Vegetables--Wonderful Roasted Vegetables!

Once in awhile my best recipes come about by accident. It was time to clean out the vegetable bin in the refrigerator, and get ready for  fresh vegetables—we belong to a vegetable co-op that delivers weekly. There were six ears of corn I meant to cook earlier, completely forgotten. Sometimes being rich in vegetables makes me also a little wasteful. This winter I will only dream about my vegetable bin being full to overflowing.

So, along with the greens, peppers and tomatoes I'd already planned to prepare, there was corn that needed to be cooked. It wasn't a good night to grill, and I didn't want to just boil it, so I threw it into the oven and hoped for the best. I wasn't disappointed.

Next to the corn were six small beets that seemed to be just about to shrivel. I couldn't let those little red jewels turn into prune-like images of their former selves. No time like the present to try the Beet and Goat Cheese Salad I've seen on so many menus. I've never been fond of beets, and honestly think they taste a little like dirt, but roasting does wonders for most all vegetables. A little caramelization and suddenly the beets took on a delicious, deep flavor that was wonderful combined with the maple syrup vinaigrette and the goat cheese.

Hope you enjoy these easy and delicious ways to eat your vegetables!

Roasted Beet Salad

4-5 small beets, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

One-half cup chopped walnuts

5 T extra virgin olive oil, divided

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T maple syrup

1 shallot, finely chopped

Salad Greens (baby greens are particularly nice with some arugula)

8 oz. goat cheese, well chilled

2 eggs, beaten

~1 cup seasoned panko, or bread crumbs

Boil beets covered in water over medium heat for about 30 minutes.

Drain on paper towels to dry. Toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread beets onto sheet pan covered with foil and roast for 30 minutes in 425° oven. Half way through roasting time, sprinkle walnuts over beets and continue roasting.

Whisk together remaining oil, vinegar, syrup and shallot. Set aside.

Cut goat cheese in eight rounds. Dip each round into egg and then panko. Place on plate covered with wax paper and refrigerate until ready to serve salad. Just before serving, brown cheese rounds on both sides over medium heat in a nonstick skillet.

Place greens in salad bowl, add beets and walnuts, and finally goat cheese rounds. Pour vinaigrette over salad and serve.

Roasted Corn on the Cob

6 or more ears of corn, cleaned

1 stick of butter softened

One-half teaspoon garlic salt

1 tsp. Dried Italian herbs

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix butter, garlic salt and herbs.

Line a baking pan with a large piece of foil. Place corn in pan and brush butter mixture over corn. Cover tightly with another piece of foil. Place in oven and cook for about an hour, turning corn once while cooking.

(If you have any corn left over, cut it off the cob and add it to a salad the next day.)

Recipes and Tales from Chianti--Ciona

Ciona, one of the beautiful homes where we cooked (and dined!).  You can actually see Sienna in the distance.

This is their wine label that is exported to the US.

After a wonderful trip to the Chianti region of Tuscany, I'm home and reeling with ideas, recipes, and beautiful memories. I told you about the famous Butcher in Panzano. Dario, in the butcher world, is a superstar, and we had the full experience. Later that week we had cooking classes with our friends of Tutti a Tavola, and to me these ladies are also culinary superstars!

Early in the week Mimma, our host and one of the 'Mamas' of Tutti a Tavola asked what recipes we would like to prepare. When we didn't have any particular requests (other than a primer in their chicken liver spread that I want to make for my Mom), Mimma proposed a menu of her recent favorite recipes that resulted in a fantastic meal and a great learning experience.

We spent hours working together to turn the beautiful, local produce, meats and cheeses into a meal fit for a Medici. My sister and I were joined in the class by an Italian mother and daughter who now live in Chile and were back visiting relatives. While we spoke little Italian, they spoke little English, but by the end of the evening we were all communicating in culinary-ese.

The recipes we prepared don't sound hard at all, and they're not. Simplicity defines Tuscan cuisine. It relies on hundreds of years of refined technique combined with the freshness and quality of ingredients to produce dishes that are so uniquely superb in their quality.

We are instructed through each recipe.

