Fresh Pesto (Moved to SomeplaceThatsGreen.com)

Fresh Basil Pesto with Tomatoes

This recipe has moved to my new blog home at Someplace That's Green!  Please come and visit me!

Local ingredient highlights:
Garlic from Urban Farm & Feed
Beautiful dish made by Ben Looney Pottery
Olive oil from Millcreek Olive Oil

Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca

The dreary days of winter make me crave comfort food.  To me, that means pasta.  I happily realized that one of my cookbooks is the perfect solution: 365 Ways To Cook Pasta (that's an Amazon link, although this version appears to be out of print).  Well, let's start with recipe number one, shall we?

Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti a la Puttanesca is tonight's Italian specialty.  The name has something to do with Italian whores and there are a lot of urban legends about how this name came about.  My favorite is that it's such a quick and easy dish to make that women in this profession could enjoy a meal between clients.  This goes right along with my New Year's resolution to drink more wine.  Pinot Grigio is a perfect accompaniment.  My other resolutions are to listen to more music, burn more candles, and do more crossword puzzles.  So far, success!

I have to break recipe tradition right off the bat because I don't eat anchovies or capers.  This is my version of the recipe, but if you enjoy those things then by all means add some.  The black olives tripped me up a little - the regular grocery store didn't have what's in the recipe so I used pitted Kalamata olives and chopped them.  Delicious! 

Local highlights: Just the garlic today, from the Urban Farm and Feed store.  Not many fresh ingredients in this one, but that makes it easy to put together any time of the year. 

Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 can (1 lb 12 oz) Italian-style peeled tomatoes (do not drain) or 3 diced whole tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped, pitted, salt-cured black olives
1 tsp crushed dried red pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Pinch of coarsely ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
Salt to taste
1 lb spaghetti

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in large skillet, stove on Medium-ish.  Add garlic and cook for about a minute (don't let it brown).
2. Stir in can of tomatoes, olives, red pepper, oregano, and black pepper.  Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While sauce is simmering, boil water and cook spaghetti noodles until al dente.
4. Stir parsley into sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.  Add salt to taste.
5. Toss pasta with sauce and serve with crusty bread and white wine.

Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

It's time to get practicing on roasting birds to get ready for Thanksgiving.  Chickens use the same method and make a beautiful presentation so if you aren't feeling quite up to par on your turkey skills, these are a great way to gain that confidence.  Go ahead, volunteer to do the turkey this year!

Get fresh whole chickens so you don't have to deal with the thawing. The veggies are a "whatever is on hand" sort of thing, so if you have onions (quartered), squash (small chunks), apples (halved or quartered), or small carrots available those would be delicious with these flavors too.  I happened to have a bottle of Apple Beer handy so I used that and it tied everything together.  Roasting the veggies with the chicken means only one dish to clean afterwards and no mashed potatoes needed as a side dish.  Bonus: Save the chicken carcass to make stock and freeze it!  Chicken stock gives many holiday dishes that extra oomph of flavor and it's always better when homemade. 

As always, thanks go to my local farmers for many of these ingredients - chicken, yams, potatoes, tomatoes, salt (woot for Salt Lake!), rosemary, and parsley. 


Photo coming soon. 

Roasted Chicken with Winter Vegetables

INGREDIENTS
Whole Chicken, raw (5-6 lbs)
2-4 Yams / Sweet Potatoes
2 Tomatoes (optional)
1-2 Potatoes
1/2 cup beer (or other liquid such as apple juice or water)
4-5 Tbsp Salt
Ground Pepper
1 tsp Rosemary
Sprinkle of Garlic Powder
Sprinkle of Parsley Flakes
Big sprinkle of Oregano

DIRECTIONS
1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
2. Put the chicken into a roasting pan and pour the salt over it, getting salt on as much of the bird as possible.  It seems like too much but it isn't.  This is the secret to perfect skin and moist meat!
3. Let sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the veggies into large chunks, about twice bite-size.  Pre-heat oven to 425.  Arrange veggies around chicken in roasting pan.
4.  Sprinkle herbs and spices over chicken and veggies.
5.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 375 for one hour or until the chicken juices run clear and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  (Use a meat thermometer to be certain, and take it out as soon as it reaches this - hotter just makes it overcooked)
6.  Arrange on a platter and serve with pride!

Jessica's Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a great dish to pop into the oven when you don't want to spend the evening in the kitchen.  This recipe started out my mom's from when I was little and I added some personal touches to make it my own.   Pair this with some mashed potatoes and green beans for a plate of ultimate comfort food. 

