A Meal fit for a King

Lobster Risotto (4 servings)

2 lbs. fresh lobster tails

1 stick butter

2/3 cup scallions, chopped

1 green pepper, diced

1 ¼ cups fresh sliced mushrooms

1 cup uncooked risotto

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

½ teaspoon pepper

Remove lobster from shell, cut into small pieces and sauté in ½ stick hot melted butter. Be sure that butter is hot enough to keep lobster from losing its moisture. This will only take a couple of minutes. Remove lobster from butter with a slotted spoon to a bowl and cover with saran wrap.

Add scallions, pepper and mushrooms to remaining butter in pan and simmer 5 minutes.  Add more butter if needed.

Add rice, stirring continuously until rice is loose. 

Add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer until absorbed.

Add tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir once and cover. 

Cook 25 minutes over low heat; remove from heat. 

Stir lobster into rice. 

Heat remaining 1/2 stick butter, tarragon and pepper. When melted and sizzling, pour over risotto and serve immediately.

 

Fish Recipe that even Fish Deniers Will Enjoy

 Pan Roasted Salmon for Anyone

4 salmon filets (substitute any mild fish fillet)

4 small garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

Salt, pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

One medium bunch of scallions sliced (white and green parts)

1 (16 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 

1/4 cup white wine or Murin

Rub garlic, ginger, salt and pepper onto tops of filets. Drizzle with olive oil and let fish rest while you prepare onions and tomatoes.

Add about 2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil to nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and tomatoes to pan.

Place salmon filets (skin side down if they still have skin) in pan.

Pour soy and vinegar evenly over salmon.

Cook for about 4 minutes. Turn with spatula leaving onions and tomatoes in pan. With a fork or tongs remove skin and discard. It will slip right off.

Let filets cook another 4-5 minutes, until done.

Turn fish, place on serving platter and top with cooked tomatoes and onions from pan. 

(You can put this in a pan covered with foil in a very low oven and hold until you're ready to eat.)

A Recipe for All Seasons

I'm getting ready for 'cooking' season. From now until the first of 2020 I'll prepare more food than I normally do during the entire rest of the year. It's too bad we can't celebrate Thanksgiving in June and spread things out a bit.

To be prepared I have a number of recipes I use over and over again. I keep my supplies on hand and can whip them up easily. Other than the big meals, I use a lot of soups, salads and heavy appetizers.

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I learned to prepare it on our first trip to Italy, and my family and I have continued to enjoy it. It's a great appetizer recipe, with value added since you can use the same basic plan, and change the main ingredients to create lots of different looks and flavors, both savory and sweet.

Add this to your 'cooking' season line up. I think you'll be happy you do. Short cuts, including using pre-made pie crust, make this a winner all the way around.

The Onion Tart came from cooking classes in Italy.  We also made a similar one with sautéed mushrooms.

I adapted the Antipasta and Apple recipes from two different blogs (noted in the recipe).  I changed these recipes to suit myself.  

Here's one more idea.  The day after we enjoyed the Antipasto Tart as a salad course with arugula, we eliminated the crust and ate the tart with crackers.  It was delicious!  So, try making the antipasto tart without the pie crust.  Add ingredients as directed to a small casserole dish and bake as directed.  Serve with good, heavy crackers.  

Caramelized Onion Appetizer Tart (Torta Salata di Cipolle)

2 lbs. thinly sliced sweet onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Pie Crust:

1 cup all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Water

(Or use prepared crust.)

To prepare crust: mix flour, salt and olive oil; then add just enough water to form dough. Knead dough just to pull together. Then on a floured surface, roll into a large, thin circle.

Place dough on a greased pizza pan, letting edges drape over edge of pan.

Cook sliced onions in olive oil over medium heat until very tender and caramelized. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cool.

When cool, add cheese and beaten eggs and mix well.

Add the filling to the crust which has been placed on the pan, and spread evenly.

Fold edges of crust up over the outside half of the filling.

Bake in preheated 400º oven for approximately 40 minutes, until crust is browned.

Slice and serve as appetizer.

