Burrata on salad

Adapted from Joy Food Sunshine

Ingredients:

• 5 oz arugula mix
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup Fresh basil, torn in shreds
• 8 oz Burrata cheese
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 TBS honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Put all the dressing ingredients (balsamic, olive oil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper) in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside but do not chill.
2. Place the arugula in a salad bowl
3. Slice the tomatoes in half, and place them on top of the spring mix. Add the burrata cheese on top of this.
4. Sprinkle sea salt and fresh black pepper on top of each burrata cheese round, to taste.
5. Drizzle with your desired amount of dressing. Serve.

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Jesse had never tried burrata before, whereas I considered it one of the great salad toppers. We picked up all of the ingredients from the Roosevelt Island Farmers’ Market, including good ($13 eek) burrata from Hoboken Farms, and used fresh basil from our basil plant.

Chicken pot pie

Adapted from smitten kitchen & One Dad’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs and drumsticks are ideal)
• 1 to 2 glugs olive oil
• 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup milk or heavy cream
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas (no need to defrost)
• 2 large carrots, diced small (about 1 cup carrots)
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pie crust

Directions:

1. Generously season all sides of the chicken parts with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If your chicken breasts are particularly large, I find that halving them can ensure they cook at the same pace at the other parts.
2. Heat first glug of olive oil over medium-high heat in the bottom of a large Dutch oven (minimum of 4 quarts; mine is 5). Brown chicken in two parts, cooking until golden on both sides. Transfer to a plate and repeat with second half of chicken. Set aside.
3. Heat second glug of olive oil in the same pot. Add onions and leeks, season with salt and pepper, and saute them until softened, about 7 minutes. If using, pour in sherry and use it to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Simmer until mostly cooked off.
4. Add milk or cream, chicken broth, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.
5. Nestle the browned chicken and any accumulated juices into the pot. Cover and gently simmer to 30 minutes, after which the chicken should be fully cooked and tender.
6. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly. Discard the bay leaves. Allow the sauce to settle for a few minutes, then skim the fat from the surface using a wide spoon; reserve it for another use, or this:
7. In a medium bowl, mash butter (feel free to replace any part of it with skimmed chicken fat) and flour together with a fork until a paste forms and no flour is still visibly dry.
8. Pour one ladleful of filling over it, and whisk until smooth. Add a second ladleful, whisking again.
9. Return this butter-flour-filling mixture to the larger pot, stir to combine, and bring mixture back to a simmer for 10 minutes. The broth base should thicken to a gravy-like consistency. Adjust seasonings, if needed.
10. Add carrots and peas to stew and simmer for 3 minutes, until firm-tender. Shred or dice the chicken, discarding the bones and skin or saving it for another use. Return chicken to stew and re-simmer for 1 minute. Stir in parsley.
11. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
12. Roll the dough up, and unroll it over the baking dish, so it rests evenly on top of the filling. Fold the edges under and crimp the edges. Poke the tip of a knife through the crust to create 3 vent holes near the center.
13. Egg wash (optional): Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of cold water. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the entire crust with egg wash. Place the pie pan or baking dish on a cookie sheet, and place it in the oven.
14. Bake the pie for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents. Let the pie rest for 10 minutes before serving.

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We had tried that super easy sausage pie from before, and so had one pie crust left over (it was a 2 pack from Pillsbury). We both really like chicken pot pie, and had never attempted it before. Jesse thus felt obliged to attempt it (with delightfully fresh marjoram, thyme, rosemary from our “garden”), despite the fact that it was more work than our usual one-pot-meals. We didn’t have small “pot pie” dishes or any tarragon, so we used the filling ingredients from smitten kitchen, but then followed the heating instructions from the NYTimes “Julia Child” recipe, which was for just one big (normal) pot pie.

~Jessica

LotR taters boulangère

Adapted from Middle-earth Recipes

Ingredients:

• ~1.5 lbs of potatoes, sliced 1/4″ thick
• a sliced onion
• some rosemary
• butter
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1/2 cup of milk

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg. F.
2. Peel and slice the potatoes. Slice the onion. Mix the stock and milk (we used hot stock, so poured one then the other separately in step 5).
3. Take an oven-proof dish and wipe it with butter, so nothing sticks. Put in a layer of potatoes, a layer of onion, sprinkle over some bruised rosemary. Repeat until ingredients used up.
4. Top off with a layer of potato.
5. Pour over the milk-stock mixture (may not need all of it) and then top off the dish with dots of butter and some rosemary sprigs (or other available herbs — we had marjoram, thyme, and fresh rosemary).
6. Cook uncovered in the oven for 50-60 minutes until the potatoes are soft in the middle and brown/crisp on top.