Jessica's Meatloaf with fennel and parsley

When I was old enough to be able to help in the kitchen, Mom let me tear the bread into little pieces, which I thought was the greatest thing ever.  I especially like rye, either dark or Jewish, they lend an extra oomph of flavor.  Any other bread can work in a pinch.  The only kind I don't recommend is the bread with whole seeds or nuts, as those can throw off the meatloaf texture.  If you are short on the ground beef, add an extra slice of bread to make up some volume.

As I got older - and less likely to put things in my mouth - I was the designated mixer of the ground beef.  This is still my favorite part of the recipe.  I love the squishing of all the different textures, and the way the ingredients get my hands cold so I take a couple breaks to wash my hands in hot water before going back to the mixing.  Longer mixing makes a better meatloaf.  A note about the spices, I rarely measure these and do it a little differently each time, the recipe is very forgiving.

I use a broiler pan instead of a loaf pan so the loaf doesn't sit in a pool of fat while it cooks; the fat drains off to the underneath section and the meatloaf is much healthier.  As a bonus, there is now more surface area to cover in ketchup, which I'm pretty sure is my husband's favorite part. 

Jessica's Meatloaf
Makes one loaf

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground beef
2 slices rye bread, broken into very small pieces
1/3 cup ketchup + 1 cup ketchup (separated)
3 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Broiler pan (like this one, see link)

DIRECTIONS
1.  Preheat oven to 350.

2.  Mix all ingredients except 1 cup ketchup in a large bowl, by hand.  Mixing extra well and making sure to really squish the ground beef gives the results a nice consistent texture.  If your hands get too cold, wash them in hot water then continue mixing.

3.  Form the mixture into a loaf shape in the center of a broiler pan. Spread the remaining ketchup over the entire surface - you may need more depending on how your loaf is shaped. If desired, sprinkle garnishments over the ketchup (parsley, fennel seeds, etc).

4.  Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.  Use a very large spatula to transfer to a serving plate. 


Note - If you double the recipe, both can be cooked on the same broiler pan.  Add an extra egg (three for two loaves) and 15 minutes of cooking time.

Crockpot Coconut Ginger Chicken (Moved to SomeplaceThatsGreen.com)

The spring days are warming up (a little) and it is tempting to spend more time outside and doing some refreshing spring cleaning instead of cooking.  Crock pots aren't just for winter!   This is a bit like a curry but does not have curry in it.  Dinner becomes as fast as making rice to pair with it and maybe a side of colorful veggies. 

The original recipe is from Simple Bites.  I adapted it to use frozen chicken breasts, so it takes less prep time, which I'm a big fan of since prep time often overlaps with "get ready for work" time and I don't want to get up earlier than I have to.  Actually, most of the prep work can be done the night before.  There is plenty of room for variation on the vegetables - I like peas.  Potatoes make it feel a bit more stew-like, so if you want the focus to be on the chicken, leave out the potatoes.  If you do add these, make sure to use Russets, which hold together better with the long cooking time; yellow potatoes turn to mush. 

Are you ready for some delicious comfort food?  This recipe has moved over to my new website at Someplace That's Green, please check it out!

Coconut Ginger Chicken with Jasmine Rice

Crock Pot Jambalaya

I'm a little late for the official day of Mardi Gras but it is always the season for Jambalaya, a spicy meat/rice stew that's a delicious traditional New Orleans dish.  There are endless variations including chicken, sausage, shrimp, even alligator!  The important keys are the trio of onion, green pepper, and celery.  (Now where can I find alligator in Utah?...) 

I did some reading about the dish and ended up with a recipe of my own since none quite matched up with what I had on hand.  This is turkey sausage; not quite as pretty as the Andouille sausage (dark and spicy) that is usually used but it was tasty.  I used red chili pepper flakes in the Cajun spice mix instead of cayenne pepper and ended up adding cayenne too.  It has a nice kick but really needs the Andouille style sausage to be the right flavor.  Still, I'm calling this one a success!

I used a mix for cornbread - Bob's Red Mill gluten-free - and it was a great accompaniment.  For dessert, bourbon-praline ice cream.  Just needs a side of cooked greens and some jazz music and dinner is perfect!

