Ball Jar Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Patricia Crowley! You have won a case of Ball jars.

Thanks to all who participated.

Another giveaway coming soon...

Amy

Nectarine and Strawberry Crisp with Rose Sugar

I remember I remember cafeteria lunches in elementary and high school...  Unlike Thomas Hood’s memories, however, this one is not too positive.  In elementary school, I probably just threw most of the food out.  I was a bit of a brat.  Now, of course, I can look back and just say I was “discriminating.”  Once I got into high school, however, we had many more food choices.  You could get limp and tasteless salad, for example, or bland, gelatinous soup, or whatever the main course pretended to be that day.  Or, you could get junk food… packaged chocolate chip cookies, gummy bears, chips, pretzels, etc.  Naturally, this was where I spent my lunch money.  I can feel my mom’s chagrin as she reads this. Seriously, it was a no win situation.  But, there were a few exceptions to my forays into junk food nirvana, from which, in just a few short hours, I would come down and be hungry again.  Chicken patties would usually lure me into their web of crispy goodness.  Spaghetti would occasionally get me.  But the real gem, when it was available, was apple crisp.  Sure, you had to order it with all the not-so-great “real” food, but it was worth it for the apple crisp.  The apple crisp wasn’t spectacular, by any means.  But at least it tried.  It attempted to bring something delicious to the sparse offerings known as public school cafeterias.  And I appreciated its attempts.  So in honor of that apple crisp, here is another crisp with strawberries and nectarines (or peaches if you have them on hand).  And by the way, I’m really lazy, so I don’t peel the peaches/nectarines.  By all means, go for it if that’s what floats your boat, but I don’t think it is worth the time. 

Ingredients 
2/3 cup oats
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup brown sugar
pinch salt
2 tablespoons ground almonds
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dried rose
4 nectarines or peaches, sliced
1 1/2 cups halved strawberries
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions
Place the dried rose and the sugar in a spice grinder or food processor and pulse together.  Set aside.  I like to do this at least a few hours before making the rest of the crisp so that the sugar can mingle with the rose for awhile. 

Heat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, almonds, and flax seeds.  Pour in melted butter.  Blend the butter with the oat mixture.  It may help to use a fork.  Once the mixture is coated with the butter, set aside.

Place the nectarine slices and strawberries in a large bowl, and gently mix them with the rose sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch.  Place in a greased baking dish (I used a 9-inch round pan).  Sprinkle the oat and brown sugar mixture on top of the fruit.  Bake for 45 minutes. 

Mango Strawberry Black Bean Wraps

So I’m pretty new to the whole bean/legume thing.  Except for green beans, which are a legume, I think.  The majority of the legume family always weirds me out a bit, though.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s because I associate them with being chalky.  I’m totally okay though with pureeing them and turning them into a dip, of course.  But one day I wanted something different for lunch.  I ran to the market near us, picked up some things and thought, maybe this won’t be too bad all together.  And while I’m at it, I’ll try out this whole big world of food to which I’ve previously turned a blind eye.  It turned out that I liked it.  It doesn’t mean I’m a total convert to this branch of the food family.  I think it would take decades before I would ever come around totally.  But I’ve stuck a toe in the water.  And it was nice. 

Ingredients
½ teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
kosher salt, to taste
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 mango, diced
3 strawberries, chopped
½ teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 avocado, pitted and sliced then drizzled with lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, for serving
2 scallions, chopped, for serving
flour tortillas

Instructions
In a small bowl, combine coriander, cinnamon, cumin, and ginger.  Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat then add the black beans.  Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the beans and stir.  Add the mango, strawberries, lime zest, and lime juice. Once everything has been warmed and mixed together, take off heat. Adjust salt to taste.  Then assemble wrap using the black bean mixture, avocado, cilantro, and scallions in the tortilla.

Can It Forward Day Giveaway!

Saturday, July 14 is not only Bastille Day, it's also National Can-It-Forward Day. That event, my recent post on DIY, Canning and Preserving and a Home Canning Discovery Kit I received from Ball made me decide it was time to take the plunge and try my hand at canning.  The kit had a book on canning, a special rack and lifter, some pectin and Ball jars, which you can find in just about any hardware store.

Instead of making a big batch, the kit enables you to make three pint jars which was pretty easy to manage and good for a beginner like me. I made a batch of canned plums that I spiced up with cinnamon chunks, cardamom and black pepper. I washed the fruit, boiled my jars for 10 minutes, made a sugar syrup according the instructions, filled the jars with plum halves and syrup, sealed the jars and simmered them for 20 minutes. It was pretty darn easy, though you have to be careful because the combination of boiling water and heavy jars can be a bit awkward. 

If I CAN than you CAN! If you've always wanted to try canning, now is the perfect time. There will be a series of live streaming canning demos on Ball jar brand's site, Fresh Preserving on National Can-It-Forward Day. Experts are going to demo a mixed berry jam, kosher dill pickles, pepper jelly, fresh tomatoes and Italian style pasta sauce so if you want to try one of those recipes you can get a whole lot of help! 

