cooking-spree

Jun 8

wooing summer

It’s only June, not quite the middle, and not yet officially even summer. For the time being, our approach is still to laugh at the weather. That’s an approach that can’t sustain us forever of course, but we’re being good sports so far. Despite the threatening gloom approaching in wind-born and bruised clouds, despite the rain puddling brown around our sandaled feet, despite the wind lifting our hats, we break the grill out. Though we’re bundled in our jackets, we cook “cooling” things, quintessentially summer, as if our faith in the season could woo summer closer. As troubles go, this is a minor adversity, barely hitting the scales! Certainly we can bear up! Summer’s always come. It will again, and maybe still this year! So we eat our shrimp and our cucumber salad, dip chips in home-made salsa, maybe drink an ice-cold beer or two, shake our soppy heads and laugh at the weather. It’s June in Portland.

(I’m back from my little road trip south and have several nummy things to post about. Not wanting to give too much away, but in the next few days you’ll see fresh takes on salmon and halibut, a fresh fruit galette and a promised ice-cream. And … well, more! )

Jun 8

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Citrus Broiled Shrimp

Apart from the hours the shrimp spend soaking up the marinade, this dish is quick and easy to prepare. These delicately-flavored, citrusy shrimp are especially delicious (if a little finger-lickingly messy) dipped in melted butter. Though the instructions here are for broiling, they could just as easily be cooked over a hot fire on the grill instead. If set to marinate in the morning, they’d make a fast summer dinner with corn on the cob and a fresh salad. (serves 4)

for the marinade

grated zest and juice of 3 oranges
grated zest and juice of 1 grapefruit
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. fish sauce (Asian section of your market)
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp. fresh thyume leaves

the shrimp

2 pounds extra-large shrimp (16 – 20 count)

additions

coarse salt (especially Fleur de Sel)
Melted butter for serving (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the marinade together.

Spread the cleaned, shelled and de-veined shrimp in a single layer in a baking dish. Pour over the marinade, and cover. Refrigerate for at least 4, and up to 8 hours.

Jun 3

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Greek Salad with Farro

This refreshing salad, with its bright, fresh herbs, crisp cucumber and sweet red bell pepper, its chewy farro, and bits of salty feta, tastes like summer! It can be the central part of a vegetarian meal, or a side dish for roasted or grilled chicken, or grilled salmon.

Farro is one of those ancient grains making a “come-back,” showing up on modern grocery shelves. It has a nutty flavor and a pleasingly chewy texture, similar to barley and whole wheat berries (which you could substitute in this recipe if you can’t find farro.) Like many other ancient grains, it’s nutrient-rich.

Salad Ingredients

1 cup farro, rinsed
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (see NOTE)
1 red bell pepper, cored & seeded, cut in medium dice
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh dill or parsley (I prefer the dill)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup crumbled or diced feta cheese
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

NOTE: I prefer the long English cucumbers – if you use these, it’s unnecessary to remove the seeds

Red Wine Vinaigrette

3 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Place rinsed farro in a large saucepan and cover with 2 quarts of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 to 35 minutes. (Farro will have a similar texture to barley when cooked.) Drain it well and set aside to cool completely.

Jun 2

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leaving love on the table

Today I leave town on a road trip to visit my daughter and family. I leave my husband alone to fend for himself, sweet thing. It’s not at all that he’s incapable. He took care of himself quite well for years in fact. But usually when I leave town, I make something ahead that he can reheat, and I always try to have something homemade for his breakfast (such as those muffins in the freezer that I posted about the other day.) This time though, I completely ran out of time. That means he’ll mostly go out for dinners. He does it in a guy-kind-of-way and I think he secretly enjoys it. Still, I couldn’t think of leaving home without leaving some love on the table.

Grandma Bea's Banana Bread with Chocolate

Jun 2

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Grandma Bea’s Banana Bread with Chocolate

Makes two 5 x 9-inch (or 4-1/2 x 8-inch, taller) loaves

Ingredients

3 cups mashed banana (6 – 7) (ripe & soft, but not mushy)
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 eggs
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 – 3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, plus more for the top (nuts are optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter your loaf pans or line them with parchment paper.

With a fork, mash the bananas well in a small bowl. Add lemon juice to prevent discoloration; stir and set aside.

