Grilled Artichokes With Green Goddess Dressing

Artichoke Ingredients

4 Artichokes

2 Cups Chicken Broth

2 Cup White Wine

1 tbs Italian Seasoning

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped

Method

1. Cut the ends of each artichoke off about 2 inches from the tip of each head. Remove the leaves around the base of the stem and slice each head in half lengthwise. Remove all the hair with a spoon exposing the heart at the base.

2. Place the chicken broth, white wine, Italian seasoning, garlic and red pepper flakes in a large pot and bring to a boil  Place the prepped artichoke hearts in the boiling liquid and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside to cool.

3. Once cool, drizzle the artichokes with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Grill over high heat just long enough to achieve grill marks and the artichokes are warmed. Place on a serving tray, drizzle with Green Goddess dressing and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped flat leaf parsley. Serve with additional Green Goddess dressing on the side for dipping.

Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients

1/2 cup Mayonaise

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1 Lemon Juiced

2 Cloves Minced Garlic

1 tbs Anchovy Paste

1 Handful Of Each Fresh Herb: Tarrago, Chives, Parsley, Dill

2 tbs Honey

Fresh Cracked Pepper

3 tbs Olive Oil

Method

1. Place all ingredients except olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth. With blender running on low, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with additional honey and salt if desired.

              
           

              

Garlic Herb Swirl Loaf

I've never been much of a baker.  But 4 weeks and counting living under a Stay in Place order has a way of forcing new realities and reaching deep within to find new coping strategies for maintaining mental health.  So, I found myself participating in a cooking club challenge and I found this recipe on halfbakedharvest.com based on my Google search for "Beautiful Bread".  While I made some slight modifications, this has got to be the most delicious bread you will ever put lips!  

Ingredients

3/4 Cup warm whole milk - 105 to 110 degrees F

2 1/4 tsp Instant yeast

2 tbsp Honey

3 lg Eggs - room temperature

2 1/2 - 4 Cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp Kosher salt

6 tbsp Salted butter at room temperature, plus more for serving

1-2 Cloves garlic, grated

1/4 Cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 Cups fresh basil, finely chopped

2 tbsp Fresh thyme finely chopped

1 tbsp Fresh sage finely chopped

Method

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the milk, yeast and stir until dissolved to activate yeast. Add honey, eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, and salt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated, about 4-5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons room temp butter and mix until combined, about 2-3 minutes more. If the dough is still sticky, add the additional 1/2 cup flour, adding more as needed until the dough is smooth to touch.

2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

3. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, the garlic, parmesan, basil, sage, and thyme in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.

4. Punch the dough down and roll out onto parchment paper that is lightly floured, creating a large rectangle about 12 x 18 inches. Spread the garlic herb butter evenly over the dough with a rubber spatula. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log, keeping it fairly tight as you go. When you reach the edge, pinch along the edge to seal. 

5. Using a sharp knife, cut the log of dough in half lengthwise, leaving a small portion at one end intact. Turn the halves to expose the filling. Cross the dough ropes over each other, repeating the twisting until you have a long, twisted dough with the cut sides exposed outwardly.

6. Coil half the rope up like a snake, stopping when you reach halfway. Then, coil the second half of the rope in the opposite direction. Carefully transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer the bread to the oven and bake 30-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bread is cooked through. Brush the top of the loaf with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Slice and serve warm...with additional butter.

Caramelized Onion and Ricotta Tart with Heirloom Tomatoes

After being on hiatus for several months, due to the wedding of my daughter, I have regrouped and am back with new inspiration and motivation to continue my work with the blog.  My primary inspiration for this new appetizer is my neighbor who has been dropping off a bag of fresh picked tomatoes from his garden each week for the past month. I really wanted to find a way to use fresh tomatoes in a more interesting way than my typical BLT. I came across this recipe in the March 2013 issue of Delicious and thought I would give it a try.  I served it as an appetizer for Sunday dinner to the delight of all. So fresh and so summery!

Ingredients
1 sheet prepared pie crust at room temperature
3 tbsp butter
6 Scallions thinly sliced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 oz. ricotta cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino cheese
5 small to medium sized heirloom tomatoes in a variety of colors
Bunch of Basil leaves
Olive oil to serve
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Method
Cover a loose-bottomed tart pan with one sheet of a prepared pie crust and gently press along the edges trimming any excess.  Prick base with a fork and chill for 30 minutes to firm up.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until dry and golden then remove from the oven and cool.  

Meanwhile, melt butter in a frypan over medium heat, add scallions and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft and golden. Add balsamic and sugar, then cook stirring for a further 1 minute until sugar has dissolved and balsamic has reduced.

