ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND CANNELLINI BEAN CHILI

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It all started with me wanting to try out a recipe for sourdough cornbread. (And I know, sourdough and I appear to be joined at the hip these days. But I love everything sourdough, so why not a sourdough cornbread? After all, many cornbread recipes include buttermilk. Which is also sour. So logic dictates that sourdough cornbread should be delicious. And BTW – it is! Recipe to follow in the next couple of days.)

Anyway, I wanted to try out my recipe for sourdough cornbread yesterday so that I could serve it last evening. So I got to thinking about what to serve with the cornbread? Mr. C. and I love chili. We also love Italian food. So why not a chili that smacks of Italy, with a bit of Southwestern flavor thrown in for good measure. (And authenticity.)

So yesterday, I went on line looking for a chili recipe containing Italian sausage and cannellini beans. And there it was on the reneeskitchenadventures.com site. Of course I messed with the recipe, but I am pleased to give credit to Renee for the bones of this delightful dish.

Now, who knew Italian and Southwestern flavors would mix so well? But OMG, this was one of the best pots of chili I have ever produced, much less tasted. And ever so easy to prepare. But Italian seasoning and diced green chilies in the same recipe? Radical to say the least. But isn’t that fun! And what cooking should be all about! Coaxing the best out of every single ingredient you use. Sometimes it feels like magic to me. How a smattering of this and a dash of that can make such a difference to the final product. Of course there is one combination of ingredients I know I will never prepare. But none the less, it’s fun to imagine. For your reading pleasure: The well-known incantation of the Three Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

As always dear friends and far-flung readers – stay safe, stay inspired, stay positive, and keep smiling. (Even if no one can tell you’re smiling under your mask!) Oh – and make this chili. It’s really great!

1 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 lb. bulk Italian pork sausage (I use sweet Italian sausage from our IGA on Camano Island)

1 med. onion, chopped

1½ c. diced bell pepper (red, orange, yellow, green – or a combination)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. dried oregano (preferably Mexican)

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, opt.

freshly ground black pepper

14 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably Italian)

4 oz. can diced green chilies

2½ c. vegetable stock  

2 c. cooked cannellini beans*

Heat the olive oil in a large, covered Dutch oven. Add the meat, breaking it into small pieces as it browns. Remove the cooked sausage and set aside.  

Add the onion and peppers to the Dutch oven. Cook until the onion begin to soften. Add the garlic; cook for one minute.

Stir in the cumin, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, oregano, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper.    

Add the canned tomatoes with juices, green chilies, and vegetable stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a good hour.

Just before ready to serve, add the reserved meat and the cooked cannellini beans and bring back to a boil. Adjust seasoning.

Serve in soup bowls. Pass the extra virgin olive oil. A small drizzle on top of the soup tastes mighty fine. And corn bread is perfect on the side.

Note: And while I know you are wondering why I don’t just leave the cooked Italian sausage in the pot the whole time, I believe my reasoning not to do so is sound. Unlike ground beef, which is inherently fairly uninspired tasting, Italian sausage is replete with flavor. (The spices bring a lot of the flavor to the mix.) If you leave the cooked sausage in the broth for too long, all that yummy concentrated flavor will be leached away. Yes the flavor will still be in the saucy part. But it’s really nice to bite into a piece of Italian sausage that still tastes like Italian sausage!    

*You can use canned cannellini beans, but I prefer to cook the beans myself. And no, you don’t have to soak the beans overnight or cook them in an instant pot. When I’m in a hurry, I simply wash the dried beans, place them in a covered pot, add lots of water, bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the beans gently simmer until they are tender. I check the pot every 30 minutes or so. When the beans are getting close to being done, I add salt to the water.

When the beans are finished cooking, I take the pot off heat and just let the beans sit in the water until I’m ready to add them to the chili.

(I realize my way of cooking beans goes against convention. Soak the beans the night before, etc. But most of the time, I am not efficient enough to know the day before what I am going to serve for dinner the next evening. That takes planning. I just happen to take a much more relaxed approach to the whole undertaking.)  

