Monday, May 30, 2011

Green Bean Salad


It's Memorial Day, which means it's time to start planting, wearing white pants and mixing up some simple salads. This weekend typically kicks off the summer and the barbecues get fired up for the first time in many months. There is nothing better than sitting outside with family and friends enjoying the smell of the grill and eating a crisp and cold salad.

A green bean salad is the perfect side dish to any meal, be it outdoors or in. I like tossing fresh green beans with all sorts of fun stuff, be it cucumber lemons, pineapple and mango, potatoes, or just simply really good extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped basil and cherry tomatoes. Here is my recipe for green bean salad...

Serves 6

1 lb fresh green beans, washed and picked (snap the end off)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
salt
pepper
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Blanch the green beans in boiling, salted water. I typically blanch mine for 5-7 minutes, to keep them crisp and green. Shock the beans in an ice water bath to stop the from cooking. Overcooked beans with turn to mush and also lose their brightness. Strain the beans from the ice bath and dry on a clean kitchen towel. You want the beans to be dry, so the oil with stick to them. While the beans are still warm, season with salt and pepper then add the tomatoes, oil and mint. Gently toss everything together. Serve right from the fridge or at room temp. You can also use yellow wax beans, which when in season are delicious. Enjoy!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Something to brighten up this rainy week....



Lemons! Lemons! Lemons! They are tart, juicy and bright and one of my favorite fruits. There is something about them that makes me smile and after a week of rain here in Boston that is what we all need.

I like to use lemons in both savory and sweet cooking as well as in cocktails. Sliced lemons roasted with artichokes and fennel sausage make for a perfect late spring meal. Candied lemon peel on top of a plain cheesecake with a gingersnap crust is a simple twist to a dessert. Even just a fresh slice of lemon and cucumber dropped in an ice cold glass of water, makes for a refreshing drink. You should always keep some lemons around because the addition of the juice, zest or the whole fruit can always add some extra life to your recipes. For tonight, I rummaged through the fridge, found some greek yogurt, sour cream and lemons and thought I probably had the ingredients to put together a lemon loaf. Here is my recipe for Lemon and Yogurt Cake.

Cake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Lemon simple syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Glaze (optional)
4 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three small loaf pans by lining the bottom of each with parchment paper, then greasing and flouring the pans.

Sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients for the cake. Slowly, add the wet to the dry, folding ingredients together and making sure all ingredients are incorporated.

Divide the batter among the three pans and place in the oven. The loaves will cook for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester placed in the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the loaves are baking, prepare the simple syrup by placing the lemon juice and sugar in a pan on the stovetop. Cook until all the sugar is dissolved.

When the cakes are done, let them cool on a rack for at least ten minutes before taking them out of the pans. Place the rack on aluminum foil and turn the cakes over so the bottoms are facing you. With the cakes still warm, using a toothpick make small holes on the bottom of the cakes, about five in each. Then pour the simple syrup evenly over each, allowing it to drip down the sides. The holes will allow the syrup to get inside. When they are cooled, turn back over. Mix together the confectioner's sugar and lemon juice and glaze each cake. Enjoy!

Here's to the sun making an appearance at some point this week!!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Never underestimate a simple Roast Chicken


There are quotes we will always remember. Movie quotes, like the famous "Luke I am your father" and "Nobody puts Baby in the corner" and literary quotes like "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo" and "Beware the ides of March". Then there are what I like to call family quotes and there is one quote my mother said many, many years ago that left a lasting impression on my cousin Stacy and I. That quote went something like this, "What the hell the chicken isn't even in the oven? We're never gonna eat.".

Allow me to set the scene, I was probably 12 or 13 and Stacy was maybe 10. She was spending the day and night over my house. My mom had to go to work that day and she left us with very specific instructions on how to cook this chicken she had defrosting. At 4:00p we were to rinse the chicken, then dry it, season with salt, pepper and rosemary, drizzle some oil on it and put it in the oven. My dad was supposed to supervise this whole process, so mom left thinking the three of us were capable of managing this roast chicken. So, 4:00p rolls around and we cut the chicken out of it's plastic package and place it in a pan to rinse. My dad set the oven for us and Stacy and I were doing our thing, rinsing the chicken and drying it off. We look inside the cavity of the chicken and notice this bag full of "stuff", is what we called it. Now, I know that bag is filled with giblets, which include the heart, liver and gizzard. We did everything we could to get this bag out, we used tongs, our hands, all the while being completely grossed out at the thought of what would happen when we finally got this thing out. I think my dad finally intervened and tried to help and that's when the door opened and mom was home. Here we are, raw chicken still on the counter in the pan, the three of us defeated by this chicken and mom with the memorable quote "What the hell the chicken isn't even in the oven? We're never gonna eat?". Mom ended up putting on her superwoman cape as moms typically do, she miraculously got the bag out of the chicken and we were able to eat an hour and a half later. That story still makes Stacy and I laugh. I now know ho to handle a chicken and wanted to share with you my recipe for a simple roast chicken...

