Monday, November 14, 2011

Roast Chicken


I love food by itself. But for some reason, food always tastes much better when eaten with friends and family. That's one of the reasons I love Thanksgiving. But that's just once a year. As a single chick in a big city, I have to create my own day-to-day family. Potlucks are a great way to do that. This gorgeous roasted chicken is a great center piece to a successful potluck. It's super easy, makes the house smell great, and tastes great.

Ingredients:

  • 4 lb chicken

  • 2 lemons, halved

  • 1 head garlic

  • 3 small heads fennel

  • 3 bunches carrots

  • sprig each rosemary and thyme

  • 4 T butter, melted

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Step One

Chop the carrots and fennel into large chunks. Cut the garlic head in half.


Step Two

Stuff the chicken with the garlic, lemons, rosemary, and thyme.


Step Three

Put the chicken on a rack over the carrots and fennel. Baste the chicken with the melted butter. Just paint it on in a nice even coat. Kinda shellac it. Season with salt and pepper.


Step Four

Cook at 425ºF for about 2 hours, basting with the pan juices every 20 minutes or so.

Step Five

Let cool for about 15 minutes and then carve and serve with the veggies drenched in the lovely pan juices.


Effort: Easy
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Shishitos and cherry tomatoes over crispy quinoa


As the main bulk of summer vegetables have started to hit the farmers markets, I was introduced to a new pepper treat - the Shishito. Similar to Padron peppers, these small, mild Japanese peppers can be quickly sautéed as a snack. For this recipe I decided to pair them with another summer treat, golden cherry tomatoes, to create a light dinner and flavorful dinner for a hot night.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint Shishito peppers, with tops cut off

  • 1/2 pint golden cherry tomatoes

  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 1 C cooked quinoa

  • 3 T olive oil

  • 1 oz dry jack (or another hard, nutty cheese), grated

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Step One

I'm not a huge fan of quinoa, so I like to toast it to add texture and bring out the nutty flavor. To do so, heat 2 T olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the quinoa and allow to toast thoroughly on one side for about 5 minutes. Scrape from the pan to mix and toast as much of the rest as possible, stirring occasionally for another 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.


Step Two

In a large sauce pan, heat 1 T olive oil over medium high heat. Add the peppers and cook till one side blackens slightly. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and salt to taste.


Step Three

Place the quinoa on a plate and grate cheese and crack pepper on top. Serve the veggies spilling to the side. Try to get all the items in one bite to create the perfect balance of nutty, sweet, and tangy. It's like summer on a fork.



Effort: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield:
2 servings

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Gourmet, frozen risotto


As a part of my trend to try to make good food accessible to normal people by incorporating convenience foods, I figured I'd have to do a meal that uses frozen food. For those naysayers out there, there is nothing wrong with frozen food. Freezing is a great way to store staple foods, maintaining more of the nutritional value that preserving via canning or drying.

When making recipes, like soups, beans, or even risotto, make double the amount and freeze the leftovers. I like to put mine in two cup plastic containers. They stack well in the freezer and are convenient for portioning. For this recipe, I used the frozen risotto as the base and added a few things to the mix to liven up the flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 2 C frozen risotto (freeze the risotto before adding cheese or other mix ins)

  • 2 T olive oil

  • 2 C mushrooms, sliced (I used porcini mushrooms because they're amazing, but use your favorite)

  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced

  • 2 T butter

  • 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Step One

As a side dish, start searing some vegetables. I did some carrots and snow peas. Fresh vegetables taste better than frozen for searing, but in a pinch, use frozen.


Step Two

Defrost the risotto in the microwave. Saute the mushrooms in olive oil and a few dashes of salt over medium heat, stirring frequently. After about 8 minutes, or when the mushrooms are starting to brown on both sides, add in the garlic and butter and saute for a few more minutes.


Step Three

Mix together the reheated risotto and the mushrooms, adding in the cheese. Serve with the vegetables on the side. For fun, add a poached egg on top. If you're more traditional, serve with a slice of chicken.


