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Archive for the ‘Everyday Food’ Category

Braised Chicken with Butternut Squash and Cranberries

Posted in Everyday Food on March 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Delicious One Pot Meal

Delicious One Pot Meal

I guess it was time to eat some meat!  Last night I made a hearty one-pot dish which is a great fall/winter meal – and the weather cooperated nicely by dropping the temperature.

BRAISED CHICKEN with BUTTERNUT SQUASH and CRANBERRIES

1 large butternut squash, cut into 1/2″  to 1″ – I used pre-cut, peeled pieces

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

4 chicken leg quarters split into drumsticks and thighs

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 red onion, cut into 1/2 ” wedges

2 TBS chopped fresh sage

4 tsp flour

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup dried cranberries

In large Dutch Oven or heavy pot, heat 1 TBS olive oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook skin side down until skin is golden and crispy, about 5 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a plate. Pour off the fat from the pan.

Add 1 TBS olive oil, the squash and red onion until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add sage, flour, coriander and nutmeg and cook stirring till fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add broth and cook scraping up bits from  pan with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute.

Nestle chicken skin side up in the squash mixture, add cranberries.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and partially cover, simmer until chicken is cooked through and squash is soft.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food

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If It’s Thursday, It Must Be Pea Soup!

Posted in Everyday Food, tagged , , , , , , , on March 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Did you know that in Manhattan all the coffee shops serve certain soups on specific days?  I learned this when I moved here and now I know if it’s Thursday, then it must be pea soup day!  So bearing that in mind, I made some Vegetarian Pea Soup this morning. It bears no resemblance to what would come in that thick crockery cup served within a minute of ordering it.  My soup is thick and chunky and it was delicious and the perfect meal on a night like tonight as the temperature dropped into the 20’s.

VEGETARIAN PEA SOUP

3 TBS olive oil

1 medium-size onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 medium-size carrot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic (I use 2) pressed or finely chopped

1 cup dried split peas

6 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 cup orzo or other small pasta shape

Kosher salt

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the onion, celery, garlic and carrot. Cook till onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes.  Add the split peas and broth; bring to boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until peas are tender and the soup is thick and smooth.  

Raise the heat to medium-high. Stir in pasta  Cook until pasta is tender but firm, al dente, 7-10 minutes longer. Season with salt to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Pea soup 3

Pea soup 3 (Photo credit: Dvortygirl)

Recipe from Pasta Verde cookbook

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Eat Your Veggies – A Vegetarian Dinner Tonight

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , on March 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

We’re not vegetarians (yet) but it’s possible we are heading in that direction.  Peter always leaned that way for health reasons and I, in recent years, have become deeply disturbed over the exposes regarding the treatment and slaughtering of animals.  Sometimes if I find myself thinking about it, I can’t finish eating whatever meat was on my place.  I know this sounds weird coming from someone who just extolled the virtues of The Shake Shack.  Well, like I said, I may be headed in that direction but it’s long journey down that road.

However, I do love cooking with fresh vegetables and therefore I often make vegetarian meals.  Tonight we had a delicious dinner;  I made a Butternut Squash Risotto,  Roasted Cauliflower and a Mesclun Salad.  That and a freshly baked baguette from Fairway made quite a meal.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

3 cups fat-free low-sodium vegetable broth

1 cup butternut squash puree

1TBS butter or olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cups shallots, chopped

1 cup Arborio rice – I used Carnaroll rice

2 oz dry white wine

1TBS chopped fresh sage

1/4 cups freshly grated Parmiagiano-Reggiano 

Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

2 cups fresh baby arugula, for garnish

In large sauce pan, heat broth and butternut squash puree over medium-high heat.  When it boils, reduce heat to a simmer and maintain over low heat, taste for salt and adjust as needed.

In large heavy sauce pan over medium heat, heat oil or butter until melted.  Add shallots, garlic and rice; saute till rice is well-coated with oil or butter, about 3 minutes.  Add the wine and sage and stir until it is absorbed.

Add a ladleful of the simmering stock; wait until it is absorbed before adding another ladleful stirring gently and almost constantly.  Stirring loosens the starch molecules from the outside of the rice  grains into the surrounding liquid, creating a smooth creamy-textured liquid.

Continue this process until the rice is creamy, tender to the bite, but slightly firm in the center and all the stock is used, about 25 minutes from the time you started.  When all the liquid is absorbed, stir in the grated cheese and remove from heat.

Serve immediately and top with baby arugula and extra grated-cheese if desired.  Makes 3 2/3 cups.

Recipe courtesy of Skinnytaste.com

English: Cucurbita pepo (butternut squash). Lo...

