Salmon and Tomatoes en Papillote

One by-product of habitual cooking from new recipes is a certain confidence in the ability to predict in advance, from a quick perusal, how the recipe will taste. Granted there are times when unusual ingredients are paired together and the only solution is to prepare the dish and see how it tastes. But the real fun comes when a recipe with seemingly ordinary ingredients, simply combined, produces a result that is startling in its resulting unexpected flavors. Such was the case with this week's French Fridays With Dorie selection, Salmon en Papillote.


n.o.e.'s notes:

- The recipe, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, has just a few ingredients - salmon, tomatoes, basil, lemons, herbs (I used rosemary), scallions. Dorie shared the recipe on her blog, here.

- "en papillote" means in paper, and packets are often made of baking parchment. But, as Dorie explains, foil works just as well, and is actually easier to use. For company, however, nothing beats cutting into a paper packet and seeing the steam rise and catching a glimpse of the savory goodness within.


- My garden produced rather anemic basil. The leaves were small and I didn't have quite enough, so I filled in with Italian parsley.

- I seared the grape tomatoes in olive oil before adding to the packets

the verdict:

We were surprised - pleasantly! - at how well this recipe turned out. The ingredients worked together inside the sealed packets to produce a rich and savory broth, the kind that you want to lick off the place when the salmon is all gone.

Chicken with Prosciutto and Parmesan

British chef Jamie Oliver has become a champion of simple but tasty and unprocessed food, in schools and homes, both in the UK and in the USA. His website and his books are a great source of easy but delicious recipes, and I've found myself turning to them again and again when time is tight and inspiration is lacking.

One recent weekday I was faced with a package of boneless chicken breasts. None of my usual standby recipes appealed to me, but Jamie's recipe Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Crispy Posh Ham caught my attention, and I decided to give it a try.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- You can find the recipe here

- I try to keep a package of Prosciutto in the freezer; it's wonderful for draping over ripe cantaloupe or jazzing up a salad. It also comes in handy for this recipe!

- I have a bad attitude about pounding chicken breasts. Although I know that it keeps them tender and makes them a uniform thickness so that they cook more evenly, I always dread pounding them. And every time, I realize that it wasn't so bad after all.

- The recipe is a snap and introduced me to a new technique for pounding chicken breasts. First you score one side of the meat and sprinkle it with seasonings and grated parmesan cheese, then lay sliced prosciutto or ham over the top. Then cover with a bit of plastic wrap and pound the breasts. Not only does the pounding thin the meat, it also imbeds the seasoning and the cheese into the meat and adheres the ham to the surface of the chicken.

- The chicken could be prepared in advance and cooked at the last minute. After a quick pan-saute, the chicken is ready to eat.

the verdict:

After I cooked the chicken and plated it, I realized how pretty it was, and I was a little regretful that I was wasting it on a weeknight dinner. It would be perfect for company. You absolutely cannot tell from looking or tasting how easy this was to make. The salty ham was a great counterpoint to the chicken, and the cheese and the thyme added tons of savory flavors.

Iowa Pork Chops

For over two years I have loved receiving my weekly order, which I fondly refer to as my "farm box," from Moore Farms and Friends. With the help of hoop houses, the associated farmers in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee manage to grow a pretty impressive array of wonderful vegetables and fruit throughout the winter months, and of course there is a veritable cornucopia in summer. We can also order eggs, dairy, and meats. The farm box pork comes from Thompson Farms and Riverview Farms, and because of its freshness and quality I've found myself cooking more pork. Availability changes from week to week, so I order a cut of meat when it's offered and keep it handy in the freezer until the occasion and recipe arise.

One recent winter day I found myself with a cool cookbook from the library and a bunch of pork chops in the freezer, so I put the two together and made Iowa Pork Chops from the Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland cookbook.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I've included the recipe at the end of this post, just scroll down.

- Despite a fairly long list of ingredients, the recipe came together quite quickly. I used my coffee grinder/spice mill, which ground up the whole spices and garlic all at the same time.

- Even without a spice grinder, this would still be an easy recipe using pre-ground spices.

the verdict:

These pork chops were a big hit at our house. The various spices in this recipe combined to give a lovely savory flavor, and the simplicity of the recipe makes it even more of a favorite. In fact, this recipe was such a nice find that I've put the cookbook on my wish list.

the recipe:

Iowa Pork Chops

from Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland

2 bay leaves
1 T freshly ground pepper (I used peppercorns)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 T dried thyme, or 1/4 c chopped fresh
2 tsp ground cloves (I used whole)
1 T ground nutmeg (about 1 whole nutmeg, grated w microplane)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
4 thick premium loin pork chops (10 oz ea)
1 T olive oil
1 T each, butter and olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a coffee grinder, spice mill, or blender, process the bay leaves, pepper, garlic, thyume, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom until completely blended (the bay leaves might not be completely crushed).

3. Rub the chops with the olive oil, then rub the spice blend over all of the chops. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature.

4. Sear the chops in the butter/oil in a heavy skillet over high heat about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until they are golden brown.

