Food Mill

I got a food mill this weekend after being ticked off that the "seedless grapes" I bought at the farmer's market were, yet again, concord grapes. (Really, does anyone like concord grapes? The skin is like leather and there are a bunch of little seeds that you can't work around.) Anyway, I used the food mill to deal with the grapes and tried to use it on some tomato soup, but I have to be honest, I'm not loving the thing. I know there's at least one food mill lover who reads the blog, so I'm guessing there are more of you out there. So, tell me, why do you love it? What's your favorite recipe? Help me love it before I retire it to the basement or put it out at the yard sale. Oh, and mashed potatoes are not a reasonable favorite recipe (lumps are awesome) unless you can back it up with why the perfectly smooth potatoes compliment some other dish incredibly well. 


Bonus points awarded to anyone who can provide a good reason for buying concord grapes because I'm just terribly curious about the little buggers.

Poached Chicken

I finally poached chicken that didn't suck! Yay me! I'm sure this is a basic thing to the rest of the world, but I actually gave up on thinking it was a super easy thing and sought advice from the interwebs. Ahh, enlightenment. (Hint - if you're like me, you should know that boiling does not equal poaching. What took me so long to figure this out?) I generally poach chicken that I either am going to use in chicken salad or I'm going to use in soup, but am not ready to use at the moment the chicken needs to be cooked. This chicken cooked here turned into a lovely chicken salad and some chicken and veggies that will be posted later. I understand some people just eat poached chicken because it's low fat. Plain chicken isn't my thing, but hey, to each his own.


Poached Chicken
Enough water to cover your chicken
1/4 onion, cut in large chunks
3 cloves garlic, smashed
salt
5-6 peppercorns

1 package chicken breast

Add onion, garlic, salt, and peppercorns to water and bring to a boil. Add chicken breast. Return to boil then reduce to barely a simmer. Cook for approximately 15 minutes (dependent on how thick your chicken breast is - mine was a big hunker). Turn off heat and let chicken stay in water for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from water and let rest before cutting.

I Grilled Pizza, Fool!

Inspired by this posting where I learned I did NOT need to make a special dough, I finally fulfilled my summertime goal of making grilled pizza. I used my half whole wheat dough recipe, a delicious mix of cheddar and provolone, and eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes as toppings. I realized after cooking the pizzas, that I failed to oil the grill, which probably led to my slightly overdone (read: burned) crust.


The basic process: Shape the dough and grill over high heat for a few minutes. Remove from grill and put sauce, cheese, toppings on the grilled side. Return to grill until cheese is melty and delicious looking. 


I strongly suggest cooking your toppings ahead of time. Pizzas simply don't have to cook for long enough to cook veggies and definitely not raw meats. Tomatoes are my exception here. They cook perfectly with the pizza.

Eggplant and Squash Sandwiches

Now, in addition to an abundance of squash and banana peppers, I find myself with an abundance of eggplant. Desperate for something new to try, I found this recipe and modified it based on what I had on hand... And, of course, added squash! 


Eggplant and Squash Sandwiches
1 large squash, sliced lengthwise
1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise
olive oil, salt, and pepper
4 oz soft (spreadable) goat cheese
handful basil and parsley
1 tomato, sliced
3 sandwich size ciabatta roles
Brush sliced squash and eggplant with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill until tender. Meanwhile, add basil and parsley to a small mixer and chop lightly. Add goat cheese to mixer and combine with herbs. Spread goat cheese mixer on both halves of the ciabatta rolls. Top with two slices each (or whatever works for your sandwiches) of the squash, eggplant, and tomato.

Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes, but I only really get to make it for lunches since I usually just make it with leftover frozen pasta. It's best if you have a nice chunk of bread to sop up the sauce when you're done. It's also good without the vegetables if you don't have anything handy.


Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce
Leftover frozen pasta, thawed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup frozen chicken broth (about 1 oz)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium squash (or any other veggies you have on hand), chopped
dash crushed red pepper, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper
fresh grated parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil and chicken broth over high heat. Add squash and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and spices. Cook until squash is at desired tenderness. Add pasta to sauce and toss to combine. Cook until pasta is hot. Transfer to bowl and add gobs and gobs of parmesan cheese.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

We had some great friends over for dinner the week we were trying to get ready for a bunch of dogsitters, so I was in need of a low stress meal that could be made on the grill. I wanted to aim a little higher than burgers and dogs, so I picked up a pork tenderloin at the farm. I was going to make a bourbon marinade someone suggested, but failed to note that it was supposed to marinate for 12 hours prior to grilling. With two hours to go before they arrived for dinner, I had to improvise. It turned out pretty good, but probably could have done with a longer marinade. I served this with a variation of the veggies in foil, some corn on the cob, and tomatoes with basil and olive oil. We ended the night with some vanilla ice cream with fresh peaches and then I soundly beat the pants off of everyone at 500 Rummy. (Are you practicing, KT?)


Grilled Pork Tenderloin
1 tenderloin (around 1.5 lbs)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tblsp chopped garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
Put all ingredients in a ziploc bag and squish around to make sure the tenderloin is well coated. Let rest in the stove for at least 2 hours. Heat grill to high. Sear pork over high heat, then reduce to medium low. Cook for 15-20 minutes and then check internal temperature. Pull pork from grill at 155 and let rest. Temperature should reach 160 while resting. Slice and serve.

CSA Challenge

I'm totally stealing this idea from Missy. Thanks Missy! 


Missy started posting ingredients that she got from her CSA, but for which she didn't necessarily have recipe ideas. So, this weekend I picked up celery root. I ended up using it in vegetable soup, but if anyone has recipes that are good for celery root, please post your ideas.