Chicken Skewers and Grilled Vegetables

Spiedini di Pollo all'olio di Oliva (Carne or Secondi Course)

Chicken Skewers with Olive Oil

1 lb. Chicken breast pieces

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano cheese

1 small onion, finely minced

~1 tsp. Salt

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

fresh bay leaves, halved (you could substitute thin slices of onion, pepper or tomato without seeds, but usually you can find the bay leaves in the refrigerated produce with other fresh herbs—we picked ours off their tree)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Use either chicken breast tenders or flattened breast pieces (cover with wax paper when flattening to avoid a mess), and cut into into 2x3 inch pieces. You want these pieces to be fairly thin, and equal in size so they well cook evenly in the same amount of time.

Mix the bread crumbs, grated cheese, onion and salt. Taste and adjust with more salt if needed.

Pour olive oil into a bowl (add more if needed).

Add several chicken pieces at a time to olive oil. Dip them out with your hands and squeeze tightly over the bowl to squeeze out excess oil. Place these pieces into the breadcrumb mixture and press to evenly coat each piece.

Thread each piece onto skewer, folding over and piercing twice. Separate each piece with half a bay leaf. Be sure chicken pieces are spread apart so they will cook evenly.

Arrange skewers in a roasting pan and cook for ~15 minutes.

Verdure alla Griglia (Contorni/Vegetable Course)

Grilled Vegetables

2 or 3 red and yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips

4 or 5 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise

2 or 3 small eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise

5 small sweet onions, peeled, and cut into eighths

4 or 5 small tomatoes, seeded and cut into eighths

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Freshly grated black pepper

One-third cup breadcrumbs

One-third cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425°.

Mix breadcrumbs and cheese and set aside.

Oil a large roasting pan, then line with parchment paper and oil the top of the paper well. Place peppers, zucchini and eggplant slices evenly on pan separating a little. Top with onions and tomatoes, spreading evenly. Now drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and breadcrumb mixture evenly over vegetables.

Place on top rack in oven and roast until vegetables are tender and lightly blackened in spots, about 30 minutes.

Fabulous Radicchio Lasagna

Fresh Creme Dessert

Turkey Time

There's going to be a new dish on our Thanksgiving table this year, an authentic Native American dish.

I found the recipe in Spirit of the Harvest, by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs. After twenty years the James Beard Award Winning book has been reissued. Each section of the book describes the culture, diet and ceremonial use of food by Native Americans in different areas of North America.

The picture of the stuffed baked pumpkin looked so beautiful, I couldn't resist adding it to our menu. This little sugar pumpkin is stuffed with a mixture that is very similar to a Thanksgiving dressing. After giving it a test run, I can hardly wait to place it next to the turkey and cranberry sauce. It's going to make a beautiful presentation and a delicious addition to our table.

I couldn't resist giving another stuffed squash a try while working on a vegetarian dish for my non-meat eating friends. I tried both butternut and acorn squash for this dish. The acorn squash proved to be a better receptacle for the tortellini with pumpkin blue cheese cream sauce. The squash alone is so delicious when roasted. The addition of the pasta and sauce simply doubles the 'goodness'. One acorn squash will provide six side dish servings.

May your table be complete this Thanksgiving, your blessings be many and the spirit of gratefulness fill your holiday.

HIDATSA STUFFED SUGAR PUMPKIN

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1 4- to 5-pound sugar pumpkin

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon dry mustard

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rendered fat

1 pound ground venison, buffalo, or beef (I used sweet Italian sausage--delicious!)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup wild rice, cooked

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon crushed dried sage

¼ teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the top from the pumpkin and remove seeds and strings. Prick cavity with a fork and rub with 1 teaspoon of salt and the mustard. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add meat and onion and sauté over medium-high heat until browned. Off the heat, stir in wild rice, eggs, remaining salt, sage, and pepper. Stuff pumpkin with this mixture. Place ½ inch of water in the bottom of a shallow baking pan.

Put pumpkin in the pan and bake for 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Add more water to the pan as necessary to avoid sticking. Cut pumpkin into wedges, giving each person both pumpkin and stuffing.

