Lighter Bites

Garden fresh pasta salad

by Patricia on July 13, 2009 · 4 comments

Pasta salad

I have been craving pasta salad for about a week now. But we were busy last week so I didn’t really have a chance to make any until Saturday. I went out into the garden and found a couple of yellow squash that looked ready to be picked. It turned out they could’ve used a little longer on the vine (the skin was tough and the seeds still had some green around them). But I used it anyway and it was okay… I think we mostly picked around the squash. 

pasta-salad-squash

Some mozzarella in the fridge that needed to be used up and a couple of tomatoes on the counter found their way into the salad. I picked a handful of basil which became a garlicky pesto that was nice on a baguette but really good mixed into the pasta. It was the perfect light dinner after our salami and cheese lunch out on the trail.

We were going to a picnic the next day, but while the batch I made with the garden squash was good enough for me and Dan to eat, I wasn’t comfortable serving the under-ripe squash to others. I wound up making another batch using zucchini and yellow squash from the produce market. It was a great side to hamburgers and hot dogs out in the park.

pasta-salad-pot

This is a good salad for those outdoor summer parties when a mayonnaise based potato or pasta salad might get questionable out in the heat (don’t get me wrong, I like the mayo-based salads too. But warm mayo is icky).

Garden fresh pasta salad
3-4 tablespoons pesto (recipe below… store bought is fine too)
mozzarella (boccocini aka the small balls packed in water or whey or just regular mozzarella cut into chunks)
tomato (grape tomatoes cut in half, or a larger tomato or two, diced)
zucchini and/or yellow squash (about two medium or one large), cut into short strips about the size of your pasta (I used rotini or fusilli)
pasta: fusilli, rotini, or whatever you have on hand… 1 package

1. Cook pasta in salted water for the time on the package (I like to add 2-3 big pinches of salt to the boiling water).
2. About 3 minutes before the pasta is done, add the squash to the pot.
3. Drain and toss with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set aside to cool (or not… if you don’t let it cool, the mozzarella will melt a little which really isn’t so bad but for taking to a party I like to let it cool so that everything is still recognizable).
4. Toss the tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto into the pasta.
5. Enjoy.

Basil Pesto
about 1 to 1 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 to 1 clove of garlic (depending on how garlicky you want)
about 1 tablespoon of pistachios
a pinch of salt
about 1/4 cup of olive oil

1. In a blender or food processor (the food processor worked better for me, but the blender worked too with a little coercion), pulse basil, pistachios, garlic, salt and about half of the olive oil.
2. When it is all minced up, add a little more olive oil until it is the consistency you like (more if you like thinner pesto).
3. Use right away or place in a plastic container with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface, store in the refrigerator.

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BBQ chicken with corn and avocado salad

by Patricia on July 1, 2009 · 7 comments

When I was a kid, my parents owned a fried chicken restaurant for a couple of years (“TJ’s Fried Chicken”… I don’t know who TJ was, they bought the business with the name).  I ate a little too much chicken during those years.  I would go to the restaurant after school to help out cleaning up and sometimes taking orders. My after school snack was anything we served in the restaurant, most of it was fried (chicken, egg rolls, biscuits, rice…) and as an eleven year old, that was A-Okay with me.  But after a couple of years of after school snacks, I was “over” chicken… or as my friend PJ might say “Chicken and I broke up.”  I do still love fried chicken on occasion, but generally I have a love-hate relationship with chicken. So imagine my surprise when I started craving BBQ chicken. Usually when my stomach wants BBQ, I think of ribs or pulled pork or maybe brisket. But chicken? I don’t crave chicken. (Well, except for an occasional perfect roast chicken).

BBQ chicken (up close)

Most of the BBQ chicken that I can remember was just grilled chicken with a too-thick layer of Kraft BBQ sauce slapped on top as the chicken was removed from the grill. But my craving was undeterred… I wanted good barbecue chicken. Could I make it?  Was it possible? Then I picked up the July/August issue of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food and in its pages found barbecue chicken complete with a recipe for a classic barbecue sauce. Kismet?

I’ve already made barbecue chicken twice in the last week. At the risk of sounding immodest, I have to say that my barbecue chicken is fantastique.

