The Humble Kitchen

Where I live I am never terribly far from a Vietnamese sandwich, but if you are not so lucky, take comfort in the knowledge that they are simple enough to make at home. There are many variations including pork belly, sausage, meatball, ham & paté, chicken, egg, tofu and fish cake, just to name a few. Here I’m using turkey.

For 4 sandwiches you will need:

• 4 demi baguettes or 2 French baguettes cut in half
• Roasted turkey, or chicken, sliced thinly & seasoned with soy sauce
• Mayonnaise (homemade recipe follows)
• Cilantro stems and leaves
• English cucumber sliced thinly on the bias
• Pickled carrot & daikon (recipe follows)
• Tomato sliced thinly (optional)
• Jalapeño or other chili sliced thinly (optional)

Preheat oven to 400º. Butterfly the demi baguettes, slather generously with mayonnaise and put in the hot oven for 5 minutes. Once warmed and crunchy, layer on turkey, cucumber, pickled veggies, cilantro, tomato and chili, if using.

Pickled Carrot & Daikon Radish

½ cup water

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup distilled white vinegar

½ cup julienned carrot

½ cup julienned daikon radish

In a small pan on high heat, combine water, sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil. Once cooled mix well with julienned carrot & daikon (julienne carrot and daikon with a grater attachment and a food processor) and season with salt. Let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes, up to overnight.

Quick Mayonnaise

Using store bought is fine, but if you are up to it, try the homemade, it is really delicious.

You need an immersion blender and a cup just big enough to fit the blade.

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup canola oil, cold pressed preferably

Place everything but the canola oil in the cup and blend just to mix. With the blade running, slowly, slowly pour in the canola oil, moving the blade up and down ever so slightly as you go. Once you start drizzling in the oil the whole thing only takes about 20 seconds.

-Jennifer

This salad is beautiful, delicious, and good for you. The fennel and mint give it a distinct flavor. It’s good warm or cold straight from the fridge.

1 onion
1 small eggplant
2 small zucchini
2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers
1 fennel bulb
1 bunch fresh mint
1 lb cooked lentils
1 lemon
olive oil
red wine vinegar
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425º. Trim your vegetables and cut everything into 1″ pieces. I like to peel bell peppers, but that is optional. Toss the chopped veg with olive oil, salt and pepper and put it on a sheet pan in a single layer. Tear over about half the mint. Bake for 30 minutes or until everything is tender and lightly browned.

Pour your cooked lentils into a large mixing bowl. I buy mine pre-cooked but it’s easy enough to cook some while the vegetables roast. Slide the vegetables off the roasting tray into the bowl of lentils. Grate over a bit of lemon zest, squeeze in half the lemon. Add in about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, a bit of salt and pepper. Tear in the remaining mint leaves. I sometimes add parsley or basil if I have any on hand. Give it a gentle stir and taste. Add a bit more lemon juice or vinegar if it needs it. Enjoy.

-Jennifer

We’ve been making this soup for as long as I can remember. I have no idea where the recipe came from, but we’ve changed it enough that I don’t suppose it matters. It’s a basic puréed soup recipe, but it really is a great combinations of flavors. On a cold day it’s warm and soothing, and the sunny color is lovely.

• knob of butter
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 2″ slices
• 3 medium onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• ⅓ cup flour
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• juice of an orange or two
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt
• pepper
• sugar (maybe)

Melt butter in large heavy bottomed pot. Add carrots, onions and garlic and sauté 5 minutes. Add flour, stir well and slowly add stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and purée with immersion blender, or in batches in a blender. Once smooth return to a low flame and add the juice of an orange and the cream, stirring well. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper, a teaspoon of sugar if the carrots you used aren’t particularly sweet, and more orange juice if needed. Once well seasoned and piping hot, enjoy.

-Jennifer

I love this chutney. You can put it up in sterilized jars, but I never bother because I go through it so quickly. It makes the best grilled cheese sandwich, great on a cheeseburger, or along side a steak. I put in my chili instead of bell peppers, and I’m sure you’ll come up with your own uses for it. I don’t always make it with the same chiles, depends what looks good at the market. This time of year you can get loads of bell peppers and chiles for next to nothing at the farmer’s market. Whatever chiles you choose, be mindful of the heat, and use more or less to taste.

• 8-10 fresh red chiles, or to taste
• 8 red bell peppers
• olive oil
• 2 medium red onions, peeled and chopped
• a sprig of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• a 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup balsamic vinegar

Place your chiles and peppers over a flame, or on a tray under a broiler, turning them now and then until blackened and blistered all over. Place the hot chiles and peppers into a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Once they steam then cool down you’ll be able to peel the skin off easily.

Meanwhile heat a saucepan and pour in a splash of olive oil. Add the onions, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook very slowly for about 20 minutes or so, until the onions become rich, golden and sticky.

Once the chiles and peppers are cool enough to handle get rid of most of the skin, trim the stalks and scoop out the seeds. Finely chop the by hand or put in a food processor. (Wear gloves when doing the chiles, otherwise your hands may burn from the capsaicin.)