Acorn Squash with Tortellini and Blue Cheese Sauce

2 Acorn Squash

2 T butter, melted

8 T shredded Parmesan Cheese

Salt

1 package cheese Tortellini, cooked one minute less than package directions, and drained

2 cups half and half

1 (15oz.) can pumpkin puree

2 T butter

One-half teaspoon salt

One-half teaspoon pepper

One-fourth teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

5 oz. Blue cheese crumbles

Fried sage leaves as garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Split squash long ways (from stem to tip) and remove seeds. Slice a little piece off bottom of each half to allow halves to sit flat. Place squash into foil lined pan. Brush inside with melted butter, sprinkle a little salt and about a tablespoon of parmesan cheese into each half. Cover pan with foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until flesh is tender, but squash still holds its shape.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini according to package directions, but about a minute or two less than directed. Drain and set aside.

Add half and half, pumpkin, butter, salt, pepper, nutmeg and sage to sauce pan. Stir to combine over low heat. Finally, add blue cheese, stirring until blue cheese melts into sauce. Add cooked tortellini, and remove from heat.

Remove roasted squash from oven. With slotted spoon, add tortellini to each squash, drizzling a little more sauce over top.

Return to oven and bake another twenty minutes, sprinkling the remaining parmesan cheese over top during the last ten minutes.

Garnish with fried sage leaves, slice and serve.

(I sprinkled the top of these squash with pumpernickel bread crumbs, but they didn't add to the flavor of the dish, and I don't think they look very good, so I won't do that again!)

Fall Soups and a Sandwich

As much as I love to cook, there are times when I'd rather not. That's when I either call for takeout, or fall back on simple, quick meals that don't require much thinking or cleanup. Two of my easy favorites are soups-- Spicy Thai Kale and Chickpea Stew and Chicken Soup with Barley. The chicken soup can also serve as a good cold remedy if you add special hot sauce and some extra garlic. More good news: both these meals are healthy, filled with vegetables, and neither break the calorie bank. I think 'good and good for you' is how the saying goes.

Salads are never a bad addition to round out a dinner meal, but grilled cheese sandwiches are especially nice with soup. I love apple slices on my grilled cheese. I saute thin apple slices in a little Smart Balance just to soften. Layer the apples between pieces of your favorite cheese and good bread and grill until the cheese melts. The result is so good you could almost call it dessert.

The next time you don't feel like cooking, try one of these quick recipes. You'll hardly notice you're in the kitchen.

Thai Stew with Chick Peas and Kale

(8 servings)

2 tablespoons Smart Balance butter

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 inches of ginger, peeled and chopped

One-half teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

One-half teaspoon salt

One-half teaspoon pepper

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup lite coconut milk

One-third cup pad Thai sauce

2 cans (16 oz. each) chick peas, drained

1 bunch of Kale, triple washed, center stem removed and kale chopped

Add Smart Balance to large soup pot over medium heat with chopped onion and sweet potato. Stir and cook until onion begins to soften. Add garlic, ginger, and spices and stir and cook another minute or two. Now add chicken broth, coconut milk, and Thai sauce and bring to a simmer. When soup is bubbling add chick peas and kale, stir to combine, cover and simmer over low heat for 35 minutes.

Serve over cooked barley (or rice), garnished with cilantro and red pepper strips.

This is also delicious served with blue cheese crumbles on top!

Grilled Cheese with Softened Apples

Chicken Soup with Barley

(adapted from Martha Stewart)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 carrots, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced (or more garlic if feeding a cold sufferer)

3 boneless chicken breasts cut into one-half to one inch pieces

Salt and pepper

6 cups chicken broth

5 thyme sprigs (remove stems after cooking)

1 cup quick cooking Barley

pinch of red pepper flakes

5 cups baby spinach leaves

Shredded Parmesan Cheese, optional

Mongolian Fire Oil, optional garnish (found in Asian food section) for cold sufferers

Add olive oil to large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add chicken, salt and pepper, stir to combine and cook another two minutes, until chicken is becoming opaque on outer edges.

Add broth, thyme, barley and pepper flakes. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and barley is tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Add spinach, cover and cook another minute or two until spinach is wilted.

Adjust to taste with salt and pepper and serve with shredded Parmesan cheese and Mongolian Fire Oil, if desired.

