Leek and Caramelized Fennel Dip

This dip was a yummy thing to do with freshly harvested garden leeks. It was a pleasure to make on a crisp Saturday afternoon, filling my house with the decadent scents of caramelized fennel.

I found this recipe on the blog A Cozy Kitchen and it is my hope that I get Adrianna's new book A Year of Cozy for Christmas!

As I assembled it I had a moment of pause teetering on regret.
This LOOKS like pate - it's not going to taste like fois gras?

It turned out just find despite my hesitation. It heated up very nicely, but next time I might top it with a more melty cheese than the shredded pizza mozzarella I used. It just never got as bubbly as I wanted.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 fennel bulbs (1 1/2 lbs), *thinly sliced with a few fronds reserved as garnish
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 7 ounces brie cheese, room temperature and removed from the rind
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) shredded Parmesan-Reggiano
• Zest from 1 small lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) shredded mozzarella
• Bread or crackers, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium skillet, set over medium heat, add the oil. When hot, add the fennel and sear on both sides, for about 1 to 2 minutes per side. You may need to do this in batches depending on how big your skillet is. See note below for slicing the root end off each slice. After you’re done with the fennel, transfer it to a food processor.
2. In the same medium skillet, add a teaspoon of olive oil, if needed. Add the leeks and cook, mixing often, until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the leek mixture to the food processor, along with the brie cheese, Parmesan-Reggiano, lemon zest, salt and crushed red pepper. Pulse until mostly smooth, about 30 seconds. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking.
3. Transfer to a small oven-safe baking dish or bowl. Top with the shredded mozzarella and place in the oven until the cheese is melted and browned on top, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with slices of bread or crackers.

Serve with slices of baguette and a knife and Voila! Perfection!

Cuban Stromboli from Wine and Glue!

I will be making this yummy recipe from Wine and Glue for dinner evening! Of course it will be my rendition of it since I am not a fan of sausage, so I will post pictures in a new post later on. My tummy has been growling for this since I set my mind on it yesterday!

Cuban Stromboli - Wine

Making Salsa Verde

I made my first of several batches of salsa verde this fall. Most of my tomatillos I froze so that I could make them at a later date. The garden was just cranking out too much food for me to deal with things that could be put off until later.

But after that first cold snap in October I realized that it was time to make salsa as these could have been the last ones I harvested. I was close but do have another small bowl hidden away in my fridge.

Salsa Verde is one of the more standard and simplistic recipes. For this version I chose a recipe from one of the new blogs I follow: Cookie and Kate.

You can find the original recipe HERE.

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds tomatillos (about 12 medium), husked and rinsed
• 1 to 2 medium jalapeños, stemmed (omit for mild salsa, use 1 jalapeño for medium salsa and 2 jalapeños for hot salsa, note that spiciness will depend on heat of actual peppers used)
• ½ cup chopped white onion (about ½ medium onion)
• ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (more if you love cilantro)
• 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup lime juice (1 to 2 medium limes, juiced), to taste
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• Optional variation: 1 to 2 diced avocados, for creamy avocado salsa verde

Process

1. Preheat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches below the heat source.

2.  Place the tomatillos and jalapeño(s) on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until they're blackened in spots, about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip over the tomatillos and pepper(s) with tongs and broil for 4 to 6 more minutes, until the tomatillos are splotchy-black and blistered.

















4. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the chopped onion, cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Once the tomatillos are out of the oven, carefully transfer the hot tomatillos, pepper(s) and all of their juices into the food processor or blender.

5. Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth and no big chunks of tomatillo remain, scraping down the sides as necessary. Season to taste with additional lime juice and salt, if desired. If you'd like to make creamy avocado salsa verde, let the salsa cool down before blending in 1 to 2 diced avocados (the more avocado, the creamier it gets).

(I omitted the avocado in this recipe as I did not have it on hand)

Sugar Cookie Dough

This is my favorite dough for sugar cookies any time of the year. The Pickle and I made Halloween cookies yesterday. It makes at least 4 batches of cookies, so break out your cookie cutters and get baking!