Crock Pot Jambalaya

Crock Pot Jambalaya

INGREDIENTS
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen or thawed)
1 1/2 lbs sausage, sliced into rounds
2 cups chicken broth
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 medium white onion, diced
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 Tbsp Cajun spices*
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
Cooked white rice


DIRECTIONS
Layer the meat at the bottom of the crockpot, then everything except the rice on top.  Cook on low for 9 hours. Cook rice and mix into the crock pot so the rice soaks up the flavors before serving - OR pour over the cooked rice.  Serve with cornbread, green salad, and iced tea. 


*For the Cajun spices, I used the mix from Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network (click here to open it in a new window).  I prefer doing my own spice mixes instead of the store-bought ones; I know exactly what goes into it and if I have something I grew or made, then it's all the better.  This oregano was home-grown and kept in the old spice bottle.  :)

Here is the lovely spice lineup (well, most of it):

Cajun spice mix

Baked Trout in Foil

I've moved this recipe over to my new blog, SomeplaceThatsGreen.com - please check it out HERE!

Trout in foil, ready to be closed up and baked

Baked Utah Red Trout with pasta

Spinach Risotto with Pine Nuts

Spinach Risotto with pine nuts

This recipe has moved to my new blog home at Someplace That's Green, please visit me there for this and more Salt Lake City cooking adventures! 

Brown Gravy from Pan Drippings with Ale and Cider

The perfect accompaniment for roasted meat is gravy made from the pan drippings.  My favorite recipe, below, is from the 1981 Joy of Cooking book.  Besides, what else would you use the pan drippings for?  It's free gravy!  No preservatives and it goes with everything.  This works for roasted chicken, turkey, beef, pretty much any meat that gets roasted.

For this recipe I roasted a small chicken, generally following the Winning Turkey recipe from Thanksgiving.  It did not need thawing and I didn't have a ton of planning time so I put the salt on and let it rest on the counter at the same time for about 45 minutes.  This was enough to give it perfect crispy skin.  I stuffed the cavity with quartered onion and apple, and used apple juice for about a third of the cooking liquid. 

After roasting is when the gravy begins!  Carefully remove the meat from the pan.  That part isn't strictly necessary but it makes it a ton easier to get the drippings out of the pan without trying to tip the pan on its side while holding the hot meat in place.  Place the meat where it will remain hot.

Take out 2 Tbsp drippings and put in a small saucepan.  (Note, SAVE the rest, you will need them too) Using a wire whisk, blend in the flour until the mixture has thickened and is well combined and smooth.  Congratulations, you just made a roux! 

Cook slowly and stir constantly, while adding 1 cup of liquid: as much of the pan juices as possible, plus either milk, beer, stock, cream, or water.  I used 1/4 cup of Cutthroat Pale Ale (mostly for an excuse to open one) and the flavor blended perfectly with the apple-stuffed chicken.  Add an extra Tablespoon of flour to increase the total liquid to 1 1/2 cups - I really like gravy so extra is always good. Add spices to taste, if desired.  The spices will vary depending on what the gravy will be served with.  I didn't add anything extra for this version.

Continue to simmer while stirring until the gravy has reduced a little, then turn off the heat.  It will thicken as it cools. 


Brown Gravy from Pan Drippings with Ale and Cider
from Joy of Cooking, 1981 edition
Makes 1 cup


INGREDIENTS
Pan drippings from roasted meat (as much as is available, up to 1 cup)
1 to 2 Tbsp flour
Additional liquid to make one cup including the pan drippings: milk, beer, stock, cream, or water (enough to make 1 1/2 cups total if you want extra gravy)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Fresh or dried minced herbs
Grated lemon rind, etc.

DIRECTIONS
1. Remove the meat from the pan.  Place it where it will remain hot.
2. Take out 2 Tbsp drippings and put in a small saucepan.  Using a wire wisk, blend in the flour until the mixture has thickened and is well combined and smooth.
3. Cook slowly and stir constantly and stir constantly, while adding 1 cup of liquid: as much of the pan juices as possible, plus enough liquid to total 1 cup. Add spices to taste.
4. Continue to simmer while stirring until the gravy has reduced a little, then turn off the heat.  It will thicken as it cools. 

Jessica's Scalloped Potatoes

Seasons greetings, my wonderful blog readers!  One of the first family recipes I remember helping with in the kitchen was making Scalloped Potatoes for the Christmas gatherings.  I loved sprinkling the layers of cheese and flour and laying out potato slices in designs, to be hidden under more cheese.  Sometimes I got a little carried away with the flour and ended up with clumps of dry flour in the finished dinner, but even that was fun.  That led to the important lesson that handfuls are different than a light sprinkle.  I even loved peeling the potatoes over a big spread of old newspapers, once I was old enough to use the sharp metal peeler.  Two dishes were always made: one for the gathering and one for us so that there was no temptation to sneak bites out of the casserole dish for the extended family, which I'm sure happened on more than one occasion.

