Please excuse the pun – it’s just that I’m always looking for ways to make grilled chicken a little more exciting (who isn’t?), and sometimes an intriguing title or analogy helps entice the family into trying an “exciting” new dish. (This is marketing at its best.) My clan might not be ready to embark on the culinary voyage of “Chicken Souvlaki with Coriander, Turmeric and Mint”, but call something a taco and they’ll be pulling out their Premier cards for early boarding privileges.
With locally sourced food all the rage these days, I thought I’d keep on trend and share some highlights from my backyard vegetable garden. Forty feet from “farm” to table is about as local as it gets. I will warn you, however, that my gardening methods are far from orthodox, and that true gardeners might find some of my admissions scandalous.
For example, I often forego a fall cleanup and leave dead plants in the ground all winter. This is not good garden hygiene! I also let cilantro and dill go to seed every summer, thereby delegating the sowing of next year’s crop to the wind. Rather than double-digging the beds, I let the worms do most of the soil preparation. I don’t even pinch the extra growth off my tomato plants, even though doing so would theoretically improve the fruit quality. The encouraging news is that despite my laissez-faire approach, things still grow! Mother Nature is one of those control-freak moms who gets her way no matter what.
When life gives you 100-degree days, make lemonade. To do so you could squeeze a ton of lemons, strain out the seeds, boil some sugar and water to make simple syrup, mix it all together and make a mess of your kitchen in the process, OR – you could grab a can of MinuteMaid frozen concentrate from the freezer, add it plus 4 1/3 cans of water to a pitcher and end up with almost the same thing in less than one minute. Sold!
I’m not sure why, but this tastes much better than the MinuteMaid premixed lemonade sold next to the orange juice. To make all-natural pink lemonade, add a few frozen raspberries to individual glasses or the whole pitcher. The more you add, the deeper the color and flavor.
During the course of this shoot we learned that frozen raspberries also make a great summer snack!
Cheers to summer!
Last Friday night we hosted a neighborhood association potluck BBQ, which doesn’t seem like a big deal unless you consider that our neighborhood is comprised of over 300 homes, or that I thought it would be fun to cook ribs and sausages instead of the traditional preformed burgers and dogs. We figured somewhere between 60 and 80 adults would show up – that’s a lot of meat! Was I crazy? (My husband thinks so.) But there was a method to my madness: ribs and bratwursts make great party food because they can be cooked a day ahead of time and then just crisped/warmed on the grill right before the party. It will look like you’ve been busy grilling and basting all day, but really you’ve spent more time stashing Barbies and piles of papers out of sight while trying to determine the best wine-to-seltzer ratio for the perfect white wine spritzer. (By the third one I think I got it right, but at that point had given up on measuring and recording.)
Whether you’re feeding 6 or 60, the process for cooking ribs is the same. (And note that this is more of a process than a recipe, so don’t worry too much about measuring; it’s the pre-braising that makes all the difference.) To economically feed our anticipated crowd, I set out to Costco for 3 value packs of pork loin ribs (6 full racks), bratwursts, barbeque sauce and heavy duty aluminum roasting pans. (That was the hardest part! Trips to Costco always wipe me out.) For a smaller family dinner, figure 3 servings per full rack of meaty pork loin ribs (or maybe 2 servings per rack for big appetites).
Once home, I set the oven to 350ºF and cut open the packs of ribs (over the sink – they drip) and set all 6 racks in an aluminum pan. Purists would pat dry the racks and cover with a homemade rub of salt and secret spices. I was in party panic mode at this point so did none of this; instead, I grabbed some seasoning salt from my spice drawer and generously seasoned both sides of each rack.
Love my spice drawer!
Then I poured about ½ a big jug of barbeque sauce (again – not even homemade!) and about a cup of water into the pan, covered ribs with a piece of parchment paper, and then covered the pan tightly with foil.
Into the oven for at least 2 hours, until you smell it and the meat is tender and falling off the bone. (My 7-year-old was driven crazy by the aromas in our kitchen and insisted that this be her dinner; it was.) Take out of the oven (carefully – the pan will be full of liquid) and let cool. Then gently transfer rib racks to a clean pan (one that will fit in your refrigerator), add a little extra BBQ sauce if you like, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. This will firm up the ribs and make them much easier to cut.
Shortly before the party (or dinner), remove the ribs from the refrigerator and cut into 1 or 2-rib pieces. (Cut larger pieces for dinner portions.)
Place pieces meat-side down in a large aluminum pan. (I needed 2 pans for 6 racks of ribs.)
Heat grill to medium-high. If you have a smoker box, add some water-soaked mesquite wood chips. Place pan(s) on top of grill grates and cover grill. Cook about 5-7 minutes until sizzling and meat is starting to crisp. Turn grill to low.
