humbleonion – Page 9 – Katie Curtis

Lentil & Quinoa Salad

5 June, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

I fell in love with this salad when I tried it at a pot luck a few years ago. I tracked the person who brought the dish to get the recipe.

I fell in love with it again when I made it for a bbq last year. It perfectly compliments all grilled food and other salads, like a sort of pot luck glue.

And then I made it again this week, when its combination of textures and flavors and it’s perfect kick of vinegar called to me. And I fell in love with it all over again.

I have to admit I think this salad looks like a snooze. But that is part of the delight, because appearances can be deceiving. When you bite into it, you get a total play on textures – the quinoa feels creamy, the lentils meaty and toothsome, the crunch of the peppers and green beans and onions and nuts so interesting. Then the flavors of thyme and vinegar dance around in-between it all and it really feels like a symphony.

This is also super easy to make, just a matter of cooking the quinoa and lentils and doing a bit of chopping while they cook. The colors make this dish so pretty too.

So get ready to be stalked by the foodies at your next party because they will come asking. Or just make if for yourself and have this deliciousness waiting in your fridge to be paired with steak and blue cheese, chicken and feta, or fish and a creamy dressing. And then be prepared to wake up feeling amazing, because this is health food with fantastic flavor.

Happy eating, Katie

Quinoa and Lentil Salad (printer version here):

1/2 cup quinoa, well rinsed

1 (14.5 oz.) can fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup canned small brown lentils, cooked according to package

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup frozen cut green beans, defrosted

1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp. dried thyme

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp lemon pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp. lightly toasted pine nuts (optional)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with the broth. Cover and set over medium-high heat until the broth boils. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the grains of quinoa are pearl-like and slightly al dente, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the heat, let the covered pot sit for 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.

Place the cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl. Add the lentils, tomato, green beans, pepper, red onion, walnuts and thyme. In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar and salt until the salt dissolves. Whisk in the lemon pepper and oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to combine, using a fork.

If possible, let the salad sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Or, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Garnish with lightly toasted pine nuts, if desired.

Makes 12 servings, 1/2 cup per serving.

Per serving: 80 calories, 3.5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat), 10 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein,

2 g dietary fiber, 170 mg sodium

recipe from the American Institute for Cancer Research

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

27 May, 2016/2 Comments/in humbleonion/by Katie

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! We are so excited to have a long weekend with slow mornings, and time to linger over coffee, cartoons and these muffins. There is something about rhubarb, with its bright, slightly sour flavor that perfumes everything it touches. And the strawberries right now are so incredibly delicious and sweet that I had to add these to this recipe (the original one from Saveur had just rhubarb and almond flavors, but I’ve adapted it here without nuts and with strawberries).

Whenever I use rhubarb, I always think of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I love everything about this book, where the author writes about a year of living with her husband and two children on a farm where they only eat what they can grow or get within a 50 mile radius (in Southern Appalachia, this excludes grocery stores or box stores of any kind).

When the author’s 50 birthday takes place in late spring of their year of eating seasonally, they served their birthday guests huge vats of strawberry rhubarb crisp, which of course with its fresh flavor was a huge hit.

When I made these muffins, I thought about that scene, because this recipe is really so versatile that it could be easily made into a delicious breakfast coffee cake (or birthday cake as the case may be) just by adding 15-20 minutes of cooking time. It is also very reminiscent of strawberry rhubarb crisp – which I posted here on THO a year ago – since it has a streusel topping. I love having another way to use strawberry and rhubarb together other than dessert. (Not that I haven’t eaten Strawberry Rhubarb crisp for breakfast.)

And since I subscribe to the more is more philosophy, I made a quick and easy compote with strawberries, rhubarb, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water + 1 tsp. lemon zest (totally optional). This is fantastic on anything your memorial day weekend could bring your way – ice cream, angel food cake, toast. And it turns out to be delicious on these muffins too.

Warning: just licking the spoon of this stuff will cause extreme distraction due to the explosion of flavor in your mouth. So, so good.

The sour cream gives the batter such a moist, tender cake, and the juicy fruits bursting out of it with the sugary, buttery streusel crust with hints of lemon is amazing.

