Shepherd's Salad

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

It's been too humid and sticky to make a hot meal, so I've been resorting to some lovely salads.  I had all the ingredients in the fridge for one of Chris's favorites (and one of his greatest finds): Shepherd Salad.  There are a ton of variations of the recipe, but the one we make, which feeds two nicely, is below.

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber (peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeds scooped out, then sliced into pieces about 1/2 inch thick)

1 large green pepper (peeled, seeded, cut into bite-size pieces)

2-3 plum tomatoes (cut in half, then diced)

2 TBS olive oil salt (to taste)

1 TBS Lemon juice (more/less to taste)

6-8 large mint (chopped)

1 TBS goat cheese (crumbled)

Kosher salt/ground black pepper (to taste)

To Do:
Combine the cucumber, pepper, tomato and olive oil in a medium-sized bowl and stir gently.  Add lemon juice and mint, and marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Add the goat cheese and salt/pepper (and more lemon juice if needed) right before serving.  For a pretty presentation, chop up more mint and sprinkle over individual servings. Enjoy!


xxoxo

Penne with Bacon, Swiss Chard, and Tomatoes

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

My bi-monthly box of organic food has started to transition toward spring vegetables. Asparagus, early tomatoes, lettuce, etc., were prominent in my latest one, but we're also finishing up with winter's chard and kale.  

I had been reading some magazine articles lately that featured Italy and was craving pasta.  I also wanted to try out the suggestion/technique of boiling the pasta until it is just about done, and then transferring it to a large pan/skillet to finish cooking it (with the sauce), adding a bit of the starchy water for the ultimate in pasta preparation.  I've seen this technique referred to a few times lately, in recipes and articles, so thought I'd give it a shot.

I thought a creamy tomato sauce with spinach and bacon would be nice, but I didn't have spinach, so I used some beautiful chard instead.  The dish turned out lovely -- the creamy sauce, the slightly bitter taste of the chard with the salty bacon and the sweetness of the tomatoes made for a really nice dish.

1, 1lb. box penne pasta 

4 strips bacon, cut into small pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 cups chard (stems removed), chopped

4 tomatoes, peeled and diced (or, 1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and chopped)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 TBS goat cheese

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 TBS butter or olive oil (optional)

Bring water to a boil in large stock pot with 2 handfuls of salt.  Add pasta to boiling water and remove when test piece is white only in the very center.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water then drain penne and set aside.  

In large skillet/pan over medium heat, brown the bacon, adding the garlic when bacon starts to crisp.  Once garlic is soft and fragrant, add in the chard, tomatoes and cream and reduce heat to a simmer. After the tomatoes start to break up, stir in the goat cheese and salt and pepper, and then add in a bit of the pasta water to thicken the sauce.  Simmer a few more minutes then gently toss in the pasta, coating it with the sauce.  Let this simmer for a minute or two more, adding in more pasta water if needed, adjust your seasonings add the butter/olive oil, and enjoy!

xoxoxo

I Heart Simplicity

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

I've been having one of those crazy, busy, stressful weeks -- the kind that make Friday seem like it will never get here.  The type that make me excited about coming home to make butternut squash soup, not because I'm in the mood to cook-- but so I can have a swig from the brandy bottle...

As I was walking home from the train station, I remembered we were almost out of milk.  I nearly passed our lovely gourmet grocer, telling myself we had a few boxes of "little milks" that could get us through to the weekend, but then I remembered how just walking into the store calms me.  So, I went in, grabbed a basket (instead of a cart so I wouldn't go overboard) and walked the aisles.  I always like to pick up one or two items I've never tried before, and tonight I hit the jackpot!

See if you can find them near you...I would love to hear if you'll be using them or not, or maybe you're way ahead of me and have already given them a try!

Simply Heinz:  Favorite tomato ketchup, but with no High Fructose Corn Syrup!  I have been trying to cut out corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup from my diet since before Thanksgiving, and the one thing I wouldn't give up was Heinz ketchup. I grew up outside of Pittsburgh and it is a sacrilege to use any kind other than Heinz.  So, I was thrilled when a friend pulled it out of her fridge on Superbowl Sunday.  It tastes terrific -- sugar replaces the syrup, and I can finally stop feeling guilty. Awesome!

Pomi Chopped Tomatoes: "No preservatives, colouring agents or GMOs (genetically modified organisms), only one ingredient: fresh sun ripened tomatoes chopped in delicious chunks and packed in the area of production bringing directly to the table an incomparable taste."  Also available: strained tomatoes and marinara sauce. I like not having to worry about BPA (Bisphenol A) and hate the "tinny" taste that canned tomatoes sometimes have. These really are the next best thing to fresh tomatoes--bright, great flavor.  They will get me through the rest of the winter until I can have some local Jersey Fresh tomatoes at my disposal.

Haddon House Tomolives: Pickled Green Tomatoes...need I say more?  They are tangy and briny and almost remind me of sour grapes.  I tossed a handful in a salad and ate another handful right out of the jar.  And, they wouldn't be terrible as a cocktail garnish either...martini, anyone?

And, finally, the coup de grace:

Philadelphia Cooking Creme: Spoonable cream cheese. It was available in original and Italian Cheese & Herb, and the instant I saw it, I thought "Stuffed Shells!" My secret to the fluffy, creamy filling in my lasagna rolls and stuffed shells is adding cream cheese and fresh herbs or flavored cheese spread to my ricotta...now it will be even easier and I can just imagine how great a dollop of this on top right before serving could take it to a whole new level of rich and creaminess.  Yes, this is the one item that has more than five ingredients listed, but come on...you have to love something this smart!


Anyway, I did remember the milk, and the squash soup came out lovely.  But, we are now out of brandy...back to the store!


xoxoxo