Cooking from the Pantry, Part II: Ginger Fried Rice (and Boulder Farms)

I'm up to my eyeballs in boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap. Our third bedroom is fast become a staging ground for our impending move, which is less than 2 weeks away (eek). I'm trying to get as much done as possible. This way, when my husband gets here, we can do some hiking in the mountains and head over to the farms near Boulder. Of course there are tons of things to do in the city as well (like a date night at the retro- Lakeside Amusement Park , the Sunnyside Music Festival and 'Now Boarding' at the Denver Art Museum), but sometimes I like to hit the road and get out of town. 
This morning I got a little bit of packing done and then we spent the rest of the day outside --this weather is absolutely spectacular. You can feel it; fall is just around the corner. That, my friends, makes me downright giddy. The cooler nights are wonderful, and while the sun is still really strong during the day, we now have a respite from the oppressive heat of June and July. Those heat waves seem to be behind us. (And hopefully those wildfires too.) This weather gives me a serious case of perma-smile. 
So, we went back to Boulder for a little hike and to check out a few farms that we had never visited. Our first stop was Cure Organic Farm, which has a great farm store. I picked up some wonderful looking produce (included in today's bounty: tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, beets, peaches, carrots, and leeks)...
...and then we fed the pigs and saw the ducks.
I  have to tell you (and this might sound strange coming from an vegetarian who grew up in a kosher home), but I totally love pigs. There was a little part of me that wanted to take one of these guys home, but I think that we've got enough on our plate right now...and I'm not sure a) how keen the farm would be to give us one of their porcine friends, and b) how keen my husband would be having a pig roaming around our backyard...
I though about asking if the pigs had names, but then decided not to. That's because the last time I was on a farm and asked, "What's the pig's name?" the response was "Bacon Bits." I was horrified. I've learned it's better not to ask questions if you don't really want to hear the answers. 
We read David Wiesner's "Three Pigs" almost every night, so Otis was really excited about these guys, um, gals. 
Our second stop was Munson Farm, right across the street from the Cure Farm. There I picked up white corn, Palisade Peaches, and some watermelons that looked like perfectly shaped bowling balls. There were also Zinnia flower beds that were "cut your own." 
When we got back to the house I decided to do a little cooking. A new restaurant called Uncle opened in the Highlands and, according to Eater, it's "Momofuku-esque." Reading the review got me thinking about a Momofukufor2 recipe I had seen for Ginger Fried Rice (adapted from Mark Bittman). I had pinned it on my recipe board a while ago, but never got around to making it. So last night I cooked up some rice, since the recipe calls for day-old rice. I had the rest of the ingredients on hand (either in the fridge or the pantry) and included my recent farm purchases-- eggs and leeks. 
I thought this recipe would work well as an installation for my "Cooking From the Pantry" series-- where I try to use up ingredients from the cupboard-- in this case, rice. 
I think I'll be making this one again and again. It's tasty and simple. So here it is:
Ginger Fried Rice Recipe (Courtesy of Momofukufor2 blog, adapted from Mark Bittman at the nytimes.com, adapted from Jean-George Vongerichten.)
Serves 2
Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
Salt
1 cup thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried
2 cups day-old cooked rice, preferably jasmine, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Preparation
In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and salt lightly.
Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and add 2 tablespoons oil (or maybe even just 1 so it's not too oily) and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season lightly with salt.
Raise heat to medium and add rice. Cook, stirring well, until heated through. Season to taste with salt.
In a nonstick skillet, fry eggs in remaining oil, sunny-side-up, until edges are set but yolk is still runny.
Divide rice among two dishes. Top each with an egg and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over everything and enjoy hot.

