apricot galette

This method - basically an open face free form 'pie' is one of my favorite desserts to make.  Here is a Martha Stewart recipe that came in handy as we hauled in 70 lbs. of apricots from our tree:  http://www.marthastewart.com/908598/stone-fruit-galette

spicy burgers, grilled stone-fruit salad

This came from the June 2015 issue of Food and Wine magazine  http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bloody-mary-burgers

I like to make mine slider-size:

We were in the middle of the apricot harvest so I had to make this salad (thanks NY Times Cooking site!):  http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016644-arugula-salad-with-grilled-apricots-and-pistachios

sweet potato-pork belly hash

Sweet Potato-Pork Belly Hash

Serves 4.  This would also make a great brunch.  We found this recipe at the Epicurious.com site after buying a couple of pounds of pork belly now available at Costco.  Yes, it does take planning to do the prep a day ahead.  Yes, it is worth it.  For the final step, we cooked both the pork and the sweet potato a bit more than in the original recipe. 

            1 lb. pork belly (you can do skin on, or a bit less if you use skinned)

            kosher salt

            fresh ground black pepper

            1 large sprig thyme

            4 garlic cloves, smashed

            3 c. chicken broth

            3 Tbs. olive oil, divided

            2 lbs. red-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4“ cubes

            3 large shallots, chopped

            2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

            2 tsp. maple syrup

            4 poached or soft fried eggs (optional)

Heat oven to 275 degrees.  Season pork belly generously with salt and pepper. Place in a large ovenproof saucepan.  Add thyme and garlic.  Pour broth over.  Bring to a simmer over low heat, cover tightly, and braise in oven until tender, about 3 hours.  Uncover; let cool.  Transfer meat to a 9” glass pie dish.  Place another 9” glass pie dish on top of pork belly.  Weight with 15-oz. canned goods.  Chill overnight.   

If using skin-on pork belly, remove the skin.  Cut meat into ½ “ cubes.  Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork and sauté until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork to a medium bowl.  Season potatoes with salt and pepper.  Add to same skillet; sauté until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with pork.  Add remaining 2 Tbs. oil and shallots to skillet; sauté over medium heat until golden brown, 3-4 minutes.  Return potatoes and pork with any accumulated juices to pan.  Drizzle vinegar and syrup over; stir to coat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and potatoes are thoroughly cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Serve with eggs, if desired.  

cacio e pepe (pasta with pepper) and lemon

Cacio e Pepe with Lemon

Serves 2.  This was in Martha Stewart Living, and the tips about the kinds of cheese and making the sauce are perfect!

            coarse salt

            8 oz. thick spaghetti or bucatini

            4 Tbs. butter, cut into 4 pieces, softened

            3 oz. Grana Padano cheese, grated (1 c.)

            2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper

            ¾ oz. Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1/4 c.)

            1 whole small lemon (preferably Meyer)

            olive oil for drizzling

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until very al dente (undercooking the pasta is important), about 2 minutes less than called for in package instructions.  Reserve 1 c. pasta cooking water before draining.

Transfer drained pasta to a 12” nonstick skillet.  Add butter and ½ c. pasta cooking water.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  The heat helps the starch in the water meld with the fat from the butter, which prevents the Grana Padano from becoming stringy in the finished dish.    

Reduce heat to low, and mix in Grana Padano and cracked pepper.  Grana Padano is softer than Pecorino Romano; it will melt into the buttery water, creating a sauce as the pasta finishes cooking. 

Toss pasta with tongs to thoroughly coat it with sauce.  Keep everything at a gentle simmer just until cheese melts and sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. 

Remove from heat, then stir in Pecorino Romano (always add Pecorino off direct heat; it clumps when cooked).  Zest lemon over pasta.

If pasta looks dry, toss it with a bit more pasta water until it has a glossy coating.  Divide between 2 warm bowls.  Drizzle each with oil and lemon juice and garnish with more cracked pepper.  Serve immediately. 

chipotle shrimp lettuce wraps

Inspired from a recipe in Cooking Light's July 2015 issue. I mixed 1/2 lb. shrimp with some salt, 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. olive oil, and 1/2 tsp. red chile paste.  I cooked this in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes per side.  Then I added 1 Tbs. water and 1/2 tsp. grated lime zest to finish cooking about 30 seconds.  After the shrimp cooled I chopped it up and mixed in some chopped cucumber, chopped red bell pepper, 2 Tbs. plain Greek yogurt, 1/2 tsp. minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce, and a chopped peeled ripe avocado.  This mixture was divided amongst 4 butter lettuce leaves and garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds.  Serves 2.

asparagus parmesan couscous

I like to use pearl couscous - saute 1 c. pearl couscous in 1 tsp. butter for a few minutes to brown it a bit.  Stir in 1 1/2 c. boiling water, 1 c. (2") diagonally cut asparagus, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cover and let simmer until couscous is cooked per package instructions.  Stir in some minced fresh herbs, pepper to taste, and about 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese.  Serves 4.

