Selective Palate

With this snowy chilly weather this week it had me craving for something warm and comforting. I also wanted to do something meatless; meatless Tuesday anyone? With all that in mind I decided to go a little south of the border and stuff some poblano peppers with a yummy mix of brown rice, black beans and cheese! Then I baked them up until everything was all bubbly and served it with a side of avocado salad to cool everything down. It was very good, M didn’t even speak between seconds (or thirds!).

Recipe:

1 onion chopped
1 red bell  pepper chopped
4 cloves garlic chopped
9 poblanos, 1 chopped, 8 cut the tops off and clean out the insides leaving the bodies intact
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 or 2 chipolte peppers in adobo, chopped
1 T. cumin
1 packet of Goya Sazon (any flavor will work, I used culantro y achiote)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
hand full cilantro
1 lime zested
2 T. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Begin by cooking the rice per directions. Usually I make long grain brown rice with 1 cup rice to 2 1/4 cups stock or water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover for 40- 45 minutes. While you have that cooking prep your veggies all about the same size chop. Pre-heat your oven to 425 and place your poblanos in a baking dish coating them with about 1 T. of the olive oil and a spinkle of salt and pepper. When the oven is ready place peppers in oven to start the cooking. Now heat a large skillet on med high heat when ready with the veggies add the remaining olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add onions and peppers and saute for about 8-10 minutes. When soft add the garlic. Reduce heat and add the spices and beans, stir to combine. When the rice is ready fluff with fork and add directly to the bean mixture. Take off heat and remove the peppers from the oven (they should have been in for about 15- 20 minutes total), they should be soft and fragrant, set aside for the time being. Now add 1 cup of the cheese to the rice and bean mixture along with the chopped chiplotes, lime zest and chopped cilantro. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, stuff them with the mixture and place back in the baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake for another 15- 20 minutes.

And that is it.  I served these with a nice avocado and cucumber salad using the juice of the zested limes and some garlic. For M I heated up some corn, because he just LOVES corn! Altogether it was a great vegetarian dinner, perfect for Meatless Monday or Tuesday!

So in the spirit of being healthy I have been trying very hard to eat small meals every 2-3 hours. I have also cut out wheat and a lot of other things so my options are limited to what I can have for lunch. I want to make sure I get my greens and my protein in but salad and a can of tuna (no matter how good it is!) is really getting old. So today when lunch rolled around I found myself staring blankly in the fridge. When that was extremely unhelpful I went to good old internet. What I found was an idea! Japanese cucumber salad with a kick of spice and protein!

Salad:

1 cucumber seeds scooped out and cut in halfmoons, I buy unwaxed organic when ever I can because I love the skin, but you can use whatever you have
1/2 cup steamed and shelled edamame
1/4 cup sliced green onion

Dressing:

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp agave (or honey or sugar)
1 tsp. black sesame seeds (or more)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili flakes

Directions:

For the dressing whisk everything together and place in the microwave for 30 seconds to dissolve the salt and sugar if using. Pour dressing over cucumbers and edamame and refidgerate till chilled. i placed it in the freezer to hurry it up and it was done in a couple of minutes. When cooled add the green onions and mix everything together.

A little sweet, a little salty, a little spicy, but all together yummy!

I am a little late on this post. I promised my good friend Kathy along with my father this recipe weeks ago! But to be honest as much as I love to share my recipes I kind of like keeping this 1 to myself. It’’s like my secret weapon; if I give it away they will have no reason to invite me over anymore. I kid, sorta.

All three of us love Pâté, M not so much; I get his portion! But its pretty expensive. In fact when you realize what is in it and how easy it is to make it really grates my cheese. I have dreams of making this in big batches and selling it to make my millions, or at least a couple hundred bucks!

So without further ado here is the recipe for 1 of the best creamy pâté ever and the best part is it costs pennies! OK, Kathy you better still invite me over, I do  come with wine!

They wouldn’t wait for me to get my camera! It really is that good.

Recipe: Makes two 1 cup Ramekins.

