grilled chicken with corn and roasted red pepper relish

here's another go-to recipe for summer, compliments of bobby flay's bold american food. the garlic, ginger and honey marinade is perfect for an otherwise boring chicken breast, and the relish of sweet corn, roasted red pepper, balsamic vinegar, and jalapeno is a great balance of sweetness with just a little heat. bump up the amount of jalapeno or add other chilis if you want more bite, but i find this dish perfect as is. it would also be easy enough to grill the corn and cut it off the cob rather than toast kernels in a pan. your choice!

oh yeah, by the way, I LOVE CORN.

grilled chicken breasts with corn and roasted red pepper relish
from bobby flay's bold american food


for chicken with ginger and garlic marinade:
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup coarsely chopped ginger
1/2 cup coarsely chopped garlic
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup honey
4 chicken breasts, pounded out to a fairly consistent thickness

combine all marinade ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. remove from heat and cool.

pour over chicken in a big ziploc bag or pan and refrigerate (covered if in a pan) for 3 hours or up to overnight.

grill over medium heat until juices run clear but it's not overcooked. (for us, this has been 7-10 minutes on each side.)

for corn and roasted red pepper relish:
1 cup roasted corn kernels (see below)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced (see below)
1 Tbsp finely diced onion
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

combine all ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. (can be made a day ahead.) serve over grilled chicken breasts.

for roasted corn: preheat oven to 350. remove all of the silk and all but one layer of husks. dip each ear in water. cover the kernels with the husks and arrange corn on baking sheet. roast 45 minutes. cool, and scrape kernels off with a knife. one ear of corn yields about 1/2 cup of kernels.

for roasted red peppers: preheat oven to 350. rub peppers with olive oil and roast on baking sheet 25 minutes. turn once during cooking. remove from oven and put in brown paper bag for 5 minutes to steam. cut peppers in half, pull out the seeds and the stem, and peel off the skins. they should slip right off. these can be easily frozen, too, to have for use in winter dishes!


sources:
corn, peppers, onions, and jalapeno from alvarez organic farms
cilantro from our garden

Grilled Chicken with Tomato Chutney Chickpeas, Cucumber Radish Salad, and Tahini-Yogurt

there's a tiny pocket of commerce in the middle of our residential neighborhood called "tangletown" where you can find one, and only one, of pretty much everything. one pub and brewery, one coffee shop, one doughnut joint, one sushi restaurant, one dentist, one general market, one dive bar, one chiropractor, and, oddly enough, one kingdom hall are a part of our little hood. (it makes our area feel just like small-town america, until you head a couple of blocks south and catch views of the towering seattle skyline.)

tangletown also has one nice restaurant, and, since 1) we can walk to it and 2) we consistently have great seasonal food and drinks there, it's the seattle restaurant we refer to as "favorite." it's called Eva, and one of their characteristics is that all of the elements on the plate are great, but when they are compiled into one bite, the dish is pretty perfect. a few weeks ago i had a dish of roasted duck with tomato–garlic chickpeas, tahini yogurt, and a salad of cucumber and radish with sumac. i was blown away by this dish. i rarely try to recreate restaurant dishes at home, but this one was so impressive and flavorful, yet fresh and unfussy, that i decided with a couple of modifications we might be able to pull it off. 

it WORKED! first modification--chicken breast instead of duck. it's a completely different texture and flavor, but i am in no way ambitious enough to cook duck. besides, eva does it so well i'll just let them cook it for me. also, i couldn't find sumac anywhere! there are a couple of specialty spice shops around town i'll hit up when i have the chance, but for this dish the sumac was just left out. i found recipes for the components of the dish on various websites, and hoped that when they all came together on the plate they would feel at home with each other. the components went together beautifully, but each is awesome on its own, so mix and match!

for chickpeas with tomato chutney
from quick tomato chutney on mistress-of-spices.com
*vegan *gluten-free

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp mustard seeds (i used yellow)
1/4 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (i used some from our garden that i'd frozen whole at the end of the season last year. thawed for a few minutes and the skins slipped right off!)
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
15 oz cooked chickpeas

heat olive oil over medium heat in a small pan. add mustard seeds. when seeds stop popping, add onion and ginger. saute 3-4 minutes.

