HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

 

Apple Cranberry Tart

 With so may fresh cranberries every fall, I look for ways to use them. This week I was having some local women I walk with three times a week here in Marion. I decided on a menu of some of my favorites, but with one new recipe. This was delicious.

I was inspired by the Apple Cranberry Tart on the Inspired by Charm recipe blog. The recipe is in three layers - the crust, the filling and a Streusel.

Getting the Crust ready:

Blend 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. salt in a separate medium bowl. In another blend one egg yolk with 3 T. half-and-half (or milk and heavy cream) and 1 tsp.of vanilla extract. Finely chop 1/2 c. walnuts. Blend these with the dry ingredients.

Keep one cup of unsalted butter that is cut into small squares in the frig or freezer until you are ready to blend all of the above in a bowl.

Getting the Filling ready:

Core, peel and slice thin 2 apples. Measure 2-1/2 cup fresh cranberries.

Blend 2/3 cups sugar with 1 T. flour, 1 T. fresh orange zest, 1/2 tsp. ginger and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 tsp. allspice and 1/3 tsp. salt. Mix in the apples and cranberries. Add 1 T. bourbon if desired.

Getting the Streusel ready:

Mix 1/3 c. flour with 1/4 c. brown sugar, 2 T melted unsalted butter, 1/4 tsp.vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. 

With a pastry cutter, blend the dry crust ingredients in a large bowl and cut in the cold butter. Make a well in the crust mixture and add the egg/cream. Mix well, continuing to use the pastry cutter. Break up large clumps with your fingers. 

Press the dough firmly into a large fluted quiche pan with a removable bottom, lined or unlined with parchment. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove from the pan with the chilled crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

Fill the crust with the filling mixture. Alternatively, place the sliced apples in a circle on top of the crust and pour the rest of the filling over the apples. Top with the streusel. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes in the 350 degree oven. Cool before cutting.

Creamy Polenta - What's the Scoop

I made polenta for tonight's Verandah Gourmet dinner. I've made it before in the instant pot and it turned out well. Tonight, I had to bring a double recipe and I decided to do a little research and get some advice.

There are tons of recipes out there - using tubes of polenta, instant polenta, and coarse-ground cornmeal. There are tons of different procedures and plenty of "no-nos!"

Here is what I gleaned. I made a double recipe using 8+ cups of liquid to 2 cups of cornmeal. I brought the polenta in my Dutch oven while it was just cooked. I covered the pot and traveled with it in my trunk. I left the cover on until the meal was served (pork ossobuco and sauce served over a nice big spoonful). The polenta looked wonderful - I scooped it out leaving the glossy layer on top in the pan.

• Use coarse-ground cornmeal, never fine or medium. Not all polentas are created equal. Polenta should mean coarse-ground. Well, I made the mistake of buying fine cornmeal and decided to go in search of polenta meal. I ended up with Bob's Red Mill Polenta, but I found out later that there is also a Bob's Red Mill Stone-Ground Polenta. I think the one I bought was good. The medium or fine ground create a mushy polenta, apparently. All grocery stores do not always carry the coarse-ground. Read labels carefully.
• Don't use milk to start and actually avoid using stock that causes the polenta to taste less like corn. While I did not use milk, the Gourmet hosts provided me with a recipe using all chicken stock. I used 3 cups chicken stock (not bone broth!) to 5 cups water. In actuality, I added a bit more stock and water as the polenta once it began to thicken. One comment was that the 4/1 ration of fluid to grain is just not enough and I agree. 
• Never start with milk! Always water. I went with the mix - 5 cups water and 4 cups stock.
• Good polenta takes nearly an hour to cook to creamy. Many recipes do not call for that much time. Gerry and decided that we like our polenta, like our pasta, to have a little toothiness.
• Soak your cornmeal in the liquid for a few hours or overnight in the frig. This decreases cooking time so I did do this for a few hours. I then strained out the cornmeal (as much as I could) and boiled the liquid, adding the wet polenta and stirring it constantly until it thickened.
• Add whole milk or cream, butter and parmesan cheese (pecorino is sometimes preferable) towards the end when the polenta is nearly cooked. I grated my own parmesan (huge chunk from Costco) with a fine hand-held grater which is how I prefer my cheeses anyway. It melted in immediately. I used heavy cream just barely a half cup. 
• Polenta should keep its form (not be runny) but should not be too thick to scoop or spoon. 
• Use some salt and coarse-ground pepper to taste. Be careful - I used too much sea salt in my test recipe. If your butter is salted, delete the additional. 
• Don't use too much cream, butter and cheese. One piece of good advice was that good food should be delicious during AND after the meal. Inotherwords, you should not feel yucky after the meal is over!

4 cups water and broth for a total of 4 cups

1cup coarse-ground cornmeal

1/2 tsp. salt and some pepper

Good butter - 2 T

Cream - 1/2 cup

Finely grated parmesan cheese - 1/2 cup

Use any good recipe and follow it to find how much cooking time you like.