THREE CHEESE MACARONI CASSEROLE (gourmet mac and cheese)

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OK, what do you get when you combine béchamel sauce, three beautiful cheeses, perfectly cooked pasta, and a seasoned bread crumb topping? Well in this case you get a dish that is perfect in every respect. At least, this mac and cheese lover finds it absolutely delightful. And I happen to be extremely picky when it comes to mac and cheese! (After all, if I’m going to consume masses of calories, those calories better taste like they came straight down from heaven. Because otherwise, there’s no way for me to justify the guilt I’m going to feel after enjoying every mouthful!)

So when our dear friends Chip and Linda sent me this recipe from chef/owner Rick Mahan of the Waterboy Restaurant in Sacramento, having first prepared and loved the dish themselves, I just had to give it a try. And oh am I glad I did. What a relatively easy and delicious way to up my calorie intake with barely any redeemable nutritional value to warrant my doing so! Except of course, for the flavor, texture, and culinary happiness that came with every bite of this delectable dish. But I can’t say I wasn’t warned.

In Chip’s email to me which included this recipe and his comments about it, he pretty much said it all in one sentence. And I quote – “The recipe includes the Nutrition Facts, but really, that’s better left uncontemplated”. Good way to tell me that ignorance is bliss on this one. So a big thank you to Chip for sparing me the unpleasant details of fat and sodium content, etc. in this wonderful pasta dish. And to both Linda and Chip for sharing this wonderful recipe so that I could pass it along to you.

Now that you know I am absolutely sold on this recipe, you must taste this dish for yourself. It is just a perfect blend of ingredients. But it is a very rich pasta dish. So a small portion goes a long way. But in these difficult times, I firmly believe that spoiling ourselves with extra special food is justified. Now if only my bathroom scale would be a bit more supportive, my relationship with food could be even more expansive. But unfortunately, the only things expanding around here is my waist.

But through all, even being forced to live with a mendacious bathroom scale, we remain well and happy. We continue to hope and pray for an end to covid-19, that true social justice will soon become a reality in our country, and more than ever, fervently desire to once again experience political leadership that embraces humanity rather than inhumanity.     

In the meantime, I cook, Mr. C. plays the piano, and we live comfortably in place. As always, peace and love to all.  

3 T. unsalted butter

3 T. flour

1½ c. + 2 T. milk  

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. white pepper

pinch nutmeg

pinch granulated onion

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2/3 c. (2 oz.) grated Gruyére cheese

2/3 c. (2 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese

¼ c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 c. uncooked macaroni, cooked al dente (I use large elbow macaroni)

½ c. (4 oz.) heavy cream

1/3 c. unseasoned dried bread crumbs    

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

pinch seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until the roux cooks for about 2 minutes. Do not let the roux get brown.

Heat the milk in a small pan until bubbles appear along the edge. Pour the hot milk in with the roux and continue to whisk as the sauce thickens. Bring to a boil. Add salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and granulated onion. Lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in the Dijon mustard and cheeses. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Place the cooked macaroni in a lightly buttered baking dish. (I just lift the al dente macaroni right out of the salted water with a large slotted spoon directly into the prepared casserole dish.) Stir in half of the sauce, then top with the remaining sauce. Drizzle on the heavy cream.

Mix the breadcrumbs, olive oil, seasoned salt, and pepper together. Scatter evenly over the whole casserole.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned and the sauce is bubbly. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5-7 minutes before serving.

I think this is a first! The “twins” and the resident princess all three on our bed together. Maybe there’s hope yet!

OLIVE OIL AND FRESH LEMON VINAIGRETTE

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OK, some dinners prepared in my kitchen are better than others. Last evenings dinner consisted of 2 brilliant successes, one near miss, and one epic failure. Let’s start with the epic failure.

I used sourdough starter to build my crêpe batter last evening. Let me rephrase that statement. I used sourdough starter to make a horrendous mess last evening.  Oh, the crêpes tasted spectacular. (The fragments of crêpe I could lift off my pan that is.) But there was not a thing I could do to get the darn things to hang together as they were being flipped. And believe me, this was not my first crêpe making rodeo (so to speak). Plus, I was using what had professed to be a great recipe for sourdough crêpes from a great chef. So I assumed it would work perfectly. And I had so wanted this recipe for crêpes to work. Yet another great sourdough recipe to share with you all. Well that sure as heck ain’t happenin’, at least until I get up the nerve to try again to create the sourdough crêpes of my dreams. Which of course, if it actually ever happens, I will then gladly share with you. (Don’t hold your breath!) But on to the near miss.

