Malaysian Chicken Satay

Our favorite chicken satay recipe from Cradle of Flavor. A good reason to fire up the grill for the first time of the season.

Cheese Fondue (Fondue au Fromage)

We got a fondue pot for a wedding present, over 2 years ago, and we don't use it often enough, but we both like fondue. We've made this recipe for cheese fondue before, with and without the tomato chutney. Oddly, the instruction booklet that came with the fondue pot had no recipes for a standard cheese fondue (although there was a "French Brie and Onion Fondue," which doesn't appear at all in the French language section of the booklet), they were all various forms of meat fondues and dips. Then we noticed that the French side of the instruction book has several pages of information about cheese fondues, plus 9 different recipes. I guess they thought that English speakers wouldn't like them (the German is intermediate, with a single cheese fondue recipe).

I would like to translate the whole cheese fondue section of the French section, but for now, here is the first recipe. It is practically the same as two versions available online, in French and English, but with its own campy flair:

The Classic Recipe

proportions, per person:

150-180 g Gruyère (grated or cut into thin strips)

100 mL white wine

1 tsp. lemon juice

150-180 g bread

and in addition, for the fondue:
1 clove garlic
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 shot of Kirsch
pepper (or grated nutmeg or paprika to taste)

After rubbing the interior of the fondue pot with the garlic clove, add the wine and lemon juice. Place it over a live fire, and, when hot, add the grated cheese, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.

When the mixture has begun to boil, add the cornstarch, having previously dissolved it in the Kirsch, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Your fondue is ready. You may proudly bring your culinary work to the table and place it over the lighted burner. Complete the seasoning with pepper, nutmeg or paprika to taste.

Do not forget to stir the fondue occasionally while eating to keep it well mixed. Little by little, at the bottom of the pot, the grillon will form. It must be divided fairly, for it is the best part...

The ambiance is created and gaiety reigns...

The literal translation for grillon is "cricket", but I suspect that his usage is unrelated, derived instead from griller, to grill or broil.

English booklet cover:












French booklet cover:

Orange Chicken

I was looking for an orange chicken recipe that doesn't require deep frying. This one was OK, but I should have been more careful to dry off the marinaded chicken before dredging it in flour - it made a gooey mes in the bottom of the wok. The sauce was good.

It's a lot like General Tso's chicken - it's not that hard, but makes a mess an takes several steps. In the end there are a lot of simpler meals that are just as good.

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas

Finished off the last of the turkey with the great after-Thanksgiving turkey enchiladas. I like jazzing up a canned sauce, which makes it much better but faster than starting from scratch.

I used green enchilada sauce, pepper jack cheese, and didn't bother deep frying the corn tortillas or saving sauce in a gravy boat. It was very good.

The Great After-Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas

Bon Appétit | November 1998

Serves 6. ingredients 3 tablespoons plus ½ cup vegetable oil 1¾ cups finely chopped onions 1 28-ounce can enchilada sauce 5 plum tomatoes, finely chopped 1½ teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chilies* 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 3 cups coarsely shredded cooked turkey 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese ¾ cup sour cream 12 5- to 6-inch corn tortillas *Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce are sold at Latin American markets, at specialty foods stores and at some supermarkets. preparation Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1½ cups onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes and chipotles. Cover; simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in ½ cup cilantro. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Mix turkey, 1½ cups cheese, sour cream, ¼ cup onions and ½ cup cilantro in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish.

Spoon 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2 1/2 cups sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Rewarm remaining sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat.

Transfer to sauceboat. Serve enchiladas, passing sauce separately.

Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Spread ½ cup sauce in 13 × 9 × 2-inch glass baking dish.

Spoon ¼ cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2½ cups sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with ½ cup cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Rewarm remaining sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat.

Transfer to sauceboat. Serve enchiladas, passing sauce separately.

Okra-Free Gumbo

Inspired by an article from the Sunday New York Times, I thought I'd try to turn some of our abundance of greens into gumbo. This recipe sounded interesting, and uses lots of random greens instead of okra. I used spinach, bok choy and arugula. We didn't have collards, and threw out our turnip and beet greens last week, or I would have used them.

It was very good, but could have used a little thickener. I added some chicken stock, sausage and frozen shrimp to the base and served it over rice. I would try filé powder next time. We have 6 cups of the base frozen for future use.

I used some cajun seasoning mix instead of the paprika, cayenne, cloves and allspice, and green Tabasco instead of Pickapeppa sauce. the seasonings were about right, but there is a lot of room for playing with them.