ginger glazed pork medallions

I just pan sauteed some boneless pork chops, then glazed them with a mixture of ketchup, garlic, water, soy sauce, and chopped fresh ginger that I had briefly simmered together.  Garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

summer fruit crisp

This red, white and blue dish was featured in the July 2015 issue of Cooking Light magazine so we enjoyed it for our 4th of July dinner:  http://www.cookinglight.com/entertaining/holidays-occasions/red-white-blue-recipes

grilled corn on the cob - with bacon

Grilled Corn with Bacon

This gets pretty messy and the toppings all slide off if not small enough to stick.  But, darn tasty, so thanks Martha Stewart Living!

Grill fresh corn, in its husk, on a hot grill about 20 minutes, turning occasionally.  Let cool slightly so you can remove the husk and silk.  Slather the corn with mayonnaise then sprinkle with chopped up cooked bacon, chopped fresh oregano, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.    

lamb burgers with watercress and creamy mint sauce

I mixed ground lamb and beef  - about equal portions - and formed into slider sized patties.  Seasoned them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  I grilled them on a hot grill about 4 minutes per side and toasted the buns.  The mint sauce was 1/3 c. mayonnaise, 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt, 1/4 c. packed fresh mint, a chopped shallot, and 1 tsp. of Worcestershire all blended until creamy. I served the burgers on the toasted buns with cucumber slices, the mint sauce, tomato slices, and watercress.

summer wedge salad

Thanks Martha Stewart!  I added in some just picked tomatoes from the garden.  http://www.marthastewart.com/1118852/romaine-wedges-creamy-lemon-dressing

rigatoni with chicken livers

Rigatoni with Chicken Livers

Serves 6.  I don’t usually like chicken liver (expect as paté) but this recipe from Martha Stewart Living (March 2013) was wonderful. 

            1 lb. rigatoni

            coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

            1 lb. chicken livers, any sinew removed, patted dry

            3 Tbs. butter, divided

            1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1 c.)

            1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh sage leaves

            ⅔ c. dry red wine

            1½ oz. Parmesan, grated (about ½ c.), plus more for serving

            ⅓ c. coarsely chopped fresh parsley

            olive oil for drizzling

Cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted water until very al dente.  Reserve 1 c. pasta water before draining.

Season livers with salt and pepper.  Melt 2 Tbs. butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Cook livers, flipping once, until plump and golden brown, about 4 minutes; transfer to a cutting board.  Reduce heat to medium and melt remaining Tbs. butter.  Add onion and ¼ tsp. salt; cook until golden about 8 minutes.  Chop livers and return to pan, along with any juices and sage.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Add wine; simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

Add pasta and ½ c. reserved pasta cooking water.  Simmer until sauce coats pasta; remove from heat.  Toss with Parmesan and parsley.  If dry, toss with more pasta water, a bit at a time.  Divide among 6 bowls; drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. 

sweet cherry pie

The hardest part is waiting for our sweet cherries to ripen up each year.  Simply mixed 6.5 c. pitted sweet cherries with 1 Tbs.lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. almond extract, 1/12 c. sugar, and 3 Tbs. cornstarch.  Using pastry for a double-crust 9" pie, line a 9" pie pan with one crust.  Fill with cherry mixture.  Cut top pastry into strips and weave into a lattice on top.  Place on a foil-lined sheet pan to catch the overflow and bake at 400 degrees for 55-65 minutes.  If browning too fast, drape crust with foil strips.  Serve warm or room temperature.  Two of us will eat this before we ever have to think about refrigerating any leftovers!

grilled coconut kale

Grilled Coconut Kale

Serves 6.  Since we usually grow a good crop of kale, I am always looking for new recipes to try with it.  This one is from the NY Times Cooking site.  The kale soaks in this mixture for at least 4 hours, then you grill it.  There is a sneaky heat in this one!

            3 bunches kale

            3 (13.5 oz.) cans coconut milk

            1 Tbs. kosher salt

            1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

            1 tsp. mild paprika

            ¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Wash kale thoroughly and cut out the stalks.  Cut the wide leaves into strips the width of the small leaves.

In a large pot set on low heat, heat the coconut milk until it is thoroughly mixed and just lukewarm.  Transfer to a large, nonreactive bowl and add salt, cayenne, paprika, and lemon juice.  Stir in the kale, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Hear a grill or cast-iron grill pan over high heat.  Remove kale from refrigerator and stir to make sure leaves are well covered in marinade.  Using metal tongs, place kale on grill in a single layer.  Cook for 45 to 60 seconds, or until leaves are sizzling, then turn over and grill the other side for another 45 to 60 seconds, or until the leaves have visibly softened.  Serve immediately.