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Strawberry Freezer Jam

chezdesblog — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:52:30 +0000

It’s that time of year when fresh fruit and vegetables start exploding out of the Earth and into my kitchen. Trouble is, I have no kitchen at the moment. We are in week 7 of 17 in our house renovation project and still, what I like to call, “fancy camping.”

Last weekend, I lost my mind and bought an entire flat of strawberries at a road side stand. I couldn’t help myself. I got them home and thought, wow, that’s a lot of berries! The first thing that came to mind was making fresh fruit preserves. Much like pickled vegetables and fruit compotes, fruit preserves are a great way to capture summer in a jar. However, given my current situation, a full-blown preserving operation is not really an option. So, I tried something new – Strawberry Freezer Jam. Who knew?!

Simple, fast, and hassle-free, freezer jams require some special equipment/ingredients such as instant pectin and plastic jars. I bought mine here. This web site also includes loads of recipes, tips, and ideas. Freezer jams last in the freezer for a year and should be kept refrigerated and used within a month of opening. I plan on using mine for spreads, sauces, and smoothies! Need more convincing on how easy and delicious freezer jams truly are? Read this article on NPR’s web site – and try it!

Quick Pickled Sugar Snap Peas

chezdesblog — Sun, 22 May 2011 18:37:41 +0000

At the farmer’s market yesterday, I bought some sugar snap peas. Actually, I got a little carried away and bought a ton of sugar snap peas. Once I got home and realized I had enough for a small army, I decided to pickle some. I’ve pickled vegetables before with delicious results.

What I like about this recipe for Pickled Sugar Snap Peas is that it’s quick and versatile. The original recipe suggests waiting for 2 weeks before eating the pickled peas, but I thought they were yummy after 24 hours. Be sure to let your brine cool before pouring it over the peas, as you don’t want hot brine to cook them as they soak. Crunchy and tangy, they make a nice addition to salads and serve as a great snack on their own. I think this same approach would work well with asparagus and green beans…

In other news, I added a great cookbook to my collection this week – The Simple Art of EatingWell Cookbook – from the publishers of EatingWell magazine (one of my favorites!). It just won a James Beard Book Award in the “healthy focus” category. 400 recipes, menus, tips, terms, and healthy pantry guidelines make this a book I plan on reading cover to cover!

This post is linked to the Real Food Wednesday blog carnival – check it out…

Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Spinach and Basil

chezdesblog — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:00:07 +0000

These Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Spinach and Basil are totally awesome. No cream, no butter – and trust me on this – you won’t miss them. In addition to olive oil and chicken broth, these mashers include sautéed spinach and basil. “Creamy” and aromatic, this dish takes mashed potatoes to a new level. I noticed that the recipe calls for drying the potatoes out in the pot after cooking and draining them. Don’t skip this step - it guarantees that the potatoes will be dry and fluffy before getting mixed with the remaining ingredients. The simple, healthy additions of sautéed greens, olive oil, and chicken broth make this recipe a real keeper. Enjoy!

As a source of inspiration, I just purchased Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day cookbook – so excited to get it! I am a regular reader of her blog, 101 Cookbooks. For a link, see my blogroll on the right…

Smokey Sausage and White Bean Soup

chezdesblog — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:17:25 +0000

I’ve been looking for a broth-y bean soup. So often, bean soups end up being pureed or served chili- style. Don’t get me wrong - I love thick bean soups; I just wanted something new. Inspired by a rainy day and the chance to eat in by the fire, I tried my hand at a Smokey Sausage and White Bean Soup. It was substantial and hearty, while the tasty broth warmed us from the inside. This soup invites dipping from warm crusty bread, and at the privacy of your own table, refined sipping from the soup bowl…just don’t tell Miss Manners I said so.

In other news, I just got my copy of Love Soup, by Anna Thomas, a James Beard award-winning cookbook for recipes with a healthy focus. Lots of yummy soups in my future. Check it out!

GYYB: Search. Watch. Listen. Read.

chezdesblog — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:36:52 +0000

Periodically, I take some time to troll my favorite food blogs and online resources to see what’s being cooked, tasted, procured, grown, picked (pickled – or both?!), and discussed.

Ever wonder how best to store nuts, rice, or flour? Should you refrigerate apples? How long will that bag of dried beans last in the cupboard? Search no more. Or rather, search all you like, at stilltasty.com. This site is the “ultimate guide to shelf life” and has answers to your most frequently asked shelf life questions including guidelines for storing and freezing all sorts of pantry and perishable items.

Some of us learn by seeing, others learn by doing. No matter – we’ve all got a lot to learn. Rouxbe (a fun play on the French cooking term “roux” and pronounced like “ruby”) is an online video cooking school with a vast library of how-to videos covering both basic and advanced cooking techniques. Whether you want a quick tutorial on how to cook pasta, how to use parchment paper for baking, or how to do whatever new-to-you technique a recipe calls for – this is the site for you.

I learned recently that America’s Test Kitchen, home of the good people who bring us Cook’s Illustrated, is launching a public radio program called America’s Test Kitchen Radio. Now I can listen to discussions about recipes, cooking equipment, and time-saving techniques while driving, cooking, or cleaning the house. I like it!

On a final note, Michael Pollan is coming to Santa Barbara and I have tickets to go see him. My guess is you have either read something by him or about him. Not familiar with his work? Check out this article from the NY Times Magazine: Out of the Kitchen; Onto the Couch. According to Pollan, “…a great many Americans are spending considerably more time watching images of cooking on television than they are cooking themselves — an increasingly archaic activity they will tell you they no longer have the time for. What is wrong with this picture?” Think about it – and get cooking!

