Potato Peel Pie - well, kind of...

I belong to a book club that meets about once per month. The rules are pretty lax and that suits me fine.  Some months there are just three of us in attendance-other months several more show up. Sometimes people haven't even read the book they just show up for the social time - I like that too. The general rule is if you select the book you host the meeting.  There is always some wine to drink and some food to eat. One participant, Bonnie, is an incredible planner, blogger, mother, wife and cook and always serves a beautiful table. Our leader Stacy, a professional photographer, wife, and dog breeder lives way out in the country and builds bon-fires for us to discuss our latest read. Robin, my girl friend, mother and recent returnee to the work world has a husband/chef who owns a fabulous restaurant, here in town, where we can all meet.  I'm really not sure if it is a club that is about books or a club that is about food, but I have come to realize that it is a club about friends.

February was my month to host. I had selected  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The book is a delightful read and tells a fictional story about the lives of folks living and held against their will by the Germans during World War II. It speaks about their hard lives and lack of food and how they had to make something out of nothing to keep from starving to death.  The potato peel pie is one such dish.  After a bit of research I found this pie is as fictional as the characters in the book.  If you did try to create it the taste would be a bit like wallpaper paste.

The February 2011 issue of Cuisine at home magazine featured a one-skillet meal called the Grape Pickers' Skillet that I thought might be a good stand in for the potato peel pie. As you will see it has plenty of potatoes, but also includes cheese, onions and bacon-there is no taste of paste here!

Grape Pickers' Skillet
with chicken

Makes 8 servings
Total time: about 1-3/4 hours

Line:
10 oz. bacon strips
2 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme

Layer:
2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup shaved Gruyere cheese, divided
Salt and black pepper
1-1/2 cup cooked shredded chicken
1 cup leeks
1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Line an 8-inch cast-iron skillet with bacon, covering the bottom and the sides and leaving a third of each strip hanging over the sides. Sprinkle thyme over bacon. (This looks like spokes on a wheel.)
Layer half the potatoes onto bacon and thyme, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Gruyere over potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering with chicken and 1/4 cup Gruyere. Continue layering with leeks, garlic, remaining potato slices, salt and pepper, and remaining Gruyere.
Fold hanging pieces of bacon strips to the center of the skillet, covering entire top. Transfer skillet to stove top and cook over medium heat, 10 minutes.
Cover skillet with foil, transfer to oven and roast 30 minutes. Remove foil and roast until bacon is crisp and potatoes are fork-tender, 30 minutes more. Let meal rest 10 minutes, then drain drippings and loosen edges to serve.

According to Cuisine the Grape Pickers' Skillet was "[n]amed for the peasant dish of layered potatoes encased in bacon [and]... was a favorite of grape pickers in France's Burgundy region." True or not this is a delicious meal for either breakfast, lunch or dinner and if you have some leftover will reheat nicely. Life is good - enjoy!

Hungry Girl's Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

Have you heard about Hungry Girl?  If you haven't I have to say this is a girl after my own heart. She likes food, she wants to eat it and yet doesn't want to gain weight, so she had to start looking at food in a different way. On her website she describes herself  as "... not a nutritionist.  She's just hungry." The site goes on to list "Lisa Lillien (aka Hungry Girl) [as] a New York Times bestselling author and the creator of the Hungry Girl brand. She is the founder of www.hungry-girl.com, the free daily email service that entertains and informs hungry people everywhere.  Lisa is a typical woman battling the same food issues most females struggle with every day. Lisa considers herself a “foodologist,” not because she has some kind of fancy degree, but because she is obsessed with food –– how wonderful it is, and how much of it she can eat and still fit into her pants.  Lisa has over 1,000,000 fans that receive her emailed tips and tricks for reducing calories in the everyday foods we eat. 


The Indianapolis Star published one of her recipes in their November 18, 2009 issue. I recently made it and it is delicious.


SASSY SALSA PUMPKIN SOUP


Serves 4 - one generous cup
Ingredients:

• 4 cups fat-free broth (chicken or vegetable)
• One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup canned sweet corn kernels
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

      Optional Toppings: shredded low or fat-free cheese, fat-free sour cream, chopped     scallions

Directions:

1)  Spray a medium pot with non-stick spray and bring to medium heat on the stove. Place garlic in the pot. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and spices and bring to a simmer.

