Spaghetti and Golden Tomatoes

A few months ago I put some tomato seeds in our garden bed, and now we have towering 6 foot tomato plants bedecked with golf ball-sized golden tomatoes.  What to do with a big bowl of ripe golden tomatoes???
I recently watched an episode of Lidia's Italy where Lidia and her son Joseph cooked up three basic pastas.  According to the Bastianich's the technique to achieve perfect pasta seems to be boiling the pasta until just al dente, then finish cooking the pasta in the sauce with a few ladles of starchy pasta water.  I have tried this technique several times and it makes a world of difference, turning a simple box of spaghetti into an sophisticated and delicious meal.  

While my spaghetti was boiling I made a very simple sauce, adding minced garlic and red chili flakes to a skillet full of hot olive oil.  After 30 seconds I stirred in my halved and cored tomatoes.  I left the skin and seeds as my tomatoes were small and quite sweet and mild.  I let the tomatoes simmer for a few minutes, then seasoned them with salt and pepper and added some fresh torn basil leaves.  When my spaghetti was just about al dente, I removed it from the pot with tongs and placed it into the saucepan along with 3/4 cup of the starchy water.  I cooked the pasta and sauce gently over low heat for a minute or two before stirring in a handful of grated parmigiano reggiano.  Then dinner was served. And we ate the whole pot. 

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

Blueberries are in season.  I picked up a carton for Trevor to put on his Cheerios but then I had a better thought.  What to do with a carton of blueberries and the Buttermilk leftover from my fried chicken?  Bake them into a bundt cake!  This cake is SO GOOD, my goodness.  I have been eating it every day, 2x day.  

Blueberry Buttermilk Cake

Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2004 (c/o Epicurious)

10 in. bundt pan

1 1/2 sticks room-temperature unsalted butter (3/4 cup), plus 1 tablespoon for greasing the pan

1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 cups flour, sifted then measured

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups fresh blueberries

Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour your bundt pan.  Grease it very well, or your cake will stick and it will not look nice!

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.  

In a larger bowl, beat butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy with hand or stand mixer.  Add eggs one by one, continue beating until fully incorporated.  Beat in vanilla and lemon zest.  

Gently beat in first 1/3 of dry ingredients until incorporated, then half of buttermilk.  Beat in second 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then the remaining buttermilk.  Incorporated the final 1/3 of dry ingredients.  Do not overbeat!  

Toss blueberries in a bit of flour, then fold in to the batter.  Pour/scoop batter into bundt pan (it will be quite thick) and bake until tester comes out clean, about 50 minutes - 1 hour.  Let cool slightly before flipping cake onto cooling rack and removing bundt pan.  When cake is cool, sift powdered sugar on top and enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Summer Salad

I fried chicken! It was easier than I thought it was going to be.  Growing up in the Northeast we ate a lot of chicken, but never real fried chicken.  I was inspired by this recent post over at Last Night's Dinner.  

My salad was composed of hearts of Romaine, celery, carrot matchsticks, fresh summer corn and green onion.  I made a simple buttermilk blue cheese dressing with buttermilk, blue cheese, sour cream, vinegar, black pepper, and a bit of mayo.  

I used chicken breast tenders which I soaked in buttermilk for an hour before cooking.  I then patted the tenders dry, seasoned them with S&P, and dredged them in flour seasoned with garlic powder and paprika.  I dipped the tenders in another buttermilk bath and re-dredged them in the flour, and they were ready to fry in a skillet full of hot, melted crisco for several minutes on each side.  The resulting tenders had a gorgeous, golden, crispy crunchy flaky fried crust.  I was so proud of myself!  

The final step in making Buffalo Chicken is tossing the fried chicken in a mixture of hot sauce and melted butter.  How does one achieve crispy Buffalo Chicken?  My hard-earned crispy fried chicken crust got soggy when doused with melted butter and Frank's Red Hot.  Fortunately it still tasted delicious.

Cindy playing with a new friend on the beach in Galveston.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Last week the farmer's market was selling bags of zucchini blossoms for $5. The blossoms grow off of the young zucchini and are often stuffed and fried. I decided to just plain fry them, which turned out to be a delicious adventure!