Here in Utah they are called "Funeral Potatoes", referring to the gatherings that people usually bring them to.  They are very easy and make great leftovers, so it's a nice dish to have on hand when people don't have the focus to cook dinner for themselves.  I prefer to keep the dish associated with more happy times though so I am sticking with Christmas. Besides, my family never really did the food thing for funerals. 

The first step is to slice the potatoes as thinly and uniformly as possible.  This will prevent unexpected crunchy bites of uncooked potatoes.  Nothing in this dish should be crunchy, and if it is, be worried, and see how guilty the kids' faces look.

Four potatoes does not seem like enough for a whole casserole dish, to me anyway, but with the space between the slices and all the cheese, it is plenty. It is better to not cut up enough potatoes than to cut up too many, unless you have other plans for extra potato slices.  They do not store well. 

Buying a bag of pre-grated cheese is a huge timesaver and I never had that option as a kid so I like taking full advantage of it now.  Costco-size?  Yes please! 

In a 1.5-quart glass casserole dish, thinly layer flour, salt/pepper, potato slices, and cheese.  About halfway up the dish, sprinkle in a little savory and onion powder.  This makes the flavor a bit deeper and more complex. 

This is not a 1.5-quart glass casserole dish.  Nope, I wanted to make LOTS so this is a 9x13 pan.  It took about 8 or 9 smallish potatoes. 

Repeat the flour, salt/pepper, potatoes, and cheese until they are 1" from the edge of the pan, then top with cheese and slowly pour the milk over the entire top.  The milk is there to moisten the flour.  This makes the delicious gooey bits of goodness in between the potatoes.  Un-moistened flour... stays flour. That being said, I've been known to go a bit overboard with the milk, which makes everything too soupy to cook properly.  If you do that, a turkey baster works well to pull the extra milk out, even if you don't notice until halfway through cooking. 

Keeping it uncovered the whole time makes the top layer of cheese bake into a beautiful browned color.  Put a foil-covered cookie sheet under the casserole dish in case the cheese bubbles over, as it often does for me because I like to fill the casserole dish too full.

The finished product!  I never seem to snap a shot before the first person digs in.

Scalloped potatoes in a casserole dish

Scalloped potatoes in a 9x13 dish (double-ish the recipe). 

Jessica's Scalloped Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
4 thinly sliced medium-sized russet potatoes
1 lb grated cheese (medium cheddar or colby-jack)
Salt and pepper to taste 
Sprinkle of Savory
Sprinkle of Onion Powder
1 cup flour (have available; won't need the whole cup)
1 cup milk (may not need the whole cup)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a 1.5-quart glass casserole dish, thinly layer flour, salt/pepper, potato slices, and cheese.  About halfway up the dish, sprinkle in a little savory and onion powder.

2. Repeat the flour, salt/pepper, potatoes, and cheese until they are 1" from the top, then top with cheese.

3. Pour in the milk - the purpose is to moisten all of the flour, so pour slowly and evenly over the entire top.  It should not reach more than halfway up the sides once it all settles in.  (use a turkey baster to pull some out if needed)

4. Bake in 350 degree oven for about an hour until the potatoes are soft. Do not cover. Put a foil-covered cookie sheet under the casserole dish in case the cheese bubbles over.
 

Thanksgiving Special: Winning Turkey

This recipe for a perfect roasted turkey has moved to my new website!  Please visit it at Winning Thanksgiving Turkey!

Pad Thai

It is a new and different experience cooking something when you don't know the end result.  I'm not talking about "will this recipe be good" results.  I had never tried Pad Thai or any non-curry Thai dish and would not recognize it other than knowing not to eat it (I have allergy issues).  What is it supposed to look like?  What is it supposed to taste like?  The strangest part was that at the end, I didn't know if it had come out well or not.  Most things you know when they are right.  Does it look like a cookie and taste good?  Success!  Does it look like something you've never seen and taste like nothing you have ever tasted?  Yes, but are those good qualities?