So if you’ve been dreaming of some from-scratch flavors, give your baking tools a spin over this long weekend.

Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Muffins (printer version here):

MAKES ABOUT 18 MUFFINS

For the Streusel

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar

½ tsp. lemon zest

¼ tsp. kosher salt

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed

For the Muffins

2 3/4 cups flour + ¼ cup to mix with fruit

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup canola oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2 stalks rhubarb, cut into ¼” pieces

1 cup strawberries, cut into ¼” pieces

Instructions

Make the streusel: Whisk together flour, both sugars, zest, and salt in a small bowl. Add butter, and using your fingers, rub into mixture until smooth and large clumps form. Transfer to refrigerator; chill until ready to use.

Make the muffins: Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour muffin pans; set aside. Whisk together 2 3⁄4 cups flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together sour cream, both sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla; pour mixture over dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. In a small bowl, toss remaining flour with rhubarb and strawberries until evenly coated, and then stir into batter. Working in batches, place cup batter in muffin cups, break streusel up into medium-sized clumps, and sprinkle evenly over muffins. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of each muffin comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

To make a cake instead, preheat oven to same 350 temp. Pour batter into greased and floured 8″ round cake pan or 9×9 inch pan, top with streusel, and start checking at 35-40 with a toothpick for doneness.

Muffin Recipe adapted from www.saveur.com

Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

In a saucepan, combine: 2 stalks of rhubarb, cut into ½ pieces, 1 cup strawberries, quartered and hulled, ¼ cup water, ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp. lemon zest (optional). Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to medium high, for 6-8 minutes or until fruit has broken down.

Easy Mini Pavlovas with Meyer Lemon Curd

20 May, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

My dad’s very favorite dessert was Lemon Meringue Pie. When I was little, he would regularly come home from the grocery store with one, and we always served it on his birthday.

So I think it may be a little nod to him that made me want to try to combine these flavors in the gorgeous Pavlova dessert. This is so beautiful I would make it on those grounds alone, but it also happens to be weak-in-the-knees good, with the intense, sharp but sweet Meyer Lemon flavor in the curd mixing with the sweet, light as air, soft but crunchy meringue.

But the best part? In scouring the web to find out how I wanted to make these I found ridiculously easy ways to make BOTH the curd and the pavlova. Like the universe just wanted me to find and share the quickest route to this deliciousness.

I wanted to find something to celebrate the seasonal Meyer Lemons, which are sweeter then normal lemons since they are a cross between a lemon and a clementine, resulting in a strong, sour & sweet citrus symphony.

You can follow this recipe with regular lemons too, and any type of lemon curd is so good on its own – in cookies, cream puffs, slathered on toast.

Many recipes have you carefully tempering the eggs so they don’t curdle. But this version lets you melt a stick of butter in a pot, and then let it cool to lukewarm temperature before you add in the egg yolks.

The rest of the ingredients you just whisk together in a bowl, then pass it through a strainer into the butter/egg yolk mixture. (I should mention that I left to go take kids to sports RIGHT AT THIS STEP. That is how easy this recipe is.)

Then (after you have come back from sports ) you just stir this mixture over low heat, continuously, for 5-8 minutes until it coats your spatula. And then you stick it in an ice bath, and it thickens into glorious, heavenly curd.

The chef who came up with this easy Meyer Lemon Curd recipe wants me to link to his website rather than share the recipe. So I will do just that because he totally deserves a Peace Prize or James Beard something, people. Check it out and give him some love.

For the Pavlovas, I also found another website that offered a super easy, one-step way of making them. The Irish American Mom shares her childhood in Ireland and love of food on her blog, and happily this includes her speedy Pavlovas.

This desert was named after the Russian Ballet Dancer, Anna Pavlova, who was world famous and travelled all around the globe. Some accounts have that it was developed in New Zealand, and it is certainly very popular in New Zeleand and Australia. It is light and fluffy, just like her dancing.

You start by putting egg whites and sugar in a bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients, followed by 1/4 cup of boiling hot water (she attributes this to being the secret ingredient that allows you to make 1-step Pavlovas.) You beat these for 7-10 minutes (so much easier with a stand mixer FYI) until it forms into thick, shine white peaks.