One would think that a combination of mushrooms, shallots, garlic, spinach, Gruyére cheese, and assorted other fabulous ingredients would make a delightful filling for crêpes. Well at least I thought it would be delicious. And it wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t all that good. Like I said, a near miss. But on to my brilliant successes.

For our evening salad, I wanted a light, tangy salad dressing to lightly toss with a combination of greens. For the greens I chose massaged kale, red leaf lettuce, romaine, and pea shoots. And what a winning combination of leafy greens that turned out to be. Delicious! (Success number one.) But the real star of the show (success number two) was this amazing vinaigrette straight off the fifteenspatulas.com website. And truly, I can’t imagine a lemon dressing any tastier than this one. And it was quick and easy to prepare, and included ingredients I always have on hand. Who could ask for anything more? So I would highly recommend making this perfect dressing at your earliest convenience.

Well today’s another day. I plan to cook dinner again tonight, even after last night’s semi fiasco. I just hope that everything I set before Mr. C. this evening will be up to my self-imposed rigid standards.  But there is no guaranty, unless I prepare a dish that I know will turn out well. But what fun is that? Variety is the spice of life after all. And we definitely need some “spice” in our life, especially with all the chaos in our world today. So what better way to liven up our days than by me trying out new dishes? And I must say, we did laugh a lot at table last night. The crêpes that were to have been nicely folded around the filling, were just a jumbled mess on our plates. So what! Life is messy. Why not messy plates too. And a good laugh never hurt anyone.

So as always, laugh at yourself when appropriate, laugh with others as often as possible, and never stop trying to be the best possible person/cook/parent/spouse etc. that you can be.

“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin.” Dr. Benjamin E. Mays – American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who is credited with laying the intellectual foundations of the American civil rights movement. (August 1, 1894 – March 28, 1984)

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. lemon zest, packed  

¼ c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, finely minced  

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Shake all together and use sparingly on your favorite mixed greens.

SHRIMP, GREEN BEAN, AND MUSHROOM STIR FRY

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While I was face timing with daughter Paula the other night (I think “face timing” is the right term for her being able to see every wrinkle on my face and me being able to see how beautiful she is), she told me about a great shrimp and green bean dish she had prepared for dinner that evening. It sounded just like the kind of dish that Mr. C. and I would also enjoy. Easy to prepare, containing ingredients I almost always have on hand, and easy to prepare. (Oh wait, I already said that, but it bears repeating.) So of course I asked for the recipe. Being a good, dutiful daughter, she gladly acquiesced. So I served this dish last evening with steamed rice. And there was much rejoicing at the Carr dinner table over my decision to give this delightful dish a try.

Now to tell you the truth, I had been a bit concerned about the combination of green beans and shrimp in a dish. Green beans and mushrooms, no problem. But shrimp and green beans together? Can’t say I’d ever tasted these two lovely ingredients sharing equal prominence in the same dish before. Then I went on line. There are an abundance of fantastic recipes for shrimp and green bean dishes out there. Which rock had I been hiding under all these years? Because after preparing this recipe, I tasted for myself that shrimp and green beans are indeed a great combination! And what better way to use these two fabulous ingredients than in a delicious and easy to prepare stir fry! (There’s that “easy to prepare” statement again. Must be true if I’ve bothered to mention it THREE TIMES in this post!) Anyway…………

Now you too have a great new dish with which to dazzle and delight your family. And don’t we all need a little “dazzle and delight” right now. I don’t know what it’s doing outside where you live, but here on Camano Island it’s Juneuary in full bloom. Foggy (I can’t even see the water, much less the mountains), rainy (actually pouring would be a better descriptor), and chilly. And yes I have lived in Western Washington long enough to know that June is often rainy (and cold). But that still doesn’t make it OK in my book. Bring on the summer sunshine and warmth of August darn it!

