Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

Amy’s Writing, Photography and Art can be found at amybisson.com

27 Dec 2023: Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta

December 28, 2023
I absolutely love beets in nearly any form, and this spectacular pasta dish, with a sauce made with beets and pasta is one of the tastiest mains I’ve eaten in a long time. Also true: the beautiful red along with pistachios makes for a very festive dish.

My subscription to the Washington Post allows me to gift the link to the recipe, which you can find here {Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta].

The ingredients are listed below. This was not only tasty and colorful, but easy to put together, making it a great dish for this busy in-between-holidays week.

Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta
- medium beets (14 ounces total), trimmed, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch dice (link to the article for cooking alternatives)
- 1 pound medium dry pasta (I used rigatoni)
- fresh goat cheese (chevre)
- balsamic vinegar
- garlic powder
- cayenne pepper
- chopped pistachios (for serving)
- fresh mint leaves (for serving)
- Pink Himalayan or flaky sea salt (for serving)
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23 December 2023: Nanaimo Bars

December 23, 2023
As of today, my holiday bakes are done! Our house smells outrageously of butter, sugar and spices. After the past four weeks, I admit I have a new and deep appreciation for professional bakers.

These Nanaimo Bars were among the last sweet that I baked this season. I’d seen recipes for them quite frequently and, curiosity piqued, went looking for a (somewhat) authentic recipe. A no-bake treat from Canada, these bars are deliciously fun, even if they do lean heavily of packaged ingredients (looking at you, Bird’s Custard powder).

As a subscriber to the New York Times, I’ve included a gift link to this recipe. Be sure to read the reader comments filled with suggestions from our Neighbors to the North. The list of ingredients follows:

Nanaimo Bars

Sara Bonisteel, New York Times

Ingredient List
- Base Layer
  - unsalted butter
  - granulated sugar
  - large egg
  - cocoa powder
  - vanilla extract
  - graham cracker crumbs
  - unsweetened shredded coconut
  - finely chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans (or a mixture)
- Middle Layer
  - unsalted butter
  - heavy cream
  - custard powder, such as Bird’s
  - confectioners’ (icing) sugar
- Top Layer
  - semisweet chocolate (see reader notes – there is some disagreement about this)
  - unsalted butter
  - Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
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02 December 2023: Spiced Cappuccino Kiss Cookies

December 3, 2023
Holiday baking has begun! Along with some of our favorites, I’ll be adding new bakes, including this one from Cynthia Messenger, from Taste of Home.

You can access the recipe here. The list of ingredients to have on hand follows:

Spiced Cappuccino Kiss Cookies
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Espresso powder (or, do as I did – grind some espresso beans at home on the finest setting)
- vanilla extract
- AP flour, baking soda and salt
- Cinnamon
- Striped chocolate kisses (Hugs)
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08 November 2023: King Arthur Baking’s Sour Dough Sandwich Bread

November 9, 2023
When COVID isolated us, and inflation made the price of bread somewhat ridiculous, I started baking bread on a weekly basis again. Baking bread was something I enjoyed when our family was much younger; there was and still is definitely some deep satisfaction in putting together rather simple ingredients and turning out warm loaves of bread!

I’ve not been a fan of sour dough baking until recently, and I still do not like the taste of overly sour breads. So when I discovered this sandwich bread recipe which relies on just 3 TBSP of sour dough starter, I felt this would be a sourdough loaf even I would enjoy.

The key to this bread’s success, of course, is to allow the levain to rise at least 12 hours. Starting that levain the night before makes that a reasonable task. Additionally, another lesson I’ve learned from Milk Street Kitchen and Flour Bakery is that in order to be consistent, use volume measurements, not English weights.

This sourdough recipe comes from King Arthur Baking and can be found here.

I have to admit that I’ve been a lot more discerning when it comes to flours since bread-baking has been part of my regular routine. Good bread flours are definitely worth seeking out as they are reasonably priced. Custom milled flours would, of course, be more expensive – as they should be.

I’ve listed ingredients so you can be ready for baking. just don’t forget to start the levain 12 hours ahead – the rest is easy.

Sourdough Sandwich Bread from King Arthur Baking

Ingredients

Levain
- King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- water, cool (60° to 70°F)
- ripe (fed) sourdough starter
Dough
- King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
- King Arthur Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk (I have KAB’s dry on hand, but nonfat dry milk certainly works)
- granulated sugar
- salt
- instant yeast
- unsalted butter, room temperature
- water, warm (70° to 80°F)
- all of the ripe levain (prepared at least 12 hours prior)
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30 Oct 2023: Roasted Carrot, Parsnip & Potato Soup

October 31, 2023
It’s starting to be soup weather again. This roasted carrot, potato and parsnip – yes parsnip – soup comes from Martha Rose Shulman who regularly contributes to the New York Times. I’m often drawn to Ms. Shulman’s recipes as they are easy to follow and, more importantly, delicious.

I’ve gifted the recipe here via my subscription to the New York Times. The list of ingredients follow.

Roasted Carrot, Parsnip and Potato Soup

Ingredients to have on hand:
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Red Onion
- Yukon Gold potato
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Either chicken broth or vegetable broth
- Fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, tarragon or chives
- Crème fraîche or yogurt
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25 Aug 2023: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

August 25, 2023
During our COVID lockdown, we entertained ourselves with online cooking classes with Sur La Table. They are a lot of fun and, even with some experience as a cook under my belt, I learn something new each time. Highly recommend. The chef that has led most of our classes, Vanessa Craycroft is a great teacher as well as a great chef.