Effort: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Refreshing, gingery wine spritzer


I'm not much of a spritzer girl, but when life hands you a nasty batch of boxed wine, well, you have to deal with it. This simple solution was a hit one weekend at Lake Shasta.

Ingredients:

  • box white wine

  • ginger beer

  • lemon, sliced

  • ice

Instructions:

Step One

Fill a glass with ice.

Step Two

Fill 3/4 of the glass with the wine.

Step Three

Top off with ginger beer.

Step Four

Garnish with lemon. Enjoy!


Effort: Easy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
Yield: Many

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Eggplant caponata


Last weekend, I decided I just had to finish up a jar of olives I had cured and saved for storage last fall. I could have easily finished them off on their own, but wanted to use them as inspiration, not main ingredient. So I pulled a jar of tomatoes off the shelf and found some beautiful eggplant at the farmers' market to make a delicious caponata.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Japanese eggplant

  • 1/4 C onion

  • 1/4 C olives

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1/4 C basil

  • 1/2 C tomatoes, canned with juice

  • 3 T olive oil

  • 1 T balsamic vinegar

  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Step One

Slice the eggplant in half, lengthwise and roast in a 425ºF oven for about 45 minutes or until completely soft and starting to brown. Cut into half inch pieces.



Step Two

Chop up all the veggies and herbs.


Step Three

With 1 T of olive oil over medium high heat, saute the chopped onions. When translucent, add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the rest of the vegetables, including the tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium low head for 20 minutes.

Step Four

Season with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the olive oil and the vinegar. Allow to marinate overnight. Serve on bread with some mozzarella.



Effort: Medium
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Feisty kale chips


Kale, the ubiquitous wrinkled, green goliath at the farmers' market that is so ugly that it must be good for you, right? The different varieties have a long growing season in cooler climes, so you'll likely see it regularly. I buy it in bulk and typically saute it in olive oil and garlic. However, I really wanted to mix things up, so was inspired by the idea to make kale chips. I wouldn't go so far as to claim, as others have, that they taste like potato chips, but this is definitely a fun way to eat something that's teeming with vitamins A, C, and K.

Ingredients:

  • 2 bunches Tuscan kale, or other kale variety

  • 1 T olive oil

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

  • 1 t Kosher salt, or more to taste

  • 1/4 t cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Step One

Preheat the oven to 300 ºF. Rinse the kale. In order to ensure even, toasted crispiness, remove the thick rib down the center. Chop into 1 inch strips. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and toss to coat thoroughly.


Step Two

Place in an even layer on parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheets.


Step Three

Sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper.


Step Four

Toast in the oven until completely dried, turning once halfway through cooking. It will likely take about 40 minutes, but keep an eye on them and remove when crispy. Enjoy immediately. Or allow them to completely cool and place in an airtight container to enjoy up to a few days later.



Effort: Easy
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 servings

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Risotto style tomato pasta


Recently my life has been extremely chaotic with the result that I rarely have time or desire to cook a full meal. Basically, I'm about on par with your average working mother of two. I've really realized that preparing a meal for your self or others is not just about the time it takes to cook. You also have to figure in the time to plan, to get the ingredients, and to clean up afterwards. Once you add all those things together, take out or prepared supermarket meals really look reasonable.

For this meal, I decided to take items that I already had on hand (ergo, no shopping) and make them in one pot (making less mess means less clean up). I was inspired by some beautiful canned tomatoes from last summer and the idea from Mark Bittman to cook pasta in a similar fashion as risotto. Add some microwaved frozen broccoli or a salad to this rich, flavorful pasta and you've got a complete meal in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cloves garlic crushed or minced

  • 2 T olive oil

  • 1 qt canned tomatoes

  • 1 dried cayenne pepper (optional)

  • 2 C pasta (like elbow or penne)

  • Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions:

Step One

Saute the garlic in the olive oil over medium high heat till it just starts to turn translucent. Add the entire contents of the tomato jar, including the juice. Add the pepper and the pasta and stir.