5. Place the chops on a rack over a baking sheet in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Provencal Tomato Soup

What do you do when you have a surplus of fresh tomatoes? I often make either a quick or a long-simmering tomato sauce. In the summer my default plan is gazpacho. But the last time I had an overstock of tomatoes on my counter, I was in the mood for a different kind of soup. I searched my cookbooks and found a promising candidate - a soup with the herbal flavors of Provence.


n.o.e.'s notes:

- The recipe is from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

- I used fresh tomatoes. The author is very clear that Roma tomatoes are not good to use for anything, and recommends using the best tasting fresh tomatoes available, or good quality canned.

- The recipe's ingredient list specifies dried herbs. It was quite tempting to substitute fresh herbs from my little garden, but I didn't. Boy was I glad when I turned the page and found this note:

"Resist substituting fresh herbs for the dried ones called for here. They should be dried (but never powdered), just as they are in Provence's famous blend, herbes de Provence. The ready-made blend is often stale. Here you will be making your own."

- I removed the skins from my fresh tomatoes by immersing in boiling water for 1 minute then immediately putting them into an ice bath. After that the skins just rub off easily.

- I was a bit leery of the cinnamon in the recipe and used less than half and it was almost too much.

- At the end, goat cheese is stirred into the soup. I had a lovely seven-pepper-encrusted goat cheese from the farm box, which added a bit of spicy heat to the soup.

- The recipe has a variation where the dried herbs are replaced by fresh basil, and I plan to try that next time.


the verdict:

This was an unusual take on tomato soup, and I enjoyed every spoonful. The cinnamon nearly ran away with the soup, though, so next time I would add only the smallest pinch, then adjust to taste.

the recipe:

South of France Tomato Soup with Young Chevre
from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

generous 1/2 tsp dried basil
generous 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
generous 1/2 tsp dried oregano
generous 1/2 tsp dried thyme
extra virgin olive oil
3 med onions, finely chopped (I used about 9 ounces)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
generous 1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup dry vermouth
2 pounds good tasting tomatoes (not Romas), peeled, seeded, and chopped, or one 28-ounce can whole tomatoes with their liquid, crushed
approximately 28 ounces of broth and 2/3 cup water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste (I used 1/8 tsp of Vietnamese cinnamon, and would use less next time)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1. Combine the dried herbs in a small cup. Crush them lightly until they become fragrant. Set aside.

2. Film the bottom of a 6-quart pot with olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onions are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the reserved herbs and the garlic. Continue cooking until their aromas open up, about 30 seconds.

3. Blend in the tomato paste until there are no lumps; then add the vermouth and tomatoes. Boil for 2 minutes. Pour in the broth, stir, adjust the heat to a light bubble, and cover the pot tightly. Cook for 20 minutes. Then blend in the cinnamon, and taste the soup for seasoning.

4. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top each serving with crumbles of goat cheese.

Pan Roasted Salmon with Asparagus Bundles and Cherry Tomatoes

Nothing says "Spring" quite as much as fresh new asparagus, and it's given a starring role in this Jamie Oliver recipe for Pan Roast Salmon with Green and White Asparagus, Rosemary, Wrapped in Bundles with Pancetta and Red and Yellow Cherry Tomatoes. Whew, that was a mouthful! Luckily making this dish was quite a bit easier than typing that recipe title.

n.o.e.'s notes

- Jamie Oliver evidently developed this dish for his signature line of cookware from T-FAL. I made mine in a (non-T-FAL) stovetop grill pan, and it turned out just fine.

- The cool thing about this recipe is that it's all made in one pan and the different elements cook in the same amount of time, and their flavors combine in the process.

- The combination of white and green asparagus would have been pretty in this dish but I only had the green asparagus, so that's what I used. Similarly, I used just the red variety of cherry tomatoes.

- The recipe blithely instructs "wrap each bunch up in 3 slices of pancetta to form a neat bundle." I need some sort of diagram for the wrapping technique, since mine didn't start out neat and then came unwrapped as they cooked. I think I'd use prosciutto next time and anchor it somehow.

the verdict:

Even though my asparagus bundles were a bit unruly I enjoyed learning this technique of cooking the salmon and asparagus together. I prefer the taste of roasted asparagus to steamed, and the rosemary gave a lovely flavor as it roasted, making it especially appealing. We savored every bite of this dish and will definitely make it again.

English Onion Soup with Sage and Cheddar

February 4 is National Homemade Soup day, and I can think of no better way to celebrate than with a hot bowl of English Onion Soup with Sage and Cheddar.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I found the recipe here on Jamie Oliver's website, and mentioned it to my cooking friends on Twitter. Before I knew it, half a dozen of us decided to make the soup. Leslie of Lethally Delicious made this soup first, and reported that hers was bland, so I worked extra hard to develop maximum flavor at every stage of the soup.

- It is very important to measure your onions by weight for this recipe; no volume measurements are provided, and the size of onions varies wildly. I used 1000g of a mixture of five different types of onions: white onions, red onions, shallots (regular), leeks, and baby Vidalias.


- Oliver stresses that the onions should be cooked on low temperature to bring out their sweetness. I chose med/low, and my onions took a lot longer to cook that the recipe recommends. I wanted to make sure that the liquid evaporated off and they got caramelized, so I think my onions cooked about 80 minutes or so.

- I made sure to season at every stage with salt and pepper.