But aside from the weather, the inhabitants of Chez Carr are still doing well in spite of the extraordinary circumstances which we are currently experiencing. (The Coronavirus threat still alive and well, hostile reactions to peaceful protests, fake news, and political leaders for whom the words compassion and humanity appear to be totally foreign concepts.) But through all of this we have steadfastly remained sane (not easy in today’s world) and committed to each other and to the well-being of those around us.

So as always – please think love rather than hate, display strength rather than weakness, and please, please reflect empathy rather than condemnation. Love and peace to all.

water

1½ tsp. granulated sugar, divided

2 T. vegetable oil, divided

1 lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. large raw shrimp

5 tsp. sesame oil, divided

½ med. onion, chopped

8-10 mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 T. minced fresh ginger

1 T. oyster sauce

1 T. soy sauce

2 T. mirin (can sub dry sherry or sweet Marsala wine in a pinch)

2 tsp. corn starch

Bring a pan of water to a boil. (Just enough water to cover the beans.) Add 1 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, and the green beans to the boiling water. Cook the beans for 4 minutes, remove from heat, then pour into a colander. Rinse with cold water (to stop the cooking process) and set aside.

Whisk the salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil together in a medium sized bowl. Add the shrimp and stir to make sure every bit of each shrimp is coated with the mixture.

In a large fry pan or wok, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the shrimp and cook just until done. Do not overcook. Using a slotted utensil, remove the cooked shrimp to a small container and set aside. Add another 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil to the pan, along with the onion and mushrooms. Cook until the onions are softened and the mushrooms start to brown. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for one minute.

While the onion and mushrooms are cooking, whisk the remaining ½ teaspoon sugar, oyster sauce, soy sauce, mirin, 2 remaining teaspoons of sesame oil, and corn starch together.

After the garlic and ginger have cooked for one minute, add the cooked green beans and the cooked shrimp. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and stir until all of the veggies and shrimp are covered with the sauce and the sauce is slightly thickened. Serve immediately. Great with steamed rice on the side.

        

SOURDOUGH MULTIGRAIN AND SEED SANDWICH BREAD (added yeast)

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And yes those are bite marks on the slice of buttered bread. And yes they were made by the resident Pillsbury dough girl, whom I am currently beginning to resemble more and more!

I gave up! I had been searching for a sourdough multigrain seed bread recipe for about 3 months to absolutely no avail. And yes, there are lots of recipes out there. But many call for ingredients that I simply don’t have on hand. Or ever want to include in my recipes. Or are way too healthy for the likes of me and mine. Or vegan. Or gluten free. Or whatever!!! My objection list could fill this whole page. I just wanted a straight forward, simple recipe that included basic ingredients I almost always had on hand. Was that too much to ask? Apparently – yes it was! (And yes, I was being lazy and wanted the perfect recipe just handed to me. Waahh………….)

So yesterday I stopped researching recipes and decided to don my mad scientist’s hat instead. After all, I’d been baking and messing with bread recipes since the early 70s. So why not just take a chance. Start with a basic recipe, add ingredients with sheer abandon, and see what happens? Well, what happened is the recipe you find below. And in all honesty, I wouldn’t change a thing about this bread. Really flavorful, lovely crumb, moist but still slices beautifully, and perfect for either toast in the morning or to imprison the likes of meat, cheese, mustard, and mayonnaise for lunch. In other words – I got lucky!

And the beauty of my sourdough bread is that you can start it in the morning and bake it off later that same day. (That’s what a small inclusion of active dry yeast brings to the table, or in this case, the oven!)

So if you too are looking to build a sourdough sandwich bread that is easy to prepare, includes healthy ingredients, and tastes like it came from an exclusive bakery, then give this recipe a try. And change up the seeds, or add more seeds, if that is your desire. Matters not. We just happen to love fennel seeds, so I threw in a couple of teaspoons for good measure. But poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, or flax seeds would also be delicious. Or some of all the above. Live it up! It’s your bread after all.

So as always – happy baking, stay safe, laugh outrageously every chance you get, and never let down your quest to make the lives of those around you just a little bit better by your presence. Virtual hugs from Chez Carr.