BBQ chicken

I started with a whole chicken and cut it into 10 pieces (here is a helpful video from Chow on how to cut a chicken into 8 pieces. I cut the breasts in half so I got 10). Yes, it would be easier to buy a chicken already cut up, but it is usually cheaper to buy a whole chicken, plus you get to keep the back and other bits to make stock later, so I like buying whole chickens. (If you choose to buy a chicken already cut up, I would completely understand. I kind of enjoy it… but then I always liked dissecting things in anatomy class. If that makes me weird, I can accept it).

I seasoned all of the pieces (skin side and underneath) with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

I don’t know a ton about grills. I’m not going to enter into an argument over gas vs charcoal. I bought a Weber Baby Q about five years ago.  I bought it because everyone I spoke to about grills raved about Weber and it has a cast iron grill surface… which I love. Anyway, before I gush too much about my grill let’s move on.  I turned the grill on high to get it scorching hot.  Brushed it off to remove any bits from the last round of grilling. Then carefully with a couple of paper towels wadded up, brushed on some canola oil (Dan suggested paper towels instead of a brush because it also cleans it a little while applying the oil).

I left the grill to heat another 2-3 minutes then arranged the chicken on the grill surface skin side down.  I turned the grill down to medium-high, closed the lid, and set my timer for 10-12 minutes.  There was a lot of sizzling and smoke…  a lot of smoke… which was a little worrisome at first but then I realized that it was just a part of the process for creating perfect grilled chicken (I got the general instructions for grilling chicken from Everyday Food July/August 2009 issue under “Direct Grilling”).  When the timer went off, I flipped the chicken and set the timer again for about five minutes. At the end of this timer, I brushed the chicken with about half a cup of barbecue sauce (recipe below) and closed the grill for another minute or so.  At this point the chicken should be cooked through, but cut through the thickest piece to be sure.  The barbecue sauce should look almost like a glaze… not just a glob of sauce on top (in my opinion).  Forks are optional, napkins mandatory.

Corn and avocado salad

As an accompaniment to the BBQ chicken, I made a corn and avocado salad. It is super simple and tastes like summer.

Recipes

Classic Barbecue Sauce

(adapted from Everyday Food, Jul/Aug 2009)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground mustard
2 cups water
1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper

1. In a medium saucepan over medium, heat oil. Cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add tomato paste and mustard. Cook until brick red in color, about 5 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups water, tomato sauce, molasses, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir until smooth.
4. Bring to a simmer. Partially cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Season to taste with vinegar, salt and pepper.
* cool completely before using.
* Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 4 months.
* Makes 5 1/2 cups.

Corn and avocado salad

5 ears sweet white corn (5 because the sale was 5/$2), cleaned of silks and husks removed
1/2 medium sweet onion, diced

1-2 medium jalapeños, chopped into small dice (use less if you don’t like spicy or replace with a small sweet pepper)

small handful of cilantro, chopped (about 2 tablespoons-ish)
juice of 2 limes
2 medium avocados
salt and pepper

1. Using a knife, cut the kernels from the ears of corn.
2. In a medium bowl, mix corn kernels, onion, jalapeño and cilantro.  Squeeze over the juice of upt to 2 limes (I start with 1 then taste it.  Usually end up using between 1 1/2 and 2, but it probably depends on the size and juiciness of your limes).
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. You can either lay the avocado on top and give it an additional squirt of lime juice, or mix the chopped avocado into the corn.
5. Enjoy.

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Rhubarb-strawberry sorbet

by Patricia on May 29, 2009 · 2 comments

Until a couple of weeks ago, I had never tasted rhubarb. But that first taste was eventful. Dan and I were in San Francisco for the evening. We didn’t have a plan beyond “let’s hang out in the city”. I used to live in SF, albeit briefly (about one year). It’s a great town and while Dan knows his way around SF as well as I do, I wanted to share with him at least a little of my SF. Admittedly, my navigation skills are not precise… one might call them approximate. So after taking the long way around, we finally arrived at Hôtel Biron. This is probably my favorite wine bar, tucked away in an alley behind Market Street (I love hidden gems like this. Partly just for the surprise of it… As you are walking along, your companion is asking himself why this crazy girl is walking toward an obviously closed or abandoned building, then víola you are inside and its lovely)… All brick walls and sort of cave-like, it’s very warm and cozy. I love it-love it.