add tomatoes and ketchup. stir and cook until tomatoes thicken and reduce. add spices and continue to cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens up quite a bit. you want it to cling to the chickpeas. when thickened, add chickpeas, stir to combine, and warm through.


for cucumber-radish salad
from avocado & bravado
*vegan *gluten-free

2 medium cucumbers
4 radishes
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp mint, chopped
chopped parsley to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

peel cucumber (i usually leave on about a quarter of the peel), slice into thin coins, then chop into small pieces. using a mandoline, slice the radishes thin and the chop into strips. (you can slice the radishes by hand, but a mandoline makes it so much easier...) combine cucumber and radish with diced onion in bowl.

whisk the vinegar with the olive oil and pour over the veggies. toss together with the herbs and taste for seasoning. add salt and pepper to taste, and more vinegar or herbs to your liking.

for chicken with mediterranean marinade
from the wannabe chef
*dairy-free *gluten-free

3 Tbsp balsamic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp herbes de provence (can substitute other italian herbs)
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (not super-duper thin, just pounded out to be a fairly consistent thickness)

combine first 8 ingredients well. put chicken in ziploc bag and pour in marinade and close bag. refrigerate. normally i like to marinate chicken overnight, but this time it only sat for 3 hours and was super flavorful.

here's where it gets tricky--i don't know exactly how we cooked it. rob grilled it, and every time we fire up the grill we do quick web searches for how long to cook chicken, to what temperature it should reach to be safely cooked, then we toss it on the grill, turn it after a few minutes, check it a few minutes after that, and pull it off the heat when we're happy with it. this time i think we cooked around 5 minutes on each side? (again, the chicken had been pounded out a bit so didn't take very long.) so, i'll say this--cook your marinated chicken however works for you!

for tahini-yogurt sauce
from food & wine
*vegetarian


1/8 cup tahini paste
juice of 1/4 lemon
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup whole milk plain yogurt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

blend tahini paste, lemon juice and olive oil in food processor. add yogurt and blend to mix thoroughly. scrape into bowl and add pepper. taste and add salt, if desired.

to serve
serve chicken, chickpeas and cucumber-radish salad drizzled with yogurt sauce and sprinkled with plenty of chopped cilantro. 

sources:
chickpas from alzarez organic farm
tomatoes, cilantro, and mint from our garden
radishes and onion from stoney plains farm
cucumber from river farm

spaghetti alla puttanesca

like this time last year, i have a glut of fruits and veggies in the freezer from last summer's preservation. i counted many, many containers of tomatoes in there recently, and figured since i have 10 tomato plants outgrowing their half-gallon pots and waiting impatiently for me to put them in the ground, it won't be that long before handfuls of cherry and salad tomatoes are coming in from the garden. time to rev up the pace on using the frozen ones!

i found this recipe for spaghetti alla puttanesca and figured it would be a great light pasta dish. it was thoroughly delicious, only i committed a common culinary sin, one that i thought i'd outgrown a long time ago--i seasoned before i'd added all of the ingredients. since i was using my frozen, plain diced tomatoes rather than canned as the recipe called for, i thought i had some salty room to spare. however, capers, olives and anchovies added quite a good bit of salt, and the result was the kind of great that would have been excellent if i'd been a little bit more patient with the seasoning. as rob diplomatically put it, "it's great! i mean, it did get a little salty towards the end..."

so, the lesson is learned one more time--taste and add salt at the end of cooking, especially when ingredients that are nearly pure salt are involved, like anchovies and olives.

speaking of anchovies, leave them out for a vegetarian version of this dish.

spaghetti alla puttanesca
adapted from bon appetit, january 2008

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
30 ounces diced tomatoes (frozen, canned or fresh)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp drained capers
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tsp dried
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
whole wheat pasta
chopped parsley
grated fresh parmesan

heat oil over medium heat in heavy saute pan and cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute. add tomatoes, kalamata olives, chopped anchovies, capers, oregano, and red papper flakes. simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes (depending on how juicy your tomatoes are). taste, then season with salt and pepper.