Samin Nosrat's Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken

If you haven't watched Netflix's SaltFatAcidHeat yet, you really must. The book is also a must, and this way of cooking whole chicken will change your chicken forever.

Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat is so much fun to watch. Who knew salt was so good for you? And that you should be adding acid (lemon or lime juice or vinegar) to practically everything you cook?

This chicken is so juicy - and you can use it for so many things if you just cook up a couple once a week.

3½- to 4-pound (about 1.5 kilograms) chicken

Salt

2 cups (475 ml) buttermilk

or cook two at once.

The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting
through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season the chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Stir 2 tablespoons of kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. If the chicken won’t fit in a gallon-size bag, double up two plastic produce bags to prevent leakage and tie the bag with a piece of twine.

Seal it, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate. If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that’s not essential.

Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C), with a rack set in the center position.

Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs of the chicken with a piece of butcher’s twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or shallow roasting pan.

Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven (the back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done). Pretty soon you should hear the chicken sizzling.

After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400°F and continue roasting for 10 minutes and then move the pan so the legs are facing the back right corner of the oven.

Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh.

When the chicken’s done, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Tarragon Chicken in a Bowl

Yesterday, I searched for a recipe to use with fresh tarragon, potatoes, carrots and chicken thighs. I found this one and tweaked it a bit and made it early in the day. I love the taste of fresh tarragon and chicken and had lots of fresh leaves from my summer planters.

This made a dish that we ate from soup bowls. The chicken was so tender and I had the other vegetables to use up before we take off on summer fall vacations.

I love the meat on chicken thighs and in this case I used bone-in thighs. I always remove the skin and cook it up for the dog who gobbles anything down once there is chicken skin in it.

Brown 4 chicken thighs in a bit of heated olive oil, skin removed, and bone in. I actually sprinkled it with a buttery herb spice I had on the kitchen counter and some fresh pepper. Remove from the skillet once it is browned and place the thighs in a deep oven dish that will fit the chicken and vegetables and sauce.

Deglaze the skillet with about 1/2 - 1 cup of white wine.  Remove to a pitcher or glass measuring cup and put aside. Add some olive oil and 1/2 c. of chopped onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves. When soft, mix in 2 T. Wondra or white flour and cook for a minute.  Salt and pepper, and add the wine back in with 1cup of chicken stock (or water and BetterThanBouillon Roasted Chicken).  Toss in about 2 T. of fresh tarragon leaves. Cook together until it has thickened a bit.

Top the chicken thighs in the baking dish with slices of potatoes and thick sticks of carrots. (Peel if you'd like.) Add chopped chives, parsley and capers if you'd like. 
Pour the sauce over and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until the potatoes are done. Pour over 1/2 cup of heavy cream and bake 10 more minutes. 

Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

Herb Blends: Potato Salad and Tomato Soup

My potato salad recipe uses a blend of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. During the summer I can cut them all fresh, but during the other months it is nice to have a dried blend. (It works well in egg salad, too.)

I dry and mix my own herbs at the end of the season. I stem all but some of the tender-stemmed thyme leaves. I place them on parchment on cookie sheets in the sun in our breakfast room for a day or two. Then I sprinkle them with coarse-ground sea salt* and place them in an oven that is warmed to 200 degrees AND TURNED OFF. When they are dried after a few hours (do this again if they are too moist), let them cool and dry more in the open. You may need to chop them coarsely and repeat this step. (Chives, especially, take more time.)

Blend the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme using handfuls - more sage and parsley than thyme and rosemary. You can blend them more fine in a food processor if you'd like. 

*For totally salt-free diets, do not salt.

My tomato soup requires a few more herbs - savory, oregano, dill, marjoram and basil. If your garden is out of some of these, just use them from your spice/herb collection. I always add celery seed to this blend.

Summer Dinner on Wildflower Lane Menu

 

Peach, Basil and Goat Cheese Galette

This was a recipe from Food52 that popped into my email box this August. I decided I needed to finally make a homemade pastry, buy a box of peaches at Costco, and use some of the basil on my back porch. Make this pastry the day before and keep it in the refrigerator.

Lemon Pate Brisee (adapted from the Bouchon cookbook)

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• Extra flour for rolling out the pastry

I used Christopher Kimball's technique which was similar to one I learned years ago in a Cuisinart class at Capwell's in El Cerrito, CA. It's just so easy to make pie crust in the in the food processor using very cold butter. Have a 1/4 cup of water with ice and measure it out right before mixing.  Be sure to have the butter frozen and cut it into 1/4 inch cubes with cleaver. Add the lemon zest to the butter. 

Add 2-1/4 cups flour to the bowl of the food processor with 1 tsp. salt. 

Toss in the butter and lemon zest and process with pulsing about 12 times until you have a cornmeal texture. Quickly pour in the ice water until mixed. Remove quickly to a plastic bag (not ziploc) and press the pastry tightly together into a large wafer shape in the bag. Tightly wrap this and place it in the freezer for a few moments and then refrigerate overnight.

