Bizzy Bizzy Bizzy (Perfect Parsleyed Potatoes

It's event and big project time again and I’ve been really really busy – not much time for cooking, blogging or blogging about cooking.  But tonight I made a side dish that was so good, I had to jot it down to share with y’all.

At the Farmers Market or the grocery store,
North Carolina Potatoes are hard to beat

Most people don’t know it, but North Carolina is home to some mighty fine potatoes.  I love getting them from the Farmers Market, but our local grocery story has a “local” section so we can get them pretty much any time we want.  Tiny and tasty they are the perfect spud.

We’ve been having these tasty taters lately simply boiled and tossed in garlicky butter and parsley. They are a snap to make any old weeknight, but good enough to serve for company.  Give ‘em a try, they won’t disappoint.

Perfect Parslied Potatoes

Serves two with a tad bit of leftovers – do the math to make for a larger crowd

Ingredients

• 6 tiny white or red “new” potatoes, cut in half
• Plenty of Kosher salt for the water
• 1 pat butter
• 1 Tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 clove garlic, cut in half
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Put the potatoes and the garlic in a medium sauce pan, cover with water and add a Tablespoon or so of Kosher slat. Cover and bring to a boil over a high flame.
• Once the water comes to a boil, remove the lid, lower the heat to medium and cook until fork tender (abut 7 minutes or so)
• While the potatoes are cooking, put the butter into a microwave safe bowl, and heat for 30 seconds to melt.  Add a pinch of salt and  a grind of pepper.
• When the potatoes are done,  turn off the heat, remove garlic and smush it into a paste with a knife.  Then add the garlic to the melted butter and combine.
• Now, remove the potatoes from the pot of water with a slotted spoon and drop them into the butter, garlic mixture.  Toss to coat. 
• Now add the chopped parsley toss to combine. 

Serve immediately, or cover the bowl with foil to keep warm until the rest of the meal is ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Super Bowl! (Mom's chili and beans)

I love it when Will calls and asks for a recipe so he can cook for his friends. 


I just hung up from just that kind of call -- he's having friends over for chili and elk burgers (remember, he goes to school in Montana and now has a freezer full of venison, elk and moose) and needed me to email him the ingredient list for "Mom's Chili."  We couldn't believe that this recipe hadn't been blogged yet -- I sent it to him his freshman year, with a box full of canned goods and spices. 


Steve & I wish we could join the boys for the game, but at least we know how the chili will taste.... delish!

Mom’s Chili with Beans

This is one those recipes that is not exact.  OK you know the drill. You will have to taste as you go and adjust. Here’s what you need:

The fresh stuff:

• 1 to 1.5 lbs ground beef (elk and venison work well, too)
• 1 onion - chopped up
• 2 - 3 cloves of garlic - minced
• XLNT tamale (usually in the deli section of the grocery store) - if you can’t find this, packaged polenta will also work - the polenta comes in a tube and may be in the refrigerated section or where the rice or pasta is. The masa will be in the Mexican section, cuz it's what you use to make tamales and tortillas. Find a nice lady and ask (-; 

The canned stuff

• Big can of crushed tomatoes (or whole tomatoes that you squish up)
• Large can of dark red kidney beans
• Medium can of diced tomatoes
• Small can of tomato paste
• Small can of Ortega diced chilies
• Can of beef broth
• Bottle of beer (optional)

The herbs and spices

• Cumin - I prefer the seeds
• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper

The Method:

Over a medium to low flame

• Brown the beef, drain the fat and remove the beef to a bowl or plate
• Add the onions and sauté until translucent
• Add the garlic - sauté  - be careful, don’t burn it!

Next

• Add 1/2 of the can of tomato paste - sauté it until it looks like it has developed a bit of color
• Add palm full of chili powder
• Add about a fourth to half palm of the cumin - go easy on this. Crush it in your hands by rubbing it together then toss in
• Add about a fourth palm of oregano - crushed in your hands the same way
• Add the beef back in and sauté it all together

Now, add the cans of crushed and diced tomatoes as well as the big ol' can of kidney beans, and stir this well. 

• Add some salt and pepper to taste
• At this point you’ll want to add about 1/2 can of beef broth; stir it well. This is also when you make the judgment call about the beer. It’s nice to add if you will have time to let it cook down. If you don’t have that kind of time add the rest of the beef broth.

Lower the heat and let this simmer for 45 minutes or so. Stir it now and then.

