review without a recipe to share? Quesadillas may be a go-to meal for mamas, but finding a way to liven them up can be challenging, so here’s Barrington’s recipe for Zucchini and Mushroom Quesadillas – do as much, or as little, of what she suggests as you’d like. Admittedly she’d have you make your own quesadillas but we left that part out for the sake of time (yours), however if you’d like the recipe just let us know and we’ll post it in our diary.
Zucchini and Mushroom Quesadillas
Ordinary vegetables become extraordinary when tucked into homemade flour tortillas. Vary these to your liking or according to the season. You can make them with beans, chicken, winter squash, or any other number of seasonal vegetables. Use store-bought cheese if you’re not feeling ambitious enough to make your own, but if you at least make the Simple Tomato Salsa or the Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa and the Flour Tortillas, you’re in for a real treat.
Time Required: about 45 minutes active (including salsa, cheese and tortilla preparation)
Yield: 4 servings
- 3½ to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ yellow or white onion, sliced
- About ¾ pound mushrooms of your choice, sliced
- 2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 flour tortillas
- About 1¼ cups Fresh Whole-Milk
- Soft Cheese or store bought grating cheese or queso fresco
- About 1½ cups Simple Tomato Salsa (recipe below) or Avocado-
- Tomatillo Salsa (recipe below), plus more for serving
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
In a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and cook until wilted and fragrant, about 9 minutes. Add the mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, oregano, a pinch or two of salt, and a couple of grindings of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are brown and soft, about 10 minutes. Taste and correct the seasoning for salt. The vegetables can be prepared from several hours to two hours ahead and refrigerated.
Lay the tortillas out on a flat surface and distribute the filling among them, arranging it on one side of each tortilla so they can easily be folded over. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the vegetables, distributing it evenly among the tortillas. Spoon the salsa on top of the filling and cheese, distributing it evenly.
Heat a heavy, well-seasoned, cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add just a whisper of oil – about 1 teaspoon. Fold the quesadillas over and cook them, two at a time, until brown and slightly crisp, and the filling is warmed through, about 3 minutes per side. Keep the cooked quesadillas warm in a low (250-degree-F) oven while you finish cooking the remaining ones, adding more oil as needed. Serve immediately with more salsa on the side and a garnish of cilantro.
D.I.Y. Delicious: Recipes and Ideas for Simple Food From Scratch: www.chapters.indigo.ca
Simple Tomato Salsa
Yield: about 2 cups
- 1 dried New Mexico or ancho chile
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin seeds
- ½ yellow or white onion, cut into
- ½-inch slices
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled and left whole
- 1 pound fresh whole Roma tomatoes
- 1 small handful fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or more to taste
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
Using scissors, slit the chile up the side and remove the stem and seeds. Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Open the chile up flat and lay it down in the skillet. Toast it about 30 seconds per side until fragrant, turning with tongs. Don’t let it smoke, or it will turn bitter. Transfer the chile to a small bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Soak until soft, at least 15 minutes.
In the same skillet, dry-toast the cumin seeds over medium heat until brown and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pan, let cool, and finely grind in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle.
In the same dry skillet, over medium-high heat, toast the onion and garlic until soft and brown, turning occasionally with tongs, about 10 minutes. Remove each one to a plate as it finishes cooking. Peel the garlic when it is cool enough to handle.
Put half of the tomatoes in the skillet and roast, turning often with tongs, until charred on the outside and beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. While they roast, peel the remaining tomatoes with a sharp knife and set them aside. When all of the vegetables are roasted, and the soaked chile is pliable, remove the chile from the water, reserving the water to thin the salsa if needed. Put the chile, onion, garlic, and both the roasted and fresh tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Add the cilantro, cumin, and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Blend until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne (if using), and more lime juice to taste. Add the chile-soaking liquid if you desire a thinner salsa. Refrigerate, well covered, for up to 10 days.
Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa
Yield: makes about 2 1/2 cups
- 1 pound fresh tomatillos
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ medium red onion, cut into
- ½-inch slices
- 2 or 3 serrano chiles, left whole
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled and left whole
- 1 medium avocado
- 3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a pot of water to a boil, peel the papery husks from the tomatillos, rinse, and drop the fruits into the pot. Boil until they are soft and turn dull green, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
While waiting for the water to boil, toast the cumin seeds over medium heat in a dry skillet until brown and fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pan, let cool, and finely grind them in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
In a medium, dry skillet over medium heat, toast the red onion, chiles, and garlic, turning occasionally, until browned, fragrant, and soft, about 10 minutes.
Remove them to a plate as they finish cooking.
When the garlic is cool enough to handle, peel it. Remove the stems from the chiles and some, none, or all of the seeds, depending on how hot you want your salsa.
Transfer the tomatillos, garlic, chiles, toasted onion, cumin, and the flesh of the avocado to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, pour into a serving bowl, and stir in the green onions, cilantro, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. You can make this salsa several hours or up to 1 day ahead. Extra salsa will keep for 3 or 4 days, covered well and refrigerated, but will discolor slightly.