while sauce cooks, cook pasta to al dente.

serve immediately over cooked spaghetti with parsley and parmesan cheese.

moroccan chicken with green olives & preserved lemons

i don't think i've mentioned here yet that my super-sweet boyfriend surprised me on my birthday with-- wait for it-- a 3.5 quart, cherry red, enameled cast iron, le creuset dutch oven! mine. all mine. when i told my facebook friends about it, one said, without hesitation, "now go get molly steven's book, all about braising." i did as he instructed and am so impressed with this book! it's a wonderful step-by-step explanation of braising techniques and principles, and every recipe i've made has been mouth-wateringly perfect.

i recently added to my braising equipment when, through a serendipitous series of factors including a gift card (from super-sweet boyfriend two birthdays ago) and a massive after-christmas sale, i bought a 4-qt. all-clad braiser for less dough out-of-pocket than i'd spend on a couple of packages of bacon from skagit river ranch. hellz yeah.

so now, let's cook.

one of the first recipes i made was a moroccan chicken with green olives and preserved lemons. it's difficult to get a good photo of braised meat, but trust me, it was better than it looks! tangy, briny and bright, with a rich, savory sauce. all of the cooking is done on the stove top, so i used my all-clad pan, which was plenty big to accommodate a 3-lb cut-up chicken.

moroccan chicken with green olives and preserved lemons

adapted from all about braising by molly stevens

for spice mix:

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

for the braise:

1/2 cup unpitted green olives

1 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into eight pieces (save back, neck, feet, etc for making stock)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

kosher salt

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, parsley, or a mixture of both

1/2 (4 eighths) preserved lemon (the recipe calls for discarding the pulp and using only the peels, but i decided to just chop the pieces with pulp. next time i'll even add a little more because they are SO delicious. *note: molly says if you don't have preserved lemon, do not substitute regular lemon peels as they will not be the same thing at all. rather, squeeze in juice from half a lemon during the first braise step, and stir in the rest as you finish the sauce.)

the spices: in small bowl, stir the spices together. in separate bowl, cover the olives with water and let them soak.

the chicken: rinse chicken pieces with cool water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. season with salt and pepper. heat oil and butter in braising pan, or large saute pan, over medium-high heat. add half of chicken to pan, skin side down, and leave to brown without disturbing them, 4 minutes or so. lift with tongs to see if skin is browned and crispy, then turn and brown other side, about 4 minutes. transfer to plate and repeat with rest of chicken. remove to plate and set aside. 

the aromatics: pour off all but 1 Tbsp of fat from the pan, and lower heat to medium. add onion and garlic, stirring, and cook about 3 minutes to soften. (don't burn the garlic! if it starts to brown too fast, move on to the next steps.) add spice mix and saute about one minute more.

the braising liquid: pour water in pan to deglaze, scraping up browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

the braise: when water boils, return the chicken to the pan, wings, legs and thighs only, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes. if liquid is at a lively simmer, reduce heat so that it's a slow simmer. turn legs and thighs over with tongs and add chicken breasts, placing them skin-side up on top of the other chicken pieces. sprinkle with half of chopped herbs, cover, and braise 20 minutes more. 

the olives and lemons: drain the olives. remove pits by smashing olives with the flat side of a knife, open olives like a book, and remove the pit. (this is surprisingly fun. i thought so anyway. oh, and i have to imagine there's a reason why she calls for unpitted olives that she then tells you to pit-- maybe less salty this way? higher quality olives have pits? dunno. but i did as i was instructed.) rinse the preserved lemon pieces and chop into chunks. 

after the chicken breasts are added and the 20 minute braising time is over, add olives and preserved lemons and turn chicken pieces again. cover and braise another 10-15 minutes, making total braise time 40-45 minutes. check for doneness-- juices should run clear when pieces are pierced with a sharp knife. transfer chicken out of pan and cover to keep warm. 

the finish: increase heat under braising liquid to meduim-high and bring to a boil. simmer sauce until it thickens a bit. add the rest of the herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. serve sauce spooned over chicken.