Gumbo Zeb from The Passionate Vegetarian

Roux:
½ c mild vegetable oil
½ c unbleached all-purpose flour

Vegetable Saute:
4 T margarine
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
½ bunch celery with leaves, chopped
½ large bunch scallions, chopped

Seasoning Puree:
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 T Pickapeppa sauce
2 T tomato paste
2½ t Tabasco
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
½ t paprika
¼ t cayenne
¼ t ground allspice
¼ t ground cloves
3 to 4 good grinds of fresh black pepper
1 can (8 oz.) whole tomatoes, drained, coarsely choped, the juice and tomatoes reserved separately
½ bunch Italian parsley, leaves and stems, rinsed and coarsely chopped

Stock and Greens:
Cooking spray
3 c any well-flavored vegetable stock
1 c tomato juice or V8 juice
½ t salt
2 bay leaves
3 bunches assorted greens, well washed and cut into ribbons

Make the roux with the oil and flour: Pour the oil into a large skillet or pot. Turn the heat to medium and immediately whisk in the flour. Stir frequently as the roux changes color from white to yellow to fairly brown. While the roux cooks, proceed with the other steps, but be sure to keep an eye on it, stirring very frequently. Warning--this is a long, slow process requiring attention.

Prepare the vegetable saute: In a heavy cast-iron skillet, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery, lower the heat slightly and continue sauteing for another 10 minutes. (Don't forget the roux--keep stirring it while the vegetables saute.) Add the scallions and saute until limp, about 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, between the sauteing and the roux-stirring, you will have time to prepare the seasoning puree. Place all the ingredients for the seasoning puree except the tomatoes and parsley in a food processor. (Pause to stir both roux and vegetable saute.) Buzz the puree ingredients until the garlic is finely chopped.

Check the roux again, then add the tomatoes and parsley to the food processor. Chop coarsely.

Pause to take note of where you are, and go stir the roux and vegetable saute (By now you have three mixtures: the roux, the sauteed vegetables, and th spicy, chunky paste in the food processor.) When the vegetables have softened, remove from the heat and set them aside. Keep working on the roux until it has reached a nice toasty brown. It may be ready now, or it may take a little longer.

Now prepare the stock and greens into which the other three mixtures will eventually go. Spray a large soup pot with cooking spray. In it, bring to a boil the stock and 1 cup of tomato juice (from canned tomatoes). Add the salt and bay leaves. Drop in the fresh greens. Bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for about 30 minutes.

Stir the roux. By now it should be dark caramel brown, but if it isn't, continue to cook it, stirring. When the roux has browned, remove it from the heat nad let it cool for a few minutes. Drain off any excess oil that has separated out, but be sure to leave every bit of the browned flour. Vigorously whisk in the 1 cup tomato or V8 juice. It will be smooth and thick and a pale orange paste.

When the greens have finished their 30-minute simmer, remove them from the heat. To the stock pot, add the roux mixture, the vegetable saute, and the seasoning puree. Give a taste and adjust the seasoning, set the pot back on the stove, and let simmer over the lowest possible heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir often.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

(found here, with some typos corrected, but recipe referred to in the NY Times is in The Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread by the same author)

Final veggies

It was a fairly light final box, by recent standards. We didn't get everything that was listed (no collards or kohlrabi, and as far as I can tell they all look like turnips, not rutabagas). It will still take us a while to get through everything, but we will be buying vegetables at the store again for the winter.

• Arugula
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Celeriac
• Collards
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Braising Mix
• Parsley
• Rutabaga
• Sage
• Thyme
• Turnips

The end is near

Next Sunday is our last week of vegetables. As much as we love them, we are feeling oppressed now. this week:

• Arugula
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Celeriac
• Lettuce
• Braising Mix
• Parsley
• Radicchio
• Turnips

I made mashed rutabaga this week. We eat salad as often as we can. We're doing well on broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, but we can't keep up with the greens. We haven't eaten any of our recent raddicchio. we have a drawer in our fridge given over to turnips and radishes. It will be a relief to receive our last vegetables of the season next week. By the time they start up again in May, we will certainly miss them, though.

More radicchio?

• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Chinese Cabbage
• Celery
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce
• Spicy Lettuce Mix
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Radicchio
• Rutabaga
• Spinach
• Gold Ball Turnips

At least there are still tomatoes for our salads....