Step Two

Turn down the heat to medium and cover. Stir occasionally. The canned tomatoes should have almost enough liquid in them to soften the pasta, but add water if it starts to get too dry.


Step Three

When the pasta is al dente (this will differ based on the type of pasta) serve with a sprinkling of cheese.


Effort: Easy, peasy
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Strawberries: saving the taste of summer


Finally - berry season! There are strawberries everywhere. The last time I went to the farmers' market, one of the farmers was selling flats of 12 pints of strawberries for $15. Why the good deal? These were berries that were super ripe from all the rain we'd gotten, so the farmer had to sell them quickly before they spoiled. Buying this type of produce in bulk is a great way to get the most out of farmers' markets.

Now what? This is way too many for a normal person to eat, although I have definitely tried. The majority I can freeze so that I will have them any time I want. You cofuld also preserve them, but that cooks out most of the nutrients and requires a lot of sugar. Freezing is definitely the healthier option.

Ingredients:

  • 12 pints strawberries

Instructions:


Step One

Portion out what you think you'd be able to eat in a week. Remove them from the horrible plastic containers that cut into them. Place them into a small paper bag. This will help keep them from dehydrating, but also gives them the air circulation they need to keep them from rotting.



Step Two

Frozen fruits and veggies can actually be more nutritious than fresh if you freeze them immediately. Every day fruits and vegetables sit in the fridge they lose nutrients. So as soon as you get home from the market, start by rinsing them off.


Step Three

Cut off the tops and place in freezer bags. Try to put about two pints of berries per one gallon freezer bag.


Step Four

The bag is full when you can create a single layer of berries in the bag. You want to make sure to have a single layer so that when they freeze they don't create a gigantic lump. 


Step Five

Take all those horrible plastic containers back to your farmer. That's yet another benefit of going straight to the farmer.


Effort: Easy
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time:0minutes
Total time:45minutes
Yield:20servings

Friday, May 20, 2011

Shelling peas, a meditation


Before shopping at farmers' markets, I never bought peas. My grandmother always served peas from a can, so I never considered them a real vegetable. Shelling peas is very time consuming, so don't buy them unless you have time or lots of tiny hands to help you. Shelling a pound of peas took me about a half hour and yielded only one large bowl. But I was on a vacation in the mountains so had the time to sit on the porch and really get in the shelling zone, which, as it turns out, is about as close as I have gotten to meditation in a while. So sit back, get in the pea zone, and let your mind wander.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb English peas

Instructions:

Step One

Split the pod along the seam. With your thumb, gently scrape out all the peas into a bowl. Repeat. A lot.


Step Two

Just when you've developed what appears to be a permanent green thumb, you'll be about done. You can eat these beauties raw, straight from the bowl. I basically put these in front of a bunch of my fellow travelers after a long day hiking and they dug right into them as if they were chips and dips. If that's not your thing, blanche for a few minutes in boiling water and serve with a touch of salt.



Effort: Easy
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Fava beans on fresh bread


Hannibal Lecter introduced me (and the rest of the world) to fava beans in Silence of the Lambs. And now that I've actually prepared them, I have to wonder if it was easier for him to harvest the liver from that census taker than to shell these gorgeous green beans. In the end, they're worth the effort. Harvested in that magic moment between spring and summer, they are the ultimate harbingers of wonderful things to come.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb fava bean pods

  • 1 T extra virgin olive oil

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 1 oz pecorino Romano (optional)

  • 4 slices crusty bread

Instructions:

Step One

I believe that the fuzz-filled pod of a fava could be used to package delicate computer equipment. You first have to remove the beans from their padded resting place. Split the pod to reveal the beans. Then pull the beans out.


Step Two

Fava beans are doubly protected. To remove the second casing and reveal the full fava glory, blanche the beans in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Drain and cool to room temperature.


Step Three

Pull off the green stem, tearing the white casing. Then simply pop the fava out.