At about the 30 to 45 minute mark I like to add the tamale (or polenta or masa) if you have them. They are not mandatory, but they thicken it up and make it really good.

•  To add the tamale/polenta/masa you will need to smush them up with some of the reserved broth or a little water. You need to get it to a stage where you can mix it into the chili as a thickening agent. Not super thin, but stir-able.

Cook the final mix for another 15 to 20 minutes. It can go longer, but keep an eye on it. Burnt chili is nasty.

---------------------

Serve with cheese and onions

(Another way to stretch this for a crowd is to add a can of black beans and/or a can of corn)

Forgotten post – and a New Year’s Resolution (Bourguignon Style Beef Short ribs)

Note:  I just realized that I never posted this one from October!  The recipe is perfect for New Years Day so I’ll go ahead and share it now.  And I’ll also add “get back to blogging” to my 2011 resolutions.

One of the great joys of living in a new area is having visitors to share it with. Earlier this Fall we had the chance to show off our new town to two of our best friends and former neighbors from California, John and Barbara Zachry. 

A fun stop on the Chapel Hill tour

With some help from the wonderful butchers at Whole Foods (shout out to Owen) John, Barbara, Steve and I enjoyed a “locavore dinner” featuring sumptuous grass fed Baldwin Beef short ribs, accompanied by a slightly garlicky cauliflower puree, plus sautéed mushrooms and cipollini onions – all of which were grown or raised by local farmers. Later we retired to the screen porch to enjoy the ice cream from Maple View Farm we had selected earlier that day – a process that required many samples. (And if Owen gets a shout out, so to the Maple View cows – ladies, you are to be commended.) 

Following this my recipe for the short ribs, which are fashioned after Julia Child's oh so famous boeuf bourguignon. They are best made a day (or even two) ahead, which makes them perfect for holidays or entertaining; but feel free to make and serve them the same day. Perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Bourguignon Style Beef Short Ribs

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• ¼ lb pancetta cut into ¼ to ½ inch dice.
• 8 beef short ribs – depending on the size of the ribs, you may want to serve two each for the men and 1 each for the ladies; but I usually go for two each and see how they cook down.
• ½ cup flour (for dusting the ribs after browning and then later for thickening)
• 2 Tbs herbs d Provence
• 2 - 3 Tbs olive oil (for browning the beef – the amount depends on how much fat you render out of the pancetta)
• 2 large carrots, cut into thirds
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 3 ribs celery, cut into thirds. Leafy tops a welcome!
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 4 – 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 bottle good (but not priced out of the park) pino noir, merlot or even cabernet wine (or if you are buying French, get a red burgenouis)
• 1 box beef stock. Get organic, low sodium if you can find it.
• Kosher or sea salt; fresh cracked black pepper

 Optional, but I'd hate to leave them out:

• ½ lb cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters
• ½ lb shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 8 cipollini onions or ½ lb white pearl onions, peeled (it helps to drop them into boiling water for 2 minutes and then place them in ice water before you peel them. If you use pearl onions, make a little criss-cross cut at the bottom of the onion first, to help them peel more easily)

Method:

(I know this looks like a lot of steps, but it is REALLY quite simple)

• Heat your oven to 350 degrees
• In a large Dutch oven:over medium low heat
• Take the short ribs out of the 'fridge 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Season them liberally with salt, pepper and herbs d' Provence.
• Coat the bottom of the pan with some olive oil and render the fat from the panchetta. They should be brown and crispy. Be patient. It will pay off.
• Remove the rendered bits. Add some more olive oil if necessary.
• Raise the hear to medium high
• Working in batches, brown the short ribs on all sides – including the ends. You are going for a dark brown crust. Remove each batch to a large platter or paper lined surface.
• When the ribs are all browned, dust them with flour. I usually take this opportunity to add some more salt, pepper and herbs d' Provence. These puppies are going to cook for a long time, they will need the help.
• Now add the onions, carrots and celery. Let them get slightly soft as you stir them around and get up the brown bits.
• Remove the veg and put the beef into the pot.
• Put the veg, the thyme and bay leave atop and around the meat.
• Add the bottle of wine – yes all of it
• Now add the beef stock to just cover the beef.
• Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and put it in the oven.
• Cook for 1 hour
• After an hour, check the meat, stirring and flipping as you go.
• Lower the heat to 250 degrees, put the Dutch oven back into the oven
• Cook for 2 more hours. (I like to check it now and then to make sure that all the liquid hasn't evaporated. For some reasons this happens now and then. If the meat is fork tender at the 1 ½ or 1 ¾ hour mark you can remove it early. But a bit more time won't hurt and if you are not sure it is tender, don't rush it.