sources:

chicken from stokesberry sustainable farm

onion from willie greens organic farm

garlic from anselmos

butternut squash lasagna

i generally prefer to use this space and the recipes featured to say either "this was great, go for it," or "that didn't work-- continuing search." what i really don't like to say is, "well, this was good, but it was tricky, because the recipe was poorly written, and i guess i muddled through it well enough to end up with a dish rob and i both liked." nope, i don't relish that kind of post at all, and for the most part i don't write them.  i'm bothering with this post because it really was good, but it's going to be up to the reader/cook to decide how to approach a recipe that is well conceived yet badly written, as i had to do. 

the recipe is a butternut squash lasagna from giada de laurentiis. it's essentially a white lasagna in which pureed butternut squash takes the place of ricotta. great idea, and great flavors. but the recipe has major-league trouble with the math. you can make a 3-layer lasagna using a third of the squash and cheese, or make it 4 layers using a quarter of the fillings each time. but, you can't use a third of the squash and "repeat layering 3 more times" as the recipe instructs. you just can't. (not to mention that 3 1/2 cups of sauce isn't used up after 3 *or* 4 layers asking for 1/2 cup each...) we made a 3-layer version, and that's the recipe (as best i remember) i've typed out below.

back to the good. this lasagna is super yum, and not very cheesy at all. the basil bechamel sauce is rich and wonderful (though i did not use all of it), but the lasagna itself remains rather light, at least compared to the other one i make full of sausage and about 4 1/2 pounds of cheese. be careful on the seasoning-- it can turn out rather bland if the butternut puree doesn't get plenty of salt and pepper. adding parmesean to each layer could accomplish this, too. oh, and i left out the amaretti cookies the recipe calls for-- i just couldn't bring myself to believe that cookies have a place in lasagna. 

butternut squash lasagna
adapted from giada de laurentiis at foodnetwork.com

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 2lb butternut squash
salt and pepper
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk 
pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup lightly packed basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (the ones that go 4 across the length of the pan, not the long ones that go 3 across longways. make sense?)
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup parmesean cheese

peel, seed, and cube the squash. i do this by chopping it into sections of about 4-5 inches, then cut off the tough peel with a sharp knife. remove any seeds, usually in the bottom half of the squash, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and toss in squash cubes and salt and pepper. add water and cook, covered, until tender and gloppy, about 20 minutes. stir occasionally. process squash in food processor until a smooth puree. process with a tiny bit of water if it seems too thick. season to taste with salt and pepper-- IMPORTANT!

melt butter in a heavy bottom saucepan. add flour and whisk one minute. gradually add milk, whisking. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until thickened, whisking regularly. careful not to burn it. remove from heat, whisk in the nutmeg, and allow to cool slightly. move half of sauce to a blender and blend with the basil leaves until smooth. return basil sauce to sauce pan and stir to combine. season with salt and pepper. 

preheat oven to 375.

butter a 9x13" baking dish. spread 3/4 cup sauce in dish and top with 4 noodles, overlapping slightly. spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles,  then 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, and 3/4 cup of the sauce. repeat layering 2 more times, ending with squash, cheese, and as much of the sauce as you want. i did not use all of the sauce, just topped the dish off with enough that when it ran down into the sides of the pan, it basically came to the top of the noodles. this amount worked well enough. 

cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes. remove foil, sprinkle with the parmesean cheese and the remaining mozzarella, and bake uncovered until browning and bubbly, about 15 minutes. let sit 15 minutes before serving.



sources:
butternut squash from alm hill gardens
the final, somewhat pitiful basil leaves from our herb patch

cinnamon basil chicken

jerry traunfeld continues to rock my world. he combines seemingly unlikely flavors with such surprising and delicious results, and it's kind of thrilling to know that when i cook one of his recipes i'll likely encounter flavors i've never experienced before. (peaches and tarragon? of course!) this time, chicken simmers in tomatoes, much like a cacciatore, but is punctuated with cinnamon, basil, and fresh ginger. this dish is, without question, going in the rotation-- i knew it on the first bite.

cinnamon basil chicken

adapted from jerry traunfeld's the herbal kitchen

1 frying chicken, about 4-5 lbs, cut into 8 pieces with backbone removed (save back for making stock!)