Cheese Filling and Peaches

• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 6 tablespoons whole milk ricotta
• 1 extra large egg
• 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
• 2 large peaches, skins removed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
• 1 egg white. beaten

Boil a small pot of water. Score an ‘X’ in the bottom of each peach place them in boiling water turn off the heat, put the lid on and let them sit in the hot water for 2 minutes.

Remove the skins from the peaches. Slice the peaches in quarters, slice in to 1/8” slices and place in a bowl, toss with sugar, lemon juice and basil.

Using a mixer combine the goat cheese, ricotta and egg. Fold in the basil.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 10’-12” in diameter, place on parchment on a baking sheet, spread the cheese mixture in the center of the dough staying clear of the outer 1.5”. Arrange peaches on top. Roughly fold over the edges and brush with the egg wash. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Remove from oven let cool on the baking sheet on wire rack. Take care when transferring it to a plate or cutting board, the pastry is very flaky.

Potage Belgique Soup

Years ago my favorite recipe book was San Francisco à la Carte by the Junior League of San Francisco (1979).  My dog-eared and well-worn book has followed me around the country and the world, actually. From California to Ireland, Texas, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

I love this potato-mushroom soup recipe.  It's good year-round.

In a large saucepan, melt 4 T butter and 5 large leeks, washed and sliced with 1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 4 cups of chicken stock with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and add 4 medium peeled and diced potatoes and turn down to a simmer with cover partially on the pot for about 30 minutes. 

Cool a bit and then blend in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender, adding1 cup of light cream. 

Do not boil when you reheat. Garnish with chopped chives and a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream. Cooked bacon is also a nice addition.

Coffee Jello with Sweetened Cream

My New England 1950s mom made dessert every night when I was a young child. It was often Snow Pudding with Lemon Sauce (from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook), tapioca pudding, Junket (made from a box), or baked custard. I don't remember many pies or cakes, except for birthdays and perhaps holidays with lemon meringue, apple, mincemeat and pumpkin pies. On Christmas, we had snowballs - vanilla ice cream rolled in coconut. I think there was a hot cherry sauce.

Later on when I was a teenager she made layered Jello desserts - fancy rainbow colors in tipped wine glasses. She started making cakes of all kinds and even fancier desserts around this time as well as she became an even more accomplished gourmet cook.

One of my favorite desserts in the younger years was coffee jello. My mom saved the percolated leftover coffee in the refrigerator and added gelatin and sugar and chilled them in custard cups or glass dishes. It was so simple and was served with whipped cream - sweetened, I'm sure. We all loved it as I remember.

Lately, I've been making my own homemade coffee jello in glass OUI yogurt containers (they have covers available on Amazon.) They make a great dessert and I've used both no sugar or a packet of Truvia for 3-1/2 cups. I add about 1/2 cup of no-sugar whipped cream and a few drops of no-sugar caramel syrup or some espresso crystals. It's a yummy treat and an after-lunch pick-me-up.

Mix two packets of Knox Gelatin and 1/2 c. cold coffee. Mix until dissolved completely.  Add 3 cups of hot, hot coffee. Add sugar or substitute if desired. When cool, pour into containers of any kind, cover and chill several hours. 

Turkish Bowls - Meat and "Rice"

This was a Green Chef recipe that we loved. They packed a bit more Turkish Spice than necessary so we have it to use again. However, I searched for a recipe and you will find it at the bottom.* The same with the lemon crema - it is easy to make and you can use it again to garnish more recipes. 

For the bowls:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 

1. Medium dice one Roma tomato about 1/2 inch thick pieces.
2. Trim and thinly slice a scallion or two, separating whites from darker green.
3. Finely chop 3/4 ounces of dates.
4. Prepare or defrost 6-8 ounces of riced cauliflower. 
5. Crumble 2-4 ounces of Feta cheese
6. Set aside 1/2 oz of sliced almonds
7. Trim ends from two zucchini squash and halve lengthwise and then slice across into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place them in a bowl and drizzle with 1-1/2 T olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp. or more of Turkish Spice. Stir to coat and spread the squash on parchment on a grilling pan or baking sheet.
8. Prepare Turkish spice if necessary*
9. Prepare a lime or lemon crema.**

• Roast zucchini for 12-15 minutes until fork tender. (Stir halfway through.)
• Saute 10 ounces of ground meat (could use any ground meats - turkey, pork, lamb, beef, chicken) and 1 tsp. of the Turkish spices. Cook for 4-5 minutes and then add the diced tomato.  Stir to combine.
• In a clean pan, heat 1-1/2 T oil in the pan and add the cauliflower rice and scallion whites to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook 3-4 minutes. Don't overcook. Add the chopped dates and 1 T butter. Stir and place in warmed bowls. 
• Top with meat and squash, drizzle with lemon crema, and garnish with feta cheese, sliced almonds and scallion greens. 

 *Turkish Spice Blend: Combine and store

• 4 T paprika
• 2 T garlic powder
• 2 T dried cilantro
• 1 T salt
• 1 T dried mint
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T turmeric
• 1 T onion powder
• 1/2 T ground cumin
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

**Lime or Lemon Crema

Mix 1 cup of sour cream, 2T mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1 lime or 1 lemon, zested and juiced, 1 clove of garlic, pressed, and 1/2 tsp. coarse salt. Process until smooth. Double as necessary!