While this is mixing, prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper, and using a cup, draw 6 2-3 inch circles.

Then turn the sheet over so the circles still show through but the meringue mixture won’t touch the pen or pencil. Drop the meringue onto each circle, and using the back of a spoon, form it into nests by pushing from the center out until a well has formed. Be careful not to make the bottom of the well too thin on the bottom.

Then bake for 1 hour, making sure you don’t open the door during cooking. After they are done, turn off the oven and crack open the door, letting them cool inside the oven.

At this point, Pavlovas are traditionally filled with whipped cream and fruit, but these were fated to be paired with the delicious Meyer Lemon Curd. You can decorate with any fruit you like, but strawberries and berries go particularly well, as do mint leaves.

These desserts are great for a crowd since they are dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free. (Sorry friends with egg allergies, eggs are pretty essential to this dessert).

Happy Eating!

xoxo Katie

Easy Meyer Lemon Curd recipe here.

Easy Mini Pavlovas (Printer Version Here):

4 large egg whites

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 T. cornstarch

2 t. cream of tartar

1 t. White vinegar

4 T. boiling water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250.

Separate the egg whites and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, then the vanilla, white vinegar, cream of tartar and cornstarch. Then Add 4 T. boiling water. (Irish American mom believes it is the secret to these one-step pavlovas.)

Set the mixer beating and while you are waiting prepare the baking sheets. (If using a hand mixer, prepare trays before beating the meringue.)

Line 2 cooking sheets with parchment paper, and using a cup that is 2 or 3 inches in diameter, make 6 circles on each tray for a total of 12. Turn the paper upside down so the pen or pencil doesn’t touch the meringue mixture – you’ll still see them.

Beat the mixture until it becomes very thick, and the egg white forms stiff, glossy peaks.

Spoon mixture onto premade circles. Then using the back of a large spoon, form them into little nests, working from the center out to the edges, taking care not leave the bottom too thin or it will burn.

Bake for 60 minutes at 250, then reduce heat to 225 for an additional 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven, and open the door slightly and allow them to cool in the oven. This helps them to create a crispy outer crust (I didn’t do this and mine were a little chewy but I didn’t mind, I still thought they were delicious.) Don’t cool them in the fridge.

After they are cooled, decorate with whipped cream, fruit, or Lemon Curd.
For One Large Pavlova: Instead of making 12 mini circles, just use a dinner plate to make one large circle, and spread into one big nest.

Pavlova Recipe from www.irishamericanmom.com

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup with Parmesan Crisps

14 May, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Did you ever read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett? There is this line in the book where two characters who are falling in love are in the kitchen and peeling an eggplant, and she writes something like, “then everything lovely about the eggplant fell to the ground.”

She is just one of my favorites. How gorgeous is that imagery? And how has that line stayed with me for so many years?

I kept thinking about that as I made this soup, which was my attempt to conjure up one I ate at Au Bon Pain in Boston recently. I had it on a cold rainy day, and it was just ridiculously good. I love it when good food hangs out in your memory, and then slowly but surely it turns into a craving.

When my craving was full blown, I grabbed some eggplant at the store. The soup was filled with chunks of eggplant so that it was almost like eating a meaty, hearty soup but it leaves you feeling amazing from all those vegetables. And the little parm crisps give you just a hint of decadence along side all these virtuous garden gems.

I like that this soup uses what is the most plentiful from your garden too, so I wanted to post it before summer. Of course, gazpacho reigns supreme on hot days, but if the summer offers any cool, rainy days, this soup is for you. You start by placing the eggplant, onion and garlic on a sheet pan to roast.

While that is cooking, you put the holy trinity of soup making in to a pot with a bay leaf (this is pretty much how I start any soup):

Then you add those gorgeous San Marzano tomatoes. It is one of life’s great mysteries how the tomatoes from here taste like pure sunshine, but they do.

Letting all of these simmer for 20 minutes yields a tomato soup that is just heaven, and you could easily stop here an not be disappointed. But I was chasing after those chunks of eggplant, so after I removed the bay leaf I put in an immersion and pureed this.