Antipasta Galette

(adapted from Meem's Kitchen)

Makes 6 salads, served with arugula, or 8-10 servings as appetizer

Pillsbury pie crust

4 oz. herbed goat cheese, room temperature

2 heaping T Mascarpone cheese

4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp. Dried parsley

1 tsp. Dried oregano

~ 4 T sun dried tomatoes, julienned

1 x 14oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, halved,drained and patted dry

4 thin pieces of Prosciutto torn, and evenly scattered

1 cup mixed olives, drained and pitted

olive oil

1 egg. beaten

2-3 cups of baby arugula

Preheat oven to 425°

Line a pizza pan with parchment paper (or foil) cut to fit.

Unroll single pie crust onto pan.

Toss chopped tomatoes with salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. 

Spread over pastry, leaving a 2 inch border for folding.

Next add sun dried tomatoes, then artichokes, prosciutto and finally olives. Save a few sun dried tomatoes , artichoke pieces and olives for garnish.

Mix goat cheese and mascarpone and dollop over top of galette.

Fold edges of pastry up making an overlapping pattern.

Brush pastry lightly with egg wash.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Arrange arugula on serving platter.

Slip galette onto arugula, and garnish with olives, sun

dried tomatoes and artichokes.

Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Apple Galette

(Adapted from Epicurious)

2 lbs. Apples, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 T orange marmalade

1 Pillsbury Pie crust

1 T heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400°

Cut a sheet of parchment paper (or foil) and place on pizza pan. Unroll single pie crust and fit onto parchment paper. Put pan in refrigerator to keep dough and pan cool.

Place all ingredients except cream and pie crust in a bowl and toss with hands until apples are fully coated.

Arrange apples in pie crust leaving about a 3 inch border.

Fold edges up over fruit, overlapping as you go. This leaves center apples uncovered.

Brush dough with cream, and then sprinkle with extra sugar.

Place in oven, REDUCE TEMPERATURE TO 375°and bake for 45-50 minutes, until crust is golden and apples are bubbling. 

Let cool for 1-2 hours before using parchment paper to gently remove to serving platter.

Serve with ice cream.

Holiday Ideas (Straight from Facebook!)

I've been saving these photos from Facebook for a couple of years.  They are such good ideas for holiday parties, even gifts.  I'm going to be using them over the next few weeks! 

This Turkey needs some green parsley to perk it up a bit!

Cucumber Cups filled with your favorite--could be egg, tuna, ham or chicken salad, or even pimento cheese.

Shown here as lady bugs, imagine just the tomato and parsley without the black olives topping turkey slices, ham and cheese, or  smoked salmon. 

The star is my favorite!

Peaceful Eating

Sometimes a change is in order. I've been trying for years to lose weight, but with no longterm success. Finally I decided that maybe I needed a little more than a new diet—maybe an attitude adjustment.  You Peaceful Weight Loss graduates already know what I'm talking about, but for anyone else, I'll explain.

Several years ago I spent a long weekend at Yogaville, VA, with Becki and Telisha, my daughter and daughter-in-law. It was a peaceful yoga retreat. We came home refreshed and filled with good intentions, so Yogaville seemed like a good place to begin my search.  And sure enough, there it was, a Peaceful Weight Loss program. I signed up and spent six days eating like the yogis—all vegan--except for a few pieces of contraband cheese and a couple of cups of coffee.
There was nothing fancy about the food, lots of good fresh vegetables and salad greens, beans, rice, pasta--and oatmeal for breakfast.  Let me tell you right from the beginning: not for me. I need at least a few eggs, some fish and a little chicken to keep me going. Once in awhile I crave red meat and BACON! 

However, after two days with none of the above, I felt better. And after six days, there seemed to be a real difference.  The other elements of the program were also helping:  eight hours of sleep each night, meditation, if you chose, and gentle yoga at least once a day. These were the tools we were encouraged to use to nourish ourselves. We recorded how we felt after our experiences.  I think they already knew what our answers would be.