1 c. sourdough starter

¾ tsp. active dry yeast

2/3 c. slightly warm water

2 T. honey

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. fine sea salt

2 T. flax meal

2 T. rye flour

¼ c. whole wheat flour

½ c. whole oats

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

¼ c. sunflower seeds

2 T. sesame seeds, plus more for top

2 tsp. fennel seeds

Combine the sourdough starter, dry yeast, water, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Add the salt, flax meal, rye flour, whole wheat flour, oats, and 2 cups of the unbleached all-purpose flour to the liquid ingredients. Using your bread hook, mix just until combined. Add the seeds and enough of the remaining unbleached all-purpose flour to make a dough that is still a bit tacky to the touch, but basically cleans the bowl. (This process usually takes about 5 minutes.)   

Pour a bit of olive oil over the dough, and using your hands, roll the dough into a ball making sure the entire surface is lightly greased.

Cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel, and let rise for 75-90 minutes or until when gently poked with a finger an indentation remains in the dough.

Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. (I use cooking spray.) Deflate the dough, and form into a loaf shape. (I tuck about a third of the dough under from the right, then tuck another third under from the left, then tuck in both ends.) Place in the greased loaf pan and gently pat dough into the corners. (The dough is basically flat at this point.) Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise for 2-2½ hours. (It’s ready when the middle of the loaf is about ½ to ¾-inch above the rim of the pan.)

Lightly brush or spray the top of the loaf with water. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (or seeds of choice). Make 3-4 diagonal cuts across the top being careful not to deflate the bread.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 190 degrees.

Remove from oven and carefully place the bread (after you remove it from the baking pan) on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

BAKED CHICKEN WITH SOUR CREAM AND MUSHROOMS

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OK, before you get all hot and bothered about the can of cream of mushroom (c. of m.) soup used in this recipe, let me just say that I stopped buying cream of mushroom soup by the case after my kids were all out of the house. But as a working mother, c. of m. soup really came in handy. And to this day, I always have at least one can in my pantry. Why you ask, when it’s so easy to build a white sauce? Well, in case you are new to reading my blog, you know that on occasion I welcome a little help as much as the next cook. And of more importance, some of my favorite recipes, like this decades old standby, are perfect as written. So who am I to choose culinary purity over recipe integrity?

And yes I understand there are unpronounceable ingredients in canned c. of m. soup. But I probably only use c. of m. soup a couple times a year. So don’t bother writing me defending your choice to never use this scary ingredient laden product. I understand your position. But I’m going to pigheadedly ignore the facts and stick to my guns on this one. (Hey – if our political leaders can ignore facts, and crazy people can bear arms, I feel it’s acceptable for me to defend my use of c. of m. soup on a very sporadic basis!)

Anyway, now that I have explained myself, I can get back to telling you about this great dish. It’s really easy to prepare. And it tastes like you have been slaving in the kitchen for hours. And it’s comfort food to the max. And it’s company worthy. (When it’s once again safe and sane to entertain guests, that is!) So now’s the time to make this delightful chicken dish in preparation for serving it to guests in (hopefully) the near future.

As always – stay safe, stay positive, and who knows? Maybe someday food scientists will discover that disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are actually good for us!  

And sorry about no picture. Some days I just space out on parts of my duty as keeper of the blog. I blame it on my age.

8 pieces of chicken (boneless, skinless thighs or halved breasts)

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. sour cream

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1/3 c. chicken broth or water

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8-10 sliced button or cremini mushrooms

paprika (Hungarian sweet paprika is best for this dish)

Place chicken in a shallow, lightly buttered baking dish. Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk the sour cream, lemon juice, chicken broth, and soup together. Stir in the mushrooms.

Pour evenly over the chicken. Sauce should coat and almost cover the pieces. Sprinkle generously with paprika.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 90 minutes or until the chicken pieces are done and the top is lightly browned.

Great served with Simple Baked Rice Pilaf (recipe on site) and a steamed green veggie. A nice chilled Semillon is also perfect with this meal.

CHICKEN STEW WITH SOURDOUGH HERB DUMPLINGS

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Yesterday morning I awoke feeling overwhelmed by conditions around our nation. None of which I or most of my fellow Americans have absolutely any control.  Coronavirus is still alive and well. Social injustice protests (which I whole heartily support BTW), even peaceful demonstrations, were still being met in a military fashion by fellow Americans. Radical opportunists were still making things worse by displaying guns and using threatening gestures to stir up even more dissent. Even though I’m sure the only thing most of these rough guys really cared about was getting to play the second amendment big old white guy with gun card. And worst of all, our nation’s leaders still more concerned with aggrandizing their personally perceived accomplishments, rather than leading our country from a position of true concern and humanity.  

