April 2016 – Katie Curtis

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.

Raves & Craves Vol. 1

5 April, 2016/0 Comments/in Uncategorized/by Katie

This blog has been radio silent because I have been in a cave writing my book. It is a good thing to go into the cave, but I also love reaching out to say hello. So feel free to picture me, looking pasty white, eyes squinting from the sun that I haven’t seen in a long time (which is actually true both literally and figuratively. I am looking at you April snowstorm).

Since the work of writing is sometimes heavy lifting, I am going to keep it light here (and I forsee the need for more light blog posts ahead, hence the Vol. 1 in the title. You probably already figured that out though).

And I am also happy to share that I am planning a few Food Blog posts over on The Humble Onion. Writing about food in my memoir made me miss food blogging so much, so I am thrilled to have some time in the next few weeks while I wait to hear back on my recent draft – keep your eyes out or go over and subscribe if you want to get them in your email.

\\ First up, let’s talk about Still Writing by Dani Shapiro – you may have seen me post about it on Instagram over our winter break that I was loving reading this book. I first heard of Shapiro in a Memoir writing class that I took, and Still Writing just sounded like exactly what I needed to read to get me past the first draft of my book and it’s endless questions. Everyone needs a guide or a mentor on their journey and for this book, Shapiro was mine. She painted what my life needs to look like to write well, and it is to go into the cave and write. So I did. 3 days a week, from 9-1. She is such a nurturing, caring teacher. Pretty soon after starting her book, she was the voice in my head that coaxed out better writing.

\\ Mimi Thorisson – Voted #1 Blog for making us all have a case of life envy, I am so happy to find out she is expecting again! Both a baby and a cookbook! She makes having lots of babies and cooking beautiful food look easy. And I just picked up some French wine from the vineyards of the friend and neighbor in this post in Medoc. My local wine store has tons of wine from Mimi’s town.

\\ My Paris Kitchen – David Lebovitz is one of my favorite food writers, and his cookbook is on sale for $1.99 on Amazon for Kindle Edition. Get!

\\ This T-Shirt – is marked down from $2400 to $1200! Oops. My bad. I meant to link to this shirt. I kid you not, the first one is what came up somehow when I went to go search for the JCrew one that I just got. Who has $1200 for a T-shirt!?

\\ Moscow Mules: My husband and I got out this past weekend and I finally had one of these with apricot syrup in it, it was SO good and refreshing. Of course I had to go get the makings for them the next day (not hard, there are only three: Ginger beer, vodka, lime juice, and garnishes like lime & mint.)I also feel like I should show you this picture of one that is NOT in a copper mug so you don’t feel like you have to go out and buy them to make this. Jelly jars will work just fine:

The Ginger Beer I picked up had alternative recipes for the Mule which only involve using a flavored Vodka. Blueberry vodka + blueberries with the lime, Raspberry Vodka with Raspberries. I also saw one called the “Mexican Mule” using tequila instead of vodka, which sounds yum. I love having options, and this drink is just in time for summer, which feels like a bitter, distant memory since it snowed today.

\\ Have you seen Zootopia? We saw it as a family recently and I’ve been obsessed with this song running ever since.

\\ Whine About It by Matt Bellasai – Have you seen this show on Buzzfeed where comedian Matt Bellasai drinks wine and sits at his desk and whines about stuff? My best friend showed them to me when we were on a recent trip together and we basically cried until we had to go to the bathroom. Warning: he definitely swears and gets drunk so if that is not your thing, you may not like it. But I totally feel like it pulls out some funny, uninhibited truth at times. If you are willing to let decorum go in the name of funny, then prepare to watch them back to back, with tissues for the laughing tears and probably a glass of wine.

Ok, I am going to go for a run if it warms up a degree or two. Hope all is well in real life land for you, and I hope to see you here in blog land soon. xoxo Katie