Pâté:

8 oz chicken or other poultry livers, dark spots removed
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shallots
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 T. cognac ( or other tasty spirit)
1 t. fresh herb minced such as parsley or tarragon or none.
salt and pepper to taste

Aspic:

1/4 cup stock (any good quality will work, I like to make mine with  a veal demi-glace for richness)
1 t. cognac or more to taste (see above)
1 t. sherry or other quality vinegar
1/2 t. gelatin
salt and pepper to taste - sometimes I use rough cracked pepper for texture and taste

Method - Pâté:

Melt 1/2 the  butter over medium heat until just melted, add shallots. Reduce heat and cook until translucent. Add garlic and saute a little longer till fragrant, make sure not brown! Now carefully add the cognac and cook down a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the cream. Simmer for a couple more minutes then add the remaining butter stirring to melt. Take off heat and set aside to cool.

Using your blender puree the raw livers until smooth. Add the shallots and cream mixture and puree on high until everything is completely smooth and pale in color.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer pushing the mixture through with the back of a spoon.

Fill 2 ramekins with the mixture leaving about 1/4 inch room at the top for the aspic.

Transfer (carefully) the ramekins to a deep sided baking dish placed in a preheated 300 degree oven. Cover ramekins tightly with aluminum foil and fill baking dish with boiling water 1/2 way up the side of ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes until pâté is set (like a cheesecake).

Cool to room temperature and transfer to the refrigerator. Once chilled make the aspic.

Method - Aspic:

Combine everything except the gelatin in a saucepan (or microwave) until simmering stir in the gelatin to dissolve. Cool. Once cooled pour on top of the chilled pâté and return to the fridge until the aspic sets up; a couple hours.

Before serving bring to room temperature. Serve with good french bread and wine.

I know it sounds like a lot of work but really you spend more time waiting for everything to cool down than anything else. Plus each ramekin of pâté costs about $1; yup ONE DOLLAR! Compare that to $50/lb in gourmet stores, doesn’t seem like too much work now does it! Also, you get to be creative. Once you have the method down you can switch up the flavors or add textures if you prefer.

By the way I should mention I got inspiration for this recipe from the very lovely Steamy Kitchen; Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

ENJOY!

It doesn’t happen very often but M and I went grocery shopping a few weeks back. Now I am talking about real grocery shopping not picking up a couple things for dinner. While in the produce department we discovered something I had only heard rumors about. “Could it be?” I said. M asked if it was rotten? I turned to him and said I prefer the term “fermented”. So with that I threw 2 heads of Black Garlic in the cart. I could not wait to get home and open up my treasure.

Then the realization came to me that I have no idea what to do with this! So the package sat there for several days while I researched. I wanted to really highlight this strange new ingredient not just throw it in any old dish. I found 2 recipes off the Black Garlic website that really sounded yummy.

First up was Scallops with Black Garlic and Chorizo. I followed the recipe exactly and it was a perfect appetizer. I might have a drizzled a little olive oil on  top to finish it up but other than that no tweaking. This recipe is so versitile. I could switch out any number of ingredients and come up with a great starter. The Black Garlic shined beautifully. It had such a sweet, mellow taste that complimented the scallops. I could taste garlic but with none of the bite.

Next up was the Mushroom and Black Garlic Risotto. Again I followed this recipe fairly closely; why fix something that is not broken. I did not have vegetable stock on hand, I used chicken stock instead, so it was not vegetarian but neither am I! Again the earthiness of both the mushrooms and Black Garlic worked extremely well together.  Also, I have never added marcarpone cheese to any risotto but HO BOY I highly recomend it! In fact I had never used marscarpone for anything savory but I have seen the light; this stuff is so good! You could put it on a shoe and it would make it taste creamy and decadent.

So the verdict; I really enjoyed it. It was a nice change from your traditional garlic. It was sweet, savory, creamy (yes creamy), earthy and just plain nice. M on the other hand had no reaction. He said it’s fine nothing special. He leans toward the bitter, he loves it when I burn the garlic and black garlic has long lost any bitterness its fresh cooked (burned) counter part has.

So if you happen upon it at your local grocery store I highly recommend trying it if for no other reason than to say you have. If you are really interested I believe the Black Garlic website actually sells it.

