VEGETABLE AND BEEF KABOBS WITH CHIMICHURRI

This is my week to host The Food Matters Project. It has been 21 weeks of cooking together with 50 food lovers using Mark Bittman's philosophy and recipes as inspiration for our meal. This week I chose Mixed Grill with Chimichurri. Chimichurri is amazing, it's a very easy Argentinian herb sauce made with parsley and used to top grilled food. Mark's recipe uses parsley but you can substitute other herbs such as cilantro or basil. I followed his recipe using parsley.

When I chose this recipe months ago I had no idea that most of the veggies I would be using to grill would be picked from my garden. How exciting is that???

This was the first year we have grown potatoes. I always thought it was a waste of time since they are so inexpensive to buy.

I was SO wrong.....what a thrill it was to dig this up. They were delicious.

I decided to grill beef and vegetable kabobs.

The potatoes were cooked until almost soft and then finished on the grill. We have been thinning  our tomatoes and ended up with some green tomatoes and learned something new. They were great when grilled. They are on the middle skewer. 

Ron basted the beef and vegetable kabobs with the chimichurri sauce while they grilled.

We served the kabobs family style and passed the sauce.

To see the other members creatives takes on Mark's recipe stop on over at the Food Matters Project by clicking here.

Below is the original recipe as written from Mark Bittman's cookbook The Food Matters Cookbook.

MIXED GRILL WITH CHIMICHURRI

Makes 4 servings    Time  45 minutes

1 or 2 eggplants, cut into thick slices
2 cups fresh parsley (mostly leaves, but thin stems are okay)
Salt and black pepper
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for grilling
2 TBSP. sherry vinegar or lemon juice
1 tsp. red chile flakes
2 portobello mushrooms
2 summer squash, cut lengthwise into thick slices
4 ripe tomatoes, cored but left whole
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or pork tenderloin, cut in half crosswise and pounded to about 1/2 inch thick
1 bunch scallions

Prepare a grill or turn on the broiler; the heat should be medium-high and the rack about 4 inches from the fire. If time allows, sprinkle the eggplant liberally with salt, let rest in a colander for at least 20 minutes or up to an hour, rinse, and pat dry.

Combine the parsley with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, the garlic, and about 1/4 cup of the oil in a food processor or blender. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container once or twice. With the machine running, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil gradually, then add the vinegar and chile flakes. Add a little bit of water if you want a thinner mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Brush the eggplant, portobellos, and squash with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Working in batches, grill or broil the pieces, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, 15 to 20 minutes. When the mushrooms are done, slice them. As all the vegetables finish, transfer them to a large serving platter.

Brush the tomatoes and chicken with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Again, working in batches, grill or broil the pieces, turning once, until the tomatoes are charred and collapsed and the chicken or pork is white or very slightly pink on the inside, 5 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to the serving platter and cut the meat up a bit if you like. Finally, cook the scallions (no need to brush them with oil), turning once or twice, until they are lightly charred, just a minute or 2. Drizzle some of the chimichurri over the meat and vegetables and pass the rest at the table.

Recipe by Mark Bittman from The Food Matters Cookbook

ROASTED CHICKPEA FLOUR

When was the last time you took a whiff of flour and said WOW this smells great? You will if you roast your own chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) and grind it into flour. Roasting the beans gives a rich nutty flavor to the flour and it's gluten free.

Start with some dry garbanzo beans.

Roast them  in the oven at 400~ for 15-20 minutes or until the beans start to give off a toasted aroma and are lightly browned. When cool, transfer to a food processor, spice grinder, or powerful blender (I used the dry blender of the Vitamix) and blend for 2-3 minutes until a powdery flour forms.

Run through a sieve to remove any large particles.

 

 

Store in a sealed container until ready to use.

You can find this flour already ground in Asian and Middle Eastern markets and some health food stores however it is usually raw and not toasted. Toasting the beans makes a huge difference in flavor.

I used this flour to make a savory batter.

And turned it into waffle boats.

INDIAN STYLE BURRITOS WITH GREEN CHUTNEY

It's Food Matters Project Monday! The recipe we used as inspiration this week was Beans n Greens Burritos. It was chosen by Jacqui at Good Things Grow. Mark Bittman wrote a recipe for a burrito using black beans and kale. He also listed other ideas for filling the tortilla but nothing inspired me. I was thinking about skipping this week until I walked by an Indian restaurant and started thinking about how much I love garlic naan. That thought took me to Kati Rolls. Kati rolls are made with marinated chicken or vegetables cooked on a skillet and then served with green chutney and wrapped in parathas. 

  Parathas are an Indian flat bread and the ingredients are almost like making a flour tortilla.....

flour-salt-oil-water.

BINGO! 

 All I had to do was to decide on a filling.

 I purchased some whole wheat tortillas and made a version of Aloo Chole, Chickpea (garbanzo) Potato Cabbage Curry for the filling. For my "salsa" I made a batch of Green Chutney consisting of fresh mint, cilantro, onion, lemon juice and hot chilies. For all you cilantro haters out there I want you to know that this is great without it. I made it, served it, and while cleaning up I found all the cilantro in the salad spinner. I added it back in but we had already enjoyed our chutney without it.