Cooking from the Pantry, Part I: Heidi Swanson's White Bean Dip with Almonds and Rosemary


{This is a little back story...}
A few weeks ago I decided to take Otis and Theodore to the zoo. We identified all of the animals and learned about their critical habitat. And we talked to some of the zoo volunteers about the conservation efforts that are underway to protect the orangutan (this would be a good place to tell you that before law school I toyed with the idea of being a primatolgist). We ate soft serve ice cream too. Then Otis turned to me and said, "this was a great day, Mommy." I smiled and agreed. 
When we came back to the house (the one we've been renting for the past year), there was a very large, red "FOR SALE" sign on the plot. I gulped. D'oh! That was not what I wanted to see. An expletive-fest ensued.
A few days later our rental, along with the house next door, was sold to a developer. Lickety-split. In record time. I knew what was coming next...
The demolition is slated for next month and a luxury duplex will replace our cute little 1920's home in the Highlands. Well, it's not really ours, but I do feel attached. 
I'll spare you the details, but let's just say we are on the move (again). We need to box up our things and be out in 2 weeks. Thankfully, we found another place to rent for 6 months. (Relief! Joy!) And yes, I know what you're thinking, our family moves around a lot. Indeed we do.
Using the move as inspiration, I decided to do a little series called "Cooking from the Pantry." I'm going to select recipes that use ingredients I already have stocked in the cupboard. This is my best effort to use up some of the things that have been sitting around, collecting dust.
This white bean spread, from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day, is the first installation in my little series. I have a few cans of white beans, a big bag of sliced almonds, rosemary from our garden, garlic from the market and a few extra lemons. There is nothing I need to buy. Perfect.
I really like this spread and it's simple to make. The toasted almonds add a bit of crunch and there's some nice citrus flavor from the lemon and zest. You can serve the dip with pita chips or some sliced bread. Just be sure to add lemon and salt to taste. This is a nice recipe if you want a bean dip but aren't in the mood for hummus. 
Stay tuned. My next installation of "Cooking from the Pantry" will be Polenta with Green Chilies and Cheese! (Of course I hope to do a seasonal post on tomatoes as well. They are ripe, ripe, ripe!)
Have a great day. I'm off to start packing... 
White Bean Spread with Almonds and Rosemary (Courtesy of Heidi Swanson, Super Natural Every Day)
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained (I used Cannellini)
3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed (I used about 1 teaspoon more)
1/4 to 3/4 cup hot water
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Preparation
In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Over medium-low heat, slowly warm the mixture until the oil just barely starts to sizzle, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Pour the oil through a strainer and discard the garlic and rosemary bits.
In a food processor, combine the beans, two-thirds of the almonds, a scant ½ teaspoon salt, the lemon juice, and two-thirds of the rosemary oil. Pulse a couple of times to bring the ingredients together. Add the water 1/4 cup at a time, pulsing all the while, until the mixture is the consistency of thick frosting. You might not need all the water; it really depends on how starchy your beans are and how thick you’d like the spread to be. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice or salt, if needed.
Scoop the spread into a serving dish and make a few indentations in the top. Sprinkle with the lemon zest and the remaining almonds and drizzle with the remaining rosemary oil. Serve with pita chips.
{To toast the almonds: Place the nuts in a single layer in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Toss them around every couple of minutes, until fragrant and toasty. Don't walk away; if you do, set a timer so you don't forget. You can burn a batch of nuts very quickly!}

In Instagram: Red Rocks, Colorado

On Monday morning I woke up to something unusual: it was cloudy (!)-- the sun wasn't shining(!). This is Colorado, folks, and the sun is always shining. So I scrapped our plans to go to the library and the Denver Art Museum. Instead we went on a hike that is nearly impossible to do when the sun is full-force (with 90 degree temps) and you're shlepping two small boys around with you on a nature excursion.
On this wonderfully cloudy day, we decided to hit Red Rocks. It's a short drive, say 20 minutes, from our home in Denver and through the town of Morrison. There are awesome vistas and gorgeous rock formations. It was a really great way to spend an afternoon...
{I took these shots on my iPhone using the Instagram app, which is my latest obsession. I played around with the filters and exposures. Next time I'll bring my big camera and lens, but I think this is a pretty great way to capture a hike-- especially when you don't want to carry heavy gear around with you.}
                            

Rocky Mountain Roller Coasters and Musings on Thankfulness (with a Chocolate Apricot Tart)