I rinsed thoroughly (lots of little bugs hiding in the blossoms), soaked in milk then dredged in flour and fried in 350 degree vegetable oil. They take just a few minutes to crisp up, then I tossed them in a brown paper bag with some kosher salt.

These were absolutely delicious! Under the crispy you could distinctly taste the sweet zucchini flavor. Next time I would pull them out of the oil a little faster so they look more like the ones I saw on Taste Buddies where she stuffed and lightly fried them. It would be nice to retain some of the beautiful colors instead of covering it with all that fried goodness.

Out of Focus

I cooked a curry the other night. A favorite recipe from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper.  Whole milk yogurt and chunks of chicken, to which I added cubed sweet potato and a sprinkling of bright green baby peas.  Unfortunately the auto focus on my camera doesn't seem to be working properly and all of the shots came out blurry.  

I had more photographic success with my pork chops and mashed potatoes, which shortly after this photo was taken were smothered in a thick gravy and devoured by myself and my ever-hungry husband.  I rarely make gravy but boy, is it a treat.  I pan fried the chops and set them aside, then added another pat of butter to my saucepan and whisked in a few tablespoons of flour to make a roux.  I then whisked in some chicken stock and cooking sherry and seasoned the gravy with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

The center-cut pork chops had been brined in my 'standard' pork brine which is composed of 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2-3 cups water, a bay leave, a chopped onion, some black peppercorns and a few cloves of garlic.  Even though I slightly overcooked the chops, they were still very juicy and quite delicious.

Sausage & Beet Green Focaccia Sandwich

When R goes to the grocery store he always comes home with a TON of hot Italian sausage. While I like sausage, I find they restrict my creativity a bit because there is only so much you can do with them. Last night I cooked them up and layered in a sandwich with sauteed beet greens, red onion, pesto and a mix of leftover Camembert and mozzarella. I sandwiched all of this between focaccia and grilled for an easy weeknight dinner.

Side note on the focaccia. I have a fantastic bakery on my street called Orwashers, which sells artisan breads that I love like Cabernet wine bread and sourdough. While I love buying quality bread I can never eat it fast enough and end up throwing out the stale ends after a few days. This isn't a result of the quality of the bread but the fact that my apartment gets so hot during the day that I have to keep the bread in the fridge, which I think negatively affects it. ANYWAYS, when I asked what they suggested for keeping the bread fresh the counter guy said I should keep it in my microwave as it acts like a breadbox. Golden tidbit...the bread lasted me about a week longer then it usual.

Fried Fish Tacos with Asian Slaw and Hot Peppers

I have an unwarranted love of fish tacos. The idea of them intrigues me and makes me hungry for more, even though I've never had ones that I consider very good. There is always something missing which I can never put my finger on. I decided that to understand what I do and don't like about fish tacos, I should make them myself. R and I went down to the Essex St Market where we planned to pick up snapper but settled on a mix of tilapia and grouper, only $8 for 3 fillets! Anyways, because tilapia and grouper are such blandy white fishes, I decided that I should batter, bread crumb and fry them. I topped with an asiany slaw and hot pepper mix.

Fried Fish Tacos with Asian Slaw and Hot Peppers

• Tilapia & Grouper, cut into 1 1/2" pieces
• Egg
• Flour
• Fresh Breadcrumbs (toasted and Cuisinarted leftover Foccacia)
• Tortilla
• Cilantro

Asian Slaw

• Napa Cabbage, thinly sliced
• Carrots, shredded
• Cucumber, seeded and sliced
• Red Onion, thinly sliced
• Scallion, minced
• Vinaigrette: Soy Sauce, Lime Juice, Cider Vinegar, S&P, Sesame Oil

Hot Pepper Mix

• Serrano, seeded and minced
• Garlic, minced
• Ginger, peeled and minced
• Jalapeno, cut into thin rounds
• Poblano, cut into thin rounds
• Small orange & purple pepper, cut into thin strips
• Lime Juice
• Chili Oil (optional)

First I made my hot pepper mix by mashing together the serrano, garlic and ginger and whisking with lime juice and chili oil to make a spicy hot vinaigrette. If you are working with serrano's remember to coat the hand touching them with vegetable oil (I learned that from a ridiculous Penelope Cruz movie, Woman on Top). If you don't oil your hand, it will burn from the chili juices for hours. I tossed the remaining peppers with the vinaigrette and let marinate in the fridge until we were ready to eat. This will probably only get better the longer it sits, so feel free to make ahead of time.