TOMATO AND CHEDDAR PIE

Tomatoes are lining my window sill waiting to ripen. There are a few more on a cutting board ready for tomato sandwiches. Pasta Puttanesca is on the menu for the weekend. But today is all about Tomato Pie.

I just took my brand new August Bon Appetit out of its mailing wrapper, admiring the Blackberry and Lime Meringue Pie on the cover. All the while I was trying to figure out how I could work it into my daily choices of healthier foods—definitely a fruit source! This issue features pies of every sort. As I quickly thumbed through the magazine looking for the cover queen recipe my eyes locked on the picture of Tomato and Cheddar Pie. It wasn't nearly as pretty as the cover pie, which looked perfect and sported the elegance of Italian Meringue. No, the tomato pie picture looked sort of messy, slices were gone from the plate and I couldn't quite figure out the crust. Instantly, all thoughts of meringue and blackberries were fading and being replaced by my infatuation with tomato pie.

The recipe was on the next page and I liked the way it sounded—the crust was more like buttermilk biscuits rolled out like a pie crust. Tomatoes and two cheeses with a mayonnaise/dill sauce made up the filling. What could possibly be bad? Only one thing—a single slice had more calories than my entire dinner should contain.

I started reducing and substituting and produced a 'slimmer' pie that actually looked as tempting as its full figure counterpart. I'll probably never know if the original tastes that much better. Mine certainly satisfied my craving and far exceeded my expectations. I'll be using this recipe for brunches or company lunch for a long time to come!

Tomato and Cheddar Pie

(adapted from Bon Appetite August 2011 issue)

I changed a few things in the original recipe to make this a 'slimmer' pie: low-fat buttermilk and cheese, and only half the amount of mayonnaise filling. I don't think these changes harmed the results. I would also suggest trying a mozzarella/basil version, or adding bacon or pancetta. The possibilities are endless!

This is a sticky dough. I brought it together and briefly kneaded it while still in the bowl, then wrapped the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerated for an hour. When I was ready to roll the dough, I greased my hands with olive oil and coated the dough ball. I only used about three-fourths of the dough, which also helped reduce calories.

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

One and one-half teaspoons baking powder

One-half teaspoon baking soda

One-half teaspoon salt

6 T butter cut into small pieces and chilled

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Filling:

2 lbs. Large ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into one-fourth inch slices—place slices on paper towels to drain excess moisture

Two and one-half cups grated low-fat cheddar

One-fourth cup grated Parmesan

1 green onion, chopped

One-fourth cup mayonnaise

1 T freshly chopped dill

One-half tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Sugar substitute

One-half tsp. Salt

One-fourth tsp. Pepper

One and one-half T cornmeal

For crust:

Whisk first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. Using fingertips, rub in butter until coarse meal forms and some small lumps remain. Stir in buttermilk and knead gently with your hands until dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

For Filling:

Preheat oven to 425°.

Use only three-fourths of the dough for the crust. Use the excess for individual tomato pie biscuits, or discard.

Roll out dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to an 11 inch round. Remove top layer of plastic wrap. Invert dough onto pie dish. Carefully peel off plastic wrap.

Toss both cheeses in a medium bowl until evenly mixed. Reserve one-fourth cup of cheese mixture. Whisk onion, mayo, dill, vinegar, sugar substitute, salt and pepper in small bowl.

Sprinkle cornmeal evenly over bottom of crust, then top with one-half cup cheese mixture. Arrange one-third of the tomatoes over cheese, overlapping as needed. Spread half the mayo mixture over the tomatoes. Repeat layering with 1 cup of cheese mixture, half the remaining tomato slices and the remaining mayo mixture. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese mixture over, then remaining tomato slices. Sprinkle with reserved one-fourth cup cheese mixture. Fold overhanging crust up and over the edges of tomato slices.

Bake pie until crust is golden and cheese is golden brown, 35-40 minutes (check crust halfway and tent with foil if it's getting too dark). Let pie cool before slicing. (Bon Appetit recommended resting 1-3 hours, but with less mayo mixture and using low-fat cheese, my pie was ready to slice by the time it had cooled.)