The Indian spices combined with the potato, tomato, garbanzo beans and crunchy cabbage was a fantastic filling for the whole wheat tortillas. 

A drizzle of Green Chutney inside puts this burrito over the top. We were eating with a fork and knife so I drizzled the chutney on top of the burrito.

Aloo Chole: Chickpea Potato Cabbage Curry

1 lb waxy potatoes, scrubbed and chopped
1 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 chili pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp cumin seed
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can chickpeas
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 small head cabbage (or 1/2 large head), sliced into very thin strips

1. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in the bottom of the pot on Medium heat. Fry the onion for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, chili pepper, mustard seed, and cumin seed. Fry 1-2 more minutes.
3. Add tomato, chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt. Cook for 3 minutes, until tomato juices are sizzling and starting to evaporate. Add cabbage, fry for 5 minutes, until slightly reduced. Add chickpeas and potatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes. Smash some of the potatoes against on side of pot.

 Recipe from strawberrypepper

 GREEN CHUTNEY  (CHAAT)

2 cups chopped mint leaves

1 cup chopped cilantro

1 large onion, sliced

1-2 TBSP. lemon juice

1 TBSP. sugar

4-6 green chilies

salt to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Add a little water to loosen it up so it will blend.

Makes 1 cup.

Recipe by Tarla Dalal

To see what our other Food Matters Project members made click here.

To read the original recipe go over to Good Things Grow.

LEMON BASIL PESTO

There was something different about the basil at the Farmer's Market this week. It drew a crowd. Everyone was grabbing a bunch and smelling it. It was lemon basil. You could actually smell the lemon scent from a few feet away. I've used lemon basil before but it always had a subtle lemon smell and flavor. This was vibrant. I bought a couple of bunches and knew I had to make pesto. This was so delicious I was eating it by the spoonful.

LEMON BASIL PESTO

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (I used lemon basil)

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil and process until fully incorporated and to the consistency you like. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the cheese.

I spread the pesto on a piece of Scottish salmon and baked in the oven at 375~ for 20 minutes.

 

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND WALNUT PESTO PIZZA

Red Bell Pepper Pesto Pizza Bites....FUN* FUN* FUN!

Our next recipe in the Food Matters Project was Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut "Pesto". My first idea was to put in on pasta. I ran some ideas by Hubby and when I said pizza he said "YES!".

I made pizza dough from scratch maybe....30 years ago :(   and I still remember how much work it was for a "pizza". Pizza was what you ordered when you didn't feel like cooking. I never did that again.

When we decided that we would make pizza dough from scratch I remembered that I had a pizza stone somewhere. HUH???? I think it must have been for take and bake pizzas or to reheat cold pizza (although I usually eat the leftovers in the middle of the night...cold. Doesn't everyone??).

First I made this beautiful bowl of Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto.

I roasted my red peppers on the gas cook top.

Turning them until they had a nice char.

 I put them in a bowl and covered the bowl with plastic wrap. When they were cool, I removed the charred skin. I started out by using a paper towel to help remove the skin and save the flavor but I got impatient and ended up running  them under cold water. The next step was to remove the seeds and stems.

I pulsed the garlic in the food processor and then the walnuts. When it was roughly chopped I added the red bell peppers, basil, and some olive oil.

That's it, with the addition of some salt and pepper it was ready to go.

Enter the pizza crust.

The pizza dough was a bit of a challenge for us virgin pizza makers and I didn't even make it from scratch as  planned. The already made whole wheat dough at Trader Joe's was just too hard to resist. This was where the fun began. I heard Ron laughing. "Is this a trick?" I looked over and started laughing too. Every time he would roll it out into a nice circle, as soon as he stopped rolling it would bounce back to it's original size. Hmm...I suggested we try pulling it by hand or even throw it up in the air like they do at the Pizza Palace. That was comical :) Well, we need to work on our dough skills but we did end up with this.

We spread it with the Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto.

Mark Bittman suggested adding goat cheese as an option in the pesto.We thought it sounded like a good combo so we put some rounds on one half of the pizza and mozzarella on the other side. After 15 minutes in the oven we added some fresh basil.

Success! The pesto was wonderful as a base and the goat cheese rocked. We liked the fact that it did not melt completely. It made the most delicious bites. We cut it into squares so we could showcase the goat cheese. Oh...the mozzarella, it was a little boring...needs the goat cheese.

This was really fun to make. I can't wait to use the leftover pesto in other ways. You can find all kinds of creative ideas on how to use this pesto over on the The Food Matters Project. The Pesto recipe is on Heather's Blog who was our host for the week.

Thank you Sarah and Kate for starting this project.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

This make-ahead gravy is great. I usually make it once a year at Thanksgiving and keep it in small jars in the freezer. I love to have it on hand for roast turkey breast or my favorite Cajun Turkey Meat Loaf.



Turkey wings are covered with quartered onions and roasted in the oven for 1 1/4 hours. The smell will put you in the Thanksgiving spirit immediately.