Butternut Apple Bisque

chezdesblog — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 15:54:10 +0000

I like having good stuff around for lunch on the weekend. I can get so caught up during the week in what to have around for healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner options at home, that sometimes food for the weekend is an after thought. Invariably, however, we almost always find ourselves with time to sit down and enjoy a mid-day meal on a Saturday or Sunday. It’s a true luxury, and one I’m ready for this weekend.

This Butternut Apple Bisque is simply delicious, easy to prepare, and very satisfying. Butternut squash is a pear-shaped winter squash. Naturally sweet, butternut squash cooks down into a silky-smooth puree; delightful for soup. Apples are a natural complement, adding a tart note to balance the sweetness of the squash. I used garam masala to spice it up, along with some cinnamon and cumin. Garam masala is a ground spice blend, worthy of purchasing, and a great (sometimes more interesting) alternative to curry powder. The finishing touch is a splash of sherry or vinegar to brighten the flavors.

Curious to know whether my approach to this combination of ingredients and flavors was rooted in anything other than instinct, I grabbed my Flavor Thesaurus to see what it had to say. As expected, butternut squash, apples, and cinnamon are all common pairings. Other common pairings listed included blue cheese, almonds, and bacon. In fact, any of these would make for a tasty garnish, crumbled on top of the soup. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

chezdesblog — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:50:17 +0000

It won’t stop raining. Seriously. It’s the “worst storm” the area has seen in 10 years.” It’s been 48 hours of pouring rain and there’s no relief in sight. I’m craving comfort food.

This morning, before heading out for a day in the rain, I pulled together the ingredients for this Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes and layered them in the trustee slow cooker. I found this recipe in Real Simple magazine, in the “weeknight meals” section, from which I am frequently clipping recipes to test.

All day, dodging in and out from the rain, I’ve been relishing the scent of cinnamon, cocoa, chili powder, and cumin coming from the kitchen. The spices in this dish are really nice. I didn’t find it necessary to doctor up the seasonings at all (unusual!). Topped with sour cream, chopped scallions, and sliced radish, this chili makes a delightful meal paired with cornbread and a mixed green salad. It’s healthy, full of fiber, and very satisfying. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

“Creamy” Soups: White Bean Soup with Rosemary

chezdesblog — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 23:33:52 +0000

Let’s face it. The seasons are changing and soup is BACK. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy soup year ’round. But for those that associate soup with a season, this is it. The farmers’ market is packed with fresh seasonal produce just screaming to jump in the soup pot - squash, potatoes, leeks, corn, carrots, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. In fact, a giant rosemary bush in front of Full of Life Flatbread inspired me to try this recipe for White Bean Soup with Rosemary.

I’ve already got a crush on cannellini beans and this soup only fuels the fire. White and kidney-shaped, cannellini beans are creamy and mild. They make a great addition to dips, stews, casseroles, and salads. Partially pureeing the soup ensures a thick, creamy texture without adding heavy cream. Another great trick for making cream-like soups is to add a tablespoon or two of oats to the mix while simmering, then pureeing the soup. During the simmering process, the oats release their starches. Once pureed, the oats disappear and their creamy texture remains. I use this method when I make carrot soup.

On a final note, I was excited to see fresh tomatillos at market last week. A staple in Mexican cooking, tomatillos look like small green tomatoes (but they’re not), covered in a papery husk. Remove the husk, rinse the fruit, and you’re ready to enjoy these small, tangy treats. I used them for some very tasty Green Chilaquiles with Chicken and Squash. If you follow this link, you’ll find several other recipes relying on tomatillos from one of my favorite sources for information and inspiration, the NY Times Fitness & Nutrition web site. Enjoy!

Chicken Madras Curry

chezdesblog — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 18:41:31 +0000

On Fridays, we like to eat dinner at home. It’s a nice way to unwind from the week and catch up again before the weekend takes off. This past Friday, I had to work (cooking, of course), so I knew in advance that I wanted dinner to be simple, tasty, and comforting. I went to my recipe binder and came across this old favorite – Chicken Madras Curry. Yahtzee!

My friend Jennifer gave me this recipe years ago after having enjoyed it at her house. Ever since, it’s been a standard of mine that continues to satisfy. I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years in the spice department, and I’ve made some substitutes along the way, such as replacing heavy cream with lite coconut milk.

It’s a one-pot meal, which is nice. It calls for a variety of toppings including chopped apple, green onions, raisins, and peanuts or cashews – so everyone can “have it their way.”

The word “curry” actually comes from a word that means “sauce,” and is used to refer any number of spicy, saucy dishes. Curry powders are usually blends of spices, herbs, and seeds. I buy a lot of my spices online from Penzeys. They have an entire page devoted to curry powders, including salt-free blends and tips for choosing the right spice for your tastebuds. Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with Dill-Pistachio Pistou

chezdesblog — Mon, 31 May 2010 04:22:11 +0000

My favorite dish of the week was Grilled Salmon with Dill-Pistachio Pistou. Pistou is a rustic, cold sauce – much like a pesto. This version relies on fresh dill, green onions, toasted pistachios, and olive oil for some serious flavor. So simple! So divine! This is definitely you-worthy and company-worthy.

At the risk of repeating myself, I have to emphasize how important it is to purchase sustainable seafood from a reliable source. Look for signs of freshness that include a fresh ocean-like smell, eyes that appear glassy and clear, and flesh that feels slightly firm and springy to the touch. For more information and guidance, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

If you have any reservations about cooking seafood, just practice. Start with a hot, well-oiled surface and follow the “Canadian Rule,” which suggests cooking fish for 8-10 minutes for every inch of thickness, at its thickest part. That said, a fillet that’s about an inch thick should take 8-10 minutes to cook. Now, get cooking!