Oh Hurricane Irene!

Well just when I thought I was back to regularly posting Hurricane Irene blew into town which required two days of preparing, one of enduring (which wasn't that bad) and then 5 really, really long days of no power!!!  Since I work from home that meant no work, no play, no hot shower, no cooking - well I did use the gas grill one night.  Which meant that all last week was lots of making up for lost time.  So I will again post a list of what I've been up to . . and once again promise to get back to posting more regularly.  Oh wait I'm out of town all next week :)  But we already got the first of fall vegetables in last week's haul - delicata squash - and I LOVE fall and all those flavours so I'll be cooking up a storm.

Oh and one of these days I'll have to take some time and make batches of pesto.  My basil is still looking beautiful and I have a huge bush. I also have lots of parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme and Greek oregano.  Most should last into the fall but the basil needs to be used sooner rather than later. 

For lunch last week I had a slice of turkey and a slice of bread so I made a delicious open faced sandwich.  I used thick slices of green heirloom tomatoes, big leaves of basil, smooth slices of avocado and some slices of American cheese over everything.  Then put it under the broiler for a few minutes.  So yummy!!

OPEN FACED TURKEY SANDWICH

We have got kohlrabi the last two weeks so the other night I made a slaw using the kohlrabi, fennel and red carrots - it was super crunchy and fresh.  Check out the recipe at the bottom of the blog.

KOHLRABI & FENNEL SLAW

Last night we had some of the last sweet corn of the summer with ribs and the kohlrabi slaw. So tonight I wanted to use the rest of the corn to make a corn salad to accompany our skirt steak tacos.  I ended up surprising myself with the corn salad.  After I added the other vegetables and I included cucumber which wasn't in my original plans, I was about to add cilantro but decided against it.  Since I use cilantro so liberally in my tacos (in place of lettuce) I wanted the salad to have a a different flavour profile.  With the abundance of herbs I still I have I used a mixture of basil, mint and parsley.  Part of the vegetables I used was a jalapeno pepper.  The combination of the heat of the pepper with cooling cucumber and the sweet corn highlighted with the sweet mint and basil made for a great, complex mouthful.  And it was a great compliment to the skirt steak taco that I had marinated in lots of ancho chili powder.  I also used thick, peels of the red carrot for crunch along with creamy avocado and cilantro with a squeeze of lime to finish it off.  Yum, yum, yum!

SWEET CORN SALAD

KOHLRABI & FENNEL SLAW
1 kohlrabi, sliced into thin strips
1 fennel bulb, core removed & sliced into thin strips (reserving some of the frowns)
3 red carrots, peeled & grated into long strips
Olive oil
Tarragon Vinegar
1 T of Dijon Mustard
Salt & Pepper
Handful of fresh parsley, rough chopped
Fennel frowns, chopped

Combine kohlrabi, fennel and carrots and toss. Make a vinaigrette using dijon mustard, vinegar and olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Toss the herbs into the salad mixture and add vinaigrette until coated.   Taste and season with salt & pepper.

SWEET CORN SALAD
4 ears of corn, cooked and the kernels cut off
1/4 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/2 of red bell pepper, diced
Handful of grape cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/4 English Cucumber, peeled and diced
Good handful of parsley, basil and mint; finely chopped
Olive Oil
1 lime, zested and juiced

Combine corn, both peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs.  I typically like things rustic and wouldn't ask you to chop grape tomatoes but in this case I wanted everything the same size as the corn kernels so I diced everything to just the same size.  Add zest and juice of lime and then olive oil to coat. Let salad sit a bit before serving so flavours can blend. 

Soup in the Summer!

I went into my pantry today to get my most favorite cooking vessel - my dutch oven! Yes I know probably not the first thing you think to cook with in the summer but I decided to make a big pot of soup today.  I love soup!  I often make a big, old pot at the beginning of the week and eat that for lunch all week.  And I have been known to eat leftover soup cold - some recipes I prefer cold.  Today my focus was on the bunch of escarole in my fridge and so after eating more than my share of burgers and ribs over the holiday weekend I figured a big pot of meatless soup was in order.   I made a White Bean and Escarole soup which was very good thanks to the care I took in seasoning the broth.  I used fresh thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley from my garden and that combination was simply inspired by walking through my garden and smelling what I thought would taste good.  I chopped up the rosemary because I love rosemary and white beans. However the rest of the herbs I used in a bundle to season the stock.

You can easily add meat to this recipe if you wanted to bulk it up - I thought of adding linguica but was quickly reminded that we were going to eat seafood or lots of veggies this week to make up for the holiday weekend.  I also thought turkey meatballs might be very good in this soup.  Of course for the vegetarians you can substitute vegetable stock in the recipe below and keep this vegetarian.



Escarole and White Bean Soup
Olive Oil
1 vidalia onion, chopped
2 c baby carrots, cut into thirds on the bias
1 clove & stalk young garlic
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper (good size pinch)
1 sprig Rosemary, minced
2 cans white beans, rinsed & drained
1 carton chicken stock + 1 carton of water
Fresh herb bundle - 2 sage leaves, 3 springs thyme, 2 sprigs of parsley, 1 bay leaf
1 bunch of escarole, rough chopped, washed and dried

Saute the onions, garlic and carrots with salt in olive oil until the onion is softened.  Add crushed red pepper & rosemary and cook 1-2 minutes so flavours develop.  Add beans, stock and water.  The amount of water you add is a judgement call - I added almost an entire carton full so it could reduce with the stock & seasonings to make a tasty stock.  Then tie the herb bundle to side of pot and drop into stock.  Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 20 -30 minutes. 