Though we haven’t gotten any of the snow the rest of the country has gotten we are still in the dregs of winter. About this time of year is when you start yearning for the warm beaches of the Caribbean. It was with that in mind that I made myself a lunch of fresh Ahi Tuna salad.

Though I live in a small town in northern Vermont I am very lucky that we have a good fish monger who gets their catch early every morning direct from the docks in Portland and Boston. I know how cool is that! On any day (except Monday they are closed) I can get fresh seafood that was swimming less than 24 hours ago! Plus, they are right across the street! I know you are all jealous now, unless  you actually live in 1 of the great port cities then well I am jealous because your catch is most likely cheaper and fresher than mine.

Anyway to get on with the recipe. When I walked into the store I hadn’t yet decided what I wanted for lunch but as soon as I saw that big slab of Ahi Tuna laying in the case I knew that was going to part of my lunch. They also sell fresh japanese seaweed salad so I grabbed a caintainer and to round it off a handful of recently cooked fresh shrimp. When I got home I laid out my finds and then began to rummage around in the fridge and cupboards. And this is what I came up with!

Recipe (for 1 good portion or 2 small):

4 oz sashimi grade tuna, diced
2 -3 oz fresh cooked shrimp, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
1 green onion, sliced
1 tbsp red onion small dice
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. mayonnaise (or less, just use as much as need to hold everything together)
1-2 tsp. black sesame seeds
squirt of sirrachi (to taste)
a good pinch of course sea salt (or kosher)
a dash of togorashi (Japanese pepper, if you have it no biggie to leave it out)
1/4 cup seaweed salad

Ok this is too easy; after you get through prepping everything and believe me that is what takes all the time here, you mix everything except the seaweed salad together. Don’t over stir just gentaly fold everything together until incorporated. Place most of the seaweed salad on a plate and top with tuna salad. Garnish with the remainder of the seaweed and sesame seeds. 

You will think you are at a fancy beach resort. Just poor yourself some sparking mineral water or better yet some sparkling wine and you can now pretend your are on Life Styles of the Rich and Famous.   Ok well you don’t have to go that far but you will definitely forget about winter for at least the duration of  lunch.

I love all things dip related. I can make a batch of ranch or vegetable dip and seriously forget about the chips I just need a spoon. However that is not exactly the best thing for your diet. Then I discovered Hummus. This stuff is amazing. Its a meal in dip form. I make hummus in all varieties, from plain to artichoke to festive spinach. But 1 of my favs is roasted red pepper. People who are not hummus fans seem to even like this 1. The creaminess plus the sweetness of the peppers is always a hit.

Recipe:

1 can chick peas, drained
2 roasted red peppers
1/4 cup Tahini
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 - 1/2 cup good olive oil
salt and pepper

So easy, throw everything except the olive oil in a food processor and give it a whirl. With the motor running drizzle in the oil until everything comes together and becomes thick and creamy. Taste and season again if needed. You can make this ahead of time and chill or serve immediately. I like to top with fresh parsley and serve with assorted veggies, pita bread and crackers.

You can whip this up anytime, you can keep these ingredients in your pantry and when unexpected guests show up you have a tasty dip that  won’t kill your diet to serve up. This serves everyone! Vegan no problem! Dairy free, sure! Gluten intolerant, go right ahead! Plus it is good for you. It is rich in heart healthy oil, protein packed beans, loaded with vitamin C. I seriously call hummus my “single girl meal”, if M is away or working late I make a batch of hummus and curl up on the couch with a glass of wine.

Don’t feel limited hummus can take a lot of creativity. So have fun just remember the basics and you’ll be fine.

After all that rich food over the holidays my body is starting to revolt! When I need to “clean house”  I tend to turn to soups, more importantly vegetarian soups. I have made a few over the last few days but 1 of my favorites was a vegetarian split pea. As much as I like pork I decided to leave it out. To replace the much missed fatty, unctuous mouth feel I drizzled on a little good olive oil at the end and it seemed to do the trick. I will say that this recipe, though very tasty was not as sweet as the traditional split pea with ham.

