pearl barley salad with harissa spiced chicken

I hesitated sharing this recipe because the preparation is a bit fussy.  Many prep and cooking techniques are utilized here:  chopping, peeling, blanching, sautéing, marinating…you get the idea.  

game-changing brussel sprout salad

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know my disdain for brussel sprouts.  Yeah…If you ask my husband, he will tell you that I pretty well hate them.  There are many vegetables (and even some fruit varieties) I can say that I’m not fond of, but I tolerate for their nutritional value.  Brussel sprouts don’t even fall into that category.

When the weekly CSA box contains brussel sprouts, I typically drizzle them in olive oil and roast them.  My husband couldn’t be happier that he will likely consume the whole pound single-handedly, for I can’t bring myself to encourage the kids to eat what I cannot even force myself to eat.

Lately…

“This is not a goodbye, but a See You Soon.”

Candles made from wine bottles

Got a juicer.  Yes, I’m one of THOSE people, now.

Chaperoning county band assessments.  Can’t ever seem to get a glimpse of my favorite flute player.

Juicing everything that growsBuilding my own burger at Abbey Burger (black angus/medium,guinness cheddar,caramelized onions,Makers Mark barbecue sauce on a classic bun)

On a rooftop somewhere in BaltimoreAn early birthday celebration with some favorite people at a favorite wine bar

Kitchen safety is no joke

chicken (or turkey) pot pies, part 2

Originally, I intended to post a delicious recipe from the new Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, but Thanksgiving is around the corner and, even though I work on the holiday each year, I thought it might be helpful to give you a couple of ideas for leftovers.

I understand making family recipes.  I really do.  You may want to continue a tradition with your family or evoke a memory from your childhood.  Sometimes, though, a recipe cries out for a do-over.  That is the case with this green bean casserole recipe that I wrote about last year.  Made with fresh green beans, mushrooms and onions…oh my goodness, Alton Brown’s recipe is totally worth foregoing the cream of mushroom soup forever!

I prefer to make these pot pies with turkey (specifically, smoked turkey), but since I won’t have holiday leftovers, I decided to spend a recent cold, rainy-turned-to-hail day in the kitchen making these with chicken breast.  I’m not going to lie, they are labor intensive.  Lots of peeling and chopping.  So as long as I’m at it, I double the recipe and make four 9-inch pies to freeze.

I decided to re-post this recipe because I’ve tweaked it a bit…and you can, too.

Don’t have fresh Rosemary?  don’t worry about it.

Prefer white potatoes over sweet potatoes?  So do my kids…interchange them.  Or leave potatoes out altogether.

Also…surprise!  I buy the pie crust from Trader Joe’s pre-made.  That’s right…pre-packaged pie crusts.  There’s enough work involved here, so go easy on yourself.  Buy pie crusts.

You’ll be glad on one of those wintry, snowy nights when you can pull these out of the freezer, brush a little egg yolk on the crust and bake yourself a hearty dinner of aromatic chicken with broth and vegetables.

chicken or turkey pot pies (makes two 9-inch pies)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or you can substitute 1 pound, more or less, of cooked turkey)

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

4 carrots, peeled and diced

2 large sweet or russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups low fat milk

1 10-ounce package frozen peas (when I double the recipe, I don’t double the peas…it’s a husband thing)

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary

2 9-inch store-bought pie crusts

1 box puff pastry sheets, thawed

4 9-inch disposable pie pans (double them up for strength)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Poach your chicken:  place chicken, if using instead of cooked turkey, in a large stockpot and cover with water.  Bring to a simmer and cook until cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Cook potatoes:  add potatoes to a medium saucepan.  Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat and cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain.

While chicken is cooling, heat olive oil in the same pan you cooked the chicken.  Add onions, celery, and carrots and cook, until they begin to soften, stirring often, about 6-8 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, while continuing to stir, for another minute.  Add chicken stock and cook until some of the stock evaporates, about 5 minutes.  Add the milk and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Shred the chicken and stir into the vegetable/stock mixture.  Stir in the peas, thyme, rosemary, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper.  Gently fold in the potatoes last.  Taste.  Season with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Lay one pie crust in each of your doubled pie tins and shape the crust to the pan, trimming the crust slightly if necessary, allowing it to slightly hang over the edge of the pan as it will shrink during baking.

Divide your filling between the prepared pans.  Place one piece of the thawed puff pastry over each pie, pushing down slightly around the edges to form a seal (I like to leave some puff pastry to hang over the edge).  It may be necessary to, again, trim the puff pastry a bit because it is rectangular.  Cut 3 slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

If baking immediately, brush top crust with one egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water.  Place in preheated oven and bake until crust is golden, about 35-40 minutes.

If freezing, place in freezer until frozen, about 4-5 hours.  Remove and wrap tightly with aluminum foil before returning to the freezer.  Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.

brussel sprouts with hazelnuts and browned butter

If I have a vegetable nemesis, it’s brussel sprouts.  I hated them when I was a kid and, unlike many of the other foods I have grown to love in adulthood, brussel sprouts just never “took”.

sauteed kale with walnuts and farro

What have I learned by working on a farm this year?

Sure…I can eyeball two pounds of zucchini and have developed an affinity for eating sweet corn straight off the cob (no cooking required!), but I have also grown to like kale.

Notice how I said like-definitely not love-for it’s a relationship still in the discovery phase.

