ingredients & the pantry

To become a cook you only need a few essentials:  an appetite, some ingredients, a kitchen to work in, a few tools and a little inspiration.  The desire to eat good food is the motivation to become a good cook.  By taking pleasure in the process of thinking about food, imagining how it might taste, the flavors and textures you want to achieve, reading books and recipes are a great start.

You do have to spend time in the kitchen before your own ideas come easily, when cooking becomes instinctive.  Ideas on what to cook come from a thought process and from practice.  One of the best places to start is with ingredients; they have always been my best source of inspiration.

First and foremost you have to have something to cook.  One of the best places to look for the freshest most seasonal ingredients is from the farmers’ markets or markets that sell organic and locally grown foods.  Go to the market with an open mind before you decide what to cook, see what’s there.  Be open to what’s available.  I have learned a lot from talking with the farmer’s and those working there.  Ask questions like what variety is this?  How was it grown? How do you cook it?  How long is it in season?

When it’s not possible to frequent the farmers’ market and the supermarket is the only option, stick to the periphery of the store, where the fresh, unprocessed food is usually found and avoid the aisles upon aisles of processed food.

Ingredients for stocking a pantry I believe should vary with the season.  For the winter pantry items such as:

Olive oil

Vinegars

Salt

Black peppercorns

spices

Dried and canned beans: cannellini, chickpeas, black, pinto

French green and brown lentils

Arborio and basmati rice

Faro

Quinoa

Assorted pasta

Couscous

Polenta

Dried mushrooms

Dried chilies

Canned whole San Marzano tomatoes

Anchovies

capers

Imported oil-packed tuna 

Flours

Baking Powder and baking soda

Good chocolate

Vanilla

Wine

If your pantry is stocked with these ingredients, you can be secure in the knowledge that no matter what time it is, and no matter who shows up hungry on your doorstep, there will always be something to eat.

~Shannon

preserving summer

If you’re anything like me, I find that sometimes the simplest things can be so satisfying. Whether it’s a perfectly pulled shot of espresso poured over a creamy frothed cup of milk in the morning. A handful of fresh fruit, bursting with juice and flavor that can only come after it has finished its course abiding on the vine. Or maybe it’s a crusty loaf of bread that has been doused in extra virgin olive oil and rich sweet balsamic. These are definitely some of my simple “food” pleasures.

With summer now in full swing, produce seems to be overflowing at the farm stands. Berries are plump, lettuces are lush and green and the root vegetables that are showing up are tender and sweet. But more than that, it’s the tomatoes that seem to grab me. As soon as I walk up to my local farm stand I can smell that earthy sweet fragrance that only comes from a freshly picked tomato. They are displayed on large rustic wood tables almost flaunting themselves; they seem to take center stage. Large beefsteak, heirloom varieties that hit a wide spectrum of color from golden yellow to dark purple, even some bright green “zebra” tomatoes boasting their white stripes.

One way to take a little bit of summer and stash it away for later in the year is to take some of those fresh off the vine tomatoes that are at the peak of the season and roast them for those times during the “tomato wilderness”- the long dark time between locally grown tomatoes. For roasting I prefer the smaller roma style tomatoes, their meaty, firm flesh are just right for roasting low and slow.

Simply rinse the ripe plum tomatoes and lay out on a clean kitchen towel. Slice lengthwise and lay in a single layer on ridged cookie sheets. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast at 325° for about 1 ½ until the tomatoes have shriveled up a bit and are nicely caramelized. Once they come out of the oven drizzle with a little more olive oil and let cool. Once cool, put in freezer bags or other storage container with a bay leaf or two and seal tightly. These can be stored in the fridge for 1week or in the freezer up to a year.

These are a wonderful addition to sauces and stews, a topping for homemade pizza or even as a hors d’oeuvre served with some goat cheese on a toasted slice of baguette.