When the wings have browned they go in a stock pot and simmer with broth, carrots, and thyme for 1 1/2 hours.

After simmering you remove the wings and strain the contents through a strainer into a saucepan. At this point I refrigerate the sauce overnight to solidify the fat. It makes it really easy to remove the next day.

Flour is whisked into chicken broth until smooth. It is gradually added to the turkey stock until the gravy has thickened. You add a little butter and pepper at the end and  your gravy is done.

I adjust the seasonings when I'm ready to serve it by adding salt,  herbs (sage is good) or anything else that will compliment the dish you are serving it with.



MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY



6 turkey wings

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 cup water

2 quarts chicken broth, divided

3/4 cup chopped carrot

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 TBSP. butter

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400~. Arrange a single layer of turkey wings in a large roasting pan. Scatter the onions over the top of the wings. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 hours or until wings are browned.

Place browned wings and onions in a 5 quart stockpot. Add water to roasting pan and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the water from the pan in to the stockpot. Stir in 6 cups broth, carrot, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove wings from the pot and place on a cutting board. When the wings are cool, pull off the skin and meat. Discard the skin and save the meat for another use. Strain contents of stockpot through a large strainer into a 3 quart saucepan. Press on the vegetables to extract any remaining liquid. Discard the vegetables and skim the fat off the liquid. Bring the contents of the pot to a gentle boil.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour into the remaining 2 cups chicken broth  until smooth. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering turkey broth; simmer 3-4 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Stir in the butter and pepper. Serve immediately or pour into containers and refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe from Allrecipes.com 

CRANBERRY AND DRIED CHERRY RELISH



This will be my go to cranberry sauce (relish) recipe from now on. It is so easy and so good.

                                              

CRANBERRY AND DRIED-CHERRY RELISH

1 packages (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries (no need to thaw if frozen but I always use fresh during the holidays) 1 cup dried cherries 1 tsp. grated orange zest 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice 1 cup sugar 2 cups water In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, cherries, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until most of the berries have burst and liquid is syrupy, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cover, pressing plastic wrap directly on surface of relish and refrigerate. Make Ahead: Can be made up to two weeks ahead and refrigerated. Recipe from www.savoringtimeinthekitchen.com

PUMPKIN BUTTER



I made this out of necessity. It was Halloween and I was making Pumpkin Martinis. My recipe said that Trader Joe's stocks Pumpkin Butter. With all the ingredients ready I dashed out to TJ's and they told me I was a few weeks early for their supply of Pumpkin Butter.

I googled it and found a very easy recipe. It was great in the martini and we are still using it on our toast.

PUMPKIN BUTTER

1 can (29 oz.) pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat/high heat and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to low/medium and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

SALSA VERDE

Sharon made this salsa and saved some for me to taste.

This salsa is amazing. It is served over the Staff Meal Chicken in the poultry category but I thought it deserved it's own post.

It's a tomatillo salsa without onion or garlic. My favorite salsa is tomatillo salsa WITH ONION AND GARLIC but....there are just times when you want your breath to smell fresh. You can eat this salsa and have a close encounter without any fear. And, you can use this recipe and add garlic and onion when you want the real deal.

All you need to make this amazing salsa are some jalapenos, tomatillos, cilantro, and chicken broth.

Cook the jalapenos in chicken broth until tender.

Add the tomatillos and cook until soft but not mushy.

Transfer the vegetables to a blender or food processor and process until chunky. Transfer to a bowl and add the cilantro and salt

SALSA VERDE

1/4 pound jalapeno peppers (3-4 large), stems removed (not seeded)

2 to 3 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and stems chopped (1/2 cup)

1 tsp. salt

Place  the jalapenos in a medium saucepan and add enough broth to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the jalapenos are slightly tender, about 6-8 minutes.

Add the tomatillos and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomatillos have lost their brightness and the vegetables are soft but not mushy.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a blender or food processor and process until chunky, add cooking liquid as needed to make a thick but loose puree. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cilantro and salt.

Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Makes about 2 cups.


Recipe from The Essential New York Times Cook Book



TRUFFLE AIOLI

I love aioli. I LOVE anything TRUFFLE. Put these two together and you have a match made in heaven.

I made Portobello fries to go with this but I think French Fries would be awesome. I think I'll try oven baked potato wedges too.

The recipe is very straight forward, you make the aioli (which is similar to mayonnaise) and then add the truffle oil at the end. If you don't like the taste of truffles just omit the truffle oil and enjoy some yummy aioli.

Be sure to drizzle the oil slowly into the egg yolk mixture so it won't separate.

                                                  TRUFFLE AIOLI

2 large egg yolks

2 TBSP. lemon juice

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup olive oil

2 TBSP. white truffle oil

Fine sea salt, to taste

Pepper to taste

In a blender combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, and garlic. With the blender on medium, drizzle the canola and olive oil into the yolk mixture in a slow steady stream until the aioli is emulsified and well blended. Season with truffle oil, salt and pepper.

Recipe by Eric Ripert