Quinoa and Kale

I've posted this recipe before. I like it so much that I want to be sure everyone has seen it. If you're not familiar with Quinoa (keen-wah), let me catch you up.

Quinoa is a complete protein source with high levels of B vitamins, manganese, magnesium and iron. While the texture makes you think of eating a grain, quinoa really is a seed. Mixed with a phytonutrient-rich leafy green, you can't find a recipe that is much healthier! Then you add scallions, a little goat cheese or feta, olive oil, fresh lemon juice and zest, and pine nuts and you have a recipe filled with loads of complimenting flavors.

This recipe originated on the food blog Mostly Foodstuffs, and I think it's genius--one pot, twenty minutes total time, couldn't be easier or healthier, and it's really delicious!

I have substituted spinach and broccoli when kale isn't available, and it's equally as delicious and healthy.

Try it just once. I believe you'll enjoy it again and again!

Quinoa and Kale

(4 large servings, 7 Points Plus each)

1 cup quinoa

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 bunch kale, washed and chopped into 1" lengths

2 scallions, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese (for this Points Plus value, I used fat free feta)

salt and pepper

Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil in a pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, olive oil, pine nuts, and cheese.

Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should be absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed.

Spring Chicken for Easter

SPRING CHICKEN for YOUR EASTER TABLE

I know ham is the traditional Easter dish, but this year we're having Spring Chicken. If you feel obligated to serve ham, you might want to consider adding these chicken and vegetable dishes to your Easter table.

You can bake a whole chicken using this recipe, but my family is partial to the white meat, so I did a little recalculating and transcribed it into white meat only. You could also use a turkey breast and adjust the baking time according to the weight of the breast. This is such a versatile recipe, and when you're done, you have everything except dessert in one pan in the oven.

There's also a nice surprise at the end of this recipe if you plan carefully: Spring Chicken Potato Salad. This was one of those happy accidents made from leftovers. I love chicken salad, and I love potato salad, but I had never thought of combining the two. Turns out, it's a great combination. Add boiled eggs, celery, onions and dressing and tomorrow's dinner is done.

The method of cooking corn in this recipe was a nice surprise, too! I'll be using it again, especially when I want corn on the cob for a crowd. Add lemon pieces, thyme and about an inch of chicken (or vegetable) stock to a baking pan large enough to hold your corn in one layer. Salt and pepper generously and drizzle with a little olive oil. It takes about an hour for the corn to become nice and tender and absorb all those great flavors. No need for adding any condiments before eating. (Turn the corn several times while cooking.)

It doesn't have to be Easter to enjoy this food around your table!

Spring Chicken

4 large chicken breasts with skin and bones

2 lemons

Several sprigs of Thyme

Salt and pepper

1 cup chicken broth

Olive oil

4 small ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

4 small potatoes, halved

1 bunch of asparagus

Preheat oven to 350°.

Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Slice lemons into thick pieces. Squeeze a good amount of the juice over both sides of the chicken catching the excess juice in a bowl. Place the breasts in a roasting pan, salt and pepper both sidesliberally, slip a couple of lemon slices under the skin of each breast along with a sprig of thyme. Place chicken skin side down in the pan and cook for fifteen minutes.

Remove pan, turn the chicken pieces over. Add corn to roasting pan between chicken pieces. Pour chicken broth into bottom of pan and add any remaining lemon pieces (even the squeezed ones) and thyme sprigs. Drizzle remaining lemon juice over the chicken. Then drizzle a small amount of olive oil over chicken and corn. Return to oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the corn occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a small pan of salted water, cook potatoes just until barely tender, not fully cooked. Remove potatoes from water and add to roaster pan with some extra salt and pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil. Should be in the roasting pan about 45 minutes.

Place asparagus into same water you used to cook the potatoes. Boil for a couple of minutes, drain and set aside.

During last ten minutes of roasting chicken, add asparagus to the tops of chicken breasts.

Don't forget to serve pan juices with the meal!