- Oliver allows a choice of which type of stock to use for the soup's base. I had just prepared some turkey and chicken stock from Ruhlman's overnight method, so that's what I used.

- My bread was from a homemade loaf of Bread Baker's Apprentice Italian Bread.

- Some lovely sharp 10 year aged cheddar finished off the soup.

- I ended up with about 2.5 quarts of soup. One quart went directly into the freezer for a rainy day.


the verdict:

I absolutely loved this soup, and surprisingly, so did my husband. He has never liked French onion soup, so I served this to him with a bit of trepidation. It was different from French onion soup, which to me tends to be mostly about the beef broth and the melted gruyere. This soup was packed with onions, and there was a plethora of different onion flavors which were complemented by the woodsy sage and the sharp cheddar. I really liked the poultry stock as a base for this, and would definitely make it the same next time.

Radish and Herb Butter

Radishes and butter are a classic French combination, but I didn't know this until last summer when I saw a post for Radish Herb Butter on the blog Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate. The pairing of radishes with butter struck me as unlikely and yet quite appealing. We have a steady radish supply nearly year round, thanks to our farm box, so although I was eager to make the butter, I bided my time until it was my turn to host book group (we usually have cheese, bread/crackers, fruit, and of course, dessert). I ended up preparing this in November, and now that the holidays are over I finally get to share it.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- You can find the recipe at the end of this post.

- Making this "dish" is as easy as softening some butter, beating it with lemon juice, then stirring in some chopped herbs and julienned radishes. Season to taste, and voila! There you have it.

- It was a little tricky to work the lemon juice into the butter, but persistence paid off (as it often does!)

- I used radishes from the farm box that are kind of reverse of regular radishes: red on inside, white outside

- I served the butter with Dan Lepard's Buttermilk Baps (rolls) - read my baps post here.

the verdict:

The radish herb butter proved to be quite popular with those who tried it at book group. I expected it to be crunchy, with a fresh and sharp radish taste, with the butter serving mainly as a binder. Instead the tastes of the radish, the butter and the herbs mingled and combined to produce a flavor that was mellow and warm, savory and rich. The spread was complemented nicely by the soft buttermilk rolls, but would be equally good with thin crackers. Or, of course, French bread rounds!

the recipe:

Radish Herb Butter
recipe adapted from Green City Market
and adapted from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate

1 stick (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
5 radishes, approximately, about 1 inch in diameter, washed and trimmed

1. Cut the radishes into thin strips.
2. In a bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until smooth.
3. Beat in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the chopped herbs .
4. Stir in the radishes.
   

Ad Hoc's Chicken Breasts with Tarragon

Boneless chicken breasts are a staple dinner item at our house. When I got my copy of Thomas Keller's new book Ad Hoc at Home I was excited to see a quick and elegant looking recipe for boneless chicken.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- Scroll down for the recipe. The basic method, as Keller explains it, is "flattened, seasoned, sauteed, and served with a simple pan sauce."

- The recipe calls for a teaspoon of yellow curry powder. I was pretty excited to make my own curry powder, using the recipe from the back of Ad Hoc at Home. Keller's recipe calls for 20 different spices/seeds, all ground up and mixed together - allspice, anise, bay leaf, brown mustard seeds, cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, fenugreek, nutmeg, mace, black peppercorns, ginger, star anise, yellow mustard seeds, turmeric, paprika, flaky sea salt. It turned out that I had most of the ingredients. Some of my spices were already ground when he called for whole, and I ground up some whole spices that Keller specified as ground. The curry powder was the perfect job for my spice grinder (a spare coffee grinder dedicated to spices). A full batch made a TON of curry powder; I spooned it into some empty spice bottles, and gave some to each of my daughters.

- I had bought a big load of chicken, enough for 1 1/2 recipe. It took forever to pound it all out thin. (Honestly, is there a worse kitchen job than pounding chicken breasts?) Luckily once I finished that work, the rest was fairly easy, and I ended up with enough chicken for an army.

- I love the precision of the directions in this cookbook, and have found the timing to be completely accurate. The chicken breasts brown - in batches - for a minute on each side. I set my timer for 1 minute and then hit repeat until all the chicken was browned.

the verdict:

This is a simple, elegant and subtlely-flavored chicken. My daughter JDE and I liked the chicken quite well, but my husband found it quite bland, and couldn't really taste the different flavors. I think the curry could be doubled or even tripled without any problem. I froze the leftover chicken, and it thawed and reheated quite nicely, and during the busy holiday time I loved having extra dinners that were already prepared.


The recipe:

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Tarragon

1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon Yellow Curry Powder (recipe in the book) or Madras curry powder
6 large (about 6 ounces each) or 12 small (about 3 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Canola oil
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped tarragon plus 1 tablespoon whole tarragon leaves
Freshly ground black pepper.

1. Mix together the paprika and curry in a small bowl. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

2. Lay 2 pieces of chicken on a large piece of plastic wrap, cover with more plastic and pound with a mallet until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining breasts. (Chicken may be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)

3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Set a rack over a baking sheet.

4. Season chicken on both sides with salt. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add enough canola oil to film the bottom of pan. Working in batches, without crowding, place breasts smooth side down and let cook until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn and cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in oven.

5. Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and shallot, and sauté for 30 seconds, swirling pan to coat shallot with butter. Add wine, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add stock, bring to boil, and cook until reduced and slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Stir in the chopped tarragon, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and any juices that have accumulated on baking sheet and swirl to melt the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken on a warmed platter, pour sauce over it, and garnish with the tarragon leaves.

Mexican Street Salad

Browsing for recipes is one of my favorite pasttimes. My cookbook shelves are filled to overflowing and I love paging through them, contemplating the possibilities. On the bottom shelf is a basket piled high with magazine clippings and handwritten pages, an invitation to delicious exploration.

But lately the recipes come directly to me. Via Twitter. I "follow" a couple dozen content-heavy contacts - @finecooking, @nytimesfood, @ruhlman, @bittman, @beardfoundation, @MarthaStewart, @bflay, @seriouseats and the list goes on. From their tweets, I've learned about food, restaurants, cooking events, and at least several days a week I've learned what's for dinner at my house.

A fun person to follow on Twitter is Jamie Oliver (@jamie_oliver), the UK chef who champions cooking at home. Jamie's website features a recipe of the day, and it comes across daily on Twitter. Here are some sample Tweets from Jamie:

"rite u loverly lot recipe of the day is delicious blackbery and apple pie ... perfect for this time of year jxx" (Sep 25, 2009) [I bookmarked it]

"simple chicken salad recipe of the day http://bit.ly/gW1oS enjoy jxxx" (Oct 7, 2009) [I made it; will post soon]"perfect for this time of year, grilled and marinated rabbit ... jxxx" (Oct 13, 2009) [um, I'll probably skip this one]

One of Jamie's recent projects is "Jamie's American Roadtrip," a television show that's currently airing in the UK, and an accompanying cookbook, "Jamie's America." Some of Jamie's tweets are about the show:

"thanks for all the loverly mesages about the show last nite glad u all liked it the navajo were amazing jxx"(Oct 7, 2009)
" http://twitpic.com/ka3mj - me and the navaho queen from this tuesdays programe hope your all well jamie oxx" (Oct 4, 2009)

Here's one that really caught my attention:

"u can see loads of recipes from the new book http://bit.ly/1tuUpo just clik on the book cover jxxx" (Sept 1, 2009)

I clicked on the link and found some wonderful recipes from his American roadtrip. The Mexican Street Salad caught my attention immediately. I had cabbage on order from my farm box, so I made sure I had the other ingredients on hand.


n.o.e.'s notes:

- Essentially the salad is made up of lots of sliced fresh vegetables and hot chiles with a zippy dressing of lime juice, olive oil and salt.

- Jamie says that it's easiest to use a food processor or mandolin to slice the vegetables. I found an "as seen on TV" mandolin set at Marshalls, which I inaugurated with this recipe. The mandolin made quick work of the shredding with minimal cleanup. Given how sharp the blade is, however, I plan to use the hand guard every time I use it.

- Although the recipe suggests using or substituting other vegetables, I followed it as written: white cabbage, red cabbage, radishes, carrots, onions, hot peppers (I used our homegrown serranos). I'd love to try other veggies too: celery, fennel, green beans, sweet peppers, broccoli.

the verdict:

Although it has similar ingredients to a coleslaw, it has none of coleslaw's creamy subtlety. This salad is lively! It really emphasizes the taste of the fresh vegetables. I made half recipe and ended up with a ton of salad. It lasted well for several days and each time it was as delicious as the first. We never got tired of it, and the next week I made another batch!

Chilled Tomato Soup

Let's see a show of hands here: When you heard on Oct 5 that Daniel Boulud's restaurant Daniel was just was awarded three-star Michelin status, did it inspire you to run out and prepare one of Boulud's dishes in your own kitchen? No, me neither. In fact, truth be told, I wasn't familiar with the chef.

But in a timely coincidence I happened to have make one of his recipes just days earlier.

Last week Gavin Kaysen of Cafe Boulud prepared dinner at the Beard House (I know this because I "follow" @beardfoundation on Twitter). One dish that he made was Daniel Boulud's Chilled Tomato Soup with Basil Guacamole. I had just picked up some end of summer tomatoes from our local farm stand, and, amazingly, had all of the other ingredients on hand (well, it turned out that my leeks and fennel had gotten a bit too old in the fridge, so I had to replace them) so I cooked it right up.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I loved the taste of the pureed soup before adding the tomato juice.

- Basil and avocado are a new combination for me, and I was glad to have a chance to use some of my basil (which really flourished in the herb garden this summer) in making the basil guacamole.

- An immersion blender comes in very handy to puree the soup without having to clean the big blender.

- I didn't end up straining the soup, opting to leave it "rustic", since it was weeknight dinner for my husband and me. If I were serving this soup to company, I'd definitely strain it.

the verdict:

This is a great soup to have in the summer arsenal. Cool, refreshing, complex, refined (especially once it's strained). All of the vegetables added depth of flavor. The soup lasted a long time in the fridge, and was delicious for lunch or along with dinner. And while it's just a little intimidating to make comments/suggestions about a 3-star Michelin chef's recipe (!) I think I'd reduce the tomato juice the next time, as I thought it masked the other flavors just a tiny bit.

