Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade

Just in case anyone is interested in the tapenade I put in the peppadews. It makes a great spread for bread, crackers or sandwiches too.

Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)

1 cup hot water

1/4 tsp anchovy paste

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp capers, drained

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 garlic clove

Soak sun-dried tomatoes in the hot water for about 20 minutes or until softened. Drain tomatoes and put in a small food processor. Pulse the tomatoes with remaining ingredients until well combined. Thin with water to desired consistency, if needed

Szechuan Salt-Pepper

This is a wonderfully flavorful seasoning. I have been making it since 1993 when I found the recipe in the Bon Appetit cookbook. Back in the early 2000's there was a ban on the importing of Szechuan peppercorns but luckily the ban has been lifted. I got by last bag of Szechuan Peppercorns at Christina's Spice and Specialty Shop 1255 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA (Inman Square).... which just happens to be next door to Christina's Homemade Ice Cream but I digress. They can be ordered online from Dean & Deluca

Szechuan Salt-Pepper
from Bon Appétit June 1993
3 tablespoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns (sometimes called wild pepper)
Combine salt and peppercorns in heavy small skillet over low heat. Cook until aromatic and salt begins to color, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Grind in mortar with pestle or in spice grinder.

Celebrating National Chicken Soup for the Soul Week

Warren is not a big fan of soup so I tend to make what we refer to as "Soup You Can Walk On!" It is what Rachel Ray would refer to as stoup. Thicker than soup and thinner that stew, Here is my version of Chicken & Rice Stoup.
Before I could make the stoup I doctored canned chicken broth because I ran out of my homemade chicken stock. You could just use the canned broth but since we need cooked chicken for the recipe it is well worth the extra 30 minutes if you have the time.
1 1/2 quarts canned chicken broth
1 lb chicken parts (I used thighs because they were on sale)
1 small carrot, cut into chunks
1 clove, garlic, peeled
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Strain stock. Discard vegetables. When cook enough to handle, skin and de-bone the chicken.Set aside for use in the soup.
Chicken Soup You Can Walk On!
6 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup white rice
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
1 celery stalk, minced
Chicken from stock above or 2 cups cooked or raw boneless skinless chicken, chopped
Bring the stock to a boil. Add carrots, celery and rice and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken. Cook for 10 minutes if raw or 5 minutes if cooked.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

How to Roast a Pumpkin

I got a little pumpkin in my farm share last week. Definitely too little to carve so I started surfing to find out how to use it. Well it was too simple, roast it , mash it and use it in place of the canned stuff. I roasted my pumpkin and I am going to freeze the mash to make a pumpkin pie for Warren for Thanksgiving.

How to Toast a Pumpkin

1 pumpkin, cut in half or quartered depending on the size; seeds removed (and reserved for roasted pumpkin seeds)

Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the pumpkin in a baking dish with about 1 inch of water. Bake for 45-60 minutes depending on the size. You will be able to pierce the pumpkin with a fork when it is done. Let cool. Remove skin. Mash or puree in food processor for a smoother consistency.

The puree will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days or freeze for later use. Frozen pumpkin will keep for up to one year.

How to Cook Barley

What is barley?

"Barley is a wonderfully versatile cereal grain with a rich nut-like flavor and an appealing chewy, pasta-like consistency. Its appearance resembles wheat berries, although it is slightly lighter in color. Sprouted barley is naturally high in maltose, a sugar that serves as the basis for both malt syrup sweetener. When fermented, barley is used as an ingredient in beer and other alcoholic beverages"

To cook barley

1 c water, vegetable stock, chicken stock or beef broth

1/2 c barley

about 1/4 tsp salt or to taste (If using canned broth omit)

Bring the water or stock to a boil, add the barley and salt. Return to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook UNDISTURBED for about 45 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. 

Barley can be served as is or added to your favorite recipe.

Homemade Chicken Stock

It's not that I'm cheap because I will spend a lot of money on things other people think are crazy. I do justify my more extravagant expenditures by being frugal in other ways. Just like I make my own vegetable stock from kitchen scraps, I do the same for chicken stock.