Next, I made the slaw by combining the above ingredients and placing in the fridge to marinate. I heated up a pot of canola oil to 360-380 degrees while R prepared the fish by dredging in the flour, whisked egg and bread crumbs. I fried in batches and layered on brown paper bags, salting with Kosher salt as soon as I pulled them out of the hot oil. Once all my ingredients were prepped I laid out all of the ingredients in a row and we assembled our tacos! Warmed tortilla's, fried fish, asian slaw, hot pepper mix and a handful of cilantro.

These were actually quite delicious! Again though, I felt like they were missing that underlying creamy or rich flavor- I would love to get my hands on some queso fresco which I think would add the creamy element that's missing.

Smoked Sausage and Potato Quiche

In high school I worked at a bakery- well- make that two bakeries in Wellesley, MA.  One was a very upscale bakery that served several types of quiche daily.  One day a woman walked in and inquired what type of 'kweesh' we were serving that day.  I responded "We have a leek and potato 'KEESH' and a smoked salmon 'KEESH'".  She said "Okay, I'll have the leek and potato 'kweesh'".  I can't talk about quiche without thinking of that woman.  

One of our favorite BBQ joints to date in TX is Meyer's Barbeque out in Elgin.  They make a terrific smoked sausage which we can also buy pre-packaged at our grocery store.  Since the sausage is so rich, fatty, smoky and salty, I left the rest of the quiche rather simple.  Trevor ate 1/2 of the finished product, so I think it was a hit.  I served the quiche with a simple salad of golden tomatoes (from our garden!) and baby arugula from the farmer's market drizzled with balsamic and olive oil.

Smoked Sausage and Potato Quiche

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:  

One frozen pie crust

2 medium sized yukon gold potatoes

2 links Meyer's Smoked Sausage, thinly sliced, or pre-cooked sausage of your choice (about 1 1/2 cups sliced)

3 eggs

A few tablespoons of softened cream cheese, or sour cream, or cream or milk (we were out of cream and milk!)

1/4 cup grated cheddar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Butter

Directions:  

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prick center of pie crust, par-bake for 5-6 minutes, and remove from oven.

2.  Slice potatoes about 1/8 in thick (similar to when making scalloped potatoes) and place in a bowl of cold water.  Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  When water is boiling, drain potatoes and cook in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.  You want the potatoes to be firm, not mushy.  Drain potatoes.  

3.  In a bowl, beat together eggs and softened cream cheese, seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

4.  Start composing your quiche.  A layer of potatoes on the bottom, a layer of sausage, and a top layer of potatoes.  Pour egg mixture over top.  Sprinkle with grated cheddar and dot with butter.  Return to 400 oven to bake for another 20 minutes, or until internal temperature is higher than 165 but no higher than 185.  Serve warm or let cool to room temperature.  

Out and About: Midtown Lunch

If you work in NYC, you know that midtown lunch options are a never ending array of uninspiring salads and wraps. Luckily, in my area I have this great spot called Oms b, the rice ball cafe. Check out this delic assortment of rice balls I picked up, with a miso soup, for only $8.25.

Chicken Teriyaki, Tuna and Mackerel

And if you haven't already, check out Midtownlunch.com- I've found a bunch of great falafel and taco spots.

Dinner from a Can

It was hot hot hot yesterday so I tried to make the fastest dinner possible to avoid the amount of time I had to spend in my cramped kitchen. This salad consisted almost entirely of canned/bottled products, which made it a perfect weekday dinner.

