|
Tag Archives: Dinner
We had an early tomato appearance at our house last week. I normally wait until May or June before buying the first of many tomatoes; but, they looked so pretty at the store that I could not refuse. I love heirloom tomatoes not only because of their amazing sugary sweet taste or their juicy texture; also, because they are not perfect. I love the different shapes, sizes, bumps, lumps and many colors. As soon as I saw these two odd shaped yellow and red ones I knew they were coming home with me.
 
I had help making this tart. No, not Lenny; that would have warranted a video to entertain you. I had E & M of MEM. I mentioned to them that I was going to make a tart out of tomatoes and their interest was definitely peaked. The girls have really taken on a huge interest in food and cooking, especially Ella. I have to say I admire her many questions and the desire to learn. She was there every step of the way, from lining the tart pan, to mixing the filling, to layering the tomatoes and then on to photographing even before sampling. She helped with setting up the tart on different plates until we got it just right as well she waited with anticipation after every click of the camera – wanting to see the picture, to make sure they were okay. Maggie, was not far behind, trailing after her big sister and wanting to do just as she was doing. Now we know we have some foodies in training; but, maybe there is a career of photography lurking also! It was definitely fun to have help making this tart, especially 20 little fingers and two big smiles!
The base of this tart is a slightly peppery and flaky crust. We made a goat cheese based custard filling for the base of the tart and then layered slices of the beautiful heirloom tomatoes over the top. Tomatoes and goat cheese are not complete without a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of maldon salt and fresh thyme from the garden. Serve this with a mixed green salad lightly dressed with white balsamic and olive oil, as well as a nice of Rose! Perfect! The girls even loved the taste of the tart!
How do you like to use your Heirloom Tomatoes?
Recipe: Savory Tomato Tart
I received an email from a reader a few weeks ago asking if I had an asparagus soup recipe. The email captured my attention immediately as Loreen started talking about how it was almost asparagus season in Northern Nevada. This brought me back to a childhood memory of picking asparagus with my Aunt Adele, when I was about 4 or 5 out at the Woodward Ranch. I remember that day well, we were around the back, near the kitchen window, and the area was really wet. She had an apron on and we were swashing through the water, snapping tender slim pieces of asparagus. I remember loving it. I continued to read Loreen’s email while cherishing this memory. The next paragraph was her introduction to me about how we were related. I had to go back a couple times to re-read what I thought I had read. There was a distant cousin who found me through Chez Us. What a small world….. the Internet continues to amaze me.
I love asparagus soup but it is one of those things that I normally only order when out. We were both pleasantly surprised at how delicious this recipe came out. It really did not need the cream as the texture was perfect; but, it could not be considered cream of asparagus soup without it. Thank you, Loreen, for inspiring me to make this soup!
Recipe: Cream of Asparagus Soup
click the above link for a downloadable recipe
I have been dreaming about making homemade macaroni since I first saw the latest and greatest KitchenAid attachment. I guess I am a sucker for their attachments; but, have you tried them? I could be a spokesperson for them but am not. This comes from the heart, I love all of the ones we own. In fact that KitchenAid mixer was one of the best gifts we have ever gotten and is put to great use all the time. Okay, back to the attachment. Why didn’t I purchase this sooner??? Fun! Fun! Fun!
I was not sure how it was all going to come together so I stuck with their basic pasta recipe for the first go around. It was fine; but, next time I will go with one of my pasta recipes. There is not much to say about it really … you make the dough, pull of walnut size pieces, throw the pieces into the shoot and presto, you have fresh pasta within seconds. Really! It took less than an hour to make the dough and crank out a pound of fresh macaroni. Since I was going to be baking the dish that the macaroni was going to go into I did let it dry for about 5 hours. I basically made it in the morning, rolled the pasta in some semolina flour (on a cookie sheet) and let it sit on the table and dry. Easy!
Not only have I had this attachment on my mind for the past few months; but, I have had macaroni and cheese tucked back into my thoughts. We had some fantastic macaroni and cheese a couple months ago and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. As well I had dinner with some friends a couple weeks back and the same topic came up as Allison is opening a restaurant, called Little Mac, and you guessed it … macaroni and cheese.
This recipe was inspired by my conversation with some great ladies over dinner as well as the dish I ate awhile back. Using fresh macaroni, just took it to another level. The fresh pasta is combined with a creamy sauce made of bacon, dijon mustard and three different cheeses: Parmesan, Fiscalini Cheddar and Gruyere. It is comforting, creamy, slightly smokey and not your typical macaroni and cheese. I guess you could say it is more of an adult version.
Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese
Click the printer icon for a down-loadable PDF of this recipe
This is going to be short and sweet. Remember that delicious Beet and Goat Cheese Galette we had the other night? We needed something wonderful to go with the leftovers we had the other evening. I have been craving potato soup. And I love being able to sneak leeks into any dish I possibly can; remember, someone banned them from our house?
This soup is dairy free but still very creamy. The addition of bacon definitely adds a lot of flavor. It was warm and it was delicious!
What is your favorite Potato based soup? What sort of potatoes do you think works best? Do you have a secret family recipe that you like to use?
Recipe: Potato and Leek Soup
Click the printer icon for a downloadable PDF of this recipe
Oh, how I wish I had time to really write a post. We are pretty overwhelmed over at Chez Us, in fact, we are lucky to even have a meal on the table! We are unsure of Easter plans, so we decided to devour a ham this past weekend. Okay, it has not been completely devoured but close.