Tray Baked Salmon and Vegetables

The real name of this Jamie Oliver recipe is "Summer Tray Baked Salmon" but I figure I can get away with posting it this week, seeing as we're just a couple of days into Fall. And really, there's nothing to stop you from making this now. That "Summer" thing can be our little secret. The best part of this recipe is that you can prepare it in advance and you have the main course, complete with starch and vegetables all in one beautifully arranged pan.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- Dill is not one of my favorite flavors. I will eternally be grateful to Jamie Oliver - and this recipe - for teaching me that I can substitute fennel tops for dill.

- I love that the potatoes and the green beans are boiled up in the same pot together. Some of my new potatoes were the size of grapes, so I added them a few minutes after the (slightly) bigger ones.

- For veggies I used green beans, sugar snap peas, and frozen garden peas.

- I've made a partial recipe, and baked it in a cast iron skillet. I've also made the full recipe in a roasting pan.

- The first time I made this I only scored each piece of salmon once and stuffed all of the herbs in, as you can see in the pictures. The next time I realized that the recipe's picture shows multiple scores, so that's what I did. The biggest difference was aesthetic, from what I could tell.


the verdict:

I loved the way the salmon and veggies looked in the pan, and even better, everything tasted just as good as it looked. The recipe provides great flavors and textures. The potatoes, beans and peas were perfectly cooked. The salmon was velvety, almost poached, and infused with the subtle taste of herbs. The basil and fennel complemented each other nicely, and the lemon kept everything fresh tasting. This would be a lovely dish to prepare for company.

Flash-Roasted Halibut on Green Herbs

I love popping into my local library and browsing the cookbook section. I've found some wonderful books there, ones that I've added to my own library, and others that I've politely returned. One that I've enjoyed is The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper cookbook. Although I haven't listened to the radio show, the book itself is quite inventive in layout and is so interesting that it can double as bedtime reading.

One of the first recipes that I bookmarked was for Flash-Roasted Trout on Green Herbs. I love fish and this sounded like a quick and tasty weeknight dish. I substituted my favorite fish, halibut.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- The fish didn't get as browned as I would have liked, but that was mostly an aesthetic objection.

- I wish I'd removed the bottom skin from the pieces of fish so the herbs would have steeped up through the fish as it cooked. As it was the herbs still gave delicious flavor to the fish.

the verdict:

Served with steamed broccoli, a bountiful summer salad, and some crusty ciabatta (still store-bought), this was a wonderful dinner. I loved being able to step outside to my herb plants and pick everything I needed for the bed of herbs, and, even more, I loved finding a delicious recipe from a great new cookbook.

the recipe:

Flash-Roasted Halibut on Green Herbs
Adapted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

Extra virgin olive oil
6 or 7 sprigs each of fresh herbs similar to herbes de Provence, a total of 38 sprigs
4 whole scallions, coarse chopped
4 whole farmed rainbow trout, rinsed and patted dry (I substituted halibut filets)
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large lemon cut into 4 wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan and preheat in middle of oven.

2. Rinse herbs and scallions and dry them on paper towels.

3. Make 3 slashed in the skin side of the fish. Rub olive oil on the outside of the fish and into the slashes. Put crushed garlic into slashes and salt and pepper the fish.

4. Scatter herbs and scallions on the heated pan to create a nest for the fish; lay the fish on top, with room between the pieces of fish. Roast until fish is nearly opaque.

5. With two spatulas, lift fish on the herbs onto serving platter. Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and garnish with lemon wedges.

Roasted Chile Lime Chickpeas with Cilantro

We were looking for a great-but-not-too-unhealthy munchy snack and these Roasted Chile Lime Chickpeas with Cilantro fit the bill nicely; we started with dried chickpeas which we soaked, cooked, then roasted as directed in this recipe (which uses canned), and ended up with irresistable bits of crunchy spiciness (check the recipe for other flavor combinations) which carried the added benefit of an impressive nutritional profile!

Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes

Last week when I was at the market I picked up a lovely piece of cod. I knew I wanted to prepare it with herbs and tomatoes, and found this quick recipe in my Everyday Food cookbook.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- Although lemon + fish are a great combination, I didn't want the lemon to dominte the vegetables, so I cut it a bit (we could always add lemon juice at the table). I used no lemon zest and about half the lemon juice.

- I chopped a fresh tomato instead of using cherry tomatoes.

- The leeks had roasted in the oven for 10 minutes before I realized that I'd forgotten the thyme, so I added thyme and tomatoes and roasted for 3 additional minutes before adding the cod. The whole dish roasted for about 15 minutes more before the fish tested done.

- I sprinkled on fresh oregano and flat leaf parsley before serving

the verdict:

This was a fabulous light and tasty dish for summer (as long as you don't mind heating your oven to 450 degrees!) Crusty ciabiatta - yes, storebought - and spinach salad rounded out the delicious meal. I will be making this simple, healthy, and flavorful dish again!