Chicken Marsala with Roasted Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans

Last night we had a comfort food dinner. It was really delicious. Gerry roasted sliced potatoes with oil and Kinder butter seasoning for 20 minutes. We steamed green beans three minutes and add salted butter when done.

Prep:

• Cut 4 boneless chicken thighs into smaller pieces and dredge in flour, salt and pepper. 
• Peel and chop 1 shallot and chop finely. 
• Peel and mince 2-4 garlic cloves.
• Chop a handful of fresh parsley leaves and chop fine.
• Chop thyme (leaves and can include very soft stems) and rosemary needles and use about 2-4 tsps of the chopped herbs. 
• Slice 12-16 ounces of a combination of mushrooms (Bella, white, shitake)
• Measure 1/2 c. stock or prepare bouillon.
• Measure 3/4 c. heavy cream.
• Cut 3 T. butter.

Add 2 T butter and 1 T olive oil to a hot pan and cook the chicken with the thyme and rosemary. Transfer to a hot plate when cooked golden. 

Add 2 T. butter to that hot pan and add the mushrooms and cook 1minutes. Add the garlic and toss. Do not salt the mushrooms until they are cooked. 

Deglaze the pan with 3/4 c. Marsala wine (we use the cooking version). Add the shallots and 1/2 cup of chicken stock or Better than Bouillon equivalent. Reduce sauce and add 6 oz. of heavy cream, cooking until thick.

Return chicken to the pan and heat. Transfer chicken to plates with roasted potatoes and green beans and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley. 

Taco Seasoning

 Don't have any taco seasoning for your taco salad? Make your own.

Mix together all these herbs and spices:

2 T chili powder

1 T ground cumin

2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. black ground pepper

1 tsp. ground paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic and onion powders

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Makes about 6 T. or about two packets of seasoning.

Left to right starting at top: pepper, chili powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, sea salt, oregano, paprika, garlic powder. 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

We grew rhubarb last year and it produced some nice stalks early this summer. The deer seem to know that its leaves are poisonous so it left the rhubarb AND the hosta next to it alone. We might try that approach with other hostas. I'd like a big bunch of rhubarb next year.

I made a few rhubarb pies this week and will have to buy some rhubarb at the grocery store because these pies were a hit. I added 1 T. vanilla/butter baking emulsion to the first pie and added 1 tsp. the second time. Vanilla can be used instead (vanilla paste, too.)

First I cut 3-5 stalks of  rhubarb into 1/2 by 1/2 chunks and covered it with a 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar and let it sit. I added the same amount of chunked fresh strawberries, 2T instant tapioca,  1 T cornstarch and 2T chilled butter chunks to the bowl.  I then prebaked a (15 minutes at 400 degrees) crust.* I sprinkled Wondra flour on the bottom of the crust which helps with the juiciness. I then poured in the fruit, including the juices, covered with the top crust and baked in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. I covered the pie or the edges with foil for the last ten minutes.

I let the pie sit but it was still warm when we ate it with whipped cream.

*Because I was pressed for time and was nearly out of energy both times, I used commercial pie crusts. The first time I used the Pillsbury rolled crusts and lined a small French pie plate. The second time I used frozen crusts in the aluminum pie plate they were sold in. The beauty of this second approach is that the defrosted crust lifted effortlessly onto the top of the pie before baking. I cut the bottom of the pie plate out and placed it on top of the baking pie to protect the edges.

Irish Soda Bread

Having lived in Ireland, I've tasted some mighty fine soda bread. It's tough to find an authentic loaf here in the US.

Soda bread is made without yeast and this one is made with both baking soda and buttermilk. It's about as authentic to traditional Irish as it can be. It's crusty outside and moist but dense inside. This recipe is adjusted from SimplyRecipes.com.

I soaked a cup of dried raisins in Jameson's Irish Whiskey to plump them (for about a day.) I then drained them in a colander an hour or so before adding them to the dough.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking sheet or cast iron skillet.

Mix 4 cups* of all-purpose flour with 1 T sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of baking soda. *Keep the flour handy to add more if needed when mixing the dough into a round.

I grated 4 T of good, cold butter (Kerrygold or Kirkland or one of the good European brands). The cold grated butter is easier to work into the flour. 

In a larger work bowl, and using your hands (using thin plastic gloves work well) mix the dry ingredients and the butter, grinding the butter with your fingers. The SimplyRecipes instructions call for thoroughly mixing until the flour is the consistency of cornmeal. I'd say that the flour is a bit shy of being cornmeal, but it does feel different than just plain flour. Make sure the butter is mixed in well. Add the raisins and mix to coat them. 

Whisk a large egg and 1-3/4 cups of buttermilk together and pour it into a well of the flour/butter. 

At this point, you can continue mixing with the gloves on to make things easier, or you can use a wooden spoon. Whatever  you do, do not overmix. The goal here is to have a wet dough but no dry flour at the bottom of the bowl. Pour this mixture out onto a floured board and gently and quickly form somewhat of a ball of shaggy, wet dough. Overmixing makes for a tough bread.