Then I added my roasted eggplant.

It is done at this point, but I was craving a little bit more, so I made these really easy Parm Crisps to go on the side.

The result? Heaven in a bowl.

When I finished making this, the kids had just gotten off the bus. My daughters smelled the kitchen and asked, what is that yummy smell? Can I have some?

And that is my favorite part, right there. Every thing lovely about the eggplant went into their bellies.

Happy Cooking, xoxo

Katie

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup with Parmesan Crisps (printer version here):

Ingredients:

2 eggplant, peeled and cubed

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup olive oil + 2 T

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 celery stalked, finely diced

3 medium onions, finely diced

2 bay leaves

3 cans San Marzano tomatoes, whole with juices (preserved tomatoes from a garden work well too)

½ cup fresh chopped parsley (or 2 T. dried)

½ cup fresh chopped basil (or 2 T. dried)

1 t. of sugar

Kosher salt + Black pepper (start with 3 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper then add more to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Place cubed eggplant, onions and garlic on a roasting tray. Drizzle with 2 T. olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and toss with hands to combine. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes, until slightly browned, turning halfway through.

Heat oil in large pot on medium heat, and add onions and a sprinkle of salt, cooking for 3 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Sauté for 10 minutes, then add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands, and the herbs, salt and pepper. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Then take off heat, remove bay leaf, and using an immersion blender, blend to desired consistency. Then add tray of roasted eggplant, onions and garlic. Stir to combine and serve.

For the Parm Crisps:
Preheat oven to 400. Grate ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, and make 6-8 piles of cheese in circles on silicone mat or tin foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes or until melted. Let cool, and serve along side soup.

The Mexican Mule

5 May, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Happy Cinco De Mayo! Or as we say in the US, Happy Reason to Eat Tacos and Drink Margaritas (as if we needed one).

I am super excited to share my new favorite cocktail. I haven’t done many cocktail posts, a travesty I hope to remedy, since I have recently gotten into a little mixologist love. My sister Aly is way more up on what all the cool kids are doing since she has worked at really upscale bars and restaurants, and creates things like lavender champagne spritzers and lemon-thyme simple syrups so I know there is a whole rainbow of things to do in the cocktail world and I am just dipping my baby toe into the fun.

Enter Mexican Mules – I ordered a Moscow Mule recently with an apricot twist, and it was so yummy and refreshing. When I looked up the recipe, I found a Mexican Mule, which replaces the vodka with tequila. This was compelling because tequila makes me laugh. (Skinny Girl Margarita forever.)

I was unprepared for how delicious the Mexican Mule would be. The spicy sweetness from the ginger beer mixed with the sourness of the lime just makes fireworks happen. It’s a Cinco De Mayo party in your mouth.

It is so refreshing that I have already served it twice to friends that came over, even though we have barely broken 60 degrees here in New England. I forsee a steady supply of ginger beer in my shopping cart in warmer days, friends.

So I had to share the love. And I also should tell you that the box of ginger beer (which I found at my liquor store) has these other brilliant suggestions:

Vanilla Mule with vanilla vodka
Raspberry Mule using raspberry vodka
The ‘Hot’ Mule using spicy vodka (which sounds so good I am on a spice kick in my drinks right now)
Blueberry Mule using – you guessed it blueberry vodka + fresh blueberries.

But if you are a tequila fan or just adventurous, I highly recommend this one. It’s a keeper. xoxo Katie

Mexican Mule:

1 1/2 oz Patron Tequila (or your favorite brand)

3 oz. Ginger Beer

Juice of Half a Lime + Lime wedges for serving

(I also like to water it down with some seltzer when I am hosting a party or otherwise am trying to be a responsible human being).

The Best Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes (+ 6 flavor combos that I’m loving)

4 May, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Let’s talk about mashed potatoes, can we? I just love them so much. Sitting next to braised meats, or roasted poultry, filled with flavor combos that make us swoon. (And you have to see the new flavor combos listed at the end of this post that I have tried recently.)