Enjoy!
Shannon

 
 
 
 
 

agra-dolce

The idea of agra-dolce is essentially to try to achieve a balance between contrasting tastes-salty (or savory) and sweet. Where each ingredient will both compliment but also pull against the other as well, to create a harmony of flavors that both satisfy and excite the palate.

In my kitchen the principle of agra-dolce has its base in chutney’s, relishes and spicy-sweet tomato jam. Using ingredients such as maple syrup, honey or molasses and then contrasting it with soy sauce, vinegar, chile, or citrus is the perfect way to achieve this idea.

The recipe below is a perfect “in season” chutney. The base uses apricots which are at their peak right now. These golden orange fruits with velvety skin and flesh are smooth and sweet with an almost musky flavor, with a faint tartness that lies somewhere between a peach and a plum. The addition of sweet plump raisins, golden syrup and cider vinegar help to create that opposing flavor balance of agra-dolce.

This chutney would be a lovely accompaniment to a roast chicken or any pilaf made with aromatic rice such as basmati. It would also be a welcome addition on a cheese board, either with a creamy goat cheese or even a nutty Manchego.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Apricot-Raisin Chutney
Adapted from Living Magazine, June 2005

2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ small onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
1 pound apricots, pitted and roughly chopped
½ cup sugar
½ cup good quality honey or golden syrup
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.

Transfer onion to a large saucepan. Add apricots, sugar, honey, raisins and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened, about 25 minutes.

Pour chutney into a large bowl. Let cool completely. Serve at room temperature. Chutney can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

makes 2 cups

a thoughtful take on a simple pleasure

I am so inspired by the literary prose of M.F.K. Fisher the legendary food writer of such books as Consider the Oyster, How to Cook a Wolf,  and The Gastronomical Me. Fishers’ work is masterful; every word seems perfectly placed, like the musical notes in a score. Her muse is food and the enjoyment that surrounds it, and the way in which she shares those pleasures is a melody that seems to transport you to a happier time and place.

It makes me wonder, that in a time that is so busy, where pleasure seems complicated that we can, or are willing to slow down enough to enjoy the simple beauty to be found in life.

With all of the rambling I do in this blog for almost a year now, I’m not sure who even reads these words of mine, if anyone.  I’m curious...dear reader are you a cook, a gourmand, or just a curious passerby? Are you inspired in the kitchen? Or do you simply need inspiration?

When someone finds out I enjoy cooking and even finds out I actually blog about it (which is sometimes a little embarrassing) I more times than not hear “Oh, I don’t cook.” After I hear this I always think, (but of course never say) “Do you eat?”

Or maybe I should ask “Do you eat well?”

My hope is that we will see our need for appreciation of the beauty, especially the simple beauty, to be found in life, amidst the confusion and turmoil that surrounds most of our lives. One simple way to achieve this, in my humble opinion is to carve out time each day to plan and create a meal for your family or just for yourself. Then take pause and a prayer if you will and give thanks.

Below is a recipe for Salted Dark Caramel Sauce, it is a quick delicious pleasure that can be a lovely flavoring for your favorite coffee drink, or simply drizzled over ice cream. I like to take the caramel to the brink of burning, until it is the color of an old penny. I love the deep intense flavor of a well colored caramel.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Salted Dark Caramel

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split in 1/2 lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. sea salt

Place the heavy cream and vanilla bean and seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove the cream from the heat and let sit while making the caramel.

Whisk together the sugar and water in a medium non-reactive saucepan over high heat. Cook until dark golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the caramel from the heat and immediately add the cream slowly, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Return to the heat and cook until the mixture becomes smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and salt. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.

makes almost 2 cups

a little inspiration and some soup

Garlic may be available year-round, but the season for young garlic is terribly short, only a few weeks in spring and early summer. At a recent jaunt to the farmers’ market I stumbled across a crate of these naked-looking new bulbs, soil still clinging to their roots and stalks. Their nearly skinless, barely formed cloves have a crunch similar to Granny Smith apples. These immature heads when harvested early are filled with a milky juice that is both pungent and sugary.