We had classes twice a day to talk about the whole process. We talked about moving and breathing, being more attentive to scheduling, and making menus.  All of these things combine to lessen anxiety and stress which should eliminate anxious eating--eating anything in sight when you don't have the right foods available.  We were encouraged to experiment with different foods and routines to find our own best program. (More info on Peaceful Weight Loss.)  The bottom line was to discover things that really made us feel better, rather than eating as a hopeful quick fix. 

As I said earlier, I don't think I'll ever be a vegan, or even a vegetarian, but I have recognized that some foods make me feel very sluggish, some foods just make me eat more, and some foods take forever to digest.  I also have to admit that having the right foods available, and not waiting til the last minute to plan a meal eliminates a lot of bad choices.  

So far, the two things that have made the most difference in feeling good are practicing gentle yoga for 30 minutes every day (I will slowly add to the time) and having planned menus--putting the things that I know make me feel better first.  I'm learning.  They say it's a journey.  Well, I'm strapped in and ready for the long haul!

I'm calling this process Peaceful Eating--no anxiety--and adding a Peaceful Eating category to the recipe list.  Here are a couple of recipes to add to your menu if you're living on the edge.  Hope you enjoy!!

Seared Sea Scallops with Ginger Pea Purée and Cilantro Gremolata

Recipe adapted from: TasteFood From Food52

Cilantro Gremolata

1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

One-half teaspoon each salt and pepper

One-half avocado chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped

Zest of one lime

1 T fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients and set aside.

Gingered Green Pea Purée

2 cups green peas cooked in salted water just until done, then drained. Reserve one-half cup cooking liquid

1garlic clove roughly chopped

1 T fresh ginger, grated

2 T lime juice

4 T extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon each, salt and pepper

Pinch of cayenne

Add drained peas, one-fourth cup cooking liquid, and remaining ingredients to food processor and purée until smooth, but not too thin. Add more liquid if needed. Set aside in warmed bowl and keep warm until ready to serve.  (This puree reminds me of hummus made from green peas and would be a good dip or spread--try it!)

Seared Sea Scallops

One and one-half lbs. large sea scallops, patted dry

Salt and Pepper

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T butter

Salt and pepper both sides of dry scallops. In medium sauté pan over medium-high heat add one tablespoon olive oil, then one tablespoon butter. Add half the scallops and cook until browned on bottom. Turn and cook until browned and done. Remove from pan to warmed plate and cook remaining scallops in same way.

To serve, add purée to bottom of plate, then add scallops and top with Gremolata. This recipe is equally good served as an appetizer portion (ie Serve one or two scallops on pea purée in martini glass topped with gremolata. Add cocktail fork and garnish with slice of lime.).

Cedar Plank Salmon with Rosemary Orange Sauce

Adapted from: Guy Fieri

2 tablespoons oil

1 jalapeño, discard seeds and cut into rings

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1 cup orange marmalade

2 large or 4 smaller cedar plank pieces

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned and boned

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 (3-inch) fresh rosemary sprigs

Zest of one lime

Soak planks in water for about an hour.

Prepare grill for medium-high heat.

In a small sauté pan over medium heat, heat oil. When hot, add jalapeños and sauté until caramelized. Add garlic, and before it begins to brown, deglaze with white wine. Next add mustard and orange marmalade and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes and let completely cool.

Lightly salt and pepper salmon.

Place the planks on the grill, and when they begin to pop, turn them over and place salmon on planks.

Place a rosemary sprig on each fillet, and liberally apply cooled orange marmalade mixture.

Cover grill and cook for 20-25 minutes, until salmon is done.

Garnish with lime zest.

 

GROUPER EN PAPILLOTE

 If you've never tried a recipe en papillote, don't be afraid! It's really easy. All you need is parchment paper to wrap your meat, vegetables and seasoning. It poaches together delivering a delicious surprise in a beautiful presentation. 

We enjoyed this dish in a restaurant last week. It was from their new spring menu--Grouper En Papillote with Fennel and Heirloom Tomatoes. It seemed perfect for the season—light and fresh with bright flavors. 

Fold  ~20'' x 14'' parchment paper in half (now 10 x 14). Cut a half heart shape, with center of full heart being the folded seam.