Add the chopped chiles and peppers, the sugar and the vinegar to the onions and keep cooking. When the liquid reduces and you’re left with a lovely thick sticky chutney, season well to taste. Remove the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves. Either spoon into the sterilized jars and put them in a cool dark place, or keep in the fridge and use right away. In sterilized jars, the chutney should keep for a couple of months.

-Jennifer

I found this beautiful broccoli rabe at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market yesterday. I can find almost everything I need there and it’s almost all organic and pasture raised. There are delightfully different products there, like banana leaves and I even found Union-picked broccoli and strawberries yesterday. Amazing!

While I was washing it, I wondered if we could eat the stems, you know, like broccoli. In walked the neighbor so I asked him the question. He replied, “dunno,” took some over to his place and started messing with it. What came back was this…

My daughter eating raw broccoli rabe like a banana (sorry about the cat hindquarters and tail, she never moves from that location except to eat)

What my neighbor found was a tough exterior, similar to the very end of the asparagus and broccoli stems, that revealed a softer, totally edible interior. So I peeled and added the stems to the dish as well. It was a very simple dish and quick too. Only olive oil, salt, pepper, two cloves of garlic, the broccoli rabe, a little Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a few slices of sausages on the side.

Gluten free penne with broccoli rabe

While we were eating dinner, my son asked, “Which is more healthier, broccoli or red bell peppers?” He has been interested in nutritional facts lately, for whatever reason. So we looked it up in Laurel’s Kitchen. We were amazed to learn that 1c of broccoli has 324 mg of potassium and 3880 iu of vitamin A. One red bell pepper, by contrast, has 148 mg of potassium and 3295 iu of vitamin A! Healthy indeed.

~Sarah

Roasted bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach and slow roasted tomatoes on gluten-free french bread

You might not believe this, but my 5-year old said that this sandwich was “SO GOOD!” He even wanted the leftovers the next day. I was a little stunned myself.  I honestly thought this eat-most-things attitude would wear off, but it hasn’t. Despite their willingness now, I am still emotionally ready for the day they will only eat pizza.

This sandwich was made with Carol Fenster’s French Bread recipe and some fresh, green bell peppers from my Uncle’s garden. The peppers were wonderfully sweet, not having that weird, acidic edge I find in some supermarket peppers (what is that from? Is it because they are old?). I roasted them for a few minutes on each side and then combined them with some slow-roasted tomatoes and thinly sliced onions from the Berkeley Farmer’s Market. I threw in some mushrooms and spinach at the very end for additional texture and color. Seasoned with only salt and pepper, it made for a lovely weeknight dinner.

~Sarah

Trader Joe’s had organic, red quinoa on sale so I bought some. I had halfheartedly been looking for it, just for a dash of color in my dishes. Most grains are tan or creme so this is a lovely change. I keep having ideas for gratins because I really am on the quest for different and healthy breakfast options that still allow for some creativity.

Because of this new book I purchased titled Nourishing Traditions, I first soaked 1c. of the quinoa overnight in 1c. of water with 2T liquid whey. It definitely zaps some of the bitter taste from the quinoa and supposedly, some of the anti-nutrients as well. All I know is the kids and I eat it and it tastes yummy. To this soaked quinoa I added  an additional cup of hemp milk and some salt. I simmered it, covered, for around fifteen minutes and when the water was almost absorbed, I stirred it and shut off the heat.

Since I was keeping this as close to vegan as possible (in all honesty I forgot about the whey), I made a vegan chocolate pudding as a second layer:

In my saucepan that I have now decided I totally and completely DISLIKE and want to throw out a window, I whisked 2T of Green and Black’s cocoa powder with 2T maple syrup and a few grains of salt. When that was mixed well, I added 1c of hemp milk. In a little cup I dissolved about 2t of cornstarch and 1/3c of hemp milk and added it to the pot. I brought this mix to a boil in the evil saucepan and simmered until slightly thickened.

In the bottom of the ramekins, I placed about 1t of maple syrup and then filled it 2/3 full of quinoa (despite this photo not reflecting that amount).

A thin layer of pudding sauce was added next and then I topped it with pistachios that I had lightly toasted hoping that they’d get, well, toasty. (Never did, they did burn the first time in the other evil pan)

After my son declaring that he only “likes chocolate pudding without nuts” and deeming whipped cream a necessary  condiment, the resulting gratin was a HUGE success. Spider-Man approved even.

I brought it to work to share with my pals MEM and EM and they both really liked it. MEM and I usually sit around contemplating my next creation and also brainstorming how the one at hand could be made better (EM usually leaves at this point or drifts in and out of the conversation). She and I agreed that this needed fruit of some sort and a crunchy layer would have been welcome. I agreed wholeheartedly, but said that I was tired of putting almonds in everything.

I then suggested “hazelnut and apple compote with a fun spice on the bottom” to which MEM chimed in “and orange zest.”

This, my friends, is the next gratin creation…Red quinoa and chocolate pudding gratin with apple-hazelnut compote. I can’t wait.