Spring Chicken Potato Salad

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into medium sized cubes

3 celery stalks, diced

2 cooked potatoes, cut into medium sized cubes

3 boiled eggs, cut into large dice

One-fourth cup red onion, small dice

One-fourth cup seasoned rice wine vinegar

One-half cup mayonnaise (Dukes)

One-half teaspoon salt

One-fourth teaspoon pepper

1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. Minced fresh thyme

Add red onion to small bowl with one-fourth cup rice wine vinegar and three or four ice cubes. Stir and set aside while you prepare the rest of your salad.

Combine chicken, celery, potatoes and eggs in large mixing bowl.

Combine mayonnaise, salt, pepper, a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and minced thyme.

Drain onions well, and add to chicken. Then dress the chicken salad with mayonnaise mixture, tossing gently completely combine.

Serve with fresh baby greens and toasted bread.

It's delicious!

Collard Greens-Black-Eyed Peas-Country Ham-Cornbread

HAPPY 2011!

Our family traditions spill directly into the New Year. I'm just now realizing how comforting a lifetime of traditions can be. They are the glue for our widespread family. Even when circumstances keep us apart geographically, we know the drill. Some traditions are our own, some we share because of our Southern Heritage, and some we have picked up from new family and friends. No matter whether they're old or new, our traditions, along with lots of love, hold our family together.

For many, the New Year signals a rededication to healthy eating and living. We don't restrict our health consciousness to January. You can do that anytime of year—any day is good.

But we do begin the New Year with a traditional meal of collard greens, black eyes peas and ham, signifying money, luck and good health. I personally can't imagine not having this meal on January 1^st. I've changed it up a little, with Collard Greens and Ham Soup garnished by my version of Hoppin' John: black eyed peas combined with chow-chow. Add cornbread, cooked in my grandmother's old black cast iron skillet, and you have our traditional New Year's Day meal. It's OK if you don't eat it on January 1^st. As long as you consume during the month of January, you're giving yourself the chance for a year filled with prosperity, luck and good health.

Happy 2011!

New Year's Collard Greens and Country Ham Soup with Black Eyed Pea Chowchow

Having the 'pot likker (vitamin rich broth from cooking greens)' in the soup is a little like 'having your cake and eating it, too'. The pot likker was my grandmother's favorite part of a pot of greens.

1 T canola oil

1 sweet onion, diced

~10 oz. Country Ham trimmings (more lean than fat)

1 lb. Trimmed Winter Collard Greens (center stem removed, rolled and cut into strips)

One teaspoon tabasco, or more to taste

6 cups water

Salt to taste

1 tsp. Black pepper

pinch of Sugar

2 cups cooked white rice

2 cups cooked black eyed pea chowchow* for garnish

Add canola oil to large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onions with ham until onions are soft and translucent. Add collards, stirring to coat and wilt down. Add tabasco, water, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer, cover pot with lid slightly ajar, and cook for about 2 hours.

Check seasoning, add cooked rice and serve with Black Eyed Pea Chowchow and cornbread.

*Black Eyed Pea Chowchow

1 tsp. Canola oil

2 strips bacon, diced

One-half sweet onion, diced

2 cups frozen black eyed peas

One and one-half cups water

1 tsp. Salt

One-half cup chowchow

Add canola oil to medium sized pot over medium heat. Add diced pieces of bacon and cook until beginning to brown, stirring occasionally. Add diced onion, and continue to cook until onions are soft and translucent. Now, add the black eyed peas and stir to coat with bacon drippings, then add water and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover with lid ajar to simmer and cook until peas are tender, about 40 minutes.

Drain peas, onion and bacon (you can add the remaining cooking liquid to your Collard and Ham Soup.)

Combine pea mixture with chowchow and serve as a garnish to soup.

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD

(The buttermilk makes this a nice, moist cornbread.)

3 cups self-rising stone ground corn meal (ie House Autry Self-Rising Cornmeal)

1 T sugar

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

2 T canola oil

2 cups buttermilk

3 T butter for pan

Preheat oven to 425º. Add butter to 10 inch iron skillet and preheat in oven.

Stir cornmeal, sugar and salt together. Beat eggs and oil and add to cornmeal. Add buttermilk, stirring with a fork to mix well. Pour into hot skillet and bake for about 25 minutes, until top is beginning to brown.