Dinner from a Can Salad

• Kalamata Olives, chopped
• Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
• Canned Tuna, drained
• Capers
• Hearts of Palm, sliced
• Artichoke Hearts, halved
• Red Onion, sliced
• Cilantro, finely chopped
• S&P
• Frisse

Basil Dressing: Basil, Dijon, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes, Dry Oregano, S&P, oil & red wine vinegar

Gently toss together all of the salad ingredients excluding the watercress. Allow to marinate together for 30 minutes or until you are ready to eat. Serve over the frisee drizzled with the basil dressing.

To continue with the pantry randomness I made myself a delicious dessert, inspired by the technique in Jacques Pepin's crispy pear tart.

Cream Cheese Tart with Raisin and Almonds

• 1 Small Flour Tortilla
• Golden Raisins
• Sliced Almonds
• Cream Cheese
• Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese
• Butter
• Brown Sugar

I melted together the brown sugar and butter, then blended with equal parts cream cheese and Laughing Cow swiss, then folded in the raisins and almonds. I spread over a toasted tortilla and browned under the broiler.

The combination of the slightly tart Swiss with the other ingredients was delicious! I cut it into bite sized pieces as it was pretty rich. Next time I would add a fruit that doesn't need much cooking (apples?) to mellow out the richness.

Scalloped Potatoes

A bottle of 2008 Zaumau Priorat, a beautifully grilled T-Bone steak, and a casserole of soft, buttery scalloped potatoes.   

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I remember our Grandma Mama making scalloped potatoes, and they have always been one of my favorite potato preparations.  After recently watching the potato episode of The French Chef, I decided it was high time I make some scalloped potatoes because believe it or not readers-- I had never made them myself.  I didn't have swiss so I substituted a fluffy pile of microplane-grated parmesan.  I also brought the milk to boil with a garlic clove in it for a little more garlic flavor.  Simply delicious.  This morning I reheated the leftovers and served the potatoes with fried eggs over top for breakfast.  Again, very delicious.  I highly recommend this recipe.

Gratin Dauphinois
Recipe courtesy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boiling potatoes (6 to 7 cups when sliced)
A fireproof baking/serving dish about 10 in. in diameter and 2 inches deep (I used my Le Creuset soup pot, which was not ideal but worked just fine)
1/2 clove unpeeled garlic
4 tablespoons butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup (4 oz) grated swiss cheese
1 cup boiling milk

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

2.  Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/8 in. thick.  Place in a basin of cold water.  Drain when ready to use.  

3.  Rub the baking dish with the cut garlic.  Smear the inside of the dish with 1 tbsp of the butter.  Drain the potatoes and dry them in a towel.  Spread half of them in the bottom of the dish.  Divide over them half the salt, pepper, cheese and butter.  Arrange the remaining potatoes over the first layer, and season them. Spread on the rest of the cheese and divide the butter over it.  Pour on the boiling milk.  Set baking dish over heat and when simmering, set in upper third of preheated oven.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, milk has been absorbed, and the top is nicely browned.  (As the oven is hot, and the dish is shallow, the potatoes cook quickly.  

Salmon Burger with Nicoise Salad in a Caper Vinaigrette

While R was off at a bachelor party this weekend, I accomplished a huge number of homeowner tasks including:

• learning how to use a drill
• installing towel hooks (seriously we've been hanging out towels on the door for 2 years)
• installing fire alarm
• covering open outlets
• figuring out how to wash the outside of my windows
• ripping out and disposing of the terrible trash-can-on-a-track
• best of all....reorganizing my kitchen!

After all that work I took yesterday off and caught up on my DVR'd Jacques Pepin More Fast Food My Way. Jacques recipe for a simple salmon burger, or as Jacques would say beauugeuur, caught my eye. This easy recipe took all of 15 minutes and made a great Sunday dinner.