• Arugula
• Baby Bok Choy
• Cauliflower
• Lettuce
• Baby Lettuce Mix
• Spicy Lettuce Mix
• Peppers
• Radicchio
• Rutabaga
• Scallions
• Spinach
• Turnips

Fall veggies

• Arugula
• Beets
• Baby Boc Choy
• Boc Choy
• Chard
• Cilantro
• Daikon
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Kale
• Peppers
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Pumpkin
• Winter Squash

More greens

Better Blueberry Pancakes

This was from Cook's Illustrated, and I've been wanting to try it for a while, since I haven't been that happy with pancakes from the Joy of Cooking (they're a little rubbery, and don't cook evenly in my cast iron pan). Cook's Illustrated isn't freely available online, but I found the recipe on someone's random food blog via Google.

The pancakes were pretty good, though they didn't cook as evenly as I would have liked either. Much more tender that Joy's, but I'm not sure I see the point of sprinkling the blueberries on after the pancake hits the skillet. I'm not afraid of swirly blue batter. They would probably cook better in a big teflon pan, but we don't have one these days.

Ingredients
1 tbl. lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 cups milk
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
2 tbl. granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
1 large egg
3 tbl. unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 cup fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries, preferably wild, rinsed and dried

Preparation

1. Whisk lemon juice and milk in medium bowl or large measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing other ingredients. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to combine.
2. Whisk egg and melted butter into milk until combined. Make well in center of dry ingredients in bowl; pour in milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Do not over mix.
3. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes; add 1 teaspoon oil and brush to coat skillet bottom evenly. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto 3 spots on skillet; sprinkle 1 tablespoon blueberries over each pancake. Cook pancakes until large bubbles begin to appear, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using thin, wide spatula, flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on second side, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer. Serve immediately, and repeat with remaining batter, using remaining vegetable oil only if necessary.

Lettuce again

• Chard
• Cilantro
• Cucumbers
  
• Dill
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Lettuce
• Peppers
  
• Potatoes
• Scallions
• Shallots
  
• Grape Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Watermelon

Birthday veggies

• Basil
• Chard
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Hot Peppers
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Shallots
• Summer Squash
• Grape Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Watermelon

Eggplants and more

With nephews for scale.

• Basil
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Onions
• Hot Peppers
• Peppers
• Potatoes
• Shallots
• Summer Squash
• Thyme
• Grape Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes

This week, we got 2 lb. of heirloom tomatoes, 4 lb. of slicing tomatoes, and 1.5 lb of grape tomatoes. We'll probably end up oven drying the grape tomatoes.

• Basil
• Beets
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Onions
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Potatoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Heirloom Tomatoes

10 minute meals

I just heard part of this segment on the radio about a column in the NY Times that ran while we were on vacation. Some interesting ideas in there. I must say that #94, "ketchup-braised tofu," sounds nasty, though.

Melons & potatoes & tomatoes

Another cabbage, to add to the 3/4 we still have from last week, plus tomatoes, potatoes, and more beets! This must be the heaviest box yet, even before counting the watermelon that didn't fit in the box.

• Beets
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Melon
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Potatoes
• Grape Tomatoes
• Tomatoes
• Watermelon

Tabouli will help us use the parley & tomatoes tonight.

Lentil Soup with Chard and Lemon

Found in James Beard's American Cookery, according to this blog where I found it.

We ate it warm, because we were hungry by the time I got to the last step where it says "serve chilled", and because it sounded better anyway. We tried it chilled for lunch the next day, and it was OK. I can't say it was a favorite for either of us, but it managed to use up two weeks worth of chard. Not as good as the chard tart we got as a recipe with last years vegetables (I'll post the recipe here eventually).

Lentil Soup with Chard and Lemon

1½ cups lentils
2½ lbs fresh Swiss Chard
½ cup olive oil
¾ cup chopped onion
3 to 4 garlic cloves
Salt
1 Stalk celery, chopped
¾ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon flour
Chopped chives for garnish

Wash and pick over the lentils. Cover them with fresh cold water, and cook, covered, until tender. Wash the Swiss Chard leaves and chop them. Add these and a cup of water to the lentils. Continue cooking until the Swiss chard is done, adding more water if necessary. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the chopped onion. Crush the garlic cloves with salt, and add these and the chopped celery to the onion. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender and blended. Add to the lentil mixture. Mix the lemon juice with the flour and stir it into the soup. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the soup is rather thick. Taste for seasoning. Serve chilled with chopped chives in soup bowls, and pass crusty French or Italian bread to sop up the juices.

First tomatoes

This week we saw our first grape tomatoes. Soon, we hope, to be followed by lots of heirlooms and slicing tomatoes, and sauce tomatoes in the field. This is the first week we haven't gotten lettuce - I guess the season is over, it will return again briefly in the fall.

• Basil
• Cabbage
• Chard
• Cilantro
• Garlic
• Melon
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Summer Squash
• Grape Tomatoes