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large onion, sliced into long thin strips from root end to top

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

28 ounces diced fresh tomatoes with juice (or 28-oz can diced tomatoes, with half of juice drained)

3 3-inch cinnamon sticks (jerry suggests "true" cinnamon if you can find it, but i just used whole sticks from the grocery)

3 star anise pods (i couldn't find any so left them out)

1 1/2 cups torn fresh sweet basil, or cinnamon basil

season chicken parts with salt and pepper. heat olive oil over medium heat in large skillet with tight-fitting lid. (i actually used a big heavy-bottom soup pot since it was the biggest thing i had to accommodate the chicken.) add chicken to pot, skin-side down, and cook until skin is golden brown, 6-8 minutes. flip chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes. remove from pan and set aside.

add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the pan. (this is when it starts to smell so good!) cook, stirring, for a few minutes until they soften and begin to brown. (at this point, i  deglazed with about a tablespoon or two of sherry-- there were so many browned bits left from the chicken that i wanted to make sure i got every little morsel into the sauce!) add the tomatoes, cinnamon sticks, star anise (if using), and 1 tsp kosher salt. return chicken to pan. bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. cook about 50 minutes, maintaining a low simmer. check chicken for doneness. if chicken is cooked through and sauce is still watery, you can remove the chicken and cook the sauce uncovered over medium-high heat until it thickens. 

scatter with basil, toss, and serve immediately. 

chicken from stokesberry farm

onion and garlic from alvarez farm

tomatoes and basil from our garden

zucchini fritters with basil pistou

i often make zucchini fritters in summer, and generally don't fuss too much over what recipe i use. this one was in organic cooking, and since i knew right where to find it, when the urge struck to make zucchini fritters i went straight to it. in the middle of getting the batter ready, chatting away with rob about our respective days, i said, "beat the egg white? i wish i'd read this recipe all the way through before i started on it. *sigh.*" at that moment, beating the egg white seemed like way more of a hardship than was likely to be outweighed by the results. but i dutifully grabbed the whisk, whipped the egg white into self-supporting peaks, and stirred it into the glossy batter. it was so worth the 2 extra minutes of prep time when they puffed up fat and light, like savory, creamy, crunchy-on-the-outside pancakes. 

the pistou sauce is essentially a pesto without the pine nuts. i added a little lemon juice (dern near too much, honestly!) to brighten it from the original. fritters and sauce were perfect together, and were just as good for lunch the next day. cook in vegetable oil (we use peanut oil for shallow frying) and they shouldn't soak up much at all. 

zucchini fritters with basil pistou
adapted from organic cooking by ysanne spevack

1 lb zucchini, grated
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, separated
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 Tbsp water
vegetable oil for frying
salt and pepper

sauce:
1/2 cup basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (or other italian hard cheese)
grated peel of one lemon, yellow part only
juice of one lemon, to taste
2/3 cup (or less) olive oil

begin by tossing the grated zucchini with salt (between a teaspoon and a tablespoon) in a sieve over a bowl and leave to drain for 1 hour. 

meanwhile, for the sauce:
finely chop basil leaves in a food processor. add crushed garlic and process into a paste. (these steps can combine into one using a mortar and pestle.) transfer to bowl and stir in grated cheese and lemon rind. add some of the lemon juice to taste. move back to food processor or blender and blend in oil, a little at a time, until it reaches consistency you want, and is well combined. (watch the oil, as i found that using the full amount was going to seem rather oily to me.) taste and adjust seasonings. 

for fritters: 
sift flour into a bowl and make a well in the center for the egg yolk and 1Tbsp olive oil. add a little of the 5Tbsp water and mix, incorporating a little of the flour and water into the egg mixture, adding more water as you go. stir/whisk until a smooth, glossy batter. season with salt and pepper and set aside for 30 minutes.