Ingredients
4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups all purpose flour



Process

1. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle blade, combine the sugar and butter on high speed until fluffy.
2. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt and mix on medium until combined.
3. Turn mixer to low, and slowly add flour in batches mixing until combined (it will be a bit stiff).
4. Remove dough from bowl, and divide into four balls.
5. Place each ball on plastic wrap, flatten into discs, completely wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (at least 30 minutes - but it lasts up to 2 weeks).
6. When ready to use let the dough warm a bit on the counter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. On a well floured surface, roll out dough until about 1/8 of an inch thick.
8. Cut out cookies with cutter of choice, place on an un-greased baking sheet, and decorate as desired.
9. Bake until golden brown - about 10 to 15 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from the Lemon Bowl

 

We made this last night for our evening of pumpkin carving. I really like the incorporation of Sweet potatoes in this and need to be honest that I really doubted they would be done in time. I procrastinated as long as possible to open the crock but to my pleasurable surprise everything was done completely. Even the kids ate it adding a dollop of sour cream/ yogurt to it. We will definitely do this again, maybe adding a bit more kick next time.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry from The Lemon Bowl

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 medium onion - thinly sliced
• 15 oz can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
• 2 medium sweet potatoes - peeled and diced
• ½ cup coconut milk - light
• ½ cup chicken stock - low sodium
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons curry powder - salt-free
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne powder - optional
• 1 cup green peas - frozen
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• cilantro - optional garnish

Instructions

1. In the bottom of the slow cooker, whisk together coconut milk, chicken stock, tomato sauce, curry powder, salt and cayenne.
2. Add chicken breasts, onion, chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Using tongs, gently toss ingredients together to ensure evenly coated.
3. Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.
4. Stir in peas and lemon juice 5 minutes before serving.
5. Serve over rice and with plenty of fresh cilantro.

Butternut Squash & Bacon Deviled Eggs

 

 Another Must do recipe from Snixy Kitchen! She is my new favorite and I love her for her ingredient transformations!

Butternut Squash & Bacon Deviled Eggs

Butternut Squash and Bacon Deviled Eggs

Author: Sarah Menanix

Yields: 12 deviled eggs

 

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (.75 to 1 pound)
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, plus more for sprinkling
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

Instructions

1. Cook the butternut squash. Prick the squash with a fork several times. You can roast the whole pricked squash at 375°F for about 30 minutes, until tender. Alternatively, you can microwave it for 5 minutes, cut it in half lengthwise, and microwave both halves cut-side down for another 5-8 minutes, until tender. When the squash is tender, remove and discard (or save) the seeds and scoop out the filling.
2. Place the cooked squash in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Measure out 6 tablespoons of squash for the deviled eggs.
3. Meanwhile, hard-boil the eggs. Place the eggs in a large pot and cover with at least 2 inches of cold water (*see note). Bring the water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pot from the heat and cover for 11 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pot and run them under cold water to stop the cooking. When they're cool enough to handle, peel the eggs, slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks into a mixing bowl.
4. Add the 6 tablespoons of butternut squash purée to the bowl with the yolks, and mix. Add the mayonnaise, cayenne, salt, and nutmeg and mix until smooth (you can also return this mixture to the food processor or blender if you want it super smooth).
5. Divide the filling among the egg halves (either using a spoon or pipe it in using a piping bag).
6. Top with a few crumbles of cooked bacon and sprinkle cayenne on top. Refrigerate until serving.

Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce

 

This was such an amazing meal that truly transformed the main ingredient - Spaghetti Squash! Thank you Snixy Kitchen - you are a wonderful find!



Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce

Spaghetti Squash Fritters with Dill Yogurt Sauce

Author: Sarah Menanix (Generously adapted from Plenty)

Yields: About 16 fritters

 

Ingredients

Spaghetti Squash Fritters

• 1 small or ½ large spaghetti squash
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 large shallots, finely chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg white
• ½ cup chickpea/garbanzo flour
• 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• ½ cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Dill Yogurt Sauce

• ¼ cup greek yogurt
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ cup packed parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Spaghetti Squash Fritters

1. Cook the spaghetti squash. Prick the squash with a fork several times. You can roast the whole pricked squash at 375°F for about 45 minutes to an hour, until tender. Alternatively, you can wrap the pricked squash in parchment paper and microwave it for 15-20 minutes, until tender. When the squash is tender, slice it in half lengthwise and use a fork to scrape out 2 cups of filling. If the filling is super moist, let it sit in a fine mesh strainer while you cook the shallots.
2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the chopped shallots until tender, about 5 minutes. If you're roasting the squash, you can also roast the shallot whole and then peel and chop it when it's tender.
3. Combine the 2 cups of squash, cooked shallots, parsley, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, by hand, or with a hand mixer, whip the egg white until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg white into the squash mixture.
5. In another bowl, mix together the chickpea flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder.
6. Add the egg, milk, and butter to the flour and whisk to combine.
7. Gently add the batter to the squash mixture and stir to combine.
8. If using an electric waffle iron, cook small waffles according to manufacturer directions, lightly spraying the iron with canola oil.
9. If using a stovetop waffle iron, be sure to heat up both sides for at least 3 minutes on medium heat. Lightly spray the top and the bottom of the waffle iron with canola oil. Pour scant ¼ cup of batter into each section of the waffle iron and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip the waffle iron and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Gently open the waffle iron to check the waffle and, if needed, continue cooking until both sides are crispy. (Every stove is slightly different, but mine is ready after 2.5 minutes both sides).
10. Use a chopstick to help you gently remove the waffles from the iron and transfer to a plate while you finish cooking the batter. The outsides should be crispy and the insides will be soft and moist.
11. If you don't want to use a waffle iron, you can cook the fritters over medium heat on a griddle. Scoop ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until crispy on the outside, but still soft on the inside.
12. Serve waffles with dill yogurt sauce (below). Store leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat in the toaster.