Put vegetables near fold leaving plenty of space around outside edge.  Add your fish, a little butter, more vegetables and seasoning.

Close with top of paper and begin sealing with little folds along the edge that would be the top of the heart.

When folds reach the end, twist the 'tail' to seal.  Place packets on a sheet pan and place in oven.

Grouper en Papillote

4 servings

3 tablespoons capers

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

zest from one lemon

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

8 plum tomatoes, half each, then cut each half into thirds

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

4 skinless fish filets, about 6-8 oz. each (flounder, tilapia or grouper)

salt

pepper

butter

4 sheets of parchment paper, each one about 20 inches long and 14 inches wide

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine the capers, dill, lemon zest and juice and shallots in a small bowl and set aside.

Fold parchment papers in half (now 10 x 14). Cut a half heart shape, with center of full heart being the folded seam.

Open the fold with tip of heart pointing right.

Spread one-fourth of the fennel slices near the fold, and top with six tomato pieces.

Now add about 2 teaspoons of the caper mix spreading evenly over vegetables.

Lightly salt fish on each side and lightly pepper one side. Place one filet on top of vegetables.

Top fish with 3 thin pieces of butter, another six pieces of tomato, and finish with 2 more teaspoons of caper mix.

To close parchment, begin on left side which would be the top of the heart, and make small folds overlapping each other, working towards the other end (tip of heart). When you have about two inches left, twist the parchment paper twice to seal. The finished packet will look a little like a fish.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Place parchment packets on sheet pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Remove packets to plate and serve immediately, piercing center of packet with a knife and then tearing to open.

Afternoon Delight

  I have two new kitchen gadgets, and I love them both!  The first is a silicone macaron mat.  One side is for the tiny bite sized cookie like the one in the picture.  The other side is for the larger two inch cookie.  It takes all the guess work out of making all the macarons the same size.  I ordered it from www.siliconemoulds.com quite awhile ago, but I used it for the first time on Valentine's Day--my Valentine to myself, really.  The Chocolate Raspberry Macarons were my Valentine gift to my family, but I'll have to admit that I indulged myself by taking the time to make the little treats.  I'm not going to be shy about this, they were delicious, and as far as I could tell, of perfect consistency--and just look at those little 'legs' all macaron-ers talk about (the tiny little flanged crust around the bottom of each cookie half).  I do believe they passed every test.

My second new gadget, and one loved by everyone in the family, is a little Nespresso machine.  It was my early Christmas present to Doug, once again a little selfishness involved.  Truthfully, I don't know how we lived so long without it.  By 4:00 every afternoon we're watching the clock and waiting to push that button.  A perfect espresso every time.  Pairing a bite of macaron with an espresso is as decadent as I imagined! 

Chocolate Raspberry Macarons
(This recipe is from the macaron mould site and uses the Italian meringue method, which she prefers, and so do I: Sarah-Jane Nash, www.siliconemoulds.com - January 2012)

Ingredients

(I weigh all my ingredients on a kitchen scale.)

180g icing (powdered) sugar

180g ground almonds (almond flour)

30g cocoa powder

5g cinnamon

160g of egg whites (split into two batches of 80g)

80ml water

200g of caster sugar

For the ganache

200g milk chocolate

3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

200g double (heavy) cream

3 heaped tablespoons of soft brown sugar

Set your oven to 150deg C fan / 170deg C electric.

Put the ground almonds and icing sugar into a food processor and blitz until superfine. Add the cocoa and cinnamon and blitz again. I use my hand held bamix and grinding mill attachment for this.

Break up any big lumps that have formed and sift into a large mixing bowl. Throw away any bits too large to fit through the seive.

Add one batch of egg whites and mix until a thick paste forms.

Put the caster sugar and water into a saucepan and boil until the sugar thermometer hits 110deg. As soon as temperature reaches 110deg C, whip your egg whites until stiff peaks form. Get the sugar syrup off the heat as soon as temperature hits 118deg C

You know your egg whites are stiff enough when you can hold the bowl upside down above your head and the whites stay put !