For the time-pressed cook, young garlic has a practical payoff: there is no need to remove the annoying raspy skins, as with mature garlic. You can slice and sauté an entire head like an onion, and the green parts of the young garlic are also edible.  Young garlic is an excellent candidate for soups, roasting alongside meats and puréeing for mashed potatoes, aioli and the like.

Coming away from the market with new found inspiration as well as a bunch of beautiful young garlic, some spinach and a couple of potatoes, I rushed home and got cooking.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Young Garlic & Spinach Soup
Inspired by Heidi Swanson

serves 4-6

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 young garlic bulbs with green stalks, bulbs cut into small dice, and green stalks sliced into 1 inch lengths*

2 russet potatoes, unpeeled, ½ inch dice

1 bunch spinach

1 quart chicken stock

¼ cup crème fraîche

½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Start by washing the spinach really well in several changes of water. Spinach tends to hold dirt on the leaves and stems. Rinse until the water runs clear. Set aside.

In a good sized soup pot melt the butter over low heat until it is softly foaming. Add the young garlic, stems and all and cook until softened and translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add potatoes to the garlic along with the stock and simmer, covered for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Take off the stove and add the spinach, stir in until wilted. Purée in small batches using a conventional blender (or you can use an immersion blender if you have one). If using a conventional blender use caution. The hot liquid can create pressure and burst out of the top. To insure against this, use a kitchen towel over the lid holding down firmly. Once puréed add back to the pot and heat gently. Whisk in crème fraîche, add freshly grated nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve, garnished with chive blossoms if desired.

*If you have trouble finding the young garlic, a substitute of 1 bunch green onions and 3 cloves of garlic would be fine.

remembering Grandma

Having been raised by my grandparents I definitely heard my share of stories from their childhood going through the great depression and how difficult it was for them. I believe it went something like this… “When I was your age I had to walk twenty-five miles to school every morning uphill both ways through year 'round blizzards carrying my younger siblings on my back to a one-room schoolhouse where I maintained a straight-A average despite having a full-time after-school job at the local textile mill where I worked for 35 cents an hour just to help keep the family from starving to death, all the while never complaining and being thankful for having a roof over my head and shoes on my feet.” It was tedious to say the least.

Having children of my own now I have been known to go on a similar fatiguing diatribe on being thankful, working hard, etc. watching as their eyes begin to glaze over as I droned on. No doubt when they have children of their own it will probably continue.

My Grandparents have since both passed away, but one thing in particular that comes to mind every Christmas time is my Grandmother sharing with me a wonderful Christmas morning memory of hers. It seems that when she was young, every Christmas she would receive in her stocking (an actual sock of her own that she wore) a doll, a piece of ‘stick candy’ as she called it and an orange. She said that besides the doll, the orange was her favorite. She would smile all the while sharing this with me, with a kind of far off look in her eyes. Remembering the weight of it, the smell of it, waiting for moment when she would sit down and begin to unwrap the soft and fleshy gift and savor each delicious segment.

It is hard to imagine in our day and age to cherish something as common as an orange. We have so many varieties at our fingertips, the abundant Navel orange, the Valencia, one of the sweetest for juicing, the Satsuma the popular Christmas time variety and even the unique blood orange that has streaks of red in the fruit, with juice that is often a dark burgundy color.

As I was remembering Grandma this year, I decided that in her memory I would bring the orange back as a Christmas time gift. But instead of giving the whole fruit, I would use the peel and elevate it to another level. Candied peel. The beautiful crystallized citrus peel is a wonderful addition to a cake recipe, sweet bread such as a Panettone, or even chopped and sprinkled over vanilla ice cream. To make it even more decadent, dip one end in dark chocolate and serve as a simple after dinner treat with coffee.