Three Sisters Saute with Sage Pesto

Last fall, at the very end of fresh squash season, I stumbled across this side dish recipe, and, given my obsession with sage (and the large supply of it growing in my garden) I cooked it right up. The draft post got a little buried, and by the time I found it, summer squash season was long gone. So the post overwintered in my drafts folder, patiently waiting until summer for its moment of glory! It's worth the wait, though, because this is a terrific way to use the bounty of summer produce.

The recipe was from a Food Network show whose theme was Native American cuisine, apparently. This recipe showcases a wonderful trio of ingredients; the "three sisters" tomatoes, squash and beans (or is it corn, squash and beans?)

n.o.e.'s notes:

- The recipe calls for heirloom beans. Some info about heirloom beans can be found here and cooking instructions for dried heirlooms are here . I love the idea of using heirlooms beans, but this time my beans were more like relics - I used dried limas. I think you could use cooked fresh or frozen beans as well.

- I have no idea why the recipe makes so much pesto when only 1/3 cup of it is used for the vegetables. I made 1/2 recipe which equaled = approximately 2/3 cup.

the verdict:

We really enjoyed this dish. The veggies cooked up tender but not too soft. The pesto, which, by the way, tastes terrific straight from a spoon, took on kind of a wonderful dusky flavor on the vegetables. These veggies would be a great accompaniment to any kind of grilled or roasted meat. Next time I might try the leftover pesto on pasta.

Herb and Asparagus Salad with Deep Dish Individual Ham Sausage Quiche Flans

Every month Megan of My Baking Adventures chooses a "challenge" recipe for the intrepid cooks in the Tyler Florence Fridays group. Luckily this challenge is optional, or I'd have been kicked off the island long ago, seeing as I have yet to attempt any of the challenge dishes. They always sound so good, but I've not been organized enough to easily work specified recipes into my cooking "plans." The baking assignments (from TWD and now SMS) have been more than enough structure for me!

When I saw that the TFF April challenge recipes would be Tyler's Deep Dish Ham Quiche (and Asparagus Salad, too) the prospects didn't seem good. My husband has an almost knee-jerk tendency to reject pork products - especially ham - and is deeply suspicious of the fat and cholesterol in eggs. ("What about the bacon?" you ask. He does indeed eat food cooked with lardons of bacon, but there a little bit of bacon delivers a huge flavor impact so he's willing to make an exception. Well that, and the Benton's bacon we use is pretty amazing...) A ham quiche, especially a deep dish one calling for 12 eggs (not to mention a quart of cream!) wasn't likely to meet with a warm reception at our dining room table. And as luck would have it April didn't present us with any entertaining opportunities where quiche would be appropriate.

But then my husband got called out of town for a 10 day business trip, which opened the window for all sorts of cooking of food that normally wouldn't "fly", including the challenge recipe! You see, I love quiche, and on previous occasions I've been known to make it when he was out of town.

Seeing as I've never one to follow the recipe exactly, I'd say my biggest challenge with the April Challenge is to see whether what I made can still be called the the TFF selection! All I can say is "Thanks for the salad," because the rest is a pretty long stretch from Tyler's original!


n.o.e.'s notes:

Herb and Asparagus salad

Let's start with the salad, because I made that first, and completed it while there was still some natural light for photos!

- I made a tiny single-portion serving, using 2 oz thin baby asparagus

- Because it was such a small fraction of the original recipe, I didn't actually weigh or measure anything, but tried to estimate the proportions as best I could. In my opinion, this was pretty close to the way the recipe was written.

- I used a couple sprigs of flat leaf parsley and a sprig of chocolate mint from my herb garden - yay for Spring! I really really really don't like dill, so I left it out. I was trying to think of what herb I could substitute but I finally decided to just go with the parsley and mint.

- Instead of drizzling lemon juice and olive oil separately, I used a lemon olive oil.

- My parmesan was from Australia! The entire salad didn't take more than 5 minutes to make, and that's including blanching the asparagus!

"Quiche"

Although I love LOVE quiche, I just wasn't up for making a Tyler's rich recipe. I knew that I could lighten it up and still get the kind of custard-y goodness that I'd enjoy. So that's what I did. The first step? Eliminate the crust.

- Second step = incorporate cubes of gruyere. Swiss-type cheese is essential for quiche, imo. So, my stir ins were:
1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced and carmelized
1.5 oz cubed gruyere
2 oz habenero chicken sausage (left over from previous pasta dish. I really wanted to use bacon or prosciutto but I didn't want the sausage to go to waste)

- My custard was:
1 duck egg + leftover egg yolk and white from all the cooking I've been doing - probably equal to one whole chicken egg
2.5 oz cream
5.5 oz nonfat milk (lactose free Smart Balance)


- I made my "quiche" into individual flans in 8-oz ramekins. I got the bright idea to seal the bottom of each ramekin with crumb-covered tomato slices:
3 thin tomato slices
2 T seasoned dried bread crumbs (I make these from leftover bread and keep them handy in the freezer)
1 T grated parmesan cheese

I placed the 3 ramekins into a larger baking pan lined with double layer of paper towels and filled halfway with hot water.

Then covered the whole thing loosely with foil and baked at 375 degrees for around 40 minutes.
At that point they were set and nicely golden on top. And the natural light was all gone...

