Salad Days of Summer

It's been a while since I've had time to even think about writing down recipes and sharing them.  But, here I am with a whole summer off from school and time to be creative - I am loving it!  This summer, I feel like eating more salads.  Not much to say about that thought, except that I'd like to eat lighter, healthier and with less meat.

Music playing is....Dianna Krall singing "Cry Me a River".....cry, cry, onions make you cry....hmmmm

I was surveying my pantry this morning and found a whole bag of Vidalia onions - the sweet ones, that are best eaten raw.  And then I looked in the freezer and saw that I had stocked up on frozen peas.  This next recipe is what I put together with my ingredients on hand, and it turned out so well that I just had to share.  I hope you enjoy it the simplicity of it,and find the flavor to be irresistible.  Again, from me to you, bon appetit!

Sweet Pea and Vidalia Onion Salad

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: N/A Ready In: 15 Minutes Servings: 6

Ingredients:

2 cups diced Vidalia sweet onions 2 cups sweet peas (fresh or thawed frozen) 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup crumbled feta cheese DRESSING: ½ cup prepared blue cheese dressing ¼ cup olive oil 2 tbsps. white wine vinegar 1 tbsp. dried dill (or 2 tbsps. chopped fresh dill) Kosher salt (to taste) Fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1.	Chop onions and celery and add to peas in a large bowl.
2.	Add feta cheese to large bowl.
3.	Make dressing – in small bowl wish together blue cheese dressing, olive oil, vinegar, dill, salt and pepper.
4.	Pour dressing over contents of large bowl and fold into onions, peas, celery and feta, stirring slowly until salad is evenly mixed.
5.	Chill salad and serve.

Cooking to Music...What a Great Concept!

My favorite is Keith Jarrett - "Never Let Me Go", what's your's?  I'd love to hear!

Had a Little Lamb

I only discovered lamb as my favorite meat about 10 years ago.  At my daughter’s suggestion, we had rack of lamb for Christmas dinner and I’ve been hooked ever since.  Lamb is simply the most flavorful meat I can think of, you barely have to do anything to it because it’s so tender and tastes so good on its own.  My discovery of lamb burgers came about 4 years ago when I was shopping for an impromptu dinner for a few guests and saw lamb burgers in the meat department of my grocery store.  I was intrigued, because, well – lamb burgers!

I can tell you that the dinner was a complete success and ever since then lamb burgers are my favorite burger, hands down.  You can find ground lamb at your local grocery, but if you don’t see it, ask for it.  If they have leg of lamb they should be able to grind it for you.  You need about a quarter pound per person.  I usually buy a pound and make 4 burgers from it.  You don’t need a grill, cooking the patties in a pan stovetop works very well.

Lamb burgers make a great casual gourmet meal.  They are easy and you could eat them like a burger with a bun.  I usually leave off the bun and serve them as I would a steak with a salad and a starch. Sweet potatoes are an excellent choice because they compliment the strong flavor of the lamb.  Be sure to set the mood with some great music and a bottle of wine. 

Lamb Burgers

1 lb                         ground lamb, from leg of lamb

1 tblsp                  cooking oil, canola or olive oil

3 – 4 tblsp            Crosse & Blackwell Mint Sauce

                                Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

                                Music to cook by – give a listen to Kurt Elling  http://kurtelling.com/index.php

Form 4 patties with ground lamb.  Heat the oil in pan on medium heat.  Salt and pepper both sides of lamb patties.   Cook in pan, turning over, until browned.  Do not overcook.  Lamb is like beef and is best served medium rare or medium.  When burgers are browned, add mint sauce to the pan and sizzle over burgers.  Serve with a nice salad and sweet potatoes, and of course a good glass of Pinot Noir or perhaps Cabernet.

Got Strawberries?

Yes - in the spring and summer, fresh strawberries are available and plentiful. Who hasn't picked up a quart or two from the market and then just tucked them away in the refrigerator, only to be forgotten until it’s a little too late? They aren't as fresh as they were when you bought them and it s a little disappointing.

