Top
Navigation
Cooking Blogs
CookEatShare Featured Author
view my recipes
CookEatShare Featured Author
Half Hour Meals

Entries from April 1, 2009 - May 1, 2009

Wednesday
Apr292009

Swiss Chard Bundles


A variation on stuffed grape leaves from Heather Forsyth




Swiss Chard 005 This season we are the proud owners of a "share" of a local farm.  We paid up front to help the farmer with costs, and in return we get a share of the farm's bounty all season long.  Last weekend, the first of the share arrived: rainbow chard, spring onions, pea shoots, fresh goats milk and chevre, and a dozen beautiful eggs.  What to do with the goat's milk was easy: goat milk and honey ice cream.  What to do with the rest of the bounty took a little more thought.  Here's the first of what we came up with.


Swiss Chard 014Swiss Chard Bundles (serves 2-4)


Ingredients:



1 bunch swiss chard, rinsed


 



  • 1 c. chopped pea shoots (or lettuce)
  • 1 spring onion, white and green parts, chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper (or about 2 T.) minced
  • 2 T. finely chopped fresh mint
  • pinch of salt
  • splash of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon
  • 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1/2 cup soft, fresh goat cheeseSwiss Chard 007



Directions:



  1. Choose the largest 8-10 leaves of chard, set the rest aside.
  2. Plunge the leaves into boiling water for about 2 minutes (no more) then into cold water, pat dry.
  3. Mix together the pea shoots, pepper, spring onion, mint, salt, olive oil and lemon juice.
  4. Set a leaf flat, remove the stem, and put about a tablespoon of goat cheese across the middle of the leaf.  Add a spoonful of brown rice, a spoonful of chopped pea shoot mixture, then roll up the leaf, starting from the bottom, until you have a plump green bundle.
  5. Place the bundle on a plate, and carry on until you've rolled up all the leaves.Swiss Chard 008
  6. Stack the rest of the chard leaves and chiffonade (slice into ribbons).
  7. Just before serving, heat 1 T. olive oil in a heavy pan or wok until hot; add the ribboned leaves and saute quickly over hot heat for a minute or two.  Remove from heat and toss with a pinch of salt.
  8. Pile the sauteed leaves onto the plate with the stuffed leaves.  Sprinkle everything with a little lemon juice, and drizzle a little olive oil over the bundles.


Swiss Chard 010 



AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
in ,
Monday
Apr272009

Pesto-marinated Chicken Breast on Moroccan Rice

This recipe from Dave Utrata takes a marinated chicken breast
and serves it on a bed of rice containing some Moroccan-inspired dried
fruit.


It was my hope that this dish should conjure up Mediterranean
flavors and Northern African themes.  Or
just make the mundane shine with more pizazz.  It also utilizes a rice cooker
to simplify matters.  I must be a late bloomer because I just recently discovered these things, although I know they've been around for so long.  Adding low maintenance additions to the easy cooking rice are an easy way to enhance the range of tastes presented as side dishes.

 

Chicken on rice with figs and dates

Pesto-marinated
Chicken Breast on Moroccan Rice Recipe

Ingredients:


  • 1 chicken breast


  • ½ cup prepared pesto sauce (apologies to the
    pros who know I should make my own)


  • 1 cup rice

  • 1 cup plus a bit more water


  • ½ cup black olives, pitted & sliced

  • 1 bunch green onions, trimmed and cut into small
    slices


  • 6 dried figs, chopped with stems removed


  • 4 dried dates, chopped with stems removed

 

Directions:

1.      Begin
by tenderizing a large chicken breast using something like a Jacquard
tenderizer.  Since chicken breasts these
days seem to have both thin and thick regions, particularly if they’re large, this
will have the added effect of making the meat more uniform in thickness,
thereby helping promote more uniform grilling.

2.      Spoon
the prepared pesto sauce over the chicken breast in small container, coating it
entirely and then refrigerate for 4 hours or so.

3.      Using
a rice cooker, prepare the rice according to directions.  Using a scant 1:1 ratio of water to the rice
seemed to work well here when I used Jasmine rice.

4.      Add
the olives, onions, figs and dates on top of the rice in the cooker. These will
just be steamed, effectively, and add to the mix of flavors by stirring just
before serving.

 Dates and figs

5.      Grill
the chicken breast, giving
it a rapid cooking on each side for one minute.  I found that the pesto marinade didn’t really
result in flare-ups from dripping oil, which I had feared, and this method
appeared to sear the marinade on place.   
Flip the breast a few times during grilling to more evenly heat during
cooking.

6.      Remove
the breast from the grill and let rest a few minutes.  Meanwhile, stir the rice mixture and spoon
about half of the mix onto each of two pasta plates or soup bowls.

7.      Slice
the chicken breast into strips and serve half over each serving of the rice
mixture.

 

I was really pleased with the mix of flavors, the ease of
prep and cooking, and even found the portion size sane but satisfying.

AuthorDave Utrata | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
in , ,
Friday
Apr242009

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Spinach

Mediterranean flavors in a burger, while timely for springtime themes, are good all year round; from Dave Utrata.

I was never exposed to the joys of grilling various meats when I was growing up; it was always the basic, overdone beef burger.  Happily, some things change for the better with age.  This recipe is about going beyond those basic burgers.  Not just making them prettier with flashy toppings, but actually using a different meat, in this case lamb, and blending in other flavors that go great together.  This has become a favorite request when my sons visit.