So maybe this year you can start your own tradition of giving a charmingly old-fashioned holiday delicacy…candied citrus peel.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Candied Citrus Peel

adpated from Martha Stewart Living 2007

8 oranges

6 cups sugar, plus more for rolling

Cut end off fruit, and halve fruit lengthwise. Insert the tip of a small paring knife carefully between fruit and pith about ½ inch deep and cut, following the shape of the fruit and keeping skin in one piece. Turn fruit on other end and repeat.

Using your fingers, gently pull the peel away. Reserve fruit for another use.

Place citrus peel in a 6-quart pot; fill with enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts). Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Drain. Soak peel in cold water until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.

Using a melon baler, scrape the soft white pith from the peel, being careful not to tear or cut into the skin.

Slice each piece of peel lengthwise into thin strips ¼ to ½ wide.

Stir together sugar and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, about 8 minutes. Add strips and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until strips are translucent and syrup thickens, about 40 minutes. Let strips cool completely in syrup for 3 hours (or overnight). Strips can be refrigerated in syrup in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

For sugaring peel, remove strips with a slotted spoon. Using your fingers, wipe off excess syrup, and roll strips in sugar. Let dry on wire racks.

Place strips in airtight container for extended storage, or stack in small boxes embellished with yellow and orange ribbons to provide a hint of what’s inside each carefully presented package.

it's that time

photo by Hannah Davidson

When I see chestnuts in the market, I know that it is definitely fall and the holidays are fast approaching. These lovely rich leathery brown beauties are the quintessential holiday treat. They conjure up an image of a roaring log fire on a cold frosty day and have been immortalized in a holiday song.

But admit it, most of you: You've never eaten a freshly roasted chestnut.

These meaty, slightly sweet nuts are wonderful in sweet or savory dishes. Chestnuts are a natural for poultry stuffing. They also can be made into cream of chestnut soup, chestnut bread or chestnut pasta; Roasted, boiled, braised or pureed with meat stock; or stir-fried. Chefs prefer to team them with Brussels sprouts, cabbage, mushrooms, onions, carrots or sweet potatoes.

Gourmets enjoy sweet confections such as maroons glaces (chestnuts that have been preserved in a sweet syrup), chestnut puree, chestnut cream, quiches, chestnut torte and chestnut ice cream. Of course, they can be roasted in a fireplace popcorn basket or special chestnut roaster.

When buying fresh chestnuts for roasting, choose those that are firm and heavy for their size, with smooth, glossy shells. Chestnuts are highly perishable. To keep them fresh, store them in a ventilated plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator or freeze them for later use.

The easiest way to roast chestnuts is to roast them in an oven. Rinse the chestnuts, then lay them on a towel and pat dry.

Using a strong, sharp paring knife to cut an “X” in the flat size of the chestnut shells. This prevents them from bursting, allows the steam to escape and makes peeling easier.

Place the prepared chestnuts in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Roast at 375° for about 20 minutes. The sliced part of the shells will curl back.

Remove the chestnuts from the oven and place them in a towel-lined bowl. Wrap the towel over top to cover and keep them tightly covered for 5-10 minutes before removing the shells. Remove the shells while still hot, but cool enough to handle.

Starting at the slit, pull the shell away from the nutmeat. The inside skin will peel away from the chestnut along with the outer shell. If the inner skins do not come off easily, the chestnut is either undercooked or overcooked.

The best way to serve these is while they are still warm, either plain or dipped in melted butter with a sprinkling of salt or even cinnamon sugar would be yummy.

Enjoy!

Shannon

for the love of chocolate

Imagine the best tart crust you can-buttery, flaky, and just a little sweet-and now imagine that it’s chocolate through and through. This crust is made the way a classic French tart shell is made: The butter is worked into the dry ingredients, the mixture is then moistened with egg yolk and water, and the dough is given a fraisage – the French term for a good working under the heel of your hand-to bring it all together.

When I hear that term I always think about the last massage I had at the spa….