When the ribs are fall off the bone tender, remove them from the oven.  Move the meat to a platter and throw away the veg, sprigs of thyme, bay leaf, etc.

Next to get rid of the extra fat and thicken the sauce...

• Put the Dutch oven containing the sauce on a medium to high heat and bring it to a boil, this will help bring the fat to the top. 
• Now for my own little trick – turn off the heat and place 2 or 3 paper towels, one at a time, on top of the liquid. They will absorb the fat. Just lift them up with tongs and toss into the trash. Pretty cool, hug?

 Then thicken the sauce...

• Simply take ½ cup of the liquid and put it into a small bowl, whisk in 2 – 3 Tbs of the left over flour from before. If it is too thick,add more liquid, or even a bit of water. This will make a thick “slurry” that you stir into the sauce to thicken it.
• Now raise up the heat again, and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes to reduce the volume and reach the consistency you like. 

At this point, put the short ribs and the reserved panchetta back into the sauce. You can now either reheat them for serving or let the whole thing cool down and refrigerate for up to two days.

If serving later, remove the Dutch oven containing the short ribs and sauce and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then heat in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the meat is heated through.

 Cipollini Onion Side Dish

I like to serve this dish with sauted ciapolini or pearl onions and mushrooms. (just saute the onions in a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme until they are slightly soft, then add some broth and steam until a knife can be inserted and removed without resistance. Then remove and keep warm while you saute the mushrooms similarly (without the broth). Then combine and divide amongst your guests.

Additional Side Dishes

A braised dish like this is often accompanied by mashed potatoes, pasta or even risotto – but with a meal this rich, I like to make a simple puree of cauliflower that has been boiled until tender with garlic cloves. Add a little butter and half & half (or plain Fage Greek yogurt), salt and pepper and you won't feel as stuffed at the end of the night!

Enjoy.

Rescued From Take-Out (Layered Vegetable Casserole)

Hot and bubbly from the oven...
waiting is the hardest part

Like Mother Hubbard,  I went to the cupboard this evening and by golly it was bare.  

The thought did cross my mind to make a quick call to Sal’s Pizza or run over to Alan & Son for some BBQ.  Not exactly healthy moves. 

So instead I took another inventory of the ‘fridge and pantry.  Here’s what I came up with:

• 1 small striped zucchini from last weekend’s trip to the Farmers Market
• 1 medium summer squash from the same farmer
• A good-sized handful of baby spinach
• 6 large mushrooms
• ½ pint of whole milk ricotta (the inspiration for this dish.  I couldn't bear to toss it)
• About ¼ cup of shredded and ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 1 slice provolone cheese (like you’d use in a sandwich) this is probably optional but sounded like a good thing to do
• Some fresh basil
• Some fresh parsley
• About a cup of dried rigatoni (any shape or style would do)
• 1 medium can of Cento San Marzano tomato sauce
• Staples of salt, pepper, olive oil, fennel seed and fresh garlic

Put it all together and what do you get? 

Layered Vegetable Casserole (or lasagna without lasagna pasta), that’s what.

Method

Here’s the game plan:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree
• In small sauce pan, sauté two chopped cloves of garlic and a teaspoon or so of fennel seeds in about a Tbs of the olive oil; then add the tomato sauce and a handful of the basil that you’ve rough chopped
• Simmer as you prepare the rest of the recipe
• In a large pot, boil some salted water and cook the pasta until al dente.  When done remove the pasta and add to the simmering sauce
• Slice the squash into ¼ inch lengthwise slices. 
• Mix the ricotta cheese with the grated parmesan cheese, a handful of chopped parsley, about a teaspoon of olive oil and a scant pinch of salt and about six grinds of pepper.
• Slice and sauté the mushrooms in a tsp of the olive oil

Now to assemble:

• Put some sauce in the bottom of a small casserole dish; smear it around
• Add a single layer of zucchini
• Dot the zucchini with ½ of the ricotta mixture
• Add a layer of the spinach
• Scoop out the pasta from the sauce and layer on top of the ricotta
• Add the mushrooms
• Add the summer squash in a single layer
• Top with rest of the ricotta mixture
• Pour on the rest of the sauce
• Slice the provolone into thin strips and put them as the final layer
• Sprinkle the shredded parmesan cheese on top’
• Cover lightly with foil

Time to cook it

• Bake for 40 minutes covered
• Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese starts to turn golden

Cool for 15 minutes

Slice and serve

Enjoy

One Year and Counting! (Favorite Marinade & Mixed Pepper Relish)

Roasting peppers at the Carrboro Farmers' Market

Yesterday marked our first year in Chapel Hill.  As you may know, both Steve and I are California natives, as were our parents. So picking up and moving cross-country was no small thing. But we did it.  And despite the fact that we miss our friends we are truly glad we did. 

