A New Fan Favorite:Tri-Colore Orzo

My friend Chris is like my friend and neighbor Sherry. She has a really good eye for recipes. It was she who first made the My Crock Pot is a Wonderland Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken recipe we received in the same recipe exchange. Thank you again Kelly Hogenca for bringing that recipe into our world. In July Chris sent me this recipe Tri-Colore Orzo adding that it is a great, light, mayo free pasta salad. I did not get around to making it until late summer and now I cannot stop making it. I love it because it is a great, light, mayo free pasta salad and I am just trying not to let that pricey box of organic arugula become part of my already very expensive compost pile.

Bob and Moe don't try this at home yet as I plan on serving it to you next week.

Tri-Colore Orzo

1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese, I use feta)
1/2 cup dried cherries (I cut mine in half and then plump them)
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (toasting nuts is one of my weakest links)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.

Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine. Serve.



Everyday Italian on Food NetworkEpisode#: EI1011

A Weekend In the Windy Woods

We spent last weekend with our favorite recent retirees Bob and Moe of Dalkeith-Menomonie-Minong fame. I was under strict instructions from Moe to bring nothing but clothing or I would be asked to leave. I usually show up with a cooler full of food and a sharp knife. I tried my best to listen but I did manage to bring up some of my renegade raspberries and olives and feta from Spiros. The raspberries were used with the fabulous Swedish pancakes Moe made on Sunday and I left the olives and feta behind so that they could try this favorite recipe from Bon Appetit. We have been making it in the neighborhood for the past four summers and even make it in a cast iron pan in the winter when we feel sorry for our ice weary selves.

Grilled Pitas with Tomatoes, Olives and Feta

Ingredients
1 cup diced seeded plum tomatoes (about 4)
1/2 cup pitted coarsely chopped mixed olives
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
4 whole wheat pita breads
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)


Preparation
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Stir tomatoes, olives, onion, 2 tablespoons oil, and mint in small bowl to blend. Brush 1 side of each pita with remaining 2 tablespoons oil; place pitas, oiled side down, on grill. Cook until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Turn pitas over; top with tomato mixture, spreading almost to edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover barbecue and grill pitas until topping is warm, about 2 minutes. Transfer pitas to plates and serve.


Test-kitchen tip: To pit an olive easily, simply crush the olive with the side of a chef's knife and pop out the pit.

Bon Appetit July, 2004

Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis

We are back from nearly a week at the cabin and returned to find that our renegade raspberry patch has ripened. Time to make more Lemon Tart with Raspberry Coulis. This collection of recipes will make one 12 inch tart and two 4 inch tarts. The pastry crust and filling are from the Junior League of Milwaukee cookbook An Occasion To Gather. The lemon curd is from epicurious.com and the Raspberry Coulis is from The Joy of Cooking.

Pastry Crust

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 300. Beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl until blended. Add the flour and beat until smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. Press the pastry over the bottom and up the side of a 12- inch tart pan and two 4-inch tart pans. (The original recipe called for just one 12-inch tart pan but I think that makes a crust that is too thick.) Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Creamy Filling

10 ounces (1 2/3 cup) white chocolate chips
¼ cup heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Combine the white chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for two minutes and stir. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Spoon the filling over the cooled crust.

Lemon Curd

¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
¾ cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart sauce pan. Cut butter into bits and add to mixture. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, over moderately low heat until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes. (You can make the curd 1 week ahead and chill it, covering its surface with plastic wrap.) Makes 1 2/3 cups. Once the curd has cooled spoon it onto the creamy filling layer. Top with fresh raspberries if so desired

Raspberry Coulis

1 pint raspberries, or 12 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice

Puree ingredients in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly with a rubber spatula. Periodically scrape the inside of the sieve clear of seeds, which will otherwise plug up the holes. Do not waste the precious pulp. Continue to press until you are left with just a heaping tablespoon of stiff, clumped together seeds. Taste, then stir in a little more sugar or lemon juice if needed. Serve at once, either at room temperature or chilled, or cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Makes about 1 cup. There will be more than enough Raspberry Coulis to squirt into vanilla yogurt for the rest of the week. Serve from a squeeze bottle alongside a slice of Lemon Tart.

Calico Beans and a Saint-Tropez Tan

My house looks a lot like my grandparents cottage on Green Bay in Door County. Calico Beans remind me of my grandmother, long weekends at the cottage and cottonwood tree fluff caught in my Bain De Soleil. Now I make it for neighborhood cookouts, wear Oil of Olay SPF 15 all of the time and cottonwood tree fluff floats over from the Source's backyard.

Calico Beans

Brown ½ pound ground beef with ½ pound diced bacon, drain

Mix together
½ cup ketchup
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 teaspoons vinegar

Add 1 large can of pork and beans undrained,
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can butter beans, drained
Combine all ingredients in a covered casserole dish and bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours

If it's not Scottish

During my recent visit to my favorite place in the world I had the chance to try a few new things worth mentioning. Cranachan where have you been my whole life? It has everything I love, cream, raspberries and oatmeal and two other ingredients lurking at the edges honey and whisky. All of my research calls it a traditional Scottish dish but I do not remember ever hearing about it on my past trips to my beloved Scotland. I tried it at the Kinghouse hotel at the end of our first 10 mile walk and it was a good as the sunset was beautiful.

