Week 28, Recipes 9 & 10: Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing & Layered Vegetable Torte

Grilled Chicken with Basil Dressing
Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis

• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1/4 cup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Whisk 1/3 cup of oil, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, fennel seeds, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in a resalable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day, turning the chicken occasionally.


Meanwhile, blend the basil, garlic, lemon peel, remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth. Gradually blend in the remaining 1/3 cup oil. Season the basil sauce, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.


Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to serving plates, drizzle with the basil sauce and serve.

Results: Delicious! I refrigerated it for about 2 hours and that was plenty of time for the flavors to sink in and tenderize this and a great first use for my new grill pan!


Layered Vegetable Torte
Recipe a mix of Food & Wine and a NYTimes Recipe

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. plum tomatoes, diced
1 large shallot
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
3 oz. feta
1/2 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Brush eggplant & zucchini lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until soft, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat until slightly softened and bubbling, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Coat bottom and sides of clear glass pan with oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, tomato, feta and basil. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Results: This was AMAZING!!!  I'll definitely be making this again!!  So flavorful.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  You could also mix parm into the bread crumbs for the topping.

Week 28, Recipe 8: Huevos Rancheros

Courtesy of Rick Bayless

• About 2 cups tomatillo salsa (I used leftover from my recipe earlier this week) or high quality store bought salsa
• 4 medium thick corn tortillas, set out to become a bit stale
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 8 large eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 T crumbled Mexican queso fresco or cheese like feta or farmer's cheese

Warm the sauce in a small saucepan over medium low heat, covered. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. When quite hot, quick fry the tortillas one at a time 2-3 seconds per side, just to soften them. Drain on paper towels, wrap in foil and keep warm in a low oven. Reduce the heat in the skillet to medium low ans let it cook f or a few moments.

Break 4 eggs into the skillet and let them cook, slowly, sunnyside up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then transfer the eggs to a baking sheet and keep them warm with the tortillas. Fry the remaining eggs to the pan and cook in the same fashion.

Set a tortilla on each of 4 warm plates. Top with 2 fried eggs then spoon the sauce over the tortillas and whites of the eggs, leaving the yolks exposed. Last, sprinkle the cheese and chopped cilantro.

Results: My pan wasn't hot enough so I had to cook the tortillas a little longer to get some color on them.  I'm not sure why I didn't love this.  It was kind of boring as far as huevos rancheros go.  Maybe it was the lack of black beans I usually have with them?  Not sure.

Week 28 Recipes 6 & 7: Nutmeg Cake with Rum Buttercream Frosting

Nutmeg Cake
Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9 inch round layer pans.
2. In a small bowl beat eggs well. In large bowl, cream 1/2 cup of the butter or margarine and the white sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the beaten eggs and stir until well combined.
3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground nutmeg, and salt. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk combined with the vanilla to the creamed mixture in three parts, beginning and ending the flour mixture. Spread batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cakes cool then ice.

Results: Good nutmeg flavor but the cupcake was a bit underwhelming.  I'm not sure what it was, though.  The top was moist but the cake was moistly dry???  I can't call it.  Is it because I made my own buttermilk?  It didn't help that I didn't have enough butter on the pan and the cake stuck.  Bah!!  So frustrating.


Rum Buttercream 
Courtesy of Zula's Cafe

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon rum flavoring
• 1 tablespoon milk

Cream butter until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.  Add powdered sugar one cup at a time mixing until butter and sugar mixture is smooth between additions.  Frosting should be mixed but firm.  Add rum and milk and mix until creamy, but not runny.  Enjoy.


Results: I used spiced rum which I'm sure explains why I didn't taste the rum as much as I wanted.  I was a failure today.  Lol.  Just kidding.  It was still delicious but I'm sure it would've been better with the rum extract!

Week 28, Recipe 5: Green Chile Sliders with Tangy Tomatillo-Lime Sauce

Recipe Courtesy of Rachael Ray

• 2 large poblano chiles
• 4 tomatillos, husks removed and coarsely chopped
• 1 jalapeno or serrano chile, chopped
• 1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves (a generous handful)
• Grated peel plus juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Salt
• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (about 1/2 palmful)

1. Preheat the broiler. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil, turning, until blackened. Transfer to a bowl; cover. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel off the skins and remove the seeds; discard. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Using a food processor, mix the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, lime peel, lime juice and honey until smooth; season with salt.
3. In a large bowl, season the beef with the cumin, salt and pepper; combine. Mix in the poblanos. Halve the meat mixture and form each into four 3-inch patties.
4. In a cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Cook the patties, turning once, about 5 minutes for medium-rare. During the last minute of cooking, top with the cheese and tent with foil. Dot the roll tops with the tomatillo sauce and assemble the sliders. Serve with the extra sauce.
   