May 29

4 Comments

Mediterranean pizza from the grill

There will be two of us for our pizza party tonight. Happily, we each love the clean and fragrant flavors of the Mediterranean. So, for us, what we’ll put on our grill-fired pizzas is easy. Tonight, Greeks and Italians join hands and toss a mess of really good things on our pies!

the goodies:

grilled chicken, marinated Mediterranean-style (now this will not be the star of the show, because really, a wonderful pizza doesn’t need meat! – my prejudice coming out! That being said, it IS really tasty.)
roasted red peppers
roasted garlic
drizzles of basil-thick pesto
mozzarella
toasted pine nuts
crumbled feta cheese
fresh herbs (mostly Greek oregano)

Simple, no? Absolutely!! So here’s how:

prepare:

(These preparations can all be done day-of, or day before. It’ll take you maybe forty-five minutes total prep time, depending on whether you’re working alone or with a buddy, and how many children or dogs you have chasing tails underfoot.)

Chicken – At least two hours before dinner, prepare the marinade for the chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 Tbl. olive oil
4 Tbl. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
3 whole garlic cloves, crushed with the back of a knife
1 tsp. dried Oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. lavender flowers (COMPLETELY optional! but fun)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine marinade ingredients in small bowl and put the chicken in to marinate for a couple of hours (if you have the time.) Turn occasionally.

The dough – You’ve already got your pizza dough from yesterday, right? About two hours before dinner, remove the dough from the refrigerator, deflate it, and cut it into four pieces. Form each piece into a ball, cover with plastic. Allow them to come up to room temperature. Deflate again (because they will have been slowly rising on the counter) and form into four discs, 3 to 4 inches across. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Just before piling with sauce and goodies (see below), roll it out (1/4 to 1/3 inch approximately.)

NOTE: When it comes time, you’ll be taking it out to the grill to bake on one side, then bringing it back to the preparation table to top with the good stuff – and returning to the grill to finish cooking.

Cheese -grate or thinly slice the mozzarella. Crumble the feta – reserve the feta for when the pizza comes off the grill. Refrigerate both.

Roasted garlic – you can see how to roast garlic in my recipe on white bean purée dated May 9, 2011. (You can do this the same time you roast the red peppers. Temperatures vary, but you can compromise.)

Roasted red pepper – Either buy them in a jar, or — Cut a red pepper in half from top to bottom, removing the seeds. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet (or in the toaster oven, along with your garlic). Roast until the skin blisters and bubbles and begins to blacken. (This would take about 35 minutes in a 450° oven.) Remove from the oven with tongs and drop into a brown paper bag. Close the bag up and allow the peppers to steam in there for maybe ten minutes or so. The skin will peel right off. Slice the roasted peppers into long thin strips.

Pine nuts – In the same oven or toaster oven, set temperature to 300° or so. Roast your pine nuts, tossing a time or two, and watching carefully because they will go from just right to burnt in a flash.

May 28

9 Comments

speaking love

I have a question. My husband loves me very well and usually his gifts are just incredibly thoughtful. Recently I had a birthday though and the gift he bought me has raised a tiny disagreement between us and I’d like to know what you think. He bought me a stand-mixer. This much is indisputable: It’s got a lot of power under the hood. With a heavy-duty crank, the large stainless steel bowl lifts to meet the beaters. It can make enough whole-grain bread dough to feed the multitudes. With attachments it could make pasta and probably even sausages (if I ate sausages.) It’s even got the word “professional” emblazoned on the front!

It’s powerful and great engineering and all…but what I want to know is: would that speak romance to you?

May 27

3 Comments

Rubbed Grilled Salmon

Once salmon season has finally arrived, this is one of our very favorite ways of enjoying it! It’s anything but ordinary, it’s easy, it’s memorable and it’s positively delicious. It all starts with the rub, a collection of whole spices dry-roasted, then ground. I know the list of ingredients may give the appearance of complicated and time-consuming – but the rub will take you about 15 minutes to prepare, and likely last you all summer and maybe months beyond. The rest of the dish is a snap! You like salmon? You will love this! (You might want to keep the recipe handy – you’ll likely be getting plenty of requests for it.)

The Rub:

In a heavy hot skillet, toast the following ingredients for approximately 4 minutes. You want them to brown slightly and begin to release their aromas. But stop short of smoking!

3 Tbl. coriander seeds
3 Tbl. mustard seeds
3 Tbl. cumin seeds
3 Tbl. dry dill seeds
6 Tbl. fennel seeds

Remove the seeds from the hot pan and allow to cool slightly. Grind in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle. My preference is to have a few whole seeds remaining, but you can grind them as finely as you like. Then add:

6 Tbl. sugar
3 Tbl. kosher salt or coarse sea salt
1-1/2 tsp. finely ground pepper

Mix well. Stored in an air-tight jar, it will keep for months.

The Fish:

Enough salmon fillets to feed your crowd – steelhead fillets are a good substitute

Sprinkle a generous amount of spice rub over the flesh of the salmon and then pat it in place. If you’re going to be using an oven, preheat it to 400°F. If using an outdoor gas grill, bring it up to the same temperature.