Using a hand held or stand mixer, whip the egg whites and add in the sugar syrup in a slow stream. Take care to try and keep the sugar syrup from coming into direct contact with the beaters (or the syrup may crystallise and change the texture). Keep whipping until the italian meringue is cool, stiff and glossy. 

Mix about 1/3 of this into your paste of icing sugar, ground almonds, egg whites etc we already made to loosen in.

Fold in the remaining 2 /3rds. Make sure to incorporate it all fully. You want to mix it enough so that a ribbon of macaronage will start to disappear back into the bowl after about 30 seconds. If it doesn't fold another couple of times and try again. I reckon it takes about 25 full strokes (variable)

Once the macaronage is ready, put into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. I like to use a 5mm nozzle for optimum control. I sometimes use a 10mm (1cm) tip - but the batter can flow a bit too fast, especially if you are using the small side of the mat.

Put the macaron mats on to baking trays.

Pipe the macaronage into the centre of each cell - leaving approx 3 > 4mm space around the outside of the batter to the cell walls to allow for expansion as they relax. You will only need to leave about 2mm on the smaller side. Once you've got the hang of it and made your first batch, you'll know what's right for you. Pipe in too much and it will overflow the cell walls.

If the macaronage is not dead centre, wet your finger and this will allow you to centre it. Handy trick whilst you get the hang of piping them centrally !

Rap the tray once or twice on your worktop to dispel any air bubbles and level the macaronage. Don't worry if not so level - they'll smooth out in the oven.

If you wish to add any edible glitter or sprinkles to the top of your macarons, do so now.

All macaron instructions I've ever seen involved leaving your macarons out for about 30mins to 1hour until a skin forms on the top before baking. Dr Tim Kinnaird was good enough to share a tip with me that I've used ever since.....

Simply pop the baking tray straight into the oven at 150deg C Fan, BUT leave the door open about 6" / 150mm for the first 5 minutes to dry off the tops. After that, shut the door to complete baking.

Baking time can be variable. I find in my oven that 2" / 50mm macarons always take 18mins to cook (excluding the first 5 mins with the door open) and the 30mm macarons take 13mins (excluding the first 5 mins with the door open)

For the ganache :

Put the chocolate in a bowl with raspberry jam.

Bring double cream to a boil to scald. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate fully melts. Allow to cool, and then chill in the refrigerator for around 1 hour until firm enough to pipe between your shells.

Chicken with Chipotle Sauce

Heat it up the for Super Bowl!

Chicken with Chipotle Sauce

For the family, or for a crowd, this recipe works.  For the family I serve it with rice packed with vegetables. For the Super Bowl Party, add a basket of nacho chips and a melted creamy cheese. People can choose whether to nosh on chicken nachos, or have a bowl of chicken and rice. The chipotle/tomatillo sauce is delicious. You won't be disappointed!

Chicken and Chipotle Sauce 

CHICKEN

2 lbs. Skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped

1 dried ancho chili seeded and chopped

Combine entire can of tomatoes, chicken broth and chiles in large sauce pan. Add chicken pieces, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken and set aside.

Pour chili/tomato broth into bowl and set aside to cool.

CHIPOTLE CHILE SAUCE

2 sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. Tomatillos, husked and chopped OR 1 can tomatillos, drained and chopped

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced (or more if you want more heat)

One-half tsp. Salt

one-fourth tsp. Sugar

Add oil to sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook for about 10 minutes, until onions begin to caramelize. Add tomatillos, chile, salt and sugar. Reduce heat and simmer until tomatillos are tender, about 15 minutes.

Shred chicken and add to tomatillo sauce.

Puree cooled chile broth and add to shredded chicken and tomatillo sauce. Reduce heat to very low and cover until ready to serve.

RICE

1 cup brown rice, prepared according to package directions using chicken broth

1 T extra virgin olive oil

One-half red bell pepper, chopped

One-half yellow bell pepper, chopped

One-half sweet onion, chopped

3 handfuls baby spinach

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. Smoked paprika

Add oil to saute pan. Add peppers and onions and cook for about 5 minutes, just until beginning to become tender. Add garlic, stir and cook another minute. Then add spinach and paprika, stirring until spinach wilts.