- The flans/quiches unmolded easily, but then kind of collapsed. It's hard to be deep without the dish, or the crust, I guess! I was surprised to see that the tomato ended up in the middle - the custard had seeped beneath and around the slices.

the verdict:

I loved this meal!

I liked the little flans with and without the salad on top. They had lots of flavor and I didn't miss the crust (no, really, it's true). The gruyere was delicious addition, and the caramelized onions gave a rustic sweet note. The sausage I used was a little assertive, so I'd use bacon or some kind of ham next time, or omit the meat altogether.

The salad was fantastic with and without the "quiche." I wouldn't hesitate to serve it on its own. Easy and delicious.

As an aside, I used to be a confirmed asparagus-hater, and I've only recently discovered (decided?) that I can not just tolerate, but actually like, asparagus. This is an about-face of epic proportions. I give the credit to J.D.E. (who asked me to buy some back in March), to Mark Bittman (who taught me how to cook it - I'll post that recipe eventually!) and to some particularly tender pencil-thin asparagus.

I'm excited to have such a fantastic way to enjoy asparagus! This was a great dish/two dishes.
Thanks, Tyler and thanks, Megan for choosing it as our challenge.

Herb Salt Roasted Potatoes

Last week I found a bag of fingerling potatoes in my cupboard that just begged to be cooked in a really special way. These potatoes were a mix of colors: white, red and purple (and the purple ones were purple all the way through!) Roasting them seemed the way to go, and I looked to Tyler Florence for help preparing these little babies.

Tyler Florence's recipe for herb salt roasted potatoes gave a slightly different riff on the usual olive oil/rosemary roast potatoes that I make.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- I had all the ingredients on hand - boy do I love it when I don't have to make a special grocery run.

- I used fingerling potatoes. I cut some of them so that the pieces would all be roughly equivalent in size. That way they'd cook evenly.

- Tyler's technique of making a herb salt worked great. I used 1/2 T sage for 1/2 T of the rosemary. My husband seems to developing a 'thing' about rosemary, so I'm trying to camouflage it. Besides, isn't every savory dish improved by adding sage? (hmm, or bacon?)

the verdict:

These are very good roast potatoes. I'll be using this recipe as my stand-by from now on, improvising if necessary to reflect the herbs I have on hand.

I'm submitting this recipe to Tyler Florence Fridays. The cooks in this group prepare a mouthwatering variety of Tyler's recipes each week, so click on over to this week's roundup to see what everyone's cooked up this time!

Pasta All'Aglio e Olio

I've made this classic Roman dish, many times, from different cooks' recipes (but really, this is a simple pasta, so there's not a whole lot of difference how it's done). This time I thought I'd try Mark Bittman's Linguine with Garlic and Oil, from his book How to Cook Everything (a Christmas gift), and use his Fresh Herb variation. Here's his recipe which includes some of the variations, but not the one I chose, so here's the Fresh Herb variation: (from the book)

[you skip the parsley in the basic recipe, and] "When the garlic is done, toss in a mixture of 1 cup or more fresh herbs, whatever you have on hand.... The mixture will absorb all the oil, so, ... when you toss it with the pasta, be sure to add more oil or some of the pasta-cooking water. Garnish with more chopped herbs."

cook's notes:

- My olive oil of choice for this dish was a nice Spanish (shh!) one.

- I threw in a generous shake of hot pepper flakes. We love our food good and spicy. You can add as much or as little as you'd like.

- I chopped a scant cup of: basil, sage, oregano and thyme. About half was basil, with a tablespoon or so of each of the others. I didn't have time to chop any more herbs or I would have used a bit more, and would have saved some for garnish.

- My pasta was done just a few minutes before my oil+herbs so I stirred in some olive oil and some of the pasta water.

- Just before tossing the pasta into the oil and herbs, I added in some pre-toasted pine nuts (I keep these in my freezer). I contemplated adding some bacon lardons (I also keep these in my freezer) but decided that would be overkill. If you add untoasted pine nuts, put them in the pan and toast them before cooking the garlic.

- This recipe works with any pasta shape. I had some that I was dying to use, and this recipe was a perfect vehicle for it.

the verdict:

This was a really good weeknight dinner for us, combined with an arugula, tomato and parmesan salad. It would have been good with even more herbs, but I ran out of time to strip and chop them. The pine nuts were a great addition and the bacon a good omission.

Since blog cooking roundups seem to work for me, I'm going to try something new, and submit this dish to Presto Pasta Nights. This week's host is Ivy of Kopiaste. I've got to thank the creator of PPN, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, who makes it all happen! To see some fantastic pasta dishes, hop over to Ivy's blog on Friday and view this week's Roundup.

{Simple Soup Supper} French Fish Chowder

Back before Google, Epicurious, and the Food Network, finding a good recipe took a bit of digging and, often, some crossed fingers as the chosen recipe was being prepared. Although I now use my computer to research recipes and benefit from the reviews of online cooks, I also have an embarrassingly large bookcase of cookbooks, as well as files stuffed with recipes I've torn out of books and magazines over the years.