Transfer onion mixture to the cooled tart shell and top with evenly spaced small dollops of ricotta. Whisk eggs, cream and pecorino, then season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the baked tart shell over the ricotta dollops. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the filling is just set. Let cool for 10 minutes. 

Thinly slice the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar then season with salt and pepper. Transfer tart to a plate. Arrange the tomato slices on top and sprinkle with finely grated pecorino cheese. Sprinkle with basil leaves and drizzle with olive oil. Slice and serve immediately. 

Bubble and Squeak Soup

Not being familiar with the British dish Bubble and Squeak, my curiosity got the best of me when I came across the recipe in one of my recent issues of Delicious Magazine.  As I read the ingredients I realized that it sounded like a really interesting take on the classic potato soup. Turns out it was just that. The flavors are so complex and interesting, yet familiar all at the same time...the perfect comfort food for a cool fall evening. Enjoy!  

Serves 6

Ingredients
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
1 onion diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 potatoes peeled and chopped
1 lb Brussels sprouts thinly sliced
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup cream, plus extra to garnish
6 slices bacon
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Croutons, to serve

Melt the butter in a large saucepan with 1 tbs oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, leek and garlic and cook, stirring for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the stock, water and potatoes, then increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Season with salt and pepper, then add nutmeg. Cool slightly, then in batches, blend until smooth. (I used an immersion blender directly in the pot for this step and it worked great.) Return soup to the pan over low heat. Add cream stir until heated through. (If the soup is too thick, add milk until you reach the desired consistency. Adjust seasonings accordingly)

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbs oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning for 4-5 minutes until crisp. Drain on paper towel, cool slightly, then roughly chop.

Divide the soup among 6 serving bowls and drizzle with extra cream. Garnish with bacon, croutons and Brussels sprouts leaves that have been blanched and refreshed, if desired, then season and serve immediately.

Asian Pulled Pork Sliders With Vietnamese Slaw

Ingredients For Rub and Pork:

1 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder 
1 tbsp packed dark brown sugar 
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne
5 lb pork roast

For Sauce:
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce 
1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar 
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger 
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

For Vietnamese Slaw:
1 lbs red cabbage, cored and finely shredded 
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp fresh lime juice 

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup oil

Method:
Combine cabbage, cilantro, mint, basil, and scallions in a bowl. Whisk together rice wine vinegar, sugar, lime juice, salt and oil. Adjust to taste with additional vinegar and sugar as desired. Toss cabbage with dressing, then chill, covered, at least 2 hours for slaw to soften. Slaw can be made 8 hours ahead and chilled, covered. 

Make Rub and Prepare Pork:
Stir together spices in a small bowl. Remove pork from refrigerator and put in a large roasting pan. Trim surface fat from pork, then rub all over with spice mixture. Let pork stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Make Sauce:
Whisk together all sauce ingredients.

Roast Pork:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Cover pork roast with a sheet of parchment paper, then cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Roast 1 hour. Carefully loosen foil, lift up parchment, and pour half the sauce over pork. Tightly cover pork again and roast 1 more hour. Turn pork over and pour remaining sauce over it, then tightly cover again. Continue to roast, basting every half hour with pan juices, about 2 1/2 hours more, or until fork-tender (a meat fork should insert easily) and an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into center of meat registers 190°F. 

Transfer to a cutting board. When meat is cool enough to handle, coarsely shred it, using 2 forks, and transfer to a large bowl. While pork is cooling, pour pan juices into a large measuring cup and let stand until fat rises to top, then spoon off and discard fat. Drizzle meat with some pan juices and serve remainder on the side. Serve pork and slaw on buns.

Notes:
Pork can be roasted and shredded 3 days ahead. I have made this in a slow cooker/crock pot as well. If roasting in a crock pot, cook the pork in the sauce until fork tender and shred with a fork. 

For Assembly:
24 Slider buns, split and toasted
Vietnamese Slaw

Burmese Glass Noodle Salad in Endive Cups


Salad    
Rice noodles
1/2 cup thinly sliced and chopped red cabbage
2 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthways, thinly sliced 
2 small red chillies, seeds removed, thinly sliced into strips
4 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
2 tsp crushed salted peanuts
Handful of fresh snipped cilantro
2 Heads endive for serving, each leaf carefully removed (optional)

Dressing
2 tbs mirin (Japanese rice wine)* 
1/4 cup (60ml) rice vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon 

Method

Break rice noodles into 3 inch long strands and place in boiling water that has been removed from heat. Let sit a few minutes until softened.  Remove from hot water, place in colander and rinse in cold water. Set aside. 
Meanwhile, whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl and add the remaining salad ingredients. Fluff the noodles with a fork, then toss with the salad. Serve in endive leaves used for cups.  Makes a great party appetizer.