Under-The-Weather in Crummy Weather

Most New Years start off with a BANG. Ours started off with a “cough cough”. First, I managed to get sick right after Christmas and let it linger on until the New Year (while throwing a party, no less). Then, being the generous person that I am…gave it to my daughter. Happy New Year, Meg.

Since Meg was down for the count, I felt obliged to do the motherly thing: make soup. I know Chicken Noodle is a classic remedy but I decided to fix an equally satisfying and virus-busting soup, Provençal Tomato Soup. All the required get-well-quick veggies are present and accounted for, plus I like the rich taste that the seasonings bring forth. I make my Provençal a little different than most. During the last stage of cooking, I remove from the heat and pureé a portion of the soup in a blender, then add it back into the pot. This makes the soup a little thicker without adding the nasty calories of cream.

Provençal Tomato Soup

2 lb. tomatoes

2 med. onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1 celery rib, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp. orange zest

1 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)

¼ tsp. fennel seeds

1 bay leaf

3 Tbl. olive oil

2 Tbl. tomato paste

2 cups water

1 ¾ cups reduced sodium chicken broth

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

pinch crumbled saffron threads

1-2 tsps. sugar

¼ cup long-grain white rice

2 Tbl. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh basil.

Cut a shallow X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in pot of boiling water about 10 seconds, until the skin just begins to split. Transfer with slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking.

Peel tomatoes, then halve crosswise. Squeeze halves gently, cut sides down, over a sieve set over a bowl to extract seeds and juices, then press on seeds and discard them. Reserve juice and tomatoes.

Cook onions, carrot, celery, garlic, zest, thyme, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and bay leaf in oil in a 3 qt. heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 min.

Add tomatoes with reserved juice, tomato paste, water, chicken broth, salt and pepper, saffron, and 1 tsp. sugar, then simmer, uncovered, stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a spoon occasionally, 20 min. Remove from heat and allow soup to cool slightly. Put about one-third of the soup into a blender (may require a couple of blender batches to do one-third) and pureé til smooth. Return this to the pan with the remaining two-thirds soup and mix well. Bring back up to hot and stir in rice. Simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, 10-20 min. Discard bay leaf and stir in parsley, basil, sugar and salt to taste.

Meg made a full recovery and we can officially welcome the new year. Happy New Year, everyone.

--The Mother (Dr. Mom)

Autumn Salad

The sizzling days of summer are not the only times that a cool and luscious salad is in order. A rather hot Indian Summer day inspired me to fix this salad that I have enjoyed over the years (and have changed ingredients from time to time to fit my mood). The smoked turkey is easy, too, if you purchase a thick slice at the deli, instead of having to roast one yourself, and makes for a quick and simple dinner or luncheon salad.

Smoked Turkey, Apple and Roasted Walnut Salad

1 lb. smoked turkey, cut into strips

2 tart apples, cored and diced

3 celery stalks, sliced

3 cups watercress, chopped

Lemon Dijon Dressing (recipe follows)

Salt and pepper

Mixed spring greens

½ cup walnut halves, toasted

Toss the turkey strips, apples, celery, and chopped watercress in a bowl. Pour on Lemon Dressing (reserve a scant amount for drizzling on greens), and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for no more than 4 hours.

Make a circle around edge of four plates with mixed greens and drizzle with a small amount of reserved Lemon Dressing. Mound the chilled salad in the center and then sprinkle with the walnuts.

Lemon Dressing

3 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2-3 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup canola oil

Combine lemon juice with the mustard, egg yolk, salt and pepper. Whip until thickened. Add the oils slowly, until thickened.

Very fresh watercress from the local produce market, complete with roots…how fresh is that?

I love how the watercress tastes with the smoked turkey and Dijon…a great combination of flavors. I served it up with these hickory bacon and corn gougères to complete the Indian summer theme. They are great served warm out of the oven but are also quite tasty at room temperature. (They also keep for three days, well covered., so great as a make-ahead item.)

Hickory Bacon and Roasted Corn Gougères

4 hickory-smoked bacon slices (about ¼ lb.)

¾ cup fresh corn kernels (from about 2 medium ears)

1 cup water

4 oz. unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup flour

4 to 5 large eggs

1 ½ cups coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (5 oz.)

2 Tbl. grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbl. finely chopped chives

Preheat oven to 375º with racks in upper and lower thirds. Cook bacon in skilled over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then finely chop.