I grew up in an observant home and we pretty much thanked God for everything. We thanked him religiously. It was a non-stop gratitude party. We said blessings of thanks before we ate our meal, after we consumed our meal, during the harvest, before we wore new clothes, and yes, even when our internal pipes functioned properly. There were prayers of thanks for pretty much everything under the sun (and appreciation when the rains came on a hot summer night). I remember thanking God for the trees, for the sky and for salamanders (I really loved salamanders when I was a kid.)
In addition to thanking God, I would thank my parents every now and again too. I remember writing them a letter thanking them for adopting me. It went something like, "Thank you for adopting me. I am lucky. The end." I was a thankful little girl. 
But recently I haven't been counting my blessings and I haven't been terribly thankful. When it looked like we would have to leave Denver (a place we love) and return to New York City, (my hometown, but someplace we don't want to raise our family for a myriad of reasons), I was consumed with anger, bitterness and stress. I kept concentrating on all the challenges the city presents for us, instead of on all the good things that can come from living there (great friends, my parents, our family, and, um, Culture yogurt-- it's seriously delicious.) I forgot that even if we would have to move back east, we have all the things that really matter: love. So what if I wouldn't instantaneously have the material things I wanted-- wanting is not needing. 
In the process of all of this, I forgot to be thankful for the things in my life. I have a mother who is my best friend and often does things that are not in her own best interests in order to support our dreams; I have a husband who is my partner in life and has made great sacrifices in order to make Colorado our home (not to mention his draining back-and-forth commute from Brooklyn to Denver); I have two healthy and beautiful children who are an absolute joy to watch; I have a brother and sister-in-law who, despite having six children  (that's right, six!) and demanding careers, always check in with us to see how we are doing; I have a best friend who will FaceTime with me well into the wee-hours of the night when I need to talk; and we have a really great circle of friends, who are some of the most supportive and incredible people I know. 
My problems are small in comparison to those who suffer from poor health and terminal diseases, from those who live under horrendous conditions (political and economic), from those who have no running water or from those who care for children with serious, life-threatening disabilities. There is real suffering in this world. And my concerns for a good quality of life, while legitimate, really aren't the worse challenges one can face in a lifetime. 
I have promised myself that if life presents any more lemons, I will turn them into lemonade. I think I just needed a little bit of perspective. 
But now let me share some good news: we got another last-minute-reprieve and we will stay in Colorado for another 6 months. I hope (really, really, hope) that this works out for us and jobs line up. But if it doesn’t, and we have to leave Colorado, I will remember to be thankful for the life we had here and for the good things we have back in New York…
For the next 6 months (and hopefully many more) I will happily blog about the city we love and the things we cook in our kitchen. Along the way you can also see how our little "sparrows" keep growing.
Thanks for all your support. The emails, calls and texts have meant a lot to me (and us). 
Special shout out to those of you who listened to me rant and indulged my periodic tantrums. You know who you are, and I love you.
I feel like celebrating with something sweet, so here is a recipe for Chocolate Apricot Tart. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Chocolate Apricot Tart (From my friend Charlotta)
My friend made this cake for me last year on the ocassion of my 35th birthday. She also brought it over to my house several days after Theodore was born. A few weeks ago she gave birth to her second daughter, so I thought this would be a nice time to post it. It's really easy to make and it tastes great. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract
4 tablespoons cocoa (I usually use Rademaker or another Dutch cocoa.)
2/3 cup flour
100 grams (a little less than a stick) melted butter
Apricot preserves (I used about half of a 12 ounce bottle, so around 6 ounces.)
Unsweetened chocolate (I used half of a thick 4 inch block of good chocolate.)
Sliced almonds (optional)
Preparation
Turn on the oven to 320 F.
Melt the butter and let it cool. Use some of the butter to grease a pie pan/spring form pan.
Stir all ingredients together in the order listed above (from eggs to butter-- stop there. Preserve, chocolate and almonds come later).
Bake 30-35 min. The tart should have a dry surface but be somewhat gooey inside.
Leave the tart to cool. When cool, spread a layer of apricot preserves on top.
Melt the chocolate (I melted the chocolate in a double boiler. I put some water in a small saucepan and brought it to a boil. Then I placed a bowl on top of the saucepan, added the chocolate and stirred it until it was melted.) 
Spread the chocolate on top of the apricot layer.
Decorate with almonds (optional).
Refrigerate for the chocolate to set. When set, eat, or cover with plastic wrap.
This cake is best served when it's cool, straight from the fridge. Don't leave out on the counter.
Enjoy!