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For 3-4 people. We bought 3 big Yukon gold potatoes at the local farmer’s market to make this dish. “It will scale quite nicely for larger/smaller dinners… The original recipe suggested checking the dish and adding more liquid if it looked dry” but we found that draining off the liquid after the one hour of cooking, and then cooking it for another 10 more minutes, finished cooking through the thickest top potato slices that weren’t immersed in liquid!

~Jessica

Rosie’s Shire pie

Adapted from Middle-Earth Recipes. Serving size: “4 – 6 hungry little hobbits”

Ingredients:

• 1 pound whole mushrooms
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced (we used 1 leek)
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/4 Cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 Cups chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 teaspoon sage (we subbed with 2 bay leaves)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 pie crust (if not using cornmeal crust)

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms and cut into quarters. 
2. Crumble the sausage & place in a large, deep pan.  Cook over medium heat. 
3. Add onions, garlic, then celery and carrot, and cook about 5 minutes. 
4. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes more until vegetables are tender. 
5. Stir in flour and cook a couple of minutes, still stirring. 
6. Add wine and half of the stock, stirring and working out any lumps.  Add remaining stock and bring to a boil. 
7. Turn heat to low, add herbs, salt and pepper and cook 10 minutes. 
8. Pour into deep pie dish or 8×8 baking dish and set aside.
9. Place pie dough over top of filling in pie dish. Bake pie at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or so, until crust is lightly browned and filling is bubbly.

Cornmeal Crust (makes enough for two pies)
1 3/4 Cups flour, 3/4 C. yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 pound cold butter, 1/4 Cup shortening, 1/3 – 1/4 Cup ice water. Mix flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter. Add shortening and continue to work dough until texture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water over dough and knead with hands. Refrigerate dough 30 minutes to 24 hours (can also be frozen). Roll dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.

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I am not a baker, so I usually prefer to buy pre-made pie crust. “Along with a green salad and warm bread, this pie feeds a family of 4 – 6 hungry little hobbits.” We currently have a crop of fresh marjoram, rosemary, thyme — so a sprinkling of those we added to the stew because we didn’t have a bottle of dry white. Substitutions are fun.

~Jessica

Jesse’s mashed potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 Yukon gold potatoes, 1″ cubes
• butter
• whole milk or cream
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Boil potatoes for 17 minutes.
2. Drain water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add butter and milk.
4. Mash until fluffy. Serve warm.

Jesse’s advice: Make good mashed potatoes. Don’t make bad mashed potatoes.

(Teaching has been busy! Last quarter, phew. ~Jessica)

Berry smoothie

I decided to upgrade this into more milkshake territory — for a frozen afternoon treat.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (225 g) fresh/frozen blueberries
• 2 spoonfuls of hazelnut cocoa spread
• 1 ¾ cup blueberry kefir
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 ice cubes
• 2 spoonfuls of ice cream (e.g., cookies ‘n cream)

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream was on sale at the grocery last week. Jesse liked this chocolate berry milkshake. Would be good with oat milk and other fruits!

hapa helpings

peanut butter creaminess on top

Adapted from Food Network Kitchen

8 ounces (225 g) fresh/frozen mixed berries (I had fresh strawberries)
2 spoonfuls of peanut butter (no bananas!)
3/4 cup (175 mL) plain yogurt, whole milk
1 cup (235 mL) almond milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) cranberry juice
1 – 2 spoonfuls of honey
ice

I would add ground flax seed and a handful of spinach if I had any. I could have added a spoonful of chia seeds, or chopped frozen bananas, or some cooked oatmeal if I wanted a thicker smoothie. Optional: Add 1/2 cup coconut water. I might try hemp, hazelnut, coconut or rice milk to substitute in the future!