rinse grated zucchini well and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. stir into batter. beat the egg white until soft peaks form, and fold gently into the batter until well mixed. 

heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. drop golf-ball sized amounts of batter into hot oil and cook 2-3 minutes each side, until golden brown. drain on paper towels. serve hot with the pistou.

sources:
zucchini-- alvarez farms
garlic-- stoney plains farms
egg-- stokesberry farms
basil-- us! 

goat cheese and basil quesadilla with tomato basil salsa

i tend to make a lot of quesadillas in the summer. one reason is that when the weather finally turns nice in seattle, i want a super-quick preparation so we can have porch time, or take a walk, or hit a happy hour before dinner. another reason is that i can't get enough of summer salsas, relishes, and chutneys-- anything fresh and raw with minimal fuss is my favorite way to experience warm weather produce.

this quesadilla is one i've been making for years from bobby flay's bold american food. (really-- years! i didn't even realize how long this has been in the rotation until i just noticed a quote from rick bayless on the back cover calling the cookbook "perfect for the '90s table." man, i'm feeling behind the times... but, que sera. it's still good!)

goat cheese, basil, and a tomato salsa with basil and balsamic vinegar set this quesadilla apart from its more tex-mexy cousins. baked rather than fried in butter, this is a light, flavorful, and fast summer dinner. 

goat cheese and basil quesadilla

from bobby flay's bold american food

makes 1 full-size quesadilla

2 large flour tortillas (we've been using a package of whole wheat tortillas as the calorie count is notably lower-- we might be doing our waistlines a favor, but i certainly prefer the taste and texture of the full-fat varieties!)

4 oz or so shredded monterey jack cheese

2 oz or so crumbled goat cheese

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 

preheat oven to 450 degrees. place one tortilla on baking sheet and top with shredded monterey jack, crumbled goat cheese, and basil. top with remaining tortilla and bake 8-10 minutes or until crispy and golden and the cheese has melted. serve with tomato basil salsa.

tomato basil salsa

1 medium ripe tomato (or a couple of smaller ones), coarsely chopped 

1 Tbsp chopped red or sweet onion

1 1/2 tsp seeded and minced jalapeno 

2 Tbsp balsamic vonegar

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

combine all ingredients, and season to taste with salt and pepper. refrigerate at least one hour if you can, and let it come to room temp before serving.

sources:
fresh goat cheese from port madison goat farm and dairy
jalapeno and onions from alvarez farm
tomatoes and basil from our garden

pork kabobs with peach salsa

have peaches on the table that are not getting any younger, have pork chops in the freezer, have a garden tomato, finally ripe. i don't know about you, but to me this means pork kabobs with peach salsa!

this is a great combination of summer flavors. the peach and tomato flavors play well together in the salsa, and while the peach comes through, it is anything but sweet. feel free to be heavy-handed with the spice rub on the pork-- it can handle it!

pork kabobs with peach salsa
adapted from grilled pork chops with fresh nectarine salsa
serves 2

2 peaches, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 boneless pork chops, 1-1 1/2" thick
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
olive oil

combine peaches, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. season with salt to taste, and drizzle with a little olive oil before giving it a final toss. allow to sit for a half hour or more for flavors to blend.

fire up the grill to medium/medium-high heat. 

cut chops into even chunks and toss with a little olive oil. combine cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, and sprinkle generously on pork to get an even coating. (you may have some spice mixture left over.) thread pork on wooden or metal skewers, leaving space between each piece for even cooking.

place on preheated grill and cook, turning a couple of times, until cooked through but not dry, about 10 minutes. (i didn't do the cooking on the grill, so i can't quite say how long it cooked. until it was done, basically. pull a chunk off and slice it open to test. if juice run clear, they're done. but don't overcook-- dry pork is sadness pork.)

serve with salsa and enjoy!


sources:
pork chops from the happy pigs at skagit river ranch
peaches from tiny's organic
cilantro from stoney plains organic farm
tomato from our garden!