Weeknights Around the Table

First Stop, Italy!

As much as I hate to see it go, the freedom of summer is nearly gone. Even though I aged out of the 'back to school' blahs quite awhile ago, my subconscious still remembers. We went from sleeping in, not worrying about clean clothes, staying up late and eating lots of casually grilled meals, to the regimented routine of fall: school, sports practice, music lessons, homework, baths every night, clean clothes every morning—and dinner. No more dawdling. A 'meat and two' on the table every night. How many ways can you really serve chicken?

Well, let me tell you: Hundreds!

My favorite is and always will be old fashioned fried chicken. Not your 'oven fried' or Kentucky Fried (even though their extra crispy isn't bad!). No, I'm talking about iron skillet, crisco, buttermilk, double dipped in seasoned flour fried. But that's a Saturday or Sunday labor of love.

And my second favorite is Chicken with Slick Dumplings, again a time consumer. When I make Chicken and Dumplings, I always make a big pot, so the leftovers morph into a wonderful week night meal.

The 'meat and two' chicken kind of meals I'm talking about usually involve skinned, deboned chicken breasts or thighs. They can be split open and pounded into thinner versions that cook quickly. You can take a spin around the culinary world with a change of sauce and seasonings. When paired with the appropriate starch and vegetable you can turn week night meals into geography lessons with a culinary twist!

My first suggestion is of the Italian persuasion. The chicken is stuffed with basil pesto, tomato slices and a little parmesan cheese, browned in a skillet, and then finished in the oven. While the chicken is cooking, saute some asparagus with a little balsamic vinegar in the same skillet you used to brown your chicken. Transfer the asparagus into the oven on top of the chicken with a little added parmesan cheese.

To round out the meal, one of my favorites: spaghetti squash. The hardest thing about this squash is cutting the thing open, so be very careful. Scrape out the seeds, put cut side down in a pyrex plate and cover with saran wrap, and into the microwave for about ten minutes. That's it! With a fork, scrape the insides into a serving bowl with butter, salt, and pepper (more cheese if you like). That's it—it comes out sort of like spaghetti strands.

The full meal is done in about thirty minutes. The trick, of course is to have everything you need on hand, so a little weekly preplanning is required.

Italian Chicken, Asparagus and Spaghetti Squash Dinner

(recipe/grocery list)

(4 servings)

4 Skinless, deboned chicken breasts

8 teaspoons Pre-made basil pesto

3 Italian tomatoes, slices

1 cup Shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

1 cup Seasoned flour (you can make you own—I use House Autry)

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 bunch of Fresh Asparagus (several spears per person)

2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1 Spaghetti Squash (one squash makes 4 servings)

Salt/Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons Butter

1 quart of your favorite Ice Cream for dessert

Preheat oven to 325°.

Slice chicken breast open (like a book) without cutting all the way through. With the edge of a saucer, pound the meat across, then up and down. This tenderizes and thins. Spread about two teaspoons of pesto on one of the cut sides, top with a couple of tomato slices and a good sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Close chicken and dredge both top and bottom with seasoned flour. Repeat with all breasts.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place floured chicken breasts into heated pan. Do this in batches if you're making more that 3 or 4 pieces. Don't overcrowd your pan. May need to add a little more oil. Brown for about 4 minutes on each side, turning carefully.

Move browned chicken to a casserole dish and place in the preheated oven. Cook for about twenty minutes.

Add asparagus to nonstick skillet and shake the pan to coat the asparagus with drippings. Then top with a little balsamic vinegar, and shake the pan again, to get everything coated. Turn heat to low and cook for a couple of minutes, then place asparagus on top of chicken in oven and sprinkle with a little shredded parmesan cheese. Leave in oven until chicken is done.

Cut spaghetti squash in half longways. They have a very hard outer skin, so be careful. When halved, scrape out the seeds, and place cut side down in a pyrex dish that fits in your microwave. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover with saran wrap. Cook on high for about ten minutes a half. The outside will 'give' a little when they're done.

With a fork, scrape the insides of the squash into a serving dish, and season with salt, pepper and some butter.

Serve and enjoy!

(Dessert? Ben and Jerry's Pistachio Ice Cream)