2)  Add pumpkin and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, stir and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3)  If you like, top each cup with any of the optional ingredients before serving

Nutrition:

177 calories; 1 g. of fat; 991 mg. of sodium; 35 g. carbs; 8.5 mg. of fiber; 9 g. protein

 Use reduced sodium broth to reduce the sodium level in the soup.

This soup is great served with a salad or a piece of crusty bread, and you don't have to be a girl to like it. Life is good - enjoy!

Vegetarian Tofu Chili

I know the title of the post is probably off-putting to most of my omnivore friends. Tofu - YUK! I hope that this chili will change the way you feel about it. I now prefer it to the chili dishes  I make with ground beef or beef chuck.


Last year Mike and I began eating at least one meatless day per week.  We now eat about 50% of our meals without using meat.  I found this recipe at about.com. This web site is described by google as "a valuable resource for content that helps people to solve the large and small needs of everyday life." We have several vegetarian and vegan friends and wanted to be able to serve them the same dish, sans meat, that our meat eating friends were having.  This was perfect.




VEGETARIAN TOFU CHILI

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 14 oz package of firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 28 oz can whole or diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 28 oz can kidney beans, drained
• 3 tbsp sugar

Preparation:

In a large pot, sautee the tofu in the vegetable oil over medium high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the onions, green pepper, garlic, mushroms, chili powder, salt and pepper, cayenne and cumin. Cook until veggies are just barely tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce, whole or diced tomatoes, beans and sugar. Bring to a slow simmer. Cover and allow to cook for at least 45 minutes.

I hardly ever use kidney beans.  I think they are hard even after cooking for 45 minutes.  I like to mix it up choosing a mix of either black, pinto, chili or cannellini beans. This makes eight entree servings and freezes really well.

Today in Columbus, IN we are enjoying a wonderful snow storm.  It is a great day for a hot steaming bowl of chili.  Life is good - enjoy!

Fettuccine With Scallops and Lime

Last nights dinner was in a word FANTASTIC! Thanks once again to my newest BFF Chef Cat Cora for a meal that makes me feel like I could actually have a dinner party. The cumin coated scallops browned and cooked just the way Chef Ramsey abused, I mean instructed. This dish is spicy hot but the avocado and butter makes it creamy, smooth and rich. I would actually pay for this dish in a restaurant. The best part is that it only takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

Photograph by Mike Johnston

Fettuccine With Scallops and Lime

Serves 4 to 6

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 16 medium scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 pound fettuccine
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fish stock or store-bought low-sodium stock
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup cilantro plus more for garnish
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced

Instructions:

Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, and bring to a boil.

In a large bowl, toss the scallops with the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Let sit for 10 minutes.

When the water boils, stir in the fettuccine and cook until it's al dente, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until it begins to shimmer but not smoke. Add the scallops and cook, turning with tongs, until almost cooked through, about 1 minute per side. With a slotted spoon, transfer the scallops to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

Pour the stock into the pan and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. When the pasta is al dente, 9 - 11 minutes, drain it, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.

Add the red pepper flakes, lime zest, and half of the butter to the stock, whisking until the butter is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the remaining butter and whisk until the sauce has thickened. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss; add the cilantro and toss again. If the mixture isn't saucy enough, add some of the reserved pasta water. Divide the pasta among the serving bowls. Distribute the scallops and sliced avocado evenly among the bowls, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve immediately.

Cat gives a twist on this recipe. I will probably try it when I make this next time.  It is called the tequila twist. She says "[a]fter you've cooked the scallops on both sides, pour in 1/2 cup tequila (stand back!) and flambe. With a slotted spoon, transfer the scallops to a platter, pour the stock into the pan, and proceed as directed."

Since I live in the mid-west there is no such thing as a fresh scallop. I have to buy mine frozen.  One trick I have learned is they will not brown unless you dry them.  I wrap mine in a tea towel and press down on them gently to remove the water. 

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did. It's quick, easy and will truly impress your friends and neighbors.

Life is good - enjoy!

Cat Cora's Chopped Vegetable Salad

Every cook I know loves a new cookbook.  There is something seductive about them.  Most have glossy pictures that make us think we can be great chefs. Cookbooks let us dream about what could be.  There is something about holding a cookbook - flipping through the pages of one that your mother or grandmother owned and seeing all the little specks of history -  their handwritten notes about what was good and what was not, or what they changed to make the recipe better. I hope that electronic readers don't replace my beloved cookbooks - it just won't be the same.