Drizzle with your favorite BBQ sauce – I used 2 different brands (Sweet Baby Ray’s and Anna Mae’s Smokey Sweet Sauce, both from Costco) plus a little bit of hot pepper sauce. You can use any brand or combination or quantity that you like. Use tongs to coat both sides of the rib pieces in BBQ sauce. After coating in sauce, I combined the 2 rib pans to make room on the grill for the brats. (Sausages, not kids!) Once ribs are nicely glazed with sauce and heated all the way through, turn off grill (or alternate between off and low) and serve directly from the grill.
I wish I had set aside some of the ribs for a “beauty shot” (or for a post-party snack), but they disappeared! Nothing was left but a few bones and some crispy scraps (which were tasty). If I can get my act together tomorrow I’ll start another batch for Father’s Day dinner.
FYI, for the brats I just set them all to a pan, added 2 bottles of beer I found in the back of the fridge and one sliced onion, covered with foil and cooked in the oven alongside the ribs. Before the party, I grilled them all to give them some crisp and color, and then served in the beer liquid on the grill. (Serve with sauerkraut, mustard and hoagie-style rolls.)
It’s a recurring theme in life: you don’t appreciate what you’ve got until you no longer have it. For me, I could say this about wrinkle-free skin (kids: wear sunscreen!), having family within an hour’s drive, and fresh Pacific halibut. Growing up near Seattle, I never realized what a novelty and luxury this seemingly-ubiquitous white fish was. In fact, I never really sought it out, unless it was beer-battered and fried. Then I moved away. Then, during a visit home early one summer, my mom made this recipe from BC chef Karen Barnaby’s Pacific Passions cookbook. Whoa – what a revelation! Now I crave halibut but can almost never find it here in New Jersey. I find myself fervently scanning the fish counters about this time each year – awaiting, hoping for the arrival of some glistening white Alaskan halibut filets. Finally, just last week, I struck fish gold.
Alaskan halibut is a mild-tasting, lean and highly versatile fish. I had always assumed it was related to sea bass or grouper, but just recently learned it’s actually the largest member of the flounder family. While I’m still a fan of beer-battered halibut & chips, this recipe (adapted from Karen Barnaby’s) is a go-to for an easy yet restaurant-y (and to my surprise, kid-friendly) meal. At over $25 per pound, though, halibut is a bit (!) of a splurge. By some accounts, a portion of fish is supposed to be 4 ounces, so a pound and a half of halibut should yield 6 servings. (Karen’s recipe calls for 6-ounce portions.) Feel free to adjust the filet/portion size to your preference. If you’re looking to stretch the halibut into smaller portions (like I do), you could serve this with olive oil and garlic-tossed pasta or oven-baked “fries” (recipe below). Also note that you could make this crust topping for any white fish – just adjust the cooking time depending on the thickness of the filet.
Finally – a word on fish skin. It’s just not my thing. I know – this is babyish; I don’t really like organ meats either, which is why I will never be a “real” chef. Anyway, I remove the skin from the halibut filets before preparing this recipe. You could (some might say should) leave the skin on, if your filets come with the skin on, and just place the filets skin-side down on the baking sheet. Or, you could do what I plan to do next time and ask the fish guy to remove the skin for you. (It’s trickier than it looks.)
Pine Nut and Parmesan-Crusted Halibut
Serves 4-6
Heat oven to 425ºF. In a small bowl, combine chopped pine nuts, garlic, basil, parmesan cheese and olive oil.
Place the halibut filets on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Scoop some pine nut mixture with a spoon or your fingers and cover the tops of the halibut filets, pressing and patting lightly to form an even crust. [Can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated for several hours before baking.]
Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-15 minutes (or 10 minutes per inch of fish thickness) until the crust is golden and the fish is opaque and firm but not hard. Hard means overcooked – which can happen quickly, especially when you’re trying to get the crust golden and the rest of the dinner ready. When in doubt, pull it out! (Or – use a digital thermometer; 140º is done.)
Easy Oven Fries
Cook these on the bottom rack of the oven while you’re preparing the fish. Make sure they’ve started to brown and are close to done before adding the fish to the oven.
Heat oven to 425ºF. Wash potatoes and cut into thin (½” – ¾”) wedges. Mound onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. (Enough to coat all sides.) Loosely arrange in a single layer (using additional baking sheets if necessary) and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Bake for 20 minutes or until starting to brown. Use a spatula to flip wedges. (Confession: this isn’t really necessary if you’ve used enough oil; all sides will brown, but the pan-side will be crisper.) Serve immediately, seasoning with more salt if necessary.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. These cookies are highly addictive, and almost impossible to resist when fresh out of the oven. If you ignore my advice and make them anyway, at least don’t do so on an empty stomach.