Lamb Burgers with
Feta and Spinach

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb.
    ground lamb

  • ½ - 1
    cup crumbled feta cheese

  • ½ - 1
    cup finely chopped fresh spinach

  • 5
    cloves of garlic, chopped

  • 2
    small onions (such as boiler) chopped

  • salt
    & pepper to taste

 

Directions:


  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Using a spatula is said to minimize “mashing”
    the soft lamb, and from a practical viewpoint, it also makes mixing
    easier. 

  2. Since you will be shaping this
    mixture into burgers for the grill, you may wish to keep the amount of feta and
    spinach added to the lamb to the lower amounts. 
    This will make the burgers easier to form and retain their shape, if
    that’s critical to your style.  (My sons
    and I, as well as guests I’ve served them to, prefer the taste of the higher
    amounts of the cheese and greens.)

  3. On a heated and oiled grill, cook the burgers.  Again, personal preferences can create
    variation, but I prefer these when the burger middles are pink and juicy.  As opposed to, say, 4-5 minutes per side, I
    will usually grill them for 2 minutes per side, repeating at least once.  This will also depend on burger size; this
    amount yielded four big burgers for me and the younger son (hungry teenager) this past Easter.

  4. Serve on hearty buns, such as big toasted garlic rolls.  

  5. The only condiments you will likely need are
    salt and pepper, but definitely squeeze the juice from a lemon wedge on
    them.  


Oh my, these are good!

 

AuthorDave Utrata | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
in , , ,
Friday
Apr242009

Green Garlic Soup and Pea Shoot Salad

Recipes for Dreamin' Green from Heather Forsyth


Soup and Salad 022 The farmers market is open, the farmers market is open!  This little piggy went to market and came home with bunches of fresh green garlic and a bag of sweet pea shoots and visualized whirled....okay, I'm a bit delirious about gresh greens!  Find your local farmers market and go get some goods!  Mostly what you'll find this early, depending on where you live, are fresh greens like arugula and spinach, also radishes, green garlic, spring onion, herbs, and bedding plants to take home so you can have your own homegrown tomatoes this Summer.  Green garlic and pea shoots are two wonderful things that you can only get for a couple of weeks, so get them now!  Green garlic is mild and tender, it looks like a scallion but tastes more like a shallot.  It's great in stir-fries, soups, eggs, almost anything.  Pea shoots are the fresh tender leaves from pea vines.  They're beautiful!  And unlike most greens, they're not fragile, so you can eat a dressed salad the next day and still find it fresh and crispy.


Green Garlic Soup Recipe (Serves 4)


Ingredients:Soup and Salad 025



  • Big bunch of green garlic (6-8 shoots), cleaned and sliced, the white part from the root up and about 4" of the green stems

  • 3 T. butter

  • 2 T. chopped onion

  • 4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

  • 3 c. vegetable broth

  • salt and pepper

  • splash of lemon juice

  • 4 big T. yogurt

  • a T. or so fresh chives, chopped, for garnish


Directions:



  1. Melt 3 T. butter in soup pot.  Add green garlic and onion and saute for a few minutes.  Add potatoes, stir them around a minute or two more, then add the broth and salt and pepper. Simmer until everything is very soft, about 20 minutes.

  2. Cool briefly, then lift the vegetables from the pot, reserving the broth, and puree in food processor, blender, or food mill until smooth.

  3. Return puree to pot with broth.  Stir it all up, add a splash of lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasonings, and get it nice and hot.

  4. Serve in bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt and sprinkle of fresh chives.


Pea Shoot Salad Recipe


Ingredients:



  • 1 bunch of fresh pea shoots

  • 8 slices bacon, diced, fried crisp, and drained

  • 10-12 shavings from a hunk of parmesan cheese

  • vinagrette dressing (whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, tsp. of dijon mustard, smidge of honey, salt and pepper)


Directions:



  1. Fill the sink with cold water, plunge in the pea shoots, swish them around, lift, drain, and blot dry with kitchen towel.

  2. Whisk together dressing in bottom of salad bowl, add pea shoots, toss.

  3. Add bacon and parmesan and toss some more.

  4. Eat.


Soup and Salad 027


Soup and Salad 026

AuthorHeather Forsyth | Comment2 Comments | Print ArticlePrint Article
in , , ,
Wednesday
Apr222009

Spicy Spaghetti Meat Sauce

An easy "no one will ever know you cheated" spaghetti sauce by guest author Helen Poore.


The secret to this sauce is the seasoned meat.  I use this on pasta, stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage or any other recipe that calls for a meat sauce.  It only takes about 15 minutes to make, then just simmer for at least an hour.  The other thing I like about this sauce is there is no garlic or onions added, although you can add both if desired, I personally don't.


Spicy Spaghetti Meat Sauce





  • 1 pound of ground beef or turkey



  • 1 cup of red wine (whatever you have around will do)



  • 1 tablespoon oregano



  • 1 tablespoon basil



  • 1 tablespoon black pepper



  • 1/2 tablespoon salt



  • 2 15 oz cans of plain tomato sauce (I love contadina)



  • 1 15 oz can of petite diced tomato's (again, love contadina)



  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it hot)



  • 3 dashes hot sauce 

     


  1. Brown beef or turkey and drain.

  2. Add oregano, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and red wine.  Simmer until wine reduces by half.

  3. Add tomato sauce, diced tomato's and hot sauce and simmer for an hour.


Serve over pasta or use in your favorite dish that calls for a tomato meat sauce.

AuthorHelen Kenney | Comment1 Comment | Print ArticlePrint Article
in
Page 1 2 3 Next 5 Entries »