Anyway, back to the dough. This crust has a full, fabulous flavor of chocolate that can be used to make the extravagantly rich Chocolate Truffle Tartlets, or to fill with pastry cream or crème fraîche and top with fruits. Or to create a grown-up ice cream pie, fill with superior ice cream and drizzle with a bittersweet chocolate sauce.

Is it time for dessert?

Enjoy!
Shannon


Chocolate Dough
Recipe by David Ogonowski
Makes enough for six 5-inch tartlets or one 10-inch tart

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1 stick (4 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp. ice water

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, put the flour, cocoa, sugar, and salt in the work bowl and pulse just to blend. Add the butter and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the pieces are about the size of small peas. With the machine running, add the yolk and ice water and process, in bursts, just until crumbly-don’t overwork it. Turn it out onto the work surface and, working with small portions, smear the dough across the surface with the heel of your hand.

Chilling the Dough: Gather the dough together and shape it into a rough square. Pat it down to compress it slightly, and wrap it in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Storing: The dough can remain in the refrigerator for 3 days, or it can be wrapped airtight and frozen for a month. Thaw the dough, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator before rolling it out.

flavor notes

In Skye Gyngell's cookbook A year in my kitchen, she begins with talking about base notes & top notes; equating flavors to a musical scale, and is constantly seeking harmony-a balance of sweet, sour and salty tastes. This isn’t a new concept; it is the way people have cooked in the East for a very long time.

Like the notes on a scale-beginning with the earthy base note flavors and finishing with the top notes that add freshness and make a dish “sing”. At the top of the flavor scale you might have lemon zest, infused oils, and vinaigrettes as well as mayonnaise bases. Through the center you have agra-dolce (sour sweet), slow roasted tomatoes, toasted nuts. Approaching the bottom there might be more earthy flavors such as braised lentils, tea-smoked fish, stocks, and roasted spice mixes.

There are many different combinations of spices that work well together, from curries, garam masala, beau monde, Zahtar, five spice…on and on.

This particular combination of spices from Skye’s book is really nice, the flavors work particularly well together, lending a depth of flavor and aroma to many purées and slow-cooked dishes. They should be used in conjunction with other flavors in order to balance them out. The spice mix is a foundation that only really works if the heat of a chili is added, plus the sweetness of sugar or maple syrup, as well as the sourness of lemon or lime. Adding a salty touch is also needed to underpin the spice mix flavor.

Buy the spices whole for this, ready-ground spices will already have lost their freshness and give dishes a dull, musty taste. And for optimum flavor, use a pestle and mortar or spice grinder rather than a food processor to grind the mix. You can keep the roasted spice mix in a sealed container up to a month, but no longer.


Enjoy!
Shannon


Skye's Roasted Spice Mix
adapted from A year in my kitchen

1-2 cinnamon sticks
¼ cup coriander seeds
¼ cup cumin seeds
¼ cup fennel seeds
¼ cup mustard seeds
¼ cup fenugreek seeds
5 cardamom pods
2-3 star anise (or cloves)

Place a dry, heavy-based frying pan (preferably non-stick) over a low heat. Break the cinnamon stick in half. Once a clear smoke begins to rise from your pan, add all the spices and cook, stirring frequently, to toast them. Be careful not to burn them though, as this would give a bitter taste. Once the seeds begin to pop, they are ready. Remove from the heat and grind to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

at long last

This quince saga has come to a close. Thank goodness. The lesson learned: patience. You cannot rush the cooking of a quince, waiting for it to turn that lovely blood orange red color. I must tell you that out of the four different recipes I found they all said the final cooking time of the puréed mixture would take 1 hour. Well, mine took a little over 3 hours. Yes, it was a labor of love. I didn’t have to hover over the stove, but I didn’t go very far…checking email…load of laundry…etc.

