Braised Endive with Prosciutto

Adapted from http://orangette.blogspot.com/2006/01/how-to-endive.html.

The first time I saw endives I was at a supermarket in the desert and I had no idea what they were. This bizarre pod-food was staring straight at me, mockingly, knowing full well I hadn't the vaguest idea how to cook it. I had to have it. I bought four, took them home and cooked them in a pan with butter and bacon, like you would with brussels sprouts. They became this soupy, buttery, wonderfulness with just a hit of tart to keep all the richness at bay. I love them and buy them every time they show up at the farmers market.

6 medium Belgian endives
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs unsalted butter
4 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half length wise.
½ cup good-quality chicken broth
¼ cup heavy cream
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Rinse the endive, dry them lightly, and remove their outermost leaves. If the root end is brown or looks dried out, trim it lightly. Cut each endive in half lengthwise.

Warm the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add as many endive as will fit in a loose layer, cut side down, and cook until the cut sides are nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the endive, and cook them for a minute or two on the other side; them remove them to a large (9” by 13”) baking dish, arranging them cut side up. Add the butter to the skillet. When it has melted and is no longer foaming, add the remaining endive, and brown them as instructed above and place them in the baking dish. The endive should fit in a single layer in the dish.

There should still be a thin sheen of butter in the skillet. Still over medium heat, add the prosciutto to the skillet, and turn them gently but quickly to slick them with butter. Tuck the strips between, around, and on top of the endive in the baking dish.

Pour the chicken broth into the skillet, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape the skillet to loosen any flavorful bits; then pour the hot broth over the endive and prosciutto in the baking dish.Cover the dish snugly with foil, slide it into the oven, and braise the endive until they are very tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 35 minutes. Remove the foil, and baste the endive by spooning over any juices in the pan. If the pan is dry, add 2 Tbs of water. Braise, uncovered, for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the pan juices have turned a caramel color and have almost completely evaporated. Pour over the heavy cream, and bake until it takes on a caramel color, about 6 minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature, with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Chicken Drumsticks with Fennel and Lemon

This recipe originally called for wings, but drumsticks were on sale. I used bone-in and took the skins off myself, but you could probably leave them on and be okay. They also said to use 2 small fennel bulbs, weighing between 1 and 1 1/4 pounds. I have NO IDEA what land of giants these people hail from, but in California half pound fennel bulbs are considered massive freaks.
Roasted Chicken Drumstick with Fennel & Lemon
1 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks
4 fennel bulbs, between 1 and 1 1/4 pounds total
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine
1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 400°F. Place the chicken in a large bowl. Trim the stalks and fronds off the fennel bulbs, and cut each bulb in quarters. Then slice each quarter into 1-inch-thick slices. Add to An easy way to mince garlic is to remove the skin then use the tines of a fork to mash the garlic. Then you rotate the clove 90 degrees and mash again. If you have a sharp enough fork and fresh enough garlic, it should come out perfect. Add the minced garlic, olive oil, and white wine to the bowl. Zest and juice the lemon, and add both to the bowl. Toss all the ingredients together, and add the salt and black pepper. Spread the chicken and fennel on a large baking sheet, arranging the fennel around the outside and placing the chicken pieces closely together in the center. Pour any remaining juices in the bowl over the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of about 160°F, and the fennel is tender and beginning to brown around the edges. Take the pan out of the oven, and cover with foil. Let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Our apartment got pretty smokey, so just be aware that it might be an issue.

Recipe adapted from the Kitchn http://www.thekitchn.com/dinner-recipe-roasted-chicken-139854

Pasta

This is the most basic pasta recipe I know. It's ridiculously simple and easy to memorize. I highly recommend doing so.

• Three large fresh eggs. (Fresh matters.)
• 1 1/2 cups flower, separated
• 1 teaspoonful of salt
• 1 tablespoonful of olive oil

One a clean smooth surface, make a mound with one cup of flower. Create a well in the middle of the mound, about six inches in diameter. Separate two of the eggs and add the yolks to the well. You can save the whites for cocktails or throw them out. Crack the entire third egg into the well. Add the salt and oil, then whisk the eggs, slowly incorporating the flour as you go. Keep whisking until a dough forms, then kneed dough until smooth. form into a ball, cover with plastic and let rest for a half hour. 