Sour cream and chive might be my favorite version of mashed potatoes though. (Told you I had more chive ideas for you!) Given that it is the only seasonal produce I have access too (I am determined to find some fiddlehead ferns though), it makes sense they would be on the brain but seriously, I was craving these since the second I saw those chives sprouting up.

These are from a recipe posted on Food52, but I have often whipped up similar versions myself and I feel like if you taste them as you go, and just add more butter/salt/dairy you’re going to end up approximating delicious. But since I like you I figured I would pass along this exact recipe which is someone’s mother in law’s time-tested recipe. (When they promised to be the best they had ever tasted, I thought it was worth a try.) The big tip they offer was to make sure you add the cream cheese in first, while the potatoes are still hot, since the flavor gets distributed better. Then add the rest. (For the record, I used light dairy products. And this time I used a potato masher- the recipe calls for a hand blender so I used it last time, and I like it both ways. Hand blender makes it feel restaurant quality and the masher feels more homemade, so proceed to your liking.)

Ok, my last HUGE discovery about these is that I turned the leftovers into my favorite artichoke, leek and potato soup the next day. Mind blown. Did you know you could add mash potatoes at the end of a soup recipe? You can, and it is fantastic.

If you love mashed potatoes as much as I do, then here are a few other variations I have had recently that were swoon worthy. Just follow the sour cream & chive recipe and instead of the chives, sour cream and cream cheese add these:

1.//Lobster Mashed Potatoes with Truffle Butter or Truffle Olive Oil –

I just made these using truffle olive oil after we tried it in a restaurant and they were ridiculously good. Something about the combo of truffles and lobster just tastes like…money? Maybe. No seriously they are a match made in…Vegas? Ok I’ll stop.

2. Chorizo and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

3. Pancetta and Parmesean

4. Carmelized Onion and Bacon

5. Leek and Gruyere

6. Cumin, Tumeric, and Garam Masala Mashed Potatoes (or follow this recipe for a complex & authentic Indian dish)

Ok, if that doesn’t start your mouth watering I don’t know what will. Happy Eating! xoxo Katie

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes (Printer version here):

adapted from Emily C. on Food52

Serves 8

5 lb.potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (Monica always used red potatoes)
8 oz.cream cheese, cut into large pieces (at room temperature)
1 cup sour cream (at room temperature)
4 T.butter (at room temperature)
Kosher salt + freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped chives

In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold water and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and either return to the same pan, or place in a large bowl for combining with other ingredients.
While potatoes are still hot, start mixing in the remaining ingredients using a hand mixer with beater attachments. Add the cream cheese first (a few pieces at a time) and mix until thoroughly combined. It’s important to start with the cream cheese because it’s the ingredient that benefits the most from the hot potatoes when mixing. Next, add the sour cream, then the butter, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Continue mixing until the potatoes are smooth, creamy, and lump-free. You may want to stop a few times and clean the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl with a spatula. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
A few notes: I like to add the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter at room temperature to make the mixing easier, but Monica always used them straight from the fridge. If you want, you can start with lesser (say 3/4) amounts of the cream cheese, sour cream and butter and then tinker with the quantities to taste at the end, but 9 out of 10 times I’ve done this, I’ve ended up adding the full amounts. Trust me, these potatoes are worth the indulgence.
Mix in chives. Serve and savor every bite.

Recipe by Emily C. on Food52

Chive, Herb Goat Cheese and Tomato Frittata

26 April, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Spring has finally sprung here! One of the first sure signs of spring are chives bursting up out of whatever dirt they are planted in. I love seeing their determined and totally autonomous efforts peeking out under dead lives and even the last chunk of snow. There have been chives at every house we have ever lived in, so I am guessing I am not alone? At our current house, these huge containers were on the deck when we moved in filled with chives. I will add a lot more herb pots after memorial day, but until then, these have already made their way into our dishes.

I always celebrate spring by making eggs with chives. Usually its scrambled eggs or an omelette, but last week, I wanted to make it even more of a celebration and I made this chive, herbed goat cheese and tomato frittata for lunch and proceeded to eat it for the next 2 days for every meal, it was so good.