Serves 4
2 carrots, peeled and rough chopped
2 celery stalk, washed and rough chopped
1 onion, rough chopped
1 5-6 lb whole roasting chicken
1 whole lemon, washed and cut in half
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
in a medium size roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onion. This will act as a "rack" for the chicken to lay on. Rinse and dry the chicken. Season the entire chicken, including the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the two halves of the lemon inside the cavity, along with half the rosemary. Chop the other half of the rosemary and mix with the softened butter. Place the chicken in the pan, breast side up. Spread all the butter and rosemary mix on the top and sides of the chicken and then place it in the oven. Roast the chicken until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. This may take up to 1 hour 20 minutes. When the chicken is done, transfer to a platter, cover with foil and let rest at least 10 minutes. Make your favorite pan gravy with the veggies and pan drippings. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

It's almost here.....

The Copley Farmer's Market is one week away! The Copley Market hosts so many amazing farms on Tuesdays and Fridays from the middle of May through November. Some of the vendors that will be attending are Atlas Farm, Cook's Farm Orchard, Equal Exchange, Hamilton Orchards, Iggy's Bread, Narragansett Creamery, and one of my favorites Siena Farms if only for the delicious treats they sell from Sofra Bakery & Cafe. There will be many other vendors on hand at the Farmer's Market and I can't wait to get out there next Tuesday and see the stands.

Some veggies we can look forward to seeing are fiddleheads, artichokes, ramps, leeks, peas, green garlic, arugala, mustard greens, radishes, fennel and assorted greens. As for spring fruits you might see rhubarb, grapefruit, lemons, and apricots. So many local delights to look forward to and the season is just starting!

Hope you all get a chance to visit the Copley Market or your own local Farmer's Market in your area.

Monday, May 9, 2011

The 3 P's

I have a new favorite side dish that is simple and quite delicious. It also has very few ingredients and little to no prep. I am calling it the 3 P's, Potatoes, Pancetta and Peas.

Recently, I have fallen in love with these tiny potatoes from Trader Joes called "tiny potatoes", of course. These potatoes have the thin skin of a white potato and the butteriness of a Yukon Gold. They are as big as a large gum ball you may find in a quarter machine and take about 35 minutes to either roast or saute. One of my favorite bits about these "tiny potatoes" is that they just need a rinse, dry and season leaving very little prep for these guys.

Here is my recipe for The 3 P's

Serves 4 people

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped Pancetta
1 bag Trader Joes "tiny potatoes", if you can't find them you can use fingerling potatoes, washed and dried
*1 teaspoon Herbes De Provence
1 cup peas
salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, heat the oil and then add the pancetta. Cook pancetta until crisp and then add the potatoes. Season with the Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper then cover with a lid. Allow to cook on medium heat with the lid on for 15 minutes and then stir the potatoes. Place the lid back on for another 10 minutes and then add the peas. Taste and adjust seasonings and cook for 10 more minutes. Potatoes should be tender and browned when finished. I like to finish this dish off with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

*Herbes de Provence is a mix of a variety of dried herbs, which can include savory, fennel, basil, thyme flowers, marjoram, rosemary, bay leaf, chervil, tarragon and mint. Lavender is typically included in the American mixes, but is not used in traditional French mixes for Herbes de Provence.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day


Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there and to those that are expecting. To my mom, thanks for being the best Mommy, Mom and Ma a kid could ever ask for. You truly are a gem and I love you!

I can remember always being with my mom. My cousin, used to call me her shadow or the velcro kid because I was like butter on toast with her. I remember our trips into Downtown Crossing on a Saturday, she would always buy my brother and I a new smurf figure at the Corner Mall and then it was Happy Meals at McDonalds. Then there were the nights we walked down to the stadium to see Frankie play little league and the many Saturdays we went to dance class at Eleanor Rubino's. Of course we can't forget the rides to summer camp at the Umana and those annual trips to Rockport we took with the moms and daughters from EBCCS. There were late nights at Auntie Virginia's, watching you ladies smoke cigarettes and dye each other's hair and fun trips to Demoulas with Grandma. We took many vacations together, whether it were across the ocean or across the country, it was always fun, even if I had to carry your bag all around New York City that one time you packed too many shoes. Mom I would be glad to carry your bag again and again and again!

Thinking of all the fun things we have done as a family makes me realize how lucky Frankie and I are. We have two great parents that have given us lots of memories and endless amounts of love!

So, to my mom again, I love you and I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day.