This week my copy of Cat Cora's Classics With A Twist arrived in the mail. According to Wikipedia Cat was born in Jackson, MS, attended the Culinary Institute of American and was the only female winner of the Food Network's Iron Chef. The books jacket describes its contents as "...casual fare that looks as if you spent hours on it (but it takes a fraction of the time)..."


On Sunday I made the Chopped Vegetable Salad.  The salad has a lot of flavor and textures is light and delicious. I halved the vinaigrette for the two of us but made the entire recipe of vegetable salad (used only 1 avocado) and doubled the salad greens.

Photograph by Mike Johnston

Chopped Vegetable Salad
Mustard Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup almond oil or safflower oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Whisk together the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oils, one at a time, whisking constantly, until the vinaigrette is thick and creamy. Add the salt and pepper and set aside. (The vinaigrette can be made 1 to 2 days ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.)

Chopped Salad

• 1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup trimmed and chopped green beans
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels raw or cooked
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped jarred artichoke hearts
• 2 large avocados, chopped
• 1/2 cup peeled and chopped tomato
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mixed greens of choice (curly endive, chicory, or baby lettuce), cut or torn into bite-sized pieces.

To Blanch the vegetables: Using a fine-meshed basket or a slotted spoon, dip the carrots in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, removing them while they're still crisp and bright. Cool them in the ice bath, then scoop them out, let them drain for a few seconds, and place them in a large bowl. Add more ice to your ice bath and repeat the blanching process with the green beans, transferring them to the ice bath while they're still bright green, cooling and draining them in the same manner and adding them to the bowl with the carrots.

For the Salad:  Add the onion, corn, celery, and artichokes to the bowl. Just before you're ready to serve, add the avocados and the tomato. Gently toss the vegetables with about half the vinaigrette until they're lightly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and gently toss once more.

Toss the greens with the remaining vinaigrette, but use a light hand. Taste the salad and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Divide the salad greens among four salad plates. Mound the chopped vegetables on the greens and serve.

I served this with a crusty Tuscan White Boule and glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc. 


Life is good-enjoy!

Mexicali Sliders With Cajun Yam Fries

I recently read about a young vegan chef, named Chloe Coscarelli,  who won a contest on the Food Network show called “Cupcake Wars”.  She made beautiful cupcakes WITHOUT butter and eggs and won. I was intrigued thinking that anyone who can bake without these two ingredients and win a contest against other chefs has some secrets to share with the rest of us. I was right. There were the two winning cupcakes:

                

If you want to try your hand at making her winning raspberry tiramisu cupcakes you can follow this link: http://www.chefchloe.com/blog/2/16-new-winning-recipe-raspberry-tiramisu-cupcakes.html.

Many years ago I tried being a vegetarian.  It was boring and the food I ate just wasn’t that exciting. More recently I have tried to incorporate vegetarian and vegan meals into my weekly diet.  I know several people who don’t eat meat but eat convenience foods that make them think they do.  I’m talking about those fake burgers and chicken patties, fake sausage and fakein-bacon.  I ate  these things as well, thinking how healthy I was being, until  I looked at the ingredient list on the backs of the boxes.  You may as well be eating pesticides for all the chemicals they put in to make it tastes like meat. But today things are changing.  There are wonderful cooks like chef Chloe who are taking healthy ingredients and transforming them into meals that we can all love.

This past weekend I made her Mexicali Sliders and Cajun Yam Fries.  The sliders are out of this world.  Since I didn’t have small buns I divided the slider mixture into four 5oz. patties.  These sliders are slippery and the best way to eat them is with a knife and fork.  We pitched the top bun - it just wasn’t necessary.

Photograph taken by Chef Chloe

Mexicali Sliders

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
12-15 mini buns/rolls for sliders or 6-8 regulars sized hamburger buns
Sliders                                                                                                       
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, small dice
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small carrot, finely diced or shredded (about ½ cup)
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
¼ cup water

My Patties before pan frying

Spicy Mango Sauce
1 mango, peeled and cut
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, whole or sliced
1 garlic clove

1 tablespoon vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar, but any kind will do)

1/8 teaspoon salt

Guacamole
3 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pitted, and peeled
½ lime, juiced
¼ cup salsa fresca
sea salt and black pepper