Pour fat from skillet, then wipe clean. Add corn and pan-roast over med. heat, stirring occasionally, until kernels are mostly golden brown, 10-15 min.

Bring water to a boil with butter and salt in a heavy medium saucepan, stirring until butter is melted. Add flour all at once and cook over medium heat, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan, about 2 min. Remove from heat and cool slightly, about 3 min. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. (Batter will appear to separate at first but will them become smooth). Mixture should be glossy and just stiff enough to hold soft peaks and fall softly from a spoon. If batter is too stiff, beat remaining egg in a small bowl and add to batter 1 tsp. at a time, beating and then testing batter until is reaches proper consistency. Stir in bacon, corn, cheese, chives and ½ tsp. pepper.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Fill a pastry bag fitted with 1/2” plain tip with batter and pipe about 35 (3/4” diameter) mounds, or spoon mounded teaspoons, ¼” apart, onto each sheet. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until puffed, golden, and crisp, 25-30 min. total. Transfer to rack (still on parchment if using) and cool. Make more puffs on cooled baking sheets.

*note: These can be made ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled in sealed bags 2 days or frozen up to 1 week. Reheat, uncovered, on baking sheets in 350º oven for 10 min if chilled or 15 min. if frozen.

Makes about 140 puffs

FUN NOTE: I have often fixed them as an hors d’oeuvres with cocktails. Makes a LOT, which is easy on the wallet, and is an unusual but simple bar food. Looks dramatic piled high on a pedestal plate or spilling out of an autumn basket.

Enjoying the first days of fall and looking forward to spending more time in the kitchen…hopefully, with my daughter sometime (hint, hint, Meg).

--The Mother

Fresh and Local – and Making it Last

I try to hit up the farmer’s market on most weekends, because the ingredients I bring home automatically enhance my cooking without any extra work. The only hard part is that I tend to get distracted while I’m there, and often find myself in a frenzy over which amazing products I want to use. My inability to get in-and-out of the market in less than 30 minutes immediately rules out any chance I might ever have to be a contestant on Top Chef or Master Chef. It’s best if I’m given the freedom to wander the aisles and contemplate my menu decisions. It’s also best if my husband isn’t with me when I go, as it could be a monumental test of his patience.

At a recent visit, I picked up some delightfully fresh produce – some heirloom tomatoes, nectarines, corn on the cob, and zucchini - to name a few. It’s amazing how far a few tomatoes will go, and it was even more amazing that I was able to use all the farmer’s market produce without anything going bad. I don’t have the luxury of shopping every day for our food, so anything I can buy that lasts more than a day, is an exciting thrill for me.

While I don’t have any specific “recipes” to share, I wanted to highlight the variety of meals I was able to achieve with just a few items from my farmer’s market trip, and anything I already had on hand in the pantry:

Salad w/ Nectarines

- Bed of mixed greens

- Sliced nectarines

- Sliced salami

- Dressing: Olive oil and juice from an orange and lemon

Heirloom tomato salad

- Heirloom tomatoes

- Corn on the Cob

- Zucchini

- Basil

- Olive Oil

- Lemon

Zucchini and Tomato Gratin

- Tomatoes

- Zucchini

- Olive Oil

- Thyme

- Parm cheese

And the list goes on. I may not be able to construct every meal with the freshest ingredients and local products, I’m a working lady for goodness sake, but I can incorporate these throughout my week efficiently and cost effectively. I think I spent about $30 at the market that day. That’s about the cost of what - 3 frozen pizzas at Safeway? Given the option, I’d much rather have an heirloom tomato salad, wouldn’t you?

-- the daughter

Pizza My Heart

All of my favorite things, loaded on to a simple crust, makes for a pizza to fall in love with: fresh, seasonal figs, thinly sliced prosciutto, pungent and yummy gorgonzola cheese, a hint of balsamic and topped with fresh, peppery arugula. Sighting a display of figs at the farmer’s market this week, I was inspired to use them in this Bon Appétit recipe. While I usually like to prepare my pizza dough from scratch (see below), I knew I had some Trader Joe’s fresh-packaged variety in my frig. I also remembered that I had quite a bit of spinach in the crisper so I substituted it for the arugula (the arugula is really better on this but the spinach was a nice change).

Pizza with Prosciutto, Figs, Gorgonzola and Arugula

Cornmeal (for sprinkling)*

1 lb. pkg. purchased pizza dough**

2 cups (generous) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 8 oz.)