Salmon Burger

• Fresh Bread Crumbs (I Cuisinart'd some stale bread)
• Salmon Filet, skinned & cubed
• 1 Mushroom, rough chopped
• 1 Scallion, rough chopped
• S&P

Nicoise Salad (can be made ahead)

• 2 Eggs, hard boiled 12 min egg style
• Baby White Potatoes, boiled
• Green Beans, boiled for 1 minute then run under cold water
• Red Onions, sliced
• Kalamata Olives, pitted and halved

Caper Vinaigrette: minced capers, minced parsley, S&P, dijon mustard, lemon juice, red wine vinegar & olive oil

Combine the bread crumbs, salmon, mushroom and scallions in the Cuisinart and pulse until combined. Shape the mix into patties and cook over medium high heat in a mix of vegetable oil and olive oil for 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip and turn off the heat. Let sit for 1 minute then remove and serve over a bed of frisee with a side of the nicoise salad in caper vinaigrette.

The burger came out really moist and was perfectly complimented by the nicoise salad. Next I want to make an Asian salmon burger, perhaps with sesame, soy and wasabi mayo? If you have a recipe for Asian salmon burgers, pass it along via the comments section!

Summer Herb & Vegetable Gazpacho

With the weather still steamy in NYC, a cool summer gazpacho made the perfect light and healthy meal.

Summer Herb & Vegetable Gazpacho

Serves 4

• 8 Vine Ripe Tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 1/2 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and rough chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and rough chopped
• 1 Scallion, rough chopped
• Bit of Red Onion, rough chopped
• 1 large Radish, rough chopped
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Red Wine Vinegar (Sherry Vinegar is preferable)
• Olive Oil
• Hot Sauce
• Cumin
• Chili Powder
• S&P

I blended all of the vegetables in my Cuisinart then added a the vinegar until I got the consistency I wanted, plus a dash of olive oil. Then I added in the hot sauce, cumin, chili powder and S&P to taste.

This was yum and made enough to take care of my lunch for the next few days! A lot of the veggies I used were optional (ie scallions, onions, radish) I just figured the more the merrier!

Veggie Tart

Frozen Puff Pastry + Fresh Veg = Easy, Delicious Dinner

Veggie Tart

Serves 4 as an entree, 6-8 as an appetizer

Ingredients: 

2 Sheets (one box) Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed

2 zucchini or other squash, cut into 1/4 in coins

1 package frozen spinach, thawed

1/2 package cream cheese

Dash red pepper flakes

Dash garlic powder

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 tomato, thinly sliced

Feta (to taste)

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Toss squash with a bit of olive oil and salt, and place coins on non-stick or parchment covered baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until squash is golden brown.  

2.  Squeeze excess liquid from spinach, and combine with cream cheese, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper.  Set aside.

3.  On another parchment covered baking sheet, lay out puff pastry dough.  Press two pieces of dough together to create one large piece of dough, and fold over the edges to create a crust.  

4.  Prick top of pastry with fork and par-bake in 450 oven for 5-8 minutes.  Remove pastry from oven.  Dollop cream cheese spinach mixture on top of pastry, then layer zucchini, then layer tomatoes and onions, and top with crumbled feta.  Return tart to oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and cooked through.  

Optional: top with chopped chives or fresh basil.  Serve tart with a simple green salad-- I used baby arugula from the farmer's market dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.  Delicious! 

In other news, Cindy developed a clever method for eating her 'bagel' rawhide, slipping it over her paw as a bracelet. 

Have a great weekend!

Two Suppers, Two Recipes

Dear Readers, 

Last week I fell off the wagon. Trevor and I ate out/takeout every night of the week, except for Friday night when he cooked me dinner.  Shameful!  This week I vowed to cook dinner Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night.  I needed a game plan, so I turned to two of my favorite cookbooks: Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way, and The Splendid Table's (Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift) How to Eat Supper.  The first recipe, for poached halibut with pepper oil on fresh polenta, is one that I have attempted before, though I used Chilean sea bass (which I broiled) and regular old polenta.  The second is a recipe for a vinegar garlic Filipino style chicken, which I have always wanted to make but given that it requires a 24 hour marination has never made the cut (I tend to plan my meals last minute!)