Combine vegetables with rice.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice with shredded cheese, chopped cilantro and lime wedges as condiments.

 

Persimmon Pudding for the Holidays

With fall in the air and November around the corner, my thoughts turn to Thanksgiving and the special meals my Grandmother prepared over the years. We literally did go 'over the river and through the woods' for our Thanksgiving feasts.

I remember it being colder back then. Many times when the house ran over with family, the kids slept on pallets on the floor. My sister and I would go to sleep on a soft pile of blankets, with a thick quilt over us to keep us warm. By the time we woke in the morning we could hardly turn over from the weight of the new quilts that had been spread over us during the night.

Daddy usually hunted early in the day leaving long before we were up, but returning with his dog, Bo, in plenty of time for turkey. The children always ran out to greet the hunters when they returned. Coming back into the house there was a rush of warmth from the kitchen—and delicious aromas of roasting turkey, rising yeast rolls and the unmistakable sweet smell of fresh persimmon puddings cooling on the counter.

We ate our persimmon pudding cold, so Mama Nell put it into the refrigerator for a cool down while we ate. Then we cut little slivers and topped them with whipped cream. The puddings disappeared so quickly, even though there were other desserts, cakes and pies, to be eaten.

If you are fortunate enough to know the location of a good persimmon tree, make persimmon puddings this Thanksgiving and see how quickly they disappear! 

MAMA NELL’S PERSIMMON PUDDING

2 cups persimmon pulp**

1 stick butter, melted and cooled

One-half cup corn oil

2 cups sugar, one white, one dark brown, packed

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups self-rising flour

1-cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoonful vanilla

1 teaspoonful cinnamon

Dash of cloves and nutmeg

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 cup shredded coconut (optional)

**Persimmons will ‘turn your mouth wrong side out’ if you try to eat them before they’re ripe. Mama Nell always told us to wait until after the first frost to gather them. Just be sure they are nice and orange and getting soft. It takes a big mixing bowl of persimmons to make 2 cups of pulp. Rinse the persimmons gently and remove any debris. Let them dry. Then either use a pulper to separate the skin and seeds from the pulp, or force through a sieve or strainer. You can freeze the pulp and then thaw completely when ready to make puddings.**

Preheat oven to 350°.

Add the melted, cooled butter and corn oil to both cups of sugar and stir until mixed. Add eggs and mix well. Alternate adding flour and milk until all combined. Stir in vanilla, persimmon pulp and cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Fold in pecans and/or coconut if so desired. Divide batter between three loaf pans greased generously with corn oil. Bake at for about 30 minutes. You want the pudding to be set, but not overcooked. Cool in pan. Turn out onto foil paper. Wrap and store in refrigerator. Serve cold. May top with a little sweetened whipped cream.

Home Grown Olives

 We're trying a new food project this month. About ten years ago a friend sent me two olive trees for my birthday. They were about two feet tall, and looked like rooted sprigs. I potted them and have loved and nursed them ever since. They grew to about four feet after several years and several new pots. Not until we took them to the NC coast and planted them in the ground did they really grow. After two years they are taller than our heads, and for the first time, filled with olives.

My husband and I disagreed about what to do with the crop. He wanted to press them for their oil, but with only two trees I didn't think they would yield very much. I thought curing them made more sense, plus if they tasted good, there would be lots of opportunities to share, and I could say each time we ate them, 'You won't believe this, but we grew these olives!' So, cure them we did.

As it turned out, it was fairly simple. There are several different methods. I chose gently cracking the olives and soaking them in cold water for several days, changing the water a couple of times a day until the bitterness is leached out of the olives and into the water. Then you pack them in salt water with a little vinegar, and any other additions you want—garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon, jalapeño, etc., and let them brine for thirty days in the refrigerator. You can store them for up to a year in the frig.

I have since learned that where olives are grown, raw olives are sold each season and many people brine their own. I'm hoping we'll have another successful crop next year, and if we keep adding trees, maybe someday we'll have a large enough crop to press for oil!

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