Photo credit-Wikipedia

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Braised Chicken with Butternut Squash and Cranberries

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Tasty Tidbits Tuesday

Ocean Spray brand dried cranberries

Ocean Spray brand dried cranberries

This is a great dish on its own and could also be served over couscous

1 large butternut squash-peeled and cubed

2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

4 chicken leg quarters

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 red onion, cut into 1/2″ wedges

2 TBS chopped fresh sage

4 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup dried cranberries

In large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 TBS oil over medium-high.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and in two batches, cook skin side down until skin is golden and crisp, about 5 minutes per batch.  Transfer chicken to plate; pour off fat from pot.

Add 1 TBS oil, squash and onion to pot and cook until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add sage, flour, coriander and nutmeg and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add broth and cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits with a wooden spoon, 1 minute.  Nestle chicken, skin side up in squash mixture, add cranberries, and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer till chicken is cooked through and squash is tender, 20-25 minutes.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Every Day Food

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Ode to Sweet Potatoes-New York Times Mark Bittman

Posted in Amuse-bouche du jour, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , on November 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The softer, orange-fleshed variety of sweet po...

This is actually a YAM and not a Sweet Potato

I said I wasn’t going to post another recipe today because I am supposed to be preparing my own culinary contributions to the Thanksgiving Day dinner and so I’m not.  However, I just noticed in the New York Times that Mark Bittman wrote an article extolling the virtues of sweet potatoes.  In my 9 days till Thanksgiving recipe posting, I included two recipes for sweet potatoes.  His article is listed below.  Sweet potatoes-Thanksgiving and beyond!

 

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BEST Thanksgiving Side Dish-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions w/Rosemary+Parmesan

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , on November 20, 2012| 2 Comments »

English: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and ...

Sweet potatoes, onions and garlic

This is the last of the BEST Thanksgiving Side Dishes because tomorrow I will be preparing the foods I’m bringing to our dinner.  I made this dish one Thanksgiving spent at my parents house when they lived in Florida.  Trust me, it is yummy.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES and ONIONS with ROSEMARY & PARMESAN

2  3/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in 1 ” cubes

8 TBS Canola oil

3 garlic cloves minced

2  1/2 tsp salt

1  1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1  1/2 lb red onions (3 medium), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise in 1/4 ” slices

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

Set on rack in center oven and one on lowest position.- preheat oven 375 degrees

Line 2 large baking sheets with foil.  Place sweet potatoes on one; drizzle with 6 TBS oil.  Sprinkle with garlic, 1  1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Toss to coat, then spread in single layer.

Place onions on second baking sheet, drizzle with 2 remaining TBS oil, sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.  Toss to coat, spread in single layer.  Place potatoes on center rack and onions on lower. Roast until potatoes are tender and onions are tender and brown around edges, stirring every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes total for potatoes and 35 minutes for onions.

Can be prepared 4 hours ahead of time, let stand at room temperature, covered loosely with foil.  Rewarm in 375 degree oven about 10 minutes.  Combine potatoes and onions in shallow bowl.  Sprinkle with Parmensan cheese and rosemary and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe from Martha Stewart Whole Living

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

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BEST Thanksgiving Side Dish-Cauliflower with Hazelnut Brown Butter

Posted in Everyday Food, Marthaspeak, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday on November 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Well, it’s Monday, 3 days left till the big feast day and this is a good time to go over your recipes and grocery list to make sure you have all the ingredients you need.  I needed about 30 pecan halves for some cheddar biscuits I’m making to bring to our dinner.  Wow, the price of nuts has really gone up!  I found a 4 oz container for $7.99 and a big bag at Costco for about $15.00 and almost gave up until I remembered that Wegman’s has a bulk food section of nuts, grains and seeds.  So even though the cost per pound was a whopping $12.95, I was able to get about 40 pecan halves for $3.95-yes I am excited about that.  As an aside and I know it’s a minor digression, have you noticed how much almost everything has gone up in price??? I’m looking at items that I purchase in order to save money and those things have risen in some cases over a dollar more!  I really can’t imagine what it must cost to feed a family of four these days….  Okay, so you know maybe I’ll do a whole blog on the rising cost of food and really get myself depressed, but not this week BECAUSE this is the week of harvest and plenty and bountiful and thanks for all the good food and here’s another recipe for you to consider.

CAULIFLOWER with HAZELNUT BROWN BUTTER

1 cup hazelnuts (filberts)

3 small or 2 large heads of cauliflower (about 3  1/2 lb)

Coarse salt

10 TBS unsalted butter

2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 TBS finely chopped chives

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Place hazelnuts on baking sheet; toast until fragrant, about 10 minutes.  Transfer nuts to a kitchen towel; rub off loosened papery skins.  Coarsely chop nuts; set aside.  

Trim stems of cauliflower so they sit flat, keeping head intact.  Bring several inches of water to a boil in a large steamer or in a pot fitted with a rack; add salt to taste.  Steam cauliflower until just tender, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to platter.

