Spiced Lentils and Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS

½   cup brown or green lentils

2    cups water

2    cups Swiss chard or other similar greens

2    tablespoons butter

½   pound Crimini mushrooms, caps sliced

1    tablespoon sweet Sherry or Vermouth

1    tablespoon olive oil

2    cloves garlic, minced

1    teaspoon ground cumin

1    teaspoon ground coriander or cardamom

½   teaspoon turmeric

¼   cup chicken or vegetable broth

METHOD

Place the lentils and water into a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the greens by removing large stems and coarsely chopping the leaves. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Stir to coat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up their juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the lentils and mix in the garlic, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the greens and the broth, cook, stirring, until wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon into serving bowls.

Adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine  magazine.

Cucumber Daikon Salad

INGREDIENTS

1    tablespoon soy sauce

½   tablespoon lemon juice

½   tablespoon rice vinegar

1    small clove garlic, finely minced

2    cups thinly sliced English cucumber

4    ounces peeled, thinly sliced daikon radish

4    ounces baby arugula, lightly chopped

1    cup radish or daikon sprouts

2    tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

METHOD

In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, rice vinegar and garlic. Add the cucumber and daikon and toss to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Add the arugula and sprouts to the bowl and toss to combine. Serve the salad sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

NOTES: I could not find daikon sprouts and used bean sprouts instead. It worked just fine. I was also out of sesame seeds and thus could not garnish the salad with toasted seeds. They were not missed, but try them if you have them. This makes a LOT of salad.

Adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine  magazine.

Beef Snow Peas

INGREDIENTS

3    tablespoons soy sauce

2    tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1    tablespoon brown sugar

2    teaspoons ground ginger

1    teaspoon cornstarch

3    tablespoons olive oil, divided

1    pound beef sirloin, cut into thin strips*

1    medium white onion, chopped

3    large cloves garlic, sliced

1    red bell pepper, diced to 1 inch

8    ounces snow peas, deveined, cut in half

1    can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

METHOD

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of oil.. Add the beef in 2 batches if necessary and stir fry each for 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly browned. Remove from the skillet to a plate and clean the skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until translucent and add the garlic.

Stir fry the garlic for 1 minute and add the bell peppers. Stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes until tender-crisp and add the beef strips, snow peas and water chestnuts. Cook until warmed through and pour on the soy mixture after re-whisking, stirring to combine. As the sauce thickens, remove from the heat and serve with cooked rice or noodles.

*NOTE: If the strips are long, it may be better to cut them in half, to under 2 inches long. This could also be done after they are browned.

Adapted from a recipe in  All Recipes  magazine

Pork Potatoes and Onions

INGREDIENTS

4    boneless pork chops

2    tablespoons all-purpose flour

2    tablespoons olive oil

¼   cup grated Parmesan cheese

4    Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8 inch

1    large white onion, thickly sliced

¾   cup beef broth

1    tablespoon lemon juice

METHOD

Dust the pork chops with the flour on both sides and set aside.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and swirl to coat. When hot, add the pork chops and cook until browned on both sides, turning once – about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Sprinkle half of the cheese over the chops in the skillet. Arrange an even layer of potato slices on the pork chops and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the potatoes. Top the potatoes with the onion slices, mix the broth and lemon juice together and pour over the onions.

 Return the skillet to the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a medium-low simmer, cover and cook until the chops and vegetables are cooked through, as much as 40 minutes with thick pork chops. Serve immediately.

Adapted from a recipe in All Recipes magazine

Chicken Tuscan Style

INGREDIENTS

2    tablespoons olive oil

1 ½   pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut to 1 inch pieces

½   green bell pepper, seeded, cut to 1 inch pieces

½   orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded, cut to 1 inch pieces

½   cup sun dried tomatoes (See Note)

6    cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced

1    teaspoon dried sage leaves

½   cup low sodium chicken broth

¼   cup half-and-half

½   tablespoon all-purpose flour

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chicken pieces. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides. Add the pepper pieces, sun dried tomatoes and sage. Cook these, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes until the peppers are crisp-tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the broth, stirring to combine, and simmer for 3 minutes scraping up the brown bits. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving plate over cooked Arborio rice or Angel hair pasta. Add the half-and-half to the skillet along with the flour. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens, 1 or 2 minutes, and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Sun dried tomatoes come two ways – dry or in olive oil. If you have dry sun dried tomatoes, soak them in hot wine or water for 10 minutes before starting. In either case, cut them into ½ inch pieces before adding them to the skillet.

Inspired by a dish called Tuscan Chicken  in a restaurant that will remain nameless. This is way better.