And then here I am, almost 76 years old, blessed with everything I need to live a wonderful, fulfilling rest of my life. And yet, I couldn’t seem to reconcile my happiness with the hurt, unfairness, and hate that has been shown to others simply because of skin color, sexual persuasion, faith affiliation, economic disparity, or any of the other myriad differences that keep people apart. I felt simply at a loss as to how to proceed.   

So based on my mind set yesterday, I decided to prepare comfort food for our dinner last evening. And believe it or not, it helped. There is just something about chicken soup/stew that makes things, if not actually better, just a little more tolerable.   

So if you too could use some comfort, let me recommend this recipe. The stew is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. The dumplings are light and airy and perfectly seasoned.

So as always – stay safe, wear a mask when appropriate, and let your example of goodness speak for itself. And in case you were wondering – I feel better today. Some days are just easier than others.

Stew:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. butter

4-5 (1½ – 2 lbs.) large boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into small bite sized chunks   

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 tsp. granulated garlic  

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

½ tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 bay leaf  

1 T. dried parsley

1 T. chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon

3½ c. water

1 c. whole milk (low fat or 2% is fine)

1/3 c. flour

chopped fresh parsley, opt.

In a large covered pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until the meat is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 6-7 minutes or until the veggies begin to soften and brown.

Stir in the granulated garlic, poultry seasoning, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Stir in the Better Than Bullion and the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover the pot, and allow stew to simmer for about 30 minutes to combine flavors. Meanwhile prepare the dumpling batter.

After the stew has simmered for 30 minutes or so, add the cooked chicken along with any accumulated juices. Taste and adjust seasoning.

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and flour. Slowly add the milk/flour mixture to the pot, stirring to combine all the ingredients. Bring mixture to a low boil and cook for a minute or two or until the stew thickens up a bit. 

Using an ice cream scoop (you want the balls of dough to be about golf ball size), drop the dumpling balls on top of the simmering stew, about ¼-inch apart. If you aren’t already cooking the stew at the lowest temperature on your stove burner, do so now. Cover and cook until the dumplings have doubled in size, about 15 minutes. (Don’t even think about peeking at the dumplings before the 15 minutes are up. After that you may take a gander. The dumplings should feel dry to the touch when they are done. If in doubt, run a toothpick through one. If it comes out clean, the dumplings are perfect.)

Serve the stew piping hot topped with dumplings and garnished with fresh parsley. This is a one dish dinner. At least it is in our house! 

Dumplings:

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 c. sourdough starter

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 egg

1 T. minced dried onions

1 T. dried parsley  

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper together. Add the sourdough starter, oil, egg, dried onions, and dried parsley. Stir until well combined. Let the batter sit for 5-10 minutes or until the stew is ready for the dumplings to be added.

GARLIC AND ROSEMARY SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA

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And yes, I already have a couple of wonderful focaccia recipes on this site, but they contain active dry yeast. And yeast is still unavailable in some grocery stores. But some good news. If your grocery store carries bulk items, you might find yeast in that section. In fact, the last time Mr. C. was at our local IGA, there was a sign where the regular jars and packages of active dried yeast usually reside that directed shoppers to the bulk section. But there was still no packaged active dry yeast available. They did however have a jar of instant/rapid-rise yeast. So Mr. C. not only bought me a jar of instant yeast, he brought home a little baggie containing bulk yeast. Neither of which I have used to date.

Now I don’t normally use instant/rapid rise yeast, so I thought I better do some research. What I learned was that active dry yeast and instant (or rapid-rise) yeast are the two most common yeasts available to us as home bakers. The two yeasts can be used interchangeably in recipes, but fast-rising, or fast-acting yeast can shorten the rising time by as much as 50%. And basically it’s just as easy to use instant yeast in recipes calling for active dry yeast. Simply use the same amount of instant yeast in your recipe as regular active dry yeast. One difference to note however, is that you don’t need to dissolve instant yeast in water like you do with ordinary active dry yeast. You can simply add instant/rapid rise yeast along with your other dry ingredients. But always keep in mind, if you use instant or rapid-rise yeast in place of active dry yeast, you will need to shorten the rising time specified in your recipe, or at the very least, pay greater attention to the dough as it rises.

