Month: June 2018

June 24, 2018 Carrot Top Chimichurri Sauce

When I exercise on our elliptical machine I catch up on my version of “must-see t.v.”. Right now I am watching the current season of Iron Chef America. For those not familiar with the show, two chefs,  a world-class “Iron Chef”  competes against an up and coming chef. The chefs create a menu in one hour from appetizer to dessert that prominently features that week’s secret ingredient. Two weeks ago it was ” Battle Kobe Beef”. This weekend I tuned into “Battle Carrot”. The show is fun to watch and also stimulates my own creativity in the kitchen. I’m pretty sure when I went to the farmers market after my workout I had carrots on the brain. So along with all the other goodies I found, a lovely bunch of recently harvested carrots went into my bag.

My plan was to roast the carrots and in the spirit of “root to stem” cooking, use the greens as well. Carrot tops are edible and rich in vitamins A,C, calcium, iron and dietary fiber. They have an earthy, herbal, slightly bitter taste. Carrot top pesto was a success last year, this time I was looking for something a little bit different. Chimichurri sauce was a natural for this dish. This rich herby sauce from Argentina was already a favorite of ours. I have served as an appetizer at parties, spooned over rare beef tenderloin on crostini. It was easy enough to swap out the parsley in the original recipe for carrot tops. After all they are both members of the same plant family, along with fennel, dill  and coriander.

Wash the greens well and pat dry with paper towels. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is separating the leaves from the slightly harder stems. Aim for a lightly packed cup, if you want this thicker to use as a dip, either cut back on the olive oil or add a quarter cup more of leaves. Blend all of the ingredients until smooth in a food processor. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Give the chimichurri at least an hour to fully combine the flavors, over night is even better. If you don’t have carrot tops, substitute the traditional parsley or a combination of parsley and cilantro.

I served my chimichurri over roasted carrots. Traditionally this is served with steak but I think it would be just as good as a sauce with grilled chicken or lamb chops. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

A cup of lightly packed carrot leaves.
Everything goes in the food processor.

 

Carrot Top Chimichurri Sauce with Roasted Carrots

Makes about a cup

Ingredients for Chimichurri Sauce

  • 1 c lightly packed fresh carrot top leaves
  • ¾ c extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 T red wine vinegar
  • 1 T dried oregano
  • 2 t ground cumin
  • 1 t salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ½ t smoked paprika
  • ½ t dried crushed red pepper

Directions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
  2. Refrigerate for at least one hour but tastes even better the next day. Store in an airtight container. Use within a week.

Roasted Carrots

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fresh carrots, scrubbed well, tops reserved for chimichurri sauce
  • 1 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 T honey
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with non stick spray.
  2. In a bowl large enough to accommodate the carrots, mix together the olive oil and honey.
  3. Add the carrots to the bowl and toss them with the oil and honey. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Spread carrots evenly on the baking sheet and use a spatula to scrape the rest of the honey-oil mixture over the carrots.
  5. Roast carrots for about 15 minutes, shaking pan halfway through the cooking process for even browning.
  6. Remove carrots from oven, allow to cool slightly.  Serve carrots topped with chimichurri sauce.

 

June 12, 2018 Kohlrabi Slaw with Honey Lemon Mustard Dressing

With temperatures consistently in the eighties and more than our share of rain, it was time to do a final harvest of the spring vegetables. The heat, rain and deer damage sadly ruined our edible pod pea crop. On the positive side we have enjoyed a variety of lettuces, spinach, radishes and small white Japanese turnips. Also in the harvest, those funny looking space alien looking vegetables, kohlrabi.

Translated from the German, cabbage turnip, it is the bulbous above ground stem that gives the “turnip” name to the crispy green and sometimes purple vegetable. Oddly enough, it doesn’t taste like cabbage or turnips. When young, about the size of a tennis ball, it is thin-skinned, sweet and juicy with a mild flavor reminiscent of broccoli stems. Older, larger kohlrabi should be peeled, and the flavor is still sweet but a bit peppery.

Kohlrabi is a natural shredded or julienned in a slaw. This time I combined it with another ugly ducking vegetable, jicama. “HEE-kah-mah” is the edible tuberous root of a vine native to Mexico. Resembling a round potato, the papery brown skin needs to be peeled away before eating. The texture of the flesh is similar to an apple or a pear with a flavor that is mild and slightly sweet.

You can either shred or julienne the vegetables. Since the kohlrabi I used was on the small side, I shredded it in the food processor. The kohlrabi were still young and tender, so there was no need to peel, preserving the purple color. Larger kohlrabi with thicker skin should be peeled.

I was looking for a new twist on dressing the slaw so I turned to The Flavor Bible for some inspiration. I saw that both mustard and lemon were compatible flavors so I thought a honey whole grain mustard dressing would add the right texture and tang to the recipe. A little juice from one of our Ponderosa lemons gave the dressing brightness.

This simple slaw is a great addition to any buffet or picnic because it stays crisp long after it is dressed.