6 small fresh figs, cut into about 1/3” thick slices

2 Tbl. balsamic vinegar, divided (use fig balsamic, if you can)

8 thin slices prosciutto

1 Tbl. extra-virgin olive oil

8 cups arugula

Preheat oven to 450º. Sprinkle large rimless baking sheet generously with cornmeal. Roll out dough on floured work surface to 12 X 10 inch rectangle; transfer to prepared sheet. Sprinkle Gorgonzola over dough. Sprinkle with pepper. Place figs in medium bowl and drizzle 1 tablespoon vinegar over. Set aside.

Bake pizza until crust is golden brown on bottom, 15 to 20 min. Immediately drape prosciutto slices over, covering pizza completely. Arrange fig slices atop prosciutto. Bake until figs are just heated through, about 1 min. Transfer pizza to cutting board. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and oil in large bow; add arugula. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Mound salad atop pizza. Cut into pieces and serve.

*I didn’t have any cornmeal on hand so skipped using it to prep pan and the pizza did fine. Source: Bon Appétit

**Pizza Dough

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 ¼ cups lukewarm water

3 cups unbleached flour

1 ½ tsp. salt

1 Tbl. olive oil

In large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup lukewarm water. Let it proof for 10 min. Add the flour, salt, olive oil and remaining water. Mix well and knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 min. This can be done by hand or with an electric mixer with a dough hook. Add more flour as necessary to make a smooth, silky dough.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and set aside in a warm place until it doubles in bulk. This should take 1 hour or longer. Punch down the dough and let it rest for another 10 min. It is now ready to proceed with rolling into a “regular” pizza or –continue with recipe above--

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I think the “draping” of prosciutto to enclose the whole pizza is such an interesting way of offering up something different. This was plenty for dinner since it even had the salad atop, but it would also be a good accompaniment to a great bowl of minestrone or other favorite Italian soup.

Give it a taste and you’ll see why it’s won its way into our heart.

--the Mother

Not Just Your Run-Of-The-Mill Burger

Meg may have wanted to shed the “Monday Blues” with her dinner but I also think Wednesday’s “hump day” deserves some effort…burgers, you say? Think about making them a little differently. One direction I like to take is to use ground chicken instead of the usual ground beef.

Chicken burgers are so lean and delicious, but they also tend to need a little help in the taste department. I like to caramelize shallots and add a little blue cheese to the offering. Simple ingredients can provide temptations to the tastebuds, while being mindful of the grocery list’s bottom line.

Chicken Burgers with Caramelized Shallots and Blue Cheese*

2 shallots

olive oil

1 lb. ground chicken

one garlic glove, minced

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. salt

4 kaiser or ciabatta rolls, toasted

Leafy lettuce

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Caramelize the shallots in a little olive oil. Remove from pan and set aside.

Mix the ground chicken, garlic, rosemary, pepper and salt; then form into four patties. Brown in same pan with 1 tbl more olive oil. While burger is cooking, mix the mayonnaise and crumbled blue cheese til blended.

Serve burgers on toasted rolls with shallots, lettuce and a dollop of the mayo-blue cheese mixture.

*source: adapted from a Sunset magazine recipe

Served this mid-week sensation with a side of a large slice of beefsteak tomato, drizzled with a little light Italian dressing and topped with roasted corn. A little cold and hot side combo that seemed to work. Tomato was luscious and in-season and the roasted corn added a hot companion to an otherwise mundane side dish.

I had an extra chicken burger patty left over. Can’t wait to have it tomorrow, accompanied by another slice of tomato, as a great and light lunch. Total burger enjoyment…without the guilt. Maybe I’ll open my own burger stand someday. I think I’ll name it “Burger Queen”.

--the Mother

A Case of the Mondays

On the bus home from work on Monday, I was tired and frustrated with my day. I just wanted to go home and plop myself on the couch and do nothing, but I thought…what better way to shed the Monday blues than a home cooked meal? Since I was lazy and didn’t make it to the grocery store over the weekend, my only option was to scrounge around the kitchen to see what I could find. When I got home, I opened Rachel Ray’s cookbook to see if I could get inspired with the ingredients I had on-hand. I’ll admit she’s got some interesting dishes that are do-able for a working woman - although I can only make her meals in less than 30 minutes if I'm literally running around the kitchen to beat the clock.

I found a recipe for turkey cutlet with some pesto, tomato, and mozzarella topping. Not only did it sound delicious, but I had all of the ingredients to complete the dish (though I actually substituted the turkey for chicken). First, I opened a bottle of wine because I simply can’t cook without it! Then I pulled together the ingredients for the chicken cutlet, and also brought out a rice mix from Trader Joe’s to accompany the chicken. It was a fairly easy recipe to follow, and in the end my husband gave it a raving 4 stars!