   Results: For some reason, this recipe didn't mention cheese in the ingredient list or specify which kind.  Since Rick Bayless usually suggests feta, I used it.  This was my first time roasting poblanos and my first time using tomatillos.  Both were delightful experiences.  I love tomatillo salsa and I'm pleased to learn it's so easy to make!  These burgers were AMAZING!!  Rashan and I had 2 each!  Lol.

Week 28, Recipes 3 & 4: Italian Flag Lasagna & Garlic Bread

Italian Flag Lasagna

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• Salt
• Ground nutmeg
• One 28-ounce can tomato puree
• 12 no-boil lasagna sheets
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
• One 18-ounce bag shredded mozzarella cheese
• One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Slowly add the milk and cook, whisking continuously, until thickened, about 8 minutes. Season the cream sauce with salt and nutmeg.
2. 
   Coat the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with 1 cup tomato puree and cover with 4 lasagna sheets. Layer the lasagna as follows: tomato puree, basil, zucchini, mozzarella, ricotta, cream sauce, Parmesan and lasagna sheets. Repeat the layering, gently pressing down each layer. Finish with a layer each of tomato puree, basil, zucchini and cream sauce. Top with the Parmesan. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

Results: I didn't have ricotta or lasagna sheets so I made a layered penne pasta bake.  I put feta in the cream sauce to give it more weight to replace the ricotta.  It was SO GOOD!!  Something about zucchini & pasta makes me happy every single time.  And the fact that the zucchini wasn't cooked ahead of time made it crunchy in the oven.  Then the wilted basil?  DELICIOUS!!

Garlic Bread
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

• 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 loaf ciabatta bread
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the parsley, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse twice.


Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the garlic mixture. Remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the ciabatta bread in half horizontally, and spread the butter on 1 half. Spread the garlic mixture on the other half of the bread, and put the halves together. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil.


Place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Open the foil, and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Results: You may be saying, how does garlic bread count as a recipe?  But it was a bit involved as you see.  Worth the effort.  Ina's recipe called for too much olive oil so I cut it down to a reasonable amount which is what you see above.  I don't think you need quite that much butter either.  I put it in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften it enough to spread.  Very yummy and garlicky.  I would also make sure when you first cook the bread you put the garlic side down so it melts into the butter.

Week 28, Recipes 1 & 2: Smoked Salmon Scramble & Roasted Red New Potatoes with Sweet Paprika Butter & Parsley

Smoked Salmon Scramble

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

• 1/4 pound sliced smoked salmon
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 to 15 blades of fresh chives, finely chopped

Reserve 2 slices of salmon for garnish. Chop the remaining salmon into very small pieces.

Whisk your eggs and cream together. Add 1/2 of your chopped chives and season eggs with salt and pepper. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in the pan and add eggs. Scramble eggs with a wooden spoon. Do not cook eggs until dry. When eggs have come together but remain wet, stir in chopped salmon. Remove pan from the stove and place on a trivet. Garnish the eggs with remaining salmon and chives and serve right out of the warm pan.

Results: Mmmmm.  I love smoked salmon.


Roasted Red New Potatoes with Sweet Paprika Butter & Parsley
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

• 3 pounds small red new potatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.


Sort potatoes. Potatoes that are 2 inches or less in diameter can be left whole. Halve remaining potatoes. Coat very lightly with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and roast potatoes 20 to 25 minutes, until just tender. Transfer potatoes from the oven to a bowl. Sprinkle in parsley and season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes with butter and paprika to coat evenly. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste, and serve.

Results: Since I'm not keen on big hunks of potato, I quartered these.  They were still a bit large but manageable.  Pretty good.

