Potato Salad with Arugula and Snap Peas
April 8, 2012
Spring is officially here. Time for fresh potatoes, crisp peas, and tender greens. This dish celebrates them all. With no resemblance to its more traditional mayo-based cousin, this potato salad is fresh and crisp with a delicate balance between marinated potatoes, plump peas, crunchy toasted walnuts, and peppery arugula. The whole lot is tossed in a simple mustard vinaigrette to make an uncomplicated, appetizing side dish for any spring meal.
Read the rest of this entry »
I would love to say that each jar of jam I make is a smashing success. It would be great if each jar was filled with mouth watering combinations of fruits that strained our self-control through the winter. In fact many of the jams filling our pantry do exactly that. The Three Berry Jam of last July is long gone. Each weekend we dole out the last drops of the Mixed Berry Syrup over yet another batch of Buttermilk Pancakes. There is only one last jar of Strawberry Rhubarb to get us through until truly sweet strawberries start cropping up at the Farmers’ Market. Yes, these are fantastic jams that I cannot wait to make again. The same cannot be said for the poor Drunken Fig Jam I made (too much of) last summer. They cannot all be winners.
Perhaps it is the brandy- I am not a big fan, or the need for a bit more acidity, whatever the reason, the fig jam did not fly off the shelves. It got to the point when I began to consider the unthinkable- tossing the jam in favor of freeing up the precious real estate, when I discovered a recipe from the Gourmet Cookbook and adapted this recipe.
Drunken Pork Chops with Fig and Onion Marmalade is perhaps the perfect application of this drunken jam. Pork pairs so beautifully with sweetness and fig is no exception. For this dish, the pork chops sear off first, then nestle down into a saucy bed of well caramelized onions bathed in rosemary-infused brandied fig jam. The dish simmers slowly as the pork cooks through and the flavors meld. In the end, the pork is incredibly tender and awash in a deliciously sweet and savory sauce. No ample stash of drunken fig jam in the pantry? Just add some apricot or plum jam and a splash of brandy.
How do you cook with jam? Feel free to link to your recipe below.
Read the rest of this entry »
Pickled Beets with Cumin
March 22, 2012
Pickled Beets with Cumin. Who would have thought that such a short list of ingredients could produce a condiment with so much flavor, texture, and interest? After making these for the first time, I have been determined to keep the refrigerator stocked with them ever since. A huge thanks to Linda Ziedrich to introducing me to this recipe via The Joy of Pickling.
To prepare, roast the beets until just tender. Peel and dice them into small chunks, then drown them in red wine vinegar infused with peppercorns, salt, and of course cumin. Cap them off and keep them in the refrigerator. Letting them sit at least a few days will allow the flavors to meld. They will keep up to 3 weeks.
These tasty chunks of beet are fantastic on their own, but pair them with feta and you have a very tasty snack. Toss a few in the salad along with the vinegar and finish up with a drizzle of olive oil for an easy salad dressing. There are probably a million more ways to eat these, but the beets never stick around long enough for me to dream up new ideas. How will you eat them?
Read the rest of this entry »
Rye Bread (redeemed)
March 15, 2012
Last year in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day, I corned my first beef brisket. It was a smashing success, but the loaf of rye I made to sandwich the leftovers failed miserably. It took an entire year to return to this challenge, but when Caroline at Grow It , Cook It, Can It suggested baking bread for Cook It, 2012, I knew this was the loaf for me. So this year, with the beef corning in the fridge, I tried a new recipe for rye bread that turned out just as I hoped.
After scouring my many cookbooks, I settled on this recipe from the Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook. This bread is moist and chewy with a pronounced flavor of rye and caraway. It includes two types of flour in perfect proportion to achieve the signature flavor of the rye and all purpose flour to supply the required gluten and keep it light. My family loved these loaves so much that they were devoured before I had a chance to stick one in the freezer for this upcoming weekend. This weekend, when I bake another batch, I will roll the dough into shorter loaves to make larger slices more appropriate for sandwiches. I also plan to toss in a cup of minced onion to flavor the bread.
Bacon, Brussels Sprouts, and Blue Cheese Pizza
March 12, 2012
Perhaps it is an unlikely combination, but bacon, Brussels sprouts, and blue cheese were actually meant to be together… on a pizza. Believe me. I am completely hooked on this pizza. Inspired by a plate of fantastic wood-fired oven roasted Brussels sprouts from Jackson’s along side a tasty pizza with onions and sausage. I couldn’t help thinking how delicious the sprouts would be on top of the pizza. And while we were at it, why not throw in some bacon and blue cheese. Oh, and it worked. We love this recipe so much, we made it three weeks in a row!
Bacon, Brussels Sprouts and Blue Cheese Pizza is built on a base of Our Favorite Pizza Dough, though I subbed in 2 cups of whole wheat flour for 2 cups of all-purpose flour. This makes for a nice hearty texture to the dough. Next is a liberal brush of roasted garlic sauce. Caramelized Brussels sprouts, slivers of bacon, chunks of blue cheese, and thinly sliced onion complete the toppings. This combination is great for dinner, but I would also love to serve it as an appetizer.
This post was shared on Yeastspotting.
My Pantry Shelf 