So now you know as much about instant or rapid rise yeast as I do. (Actually you probably already knew about instant yeast. I’m the one that needed a good learnin’ on the subject!) Which is to say, I didn’t really know anything about using rapid-rise yeast. But I’m going to learn. And as I discover more about the subject, I will share my knowledge with you. Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

I made this focaccia for dinner last evening, and it was so good. Kind of chewy, a faint sourdough flavor, and a lot of garlic power. And although I had played with the dough a lot during the day (you’ll see what I mean when you read the recipe directions), the dough itself was really easy to build. And since I’m pretty much confined to quarters anyway, what better thing to do with my time than play with bread dough instead of thinking about how the world is falling apart around us!

So as always, stay calm, stay focused on what really counts in your life, and if you have any kind of influence with your favorite deity, could you please ask for some additional help here. Mother earth is in dire need of any positive assistance it can get. Thank you.

½ c. sourdough starter

½ c. slightly warm water

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, or more as needed

¾ tsp. sea salt

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus a bit more to oil the dough before letting it rise and to grease the baking pan

3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced 

1¼ tsp. roughly minced fresh rosemary  

fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt

In the bowl of your stand mixer, using your paddle attachment, combine the starter, water, and 1½ cups of the flour to form a thick batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

Switch to your dough hook. Add the sea salt, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and as much of the remaining all-purpose flour as needed to form a sticky dough, but one that clears the bowl and clings to the hook after kneading for about 5 minutes.

Pour a bit of oil in the bowl, and using your hands, form a lightly greased ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 3-5 hours.

Every hour punch down the dough and flip it over in the bowl. When the dough is ready, it will have an almost elastic quality. (My dough took a little over 4 hours.)

While the dough is rising, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring often, until a very light golden brown. (Be careful not to let the garlic burn.) Remove from heat and set aside.

When the dough has finished its long first rise, lightly oil a small rimmed sheet pan with olive oil. Place the dough onto the oiled pan (trying not to deflate too much) and flip it over to coat it with the oil. Use your fingers to spread the dough to a ½-inch thickness. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour until well risen and puffy.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use your fingers to dimple the top of the dough all over. Brush with the garlic and infused olive oil. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and the roughly chopped rosemary.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. The internal temperature should register at least 190 degrees.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.

And yes, you can easily double this recipe.   

   

MONTEREY JACK, CHEDDAR, AND JALAPEÑO CHILI AU GRATIN POTATOES

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Sometimes you just have to shake things up a bit. And the other evening I wanted to use some of the potatoes we received in our last farm box. We had recently enjoyed a baked potato, but Mr. C. is not the potato lover that I am. So I really needed to come up with a way to use the potatoes that would appeal to him. And what better way than to use a couple of his favorite flavors to entice him over to my side. The right side! (I mean really. What’s not to like about potatoes?!?!) So….. Mr. C. loves cheese. And Mr. C. loves Mexican food, especially if the dish includes chilies. So why not combine potatoes with some cheese and a smattering of both canned green chilies (not hot) and a jalapeño (pretty darn hot). So I found the basis for this recipe on the boulderlocavore.com site. I changed the recipe to accommodate what I had on hand, and also to better reflect our tastes, but the bones of the recipe come directly from this new to me site.

So, armed with a new concept for flavoring au gratin potatoes, I prepared the recipe you find below. And no, the jalapeño was not overpowering or created too spicy a dish. It just added a lovely and unexpected flavor that even Mr. C. admitted was pretty darn tasty. (He had seconds that evening and chose to have the potatoes for lunch the next day.)

So if you too want to shake things up a bit in your kitchen, give this recipe a try. It is really lovely and really quite different than most au gratin potatoes. Although I have seldom met a homemade potato concoction that I didn’t like, this new au gratin dish is now right up there with my all-time favorites. Hope you like it too.