I, in fact. added a small scoop of flour to the dough as I was shaping it and then poured the dough out of the bowl onto a greased griddle and formed it into a ball, shaping the edges into a round shape mounded on the griddle. I then placed a large 10" greased cheesecake pan round (without the flat bottom) around the dough so that it formed a nice round loaf when baking. You can use a greased cast-iron skillet instead.

Traditionally, Irish soda bread is cut with an X or cross with a serrated knife about 1-1/2 inch deep. 

I did not wash with milk or egg, but might next time. You can also sprinkle the milk or egg with crusty baking sugar. 

Place the skillet or griddle in the center of the hot oven. At the end of 30 minutes test for doneness with a skewer. Add 5 minutes and test again.  Repeat as necessary. It should be crusty and golden. 

Serve warm! The bread is great toasted with butter the next day.

All Things Lemon Gourmet

Google image

Aperitif - Janice

Lemon Drop Martini

Prosecco

White & Red Wine (dinner)

 Nancy Garfield

Shrimp Ceviche w/plantain chips

 JoAnne Barone

Lemony Pearl Barley Soup

 Deb Zyduck

Lemon Ricotta Pasta w/Chicken

Katie Deeg

Lemon Brussel Sprouts Salad

Charlotte Canelli

Five-Ingredient Lemon Bars 

w/Canelli homemade pistachio ice cream

March's Gourmet Dinner in Verandah at Janice's home was absolutely delicious from the martinis to the homemade limoncello. Hosted by Janice and Deb Zyduck, it was simply a delightful evening. Janice supplied us with take-home containers for leftovers.

Nancy added diced cucumber to her recipe. The StayAtHomeChef also adds that you can add diced avocado. It was delicious and I brought some home to Gerry who scarfed it down at 9:30 pm!

JoAnne's soup was also a hit. It's a NYT Cooking recipe so I won't link it to NYT  (due to the paywall), but have posted the recipe on this blog, linked above. Gerry also enjoyed the soup when I got home.

Katie's delicious salad was ooohh'd and aaaah'd over. In fact, I made it at home the very next day!  It's a Costco Recipe of the Month and one I'll be making again and again. Note that you can add prosciutto bits or bacon which I did for a main-dish salad.

The Lemon Ricotta Pasta from Lemon Tree Dwelling was perfect, just enough to finish the meal. Deb and Janice put it together for our main dish, fresh from the cooktop.

The evening ended with the lemon bars*, homemade ice cream,and Janice's homemade limoncello on the Cartwright's Magnolia Isle Drive lanai in beautiful Verandah here in Fort Myers. 

*The lemon bars were nicely lemony and the recipe was simple. If I were making them again I would use a larger baking dish (other than 9x9 suggested - perhaps a 12x9 or 12x10) so that the layers of shortbread and lemon were thinner. 

Lemony Pearl Barley Soup from NYT

Photo credit New York Times

Here's the soup that JoAnne made for the March 2024 Gourmet All Things Lemon dinner. The recipe is from NYT Cooking by Hetty Lui McKinnon.  

Don't forget the garnish! Yogurt or crème fraîche and half the dill plus a bit of drizzled olive oil. (You could use Dill infused oil from any of the olive oil shops such as Fort Myers Olive Oil at Cypress Lake in Fort Myers, Florida or Ripe from the Vine on Route 6 in Marion, Massachusetts.)

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow finely diced onion
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 thinly sliced celery stalks
• 1 cup of chopped fresh dill leaves AND stalks (half for soup and half for garnish)
• Sea salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup (6 oz) of pearl barley
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 3-4 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 oz. baby spinach
• Greek yogurt or Crème Fraîche to serve

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add 1-2 T of the olive oil first, adding the onion and cooking until softened (always stirring) - about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, half the dill and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Stir until fragrant about 1-2 minutes.

Add the pearl barley and the stock and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the barley is swollen and tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Turn off the heat, adding the lemon juice and seasoning with salt and pepper. Taste!

Stir in the spinach, letting it wilt in the heat of the soup.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with yogurt or Crème Fraîche, the remaining dill and drizzle with olive oil.

Italian Stuffed Pepper Soup

We had a late lunch with our friends Sharon and Jim in Upton, MA on Tuesday, February 20th - a few days before leaving New England and the late winter behind. What a perfect meal with the Campbells!

Sharon's Stuffed Pepper Soup was so good that I asked her for the recipe. She replied with a list of the ingredients that she throws together. I tried duplicating it and it was almost as perfect as hers. We had Tim and Julie over on a breezy, warm evening in Verandah here in Florida.  Everyone loved this bowl of comfort served with fresh bread, red wine and a salad.