So my ruby red squares of deliciousness have been packaged up neatly in parchment paper ready to be shared. The simplicity of this sweet treat paired with the traditional Manchego cheese is a wonderful beginning to a meal or even as a dessert course.

So for those of you that might be in possession of some quince or that are interested in giving this a whirl, here is the recipe I ended up using.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Quince Paste
From Simply Recipes

4 pounds quince, washed, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
1 vanilla pod, split
2 strips (1/2 inch by 2 inches each) of lemon peel (only the yellow peel, no white pith)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
About 4 cups of granulated sugar, exact amount will be determined during cooking

1 Place quince pieces in a large saucepan (6-8 quarts) and cover with water. Add the vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the quince pieces are fork tender (30-40 minutes).

2 Strain the water from the quince pieces. Discard the vanilla pod but keep the lemon peel with the quince. Purée the quince pieces in a food processor, blender, or by using a food mill. Measure the quince purée. Whatever amount of quince purée you have, that's how much sugar you will need. So if you have 4 cups of purée, you'll need 4 cups of sugar. Return the quince purée to the large pan. Heat to medium-low. Add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the lemon juice.

3 Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-1 1/2 hours (or up to 3 in my case), until the quince paste is very thick and has a deep orange pink color.

4 Preheat oven to a low 125°F (52°C). Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper (do not use wax paper, it will melt!). Grease the parchment paper with a thin coating of butter. Pour the cooked quince paste into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Smooth out the top of the paste so it is even. Place in the oven for about an hour to help it dry. Remove from oven and let cool.

To serve, cut into squares or wedges and present with Manchego cheese. To eat, take a small slice of the membrillo and spread it on top of a slice of the cheese. Store by wrapping in parchment paper, foil or plastic wrap, and keeping in the refrigerator.

the confession

I have a confession to make. The quince paste I was in process of making yesterday turned out to be a nothing but a mound of goo. What a waste. It was totally my fault, I was trying to hurry it along before I had to head off to work (work is really getting in the way of my blogging efforts). But anyway, the quince had been simmering until fork tender, put through a food mill, and then back to the stove to get finished off. The recipe said it might take up to 1 hour. “Perfect” I told myself. I had exactly 1 hour until I needed to head off to work. I stayed by the stove faithfully stirring the mushy mixture waiting for that final moment when it was supposed to turn that beautiful deep ruby-red color (it still looked like applesauce at this point). I stirred. And stirred. And stirred some more. The hour was almost up and I was debating about calling into work, telling them I would be late because my quince paste hadn’t turned the right color yet, but thought better of it. I was desperate. What to do?

Well, thankfully my sweet husband works out of the house and at that particular moment was on a conference call. I wrote down all the instructions as best as I could and stuck it under his nose. He looked up and I got the raised eyebrow. But the darling hubby that he is put on the headset and took up the spoon and tried his best to follow my cryptic note.

Even after the length of time I told him it would take and all his faithful stirring, it still didn’t turn that deep crimson color or become the sticky blob it was supposed too. Sadly, I had to dump it.

But today is a new day, and I still had some quince left (thanks to my compulsive over buying weakness). I found another recipe that had some beneficial tips that I am hoping will give me the success I so desire. Even now as I’m typing, the house smells lovely with the apple-pear perfume that the quince give off, and the last time I checked they were starting to turn into a rosy shade of pink. I’m hopeful.

So if all goes well, I will have success from all of this effort, and will gladly share the results.

By the way, if your wondering why the picture of the vanilla bean. The new recipe I’m using for the quince paste calls for a vanilla bean in the simmering liquid. I got distracted and started taking photos of it…

Until tomorrow,

Shannon

keeping up

I must say that participating in the NaBloWriMo this month has brought to the surface a few areas in my life where I am falling a little behind. If we were to list out all of the things that fall into the category of “keeping up” what would they be? Mine would probably be paying bills, laundry, and blogging, just to name a few. I’m sure I am not alone in this. We are probably all too some degree trying to keep up. Many of these require some basic organization (easier said than done I find).