Slowly but surely we are meeting new people and establishing new routines.  We have learned about the seasons and understand their allure.  The humidity thing wasn’t as bad as it was cracked up to be.  However, I have learned that I am a human magnet for any kind of insect that bites.  Seriously, forget the bug spray – just invite me to your next outdoor party and your guests will be bite free!

Come and get it!

But I digress.  So yesterday was the one-year marker.  It was a beautiful Carolina day. Blue skies, a bit of a breeze. Hotter than blazes, but I still drove around town with the sunroof open and all the windows down. 

As I’ve noticed before, it dawned on me that I smile more here. Winding my way through the farmers’ market, shouting “hey” to my brother I passed him and his family heading to the lake on their bikes, strolling down Franklin Street after getting my hair cut, and waving “thanks” to the Southern Gentleman who let me turn left into the line of cars leaving a shopping center – something that happens all the time here. Yes, Chapel Hill is a happy place for me to be.

We ended the day by breaking in the new deck we just had built off the screen porch.  My brother and his family came over, Steve fired up the grill (I’m finally starting to get used to not calling it a BBQ, which in the South refers to the food not the method of cooking) and we enjoyed a long leisurely evening together. 

Today, I’ll share a couple of recipes from the dinner we served.  I hope you try them and smile.

Enjoy.

Favorite Marinade

(Mainly used for beef and pork, but surprisingly good on chicken)

Ingredients:

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

¼ soy sauce

1 1/2  TBS herbs d’ Provence (if you don’t have it on hand - as was the case for me yesterday - you can actually substitute poultry seasoning – go figure!)

2 cloves of garlic chopped

Big pinch of salt

6 – 10 grinds of black pepper

1 bay leaf

Method:

• Put all ingredients in a large plastic zip bag
• Add meat
• Mush around to coat
• Stash in ‘fridge

(I marinade tri tip roasts 2 hours to over night; pork chops for a couple hours and surprisingly, chicken does well with this but I only marinade it for 30 minutes to 1 hour)

• Grill meat as normal.

For a 2.5 pound tri-tip on a gas grill: sear on high heat and then drop to medium-off-medium  with the lid closed for 30 minutes then check with an instant read thermometer.  You should be at around 140 for medium rare/150 for medium (if you want it well done, skip the grill and go buy some jerky). 

• Tent with foil for 10 minutes then slice thin.

Serve with Roasted Mixed Pepper Relish

Roasted Mixed Pepper Relish

(This one was inspired by Giada De Laurentiis, but she uses only red and yellow bell peppers and does not include garlic)

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 anaheim pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 large clove garlic, grated on microplane or finely diced
•  3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Grill the peppers until charred; preferably over an open flame, but you can also use the broiler.  My farmers’ market has a guy who does this for you – he’s very popular!
• Put the peppers in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Wait at least 10 minutes.
• When the peppers are cool enough to handle, scrape off the charred skin
• Cut open and scrape out the seeds and the ribs
• Slice into thin strips
• Put the pepper strips, capers, olive oil, garlic and parsley in a glass bowl.  Stir to combine thoroughly
• Season with a pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• Cover with plastic wrap and stash in the ‘fridge until It’s time to serve.  

End of vacation dinner (Will’s lemon scented pasta)

A note from Holly:

(I was going to post the recipe for my lemon chicken – and then I realized that I’ve already posted it.  Brain Cramp. What I will share with you is the pasta that we served with the lemon chicken I made last night.  More of a method than a recipe, this one so simple yet so delicious.  And the really cool part – Will came up with it!  I guess he got the cooking gene!)

It seems like we just picked up Will at the airport and now his summer break is over.  Tomorrow at o'dark-thirty he and Steve will leave for a cross-country drive back to school. They’ve got a great itinerary planned – and will hit baseball games in Chicago and Minneapolis before fishing their way thru North Dakota and finally dropping into the Big Sky State. 