Sauté some shallots and chopped sweet onions in a bit of oil in a Dutch oven (or any other pan.) Add 12 sausages (out of the casings) and use a spatula or other utensil to break them up as they cook. Add 4 cans* of fire-roasted tomatoes. Sharon added some tomato sauce, but we were unfortunately out of tomato sauce so I added the *fourth can of tomatoes. Add some Italian seasoning and dried thyme, a generous T. of fennel seed, a tsp. of dried thyme, and a bit or garlic salt. Add three multi-colored peppers, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces. When the peppers are just cooked, if the Dutch oven is big enough, add 8 cups of beef broth and about 2-4 cups of cooked brown rice.

Or add everything to another pot that will hold everything. (I actually cooked the 2 cups of rice in 4 cups of beef broth until almost done and added everything to a crockpot. I cooked on high four about 3 hours.) If not soupy enough, add more beef broth.

Serve with warm bread, a salad, and a bowlful of freshly grated Parmesan/Pecorino/Romano cheese.

So good!

If you'd like a recipe with more exact ingredients, I found a ton of them online. Just search Stuffed Pepper Soup. Here's one I found while I was uploading Sharon's recipe.

Roasted Yellow Beet Fresh Pasta with Sage Butter

 Today I made roasted yellow beet pasta by adding only 1 whisked egg to the flours and a few tablespoons of pureed roasted yellow beets. I added water to the dough in the pasta machine until it was the consistency of dried peas.  This was a bit tricky, but it worked.

To 1/2 cup of Italian butter in a hot pan, I added about 30 sage leaves of all sizes that I had picked from the herb garden. I turned the heat down to simmer and cooked it for about half an hour until the sage leaves had shrunk considerably in size.  I turned the heat up and watched it carefully until the sage leaves turned crispy and the butter turned light brown. 

Using a very small strainer, I strained the butter from the leaves. I then used the butter on the pasta after it cooked.

Spinach Fettuccini with Pine Nuts, Creme Fraiche, Bacon and Pecorino/Parmesan

Using the homemade fettuccini I'd made earlier, we had Julie and her family for dinner last night, I cooked the fettuccini for a few minutes and drained it in a colander, Because I was adding it to a heated sauce, I left it to cool. (Don't forget to save a cup of the pasta water!)

I had cooked bacon earlier and left the bits and some of the fat in the pan. To this, I added some good butter, a bit of pepper-flavored olive oil and about a cup of pine nuts. I tossed in some herbs d'provence and left these to simmer. Right before serving dinner, I added 1/2-3/4 cup creme fraiche*, a cup of cooked and crumbled bacon and one cup of finely grated Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses.  I added a bit of pasta water to thin it out and then added the cooked pasta to the hot sauce.

I served it immediately with chopped parsley on top and a bit more finely grated cheese.

We served this with grilled thickly cut tuna steaks, seasoned with Kinder's Butter Steakhouse and butter on top at the end.

Gerry made yummy St.Elderberry martinis and his famous guacamole. We had fresh ricotta bread, salad and a trio of ice creams for dessert. Happy birthday, Julie!

*My creme fraiche hack is 1/3 Greek yogurt, 1/3 Mascarpone cheese and 1/3 sour cream. Using blender or immersion blender to cream together.

Dirty Martini Pasta

Danish Creamery.com (Photo)

I found this recipe online and decided to purchase some large Martini glasses to serve it in. In looking again for the recipe I learned that it is a popular thing! I found the original recipe and tweaked it, having read that Castelvetrano olives are the very best to use. They are a beautiful green and the brine is lovely in the recipe.

The recipe I used was from Danish Creamery and asked to use Danish butter. I bought some Italian butter* instead and used it. I didn't use the crab meat recommended, but it might be pretty tasty with any kind of additional seafood, fish or meat. *I used some chilled American butter (Plugra) and it was just as good  

Cook and drain a pound of pasta. I made fresh Angel Hair pasta. Reserve 1 cup of the water!

Melt 2 T butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 cup of torn pitted Castelvetrano* olives - reserve a few whole olives for garnish (see above photo) and 2 minced (or more) garlic cloves. Cook olives and garlic about 1 minute in the butter.  *Also reserve 1/3 cup of the olive brine.

Add 1/3 cup of gin and cook about three minutes until liquid is reduced by half. Tonight added one pkg. of quickly sautéed cubed prosciutto.  Last week I added about 1/3 pkg of cooked crumbled bacon. 

Whisk in the reserved brine, 1/2 cup of creme fraiche** and 1/2 cup of the pasta liquid. (Note: I whisked these three ingredients together before hand.) 

Transfer pasta using tongs into the skillet and toss. Cook until everything is nice and thick. Add in 3 T. cubed cold butter, zest of 1 lemon, 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley, and half a cup of pecorino/parmesan. If using seafood, toss it in. Add another splash or two of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Add salt and pepper, swirl into glasses, garnish and serve immediately with warm bread and butter|olive oil. 

**I made my own creme fraiche using 1/3 full-fat sour cream, 1/3 Greek yogurt and 1/3 mascarpone to make 1 cup and used half of that. You can add more if you feel it is needed.

Tonight I added a butterflied grilled shrimp or two to each filled glass. 

 

Homemade Spinach Fettuccini

 

I'd never tried any other pasta dough in my Phillips pasta maker other than plain semolina/white flour -- that is, until today.