I think a frittata is such a wonderful base for seasonal produce, a great way to use up a weekly CSA, fast-growing garden produce or just sad winter root veggies still in the vegetable drawer. At the hight of summer, corn, zucchini and tomatoes are all delicious with your favorite cheese and a sautéed onion. So versatile and so quick.

I really loved using the herb goat cheese in this one. (This trio from Trader Joes is also great to keep in your cheese drawer for when company comes over in a delightfully unplanned event. You can put out some crackers, maybe some jelly on top of the plain one and have a lovely cheese spread). Since I won’t be able to put my herb pots in until after memorial day, having them in the goat cheese was the next best thing to adding fistfuls of thyme and parsley. If you don’t love goat cheese, this frittata is equally good with feta or cheddar.

And spring also means that we return to visiting our favorite farm (Rawson’s Farm Stand in Stratham,NH). Eddie is salt of the earth, thee nicest human. He loves letting our kids feed the chickens:

His feed troughs are always full of squash and corn and bread, so I know his chickens are getting a great diet. I love knowing where our eggs come from and supporting a local farmer. The fact that they make a delicious frittata is a bonus too.

I have one more chive recipe to share with you all this week so look for it to come through soon. In the meantime, happy spring!! xoxo Katie

Tomato, Chive and Goat Cheese Frittata (printer version here):
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
coarse salt and ground pepper
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 oz. of herbed goat cheese (or feta or cheddar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onions and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook about 5 minutes.
Add eggs and season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Sprinkle goat cheese throughout, crumbling with your fingers. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes.
Invert or slide frittata onto a plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Tomato, Scallion and Cheddar Omlette.

Tuscan Pork Loin in Herb Bread

20 April, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

This dish is just a gem to have in your repertoire. It might be in the top three for my favorite recipes I’ve ever posted. If it looks rustic and heavenly in these pics, that’s because it is.

It is also a testament to how some things are worth the wait. I first tore this idea out of a magazine years ago, and kept it in my trusty binder of recipes (it was before Pinterest, that’s how long ago it was! But I still love my binder of magical recipes.) The article was on a Tuscan cooking class by the Divina Cuccina, which just sounds like Heaven, right? For those of us who can’t hop on a plane and head over there, this dish is the next best thing.

When the recipe somehow disappeared from my binder, I took to the internet to search for it. Happily I found a new blog to obsess over in the process. But most importantly, I found this long lost recipe.

I love this dish because it is so easy, but it is perfect for any occasion and makes it special. A party, a picnic, the beach, a random Tuesday night (which is when I made it!). It has huge flavor thanks to these:

It is so easy to just sear the pork tenderloin and then lay it in the flavored baguette. The magazine article I read said to tie it with cooking twine, so that is how I did it. The Italian Dish says to wrap it in aluminum foil. I’m not sure it’s going to matter because the end result is this soft, fragrant garlic bread that is very moist, and pork that has been so infused with flavor from the lemon, garlic and herbs. I have to say I really loved the crunchiness of the bread on the outside contrasted with the chewiness on the inside, so I like it with the twine. (It also made for fantastic leftovers, and since the bread was like herb croutons, it was delicious on a salad for lunch the next day.) But I might try it in foil next time and see.

Side note: one of my favorite things at holiday parties is eating filet of beef with garlic bread, so I think this whole operation could be done with a beef tenderloin and some garlic bread. Just saying.

If you do check out the Italian Dish site, notice that she has a link to her baguette recipe which she just whipped up before making this dish. Do not let that distract you or make you think you’re not worthy. You are. It is just fine to do this the easy way and pick up a baguette. I actually love that this has such simple ingredients, you can keep a pork tenderloin and a baguette in your freezer and defrost the night before so you always have it on hand.

Ok, go forth and make this and fit it into your summer repertoire. You will thank me, I promise!

Tuscan Roast Pork in a Baguette

The size of the baguette and pork tenderloin don’t have to match exactly. You will be trimming off the ends of the baguette to fit the meat.

Ingredients:

1 small baguette
1 large clove garlic
1 large rosemary sprig
1 large sage leaf sprig
1 teaspoon course sea salt
2 springs flat leaf parsley
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pork tenderloin
freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Cut the baguette in half, lengthwise. Scoop out some of the soft insides (you can use these for bread crumbs for a later use). Set aside.