As moms are wont to do, I cooked up one of Will’s favorite dishes last night – lemon chicken.  And this time, he taught me a trick – scenting the pasta itself with lemon by putting both the juice and the juiced lemon halves into the salted pasta water right before you add the pasta.  Wow, was it good.

Lemon Scented Pasta

Ingredients

• Large pot of boiling water
• 2 – 3 Tbs of Kosher Salt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• The actual lemon that was just juiced
• 4 servings of angle hair pasta (or any shaped pasta of your choice)

Method

• Boil the water in a very large pot
• Add the salt, lemon juice and juiced lemon halves
• Add the pasta and cook according to package directions
• Drain the pasta and return to the pot you cooked it in.
• If you are serving with a dish that has a sauce, pour some of the sauce on the pasta before serving. 
• Or you can simply toss gently with
• 1 Tbs melted butter
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Some chopped flat leaf parsley

To serve

• This is great with lemon pasta, but would be equally good with shrimp, fish, or even sautéed zucchini or spring peas.
• Dust with Parmesan cheese

Dig in and enjoy!

It’s Tomato Time (Deconstructed BLT Salad)

Recipe and photo updated July 1, 2018

Updated photo - same great taste

Summer and tomatoes go hand and hand.  And when it comes to a summer lunch or even dinner, what can be better than a BLT? 

My mom made a mean BLT, and I still remember one that I had at a golf course in Mexico on a steamy summer day back in the 80s.  But the very best BLT I have ever had is right her in Chapel Hill, at a gas station turned lunch stop called Merrit’s Store & Grill.

Merrit’s roots go back to 1929 when original owners Ruby and Eben Merritt opened a gas station and store on Columbia St, a narrow winding road that eventually cuts right through the UNC campus and connects with Franklin Street at heart of Chapel Hill. 

Later in 1991, current owner Robert Britt bought the store and added the signature BLT to the menu.  The sandwich’s beauty is in its simplicity.  Lightly toasted bread, a thin smear of good quality mayo and a layer (or more, depending on the size sandwich you choose) each of farm stand tomatoes and crisp local bacon are topped with crisp iceberg lettuce.  The whole thing is wrapped in foil and handed to you in a brown paper bag.  Need I say more?

We had our first Merrit’s BLT the week we arrived in Chapel Hill a little under a year ago.  As we settled in to enjoy our lunch at a picnic table behind the store, there was a flash of lightning, a crash of thunder and the sky literally opened up. Just like in the movies!  We dashed to the car and had our picnic right in the gravel covered parking lot.  It was a great way to start our adventure, and a memory I will always cherish.

The other night we had a similar storm, and as luck would have it I also had some heirloom tomatoes, local bacon, and the other necessary BLT fixin’s on hand.  However, we weren’t in the mood for a sandwich, so I did a deconstructed version and called it dinner. 

Will took a great shot of the salad before we enjoyed it with a nice glass of crisp white wine. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did. 

Enjoy!

Deconstructed BLT Salad

Serves 4

Celebrate the end of summer with a new twist on a BLT. You can also cut the bacon, lettuce and tomatoes into bite sized pieces and toss, if you don’t  feel like assembling the dish as shown.

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:

Leftovers will keep in a jar in the ‘fridge for up to one week.

• ½ cup Greek yogurt (I use 2% but fat free of 5% OK too)
• ¼ cup good mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (standard milk will work, too)
• 2 tsp finely diced parsley
• 2 tsp finely diced chives
• 1 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder and celery seed

For the salad:

• 4 thick slices of sourdough bread, like crusty farmers bread 
• 1 very large or two medium tomatoes cut into thick slices
• 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, assorted colors if you can find them, about half of them cut in half
• 8 slices thick cut apple smoked bacon
• 2 cups shredded (make nice, long shreds – not chopped) iceberg lettuce
• Olive Oil Kosher salt and black pepper for grilling the bread

Method:

Make the Dressing

• Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Adjust seasoning to taste as needed.
• Cover with plastic wrap or put in a glass jar and chill until you are ready to make the salad

Bake the bacon -- Yup, bake it. This method will keep the bacon perfectly flat and drains away the fat: Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees, put a baking rack atop a baking sheet and lay the bacon on the rack. Then bake for 18-20 minutes and remove to drain on a paper towel.

Grill the bread -- Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil sprinkle with Kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper before grilling on a grill pan or outside on the grill until you get nice grill marks.

Assemble the salad – I use a large dinner plate as this can get messy when you start cutting into the salad. Put a slice of bread on each person’s plate and layer sliced tomatoes, bacon, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of dressing.

Enjoy!