Week 27, Recipe 4: Quick-Fried Fish with Toasted Garlic

Recipe Courtesy of Rick Bayless

• Four 10- to 12-ounce fish like bass or catfish
• Freshly squeezed lime juice, a little salt
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 10 large cloves garlic, peeled, thinly sliced
• About 1/2 cup flour
• Scant teaspoon salt, plus a little more to season pan sauce if necessary
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley plus a few sprigs for garnish

1) Rinse fish, make diagonal slashes with sharp knife.  Sprinkle with lime juice & salt, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate about one hour.
2) Heat butter & oil in a large skillet over medium low, add garlic.  Cook very slowly stirring frequently, until golden.  Strain and reserve garlic.  Return oil to pan.
3) Spread flour on a plate, combine with salt.  Rinse fish, pat dry with paper towels.  Return skillet to medium high heat.  When hot dredge fish in flour, shake off excess, lay in pan.  Fry until golden.  Keep warm in low oven.
4) Add reserved garlic, lime juice, parsley off the heat.  Return to medium high heat, stir until lime juice is mostly evaporated and parsley is wilted.  Taste for salt.  Spoon sauce over fish, decorate with parsley.

Results: So yummy!  And oddly... the garlic was my favorite part!  Toasty & delicious!  MMM!  I served it with a side of chili-lime corn and cumin-dusted black beans.

Week 27, Recipes 1-3: Strip Steak with Brandied Mushrooms, Parmesan Broccoli, Oven Fries

Strip Steak and Brandied Mushrooms
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

• 4 New York strip steaks, each about 1 1/2 inches thick
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds wild mushrooms, trimmed, brushed clean with a towel and stemmed, caps left whole
• Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until smoking. Sprinkle the steaks all over with salt and pepper. Put the steaks in the pan and cook, turning to brown all sides completely, until medium-rare, 8 to 10 minutes depending on how thick the steaks are. Remove the steaks to a platter with tongs and cover loosely with a tent of aluminum foil to keep the meat warm while you make the sauce.

Put the saute pan back over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup olive oil. When the oil is smoking, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Then add the thyme and garlic, and season well with salt and pepper. Toss a few more times to cook the garlic, then dump the mushrooms out onto a platter. Take the pan off the heat, add the brandy, and cook until almost evaporated. Add the cream and cook that down 2 to 3 minutes until reduced by about one-half and thickened. Return the mushrooms to the pan with whatever juices have collected on the platter and simmer the whole thing another 2 minutes until thickened again. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the steak thin against the grain. Taste the sauce for salt and pepper and serve.

Results: Very yummy!  Rashan loved the mushrooms more than anything else!


Parmesan Broccoli
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

• 3 heads broccoli (about 3 pounds)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 lemon, juiced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Trim about 1 inch off the ends of the broccoli stalks and cut the broccoli lengthwise into spears. Arrange the broccoli on a nonstick cookie sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and season with a little bit of salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and bake until the cheese melt and forms a crisp shell over the broccoli, about 10 minutes. Lift the broccoli out onto a platter with a spatula and drizzle with fresh lemon.

Results: The parmesan crust never formed. :/  I'm guessing I didn't use enough.  The cheese disappeared onto the broccoli.  Very normal broccoli.


Oven Fries
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

• 2 russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, halves cut lengthwise into fourths to make 16 big, fat wedges
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a baking sheet in the hot oven for at least 5 minutes.
 While the baking sheet is heating, toss the potatoes with the olive oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Then dump the potatoes out onto a baking sheet, spreading to a single layer. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then, until the potatoes are cooked through, brown and crispy. Toss the fries in a big bowl with the parsley and cheese.

Results: Really yummy!  MMMMM.  Just like I knew they would be.  I've made versions of these many times.

Week 26 Bonus Recipe: Banana Chai Smoothie

1 1/2 cups water
2 bags of chai-spiced tea*
2 green cardamom pods
1 banana
2 pints french vanilla ice cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 generous pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp. cinnamon

Bring water almost to a boil, add cardamom pods, steep tea bags for 5 minutes.  Cool tea.  Remove cardamom.  Add tea and remaining ingredients to a blender and combine.  Pour into a glass, sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Results: Next time I'll use milk instead of water to make the tea so the smoothie stays creamier.  I made this one up as I went along.  The vanilla extract and cinnamon are key to this smoothie's flavor.  It's a bit flat without.  Yum!

*Chai means tea but what Americans think of as chai is a sweet spiced tea (usually with sugar, cardamom, cinnamon & pepper).

Week 26, Recipe 1: Goodness Gracious That's a Great Goulash

Recipe (and recipe name) courtesy of Rachael Ray

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked according to directions on box
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 sprigs fresh marjoram or a healthy sprinkle of dried
• 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 3 rounded tbsp. sour cream
• 2 pats of butter OR a drizzle of olive oil
• chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

While the macaroni is cooking, heat a deep skillet over a medium-high heat.
Add ground beef and brown.
Grate an onion into the pot with a hand grater.
Add garlic and seasonings.
Mix in tomatoes.
Heat through, then stir in sour cream.
Drain macaroni and toss with butter or oil, parsley, and caraway seeds.