As always, stay safe, stay aware of what’s going on in the world, but please continue to represent love rather than hate. Not easy right now. But needed more than ever.

1½ lbs. thinly sliced Yukon gold potatoes (no need to peel the potatoes)

¾ c. whole milk

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded, veins removed, and very finally minced     

generous ½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

generous 1 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

½ c. finely diced onion   

3 T. unsalted butter   

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

paprika

Layer 1:

Line the bottom of a buttered 9×13-inch pan or casserole with a third of the potatoes. Drizzle with ¼ cup of the milk. Top with 1/3 of the chiles, 1/3 of the minced jalapeño, 1/3 of each cheese, half of the onion, 1 tablespoon of the butter evenly doted over the onion like you would when preparing a fruit pie, and a light sprinkling of salt and a larger sprinkle of black pepper.

Layer 2:

Repeat layer 1.

Layer 3:

Repeat layer 1, except no onion in the final layer. Sprinkle with paprika and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 70-85 minutes or until the potatoes slices are tender and the top is a lovely golden brown. (If the top gets too brown before the potatoes are tender, cover the pan with aluminum foil.)

Remove from oven and allow the au gratin to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

STRAWBERRRY RHUBARB CHEESECAKE BARS

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So true to form, our rhubarb plant has once again provided me with a wonderful excuse to make a dessert. (As if I really needed an excuse to play with sugar!) But it’s kind of a limited time offer. When rhubarb is ready to be harvested, it’s build something now, or chop it up and put it in the freezer for later use. And of course that’s what I could have done. But I had a basket of strawberries and a package of cream cheese in the refrigerator just screaming at me to let them come out and play with my newly harvested rhubarb stalks. And who do you know who can resist a siren call like that?!?! Even if the end result is a tasty treat with no redeemable qualities other than immediate oral gratification. So I succumbed.

Now usually building and sharing a big old cheesecake would not be a predicament. But it’s just the two of us. Neither of whom should be eating an abundance of sugar. (Heck, we shouldn’t be eating any sugar!) And we can’t share the dessert with anyone. Can’t throw a dinner party. Can’t even take a goodly amount to a neighbor or deliver it to a dear friend. Sigh…… So what to do?

Well Patti – think small. Think more fruit, less sugar. Think as little fat as possible. Think bars, rather than a big old thick cheesecake. So that’s just what I did. (With a lot of help from Food.com!)

Now before you read any further, take a look at the recipe. There are 4 steps involved in the creation of this delicacy. But I’m telling you true, this dessert is really fast and easy to prepare even if there are 4 steps. And the result? Oh my. Absolutely fantastic.

So if you too are blessed with fresh rhubarb either from your own garden or from your local food purveyor, don’t hesitate to fix this lovely dessert.

It’s not too tart, too sweet, too rich, or too large an amount. It’s just perfectly proportioned. (If only I could say the same about myself!)

Anyway, as always – peace, love, and an extra helping of strength to all.         

Crust:

¾ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 T. granulated sugar

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter

In a small bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and butter together until crumbly.

Pat evenly into an 8 or 9-inch square Pyrex dish.

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

2 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ c. granulated sugar

2½ c. chopped rhubarb, dried off with paper towels

½ c. chunked strawberries, plus more for garnish

In a medium sized bowl, stir the flour and sugar together. Toss in the rhubarb and strawberries. Pour onto crust. (You will probably have a bit of extra flour/sugar in the bottom of the bowl. Just sprinkle it evenly over the fruit.)

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

While the crust and filling are baking, prepare the cream cheese layer. You are going to spread the cream cheese mixture over the partially baked crust and fruit as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Note: If you don’t wish to use strawberries, just add a half cup more chopped rhubarb.

Cream cheese layer:

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

¼ c. granulated sugar

1 egg

Blend the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg. Spread evenly over the hot rhubarb. (It will be just a thin layer.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and cover with sour cream topping while still hot. While the bars are baking, prepare the sour cream topping.   

Sour Cream topping:

½ c. sour cream

1 T. granulated sugar

½ tsp. real vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. As soon as the cheesecake is out of the oven, spread the topping evenly over all. (Again, it will only be a thin layer.)

Let the bars cool completely before placing in refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. Even better after 24 hours.