~Jessica

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Hungarian goulash

Adapted from Saveur and Aurel Pop

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp. sunflower or canola oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 1½ lb. beef chuck, trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup sweet paprika
• 2 tsp. dried marjoram (we used fresh!)
• 2 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 can beans (pinto beans work, we used navy beans)
• 2 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 2 medium parsnips, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 5 cups of bouillon stock
• 1½ lb. medium new potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 tomato, cored and chopped (sub: 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste)
• 1 Italian frying pepper, chopped
• Rye bread, for serving (optional; egg noodles instead!)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium. Add the onions, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to high. Add the beef, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, stirring only once or twice, until the meat is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Searing it adds extra flavor!
3. Stir in the paprika, marjoram, other spices, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Add 5 cups water (with bouillon). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until the beef is nearly tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and beans. Cook, uncovered, 45 minutes.
6. Stir in the tomatoes and peppers; cook for 10 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, with rye bread if desired. Also, sour cream and dill on the side, if desired.

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Jesse really really really likes paprika — and I could think of no dish that is more paprika than this one (which I’ve never tried before, on account of the beef). I found this article that was so interesting, I actually read through the whole thing! I don’t often read through back story because every blogger writes a novel for their recipe (hence, why I avoid doing so), but I do recommend reading the Saveur article, for the historical context of food (IT’S FOOD!!!) and culinary depth in Hungarian culture.

I modified the directions for next time we make this recipe, based on how we would reallocate the timing — more time for the beef chuck to break down, less time for the vegetables so they don’t turn into mush. Following tips from The Kitchn, we decided to cook it for the 2 full hours, to really let the stew beef break down and tenderize. Veggies survived the simmer.

We picked up most of the ingredients at the local farmer’s market. If you don’t have marjoram, fresh oregano is a good (tho strong) substitute for fresh marjoram. If you don’t have caraway seeds, 1) anise, 2) fennel, or star anise could be a substitute (one website even suggested cumin seeds — maybe appearance, but not the same flavor in my opinion). Jesse may have dashed in a splash of good red wine (if you have, not required). I prefer egg noodles to rye bread any day, so I used the leftover German spätzle from this recipe.

-Jessica

Bindya Bedi’s chicken curry

Adapted from The Age and read at NewsELA

• 1 kilogram chicken thighs 

Ingredients for the marinade:

• 2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste 
• 1 squeeze of lime 
• 1 teaspoon of salt 
• 1 tbsp ghee

Ingredients for the curry:

• 1/4 cup of neutral oil (coconut oil or ghee, my pref)
• 4 medium-sized brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped 
• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled 
• 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced 
• 1 to 2 green chillies (we used 1 Jalapeño chili pepper)
• 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1/2 cinnamon stick 
• 4 to 5 cardamom pods 
• 8 to 10 peppercorns 
• 4 to 5 cloves
• 4 tomatoes, or 1/2 a cup of tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder 
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander 
• 1 teaspoon ground garam masala 
• Salt, to taste 
• cilantro, to garnish

Directions:

1. In a large glass bowl, marinate the chicken thighs in the ginger garlic paste, lime juice and salt. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle (or food processor?) to grind the onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies to a paste and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add the cumin seeds. Roughly pound all of the whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns and cloves) and add to the oil. Once they start to make popping sounds, add the onion paste. Heat over a low flame, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a golden-brown paste and the oil starts to separate. 
3. Next, add the tomatoes, salt to taste, turmeric, red chili powder, and ground coriander. Cook until the tomatoes just start to form a paste. Add the chicken, garam masala and 1/2 cup of water. Bring the curry to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid and continue to cook over a medium heat.
4. After 20 to 25 minutes, uncover the pan and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until the water evaporates and the curry starts to thicken. Once the curry is ready, switch the flame off.
5. Serve with your choice of naan or basmati rice and top with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired.

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I read this in a NewsELA article, which I subscribed to as a science teacher. They offer loads of readable current news, including in science and health and social justice. Some changes from the original recipe: we used organic coconut oil, although I would have been equally happy with ghee. We speeded things up with using a garlic press and grater for the ginger for the marinade paste, and added a coconut oil to keep the chickens moist. I ran out of whole cloves, so I added some black mustard seed for appearances. And rather than the mortar and pestle method for the onion-garlic-ginger-chili mixture, we used a smoothie blender. We did use the mortar and pestle to grind the whole spices though! Make sure you turn on your ventilation — these are some powerful aromas when you start frying!