From here you have a few choices. If you have a pasta roller, you probably already know how to make pasta and aren't reading this. If you don't, get out your best rolling pin and get to work. I like to half the rested dough, but if you don't work quickly you will want to cut it into thirds. Keep the dough you aren't working with covered so it doesn't dry out.  Flour your work surface and pin. The thinner the better as they will plump slightly when you cook them. Cut into the appropriate size ribbons. 

Cooking fresh pasta is very very different than cooking dry or even supermarket "fresh" pasta. Salt four quarts of water with about a tablespoonful of salt, maybe more. Bring it to a roiling boil but then back it off to a light boil, barely more than a simmer. Add the pasta and watch it! Do not crowd the pot and do not let it over-cook. Taste at 30 seconds and see if its done. If you walk away you will over-cook it. Two minutes is usually too long, but you will get a feel for it.  

Working on the new blog

Picture of shannon hard at work on Honey Water!

Cinnamon Pulls

This is a recipe that I found searching the blogs one day and I just had to make it for a brunch with my friends.  They absolutely love it!  I cut down this recipe from the original to be slightly healthier but it is still a delicious treat.  If you really want the super sugary version check out the source link at the bottom of this post.

Cinnamon Pulls

Ingredients:

• 1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread
• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick), softened
• 2 Tbsp  honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp for icing
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 Tsp milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Vanilla Honey Butter: Whip butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar together until smooth; stir in honey and vanilla.  Set aside.

Cut the bread lengthwise into 1/2" slices, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread vanilla honey butter in between slices.  Rotate the bread 90 degrees and slice the bread again into 1/2" pieces, without cutting through the bottom crust. Spread more vanilla honey butter in between new cuts.  Combine sugar and cinnamon. Generously sprinkle in between all cuts.

Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until bread is warm.  Unwrap cinnamon bread and place on serving platter.  Combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla - adding milk until you get the consistency desired.  Drizzle icing over bread and serve immediately.

Adapted from Plain Chicken's
Cinnamon Roll Pulls

Neapolitan Ragu

I saw something like this on an episode of No Reservations and I figured I'd try my hand at it. This is not for the impatient or meat averse among us. This makes a ton of sauce, but it is pretty versatile.

Neapolitan Ragu

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch carrots, diced
• 2 28oz whole canned plum tomatoes
• 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoonful oregano
• 1/2 tablespoonful salt
• 1/4 tablespoonful pepper
• 3 tablespoonfuls olive oil
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 pound pork shoulder, chopped
• 1 pound lamb stew meat, chopped
• 1 pound beef stew meat, chopped

Directions:

      Heat the oil in large heavy pot. Saute the onions over high heat until translucent, about three minutes, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the carrots and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Add the meat and brown them on all sides. Add the basil, tomatoes, cream, and pepper.
      Heat until boiling, then reduce the heat until you get a single large bubble every 2-3 seconds. If you have a lot of small bubbles, cook uncovered until the ragu thickens. Once at the correct temp cover and let cook for 6-7 hours, stirring every half hour to break down the tomatoes.
      You can serve the sauce separate from the meat over pasta, but what we did was use this as a sauce over pretty much everything from polenta to fresh spaghetti to smearing it on bread and eating it like a pulled pork sandwich.

Greek Orzo Salad with Dill

One of our favorite springtime salads! Great for parties and a good way to use extra dill from our AeroGarden. 

Greek Orzo Salad with Dill

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound orzo, cooked al dente
• 1 large cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
• 1 red onion, chopped 
• 1/3 cup kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup peperoncini peppers
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 bunch chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard 
• 1 tablespoon  Whole Grain Mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces feta cheese

Directions:

Combine orzo, cucumber, red onion, peppers, olives, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Feel free to increase any amount of the onions, peppers, olives or tomatoes to your tastes. Place dill, vinegar, and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the orzo mixture and stir well to combine. Gently fold in the feta cheese.  Garnish with additional dill.

 

Adapted from Bobby Flay's Greek Orzo with Mustard-Dill Vinaigrette recipe from Foodnetwork.com