Snow Pea Radish Saute

INGREDIENTS

12  ounces snow (snap) peas

1    bunch radishes

2    tablespoons butter

1    teaspoon fresh lemon juice

METHOD

Remove the fibers from the snap peas. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large sauce pan and add the snow peas. Cook for about 30 seconds or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain and cut the larger peas in half; set aside.

Remove the radishes from the leaves, cut the stems and roots off of the radishes and rinse under cold water. Using a mandolin, thinly slice 1 ½ cups of radishes. Refrigerate the remaining radishes and set aside the slices. Remove the tough stems from the radish leaves, rinse the leaves in cold water, drain. Chop ½ cup of the leaves and set aside. (Radish leaves can be used in a soup – see one recipe on this blog)

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, swirling until the butter melts. Add the peas and radish slices. Toss to coat and add the chopped radish leaves. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, and add the lemon juice. Continue to cook until the radish slices become slightly translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.

Modified from a recipe in Cooking Light magazine

Savory Zucchini Cakes

INGREDIENTS

¼    cup uncooked quinoa

¼   cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

¼   cup all-purpose flour

4    cups grated zucchini

¼   cup thin sliced green onions

2    tablespoons dried dill

2    large eggs, lightly beaten

2-3    tablespoons olive oil

METHOD

Place quinoa in a mini food processor and process until powdered. (Get it as close to a powder as possible.) Pour out of the processor into a bowl. Add the walnuts to the food processor and process until smooth. Add to the quinoa in the bowl. Add the flower to the bowl and stir to thoroughly mix. Set aside..

Press the zucchini with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible and place into a large bowl. Spread the quinoa/walnut/flour mix over the zucchini and add the green onions, dill and eggs,  mixing to form a moist dough-like mixture.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add 3 or 4 mounds of the zucchini mix, about 1/3 cup each, to the skillet and flatten to about 3 inches with a spatula. Cook them for about 3 minutes on each side or until well browned. Remove to a plate and repeat with another tablespoon of olive oil and 3 to 4 more fritters until all ther batter is used.

Serve the cakes with a dollop of yogurt on top, 1 or 2 per serving.

NOTE: These could make great vegetarian hamburger patties.

Adapted from a recipe in  Cooking Light  magazine

Radish Tea Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

4    ounces soft cream cheese or creamy goat cheese

1    tablespoon dried dill

2    tablespoons capers, rinsed, chopped

12    whole wheat round crackers

6-8   thinly sliced radishes

METHOD

 In a medium bowl, mash together and mix well the cream cheese, dill and capers. Spread about 2 teaspoons of the cheese mix onto each cracker, add a few sliced radishes, pressing them into the cheese spread. Garnish with a sprig of dill, fennel or other fresh herb and they are ready to enjoy

Adapted from a recipe in Eating Well  magazine

Cannellini in Tomato Ragu

INGREDIENTS

1 ½      pounds vine ripened tomatoes

2          tablespoons unsalted butter

2          tablespoons olive oil

1          medium onion, finely chopped

1          rib celery, finely chopped

3          cloves garlic, minced

1          teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1          teaspoon sugar

2          cans (15 ounce) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

            fresh grated Parmigiano-Romano cheese

METHOD

Cut one medium sized tomato into ½ inch pieces and set aside. In a blender or food processor, puree the rest of the tomatoes and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees and place a rack in the center of the oven.

In a large skillet, heat .the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until softened. Add the tomato puree, thyme and sugar. Stir in the beans and cook this mixture, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish. Arrange the tomato pieces on top and place in the oven. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the liquid is reduced and the beans are more saucy than soup-like. Serve immediately after cooling for a few minutes and sprinkle the cheese over each individual serving.

Adapted from a recipe in Food and Wine magazine

Spicy Wine Braised Chicken

Shown here with both Ginger Lime Brown Rice and with white rice. Can be made with optional ingredients that produces a bolder, spicier dish.


INGREDIENTS
2    tablespoons olive oil
1    teaspoon cumin seeds
2    medium white onions, quartered and sliced thinly
3    cloves garlic, minced
1    cup dry white table wine
1    cup low sodium chicken broth
1    teaspoon powdered ginger
1    teaspoon smoked paprika
2    bay leaves
3    each chicken legs and thighs, skinless

METHOD
I a large skillet, add two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When the oil heats up, add the cumin seeds and cook for 10 to 15 seconds until you can smell the fragrance. Add the onions and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes until they are tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the ginger, smoked paprika and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Discard the bay leaves and serve with either brown or white rice (about 4 to 6 servings.)

The spices in this dish match the spicy taste of the Guglielmo Private Reserve Barbera and bring out the fruitiness of the wine at the finish.

For a different approach to this dish, add a 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained, substitute red wine for the white wine and add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, all before adding the chicken to the sauce. The PR Barbera will still mesh with this dish but in a different way, since it now will closely match the flavor profile of the food.