Serve scoops of goulash over bowls of macaroni.


Results: MMMM!  I really liked this!  It was my first time cooking with marjoram & caraway seeds so I was really excited by new flavors and to be able to use some spices I've had for a while.  I used diced tomatoes & ground turkey in place of crushed tomatoes & ground beef.  MMMM.

Week 25, Recipes 5 & 6: Veggie Couscous Stacks & Greek Diner Salad

Both recipes from Rachael Ray's Classic 30 Minute Meals

Veggie Couscous Stacks

• 2 cloves garlic, cracked from skin with the flat of a knife
• 1 cup EVOO
• 1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced on an angle
• 4 or 5 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped & finely chopped (3 tbsp)
• coarse salt, fresh ly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 roasted red peppers, drained & quartered
• 6 slices red onion, 1/2 inch thick
• 1 can (14 oz) chicken broth, empty can reserved
• 2 cups couscous
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb. fresh smoked mozzarella, sliced into 12 thin slices
• 12 leaves fresh basil
• 2 vine-ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced

Results: You were supposed to cook the ingredients, then stack them in the can to make pretty layers... except I had hungry people staring at me and I needed to get dinner on the table quickly so I remixed this and stacked the layers in a fan minus the mozzarella & basil.  Instead I sprinkled some feta across the pile.  It tasted awesome but I would definitely recommend using salt & pepper on the eggplant and zucchini when it goes in the oven.

Greek Diner Salad

• 2 cloves, Garlic
• 1/3 cups, Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cups, Lemon juice
• 1 count, Romaine lettuce
• 1/4 teaspoons, Allspice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons, Oregano
• 1 Cucumber, sliced
• Kalamata olives, to taste
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• 4 ounces, Feta
• 4 pepperoncinis

1. Place garlic and oil in an oven safe dish. Bake at 300 deg. until garlic speaks and starts to develop color.
2. Remove garlic from olive oil and whisk in lemon juice, allspice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Combine the rest of the ingredients and toss with dressing.

Results: The salad was BEAUTIFUL!!  I didn't like the dressing at all.  I used cucumber yogurt sauce instead. 

Week 25, Recipes 2-4: Greek Meatballs in Wine Sauce, Hummus III Recipe, Sean's Falalfel & Cucumber Sauce

Greek Meatballs in Wine Sauce
Courtesy of Rachael Ray

• 3/4 pound ground lamb
• 3/4 pound ground beef or ground veal
• 1 small yellow skinned onion, minced or grated with hand grater
• A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon (1 turn of the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 lemon

Preheat a medium skillet over medium high heat.

Combine meats, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add butter and oil to pan and begin rolling small, bite-size balls, adding balls to pan as you roll them. Cook balls 10 to 12 minutes, shaking pan occasionally to brown equally on all sides. Deglaze pan with wine and allow wine to reduce by half, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the meatballs.

Serve in a bowl.

Results:  Very yummy and very easy!  With the cucumber sauce from the recipe below, even better!

Hummus III
Courtesy of All Recipes

• 2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pinch paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

1. Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the garbanzo bean mixture. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley. 

Results:  MMMMM.  Yummy even without the tahini since it was the one unusual ingredient I left at home when I brought my giant bags of cooking stuff with me to my mom's house.  She did have sesame oil so I used that in conjunction with the olive oil.

Sean's Falafel & Cucumber Sauce
Courtesy of All Recipes

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• oil for frying

• 1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1. In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.
2. In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.
3. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides.
4. In a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayonnaise. Chill for at least 30 minutes. 

Results:  SO GOOD!!!!  I was very impressed by the ease and deliciousness of this.  I didn't use mayo in the cucumber sauce or dill and it was still very delicious.  A very picky 16-year-old boy (loves hot dogs, hamburgers, & green beans... almost exclusively LOL) really liked the falafel.  This after he exclaimed, "I feel rich!" as he looked at the table's spread of things he had either never eaten, never heard of and/or never wanted to hear of.  LOLOL.