Recipe:

1 - 2 carrots chopped
1 - 2 stalks celery chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1 - 2 T. olive oil
8 oz green split peas
4 cups veggie stock or water

In a sauce pan heat about 1 T. or so of the olive oil and saute the veggies except for the garlic  for about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute for about another 1 - 2 minutes. Add the stock or water, the thyme, bay leaves and split peas. Give a good stir and leave on medium-low heat for about 1 hour. Test and make sure the peas are soft if not cook for another 20 - 30 minutes. When soft remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs then blend until smooth. I used an immersion blender but if you have to use a regular blender do it in batches and be very careful that the liquid does not explode! Season with salt and pepper.

Finish in a bowl with a little drizzle of olive oil, a spritz of lemon juice and some course sea salt. I added a dollop of sour cream and some chopped roasted red peppers. The peppers added that missing sweetness. Healthy and tasty, you can’t beat that!

Wow! I didn’t think it was possible but I am so happy that the holidays are over. I know you are all saying that they ended weeks ago, well in this house they last till after M’s birthday on Jan. 7th (he turned the big  3 o !). Since it was such a momentus birthday we had a big surprise party for him and it was needless to say a bit hectic around here.

I have so much I want to tell you all about! I made tones of great things.

Here is a list of some of the things I made over the past few months:

• Duck Pate

• Lobster Mac n Cheese

• Herb Crusted Lamb “pops”

• Crispy Roast Duck with Cabernet Cherry Reduction

• Confit New Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

• Sunday Gravy (aka Italian Marinara)

• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

• German Chocolate Cake

• Sweet Cherry Tartlettes

And what I am most excited about; I rendered my very own duck fat and yes that is what I cooked the new potatoes in! I never knew how easy  it would be.

OK get yourself a nice duck. Trim away all the loose fat and excess skin. I spatchcocked the bird which made it even easier to get at all the fat and skin. In a large skillet place the fat and skin in a single layer and cover with water till just the tops of the fat are showing. Heat pan on medium for about 45 to 90 minutes. As it boils the water will evaporate and you will notice the bubbles will become larger and slower. It will look like a pan of olive oil.

I was cautious and watched it like a hawk; I recommend doing this because if you burn it it will be ruined. As soon as I noticed the larger bubbles I took it off the heat. Once done take the crispy bits of fat out. You can discard but my grandmother would have a fit! She would recommend that you place on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. In Yiddish this is called Gribenes or Schmaltz. My grandmother was not Jewish but Hungarian and I cannot spell what she called it! But whatever you call it it is tasty. Getting back on track, once you have removed the bits strain the rendered fat through cheese cloth to remove any particles. And what you have left is a beautiful yellowish fat that you can cook with as you would any other oil only it tastes so much better!

If anyone would like the recipes for any of the other foods listed just ask. I’ll either email you the recipe or create a post about!

So I am not a huge fan of tuna from a can in fact I can remember a time when I refused to eat it or even be in the same room with it when it was being consumed because “The smell makes me sick”. Yes, you can say it, I was a snob about it, often referring to it as cat food. But today things are a bit different. I gave it a try (imagine that) and found that it is not so bad. Well the stuff in oil not so hot, but the albacore or chunch light in water not bad and the Italian stuff packed in pretty cans with quality olive oil well that stuff is just pretty darn good! I know I was as amazed as anyone that I would ever say that; but there you have I like tuna from a can!

Anyway that brings me to this great salad I made a few weeks back for M. I even enjoyed a little for myself. I didn’t want to fix the same old tuna fish salad with mayo , something healthier and dare I say it fresh? I had some of that good Italian tuna hanging around so I decided to create an Italian insprired tuna salad. It was one of those lets see what we have on hand kinda deals so I had to rummage through the fridge and pantry. I settled on white beans, olives, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber and fresh basils and oregano from the garden. If I had had capers on hand I would have thrown them in but I was out. Over all a very good salad. Good for you, different, and frankly plain old tasty!

