Day 317: Summer!

Our dinner tonight reflects the summery weather we've had here this weekend.

First of all, we had our first corn on the cob of the season! I saw it at the farm stand and just couldn't resist it.

We also had some yummy roasted asparagus. I cut the stalks into 2 inch pieces and tossed them with some olive oil, S&P, and 2 shallots which I had peeled and cut into sixths. All of this was spread out on a baking sheet and cooked for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

For a colorful pop (and lots of good vitamins and minerals) I made a slaw: half a head each of red and green cabbage (sliced thin), 3 large carrots (shredded), and a large red bell pepper (julienned). The vinaigrette I made was 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/3 cup canola oil, and some cracked black pepper. This was whisked well together and poured over the top of the veggies. I then tossed it all together with my hands. It's ideal to make this several hours before you are going to serve it, to allow the veggies to soften up a little bit and absorb the flavors from the vinaigrette. Just before serving, sprinkle some thinly sliced green onions over the top.

The final element of our dinner, and unfortunately - the most disappointing - was our grilled herb crusted turkey breasts. We had made this very dish for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful but tonight - not so much. It was SO dry!! We think we made the dish the same way we did the first time and the only thing we can think of is that we had a gravy to go with it last time. Maybe the turkey was dry then too and we just didn't notice because of the gravy.

Fortunately for us, our kind guests (my in-laws and a friend) ate every bite and didn't flinch. Not sure if that was out of politeness or because we'd filled them up with so much good wine that they didn't care. In any case, we thank them for their great company!

Day 281: En Papillote

A few weeks ago, while in a taxi, I went past a cute looking restaurant called Hyde Street Seafood House.  Coincidentally, during an office happy hour last week, a couple of my co-workers were talking about the place and how much they loved it.  This weekend I decided to try it for myself.

The restaurant prides itself on en papillote preparation.  That's when you bake food in parchment paper, usually with veggies and starch, like rice or potatoes.  I went with the New Zealand Blue Nosed Sea Bass which frankly, I had never heard of.  It was baked, as you can see, with loads of thinly sliced zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and jalapenos.  I squeezed two juicy slices of lemon over the top and presto - a light, flavorful, super healthy meal.

En papillot is actually a pretty easy and very impressive dish to make yourself.  Several months ago, I tried it for the first time with halibut and it was a huge success.  Give it a shot!

Day 227: Yay! I Remember How to Cook!!

It's been over two weeks since I put on an apron, turned on the stove, or washed a pot or pan.  Fortunately (for me AND my husband), I remembered how to do all of those things and I made a really good dinner tonight!

The inspiration for our meal were the baby carrots we purchased at the farmer's market this weekend.  I knew I wanted to prepare them in a way that would bring out their sweetness - so what to pair that side dish with?  I went with something on the spicy side, knowing that the sweetness and spiciness would enhance and balance each other out.

The carrot side dish I went with was based on a recipe from Epicurious.com but I scaled it back significantly:

 

Ingredients:

1 lb of fresh baby carrots from the farmer's market, whole and unpeeled

2 T olive oil

1/2 T unsalted butter

1/2 T honey

1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar

I followed the recipe's instructions otherwise.

I chose another recipe from Epicurious.com for our entree:  Moroccan Chicken.  I followed the recipe other than these tweaks:

- I purchased a cut up whole chicken, disposing of the neck and the organs

- Instead of 4 cups of water, I used one 14 oz can of chicken broth

- I substituted parsley for the cilantro (read my entrees from Costa Rica for my thoughts on cilantro!)

- I made my own harissa, as I couldn't find it pre-made at the grocery store

I went to two grocery stores, in fact, looking for a jar of harissa.  I panicked at first when I couldn't find it, but then I remembered that several years ago, I took a Moroccan cooking class at NYC's Institute of Culinary Education and we were taught how to make harissa.  The instructor of that class was Myra Kornfeld and this is her recipe:

Harissa:

3/4 ounce dried hot red chili peppers

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/4 tsp salt

1 T water

4 T olive oil

Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers.  Place the peppers and tomatoes in a small pot covered with water.  Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let the chiles and tomatoes soften for about 20 minutes (I covered the pot).

Meanwhile, grind the seeds in a spice mill.  Drain peppers/tomatoes and placed all ingredients into a food processor.  Blend until you have a thick paste.  This paste may be refrigerated for months.

All of this came together wonderfully and deliciously.  It was one of the best dinners I've made in awhile.  I made some quinoa to soak up all of the yummy sauce and it was perfect - but you could make couscous or rice instead if you prefer.

Happy cooking!!

Day 153: Not Feelin' It

I just wasn't in the mood to cook up a big involved dinner tonight.  Luckily for me, we had a fridge full of veggies that I knew would roast up nicely.  This is a very easy preparation for a work night.  It takes awhile to cook, especially if you use dense firm veggies like carrots, but it's tasty, healthy, and goes with whatever protein you want to eat with it.

Our mix included cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper, zucchini, pear tomatoes, onion, and carrots.  Everything was cut into large pieces and mixed with olive oil, chopped garlic, lots of fresh thyme, and S&P.  This mixture roasted in a large glass baking dish at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Once it's done, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the whole thing.  If you want it perfect, put the carrots in alone first for 5-10 extra minutes and then add everything else.  If you do it this way, you can cook everything else for less time.

I chose an equally easy protein to have the roasted veggie side dish.  I purchased a couple of skinless, boneless chicken breasts and pounded them thin between two layers of plastic wrap.  You can skip this step, but it helps the chicken cook MUCH faster, so I recommend you at least give it a try.  Then I seasoned the chicken on both sides with S&P and browned it in an olive oil coated pan that I had pre-heated.  Just a couple of minutes on each side, and it was done, so you'll want to cook the chicken once your veggies are done to everything is nice and hot at the same time.

If you want to add just a little flair to this otherwise extremely simple meal, you can then sprinkle one side of the chicken breast with some freshly grated parm and stick it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

I've noticed that as the week goes on, my cooking enthusiasm wanes and wanes until Friday, when all I want to do is go out and have someone cook for and serve me.  Hey, tomorrow's Friday!  TGIF!!