Taste your stock and taste a bean to make sure the flavours have developed.  Adjust your seasonings at this point.  Then add the escarole and cook for another 20-30 mins.  Again taste your stock and adjust seasonings. Remove the herb bundle before serving.

Serve with crusty bread and sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top. 

ESCAROLE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

4th of July Weekend Roundup

Happy 4th of July to Everyone!

Lots of cooking happening over the holiday weekend so I'm going to post a few recipes and some tips and then get back to hanging out with my family. I made my potato salad for a family cookout tomorrow and I am very picky about my potato salads - I don't like a lot of mayonnaise but it must be Hellmann's and while I like added flavour I don't like a lot of other "stuff".  It's one of those things that I typically only eat my own.  You can find my recipe below.

Last night I went to a friend's cookout and I brought a super easy appetizer that was a big hit. However I can not claim it as my own as my cousins made it several summers ago and I've used it many times since.  It's as simple as buying goat cheese, mango chutney, pita chips and a bunch of cilantro.  And it's one of those salty/sweet/cream/crunchy tastes that hit all cylinders! You can hardly call it a recipe but below you will find the instructions. Apologies for not remembering to take a photo . . but by the time I thought of it the dish was already half way devoured!


Finally, I commandeered the kale I had given to my Mom and made kale chips as an appetizer tonight.  They were pretty good but when I asked my brother how they tasted he said "salt".  I may have over-salted them in my quest to make sure they didn't taste too much like kale.  I worked at our local Friendly's restaurant for 8 years and we used kale as a garnish so that's really what I think of kale as. However I would definitely make them again with a little less salt.   I used Melissa D'Arabian's recipe and I'll list the link below.

Ok before I go here is my tip on corn on the cob - who doesn't love corn on the cob in the summer?  It must be one of my most favorite summer treats.  Two important things in getting to great corn on the cob. First when you are selecting the corn in the store - peel back the husk and check out those ears. Make sure the kernels are good size and have good colour.  If the husks are brown or moldy pass. Another good test is can you feel the kernels through the husk and does it smell like sweet corn.  Smell your produce . . that my grandmother taught me!  And the second key is not to over cook it. I've grilled it both in and out the husk but the easiest & surefire way to cook it is in water on the stove.  Use a large pot big enough to hold all your corn and several inches of water. Put them all together, put the top on, put it on high when the water comes to a boil, let it cook for 3-4 minutes and that is is.

Hope you enjoy whatever you are cooking up this July 4th and be safe! 

Jenabeth's Potato Salad

5 lb bag red bliss potatoes
Kosher Salt
1 small bunch Celery Hearts, diced and include leaves
1 vidalia onion, diced
1 T celery seed
Salt & Pepper
2 Hardboiled Eggs, diced
2 T Dijon Mustard
Hellmann's Mayo (I use the Olive Oil kind)
Handful of Parsley, chopped

I chop the potatoes, leaving the skin on, into bite size chunks.  Put potatoes in a large pot and fill with cold water and add plenty of salt. This is just like cooking pasta - you wants lot of salt in the water so your potatoes get seasoned.  Put on stove, bring to boil and cook until fork tender. 

While potatoes cook put celery, onion, celery seed, salt & pepper, mustard and the eggs into a large bowl. To be honest I don't dice the eggs so much as smush them with my hands! 

When potatoes are done, drain them and put them right back into pot and put on stove (with burned turned off) for 1-2 minutes so the excess water will cook off.  Then add the potatoes to the veggies in the bowl.  I made my salad while my potatoes are still warm - this is when they soak up the flavours the best.  I toss lightly and then start to add the mayo about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time. I do not like too much mayo so I just add until I think there is enough.  Then TASTE your salad and adjust seasonings - I can be sure it's going to need more salt & pepper.  Finally top with parsley and refrigerate until time to serve.

Goat Cheese & Mango Chutney Appetizer
8 oz log goat cheese
9 oz jar mango chutney (not the hot stuff)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bag pita chips, plain


Put goat cheese in middle of platter - it's best if you do this awhile before serving so cheese comes to room temperature.  Pour the bottle of chutney over the cheese.  Sprinkle with cilantro. Arrange pita chips around sides. Enjoy!! 

Kale Chips
Visit http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe/index.html

MY POTATO SALAD

KALE CHIPS

Everything but the kitchen sink . . in the salad bowl!

I spent the entire day visiting nurseries all over the Cape with my Mom and a friend today.  Then I put in an hour or so in my Mom's garden. We're putting in a whole new garden at her house so it's been taking up a lot of my time this spring.  Anyway I got home starving but in no mood to light up a stove.  I saw the bunch of spinach and arugula in the fridge so I decided to make a huge salad for myself.  I rough chopped both so they were in bit size pieces.  I added the french bell radishes, chive blossoms and from my garden parsley and mint.  From my produce drawer I also threw in some grape tomatoes, red bell pepper slices, shredded carrots and blueberries.  Shredded carrots are one of my new discoveries - so easy to keep in the fridge and add a salad for crunch.  And yes I put blueberries in my salad - try it and you'll love it.  I also added some chick peas to the salad for protein and tossed it all with a vinaigrette.  My favorite part of this salad was the mint and how it heightened the flavours of everything else.