My daughter Leah would do almost anything for these cookies – which are crisp on the outside, chewy inside, and bursting with Hershey’s Mini Kisses, pecans and toffee bits. If I were the manipulative type I could bake my way to mommy nirvana – beds made, clothes put away, piano practiced, maybe even cat litter scooped! But of course that would be wrong. I make the kids cookies to show how much I love them. But wait – that’s wrong too! Or is it?
Since these cookies are best the same day they’re baked, I usually only bake one sheet pan (12 cookies or 2 servings – kidding!) at a time. I freeze the rest of the dough balls in a Ziploc bag for easy, fresh-baked treats (or bribes) whenever the need arises. (Freeze on a small baking sheet in a single layer first, then transfer to a bag when firm.)
Best-Ever Chocolate Toffee Chip Cookies
Heat oven to 300ºF. (The low temperature is key.) Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. (Each baking sheet should hold 12 cookies.)
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add softened butter and both sugars. Beat (“cream”) until well combined.
Add eggs (crack into a separate bowl so no shell bits get into the batter) and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
With mixer off, sprinkle baking soda and salt over butter/egg mixture, then add the flour. Mix on lowest speed to prevent flour from flying all over the kitchen. Slowly increase mixer speed just until flour is fully incorporated.
Then add pecans, toffee bits (extra credit for making your own Almond Toffee!) and Hershey’s Mini Kisses. Even the most powerful mixer will groan a little at all this. Finish mixing by hand if necessary.
Using a small ice cream scooper or a spoon, form walnut-sized balls. (Gather all inner strength to resist OD’ing on dough.) Place on baking sheet a few inches apart.
Bake for 20-22 minutes (depending on how hot your oven runs or whether the dough balls were frozen); cookies should pale/just barely browned. If using two baking sheets, rotate halfway through baking. Slide parchment sheet with cookies onto a counter to cool slightly and firm up. (I don’t bother with a cooling rack for these cookies – they usually disappear well before they’ve cooled all the way.)
Makes approximately 36 cookies, but we’re usually too busy devouring them to get an accurate count.
I’ve been saying this every year for the past 9 years, but This Is The Best Mother’s Day Ever! I was awoken nice and early – narrowly missing the Tooth Fairy’s departure but in time for sunrise – and presented with a custom-made Breakfast in Bed menu.
After making my selection, I fell back asleep while the Breakfast Fairies worked their magic (under Dad’s supervision). Soon the fairies were back, this time with a tray of goodies, fresh-picked flowers and my Mother’s Day favorite – homemade cards. Those get me every time!
The only thing that could make the day better would be to have my mother here to share in the festivities. A phone call later will have to do, since she’s 2,401 miles away in University Place, WA. Sorry, Mom – I didn’t even get a homemade card in the mail this year! This post will have to do.
Mom gave me this vintage print years ago, after I had flown the nest and settled far from home (in the Garden State of New Jersey, via DC and Paris). I’m not sure she even remembers giving it to me, but I’m a sentimental sap and borderline hoarder so naturally I saved it. With both of us gardeners (she Master, me apprentice), the Goethe quote seems written for us. (Even though I know the term “garden” is meant figuratively; I take similar liberties when interpreting fortune cookies.) To run with the figurative angle, albeit in a slightly different trajectory – is it a coincidence that Mother’s Day is the unofficial start of Gardening Season? After all, don’t mothers plant the seeds, nurture the seedlings, protect them from environmental dangers, beam with pride at harvest time and delight in the cycle’s repeat?
Happy Mother’s Day to my Master Gardener/Mother, Karen, and to all mothers out there. I’m off to plant some bean seeds and tomato seedlings. (More on that soon!)
Why is it that everything tastes better wrapped in dough? Take, for example, the lowly hotdog. Wrapped in puff pastry or even crescent rolls from a tube, it metamorphosizes into Pigs in a Blanket. (Also known as, “the first hors d’oeuvres to disappear from every party.”) My well-bred mother-in-law, who once called my second-hand dining set “disreputable” (and I guess I can see her point – it’s definitely more shabby than chic), established the ritual of serving Pigs in a Blanket on silver trays at every family event. But wait – I’m getting off track. Today’s post is about another pastry-wrapped treat – one perfect for Cinco de Mayo fiestas this weekend: Empanadas!
From the Spanish word for “wrapped in bread”, empanadas can be sweet or savory, baked or fried. My favorites are these baked Turkey Poblano creations, which I make in miniature size for appetizers or a larger size for a meal. The kids love them plain, but for me they’re not complete without Cilantro Lime Sauce for dipping. (Yes – yet another application for this versatile sauce, which one of these days I should figure out how to bottle and sell. That would be one way to get new dining room furniture.)
Cilantro Lime Sauce
The turkey filling is simple to make, and it can be made days ahead or even frozen until you’re ready to assemble the empanadas. If you can find frozen empanada wrappers, just let them thaw and get ready to stuff.