We began our dinner there with wine and cheese. Dan chose mostly French wines; I think maybe there was something in the air that evening because we were both in a French sort of mood. Which is why when dinner was brought up for real, I suggested a couple of nearby French restaurants. There are two good French restaurants not too far from Hôtel Biron: Zuni Cafe and Absinthe (random note: Jamie from Top Chef is the executive chef at Absinthe. I haven’t eaten there since a year or two before she was on the show, but from what I recall it was excellent then).  Since Zuni was literally around the corner, we started there and perused the menu posted outside. Everything on the menu looked fabulous so we asked for a table.  After the generous portion of wine and cheese at Hôtel Biron, we were both only modestly hungry so we chose to split a few oysters, a frisée salad with goat cheese toasts and an entrée of lamb mixed grill. It was all completely delicious and just enough food to satisfy without feeling overindulged.  Then it was time for dessert.  The first thing that jumped out to me from the menu was a rhubarb upside-down cake with crème fraîche ice cream. Oh my my. It was heavenly.

And so began my obsession with rhubarb. I had never had it before then and so I certainly had never cooked it or even touched it at a store… I’m not sure I had ever even noticed it before to be honest.  Oh sure, I’ve heard all about the one-two punch of strawberry-rhubarb , but I have never crossed paths with it.  Until now… now it’s personal (I am personally offended that rhubarb stayed away from me for so long) and so I am taking things into my own hands.

rhubarb-sorbet-shortbread2

About a week after the upside-down cake epiphany, I walked over to the produce market near my apartment. I was a girl on a mission, on the look out for rhubarb. I bought two pounds.  What the heck am I going to do with two pounds of reddish celery looking stuff? Well, here is where I tell you about how UPS had serendipitously delivered a freezer-bowl attachment for my KitchenAid mixer just earlier that day (I don’t know exactly why UPS delivered it… something about amazon and a moment of weakness… the rest is a blur).

So there I was with two pounds of rhubarb and a spanking new freezer bowl. Add to that a sweetly fragrant pint of strawberries and this is what you end up with: Rhubarb-Strawberry Sorbet.  Tangy and sweet.  Cold and refreshing.  Just the thing to serve to your friends after grilled kebabs out on the deck.

shortbread

The cookies in these photos are to die for… the kind of cookie that elicits a “Ooooh, what are you baking?” from everyone who walks within 10 feet of the kitchen. That warm, buttery vanilla scent goes straight will go straight to your head.  I spotted the recipe on Smitten Kitchen.  It sounded just like what I wanted to balance the sorbet: twice-baked shortbread cookies.  I wanted something that could stand on its own but also not compete with the fruity joy of the sorbet.  These shortbread cookies were perfection.  And while it may seem like a bit much to make two things for dessert, it really wasn’t.  I made the sorbet the night before and the shortbread the day of our dinner party.  To me, sorbet alone is not dessert. It is lovely and delicious. But on its own, sorbet leaves me wanting. Served in a cone, I’m happy. I don’t know why. Maybe that’s just me. But the cookies, like a cone, were a great compliment… a hush fell over the table for a moment as everyone took their first bites of sorbet and shortbread.  It was the perfect end to a delicious meal with friends.

rhubarb-sorbet-shortbread

Rhubarb-strawberry sorbet (adapted from the LA Times)

This mixes up quickly and can be stashed in the refrigerator for the next day for instant sorbet.

3/4 pound rhubarb (5 or 6 thin stalks), trimmed
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup water
10 ounces fresh strawberries (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Cut the rhubarb into half-inch pieces. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, bring the rhubarb, two-thirds cup water and the sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the rhubarb is tender and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

2. Slice the strawberries and purée them in a blender or food processor with the cooked rhubarb mixture and lemon juice until smooth.

3. Chill the mixture thoroughly (a couple of hours or overnight), then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Twice Baked Shortbread: see Smitten Kitchen.

I made the cookies in a round springform pan, then sliced them into long biscotti-like pieces before the second baking.  I also used vanilla-sugar to dust the top (but that’s just because I love to smell the jar of vanilla sugar and will use any excuse to open it).

** I only used about half of the rhubarb I purchased to make the sorbet. What happened to the rest of it? You will have to wait and see. But it’s pretty and its pink. I plan to attempt recreating the rhubarb upside-down cake and the crème fraîche ice cream before rhubarb season is over… I will let you know how that goes.