Jacque's recipe was very good. Balanced, simple, and healthful. There are myriad ways you could jazz it up, adding more seasoning to the pepper oil, grilling or broiling the fish, or poaching it in olive oil??!  My favorite part of this dish was the fresh corn polenta.  It was so simple, yet so perfectly delicious.  Plus, it only takes about five minutes to make, and it is a great way to use the bounty of fresh summer corn that is headed our way. 

Halibut on Fresh Polenta with Pepper Oil

Recipe courtesy of Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way
Serves 4

Ingredients:  

1 red bell pepper, skin removed with a vegetable peeler, seeded, and flesh cut into 1-in. pieces (about 1 cup) 

3/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups corn kernels (from about 4 ears of corn)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black peper

4 small halibut steaks, each about 4 ounces

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Directions: 

1.  Put the red pepper pieces in a blender with 3/4 tsp salt and olive oil and process until smooth. Transfer to a microwaveable bowl. 

2.  Bring about 1 1/2 quarts salted water to a boil in a large skillet. 

3.  Meanwhile, put the corn kernels in a blender and process until smooth (you will have about 2 cups).

Heat the butter in a saucepan, and add the corn puree along with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 seconds, or until the puree thickens.  Set aside while you poach the fish.
4.  Drop the halibut steaks into the boiling water.  Reduce the heat to low and cook the fish at a low boil for 3-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish and your own taste preferences.  

5.  Meanwhile, heat the pepper oil in a microwave oven for 1 minute.  Divide the corn puree among four plates.  Lift the fish out of the water with a skimmer or fish spatula, pat it dry with paper towels, and place a steak on top of the polenta on each plate.  Spoon on the hot pepper oil, sprinkle on the chives, and serve immediately.  

(My notes: 4 ears of corn was barely enough for two people! I served this as a main course sans starter.  If you are making this for four people, I would recommend 6-8 ears of corn.  Better to have leftovers than not enough!)

"The marinade makes the recipe.  You marinate the chicken overnight, turn everything into a pot, and simmer it.  The cooking technique that sets Filipino adobo apart is that you brown the meat after it is cooked, not before.  That aroma of browning marinade-saturated chicken can drive you mad." - The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

Filipino-Style Chicken Adobo (Chicken in Tart Garlic Sauce)
Recipe courtesy of Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift/The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper
Serves 4-6


Ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
10 large cloves garlic, coarse chopped
1 tablespoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups Filipino palm vinegar, cider vinegar, or white distilled vinegar
1 cup whole canned tomatoes with their liquid
2 bay leaves
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 8, organic if possible)
Olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 whole scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions:

1.  The day before you will be cooking the chicken, take a large glass or stainless steel bowl and combine in it the soy sauce, garlic, black pepper, vinegar, tomatoes (break them up with your hands as you add them to the bowl), and bay leaves.  add the chicken, making sure it is almost completely submerged in the marinade.  Lightly cover and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.  

2.  When you are ready to cook the chicken, turn the mixture into a  heavy 4-quart pot.  Bring it to a gentle bubble, cover, and cook for 25 minutes or until the center of a chicken thigh registers 175 on an instant-read thermometer.  

3.  With tongs, remove the chicken to a plate.  Skim as much fat as possible from the cooking liquid, increase the heat, and start briskly boiling it.  You want to reduce it by half.  

4.  While the liquid reduces, film a straight-sided 12-inch saute pan with olive oil.  Heat it over medium high heat.  Arrange the chicken pieces skin side down in the pan and let them brown (stand back because they will splatter).  Adjust the heat so the chicken doesn't burn.  

5.  When the chicken pieces are a deep, rich brown on one side, turn them over and scatter the onions around them.  Continue browning the chicken, moving the onions around so they don't burn.  Then, with a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and onions to a serving bowl.  Pour the boiled down pan juices over them and serve.  Garnish the adobo with the scallions if you like.  

(My notes:  I served the adobo over brown rice.  I also added green peas for a little kick of color, since I didn't have any scallions to garnish.  This was DELICIOUS, and all the more enjoyable because the ingredients are so inexpensive!)