If you can’t find them, you can use frozen puff pastry, pie dough, or this recipe below – which is stretchy and forgiving. The assembly goes fairly quickly, once you get the hang of it. (Just don’t overstuff or you’ll get oozage.) I like to freeze unbaked mini empanadas for almost-instant appetizers – great for any time you have extra Cilantro Lime sauce to use up. (An almost weekly occurrence around here.)
Mini Turkey Poblano Empanadas
To a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add olive oil and onion. Sauté 2-3 minutes until softened.
Add turkey, salt and cumin and cook until no longer pink. (Breaking up turkey clumps with a wooden spoon, as if making tacos.)
Add garlic and sauté another minute. (Garlic can taste bitter if burned, so I add it towards the end of the cooking to be safe. Check out this cool garlic pressing trick: if you leave the clove “wrapped” in its papery skin, you can pull it out after pressing and no little bits get stuck in the holes.)
Back to the empanadas:
Stir in poblanos, salsa verde and sugar (which helps balance the heat and round out the flavors) and bring to a boil to reduce some of the liquid.
Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese and taste for seasoning; add another pinch of kosher salt or sugar if you feel it needs more flavor. Allow mixture to cool before filling empanadas.
(This looks yellow because of the lighting.)
Empanada Dough (makes about 40 4-inch empanadas)
In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Add water and oil all at once and stir to combine.
The dough should come together but not feel sticky. Add a little extra flour if necessary. The dough may not look pretty, but this is OK.
Assembling Empanadas
Heat oven to 400ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.
For appetizer-size using premade empanada wrappers or dough, cut out 3” circles with a biscuit cutter or empty can. Gather excess dough and roll flat with rolling pin. Cut out additional circles until all dough is used.
If using homemade dough, shape into walnut-sized balls. (You should get about 40.) With a rolling pin, roll dough flat into 3”- 4” circles.
Spoon cooled filling into the centers of the dough circles. As a rough guide, use a heaping teaspoonful (the ice cream eating kind of spoon, not measuring kind) of filling for 2 ½ -3” circles or a heaping tablespoon for 4” circles. I try to get in as much filling as I can, though I often pay the price with messy-looking empanadas that burst open while baking. Just be sure to leave a ½”+ margin around the entire edge of the circle.
If you’re using cut-out circles, you will seal them using beaten egg and a fork crimp. Beat one egg and brush along the edges/margins. Fold the circle in half and press edges together to seal. Set onto prepared baking sheet and crimp edges with a fork.
If you’re rolling out homemade dough balls, you can seal with a “twisted rope” closure instead of the egg and fork method. Fold the dough over the filling to make a ½-circle and press to seal edges. Starting at the top, fold dough up and over in a twisting motion, until all edges are sealed. Tuck the end of the twist under the empanada and place on baking sheet.
No one will care if the twisty rope edges aren’t perfect.
Freeze any unused filling or spoon it into taco shells.
Just before baking, beat 1 egg (or use what was left from sealing ) and brush onto tops of empanadas. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake at 400ºF for 12-20 minutes (depending on type of dough used, size of empanadas and whether they were frozen), until golden brown.
Serve with Cilantro Lime sauce (or any other salsa) for dipping. Good piping hot, warm, room temperature or even cold from the fridge!
Who doesn’t love a festive dessert? Better yet – who doesn’t love a festive dessert that requires no baking, comes together in minutes and keeps the kids from fighting for a blissful 10 minutes?
Enter Noodle Nests – salty-sweet little nests made from chow mein noodles and white chocolate chips. I didn’t invent this recipe, but maybe I’m the first one to fill the nests with pastel “M&M’s”® candies? (I swear I’m no longer on the Mars payroll, but – ahem – perhaps I should be?)
The great thing about no-bake treats like these is that you can get right to the fun part – decorating. You can use anything you like to fill the nests – we opted for Peanut “M&M’s”® (because I couldn’t find any Almond) and JellyBelly jellybeans. Speckled malted milk eggs work well, or for a Martha-chic natural look you could go with unwrapped solid chocolate eggs (i.e., Hershey’s or Dove®).
Noodle Nests
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium microwaveable bowl, add white chocolate chips and vegetable oil. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until chips have melted and mixture is smooth. (These Trader Joe’s chips took about 1 minute total.) 
Add chow mein noodles and stir gently to coat.
Drop mixture by the spoonful onto parchment-lined baking sheets to form nests. If there is any white chocolate mixture left in the bowl, drop that onto the center of the nests to help the candies adhere.
Decorate the nests with candy eggs. Place baking sheets with completed nests in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to solidify. Store in an airtight container.
Makes approximately 18 nests.
To a large mixing bowl, add two cats . . .
Comfort in a bowl! (These cats are no fools.) Happy April.
Subee's Kitchen 