We cooked dried spinach pasta from our favorite Italian deli (Mario's Meat Market in Fort Myers) this past week. I wanted to try it fresh (hard to find.)

I read several recipes online (I think my Philips cookbook is home in Massachusetts). The recipe I liked the best used pasta "juice" and explained it as fresh spinach and just a little water, blended and pureed. In other words, the spinach was raw and fresh.

I used about a cup and a half of fresh spinach, compressed tightly in the measuring cup. And 1/3 cup of water placed in my Ninja juice maker. I ending up adding more spinach and a bit more water. I had a very deep green thick smoothie-type puree. The juice is simply a replacement for the water usually added to the egg as the liquid for the dough. This juice made three batches of pasta.

I placed 3/4 of flour and 3/4 cup of semolina with a few dashes of salt into the pasta machine bowl. My Phillips machine weighs the dry ingredients so this was about 275 grams. 

I cracked one egg into the liquid measure supplied by Phillips and 1/4 tsp olive oil.  I then added enough of the puree to meet the required mls of fluid (95) and started the cycle, adding the wet to the dry and waiting for it to extrude. I cut the pasta at about 10 inches as it extruded from the machine.

More spinach juice could have been added as the extrusion was a tad dry, creating little sharp ridges on the pasta that came from the very center of the fettuccini die. That said, it looks pretty much perfect!

Fresh pasta cooks in just a few minutes and is delicious!

I made roasted yellow beet pasta using the pasta machine and plan to make other flavors as it really is so easy.

Year of the Dragon Feast

This January 2024, ten members of the Gourmet Club of Verandah celebrated Chinese New Year with a second annual feast at my Florida home.

We started the night promptly at 6 pm with cocktails and appetizers. Gerry once again made beautifully green Midori Martinis and Kay made lovely Sticky Asian Meatballs. 

We started with a Dropped Egg, Pork and Vegetable Soup and moved on to Julie's Cashew Chicken, Joanne's Asian Ramen Salad, Pippin's Sauced Vegetables, Linda's Thai Chicken Pasta and Val's Fried Rice. 

Sue and Nancy treated us to the plum wines they brought with them. 

Pam's Three-Ingredient Almond Flour Cookies and a trio of Asian-Inspired Ice Creams* and fortune cookies ended the evening. 

What a great night of food, wine and conversations! The best part was packing up leftovers in the take-out containers!

*Ice creams were Green Tea garnished with Sesame-Honey Almond (Trader Joe's); Ginger-Ginger-Ginger garnished with a half candied ginger in syrup; and Star Anise garnished with a light sprinkle of Five-Spice and a star anise. 

Sticky Asian Meatballs

Kay brought this delicious appetizer to the Year of the Dragon Feast 2024

For Meatballs

• 
  1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp green onion minced
• 3 tbsp carrots finely grated
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the Sauce

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Optional garnishes are sesame seeds and sliced green onion. You can serve these on their own as appetizers,( just make them slightly smaller) and insert toothpicks in them before serving.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. LIne a standard size baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set asie

2.In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk and panko breadcrumbs. Allow to soak for 5 minutes.  Add the pork, egg, garlic, green onion, carrot, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper.  Using your hands, mix together just until combined (overworking it will cause the meatballs to be dense)

3. Shape into meatballs and place onto the prepared baking sheet.  Place in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until

cooked throughout (internal temperature of 165}

4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine the hoisin, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes,  Bring to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Place the meatballs in a large bowl and cover with the sauce.  Toss to coat, serve hot, Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced onions.

Asian Ramen Salad

Joanne sent this recipe for Asian Ramen Salad that we enjoyed at the Year of the Dragon 2024 Feast. It was yummy!

For the salad:

• 1 package ramen noodles (3 ounces)
•  2/3 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 bag coleslaw mix (16 ounces)
• 1 &1/2 cups shelled frozen edamame thawed
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 4 scallions thinly sliced (both white and green parts)
• 1/2 cup canned mandarin orange segments in light syrup rinsed 

For the dressing:

• 2/3 C Olive Oil
• 4 Tb sugar
• 1/3 C Rice Vinegar 
• 1 & 1/2 Tb Soy Sauce
• 1-2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions and Assembly:

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Crumble the ramen noodles onto a baking sheet and spread them in a single layer along with the almonds. Bake for 5 minutes, remove from the oven, add the sesame seeds, and toss, then bake for 1 to 3 additional minutes until fragrant and golden. Watch closely so that the mixture does not burn. Set aside.

In a serving bowl, toss together the coleslaw, edamame, carrots, scallions, and toasted ramen and almonds. Drizzle the dressing over the top, then toss again to combine.

Sprinkle the oranges over the top.

Dropped Egg, Pork and Vegetable Soup

I made this soup for our Year of the Dragon Feast 2024. It was delicious and made about twice what we needed for our starter in small bowls. Each very hot bowl was garnished with sliced snow peas, cilantro leaves and thinly sliced scallions.