Grilled Squash & Bread Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Yesterday I picked up an assortment of squash from my local farmers market. These farm fresh squashes were the perfect ingredient for a delicious summer salad.

Green Eight Ball Squash, Golden Ball Squash and Patty Pan (see here for full squash overview)

Grilled Squash & Bread Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

• Squash of your choice
• Fresh Bread, cut into bite sized pieces (nothing too crusty at it will get sharp when grilled)
• Prosciutto
• Parmesan, freshly shaved
• Basil, chiffonade

Lime Vinaigrette

• Lime Juice
• Olive Oil
• Cumin
• Garlic, minced
• Red Pepper Flakes
• S&P

The success of this dish largely depends on how you cut and cook it's elements. You want to keep your squash on the larger side when cooking, cutting it too small will result in it turning to mush in your bowl. I cut each squash in half when grilling and once removed from the grill, cut in 1/2 again (or into bite-sized pieces). The bread, on the other hand, should be bite sized pieces from the start as it's hard to cut after cooking.

I preheated the flat side of my grill pan to medium heat and tossed the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. I grilled the squash and prosciutto (squash for 5-8 minutes or until browned and tender, prosciutto until crispy) and removed to cool to room temperature. Then I tossed the bread cubes in a dash of olive oil and added to the pan, moving around to soak up all of the squash and prosciutto juices. Once the bread had grilled and cooled slightly, I combined with the squash, prosciutto, fresh basil, shaved parmesan and lime vinaigrette. This salad is better served warm (vs hot) so let your ingredients cool before tossing together, the lower temperature keeps the basil fresh and the dish feeling light.

This was truly delicious, fresh and filling! The crispy bread with the smooth squash, salty prosciutto and slightly bitter basil was a wonderful flavor/texture combination. I am definitely going to make this as a side dish for my next dinner party or picnic as it would be delicious warm or cold.

Chili Rubbed Steak Tacos

Lately I've been on a bit of a pasta kick but an influx of fresh vegetables has encouraged me to get more creative with my easy weeknight dinners. Last night was chili rubbed steak & red pepper tacos, with a simple radish-scallion slaw, fresh cilantro and Mexican cheese.

Chili Rubbed Steak Tacos

• 1 Flank Steak
• Cilantro
• Red Pepper, sliced
• Shredded Cheese (I chose Mexican mix)
• Chili Rub
• Radishes, cut into matchsticks
• Scallions, thinly sliced into 1" pieces
• Vinegar
• Honey

Chili Rub

• 1 Large Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, minced (optional)
• 2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tbs Lime Juice
• 2 tbs Olive Oil

Fresh Aioli: Mayo, lime juice, honey, minced parsley & salt

I combined the garlic, ginger, chili powder & cumin and mashed into a paste, then whisked in the lime juice and olive oil. I rubbed the paste over the steak cooked for 3-4 minutes per side on a medium-low grill pan. Once cooked I removed to rest and cooked the peppers in the steak's juices until tender but still crispy. Next I combined the radishes & scallions with a dash vinegar and set aside. I toasted the tortillas over an open flame and layered the sliced steak, peppers, cheese, scallion-radish mix and fresh cilantro. I drizzled the fresh aoili and served.

This was a really delicious and light dinner. The meat was a little tough (many months in freezer), so next time I would chop it all up to avoid feeling like I'm gnawing on it!

PLEASE BEAR WITH US...

WE'RE DOING SOME WEBSITE REMODELING THIS WEEK!

Lamb Chops, Lightbulbs & Lasagna

Trevor cooked me dinner Friday night. Pan fried lamb chops, mushrooms & onions, brussels sprouts & bacon.  So delicious.

Saturday night I was home sick (sniffle cough).  While Cindy and I watched Shutter Island in bed, Trevor was hard at work installing a new faucet in the bathroom and rewiring the lighting in the kitchen.  Our previous lighting was a 3-bulb fixture in the middle of the ceiling which didn't adequately light all of the work space.  Trevor found some funky glass bulbs (above) and we hung one over the sink, one over the prep table, and one over the stove. As much as I appreciate an energy efficient bulb, the light that they give off can be very harsh and fluorescent.  This new lighting creates a warm, elegant, and more relaxing cooking environment.  