May 25

5 Comments

garden-spree

I’ve relished the recent gathering of loud and crowding family in the kitchen; little ones running off once again to play “Mary, Joseph and the camel”; the scattering of Azalea petals on the path as little girls usher in some imagined procession of royals; the little boy Luke, turned two, who pats my head and calls me honey, over and over calls me my honey! How many times can a heart break wide open? And how much love can that heart then hold? We all know the truth of it: no such limits!

This past week, the work and play of the kitchen has had a different tempo about it. I think maybe it’s a jig I’ve been dancing! I’ve loved every breathless minute! And now, once again, quiet has descended, and with it, the rain.

I’d promised my mom a day in her garden today, so I woke early, baked golden bran and flaxseed muffins – (you know me so well – yes, the recipe will follow) – and headed to my mom’s. THIS was definitely a day for rain boots and hat, and waterproof jacket. As layered as I was, I still shivered a bit as I worked; and my overalls were drenched and covered with mud when I climbed back into my car to race towards a long soak in a hot tub. I haven’t quite made it there yet. I’m going to brew a pot of tea and have myself another muffin. I’ll work on heating this body up from the inside out! And then, a good soak will take care of the rest.

Tomorrow I’ll have some muffins for you. And for the weekend, things for the grill! Rain or shine!

May 20

5 Comments

Crepes

When I was a newly-married, very young and inexperienced cook, I decided to make crêpes for my mother’s birthday. Bold move! I’m not sure if I’d ever even eaten a crêpe before, but I’d surely seen them, and knew I’d adore them if given the chance. So I turned to Julia Childs (one of only three cookbooks I had at the time.) Her fully-detailed recipe and the accompanying illustrations gave me all the assurance I needed. The next day, voila! savory chicken crêpes for dinner! And they were a huge hit, talked about for years in our family! I’m thinking that the memory of those crêpes far exceeded their deliciousness, but that’s what happens when the telling of anything gets all wrapped up with love.

There was nothing wrong with that crêpe recipe, in fact it was good, but I’ve found one better. Chef Alice Waters, after spending years in Paris, once thought of opening her own crêperie. Friends prevailed on her though and eventually she opened Chez Panisse, the now-famous restaurant in Berkeley, instead. Still, her long-time love of crêpes is evident in every tender bite of these delicate little pancakes. You’ll taste it, I promise.

Here I’ve filled them with whole-milk yogurt (or substitute sour cream) and ladled on strawberries, sweetened and bathed in Grand Marnier. We have a couple family birthdays this weekend and this will be a treat worthy of the occasion. Breakfast or dessert? Must we choose?

(The batter is best made a day in advance. Julia advised the same.)

Buckwheat Crêpes

(makes about 4 cups of batter, enough for 30 crêpes)

In a small saucepan, warm the following:

2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
4 Tbl. (half stick) butter

Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and cool.

In a bowl, measure and stir together:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buckwheat

Make a well in the flour and with a wooden spoon, stir in

1 Tbl. vegetable oil
3 eggs

Stir until the batter is smooth and free of all lumps. Then, beginning with just a spoonful at a time, add the milk and butter mixture, incorporating fully with each additional spoonful. About half way through the process, you’ll be able to add the remainder all at once; whisk to blend thoroughly. (If you have any lumps remaining, put the batter through a strainer.) Finally, whisk in:

1/2 cup beer

Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator one hour before frying.

With a moistened cloth or paper towel dipped in vegetable oil, lightly grease a 6- to 8-inch fry pan (with shallow, sloping sides). Put the pan over medium heat. Using a small ladle or large spoon, pour in about 2 tablespoons of batter. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly, spreading the batter out to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Cook until brown, just a minute or two. Lifting one corner of the crêpe with a very thin spatula or a butter knife, pick the crêpe up with your fingers and flip it over. Cook briefly on the other side, no more than a minute. (As with other pancakes, you can consider your first two or three to be trials. I should add that the buckwheat will continually drift to the bottom of your bowl, so give the batter a stir each time you ladle new batter out.) You can stack the crêpes on a plate as you go, covering with a tea towel. Just before serving, spoon in the desired filling, fold crêpes in fourths like little handkerchiefs, and put them in a hot oven for just a few minutes. Then spoon on the topping of your choice and dust with a sprinkling of sugar.

These are also tasty with good jam or marmalade folded inside, topped with either sour cream (that’s been thinned with a bit with cream), or crème frâiche, then dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

For Savory crêpes: These crêpes are equally delicious as a main course when filled with a savory filling. (Think mushrooms, crab, chicken, vegetables, cheese, etc etc etc.! If I get any specific requests, I’ll be happy to share!)