Procedure:
Sliders
1.    In a large skillet, sauté onions in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until tender and slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.
2.    In a large bowl, use a large spoon or your hands to mash together beans, carrots, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, chili powder, salt, cilantro, ¼ cup water, and caramelized onions. If mixture is too dry to hold together, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time.
3.    Using your hands, form mini burger patties that match the size of your buns or mini slider rolls.
4.    In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium/high heat and fry patties. Let each patty get browned and slightly crisp on each side before flipping (about 3 minutes on each side). Add more olive oil to skillet as you continue to fry more patties.
Spicy Mango Sauce
1.    Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Guacamole
1.    In a large bowl, mash together the avocado and lime juice, then fold in the salsa fresca.
2.     Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assembly
1.    Slice each roll or bun in half and layer a couple teaspoons of mango sauce, 1 black bean slider, and about a tablespoon of guacamole. If you have extra mango sauce, you can use it as a dip for your fries!

Cajun Yam Fries

Photograph by Chef Chloe

Serves about 3 people
Ingredients:
1 large yam, peeled and cut into ¼ thick fries
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

Procedure:
1.    Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2.    Toss yam sticks with oil, salt, and Cajun seasoning. Spread out evenly on a half sheet tray. If multiplying the recipe, use a separate sheet tray for each yam.
3.    Bake for 15 minutes then flip fries with a spatula. Rotate pan and bake for another 10-15 minutes until nicely browned and crisp looking.

This is soul satisfying food.  Although this meal took some time the leftover sliders kept well under refrigeration for several days. Thanks to chef Chloe and to the many other cooks and nutritionists who are helping us enjoy great vegan cooking.


Life is good - enjoy!

Indiana Goats & A Farm Called Capriole

When Mike and I made the move from Indianapolis to Columbus, IN our intent was to locate a small farm for me to run.  I wanted to do the usual gardening and canning and mix in some chickens and goats. As it turns out we purchased a house in town with a swimming pool and an ordinance against barnyard animals. I often wonder if we did the right thing but for now I am content. We spent last Sunday going to an open house at a place called Capriole.  They make farmstead cheeses from their goat herd. They purchased the land in 1976, the year I graduated from college, and have grown their business selling cheeses across the United States. If you have a Whole Foods close by you can try Capriole cheeses.

The farm is located in Greenville, IN about 125 miles south of Indianapolis and a stones throw from Louisville, KY. The view on your left shows their residence.  Upon our arrival we were treated to three selections of locally brewed beer and several selections of fresh goat cheeses. We had made reservations for a lunch that consisted of a mixed grill of Capriole (I'm talking goat sausage) and Fiedler Farm sausages. (Fiedler Farms website is incomplete but they sell grass fed beef and grass-fed lamb in Rome, IN.)  A spring potato salad with asparagus and goat cheese topped with a mint vinaigrette and bread from the Blue Dog Bakery located in Louisville, KY. Desert was a strawberry rhubarb short cake with Grand Marnier Chantilly. Although the weather was cool and rainy we throughly enjoyed our meal while seated under a large tree and sharing a bottle of Starborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  We could have done a local wine but I'll let you in on a little secret - Indiana does a lot of things well but wine in not one of them!
After lunch we made our way around the lovely landscaped lake towards the barns that housed the star attractions - Goats!

Here is a selection of what we got to see.

They call her #60                                                                                                        

                                          

Anybody got any food?

The recipe I selected for today's post comes from the August 2007 issue of Cuisine Magazine.  It can be a side dish or an appetizer. 

Marinated Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 torn fresh sage leaves
• 1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 T. chopped fresh oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 roma tomato cut into 4 slices
• 4 slices of goat cheese (chevre) from 1/4" to 1/2" thick

Combine oil, herbs and garlic for the tomatoes in a shallow baking dish. Toss panko, salt and pepper in a second shallow dish.

Season tomato slices with salt and pepper, then coat tomatoes and goat cheese in oil-herb mixture.

Dredge both sides of goat cheese in crumbs and arrange on tomato slices; transfer tomatoes to a baking sheet. (You can use the left over oil mixture to marinate pork or chicken if you like)

Broil tomatoes and cheese until crumbs are golden, 1 to 2 minutes.  

The amazing thing is that the cheese will not melt - it just becomes creamy and will melt in your mouth. It doesn't melt because it doesn't have the high fat content that other cheeses have.

If you have the time take a look at the Capriole web site.  They list many recipes using goat cheese some are savory and some are sweet - they all sound delicious.  You can also purchase their cheeses on-line for yourself or as gifts.

Life is good - enjoy!