There is also another element of “keeping up” that I didn’t realize I was “falling behind” in, which is proper or current word usage. Thank goodness for my college age daughter and friends (whom I adore) to fill me in on this little matter. Yes, apparently this 40 something lady uses some goofy words. It happened yesterday, as my hubby and I took a day trip up to see her in Santa Barbara (homemade brownies in tow no less). When one of these “words” came out my daughter and friends would begin laughing. Now, I do try to take things lightly and like to joke around, but this wasn’t a joke. It was my choice of words that seemed to give them a giggle. They told me it “was cute”, but honestly now I’m paranoid. Perhaps instead of purchasing another cookbook I should look into buying a thesaurus, this might be a good idea.

So today to give myself a little encouragement, that yes in fact I can actually keep up in other areas. I decided to give the dog a bath, vacuum and dust in record time. I pulled out of the freezer some pumpkin puree that I had made a while back for a quick dinner of some simple roasted chicken and pumpkin risotto. So you see, a little planning ahead on roasting those pie pumpkins made a quick and easy dinner option.



My gracious… if this doesn’t sound like keeping up I don’t know what does.


Enjoy!
Shannon


Pumpkin Puree
4 small pie pumpkins

Cut the pumpkins in half carefully with a heavy sharp knife.  Scoop out the seeds and pulp (reserve seeds for another use).
Place pumpkin halves face down on a jelly roll pan and cover with foil.  Stick in a preheated 375°F oven and roast for about an hour until tender.  Place the pan on a rack until cool enough to handle.  Then scoop out the flesh and put in a food processor.  Puree until smooth.  Place in airtight containers or freezer bags.  The puree should be fine in the freezer for up to a year.

makes about 6 cups

well preserved

No matter how many times I recite that familiar mantra on the way to the farmers market "I will not overbuy, I will not overbuy", something happens to me when I get there. I get out of my car, grab my fabulous expandable shopping bag, all the while remembering self control is a good thing.

But as I walk in and smell the strawberries, see the plethora of lovely lettuces piled high or notice those yellow zucchini blossoms...something happens. I inevitably end up in some sort of fresh fruit and vegetable trance, and then proceed to go to town filling up my shopping bag.

Once I get home with half of the market in tow, I usually get that "You need to join a group" look from my husband. Now in my defense, I have been cooking up a storm, finding new and creative ways to use up all of these wonderful finds. But still, I must confess there are those times that I open up my fridge and see those beauties, that don't look quite so alluring as they did at the farmers market days before. I feel guilty when I see them wrinkling, browning and bruising, just waiting for me to get inspired.

So to ward off some of the guilt as well as preserve some of the bounty that is in season. I have been boning up on recipes and techniques for putting up small batches of seasonal foods to enjoy later in the year.

To that end I will be sharing with you my findings...the first of which is preserved lemons. I actually used Meyer lemons, while the trees produce fruit throughout the year, the majority of the crop is available in winter. It is native to China, and thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin orange. The fruit is yellow and rounder than a true lemon with a slight orange tint when ripe. It has a sweeter, less acidic flavor than the more common lemon and a fragrant edible skin. Which makes it a perfect candidate of preserving.

Preserved lemons are a staple in Moroccan cuisine, but can be adapted to many other dishes. They add a wallop of flavor to any dish that calls for strong lemon flavor, including condiments like homemade mayonnaise and vinaigrette. However, they are intense and should be used in moderation. There are about a thousand recipes for preserved lemons out there. This one, I like best and is a confluence of many. I like the tangeriney quality of Meyer lemons, but you can preserve any kind of lemons with this recipe.

Preserved lemons are a type of pickle made by the dry salt method: brined in salt and the lemon's own juices. After the curing process, they are stored in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Preserved Meyer Lemons

makes 2 pints
10 Meyer lemons, regular lemons, or a combination, scrubbed

1/2 cup kosher salt

With a sharp knife, remove the stem ends of 6 of the lemons. Slice the lemons into quarters from pole to pole.