Strip leaves off rosemary and sage sprigs. Place the garlic, herb leaves, sea salt, parsley and lemon zest on a cutting board and chop everything up finely.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Season the pork tenderloin well with freshly ground pepper. Sear the pork on all sides in the pan and remove after you have a nice crust formed all over.

Brush the remaining olive oil, 2 tablespoons, onto the inside of the baguette halves. Sprinkle the herb mixture on top of the olive oil. Place the pork tenderloin on the bottom half of the baguette, place the top half of the baguette on top of the pork and cut off any overhanging bread on the ends. Wrap the baguette up tightly in aluminum foil or tie in cooking twine and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 45-55 minutes and remove. Let rest for about 10 minutes. Remove foil or ties and slice.

Recipe is origionally from Judy Witts and was adapted on www.theitaliandish.com

Asian Lime Chicken with Braised Bok Choy

14 April, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

Do you ever grab an ingredient at the store that is totally off-list but you just know you need it and then you get home think, what am I going to do with this? My husband will tell you that I do this all the time. Well,this dish was born out of that scenario. Luckily for both of us, the results were delicious.

I love bok choy in restaurants, but hadn’t made it at home in ages. Of course, when I googled methods for cooking it, Martha Stewart’s braised bok chop came up, so I knew I was in good hands. And this ginger-sesame version looks delicious too, think I might have to try it next time.

Braising is such a great technique to give you lots of options in the kitchen – I recently did these same steps with fennel, chicken broth, and lemon and it was so good I had to force myself not to eat it strait from the pan. The braised bok choy alone is an awesome side dish. But here’s the thing: after I was done braising them, I looked in the pan and I was like, this seems like the start to a good sauce.

So I made one. The result has become one of our family’s favorite dishes, and I have made it at least five times since. My kids love it and I love that it is gluten free, low fat and loaded with veggies.

I knew asian recipes tend to thicken with cornstarch, so I added some to chicken stock and then added my favorite asian flavors:

I also love how good asian cooks pound their chicken to tenderize it. I just lay it on wax paper and fold it over and pound away. #freetherapy

I started by browning the chicken in the soy, broth and butter that the bok choy was braised in, adding a bit more broth when the heat cooked them down. After the chicken was cooked, I added it to the plate with the bok choy while I made the sauce and boiled the noodles.

First I added the broth, scrapping up the browned bits on the pan, then added the corn starch and whisked for a minute, then add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and lime juice. (I usually measure them out and stir them together while the chicken is browning so I can just pour it in). Stir sauce together until a thick gravy forms, then add the chicken and bok choy back in. I also added the microwaved vegetables (this was a lifesaver since we had just come from the beach and everyone was hungry, and it shaves at least 10 minutes off the dish. You can stir fry them after the chicken if you prefer).

Then I tossed with some rice noodles that I cooked.

The result is such a tangy, salty, stick to the ribs type of meal. With just 1 T. of fats in the whole dish it is super healthy. And I am just a sucker for making a dinner I know the kids will love. Hope you love it too.

Asian Lime Chicken with Braised Bok Choy (printer version here):

Ingredients:

3 Heads of baby bok choy, sliced in half if large

1 T. butter

¼ cup chicken stock

3 T. soy sauce

3 chicken breasts, pounded and sliced

For sauce:

1 cup chicken broth

¼ cup soy sauce

2 T. rice wine vinegar

Juice of 1 lime (2 T.)

2 t. sesame oil

3 cups of stir fry vegetables, pre-cooked, such as broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, snap peas.

¾ bag of rice noodles

Directions:

Set large pot of water on to boil for rice noodles. If vegetables need to be boiled also, set a second pan on to boil (I used steam-in-bag microwave stir fry vegetables).

Melt 1 T. butter in large pan on medium high heat. Add bok choy and cook, turning once, until it just begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Remove bok choy and set on a plate. Add stock and soy sauce. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until bok choy is tender about 5 minutes. Remove bok choy from pan and place on a plate.

Add rice noodles to boiling water. Cook vegetables in boiling water or in microwavable until tender. Pound chicken with mallet or heavy object. Slice into 1 inch strips.