shaved asparagus and fennel salad (with slow-roasted halibut)

i've managed to convert rob. he was firmly planted in the "i don't like fennel" camp until this raw salad of shaved asparagus and fennel with a mustard dressing, and now he nibbles on the fennel tops on our way home from the farmers market. we've made it twice now, serving once with the crunchy topped, slow-roasted halibut in the recipe (we, and our dinner guest, thought the fish and salad were amazing), and another time on its own.

fennel is a fascinating vegetable. its bulb grows in a criss-crossing basket-weave pattern, and the stalks are long and slender, topped with delicate, feathery foliage. all parts are edible, and the taste is cool and herbal with a mild flavor of anise. the bulb hides dirt and sand between the outer couple of layers, so pull it apart to wash thoroughly. (it also grows wild all over the place around here, which makes walks around the neighborhood a fun and fragrant treasure hunt.)

for this recipe, the fennel is thin-shaved using the thinnest setting on a mandoline slicer. (you can do this with a knife, but it will probably make you grumpy. if you don't have a mandoline, get one! mine has changed my whole life, for the low, low price of something like 30 bucks.)

asparagus is too skinny for the mandoline, so use a vegetable peeler to shave thin slices from the trimmed stalks, and save the tips for another dish.

slow-roasted halibut with shaved asparagus and fennel salad

from bon appetit, april 2010

(salad is vegan and gluten-free)

4 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbps dijon or whole-grain mustard

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp drained capers, chopped

3/4 lb asparagus spears, trimmed

1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb

handful of fennel foliage, rough chopped

2 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (i used panko)

3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbps chopped fresh italian parsley

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp fine grated lemon peel

3 Tbps butter, melted

4 six-oz wild-caught pacific halibut fillets (also called alaskan halibut. avoid atlantic, and be cautious of california and greenland! read more on halibut best choices at monterey bay aquarium's seafood watch.)

for salad, whisk together lemon juice and mustard. slowly add olive oil while whisking, and mix in chopped capers.

use a vegetable peeler to make long, thin slices of the asparagus stalks. using a mandoline on the thinnest setting, shave the fennel bulb. toss asparagus and fennel bulb and foliage in the dressing. can be made ahead.

for fish, preheat oven to 300 degrees. prepare a baking sheet with a little oil. mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, lemon peel, herbs, and melted butter. season mixture with salt and pepper.

put fish on baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. divide bread crumbs among the fillets and press to adhere. bake fish for 20-40 minutes, depending on thickness of fish, until the center is opaque. (my fillets were almost 2" thick-- one took 32 minutes, the other 38 to cook through. watch it to not overcook-- the fish should be good and moist!) turn on broiler and broil about 1 minute until breadcrumbs begin to brown.

serve fish with salad.

sources:

asparagus-- canales farm

fennel-- alm hill gardens

asparagus and goat cheese frittata

we often go out for breakfast on the weekends, mostly because it's rob's favorite meal to have out. but sometimes the refrigerator contents insist on coming together for a sunday brunch at home. in this case, eggs, asparagus, and leftover goat cheese from another recipe became a quick and simple frittata. 

asparagus and goat cheese frittata 
serves 2

6 medium or large eggs, well beaten
10 or so asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1" long pieces
1/2 log goat cheese (about 2oz)
olive oil
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese and chopped chives for garnish
preheat oven to 425 degrees.

in 8" saute pan that is also oven proof, heat olive oil to medium. add asparagus pieces and cook, tossing, until still bright green but becoming tender, about 5 minutes. season well with salt and pepper.

pour beaten eggs into pan and cook for a few minutes, lifting up edges for egg to run to the bottom, until the bottom begins to set, about 5 minutes. crumble goat cheese on top and transfer pan to oven. cook until eggs are set, about 8 minutes.  

season with salt and fresh ground pepper, and parmesan cheese and chives. serve cut into wedges. 


eggs-- stokesberry farms 
asparagus-- alvarez farm 
goat cheese-- port madison farm

paneer curry with peas. also saag paneer... with peas!