Bring 2 wide-mouth pint jars and their bands to a boil in a large pot of water fitted with a rack. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars with tongs (the tongs don't need to be sterilized). Simmer new lids in a small pan of hot water to soften the rubberized flange. When the jars are dry but still hot, shove the lemon wedges into the jars, trying not to crush the fruit too much, but do pack them in, sprinkling 3 tablespoons of salt per jar as you go and making sure the salt is well distributed throughout. Meyer lemons are softer than regular lemons and therefore easier to squash down in the jar.

Juice the remaining 4 lemons. Top each jar with 1 final tablespoon of salt, then distribute the juice between the jars, making sure the lemon wedges are completely covered with juice. If you see air bubbles along the side of the jar, slip a butter knife down into it and press aside the fruit to allow juice to fill the space. You may need more juice depending on the juiciness of your lemons. Set on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight. Let the lemons ferment on your kitchen counter for 2 weeks for Meyer lemons, 3 to 4 weeks for regular lemons, which have tougher skins, and ferment until they are soft enough to tear. Turn the jars upside down every other day to make sure the salt stays well distributed. The lemons will become soft and the salt and juice mixture syrupy. Transfer the fermented jars to the refrigerator, where they will hold for up to 6 months.

To use, remove a lemon wedge and scrape off the seeds. If you see white stuff on the lemons, don't worry: it's just a precipitate of salt, oils, and whatever from the pith. Scrape the pith off the lemons before using. For a milder taste, rinse before cooking.

for the love of butter

Once in a while I have the privilege of participating in some sort of creative project with a good friend of mine. Not long ago, I received a text from her saying "Hey, can you help me with a wedding that I'm coordinating?" I was more than willing to oblige. So I texted back "of course!" Then proceeded to give some suggestions on services I could provide. I believe they included an interpretive dance number, and a song played on my son's out of tune five string guitar. Apparently, these ideas were not what she was looking for, because neither suggestion was even a continuing topic of discussion. So, I decided to stick with my strengths. That would be the food.
Which brings us now to butter. Yes, butter.

While we were brainstorming on easy, inexpensive, but tasty ideas for one of the appetizers, we came up with flavored butters. Compound butters to be exact. What could be more simple than bread and butter? A little boring you think? Well, I have to tell you. The two hundred people (plus two dogs) in attendance could not get enough of the glorious stuff. Every bowl was scraped clean, even when we ran out of bread and crackers, the people resorted to putting it on the crudites (not sure how that tasted).

But the idea was perfect...easy...inexpensive...and most of all tasty. So here you go, the top three hits of the appetizer countdown.

Enjoy!

shannon

Herb & Lemon Compound Butter
1 pound unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. parsley
2 Tbsp. chives
zest of two lemons
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (or to taste)
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. pepper

When making flavored butters, start with cold butter and be careful not to over process, or the butter will melt.

Chop butter into uniform chunks. Place olive oil into the bowl of a food processor, add parsley and chives. Process until herbs are finely chopped. Using the whisk attachment, whip the butter in the mixers work bowl at medium speed until it softens and lightens in color, about 5 minutes.

Add the oil herb mixture to the butter, along with the zest and lemon juice, salt and pepper. Beat for another 2 minutes until fully incorporated. Taste for seasoning. Remove butter from bowl and spoon onto parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll into a log. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Rosemary & Roasted Pecan Compound Butter

1 pound unsalted butter, cut into pieces

15 oz. pecan pieces, toasted

1/4 cup finely chopped rosemary

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Combine in a food processor until smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. Store in the same manner as above recipe.

Sundried Tomato Compound Butter

1 pound unsalted butter, cut into pieces

8.5 oz. jar sundried tomatoes, chopped fine

1 Tbsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Combine in a food processor until smooth and ingredients are incorporated. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.