Recipe:

1 can Tonno (tuna) in quality olive oil, flaked, oil reserved
1/2 can cannellini beans (white beans) drained and rinsed
6 chopped olives, such as Kalamata, Niciose, or Cerignolas ( I used all and mixed them together)
1/4  cup chopped red onion
1 small tomato seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
Fresh basil and oragano to taste
Dressing:
1 small clove garlic minced to a paste ( you should have about 1/2 teas. of garlic paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon and the zest
The reserved olive oil from the tuna

Mix all the veggies and herbs together. In a separate bowl whisk the garlic paste, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest with the olive oil. Dress the salad with as much dressing as you like.

I like this by itself or atop fresh greens. It makes a great lunch or even a nice light supper served with a bowl of soup, like maybe minestrone!

So my doctor put me on this diet she calls an anti-inflammatory diet or more accurately an elimination diet. In a nutshell (not peanut!) I am on a strick diet whereas I cannot have any wheat, corn, potato, diary, tomato, citrus, red meat, alcohol or peanuts. I am especially not to have anything processed or fried and should use only olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil. In addition, I should eat organic everything when possible. On a whole this is not too terribly hard but what is life without cheese and wine I ask?!

So that brings me to where I am now with experimentation with new foods, a few great recipes and several not so great recipes that I rather not make again. Also, somethings should not be made vegan - Tofutti Sour Cream I am talking to YOU! However, Veganaise you may stay.

Now lets get to the successes! Lately I have been making a lot of stews & soups; this has got M asking very politely for food he can actually, you know CHEW! So last night I made a friendly version of Chicken Marsala. I know the wine, but really 20% alcohol at the most here so I think I am ok.  This could be made without the wine I suppose but then it would not be Chicken Marsala now would it.

I love this dish and I didn’t think I would be able to pull it off with my restrictions to be  honest. I mean butter makes this sauce so velvety I didn’t think olive oil would be able to compete. Well it needed a little help but the dish came out perfect.

Recipe

2-4 boneless chicken breasts ( leave the skin on if you can)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (I love shitake, so I did 1/2 shitake and 1/2 crimini)
1 large shallot or 2 smaller chopped small
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup and 1 T. Marsala wine
1 cup and 2 T. chicken broth
1 T. tapioca flour/starch (corn starch works fine here)
2 T. of flat leaf parsley
2 t. fresh sage
1 T. olive oil
2 t. Earth Balance buttery spread (or butter)
salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating your pan and 1 t. fake butter with the olive oil. Pat your chicken breasts dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. When pan is hot place the breasts skin side down in the hot pan. There will be loud hissing but DO NOT TOUCH THEM! Let them cook for about 5 minutes. Test with your tongs; if the chicken releases from the pan without a fight then you can flip them, if not leave them cook another minute or so. Sear the other side for another 5 minutes or so then remove from pan and cover with foil. In the hot pan add your shallot and stir to coat evenly in the fat. (If you used boneless/skinless chicken you may have to add another T. of oil.) Cook shallots till fragrent about 1 minute and then add the mushrooms. Coat the mushroom with the fat in the pan and let cook for about 2-3 minutes; you want to see a nice color on the veggies. At this point salt and pepper and add the garlic. Cook for about another 30 seconds to a minute and deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of the wine. Scrape up all the leftover chicken bits from the bottom of the pan, bring to boil and let reduce for a few minutes; this gets all that flavor into each mushroom! Now add 1 cup of  your chicken broth or stock and bring to a boil. While you wait for that mix the starch with the remainder of the broth and stir into the pan. You may not need all of this mixture so do it a little at a time, each time wait for the sauce to come back to a boil to reach full thickness. When you have the desired consistency (should coat the back of a spoon) place the chicken back into the pan (skin side up) to finish cooking. When you are ready to plate add the rest of the (fake) butter, 1 T. of Marsala wine and the fresh herbs to the pan and give a good stir to incorporate everything.

Serve over pasta or rice and ladle the sauce, generously over the chicken. I used quinao pasta which I am quite a fan of. I swear I don’t notice the difference, you just have to be more diligent when cooking it and make sure you keep stirring the pasta while it cooks or it will stick together.

Enjoy!