~Sarah

I am not sure how this keeps happening, but for whatever reason people keep giving me old bananas.

First, I gave myself old bananas by not eating them, then my Mother drove them 150 miles to me, then my neighbor, then the ex when he brought the kids back. All of them alluded to the fact that I “could make banana bread or something” to which I replied, “There is only so much banana bread a person can eat you know.” But, not wanting to waste the food, I had to find another use for all these poor, unloved bananas.

Enter banana and rice gratin with coconut and cardamon.

I had my little pods of green cardamom, split them open and revealed their sweet-spiciness. The littlest chef lent her tiny hands to help to grind them with the mortar and pestle.

After some work with the spice and the reminder talk about sneezing into food one cooks, she determined the work would make her sneeze too much so she set off in search of something more princess-like to do. I continued on.

I made these with my friend Miriam in mind, but I also wanted the kids to have something different for breakfast. As much as we all love pancakes, one should not eat them everyday. Same goes for eggs, oatmeal, cold cereal, it all gets old after awhile…

This was a neat detour. Ultimately this gratin was based on two recipes from Gluten Free French Desserts and Baked Goods.

In a small pot, cook 1/3c of rice semolina with 1c of hemp milk over low heat for about 7 minutes. Distribute evenly on the bottom of your ramekins or bowls.

Coarsely chop about a cup of almonds and make a layer of those in the ramekin, reserving some for the banana mixture and the top of the finished gratin.

In a medium bowl, coarsely mash up four bananas and add about 6T of coconut cream. Mix well.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 4T of rice flour with 2/3c of hemp milk and heat until thick. Then add 4T maple syrup. Pour this into your banana-coconut mix and add about 2-3t of ground cardamom, depending upon your preference and 3T of chopped almonds.

This is the third layer of your gratin. Sprinkle with almonds and cardamom and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or so. Alternatively you could use the broiler, I just happened to already have the oven on. Enjoy while they’re warm.

~Sarah

This is the sort of lunch I like to have on a cool spring day like this one. Simple and satisfying. Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe.

15 oz can chickpeas, drained
3 new potatoes, diced
2 large (or 5 or 6 smaller) leeks, finely sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
knob of butter
2 cloves of garlic, finely, sliced
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Parmesan cheese, grated
parsley, chopped
Remove the outer skin and dark tops of the leeks, slice lengthways from the root up, wash carefully and slice finely. Warm a thick-bottomed pan, add olive oil and butter. Add the leeks and garlic to the pan, and sweat gently with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet.


Add the drained chickpeas and diced potatoes and cook for a minute.

Add the stock and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and chickpeas are tender.

At this point you can purée half the soup in a food processor and leave the other half chunky, or if you have an immersion blender whiz it around in the pot until you get the desired consistency. You want to thicken the soup but leave some chunky stuff.

Stir well and taste for seasoning, this soup likes lots of black pepper. Ladle into warm bowls and top with chopped parsley and some freshly grated Parmesan. Good on its own but a crusty piece of bread is a welcome addition.

-Jennifer

It’s rainy here in Northern California, the perfect time to go mushroom hunting. A friend and I took a walk around Mount Tamalpais last week, and found a selection of wild mushrooms. We are novices, and do our best to identify what we find, but we like our livers too much to dare eat anything.

Though last year I was fortunate to have a lion’s mane pop up in my front yard. After showing it to several mushroom experts, I brought it in the house and cooked it up. Delicate & delicious, these can often be found at Whole Foods and other specialty markets.

There are so many mushrooms available in the markets, though most often I go for the crimini, or baby portabellas. I love their flavor and versatility. I do keep various dried mushrooms on hand, they last forever, and add instant depth of flavor to savory dishes. One of my favorite breakfasts is sautéed mushrooms on toast. Jamie Oliver’s book Jamie at home has an excellent recipe that I base mine on.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 handfuls crimini and/or mixed wild mushrooms, wiped clean
2 cloves of garlic, 1 peeled and finely chopped, the other halved
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
A few sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher or coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 fresno red chili, minced
A small knob of butter
1 lemon
2 slices of pain au levain, or your favorite crusty bread

Put a large heavy frying pan, big enough to hold all the mushrooms in one layer, over heat and add a couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil. Depending on the size of your mushrooms, leave any small ones whole but tear, break or slice the larger ones up. Add them all to the pan and give it a shake to toss the mushrooms in the oil.

Add the chopped garlic and thyme and shake the pan again. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the minced chili and leave to fry gently for a few minutes. If the mixture becomes dry, pour in a little more oil.

Once the mushrooms have got some color going on, after about 3-4 minutes, add the butter and a small squeeze of lemon juice, you don’t need much — and toss again.

To finish this off and make it into a lovely, creamy sauce, spoon 2-3 tablespoons of water into the pan. Simmer for a little longer, until you have a lovely simple sauce that just loosely coats the mushrooms. Now toast your bread.

When toasted, rub the bread with the cut side of the remaining clove of garlic. Place each slice on a serving plate, pile the mushrooms and the creamy juices from the pan on top, and sprinkle with parsley. Eat immediately.

-Jennifer