So next time, try this – as soon as you get them home wash them, remove tops and slice them. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar on them and put in a covered container. They are now ready to eat and will keep longer then if they weren't prepared as such. But if you really want a delicious summer salad, try this:

Summer Strawberry Salad

1 qt                        fresh strawberries, washed & sliced

1 cup                     red, seedless grapes

1 cup                    granny smith apple, cubed

1/4 cup                 fresh parsley, chopped

2 tblsp                  granular sugar

1/2                        lemon, juice of

1/2 cup                 mayonnaise

1/3 cup                 soy milk

Wash and slice strawberries, place in large bowl.  Wash grapes and add to strawberries.  Core and cube apple and add to bowl.  Sprinkle sugar, add chopped parsley and squeeze lemon over the fruit.  Mix gently.   In a small bowl mix mayonnaise & milk together and then add to the fruit & stir gently.  This salad is not too sweet & keeps for days in the refrigerator.  Great on its own or add to yogurt and/or breakfast cereal.

Do you know another way to serve fresh stawberries?  I would love to hear from you.

The Healing Powers of Chicken

Sometimes you have to prepare in order to improvise.  That means having super good ingredients on hand so that you can use them when you need them.  This may be an improv kitchen, but it doesn't mean that there isn't any "slow food" being prepared in here.

Say you are in the mood for some comfort food, something simple, filling and, of course, healing. Homemade chicken stock has been shown time and time again to have mysterious healing powers.   Don’t be overwhelmed by the thought of making your own homemade chicken stock.  It can be done easily and if you combine the making of a large vat of stock with the poaching of a whole chicken, you will have the makings for several meals and a bounty of stock you can keep in your freezer until you need it.  A cooking secret of so many really good soups and other recipes is to use homemade stock.  It’s the difference between homemade or store bought anything in the kitchen.  It just tastes better!

So how do you do it?  Well, first of all, be prepared to hang out and relax for a while, because it takes a while to cook and you don’t want to leave it unattended for too long.  Then put some nice music on - something that makes you smile and get out your large stock pot.  I was listening to bluegrass music by Gillian Welch http://www.gillianwelch.com  with a voice so beautiful it can make me cry.

Poached Chicken/Chicken Stock

1                             3 – 4 lb whole chicken

32 oz                      chicken stock, preferably organic (this makes your stock richer with flavor)

3 – 4                       large carrots, peeled  

3 - 4                        large stalks of celery, leaves included if possible

1                             large white onion, quartered

2 - 3                        whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 teasp                   kosher salt

6 - 10                      peppercorns

1                             large sprig of fresh parsley

1                             bay leaf

                               Cold water to cover chicken

Wash chicken inside & out and pat dry (feel free to use the neck but not the other giblets for this stock).   Place chicken in pot and add cut vegetables and spices.  Add chicken stock and enough cold water to cover chicken.  Turn heat on to high and bring to a low boil for a minute.  Reduce heat down to low and cover.  Cook for approximately 45 minutes to an hour.  Your kitchen should smell pretty good by now! Turn off heat and cool stock and chicken until it can be easily handled, about an hour.

Remove chicken from stock and set aside.  Remove solids from stock with a slotted spoon or strain out and discard, leaving a clear stock for use in soups and other recipes.  Freeze stock in smaller containers for future use.

Remove chicken meat from skin and bones and store in a few smaller containers for future use.  Poached chicken may be used in many recipes such as chicken soup, stew, salad, quesadillas, Asian dishes, and whatever you can think of.  It’s low in fat and already cooked so it makes a great ingredient to keep on hand for making quick meals.

Healing Chicken Noodle Soup

If you truly believe in the healing power of certain foods, you will want to try this recipe.  Even if you don’t, well, it’s simply the most delicious chicken noodle soup I’ve ever tasted.

6 cups                   homemade chicken broth

3/4 cup                 uncooked noodles

1                            large carrot, peeled and sliced

1                            large stalk of celery, sliced

1 cup                     cooked chopped chicken

1 sprig                   fresh dill (or 1 teasp dried dill will do), parsley could also be used

1 tblsp                   fresh squeezed lemon juice

                              kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Place stock in large, deep saucepan and heat on medium high to near boiling.  Turn down heat and add in the noodles, carrots and celery, cooking all until tender, about 20 minutes.  Add the cooked chicken and heat for about another 3 minutes until hot.  Finally, add the salt, pepper, lemon juice and dill, garnish and serve.  

