Strawberry Picking

We are very fortunate to have a wonderful orchard right around the corner from our home. Their season kicks off with strawberries, and this weekend we took a trip there for the first time. I cannot wait to go back later in the summer to reap more rewards! The peach and apple trees are just beautiful, and you can tell that they have been there for a very long time.

There aren't many places left on this Earth that are like Vessey's Orchard. We drove down a long driveway that ends at a beautiful, old colonial home. An ancient man came out, asked us how many quarts we'd be picking that day (at $1 per quart, we bought 10!), and told us where we'd find the strawberry fields. You could just tell that he'd done this many times before, and I don't know, it was just comforting.

Needless to say, we had a wonderful time picking these little red gems. We were a little late I think, next year I'd like to go back in the middle of May...when you don't have to work so hard looking for pristine berries. No strawberry bought in the produce section of any mega-mart could ever come close to the flavor! I wish I had taken more pictures. But, picking was alot of work. And, the baby was ready for lunch. So I just ended up snapping a few in a rush!

If you get an opportunity to go out and harvest your own of, well, just about anything...do it! Even though it's a little bit of work, the rewards you will reap are well worth the effort.

Menu Plan Monday #1

I'm participating in Menu Plan Monday for the first time this week. I plan two weeks worth of meals at a time, so new and different ideas are always welcomed. I don't think I'm alone either... so, here's hoping I find some there, and maybe help a few as well!

Weekly Menu #1 (June 1, 2008 - June 7, 2008)

Monday: Chicken on rotisserie, smashed sour cream and chive red potatoes, corn on the cob

Tuesday: Fried pork chops w/pepper gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans

Wednesday: Chicken tortellini soup, crusty bread, green garden salad

Thursday: Seared scallops with citrus risotto

Friday: homemade pan pizza with pepperoni, onion, and black olives

Saturday: Bacon, lettuce, avocado, and tomato sandwiches

Sunday: ancho-marinated chicken burritos, cilantro-lime rice, guac, and pico de gallo

Steamed Shrimp

The essence of summer. Although, very hard to do right. Luckily, I have just the formula...and it's so simple! My mother learned this simple technique from a local fishmonger years ago, and it's not failed us yet.

2 quarts water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
black and white peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Old Bay (or any seafood seasoning)
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Combine water, vinegar, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once water comes to a boil, add shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the water comes back to a boil. Remove from heat and drain IMMEDIATELY once water returns to boil. Remove bay leaves and toss shrimp with seafood seasoning. Serve with cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Wanted something different for dinner, but not too complicated. This was in a recent edition of Cooks Illustrated, and seemed like a winner. Turned out delicious! Very good dinner for fall too. Since it's (finally!) been getting chillier outside, I've lusted for things that were warm and filling, and this really fit the bill. I served with jasmine rice and a nice piece of crusty ciabatta bread.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Cooks Illustrated - 9/2007

This dish is best when prepared with whole-milk yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be substituted. For a spicier dish, do not remove the ribs and seeds from the chile. If you prefer, substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper for the garam masala. The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken. Serve with basmati rice.

Serves 4 to 6

Chicken Tikka

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp table salt
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note above)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp garam masala (see note above)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

Meatloaf Appreciation Day!

I'm a bit late posting this, as Meatloaf Appreciation Day was October 18th. So, please forgive me. This recipe is another from the wonderful Cook's Illustrated, and is fabulous. So mane meatloaf recipes call for a mixture of beef/pork/and veal, which I'm not too crazy about. This recipe is kind of strange in that it includes powdered gelatin. It's essential though, in that the gelatin mimics the the qualities of veal...gives it tons of extra moisture, which is key to a great meatloaf. The glaze is awesome too, the coriander and cider vinegar really gives it that extra "oomph!". I wasn't even a fan of meatloaf, wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole, until I came across this recipe. I served it alongside roasted garlic mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. Enjoy!

All Beef Meatloaf
Cook's Illustrated - January 2006

3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated on small holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 medium rib celery , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium clove garlic , minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (powdered)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup crushed saltines
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound ground sirloin

Glaze
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread cheese on plate and place in freezer until ready to use. Prepare baking sheet--cover a broiler pan or a cookie cooling rack with two layers of foil and punch holes in it so fat can drain. Then put pan or rack in another pan to catch drips and prevent your oven from smoking you out of the house.

2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown. Add garlic, and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside to cool.

3. Whisk broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, saltines, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion mixture. Crumble frozen cheese into coarse powder and sprinkle over mixture. Add ground meat; mix gently with hands until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Transfer meat to foil rectangle and shape into 10 by 6-inch oval about 2 inches high. Bake 55 to 65 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven and turn on broiler.

4. While meat loaf cooks, combine ingredients for glaze in small saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Spread half of glaze evenly over cooked meat loaf with rubber spatula; place under broiler and cook until glaze bubbles and begins to brown at edges, about 5 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven and spread evenly with remaining glaze; place back under broiler and cook until glaze is again bubbling and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Let meat loaf cool about 20 minutes before slicing.

Viva enchiladas!

We just got the new range (dual-fuel baby!) installed on Thursday, so I've been having fun making all our favorites that we haven't been able to have for the past 3 months. DH couldn't decide on what he wanted his first meal that he chose (I had chosen chicken marsala the night before), so I suggested enchiladas. His eyes lit up, and I knew that was a winning suggestion. I got this recipe (I've changed it a bit) from Cook's Illustrated several months ago, and it's delicious. I will add a bit of cayenne to the spices to kick up the heat a bit if it's just DH and I. These will freeze quite well too.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

1 medium onion , chopped fine
1 tsp. vegetable oil
3 medium cloves garlic , minced
3 tbsp. chili powder
3 tsp. ground cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts)
8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tbsp. pickled jalapenos, chopped
chopped1 fresh jalapeno, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas
Vegetable cooking spray
1 lime , cut into wedges (for serving)
Salt
Ground black pepper

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the onion, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

2. Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the thickest part registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside to cool. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the onions to extract as much liquid as possible. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces. Toss together the shredded chicken, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup of the cheddar, the jalapeños, and cilantro, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40 to 60 seconds. Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean work surface. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla around the filling and lay them seam-side down in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

5. Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the enchiladas to coat them thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.

6. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheese browns, about 5 minutes longer. Serve, passing the remaining 1 cup sauce and the lime wedges separately.

Too many tomatoes!

I planted quite a few varieties of tomatoes this year. Most of them are heirloom varieties (Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Old German, Anna Russian) but I was fortunate enough to find the kind of sauce tomatoes, the San Maranzano. They are very similar to roma (or plum) tomatoes, but are a bit meatier and less acidic. At any rate, I have them coming out of my ears at this point, and decided to make a fresh tomato sauce. With this heatwave we've been having, I diddn't want something too heavy. I decided a fresh tomato sauce tossed with pasta would be perfect. I used penne rigate, that I had cooked just short of al dente. Then, I added the cooked pasta to the sauce and cooked for an additional minute or two. Topped with some good parmigiano-regiano cheese, and some basil for garnish. Ahh, I'm going to miss summer!

Fresh Tomato Sauce

2 pounds fresh San Maranzano or Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped (any tomato will do, I used a large Brandywine in my last batch)

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced

1 tsp. kosher salt

8 fresh basil leaves

Heat olive oil until shimmering over medium high heat. Add garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add fresh tomatoes and salt, and stir. Once the sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat to low. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to the desired thickness. Tear basil into smaller pieces and add to the sauce in the last few minutes of cooking. Can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.