balsamic basil strawberry crush

i love strawberry season (who doesn't?). i also love amazing, high-quality, aged balsamic vinegar that doesn't even taste like vinegar, and can be poured on fruit or vanilla bean ice cream or both. basil makes it all the better. this reminds me of a dessert i had at a restaurant in chicago. the dessert was composed mostly of tomatoes, and there were three arrangements of sweet tomato creations on the plate. one of them involved both tomatoes and strawberries, and it was accompanied by basil balsamic gelato. mmmm.

strawberries
high quality balsamic vinegar, aged 10 or more years
italian basil
maple syrup (optional)

serve with good vanilla bean ice cream, sabayon, or semifreddo

remove strawberry tops and quarter. put in a bowl and crush/squeeze slightly with hands to make them juicy. add balsamic to taste, then add chopped basil. let sit for 15 minutes, check for flavoring. add more vinegar for stronger flavor, and maple syrup if sweetness needs adjusting. delicious on top of Green and Black's vanilla ice cream.

sweet and spicy black bean stew

i got the idea for this dish from a recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. his recipe, Brazilian Black Beans, calls for plantain instead of sweet potato, and for the beans to be baked in the sauce. i decided that i wanted more of a stew or soup and i liked the idea of a slightly sweet and spicy sauce, but not as sweet as the plantain would make it. at the end i added lime juice and nutmeg- the result is a delicious and easy stew with complex flavoring. this stew is also great with the addition of flavorful slow cooked chicken and it’s juiced added. you can serve it as a soup if it’s thinner, or with warm corn tortillas if it’s on the thicker side.

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
cayenne to taste, or minced fresh chili
1 Tbsp or more minced ginger
1.5 cups chopped ripe or canned tomato with juices
1 medium sweet potato
1 cup or more dry black beans ,soaked for 24 hours (or alternatively, use already cooked black beans, about 3 cups)
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper
fresh lime juice, to taste
grated nutmeg, to taste

cilantro for garnish

chop sweet potato into chunks and put into a pot and add just enough water to cover. parboil potatoes until tender enough to push a fork into. saute onion until soft, add cayenne or chili, thyme and ginger and sauté for another minute or two. add sweet potato and tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. cool enough to puree in blender or food processor. put sauce back in pot and add beans and cook until beans are tender, adding water as needed. when the beans are done, add lime juice and nutmeg to taste, adjusting salt as needed. garnish with cilantro.

curried beets

this was originally meant to be a carrot dish, but the beets were oh so much better. brought them to a potluck and they were a hit. mmmm. seriously good and seriously easy.

curried beets

beets- chopped into bite-size peices
salt
lime juice
ground cumin
minced garlic
olive oil
chopped cilantro

cook the beets in a little bit of water until tender but still firm. drain any remaining water, put into a bowl and add fresh lime juice (maybe 2-3 Tbsp/pound of beets...), stir. add minced garlic, stir, then oil and cumin. let cool, then add cilantro.