Get Back to your Roots

Think about root vegetables – the ones you actually dig up from the ground.  Earthy and chock full of vitamins and minerals, these are your potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beets, onions, turnips and rutabagas.  We’ve been adding them to soups and stews forever precisely because they contain a vast array of flavors.  Roasting them develops the sugars they contain so that they become sweet and caramelized. 

I love roasted root vegetables because they are so easy to prepare, inexpensive and versatile, but especially because they are so good.  Who would turn down garlic roasted potatoes?    They make a great side dish to any meat and served cold with oil and vinegar atop salad greens make a great next day use of your leftovers. 

Roasted Root Vegetables

2 - 4                       large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

1                            large parsnip, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

2                            medium onions, quartered

1                            large red bell pepper, cored and diced into 2’’ squares

2                            sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2” cubes

1/4 cup                 fresh parsley, chopped

1 tblsp                  balsamic or other flavorful vinegar (I like pear infused white balsamic)

4                            garlic cloves, coarsely minced

1 tblsp                  kosher or other coarse salt

1 teasp                 freshly ground pepper

1 tblsp                  dried rosemary

1/3 cup                olive oil

Preheat oven to 425°.  Mix together salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl or dish.  Place a sheet of foil, shiny side down on the bottom of a large, heavy roasting pan (for ease of cleanup).  Arrange the carrots, parsnips and onions* in the pan and pour entire oil mixture over it, gently stirring to coat all sides of the vegetables.  Roast in oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until vegetables start to brown.  Remove pan from oven and add the sweet potatoes, peppers and chopped parsley, gently stirring in and coating the entire mixture with oil.  Place back in oven and roast again for another 10 – 12 minutes.  Vegetables should be browned but not burnt.  Take out of oven and sprinkle vinegar over vegetables, turning gently.  Serve immediately.

*The carrots, parsnips and onions take longer to roast, so they go in first.  If you were to add any other potato, aside from sweet potato, they should be added at the beginning as well.  The softer vegetables, such as sweet potato and bell peppers would end up too mushy if they were to cook for the entire time. 

Roasted Root Vegetables

Alive, Alive, Oh!

Something about a morning on the beach that tells me I must have seafood……So, on my way home I stopped at my favorite local market and picked up fresh mussels.  If you haven’t tried them, mussels are a member of the clam family and my favorite way to serve them is with pasta.  They can be combined with other seafood, such as shrimp, clams or scallops.   Make sure to buy only the freshest mussels from a good fish market and remember that they are still alive (or should be!).  They do have to breath, so don’t close them up in a bag with no air.  When you get them home rinse them off and put them on a plate or pan and refrigerate until you’re ready to use them.  Live  mussels should be closed.

One of my favorite recipes for mussels is so simple and quick to make, yet it’s also inexpensive and the outcome is worthy of any fine Italian restaurant.  Serve with a long pasta and warm crusty bread for a complete comfort food experience.

Mussels and Chorizo with Tomato and Garlic

2               cloves of garlic, minced

¼ lb.          spanish chorizo, unwrapped and broken up (cubed into quarter inch cubes if the harder version of the sausage)

2 tblsp       olive oil

1                14 oz. cans stewed tomatoes

1 lb.           mussels

Start preparing pasta, boil water in large pot.  Meanwhile, prepare the mussels.  Cook garlic and chorizo in oil in a 4 – 6 qt. heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 1 – 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer, breaking up any large pieces.  Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in mussels and cook covered, over medium-high heat, stirring once, until mussels open, 6 - 10 minutes.  (Discard any that have not opened after 10 minutes).  Do not overcook.  Serve immediately with long pasta, such as angel hair, and hard crusty bread for soaking up juices.

I always enjoy my days off, going to the seaside and then coming home to my kitchen and cooking up some nice comfort food.  As I relax and get into my element, I love listening to some wonderful jazz.  It just sets the mood and makes me smile to myself that life is good.  Today I was listening to a great classic, “New Bottle, Old Wine” (how great a title is that?) by the fabulous Gil Evans Orchestra.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gil_Evans_Orchestra  Talk about mood music!  Let me know what your think!