Add sliced chicken to pan. Cook until golden, about 5-7 minutes, adding chicken broth or water if pan gets too hot and the liquid starts to evaporate. Remove chicken, place on same plate as bok choy.

To make the sauce, first deglaze the pan with 1 c. chicken stock, then whisk in cornstarch, stirring until lumps are mostly removed, about 1 minute. Combine soy, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, and sesame oil in a bowl, then add mixture to pan and continue to stir until it is a thick brown gravy. Add more broth or cornstarch to achieve desired thickness.

Put chicken, bok choy, vegetables into the pan and stir to coat with sauce. Add rice noodles and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Roast Chicken 2 Ways

8 April, 2016/in humbleonion/by Katie

I’m so excited to be back posting on THO again! It feels like catching up with an old friend. I have been working on my food memoir since October, and I am happy to share that I submitted half of my book to my agents and they liked it! After a few edits they are going to start sending it out. It is also SO nerve-wracking to send out a manuscript, but I have loved reading food memoirs lately so they really inspired me. So, here is to hoping that I can write the second half as fast as possible (or, at least before the kids are out of school!).

Writing about good food has made me miss blogging about it for sure. In honor of resurrecting this space, I am kicking it old school, and re-creating one of the dishes that absolutely made me fall in love with cooking: Roast Chicken. I have heard from so many people that they don’t know where to start in the kitchen, so I just wanted to show you where I started: Julia Child’s roast chicken – it is so easy & so good. If you are already well versed in making this dish, here are two versions to keep it interesting.

The Roast –

My daughter just calls this ‘favorite chicken’. All my kids love the wings and legs. My husband likes the meat sliced with gravy on top. I love it that way too. But sometimes I am in the mood for:

2. The Roast Chicken Goat Cheese Salad –

There is just something about pairing this roast chicken with a salad with goat cheese and champagne vinegrette (and a cold white wine, of course). I actually took the bits of veggies in the pan and scooped them onto the salad. I may have even drizzled a little of the gravy on there too.

Here’s why you want to make this: It teaches you how to roast anything, just adjusting for size and doneness, and then how to make a gravy with the drippings.

When I first started cooking, I followed Julia’s master recipe. Now, I just lay the bird on a cookie sheet. I like to cook it breast side down so that all the juices run down into the breast. If you like eating chicken breast with roasted skin on it, you’ll want to roast it on the back. If you want to get fancy, you can learn how to truss the chicken here. But the point is: roasted chicken doesn’t have to be fussy. It can be totally messy and lazy and it will still taste good. I usually just tuck the wings and legs into the body so they don’t dry out.

I am becoming a big fan of cooking everything on a roasting sheet. See all those browned drippings? Add chicken broth (you can also add white wine), scrap them up, add a pat of butter, salt and pepper to taste, and the gravy is done.

I can’t wait to share some of the other adventures I have had in the kitchen while I was away, but for now I will leave you to your weekend, and hope it is a great one. Thanks for reading! xo Katie

Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken (printer version here):

One 3-4 lb. chicken

2 T. softened butter

10-12 thyme stems

1 lemon

2-3 garlic cloves

2 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

For gravy:

½ Tbs. minced shallot or green onion

1 cup chicken stock

2 T. softened butter

Preheat oven to 425.

Sprinkle inside of chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon butter. Slice lemon in half and add to cavity, along with 10-12 stems of thyme and 2-3 garlic cloves. Truss chicken if desired.

Scatter carrots and onion on sheet pan and place chicken on top. Coat outside of chicken with remaining tablespoon of butter, and sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and ½ pepper.

Roast at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350. (Julia says to turn chicken every 15 minutes but I don’t do this and it turns out fine). Cook for another 60-65 minutes, basting every 15 minutes, until inside registered at 165 or juices run clear. Let rest at least 10 minutes so juices redistribute before carving.

To make gravy:
Place pan over high heat, and add shallots, cooking for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and boil rapidly, whisking to picking up brown bits. If you have time, let it reduce by half, otherwise just stir in butter, then serve over slices of roast chicken.