Step Four

Season the beans with olive oil, fleur de sal, and cracked pepper. To make it even more authentic Italian, or more specifically, Roman, add a bit of pecorino.


Step Five

Serve atop some fresh, crusty bread.






Effort: Medium
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 servings

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Tastecation: Blackberry Farm

I recently traveled to Walland, TN to watch my cousin get married to his lovely bride at the almost equally lovely Blackberry Farm. To be honest, I assumed there wasn't going to be much to do on the farm, but little did I know the food adventures that I would stumble upon.

I took a tour of the property with my family and we happened upon the farmhouse and Farmer John. The chefs at Blackberry pride themselves on creating spectacular culinary creations based on a good deal of food produced right on the farm so it was amazing to see where it all happened.

Farmer John described himself as a simple man with no use for email or blogs or cell phones. But that attitude belied the crucially important movement to which he contributes. He showed us some gorgeous beans and I asked if they were heirloom. He told me they were and that he participates to the Seed Savers Exchange and Blackberry Farm even sells some of the seeds online.

In fact, all around the farmhouse were jars and baskets all filled with seeds. One even contained a friendly barn cat.



This is not a case of obsessive-compulsive hoarding. The farmers, like John, who participate in the Seed Saver Exchange are trying to maintain and propagate genetic diversity in the face of increasing monoculture and genetically modified crops. They are truly the antidote to typical agribusiness. So when something threatens our mass produced food supply, we will have a bank of genetically diverse seed stock to save the day. He might not wear tights and a cape, but I believe that Farmer John is an overall-clad food superhero.

Note: While I usually take most of the pictures for my blog, for this post, I was lucky to have my extremely talented father behind the camera. Thanks Dad.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Curing olives

I'm surrounded by them - olive trees.


They're everywhere in California. I don't have much need to cure my own because I can always get tasty olives at the market, but I couldn't resist. I cured olives back late last year, but just broke into my first jar just this week.

Ingredients:

  • 4 C fresh green olives

  • Lots of water

  • 1/8 C Kosher salt(1/4C salt per quart of water for the brine)

  • 2 C vinegar

  • 1 lemon, quartered and sliced

  • 6 cloves garlic

  • 2 cayenne peppers, thick chopped

  • 1 t oregano (optional)

Instructions:

Step One


Olives are pretty much inedible until you cure them. They are extremely bitter and the chemical that causes that must be leached out. Most people do this with lye, but I have enough dangers in the kitchen so I opted to try another method. First, you must crack the skins of all the olives.


Step Two



The easiest way to do this is to lay them on a cutting board and strike them with a rolling pin. Start kinda soft and work up to whacking them because they're more delicate than they look.

Step Three



Place the cracked olives in a quart mason jar (or some other food safe storage container). Cover completely with water.

Step Four



Use something to keep the olives from popping up above the water level - they have to be completely submerged to keep from oxygen and rot. I used a small plastic bag with about a 1/4 C of water in it. If your container is large enough, you can use a small plate to push the olives under the water.

Step Five


Store in a cool dark place. Empty and refresh the water every day. Many recipes use salt water for this, but I saw a few that used plain water and decided to try that (I didn't want to waste all that salt). Each time you change the water, you'll notice that it's kinda oily and the water is discolored. This is the natural oil (you know, like olive oil) and the bitter chemical leaching out. Continue to change the water till the olives start to lose the green color and the water that you pour off is relatively clear (about 1 week to 10 days).


Step Six



The last time you pour off the water, measure it. Use this to gauge how much of the final brine to make. Boil water and add Kosher salt. Stir till it dissolves. Mix a half and half solution of the brine with vinegar.

Step Seven



Mix the olives with the lemon, garlic, peppers, and spices.

Step Eight



Put in sterile pint jars and cover with the brine, clean the rims of the jars, and cover with canning lids. Process in a hot water bath (20 min) or pressure canner (10 min). If you don't have a canner, store in the fridge. After about 3 weeks, the olives should be pickled and ready to eat.

Effort: Difficult
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 month
Total time: 1 month
Yield: 2 pint jars