I began with a cut of pork I found in the grocery store which was like a thick-cut bacon - or fresh and unsalted "salt" pork. Any pork cutlet would work. 

I cut the pork into very small cubes, discarding some of the fattiest bits. I probably had a cup of pork bits and added them to a hot pan. Cook on high heat, stirring, until you have enough fat to cook the onion (below.) Discard any pieces that are all fat. 

I diced one medium yellow onion and added it to the cooked meat on medium heat until the onion was golden. I then refrigerated the mix because I was preparing ingredients beforehand and also wanted to start with clean pan.

I prepared small dices of a few fresh carrots and a stalk of celery. I also prepped the garnishes (above)  and whisked six fresh eggs, breaking all the yolks. I had these handy for the last minute preparation of the soup.

An hour before guests were to arrive, I emptied two cartons of organic chicken stock (8 cups) to a small Dutch oven to heat on low (not simmering but hot), adding in the pork/onion mixture.

When the guests were at the table, I raised the temperature to high and tossed in the carrots and celery. I added a bit of salt and pepper and cooked these briefly until the carrots were JUST cooked. I turned down the heat so that the soup was not boiling and gently poured the egg into the soup in a stream.

I immediately ladled the soup into bowls and garnished the bowls with the very hot soup and served. 

Baked Breakfast Tortilla

I saw this Reelz on Facebook and thought it looked like a quick and easy alternative to quiche - and without the extra fat of half and half, butter and piecrust.

It was easy and very good. Cut into wedges (with scissors), it is enjoyable eating without utensils as it is handheld. It's quicker, too. 

It takes 1 tortilla a bit bigger than your smallest pie plate. (You can use 4-5 inch plates with small tortillas. Just halve the filling and bake two (or more) at a time.)

Place the tortilla in the pie plate (use a bit of cooking spray in the plate) and make sure the tortilla goes evenly and slightly up the sides. Press in without breaking the tortilla  

Crack two eggs and whisk them with about 1/4-1/2 cup of cottage cheese and pour those onto the tortilla. I chose to add fresh spinach, feta cheese, sliced scallions, and pepper. I then sprinkled on a combination of shaved Italian cheeses. The combinations you can make are endless.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until egg is cooked and puffs up slightly like a quiche does.

It slips right out of the pie plate. Serve!

Favorite Kitchen Tools 3

 

Left to right:

Chopper - we have loved these choppers, some include smaller garlic choppers inside. I have seen tons of these at Home Goods and TJ Maxx lately. We've had ours for years and use them all the time.

Silicone Pink Pig - indispensible for bacon fat (includes a strainer under the piggy face. It refrigerates and microwaves.

Silicone poachers - We use these for company all the time and have 10-12 in each house. Simply cover the bottom of a pan with 2-12, pour in about an inch of water, put a dab of butter in the cups and crack an egg. Turn the heat on high and then low, cover with a glass cover and wait for the egg while to cook before turning off the heat. Remove and pour off condensation and spoon out effortlessly.

Metal measuring in odd measures - 2 cup, 1-1/2 cup, 3/4 cup

Large glass measurer - this is great when making salad dressings if you need to measure the ingredients. Or have liquids ready to add when cooking or baking. 

Measuring spoons in every measure. I hook them somewhere in the kitchen where I can get to them easily.

Wooden salad or meal hands - we love these.

Stacking covered glass bowls for mise en place cooking. Get everything reading hours beforehand. It makes baking and cooking that much easier. 

Favorite Kitchen Tools 2

 

Left to right:

Graters - we have multiples of these microplane graters and my favorites are these two. The larger is great for cheeses, carrots, etc.  I use the zester for both zesting and fine grating. They both have covers.

Silicone measurers - these are terrific in multiple sizes. They bend and curve so everything is easy to pour, yet the size can be terrific for actually immersion blending sauces, etc. Some fit together perfectly in the drawer or the cabinet. They also are fine with heat - dipping into hot liquids or microwaving.

Rotary whisks - these come in three or four sizes and I use them constantly instead of whisking. 

Ikea garlic press - the best garlic press at a terrific price. 

Favorite Kitchen Tools 1

 

 Left to right:

Citrus squeezers  - these are indispensable and we use the lemon practically every day. We have duplicates in Marion and have the lime squeezer there as well.

Scraper - we have several of these and the beauty of them is the durability and the fact that they get down into any shape container. 

Tongs - if you look closely these have tines and grab things easily. 

Strawberry huller - Perfect for pulling the stem out of strawberries without cutting off some of the fruit. I also have the slicers which are so fast and efficient for slicing strawberries. See photo below.

Glass measuring pitcher with cover - this is great for premeasuring and covering until you are ready to add liquids to your recipe.

Small Anchor measure - we use these constantly. They measure teaspoons, tablespoons, ounces, and even 1/4 cup. I once thought I was purchasing 4 on Amazon for our four daughters' Christmas stockings and ended up with 24! They come in so handy (and I ended up giving away all but 6.)

Silicon pastry brushes - again, we have several of them in both kitchens. I brush egg on bread, butter on the griddles, and other uses.