Cranachan

10½oz raspberries (strawberries can also be used)

one cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons good quality honey

2 tablespoons single malt whisky

2-3 tablespoons of oatmeal.

1. Place the oatmeal in a cool, dry pan and turn on the heat to simmer. Stirring occasionally, toast the oatmeal until it is golden brown. This process could take between 10-20 minutes.

2. Once the oatmeal is brown, turn off the heat and let it cool in the pan.

3. Place the cream in a bowl and whisk up until soft and relatively thick.

4. Add the honey single malt whisky and cooled oatmeal and fold it in with a whisk, until it is soft and creamy.

5. Place half of the raspberries in the bottom of a serving glass, add another layer of the cream mixture on top, repeat with the remaining raspberries and cream. Chill for about three hours, or overnight.

Serving: 2

The night before we left we celebrated Dr. Bob's retirement from 35 years of teaching. Bob loves all things fish and if it is smoked fish that is even better. He scouted out this recipe and Moe and I executed it for the fond farewell. It was amazing.

Smoked Salmon and Haddock Pots

8 oz smoked haddock fillet
6 oz smoked salmon
6 fl oz heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Grated nutmeg
3 oz Scottish cheddar cheese, grated

Set oven to 400F or Mark 6. Butter 6 ramekin dishes. Remove the skin and bones from the haddock and flake the flesh. Cut the smoked salmon into pieces. Mix together the haddock and salmon and divide between the ramekin dishes. Season the cream with salt and pepper and pour over the fish. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg and top with grated cheese. Place the ramekin dishes on a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling. We had great success using a crock pot on low for a few hours. Serve with crusty bread. Serves 6.

Martha, Martha, Shelly

My friend Shelly brought these bars to a work gathering a few weeks ago and they were great. I need to expand my treat repertoire beyond chocolate laden delights and these fall into this category. I made them this weekend for Cousin Christmas and even the handsome Canadian brother-in-law commented that they were good which says a lot. The recipe is from the December, 2007 issue of Martha Stewart Living and leave it to Martha and her peons to have odd measurements. Two cups of flour plus 2 tablespoons. Give me a break.

White Chocolate-Gingerbread Blondies

Makes about 4 dozen 2-inch squares

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
2 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 sticks (20 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
10 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 17-by-12-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment cut to fit, and coat parchment. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.


Beat butter and brown and granulated sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and yolk, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in white chocolate.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 2-inch squares or desired shape. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Happy Birthday Neighbor Dan

Neighbor Dan turned 40 this week and we welcomed him into the 40 fold with this dinner. It was a beautiful night with the Christmas tree glowing, the Happy Holiday Hearth crackling, Annick Goutal Noel candles, ice votives, and good friends.

Warm Black Bean and Chipotle Dip
Fine Cooking Appetizers

The first time I made this dip I followed the recipe completely. The second time I just made the pureed bean concoction and I added only one tablespoon of cider vinegar and I liked it much better. It is a great, albeit spicy dip, and is also amazing as a taco filling

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for the baking dish
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into medium dice
2 tsp. kosher salt; more as needed
1 large yellow onion, finely diced3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 15-1/2 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained well
2 canned chipotles en adobo, minced (about 1 Tbs.), plus 3 Tbs. adobo sauce
3 Tbs. cider vinegar
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (if frozen, thaw first)
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups (6 oz.) grated Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
Tortilla chips for serving

Heat the oven to 425ºF. Grease a 1-1/2 qt. baking dish with oil and line a baking sheet with foil. Set the tomatoes in a colander over the sink and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the salt.

Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add half of the black beans, the chipotles and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid reduces by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.

Heat until shimmering hot. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add half of the black beans, the chipotles and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid reduces by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the bean mixture to a food processor, add the vinegar, and process until smooth. Let cool for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a large bowl. Add the rest of the beans, the tomatoes, corn, half of each of the cheeses, and 1/2 cup of the cilantro. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.Transfer to the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake on the foil-lined baking sheet (to catch drips) until the cheese melts and browns around the edges, about 15 minutes (longer if refrigerated). Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve with the tortilla chips for dipping.

Shredded Beef for Tacos

allrecipes.com

Start your roast in the morning before going to work it will be done when you get home. You don't even have to defrost the roast. If it is a defrosted roast, put it in around noon, it will be done at 5pm.

Serves 16

1 (4 pound) frozen rump roast
1 cup white wine
2 (7.75 ounce) cans Mexican style hot tomato sauce, such as El Pato
3 tablespoons crushed garlic
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place the frozen roast in the slow cooker. Pour the wine and Mexican style hot tomato sauce over the top. Season with garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cover, and cook on Low for 9 hours. When done, the roast should shred easily with a fork. Shred the roast into the juices, and mix in the chopped green onions and cilantro.