Dill Yogurt Sauce

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.

Watercress Pesto

Watercress Pesto




From The Bite House

Ingredients

• 1 cup pecans (or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 cups packed watercress
• 1 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• 3 garlic cloves
• salt + ground black pepper
Dry toast the nuts and seeds in a pan, shaking, until they’re ready.
In a food processor, whizz the nuts and seeds until finely shredded.
Add all the other ingredients, and whizz again.
Season with salt and pepper and adjust to desired consistency with olive oil.
Serve with fresh bread.

Freezer Salsa

I made this tonight from nearly the last of my sun gold tomatoes. I will make one last ground cherry salsa with the truly last of them tomorrow night. I am exhausted. It has been a huge weekend on the homestead.

Thank you to Emilie and The Clever Carrot for posting this recipe for 10 Minute Sun Gold Salsa For the Freezer!

Ingredients

4 cups sun gold tomatoes, or red cherry tomatoes
½ cup diced red onion
¼-1/2 clove of garlic
1 large or 2 small bell peppers, roughly chopped with white ribs attached (I used both red & orange)
1 heaping cup of cilantro leaves, plus their thin stems from the top of the bunch
juice of 1 lemon or lime
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coarse salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or less depending on preference)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Process

1. Add all of the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse a few times until the texture is roughly smooth. Give it a taste, and add more salt or lemon juice as needed. Sometimes, I'll throw in more cilantro when in the mood. Adjust to your liking.
2. Working over a large bowl, strain the salsa reserving the liquid. Transfer the liquid into a small ziplock bag and freeze for future use (use as a base for rice, grains, soups etc.)
3. To finish, drizzle your salsa with olive oil, to taste. Serve right away, or portion into snack size ziplock bags and freeze.
4. Note: after defrosting, strain the salsa if necessary, depending on use. Salsa (with chips) is best enjoyed on the same day that it is made.

Creamy Gazpacho

I would follow this recipe as is and do not double it. I tried that last night and it doesn't fit in the blender. This is a fantastic, quick and easy recipe to make.  I also skip the fancy crispy cheese addition as it just makes this recipe take much longer than I wanted after a long hot day at work.  The cheese option is made with the pecorino Romano and is step one in the photo above.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 large garden tomatoes (about a pound, cored)
1.5 cups plain yogurt (I use Greek for extra tang)
1/4 cup Olive oil
12 Basil leaves (best fresh out of the garden)
2 cloves garlic
2 scallions, chopped
2 ice cubes
2 teaspoons (shy) Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Process
Combine ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to preference.

Ramen Salad with Tofu adapted from Gimme Some Oven

 Thanks to "The Mind of a Chef" we are obsessed with noodles so when I stumbled upon this late summer recipe on my blog feed I was hooked. Talk about a cheap and easy and likely home grown meal on an early September school night. It was heavenly and I can't wait to have left overs in my lunch box.

Adapted from THIS recipe on Gimme some Oven , I made use of garden carrots, beans, peppers, and zucchini in this easy yummy meal. I also served it with none other than my Rosemary Lemon Tofu for a spectacular kid friendly meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
• 2 (3-ounce) packages of Ramen noodles, crumbled (discard the seasoning packet)
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 large pepper julienned (or diced)
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions (scallions)
• shredded carrott
• shredded zucchini
• Asian honey vinaigrette (see ingredients below)

Asian Honey Vinaigrette ( Whisk all ingredients together until combined.)

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil (or any cooking oil)
• 1/3 cup honey (or agave, to make this vegan)
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• pinch of salt and black pepper

Directions:

To Make The Salad:

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spread the crumbled ramen noodles and sliced almonds out on a baking sheet, and stir a bit to combine.
3. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the almonds and noodles are slightly toasted and golden.
4. Remove baking sheet, and give the mixture a good stir to toss. Then return it to the oven and toast for an additional 3 minutes. Keep a very close eye on the mixture so that it does not burn. Remove and set aside.)