Combine butter and hazelnuts in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until butter turns brown, 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat, and add lemon juice and chives.  Season to taste with salt.  Whisk to combine.  Pour over cauliflower and serve immediately.

Serves: 12 – 14  Recipe from Martha Stewart Whole Living 2001

Haselnuss

Hazelnuts also known as Filberts

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BEST Thanksgiving Side Dish and VEGAN too! Wild Rice w/Mushrooms,Cranberries,Walnuts

Posted in Friends, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Ocean Spray Craisins brand dried cranberries

Ocean Spray Craisins brand dried cranberries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I know it seems unlikely that anybody would NOT want  love mashed potatoes with their Thanksgiving turkey, but it’s true. And for those guests and any Vegans at your table, you might want to include this really neat dish.  It’s seasonal, textural and nutritious.

WILD RICE with MUSHROOMS, CRANBERRIES and WALNUTS

Salt

2 cups wild rice

2 cups wheat berries, soaked in 3 cups water overnight and drained

3/4 cup dried cranberries

2 TBS canola oil or other neutral oil

6 medium or 3 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and in large dice (3 cups)

Freshly ground pepper

1  1/2 cups chopped walnuts

2 small shallots, minced

2 TBS chopped flat leaf parsley

2 TBS walnut oil

Bring two medium pots salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add wild rice to one and wheat berries to another, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, 30 to 35 minutes for wild rice and 20 to 25 minutes for wheat berries.

While grains cook, put cranberries to small bowl, and cover with hot water.  Soak 15 minutes, drain, and chop.  Set aside.

Heat canola oil in a medium skillet over medium heat  Add mushrooms, and sauté stirring frequently, until mushrooms soften and begin to release their liquid, 8 to 10 minutes.  Season lightly with salt and pepper, and transfer to a warm serving bowl.  Stir in walnuts, shallots, parsley and cranberries.

When grains are tender, drain them, and add them to bowl.  Drizzle with walnut oil, and toss gently.  Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 6-8 servings

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Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes-Roasted Parsnips with Orange Zest

Posted in Everyday Food, Friends, New York Speaks, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , on November 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »

English: Parsnips offered for sale at a winter...

English: Parsnips offered for sale at a winter farmers’ market in Rochester, Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hey everybody, there’s only 4 more days to shop and plan your Thanksgiving Dinner.  I’m really lucky this year as we have been invited to a massive feast on Long Island.  This, of course, has given me time to wax eloquently about the beauty and creativeness you can imbue to the many side dishes of the turkey dinner.  I know everyone thinks the turkey is the star of the  meal and if we’re gauging things on size , I guess it wins.  However, don’t you think the color and texture of the myriad side dishes enhance the meal greatly?  And as you know from previous blog posts, this year I’m all about NOT serving the usual suspects unless they’re prepared in some different and innovative way.  So here is yet another interesting and tasty dish for you to consider serving.

ROASTED PARSNIPS with ORANGE ZEST

2 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into large  match sticks

1 TBS olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Juice of one orange

Grated zest of one orange

Heat oven to 500 degrees.  Place parsnips in a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Turn parsnips into  large roasting pan and roast, shaking pan occasionally, until golden, 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven, add juice and zest, and toss to coat.  Return to oven and roast until parsnips have caramelized, 5 to 10 minutes.  Transfer to warm bowl and serve.

Serves: 6-8  –   recipe from Deborah Madison, New York Times  November 19, 2003

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THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES-THE BEST-5 Days and Counting…

Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 

Cucurbita moschata 'Butternut'. Original descr...

Butternut Squash

Some where between Sweet Potatoes  and White Potatoes lie the winter squashes and many people prefer squash dishes on their Thanksgiving Day menu.  There are numerous varieties to choose from:  I like Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash and Hubbard Squash.  I have served Butternut Squash Bisque as a first course at a few Thanksgiving Dinners.  You might enjoy including this tasty side dish this year at your annual Turkey Day feast.

WINTER SQUASH BRAISED IN CIDER

1 # delicata or butternut squash

2TBS butter

3 TBS finely chopped rosemary

3 cups unfiltered apple or pear cider

Salt

1 tsp balsamic or apple cider vinegar to taste

Freshly ground pepper

You could peel the squash, halve in lengthwise and slice into half moons OR you could buy butternut squash already peeled and cubed and if you’re like me, there is s a point where my time is worth more than the extra 50 cents  spent in taking the easy way out!!

Melt butter in a 12″ skillet over low heat until foamy.  Add rosemary, and cook over medium heat to flavor butter, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.  Add squash, cider, and 1 tsp salt.  If squash is not covered by cider, add water to cover.

Bring to a simmer, and cook until squash is tender and cider has reduced to a glaze, stirring frequently, 30 to 40.  Sprinkle with vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to warm serving bowl and serve immediately.

Serves: 6-8 – recipe courtesy of New York Times (November 19, 2003

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