Let me start off by saying we both dislike a ham that has pineapple, cherries and cloves punched all over it. Sure it kind of looks like it belongs on a Cruise Caribbean brochure but some things, such as pork, should not be covered with the such. As well, let me tell you a little secret, this is only the 2nd or maybe 3rd ham I have ever cooked. I had really hoped to be able to get a ham that could be slow cooked for hours but the market was out of them. Instead I picked up this spiral cut ham, glazed it, and put it into the oven, just until the skin was crispy and it was heated through. I was amazed at how juicy it was. Oh, and the glaze was really fantastic – slightly bitter, not too sweet (remember, we hate sweet hams) and a little peppery …. it could have been a cocktail! Perfect for your Easter table.
Recipe: Pomegranate and Rye Glaze
8 oz 100% pure pomegranate juice
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rye whiskey
Put the pomegranate juice and brown sugar into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Lower heat to a simmer. Add the rye, stir and continue to simmer until reduced to half and slightly syrupy. Baste ham with glaze during cooking process.
There is nothing like fresh seafood plucked from the sea. Last weekend I picked up a couple dozen sweet Manilla clams from Hog Island Oyster at the Berkeley Farmer’s Market. Hog Island Oyster is an oyster farm located north of San Francisco, in an area called Tomales Bay. The company was founded by three marine biologists who shared the same passions, the ocean and quality seafood. They quit their day jobs and started Hog Island Oysters in 1983 and ever since they have been producing bushels of Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas), Kumamoto Oysters (Crassostrea sikamea), Atlantic Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and mussels as well as the sweet Manila clams that I picked up.
At first the clams caught my eye because they were so small and oddly, cute. I bellied up to the make shift oyster bar, slurped down a couple sweet oysters and made my decision. The last two dozen of clams would be coming home with me. I knew they would be plump, sweet and delicious by themselves, so I decided not to get too crazy with cooking them. Something simple. On the drive home I decided I would steam them with yellow onion, lots of garlic, piri piri and white wine. I served them simply over a big bowl of fresh made pasta with a loaf of warm crusty bread ….. all that was left was to pass the wine!
Recipe: Spicy Clams with Homemade Pasta
1 yellow onion, small dice
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons piri piri sauce – portuguese hot sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 lbs small clams, scrubbed clean
1/2 bottle white wine
parsley, handful, roughly chopped
kosher salt, to taste
fettuccine, we like to make ours
Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add onion, cook over low heat, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and piri piri sauce, give a stir. Add clams, give a couple good stirs to mix ingredients. Pour in about 1/2 bottle white wine. Cover with a lid and let steam until clams pop open. Season with salt. Stir in parsley. Pour over a big bowl of pasta. Serve. Eat.
It was evident at the market this past weekend, that the last of the winter time squash are just barely hanging on. Butternut squash is definitely one of my favorite things to cook during the cold winter months. I love it roasted, cooked with risotto, served alongside a nice pork roast, steamed with a little butter and most of all as a soup. I made this wonderfully creamy soup with a rich chicken stock, lots of toasted cumin, caramelized onions and a little carrot. I was craving meat and spicy but did not want the flavors to overpower the sweet butternut squash, so I decided to slowly cook slices of Portuguese chorizo and use it as a garnish. It was …. delicious, so delicious, that I am thinking I may have to make a couple batches to freeze so we have some lazy evening suppers!
Recipe: Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Chorizo
1 medium butternut squash, about 3 pounds, peeled and cut into chunks
1 yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
cumin, did not measure, used by taste, approximately 2 tablespoons
6 cups rich chicken stock
kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 portuguese chorizo, cut into thin slices
handful of fresh thyme, for garnish
black sea salt flakes, for garnish and flavor
drizzle of olive oil or the yummy fat from the chorizo, for garnish
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic, stir. Add the butternut squash and cook over medium – low heat until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the cumin, stir. Add the stock and simmer until the squash is tender and starting to fall apart. While this is cooking, you can pan fry the chorizo slices until crispy. After they are cooked remove from the frying pan with a slotted spoon and lay on a folded paper towel, this will absorb extra fat. When the squash is cooked, puree the mixture in small batches in a food processor. It will be very hot so be very careful. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Put into soup bowls and garnish with chorizo, thyme, black sea salt flakes (if desired) and a drizzle of olive oil or the oil left from pan frying the chorizo. Serve. Eat.
I have been seeing a lot of white bean soup out there in the big virtual kitchen. Unfortunately, they have all been pureed. What about keeping those pump white beans together and creating a creamy soup? That is exactly what I did here.
One of my food goals for this year is to stop using canned products as much as possible. I am trying to cook up a batch of beans every other week and then tossing them into the freezer. Don’t be scared, you too can do this. It is simple. I soak the bean of choice overnight and then cook them the next day. I don’t add anything except a clove of garlic and some fresh herbs and water, of course. After I am finished cooking them, I drain them, put into containers and then into the freezer. We have fresh beans, which taste a lot better than canned, for at least a couple weeks. The texture and the taste is really outstanding and it is completely worth the time. This week the bean is the white bean!
Recipe: White Bean Soup
30 ounces of white beans or two cans of white beans
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, scrubbed and sliced into chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups of veggie stock
fresh thyme, handful, gently crushed
kale, washed, dried and thinly sliced
kosher salt, to taste
good olive oil, to drizzle
Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and carrots, cook for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the beans, the stock and the fresh thyme. Cook for about 1 – 2 hours, depending on how crunchy you like the beans. I feel that the longer, the better as the flavor really develops. I cooked for 1 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, gently smash with the back of a spoon or a masher. Don’t puree, you want texture. Right before serving, stir in the kale and gently warm for about 5 minutes. Season. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Serve. Eat.
« Older posts
Newer posts »
|