A favorite way to enjoy the bounty each week has been to chop, then saute or roast everything in a pan with some olive oil, sea salt and garlic.  Sometimes I will add other seasonings in toward the end…perhaps a little fish sauce and miso. Other times Herbs de Provence and toasted pine nuts.  Sometimes a bit of leftover chicken or fish will be added to the mixture.

Each week’s layer of flavors varies depending on the offering.  One week it might be eggplant, various squash, onions, and green peppers.  The next week it could be zucchini, tomatoes, kale, and mushrooms.  The vegetable mix is then eaten over cooked brown rice, pasta or other grain.

If you have a favorite kale dish, I’d love for you to share it.  After all, one can only eat so many kale chips!

sauteed kale with walnuts and farro

1/2 bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves torn

1 cup cooked farro or other grain, such as rice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

zest of one lemon

1/3 cup freshly grated or shaved Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the sea salt and the kale.  Cook until kale starts to wilt, about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic, walnuts, lemon juice and zest.  Toss the combine and continue to heat about another minute.  Remove from heat.  Serve over cooked farro and top with Parmesan Cheese.

heirloom tomato and goat cheese tart

I love Ina Garten, otherwise known as The Barefoot Contessa.  But I have to admit that whenever I manage to catch an episode, I am reminded of this moment in “30 Rock”…

Spanish Gazpacho (sort of)

How long  does the temperature have to hover near 100 degrees before we can no longer declare we are having a “heat wave”?

So often that now, when the temperature happens to dip below 90, we refer to it as a “cool spell”.

I had never been a fan of gazpacho until a fellow CSA farm worker pointed me in the direction of a traditional Spanish recipe.  A Spanish teacher during the school year, he searched for a recipe that embodied the soup he had enjoyed while spending one summer in Spain.  Different than the customary soupy salsa-style gazpacho, he explained, the Spanish make it silky smooth by pushing it through a sieve before serving.

After scoring some tomatoes and green peppers at the farm, I decided to break out the blender on a day that was too hot to fire up the oven, let alone the grill.  After trying it both ways, however, I decided I preferred the gazpacho unstrained.

Be liberal and creative with  fresh garnishes.  Toasted bread crumbs, feta, bleu cheese, toasted almonds, chopped cucumber, cilantro, or pea shoots are all delicious toppings for this flavorful, cool soup.

Summer Gazpacho (barely adapted from Jose Andres’ cookbook, Tapas:  A Taste of Spain in America)

2 pounds ripe red tomatoes

8 ounces cucumber (about 1 cucumber)

3 ounces green pepper (about 1/2 bell pepper)

1/4 small red onion

2 Tbsp sherry vinegar

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 Tbsp almond flour

3/4 cup olive oil

Salt to taste

Core the tomatoes and chop roughly.  place in blender.  Peel cucumber and cut into chunks.  Cut the pepper in half, discard seeds and chop into large pieces.  Add both, along with onion, to tomatoes in the blender.

Add the garlic, vinegar, and almond flour to the vegetables and blend until it becomes a thick liquid.  Add olive oil and season with salt to taste.

Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Pour into bowl or cup and drizzle with olive oil, if desired.  Garnish with fresh herbs, cheese, nuts and/or chopped vegetables.

whole wheat gnocchi with summer squash and herbs

I will begin by answering the question  on your minds:  No, the gnocchi is not homemade.  While the east coast endures yet another heat wave, my goal lately has been to turn on the stove or oven as little as possible.  Trader Joe’s sells a tasty whole wheat gnocchi.

My hope is that through simple recipes like this, everyone can feel more confident in creating flavorful dishes with just a few fresh ingredients (the squash was from this week’s CSA share).

grilled broccoli with parsley, garlic, and anchovies

Even though this has been the mildest winter I can recall in ages, these sun-filled, 75-degree days we’ve been having feel wicked good!

If spring has not touched you where you live-I apologize if it seems like I am rubbing it in, but it is glorious indeed!

In spring, a girl’s fancy turns toward grilling…

Whenever I am cooking on the grill, my goal is to either A). Prepare all side dishes ahead of time so that I can concentrate entirely on the grill, or B). Prepare a side dish on the grill also, allowing me to concentrate entirely on the grill.  Many a piece of meat, poultry and fish have been charred when I fail to adhere to one of these two options.

That’s why I was excited to try this grilled broccoli recipe from Andrea Reusing’s book Cooking in the Moment.  While I’ve never liked anchovies on my pizza, they add a rich flavor to sauces and dips and have become my new favorite secret ingredient.  Make the topping ahead of time, so that once the broccoli is charred you’ll be ready to serve it.

grilled broccoli with parsley, garlic, and anchovies

2 small bunches of broccoli

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for coating the broccoli prior to grilling

6 anchovy fillets, minced

2 crushed garlic cloves

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 tsp chile flakes

Prepare a hot fire on the grill.

Mix the anchovies, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and chile flakes in a bowl.  Set aside.

Cut broccoli lengthwise to make long florets with most of the stem attached.  Blanch in well-salted water for just 15-20 seconds, a little longer if broccoli is thicker (I blanched mine about 40-45 seconds).  Drain well, transfer to a medium bowl and toss with approximately 1 Tbsp of olive oil.  Turn grill to low (or wait for flames to die down on charcoal grill) and grill the broccoli until there is a slight char all over (I did mine on the upper rack of my gas grill).

Remove broccoli and mix well with anchovy mixture before serving.