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Dan’s bruschetta

by Patricia on May 27, 2009 · 1 comment

Yesterday was the first day since Friday that I felt more okay than not.  And I was tired of soup.  So when Dan asked for dinner suggestions I said “Not soup… fresh veggies… something simple”.  I had no idea what I would be having for dinner.  I thought he would maybe come back with a salad and meat of some kind.  But when I got home, Dan was putting baguette slices he had brushed with olive oil into the oven, and was in the process of slicing tomatoes. I asked “what are you making?”.  His response: bruschetta…

dan-bruschetta

I have to admit I was a little surprised. Not because bruschetta is beyond Dan’s capabilities, by any means. He is a very good cook. But because it wasn’t one of our “normal” meals.  You know? After a while you build kind of a repertoire of go-to meals so it is surprising when you walk in on something new.  One of our favorite go-to dinners when we just want super simple is good salami and cheese with baguette (and of course, red wine).  I wasn’t feeling up for wine or salami, so I didn’t expect that last night.  But bruschetta?  That was completely unexpected.

On a normal night (not post-sick), I might have wanted something to supplement the bruschetta, but last night it was the perfect light meal.  And I loved watching Dan work in the kitchen (as much as I love to cook myself, I enjoy watching him cook for me. I think because in my mind, cooking and preparing food is an expression of love).  Anyway, this was really good and super simple.  It would be great as an appetizer or light meal especially as the summer tomatoes start rolling in (I’m hoping our tomato plants start showing some growth soon).
Dan's bruschetta
Dan’s bruschetta

baguette, sliced into rounds
olive oil
goat cheese
tomatoes, sliced
basil
salt (preferably magic salt aka Kosher.  or sea salt)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  To make crostini: brush baguette slices with olive oil. Place on a baking sheet (or directly on the rack in the oven… we used the pizza stone that lives permanently in my oven).  Toast the baguette slices in the oven (about 5 minutes).

2. Spread a little goat cheese on each crostini.  Top with a slice of tomato and a few strips of basil.  Sprinkle with salt.

3. Enjoy it with someone you love. Or at least like.

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Quick and tasty Pho

by Patricia on March 16, 2009 · 4 comments

Who else is tired of the MGD64 commercials? They’re kind of silly. Actually, I’m finding commercials a bit annoying in general lately. Maybe I should pick different content to watch (What? So I like the B movies… Mickey Blue Eyes, Beauty Shop, … is it really so wrong? I’ve been taking a break from cooking shows today. But the MGD64 and Old Navy commercials are getting to me). Oh, anyway. I can’t fight it. I like fluff and bad commercials come with fluff (unless it’s marshmallow fluff. Mm. marshmallows…)

I have made this Pho a few times before and it is extremely quick and produces an intoxicating broth. The anise and cloves with ginger and garlic… they blend beautifully. How to Eat Supper is one of my favorite cookbooks. The authors are the hosts of The Splendid Table on NPR. I haven’t ever actually listened to their show (maybe I should). But their book is wonderful. They have found ways to maximize flavor in short amounts of time, so this Pho even works for a weeknight (if you have the ingredients on hand). The broth is also really good with rice (instead of the rice noodles).

One of the secrets is to roast the spices and other aromatics under the broiler to release the flavors and aromas (star anise is so pretty).

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup with Beef and Fresh Herbs (Pho)

(adapted from The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper: Recipes, Stories, and Opinions from Public Radio’s Award-Winning Food Show)

1 medium onion, thin sliced

4 large garlic cloves, thin sliced

One 2- to 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thin sliced

6 whole cloves

1 whole star anise, bruised; or 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds

fresh-ground black pepper

Four 14-oz cans chicken broth

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)

6 to 8 ounces linguine-style rice noodles

6 to 8 ounces top round steak

1. With the oven rack about 4-6 inches, preheat the broiler. Line a sheet pan with foil.

2. Scatter the onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, anise and 5 grinds of pepper on the foil. Broil for 5 minutes, turning the pieces once. This will toast the edges of some of the onion and release the frangrance of the spices. Scrape everything into a 6-quart pot.

3. Add the broth, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a gentle boil. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, get the rice noodles ready. Put the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover them with hot tap water. Soak the noodles for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are tender but a little firmer than you want.

5. If you are able to slice the beef thin enough, you can just put the beef in the bowl with the noodles and it will cook in the hot broth. I have found though that it is difficult to slice the beef thin enough even if I freeze the beef first. SO I usually throw the meat into the pot for 1-2 minutes before serving.

6. Divide the noodles between 2 bowls. Ladle bubbling broth into the bowls.

7. Serve it with a traditional “table salad” of cilantro, basil, serranos or jalapeños, bean sprouts and lime wedges (oh, and don’t forget the hoisin sauce and Sriracha!)

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