This is a Sur La Table recipe uses 2% or full fat plain Greek yogurt in the batter. As I was searching for a way to use up the last of my Greek yogurt, this seemed like a serendipitous match-up.

For this bake, I used double sized muffin tins which means the cooking time needed to be adjusted by about 10 minutes, maybe a bit less if you don’t like muffins that are more browned. Best advice if trying a double-sized muffin is to use a cake tester a judge doneness from there.

The muffins were lemony-bright and not overly oily or sweet. And in the making, I discovered Lemon Poppyseed is Adrien’s favorite so they’ll be in regular rotation for sure.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins from Sur La Table

Ingredients
- 2 c unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 2 TBSP lemon zest
- 2 TBSP poppy seeds
- 1 c 2% or full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 c vegetable oil (I used a combination of coconut oil and canola oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (I had to use vanilla extract – out of the paste)
Method
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with papers and set aside (I used by double muffin-sized pan (6) and greased it directly.)
2. In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
3. In a second bowl, add sugar, lemon zest, poppy seeds, yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5. Fill batter into muffin tin – about 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes (longer if you’re making double sized muffins) or until the cakes are firm to the touch but still very moist inside.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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14 Aug 2023: Creamy Tomato Gazpacho with Crunchy Pecorino

August 14, 2023
Melissa Clark is contributor and columnist for New York Times Cooking as well as a trusted cookbook author. She has some terrific ideas for cooking – or in this case, not-too-much cooking. I’ve enjoyed many of her creations over the years, and this one is no exception. When the weather is hot and humid, a chilled soup – and especially gazpacho – is refreshing and delightful.

Because I have a subscription to the New York Times, this recipe is gifted. I’ve included an ingredient list so you can be ready to go.

Creamy Tomato Gazpacho with Crunchy Pecorino

Melissa Clark, NYTimes Cooking

Ingredients (4 servings)
- Pecorino romano
- 2 large tomatoes (about 1 lb)
- Plain sheep’s milk or regular yogurt
- Olive oil
- Basil leaves
- Garlic cloves
- Scallions
- Red wine vinegar
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt and ground black pepper
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03 Aug 2023: Coucous Salad with Smoked Trout & Pepperoncini

August 3, 2023
Recently, G. Daniela Galarza of the Washington Post posted an article (16 Tinned Fish Recipes for Near Effortless Meals) on making use of tinned fish. It intrigued me because I had not considered using tinned fish for anything much at all – tunafish being my go-to.

This week, in an effort to expand my repertoire, I’ve started making some of these recipes. This one originated with America’s Test Kitchen and came with the suggestion that one could use either fish packed in oil or water AND smoked trout, mackerel, or salmon could be used as the tinned fish protein (caution, make sure the fish is skinless and the pin bones removed). With that kind of flexibility, how could I resist?

Because of my subscription, the link to the recipe is free to use. It made a LOT which, of course needs to be used in rather quick time due to the fish, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Seconds (or thirds) anyone?

Couscous Salad with Smoked Trout and Pepperoncini

Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Couscous
- pepperoncini
- garlic
- cherry or grape tomatoes
- fresh parsley
- scallions
- smoked trout, salmon or mackerel
- Optional: lemon or lime
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28 July 2023: Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Dressing

July 28, 2023
We are still in THTC (too-hot-to-cook) mode here with at least another couple of days of extreme heat coming at us. So this delicious vegetarian recipe for Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Dressing from cookbook author and NYTimes cooking contributor Hetty Lui McKinnon made perfect sense: no-cook, 5 minutes prep time, and bam! Dinner is served.

Be sure to go to Ms. McKinnon’s website and sign up for her newsletter for more great vegetarian recipes. You won’t regret it.

Silken Tofu with Spicy Soy Dressing

The link to this recipe is courtesy of my subscription to NYTimes Cooking.

Ingredient List

For the Spicy Soy Dressing
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- sesame oil
- chile oil (I was out of this, so I used a touch of chile pepper sauce)
- white sesame seeds
- sugar
- scallion
For the tofu
- silken tofu
- scallion
- cilantro
Options
- Thai basil leaves
- roasted peanuts
- rice or noodles
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27 Jul 2023: Yogurt Soup with Summer Vegetables, Herbs & Feta

July 27, 2023
Along with most of the East Coast, our corner of New England is experiencing hot and humid days and nights. In other words, it’s THTC – too hot to cook. So when Washington Post and cookbook author Ellie Kreiger shared this recipe for a cold soup, I knew it was going to be the perfect antidote to heating up the kitchen.

The feta, herb choices (mint!) and yogurt definitely are reminiscent of a Greek salad. I chose to make this soup in the morning for our evening meal, which gave everything plenty of time of chill out and mingle.

Because I am a Washington Post subscriber, I’m able to gift the original article for the soup and recipe here.

Ingredients to have on hand include:
- buttermilk
- low fat Greek yogurt
- tomato
- English cucumber
- radishes
- scallion
- fresh dill
- fresh mint
- feta cheese
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