We capped off the long weekend with a vegetarian Roasted Squash Mexican Lasagna.  Easier than enchiladas, and you may already have many of the ingredients in your pantry!  I used squash, carrots, onions and black beans as it's what I had on hand.  Would also be delicious with fresh (sauteed) corn, rice and/or potatoes, fresh summer tomatoes, roasted mushrooms... go crazy.

Roasted Squash Mexican Lasagna

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:  

16 small fresh corn tortillas 

3 cups grated monterey jack, cheddar, or combo

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

3 carrots, peeled 

1 small yellow or white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

dash cayenne

4-5 zucchini or mix of squash

oil, salt & pepper

Sauce: 

1 small shallot, minced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp cumin

2 tablespoons adobo

1-2 chipotles in adobo

1 14. oz can diced tomatoes

To make sauce: 

Heat a bit of oil in a small skillet.  Add shallot and saute briefly, until translucent.  Add garlic and cumin, saute 30 seconds.  Stir in adobo sauce, chiles, and tomatoes.  Cook 5-10 minutes, puree with stick blender or in food processor.  Thin with a bit of water if necessary.  Season to taste.

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 450.  Cut squash into coins or quarters, keeping pieces roughly the same size.  Toss in oil with a bit of salt and roast on baking sheet until slightly brown and caramelized (20-30 minutes).  

Finely grate carrots with a box grater.  Heat a skillet and add a teaspoon of oil.  Add diced onion and let soften 2 minutes, seasoning with a bit of salt (do not let brown).  Add garlic, cumin, chili powder and cayenne, stirring through.  Let spices toast until they are just fragrant, then stir in grated carrots.  Stir and saute for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.  

To assemble the lasagna, take a lasagna pan and put about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom.  Layer 4 tortillas over the sauce.  Make a layer of roasted squash, topping with some of the cheese. Top with 4 more tortillas.  Top with carrots and onions and some more of the sauce, then top with four more tortillas.  Top with black beans and more cheese, then another layer of tortillas.  Pour the remaining sauce over the top, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Top with pickled jalapenos (our favorite!)  

Cover with greased foil and bake in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes.  Enjoy with any/all of the following:  a dollop of sour cream/ chopped green onion/ a sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro/ a squeeze of lime juice/ more pickled jalapenos.  

Warm Pasta Salad with Golden Tomatoes, Greens, Pignoli & Feta

(N.B. THIS POST IS FROM LAST WEEKEND! FORGOT TO POST :)
Sarah, it looks like we're on the same hot weather pasta kick.  Although it has been hot here, this dinner was more of a response to a weekend of heavy meat-eating than another weekend of warm temperatures.  Last Thursday Trevor and I indulged in a really excellent meal at the newly opened Foreign & Domestic, owned and operated by a husband & wife team of chefs who attended the CIA (where our father also attended culinary school!)  We started with two tongue dishes: a sliver of lamb tongue with fried green tomatoes and then two thick wedges of crispy pan fried beef tongue.  That was the start of our little meat bender, which included Lambert's boar ribs for Trevor on Saturday night and BBQ for lunch on Sunday.  We needed to detox, and fortunately I had some goodies from the Farmer's Market waiting in my crisper... one bag of peppery, spicy mixed greens, one big bunch of basil, and a carton of beautiful little golden tomatoes.
I roasted the tomatoes at 475 in a bit of olive oil and salt until I heard them pop and hiss, then I added them to the hot pasta along with some feta, raw pine nuts, and basil chiffonade.  To dress the salad, I 'braised" four cloves of garlic and a healthy dash of red pepper flakes in about 1/3 cup of olive oil until the garlic was fragrant.  I then strained the cloves and pepper out of the oil and tossed the fragrant, spiced oil with my warm pasta, along with a splash of reserved cooking water and some freshly grated parm.  I served the mixed greens on top of the pasta, with a big squeeze of lemon juice and a bit more cheese.  Quick, easy, healthy, delicious!