for 3 weeks in a row i had "paneer curry with peas" on the menu list for the week. and for 3 weeks in a row, it went ignored. the reason i never managed to cross "paneer curry with peas" off the list is what the rest of the line said: "-- make the paneer." from what i can tell, paneer is one of the easiest cheeses to make. but somehow, buying a gallon of milk and spending a couple of hours turning it into fresh cheese was enough of a perceived hassle that i simply skipped over it, and added it to the next list, week after week...

then, one magical day at the farmers market as i was wandering aimlessly, $20 still in my pocket and fresh out of ideas for how to spend it, i saw a sign from appel farms-- "Paneer~ $4.75lb." SOLD!

paneer is a fresh cheese (as in unaged, like mozzarella) with a mild flavor and a firm texture which shows up frequently in indian cuisine. one of paneer's qualities is that it doesn't melt, even in a hot pan, so many recipes using it call for frying the cheese in cubes.

i bought one pound and split into two different meals. the first, a curry with peas and tomatoes, was one i wanted to try specifically because my recent freezer inventory let me know that i am still behind schedule, as far as using up all the stuff i put away last fall. the second, a saag paneer, is a recipe sent to me by our friend scot several years ago, and it would use the lovely baby spinach available at the markets right now. (i added peas. had to, gotta use 'em up!)

the verdict-- loved them both. LOVED. the curry with peas was thick and flavorful, and the combination of spices was great. the saag seemed like it would be spicier than it ended up to be, surprisingly. that's just perfect for me, but for those who like a little burn, you may want to spice it up with more pepper and/or ginger. also, while i thoroughly enjoy, even crave, the thick, creamy, gloppy dishes at some indian restaurants, i really appreciated that these are lighter in texture, and chances are in caloric content!

paneer curry with peas
bon appetit, april 2010

1 Tbsp flour
1/2 lb paneer (or tofu) cut into 1" cubes
2 Tbsp ghee, divided (i used peanut oil because i had some and ghee was $8!)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced with seeds (more if you like heat!)
2 cups (or 14 oz) crushed tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen)
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
prepared jasmine (or basmati) rice

toss paneer with flour in a bowl to coat. heat ghee or vegetable oil in heavy nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. add cheese to pan in batches if necessary and fry, turning occasionally, until sides are golden brown, about 4 minutes. transfer to plate and set aside.

heat remaining ghee or oil over medium heat. add cumin and stir, cooking about one minute. add chopped onion and cook, stirring, until translucent and softened. add ginger, garlic, coriander, and minced jalapeno and stir one minute. add tomatoes and their juice, 1/4 cup water, and turneric. bring to simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. cook covered until beginning to thicken, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

add peas and fried paneer and stir. cook over medium-low heat another 5 minutes or so, until cheese heats through and peas are tender. stir in cilantro and garam masala. season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with rice.

saag paneer (with peas!)
from scot (my notes in parentheses)

1 1-inch cube ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 to 1 fresh green hot pepper (i used jalapeno)
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 to 1lb paneer, cubed (scot notes that they have also used mexican queso fresco, the dry crumbly kind rather than the melty kind, when paneer couldn't be found)
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt
2 10-oz boxes of frozen spinach, thawed and drained well (i was using fresh and accidentally bought only 1/4 lb, which, of course, cooked down into almost nothing. a pound might have done it. so i added about a cup of peas leftover from the curry. it was just fine.)
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream (scot says they use milk)
jasmine or basmati rice

put ginger, garlic, and chili in a blender or food processor and process into a paste.

heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. add the paneer and fry until they are golden on all sides. remove with a slotted spoon to a plate in a single layer and sprinkle evenly with salt, garam masala, and cayenne. set aside.

put the paste from the food processor into the hot oil in the pan. fry, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. add spinach and 1/2 tsp salt and stir for about a minute. cover pan, lower heat, and cook gently for 15 minutes. (i added the fresh spinach and cooked until wilted, then stirred in the peas.) add a tablespoon or two of water if it becomes too dry. add paneer and cream, bring to a simmer, and cook covered over low heat for 10 minutes. season to taste, and serve over rice.


sources:
paneer-- appel farms
tomatoes, peas, and onions-- our freezer, from our fall preservation
spinach-- alm hill gardens