*I'll get to the rest of that goodness on that first plate in another post.  Didn't want to overwhelm you! But I went CRAZY over Mediterranean!  :) 

Week 25, Recipe 1: Open-faced Barbecue Sandwich with Fried Egg

Clearly I saw this recipe and immediately thought a) BREAKFAST!! and b) I need to go get more BBQ than I can eat in a sitting RIGHT NOW so I can make this!!  I LOVE BBQ!!  When my grandparents were alive, my family used to get a whole pig and roast it to make BBQ every Fourth of July.  It was great!  I should so ask them how to do that and bring the tradition back.  It's so vogue now which is very amusing to me.  I've held on to this recipe for a little while but it was worth the wait! 

Recipe courtesy of Chase Blackwell

• 1 large farm egg
• 1 hamburger bun, split
• 2 cups pork
• 1/4 cup favorite barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
• handful arugula or favorite relish/chow chow
• 3 teaspoons hickory-smoked pork fat reserved from smoking Boston butt
• Kosher salt, to taste

In a cast iron pan, heat 1 teaspoon pork fat over medium-heat. Fry only the inner-side of each hamburger bun until golden brown. Remove to a plate.

In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon pork fat and fry the egg over medium-ish high heat until crispy and the egg white is no longer runny (you’re going for a crispy fried egg and runny yolk– none of that slow-cooked egg stuff here). Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Remove to a plate.

In the same pan, heat the remaining teaspoon pork fat and fry the pork over medium-ish high heat until warmed thoroughly. Add in the cider vinegar, rosemary, and barbecue sauce and continue to cook until the sauce is slightly caramelized, but not burnt. Remove to a plate and sprinkle with fresh thyme.
Plate and serve hot.

Results: Since I didn't make this pork myself, I didn't have pork fat.  I used butter instead at each step except the last.  For the last stuff there was enough residue that I thought I could save myself the extra dose toward a heart attack.  Lol.  I also went for my egg over medium though it went a little past that.  Still very, very awesome.  So glad I made this.  I used 2 eggs, of course. 

I thought the order was a little strange, too.  Why bun first?  Next time I'll probably do the pork first, then bun, then eggs.  Eggs are best super hot.  The best, most surprising touch?  The fresh thyme.  Really took the flavor to an unexpectedly yummy level.  Don't skip that!

Week 24, Recipes 3 & 4: Roasted Cauliflower Soup & White Bean & Roasted Shrimp Salad

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Serves 4-6

1 quart milk

Kosher salt

1 head of cauliflower, cored and broken into florets

½ onion, sliced
8 sprigs fresh thyme (divided use)
½ cup (1 stick) plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided use)
1 bay leaf
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices brioche or other bread, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

To roast cauliflower for a side dish, toss florets with a bit of olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 400 F for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't be afraid to let the cauliflower get good and brown.

Pour the milk into a large saucepan, add a little salt, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Set aside about 1/2 cup cauliflower florets for garnish; put the rest in the pan with the milk.

 

Add the onion, 4 thyme sprigs, 1/2 cup butter and the bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. 

 

 

Discard the thyme and bay leaf, then purée the soup in a blender, covering the top of the blender with a folded dish towel.  (I used my immersion blender to puree directly in the saucepan)

 

While the cauliflower is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 F. Grate the toasted bread on a box grater. (I used ready made bread crumbs.) Thinly slice the reserved cauliflower florets and combine with the bread crumbs and the leaves from the remaining 4 thyme sprigs. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons melted butter and toss. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven, scrape into a bowl and stir in the parsley.

 

To serve, pour the soup into serving bowls and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Sprinkle with the seasoned crumbs.

 

 

Results: Very, very good.

 

White Bean and Roasted Shrimp Salad with Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
Serves 4

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
8 fresh sage leaves
cracked black pepper
1 pint mixed red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) cannellini beans, drained
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed just above the rubber band

Preheat the oven to 350. Arrange 2 racks in the oven.

Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on half of a large baking sheet and put the bacon pieces on the other half. Drizzle with olive oil and season the shrimp with salt and scatter the sage leaves and pepper over all. Stick that into the oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through and the bacon is crisp and browned and the fat has been rendered.

At the same time, on a second baking sheet, drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Put the tomatoes in the oven and roast until they burst, about 10 minutes.

Scrape the tomatoes, shrimp, bacon and any juices into a large bow. Add the beans, the vinegar, and a healthy drink of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the watercress.

 Results: Really good, light and pretty filling.  And look how pretty!

*This was a jointly written post from Stace & me.