We had a luncheon at work in celebration of National Rehabilitation Week. One of the luncheon items I served was Chicken Caesar Salad. To keep the meal easy and frugal I purchased two rotisserie chicken from Costco. Once I pulled all the meat off the bones, I brought the bones home threw them in a pot with about a quarts of reserved vegetable scraps. Covered it all with water and brought the pit to a simmer. After simmering for about 24 hours, it was the most flavorful chicken stock. All from parts and pieces that would have been thrown away.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Vegetable Stock

Many years ago, I took a knife skills class at the Connecticut Culinary Institute. The class was great but I still do not chop correctly but I am much better with my chiffonade and julienne. One of the things the chef / instructor told us they do in the classroom is to save all of the end, peels and discards from the vegetables they are cooking with and throw them into freezer bags. When they have enough to fill a pot, they cover the vegetable scraps with water and simmer for several hours and voila homemade vegetable stock. Every since I took that class I have saved my veggie scraps. I use a gallon resealable freezer bag. When the bag is full, I throw the contents in a pot with water to cover on the stove or if I am going to work I use a crock pot. I use the stock to make soups and for cooking rice and pasta. I can not find the evidence but logic tells me that if I make a vegetable stock, there will be vitamins and nutrients in the stock that will seep into the pasta and rice (along with flavor) while cooking. If anyone has a reference to support my assumption I would greatly appreciate the reference. :)

Making veggie stock in this manner minimizes waste. The remains can still be composted since no protein is being added. Plus, it is always a surprise ... you never get the same flavor twice.

Vegetables that I avoid are broccoli and cauliflower. Also be careful not to have too many greens (ie green beans, herbs) in the same batch. The broth starts tasting like a barn.

Todd English's Corn Stock

Todd English is one of my favorite chef's & restaurateurs. Figs and Olives in Charlestown, MA are two of my favorite restaurants. I plan to make Corn Chowder this weekend to use the corn from my farm share this week. I made a Todd English swordfish recipe a long time ago that used corn stock as a base for a sauce. Instead of water or vegetable stock I thought I would try making my chowder with his corn stock. I cook the corn, removed it from the cobs and then used the cobs to make the stock - a very cost effective stock.

1/2 leek, well washed and cut on the bias (I used a shallot because I did not have a leek)

 2 celery stalks, cut on the bias
8 corn cobs, with corn kernels removed and reserved for the chowder
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 large bunch thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 ham hock (optional) - I opted not

6 clams, scrubbed and debearded (optional)  - I opted not but if I were to be making clam and corn chowder I would definitely do it.
8 cups chicken broth or water, or to cover - I used chicken broth
In a large stockpot, place the leek, celery, corn cobs, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and, if desired, the ham hock and clams. Cover with the chicken broth or cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to low and simmer uncovered, for 2 hours. 

Strain and discard the solids. (This should yield about 6 cups.)

How to Roast Garlic Without Oil

Remove the papery out coating from the garlic bulb and separate the cloves. Do NOT peel the cloves. Preheat the oven to 350°. Wrap the garlic cloves in foil making sure that none of the cloves poke holes in the foil. 

Bake for about 30 minutes, until soft. Store cloves in a covered container in the refrigerator. To use simply squeeze the garlic from the clove.

Wheat Berries

So what is a wheat berry? It is the "fruit" of the wheat grass .. the whole kernel .. a true whole grain.

http://www.thefoodroots.com/2008/01/whats-wheat-berry.html

According to Eating Well a 1/2 cup serving is: 151 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 265 mg sodium; 2 mg potassium when cooked without oil or salt. 2 Carbohydrate Servings and 2 starch exchanges.

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup wheat berries
1/2 onion, finely diced 

1 thyme sprigs
4 cups chicken stock 

Salt & pepper

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Cook the wheat berries over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly toasted; the grains will turn slightly opaque just before browning. The grains dance around the pan as they cook.

Add the onion and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stock then bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender about 1 hour. Fluff the grains and discard the thyme sprigs. Season the grains with salt and pepper to taste.

According to the Weight Watchers Recipe Builder a 1/2 cup serving as prepared above is 3 points

The Perfect White Rice

Sometimes we need to refine the basics.

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 small bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

1 small pinch white pepper

1 cups white rice

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over. Add onion and bay leaf and sauté until onion is translucent. Mix in salt, thyme, white pepper and rice; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is just tender and broth is absorbed, about 17 minutes. Discard bay leaf.