Kohlrabi ready to pick from the garden.
Just picked kohlrabi, love that purple color!
Jicama surrounded with purple kohlrabi
The kohlrabi need to be trimmed before they are shredded.
A recent harvest of Ponderosa lemons.
Nicknamed the “five pound lemon” they usually weigh two to four pounds. Ponderosa lemon is a citrus hybrid of a pomelo and a citron.

 

Kohlrabi Slaw

Serves 4-6

Ingredients for slaw

  • 3-4 small or 1 large kohlrabi
  • 1 small jicama
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Honey Lemon Mustard Dressing

Ingredients for dressing

  • 2 T honey
  • 2 T whole grain mustard (can add another T if desired)
  • 3 T olive oil
  • ¼ c freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • pinch of salt

Directions for dressing

  1. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Directions for slaw

  1. To prepare the kohlrabi, trim the root stem to the base. Cut the leaf stems from the globes. Wash leaves if using in another preparation. If the kohlrabi is mature, peel, if smaller leave skin on.
  2. To prepare the jicama, peel.
  3. Grate kohlrabi and jicama in a food processor or on a box grater. Squeeze out any excess water with your hands. You should have about 6 cups total.
  4. Place shredded vegetables in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss to combine. Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
  5. Refrigerate until serving.

June 2, 2018 Chicken Marsala Meatballs

A friend recently texted me some pictures from the meal he had at a new local restaurant. One photo piqued my curiosity, chicken Marsala meatballs. When I had my catering business, chicken Marsala was a client favorite. Tender pieces of chicken in a luxurious, creamy sauce loaded with umami rich mushrooms, what’s not to love? This was a recipe I wanted to try.

I buy ground turkey quite frequently, ground chicken I have shied away from. I thought that a lean meat like ground chicken would too easily result in a dry dish. But there are ways to ensure that won’t happen. Adding ricotta to meatballs is a tip I learned from chef Michael Symon on The Chew. The mild and creamy consistency of ricotta gives the meatballs a light texture. I prefer a natural ricotta, made with just milk, vinegar and salt. Place ricotta into a sieve and allow it to drain for at least a half hour to ensure a moist, but not watery meatball. I added finely chopped shiitake to the meat mixture to amp up the mushroom flavor and some panko breadcrumbs to lighten the texture of the meatballs.

Take off your rings and roll up your sleeves because it is best to use your hands for the next step. Combine the ingredients until they just come together, don’t over work. It’s easier to feel when everything is well mixed. Use oiled hands or a small cookie scoop to portion out the meat.Be gentle when forming meatballs. If they are packed too tightly and compactly, they will turn out tough, rubbery and chewy.

Place the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet and lightly coat it with non stick spray. I chose to roast the meatballs in the oven but they could also be fried in oil on the stove top. While the meatballs are cooking, you will have time to make the sauce. The star of the sauce, of course is Marsala wine. Marsala is a fortified wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. Dry Marsala is used in savory preparations like this dish while sweet Marsala is used in desserts. Tiramisu anyone?

Melt butter in a saute pan large enough to hold the meatballs. Saute shallot, then add mushrooms and garlic to the pan, I used a combination of shiitake and cremini, white button mushrooms are fine as well. Cook, stirring frequently until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add Marsala wine to the pan and cook until slightly reduced. Add cream and wine and reduce heat to a simmer. Add meatballs back to the pan tossing gently. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

This dish could be prepped ahead of time, make the meatballs and sauce and hold separately in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook dinner. Chicken Marsala meatballs make a great hors d’oeuvre, sandwich filling on a crusty roll or served over wide pasta noodles or like we did, over zucchini “noodles”.

I used cremini and shiitake mushrooms in my preparation, button mushrooms are fine to use as well.
Place meatballs evenly spaced on a prepared baking sheet.

Chicken Marsala Meatballs

Makes 24-27 meatballs

Ingredients for the meatballs

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • ¾ well-drained ricotta cheese
  • 3 T finely chopped shallot
  • 2 t finely chopped garlic
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 c finely chopped mushrooms
  • ½ c freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
  • ½ c panko breadcrumbs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions for the meatballs

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or foil. Spray the baking sheet with non stick spray, set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine chicken, ricotta, shallot, garlic, egg, mushroom, cheese, panko, salt and pepper to taste. Be careful not to over mix.
  3. Using your hands or a small cookie scoop, scoop out the meat mixture and roll into balls. Evenly place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
  4. Bake for about 15 minutes, until light golden, rotating the tray halfway through the baking time.  Keep the meatballs warm while you make the sauce.

Ingredients for sauce

  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 1 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, finely diced
  • 8 oz thinly sliced mushrooms-more if you like.
  • 1 clove garlic, finely diced
  • 1 c dry Marsala wine
  • ¼ t dried thyme
  • 2 T chopped parsley
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions for sauce

  1. Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat, add olive oil.
  2. Add shallot to the pan, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add mushrooms and garlic to the pan. Saute until mushrooms are cooked through, 3-4 minutes, add Marsala wine to the pan, cook until slightly reduced, 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add cream and thyme and bring to a simmer. Add meatballs to the pan, toss gently until well coated.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover; let them simmer in the sauce for 10 minutes. Add chopped parsley, taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

I served Chicken Marsala meatballs over zucchini noodles.