***Marinade reminder: we mixed ACID (lime) + SALT + OIL (ghee) + HERBS/SEASONINGS/SUGAR (ginger / garlic) + TIME (30 minutes).***

~Jessica

Polpette al sugo (Italian meatballs)

Adapted from Lidia and Recipe Tin Eats Yield: 6 servings, plus about 3 quarts extra (total of about 4 dozen meatballs and 3 quarts sauce)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano (omitted)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped (basil sub!)
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (or parmesan), freshly grated

Sauce ingredients:

• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• black pepper
• 1 fresh bay leaves, or 2 small dried bay leaves
• 3 tsp dried Italian herb mix (parsley, basil, thyme, oregano)
• 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes
• 24 oz / 700 g tomato passata, preferably San Marzano
• 1 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, optional to serve

Directions:

1. Grate the onion using a standard box grater in a large bowl until you have about 1/2 cup of grated onion and juices. 
2. Add bread, mix to combine so the onion juice soaks the bread and disintegrates. Set aside while you prep the other ingredients (5 min or so).
3. Add all the remaining Meatball ingredients. Use hands to mix well.
4. Measure out a heaped tablespoon and roll lightly to form a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. (Note 5)
5. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large non stick fry pan over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and brown all over – about 3 – 4 minutes. 
6. When they are browned but NOT cooked through, carefully transfer them onto a plate.

Sauce Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil into the fry pan. 
2. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add the remaining Sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then turn down to medium low so it bubbles gently rather than splattering everywhere. Let simmer for 2 hours.
3. Carefully transfer the meatballs and any juices that have pooled on the plate into the Sauce.
4. Cook the meatballs for 8 – 10 minutes, turning and stirring occasionally. Adjust Sauce salt and pepper to taste.
5. While the meatballs are cooking, cook your pasta of choice.
6. Serve the meatballs on pasta, garnished with extra parmesan and parsley if using.

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I wanted to cook Lidia’s recipe authentically, but it was so much quantity! And I’m not a fan of beef, much less veal, so… I incorporated another website (she has delicious chicken stew!) that fried the meatballs instead of baking them. These were wildly delicious and approved by all. We didn’t incorporate the carrot and celery (considering the 2 lbs. or meat vs. 3 lbs from Lidia), but we did use the red onion, eggs, and basil instead of parsley (Jesse’s family doesn’t like oregano for some reason). I would throw in a bay leaf into the sauce next time (we forgot). We used gluten-free bread crumbs, and crumbled Grana Padano into the meatball and on top to serve. Grana Padano was not incorporated into the sauce. Ground meat came from the Ossining Farmer’s Market, Sunset View Farm. I also made some garlic bread with EVOO and rubbed garlic to clean up the sauce after, demi baguette from Farmer’s Market too.

~Jessica

LotR mushroom soup

Adapted from Middle-Earth Recipes and The Hungry Hobbit

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of mushrooms, divided in half
• 4 + 2 + 2 tbsp of butter
• 1 tbsp of chopped onion
• 2 cups of finely chopped carrots
• 2 cups of finely chopped celery (we used leeks)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 cups of broth / bouillon
• 1 small can of tomato paste (~6-7 tbsp; we used 1-2 tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 1/4 cup of dry sherry (we used a dry red wine)
• Garnish: sour cream, herbs (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop 1/2 pound of mushrooms very fine.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped onion, 2 cups of finely chopped carrots, 2 cups of finely chopped celery, and 1 clove of garlic, minced. If you have wine, you can use it now to deglaze the pot. Stir, scraping the bottom bits.
4. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, add the 1/2 pound of finely chopped mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add to the soup.
5. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of broth, 3 1/2 cups of water, 1 small can of tomato paste, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/16 teaspoon of pepper.
6. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer 1 hour (30 minutes minimum).
7. Purée the soup with an immersion blender. Season and taste.
8. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, add the 1/2 pound of reserved sliced mushrooms, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add to the soup.
9. Add 1/4 cup of dry sherry. Heat thoroughly and serve.
10. Garnish with sour cream or herbs.

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Titled “Mushroom Soup from the Inn at Bree”, there is only one main inn in Bree, however: the Inn of the Prancing Pony. We didn’t have a bundle of celery, so we subbed with a leek instead. Next time I would use 2 leeks! I would also had herbs like thyme. Instead of beef broth, we used Better Than Bouillon chicken base. Feel free to use more tomato paste if you prefer a more reddish product, but this was grand — I would also like to try a medley of mushrooms in season. Instead of dry sherry, we used a red wine, but I would also try a white wine next time.

~Jessica