5. Add ingredients (including the vinaigrette) together in a large bowl, and toss until combined.
6.   Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

* This salad is much better eaten the first day, as the noodles lose their "crunch" the longer it sits, and the avocado may brown. *

Abby's amazing grilled cheese with avocado butter (thanks again AltonBrown)

 
















I think Alton Brown has put us under a spell. He gives us directions and we follow through. We also seem to complicate his directions by letting our brilliant culinary minds create plans for luscious grilled cheese sandwiches with his amazing ideas.

Take for example this sandwich.
 
















This sandwich is a thing of beauty.
 
















It contains luscious melted cheeses ...
 
















... along with fried sage...
 
















and Alton Brown's avocado Butter.... (RECIPE here)
 

































 




















































and fried in the sage oil.
 

Clams

Fermenting Pickles

Alton Brown made SP do it.
I blame him.
We are bravely entering the world of fermented foods.
Wish us luck.
Recipe HERE.

Herbed Feta Corn Fritters

This is a lovely early autumn recipe by Maine cookbook author Kathy Gunst. We made this for supper last night and I doubled it for the four of us. Everybody loves left over fritters!

Herb and Feta Corn Fritters
A simple batter is made by mixing corn kernels with egg, flour, and milk and a handful of fresh garden herbs, crumbled feta cheese, and scallions. The savory fritters are served with a lemon-herb butter and are delicious served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You could also add a finely chopped sweet or spicy pepper to the batter. The fritters are delicious served on top of an arugula or spicy greens salad.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut off 2 to 3 cobs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (basil, sage, rosemary, chives, oregano)
2 tablespoons very thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
1/2 cup finely crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, canola oil or grape seed oil, or a combination

Process
1. In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder.

2. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.

3. Beat in the egg and then gently mix in the corn, herbs, scallions, cheese, salt and pepper.
 
















 4. In a large skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat.

5. Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the hot oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Serve hot.





















Makes about ten small fritters; serves 3 to 4.

Garden tomato Bloody Mary's

Smitten Kitchen's Most Amazing Raw Tomato Sauce over Angelhair

This is the most amazing raw tomato sauce ever, and a perfect summer recipe for home gardeners. Angel Hair with Raw Tomato Sauce will fill you and leave your body and soul humming. Please go and make it tonight, with the garden warm fresh tomato hanging heavily on the vine. Go now. You know you want to!

Angel Hair Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet


Ingredients

3 pounds fresh, best-quality tomatoes (results are uneven with less fresh ones)
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste (I used 2 teaspoons total Diamond kosher salt)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional, I found this unnecessary)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 poud dried capellini or angel-hair spaghetti
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
To serve: grated ricotta salata (my choice) or Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of your favorite olive oil

Process
1. Halve the first pound of tomatoes crosswise, then rub the cut sides against the large holes of a box grater set in a large bowl, discarding the skin.

2. Core  and chop the last two pounds of tomatoes and add to the grated tomato bowl.

3. Add garlic, lemon juice or vinegar, salt, sugar (if using) and pepper and let marinate at room temperature until ready to use, at least 10 minutes but also up to 2 hours if you’re planning ahead.

4. After it has steeped for a while, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
 
5. Cook pasta in salted boiling water as package time recommends.

6. Drain then toss with fresh sauce and basil. Serve lukewarm (as it is now) or at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated cheese on top.

Enjoy.  

Cherry Tomato and Ground Cherry Salsa

I just stumbled upon this recipe on my blog feed and I am so excited for it! A Farmgirl's Dabbles posted this recipe today and it is so timely because I just started to harvest them last night and almost freaked out because not only did I buy 6 plants, but had several new volunteers come up in the garden this year AFTER we got down the weed matt. I'm very excited to try this!

Broccoli and Cauliflower Stem "Pasta"

This was such a fantastic and sustainable supper! I will always save my stems and make "pasta" from them - brilliant use of resources that save for a long time. After my recent harvest of almost all of my broccoli heads and some of my cauliflower, I have all the ingredients ready to go in the refrigerator for this recipe. I just wish it would cool down enough for me to want to cook.

From De Ma Quisine, here is Broccoli and Cauliflower Stem "Pasta"

Breakfast for dinner

This meal can look like many different things.

On hot and humid August nights, when the last things you want to do is heat your kitchen one more degree, cooking outside is a luxury. 

Pan made individual omelettes with feta and garden fresh veggies tossed in 

...

 Heaven on earth

Grilled Feta and Watemelon Salad

As I pondered a grilled water melon and feta salad, I recalled this recipe I did a few years back. A quick search of the blog proved I failed to save it, so without further ado, here they both are.

Grilled Feta with Thyme  from Framed Cooks

Grilled Watermelon from The Food Network

although this one from Alton Brown looks like its even better!

Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam

I just found this recipe for Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam on dear Jennifer Perillo's website In Jennie's Kitchen.  Yes this is the same Jennie as the Peanut Butter Pie post. My heart still breaks.