Last week I was sifting through these accumulated clippings, and pulled out a soup recipe by Pierre Franey from his long-running New York Times column, "60-Minute Gourmet." Franey was an elegant and accomplished cook, French born and trained, who collaborated with Craig Claiborne on several books and projects, and wrote the Times column for around 20 years. His recipes emphasized fresh ingredients and simple but sophisticated techniques to bring delicious food to the busy home cook. The Times published two books of recipes from his column: 60 Minute Gourmet, and More 60 Minute Gourmet. My dad, an avid reader of The Times, was a huge fan of Franey's and gave me the 1979 60 Minute Gourmet more than 20 years ago.

The clipping I found was for French Fish Chowder ("quicker than bouillabaisse, a flavorful fish chowder for cod and orzo.") I had most of the ingredients on hand, and a quick trip to the fish counter brought me cod and halibut.

cook's notes

- This recipe comes together considerably quicker than the promised 60 minutes.

- I crumbled the saffron threads into the measuring spoon. It took a surprising number of those threads-of-spun-gold to measure 1/4 tsp. I think that perhaps the saffron was meant to be measured before breaking, in which case I would have used far less of it.

- It probably would have been worth the effort to have made a fish stock. Although I contemplated using chicken or vegetable stock (both of which I had), I used water.

- There was no orzo in my pasta drawer, which I realized when I was ready to add it. The closest dry pasta choice was alphabet soup noodles. Somehow that just didn't seem to strike the right note with ingredients like saffron, halibut, fresh thyme and cod. Instead I used some fancy leftover pasta that I had stashed in the freezer. Since the pasta was already cooked, I simmered the soup for a few minutes longer before adding the pasta (and a few minutes shorter after).

- I served the soup accompanied by a salad, and a loaf of crusty bread with a plate of dipping olive oil. I didn't make the croutons in the recipe.

- The fresh thyme and basil were from my herb harvest!

the verdict

- This soup was unusual and flavorful. The turmeric and saffron gave the fish an orange glow and the broth an exotic taste. I think I'd use a little less saffron in the future. Given the price of saffron, cutting back is a great place to economize. Actually, the recipe specifies saffron as an optional ingredient.

- Although we had bread on the side, I think the soup needed the recipe's croutons. It was just calling for a little more fullness in flavor. I wouldn't skip making croutons again. In their absence, maybe a sprinkling with grated parmesan would have been good. I mean, what isn't improved by a shake of parm?

- My husband gave this an 8 (out of 10) and a thumbs-up for seeing this at a future dinner. Which is great since we had lots left over.

This is the first official post in my new blog series Simple Soup Supper. I'll be cooking lots more soup. Join me with your own soup recipes!

It's a jungle in here: Of herb gardens and savory muffins

Herbs are so rewarding for a gardener of very little talent. The only way anything grows around here is of its own initiative. I put it in the ground, and then it's sink or swim time. But this year I sprinkled some plant food on the garden and the plants really were happy.

This week freezing temperatures hit here in Georgia, earlier, actually than average. Although I do love the crisp weather, it means the end of my little herb garden. Last year I dug up the herbs and brought them in for the winter but they were a pretty pathetic lot, and only one pot of oregano survived to be planted outside in the spring.

This year I decided to harvest the herbs, and let the perennials go dormant outside. (I'm hoping against hope that they come back next year.) I brought in the little pots of arugula, cilantro, and flat leaf parsley that I bought in September. And I cut all of the basil, oregano, thyme, and sage and stuck it in glass jars and vases.

Herb pots and vases of cut herbs join the three pre-existing unruly plants on my kitchen counter. The plant in the middle is a cutting from a Cuban Ivy plant that belonged to my grandmother Olga (1885-1973).

Faced with the bounty of the harvest, I got busy researching recipes for these herbs. First up was a recipe for Sweet Potato Muffins with Fresh Sage, that I'd seen on the Baking and Books blog. It uses a modest amount of sage, but the picture and the recipe intrigued me.

cook's notes

- Faced with the prospect of grating a hard sweet potato by hand, I suddenly remembered that my new food processor came with a shredder attachment. Boy, is that ever handy! I shredded the sweet potato and the cheese in no time.

- I added 1/8 tsp finely ground black pepper.

- The batter was really thick, so I added a couple tablespoons of plain yogurt. I could have added more buttermilk, but I had a lot of yogurt on hand.

- I made 12 minis and 6 med/lg muffins.

- Turning up the heat 4 minutes before the muffins were done was not going to work on the first bake-through of this recipe, so I skipped that.

mini muffins with a mini sage sprig

the verdict

I love a good savory muffin or bread. And I loved the idea of these muffins. But they didn't deliver that fantastic cheesy/sagey experience I was expecting.

I enjoyed the first muffin, warm from the oven with a pat of butter. But they are missing something. They absolutely don't work without the butter. Or without being warmed. I gave my brother half a muffin over lunch and he agreed. In fact he didn't want the other half.

I think they would be fine split, toasted, and piled with something, sort of sandwich style. Otherwise they are a bit bland and lacking. If I were to make them again, I think I'd add some grated onion. And maybe some bacon! (of course!) Also I think I'd substitute some rolled oats for some of the flour.

I do like the sweet potato in the muffin - it looks great, boosts the nutritional profile, and adds a subtle sweet-potato-ness. If I don't make this recipe again, I'll try adding some grated sweet potato to a different savory muffin recipe.