Chunky Garden Salsa
September 27, 2011
This has been our best tomato year ever. Quite a shocker given the cool summer, but in our tiny garden we have a bona fide bounty of tomatoes this year. They spill from their bowls, piling up in every free space the kitchen counters can afford. These tomatoes have been taunting me. After a wait that tested every ounce of my patience, they began coming in heavy just at the time the other parts of my life asserted their own demands. The kids, the family gatherings, and oh, my job that actually pays the bills, all take their cut of my precious time before I get to the satisfying job of canning. But this weekend was made for me and the tomatoes.
Starting early in the morning, I prepared a “ketchup” that we all agreed is delicious, but not ketchup. Luckily, instead of an outright rejection, my son suggested we rename it and came up with “Rojo Sauce”. Perfect. Another lug of tomatoes went into a basic tomato sauce, and the last load into Chunky Garden Salsa.
To be honest, I have not had great success with canned salsas in the past. Each recipe I used seemed have one of two problems: the salsa was too watery and/ or the specified canned lemon juice gave the entire batch a foul artificial taste. This recipe takes care of each of those issues and demonstrates some serious tasty flavors. Instead of simply peeling the tomatoes, I grilled them to lend a bit of a charred flavor. After skinning and removing the core, the tomatoes drain in a colander which removes most of the excess water and allows the salsa to easily thicken up on the stove. In place of lemon juice, the recipe called for half white vinegar and half lime juice. This gives it a perfect acidity and delicious flavor from the lime. My only complaint is that I only ended up with five pints. These are sure to go fast around our salsa-loving house.
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Oven-baked Yam Fries
September 23, 2011
When a dish is easy to put together and the whole family loves it, there is really no reason not to make it…often. That is how these yam fries became a staple in our diet. They just seemed to be the perfect thing to accompany so many of our summer dishes. The kids love them, because well, they contain the word “fries.” Of course, in reality they are baked and contain very little oil. The roasting process makes them nice and crispy though and they are excellent dipped in ketchup or herb-blended oil, or my personal favorite, Chipotle Mayonaise.
Oven-baked Yam Fries are crunchy, slightly sweet, and salty, but have all the credentials of a very healthy side dish. If your experience with yams is limited to sweetened dishes (perhaps with marshmallows atop?), you should definitely try these. They are nothing like the signature Thanksgiving dish. Slice the yams into wedges, toss in oil and salt, and bake until crispy. This dish could not be easier and is incredibly adaptable. They go very well with grilled meats. I serve them with Fresh Ground Bacon Burgers or Southwestern Chicken Burgers. They are incredibly addictive. Watch out, you might be making them week after week as well!
What dishes have you loved this summer?
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Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes and Greens
September 16, 2011
Our country is awash with cheap fast food options. As companies increasingly market these inexpensive, yet low quality foods to us in the drive-through and the supermarket the questions arise: Are fast food and prepared foods the only option for families on a budget? Can nutritious and delicious foods also be economical? For our family, we make almost all of our food from scratch, yet still adhere to a strict food budget. Absolutely, YES, nutritious and delicious foods can be economical! September 17, 2011, Slow Food USA is hosting a $5 Challenge. They seek to counter-act the myth that slow food has to cost more than fast food. The challenge calls upon us to serve a meal to our friends and/or family for less than $5 per person.
Truly, $5 per person is quite generous. At this cost, a meal can be more than just a way to feed our hunger, it can be special. Back in May, my Sausage and Kale Dinner Tart won Best Dirt Cheap Dinner on a food52 contest. This tart, though inexpensive to prepare, is suitable to serve for a dinner party. For $5 per person, you can afford the tart, a salad, and a bottle of wine! Most of the meals I serve my family come in at about half that price- closer to $10 for our family of 4. In fact, the more of the preparation I take on myself, the lower the cost. The base ingredients for bread, sausage, and soups are very low. We also have a productive garden which helps to cut the costs of our produce. Preserving the bounty of the seasons is a great way to ensure low cost, high quality food throughout the year.
Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes and Greens is a perfect late summer stew. It is for those days when tomatoes are still abundant, but the air slightly hints of fall. The flavors are rich without being too bold and the light color of the beans makes the dish seem light enough for even a hot night. It is a perfect example of a delicious meal that does not cost much nor take exorbitant amounts of time to prepare. In fact, the total cost of this meal is less than $10 total, or even less if you have garden tomatoes and cook with dried beans instead of canned ones. This meal came together on a Thursday night, when the cupboard was nearly bare and the young natives of the household were restless and hungry. Taking stock of the pantry, I found two cans of cannellini beans. Heading out to the garden, I collected a pile of tomatoes and a handful of basil. These humble ingredients cooked up with a small amount of sausage for flavor and protein made for a tasty dish. The little man gave his seal of approval stating that it was “very, very good.” For an extra treat, bake up a loaf of Weeknight No-Knead Bread to serve on the side. Nutritious, delicious, homemade food does not have to be expensive.
What will you make for the September 17th, $5 Slow Food Challenge?
Other My Pantry Shelf meals for under $5 per person:
Soups and Chili
Big Beef Chili, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Mexican Pozole Rojo, Split Pea Soup with Ham and Beer Bread, Vietnamese Hue Noodle Soup
Pasta, Pizza, and Tarts
Perciatelli and Meatballs, Green and Brown Spaghetti with Basil Pesto, Roasted Asparagus Pizza, Sausage and Kale Dinner Tart
Poultry and Meat Dishes
Chicken Satay, Biscuit-topped Chicken Pot Pie, Corned Beef, Divine Indian Butter Chicken, Fresh Ground Bacon Burgers with Homemade Bun, Huevos Diablos con Chorizo, Lamb Kebabs with Greek Salad, Roasted Garlic Lemon Chicken, Sesame Ginger Meatballs, Southwestern Chicken Burger, Swedish Meatballs (Kottbullar), Thai Lettuce Wraps, World’s Easiest Carnitas with Grilled Tomatillo Salsa
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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
September 9, 2011
Everyone needs a go-to cookie recipe and this is mine. I have made it more times than I can remember for snacks, parties, camping trips, gift bags, potlucks, you name it. They are my favorite! Adapt it to what you have on hand by adding nuts (walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc.) or leaving them out. The chocolate chips can be replaced with peanut butter chips or white chocolate, but do not dare leave those out!
Mix up the dough, then chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them (at least two hours). You can also freeze the dough if you want to make it in advance. Portion out the dough before freezing to make it easier to use. The cookies bake up slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They are great straight from the oven, as well as days later. There is never a shortage of taste testers!
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Fresh Ground Bacon Burger with Homemade Bun
September 3, 2011
This is no ordinary burger, in fact, it is quite possibly the best burger I have ever had. I know, it is a bold statement, but one spoken from the stomach heart. We make burgers once a month or so, usually as an easy dinner. That is how this meal began, as an answer to what to make for dinner that would be easy, popular, and satisfying. That was all well and good, until I got it in my head that I could make everything from scratch. Oh, and add bacon to the beef. Whoa.
After we picked up a meat grinder attachment for our Kitchenaide, we discovered the magic of burgers made with freshly ground meat. This burger includes not only beef chuck roast, but also a very special not-so-secret ingredient, bacon! This was a perfect use for some bacon ends we had from our piggy in the freezer. Using a ration of 4 parts beef to 1 part bacon, I ground the two meats with the course grinding plate. After lightly tossing them to mix, I loosely formed them into patties. I pressed the meat just enough so they would hold together on the grill, but so there were still some small air spaces between the meat pieces. This gives a place for the juices and fat to collect (did I mention this is not a low-fat meal). Grilled over medium high and plopped on a fresh toasted bun, these burgers taste amazing. The bacon flavor is strong enough to make itself known, without being overpowering. The best part is that unlike a burger topped with slices of bacon, the bacon does not slide out of the bun as you try to bite through it. The flavors of the beef and bacon are perfectly blended. And then there is the bun…
This recipe came from King Arthur Bread. They were so good that my son declared, “Mom, these are CRAZY. I never want to buy buns again.” (I love that my kids love to eat!) The recipe uses an egg and some butter, so the buns are very tender and hold together well under the pressure of the burger and condiments. They browned up beautifully and some extra butter brushed over the top yields a very tender top, making it easy to bite into the burger. They came together very quickly and rose through the day. The recipe makes 8 buns large enough for 1/4 pound burgers or bigger. This is enough for two meals for my family, so I froze half of the buns for another dinner. You could also make the buns smaller and use them for sliders. They would be delicious with pulled pork. Mmmmm… We will definitely make these again.
My Pantry Shelf 