Thankfully my husband, whose birthday the Pad Thai was for, declared it great with a few minor recipe tweaks.  I made it without lime juice so that I could eat it too and was pleased to not be allergic to any of the other ingredients.  I've been avoiding limes for so long that I forgot what they smelled like.  Of course that is one of the best parts, so I've read, so I made sure to have a fresh one on hand so my husband could drench his in lime juice and beam with pleasure. I also learned a trick to enjoying it *almost* the way it should be: smell is very closely related to taste, so I can smell the fresh cut lime wedges and take a bite of Pad Thai, which is darn close to drenching it in lime juice and won't kill me.  Hooray!

The original recipe came from AllRecipes.com

Pad Thai
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS
16 oz rice noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces*
1/4 cup safflower oil (or vegetable or sesame)
4 eggs
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 tsp peanut butter
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup grated carrots and/or bean sprouts
1/4 cup crushed peanuts or cashews (for serving)
2 green onions, chopped (for serving)
1 lime (for serving)

NOTE about the chicken: To use frozen chicken, cook it part-way until it's soft enough to cut to bite-size.  Cut up then use in the recipe as called for.

1. Make Noodles: Follow the instructions on the package of noodles for cooking. Finish cooking noodles before starting on the chicken. Rinse noodles well under cold water to prevent sticking together.

2. Make sauce: Mix together in a small bowl: vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, peanut butter, and paprika.
3. Cook chicken: Heat olive oil in a wok or large heavy skillet. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and chicken; saute chicken until browned. Remove from wok and set aside.
4. Heat safflower oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, stirring to break the yolks and half-scramble, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add cooked noodles and sauce. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add carrots and mix for 3 minutes until they are warm; do not over-mix or the noodles break into little pieces.
5. Sprinkle crushed nuts and chopped green onions over the top and serve with a lime wedge.

Autumn Risotto with Kale and Acorn Squash

Autumn in Utah is too short.  The leaves start to change, the weather cools down, and before you know it there is snow on the ground, so I have to get to celebrating it as soon as I can tell the seasons are changing.  The farmers markets are going strong and are full of beautiful colors and a wide variety of late-summer veggies.  Kale and acorn squash are a great combination of colors and textures.  Autumn is the perfect time to eat them, when they are both fresh and locally available.  Everything tastes better straight from a farm!

Don't be intimidated by the fancy-sounding name of risotto, it's far easier than it sounds.  This recipe is adapted from one I found on Food.com.   I used a dry sake for the white wine and the flavors combined beautifully.  I only used half of the squash since it I was rushing off to a potluck and forgot to allow it time to cool from the oven.  Half seemed good but one can always use more squash.  This is best fresh and hot and also made delicious leftovers. I paired it with an apple cobbler to continue the autumn fruit/veggies theme. 

The original recipe did not call for pre-cooking the squash but I don't think it would be fully cooked otherwise, although my biggest reason for making that change is that squash are hard to cut in half let alone into bite-sized pieces while raw.  Baking it first makes this far easier (in fact I did it using a spoon).  Swiss chard would be another great winter greens option. 

Later edit: Banana squash works very well in this dish too!  I have added the variation below.

Autumn Risotto with Kale and Acorn Squash
4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 acorn squash or about 1/4 lb banana squash
4 1/2-5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup minced onion
2 -3 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
3 cups stemmed and chopped kale, packed (about 1/2 pound before stemming)
1/8-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (for serving)



DIRECTIONS
Squash
1. Heat the oven to 350.  Cut the acorn squash in half  (do NOT remove the seeds, they help retain moisture) and place cut-side-down on a foil-covered baking sheet.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until almost cooked.  Remove from oven, allow to cool, remove seeds/pulp, and cut the orange flesh into bite-sized pieces.  Note that this is needed part-way through the risotto cooking, so prepare the squash before starting the rice.
Variation:  For banana squash, cut it open and clean out the seeds.  Bake a nice big chunk with a tablespoon of butter at 375 degrees for 40-60 minutes, until soft.  Let cool and slice into butter-pat sized pieces.

Risotto
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil then reduce it to a simmer.
3. In a large wok or heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick, saute the onions in 2 tsp oil for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.  Add more oil if needed to prevent sticking. 
4. Add the rice in small portions, stirring until it is well coated with oil.  Add the wine and stir.  
5. When the wine is absorbed (it won't take long), ladle in 1/2 cup of the simmering stock at a time, stirring frequently for 2 to 3 minutes between each addition, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.  Do this until 2 1/2 cups of the stock have been absorbed.
6.  Add the cut squash and kale and stir. 
7. Continue adding 1/2 cup of broth every few minutes, stirring often, until all of the stock has been added and absorbed and the rice is tender but firm. 
8. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat, sprinkle with parmesan, and serve immediately.