Italian Chicken Cutlet

Olive oil (about 2-3 tablespoons)

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 tblsp flour

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

handful parmesan

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley (I actually didn’t have any of this on hand, so I used oregano. I'm sure any Italian herb would work fine.)

2 chicken breasts – pounded flat or butterflied

1 pint grape tomatoes

½ cup white wine

½ cup pesto (store bought)

Mozzarella slices

S & P

Heat medium skillet over medium heat with oil. Add onions, garlic, S&P and cook about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour in shallow dish, beat egg and put in 2nd shallow dish, then combine breadcrumbs, parsley, and parmesan into 3rd shallow dish. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Season chicken with S&P, then cover with flour. Then thoroughly coat chicken in eggs then lastly in the breadcrumb mixture. Once skillet is hot enough, cook chicken for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the cutlets and set aside on paper towels.

In the skillet with the onions, add the grape tomatoes and white wine. Continue to cook until tomatoes start to burst and wine is reduced by half. Preheat the broiler. Arrange cutlets on a cookie sheet, then top each with the tomato topping, a scoop of pesto, and a few slices of mozzarella. Place under the broiler and broil until cheese melts. Serve warm with rice, if desired. Source: Modified from Rachel Ray, 365: No Repeats

With the Monday blues drowned out in Chardonnay and buried in pesto mozzarella toppings, I was ready to put Monday to bed and embrace the rest of the week. I guess it’s not so bad when you scrounge around in your kitchen for dinner options. You just need a little inspiration, a few good cooking staples, and some determination. I’d say it’s the best cure for a ‘case of the Mondays’.

--the daughter

Bon Appetit on Bastille Day

Bastille Day fell mid-week this year and, instead of a Wednesday ho-hum dinner, why not opt for a satisfying meal with a bit of French flare? One of my favorite cooks, Ina Garten, has a lovely Barefoot in Paris cookbook that makes French cooking accessible to all. I realize that was the premise of Julia Child’s work as well but, truth is, I have a serious aversion to objects suspended in aspic.

One recipe that had caught my eye when I first received the book was “Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic”…whew. As Ina says, “I know it sounds outrageous to cook chicken with forty cloves of garlic, but the garlic becomes very sweet and tender when it’s cooked for a long time”. I took her at her word and forged ahead.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves

2 (3 ½ lb.) chickens, cut into eighths

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbl. unsalted butter

2 Tbl. good olive oil

3 Tbl. Cognac, divided

1 ½ cups dry white wine

1 Tbl. fresh thyme leaves

2 Tbl. flour

2 Tbl. heavy cream

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, sauté the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3-5 min. on each side. Turn with tongs or spatula (so you don’t pierce the skin). If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer to a plate and continue with remaining chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and sauté for 5-10 min, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 min., until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the sauce and flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 min. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce and garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

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Ina was true to her word…the garlic was subtle and perfect tucked up next to the chicken. The sauce was incredibly rich, despite the fact that the recipe only called for 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. I would consider this a company-worthy entreé, served with a nice rice-combo type mix (Trader Joe’s has several mixed rice varieties that are nice), a light salad, some crunchy French bread and a nice bottle of wine (French on Bastille Day, of course).

We ended the meal with an interesting dessert. Having recently returned from a trip to the coast of Maine, we made the “required” stop at Stonewall Kitchen to ponder over the extensive selection of jams, chutneys, sauces, rubs, and so forth. Snatching up a jar of Kir Royale Jam and their recipe card for “Kir Royale Sorbet”, it seemed the perfect light, refreshing summer conclusion to our meal.

Kir Royale Sorbet *recipe from Stonewall Kitchen

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Kir Royale Jam

Make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Place 1 jar of Kir Royale Jam in a food processor. Using a metal blade, process jam until currants are fine pieces. Add puréed jam to the simple syrup and mix until uniform. Chill for at least 1 hour in refrigerator.

Place chilled mixture in an ice cream maker. Process for 30-35 min. until the sorbet is thick and creamy. Freeze for 8 hours or overnight before serving. Can be kept frozen for one week.

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I served the sorbet in chilled martini glasses with a sprig of mint and a small plate of dark chocolate truffles. For one evening, my husband and I felt like we had traveled to Paris…just without the jet lag.

--The Mother