Thanks to Jarden, maker of Ball and Kerr canning supplies I am giving away a coupon good for one case of canning jars.


 To win:

1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me what you'd can with a case of jars. 
2. The contest will end at the conclusion of Can It Forward Day, at 10 pm PST on Saturday, July 14th, 2012. 
3. A winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on Sunday, July 15, 2012.
4. Giveaway is open to US residents or anyone with a US mailing address.
5. One comment per person, please, and you must leave your email address in the comment to be considered. 

My thanks to Ball for providing me with the Home Canning Discovery Kit and for providing a case of jars to one lucky reader.

Italy! Carrots with Horseradish Sauce ~ Carote Al Rafano

Admittedly, I'm unstylishly late to the horseradish lovers party. It just wasn't something (probably one of the only things) that I never ate growing up. Not because I didn't like it, but because we just didn't have it our fridge. But, like anyone who suddenly develops full-on adoration for a previously unknown thing, I'm all in. It's slightly sweet and spicy, a little hot, and tangy enough to alert your tongue and nose. Not actually a radish, this herb is related to the turnip, cabbage and mustard. Thought to have first been grown in Southern Russia and Eastern Ukraine, horseradish has many uses that vary according to country and region. In this case, it's mixed in with cream, yogurt and lemon as a dressing for a lovely Northern Italian summer carrot salad.

From the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy (# 4 on the map), horseradish grows abundantly in this northern region. The greens can be used, but if a stronger flavor is preferred, the roots are picked in winter. I don't grow horseradish, so I simply used a jar brand with no additives. If you use it fresh, grate it finely. This clean, colorful salad is a beautiful, easy accompaniment to any meal. Use the freshest carrots you can find to ensure the tender, sweetest flavor and most vibrant color. If you feel like adding a little crunch, toasted pine nuts would be a great addition.




The basics: Cream, lemon juice, horseradish, yogurt and carrots - that's all folks!

 Create wide flat strips by pressing down hard with the vegetable peeler

 Plate carrot strips, top with dressing - garnish with parsley and radishes

Carrots with Horseradish (Carote Al Rafano) Adapted from Italy The Beautiful Cookbook, by Lorenza De Medici

1 lb. carrots
1 lemon
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup plain yogurt
6 Tbsp. horseradish (jar or grated fresh)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish.

Wash and peel the carrots. Place in a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes and the juice of one lemon. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Dry the carrots and  peel by pressing firmly on the carrot with the vegetable peeler to get wide, flat strips.
Blend the cream and yogurt, add the horseradish with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange carrots on a plate, top with as much of the horseradish mixture as desired.
Garnish with fresh parley, radishes or other herbs of your choice.



© 2010-2012, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

Chicken Liver Pate with Sage

Pate is an appetizer that broods.  You can totally tell.  It is all dark and mysterious looking, and its ingredients are not readily apparent. If it could talk, it would most definitely talk about things that makes us question or search for answers to the big existential questions – why are we here, what is this all for, etc etc.  It is a bit of a challenging appetizer.  It isn’t as easily loved as something like guacamole for example.  It may take some time for you to fall for its charms.  But eventually you do.  After all, you can’t not fall for it.  But just because you accept and adore something for what it is, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make it more fun.  To give the pate a bit of lightness and summer freshness to balance out its dark and gloomy demeanor, we topped the pate with chopped strawberries and fresh, minced basil.  We love spreading this over crackers and bread.

Ingredients 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¾ lb chicken livers
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons minced sage
2 tablespoons port
1 tablespoon mascarpone
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped strawberries, for serving
minced fresh basil, for serving

Instructions
Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add shallot, garlic cloves and sage.  Once the shallots are soft, add the chicken livers.  Cook the chicken livers until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Add port.  Reduce then take off heat.  Stir in mascarpone.  Once that has melted into the mixture, puree with immersion blender or food processor.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with chopped strawberries and basil.

Italy! Amaretti-Stuffed Peaches ~ Pesche Ripiene Agli Amaretti

Now that my around-the-world cooking journey has ended I get to country hop to my heart's delight, and I can't think of a country I'd like to explore more than Italy. Sitting on my kitchen counter is Italy The Beautiful Cookbook, by Lorenza De Medici. My Dad and his wife gave it to me in 2002 after I'd spent two hours at their house leafing through it, inspired and amazed by the recipes, but until now, hadn't had the time to delve deeply into the book's glossy pages and fascinating text. Divided up by region, as Italy's cuisine differs vastly depending on location, the book offers 250 full color pages of Italian meat, fish, salad, vegetable, rice, pasta and desserts recipes. Most striking is how every recipe is both simple and uses only the freshest, whole foods: olive oil, vegetables, lemons, parsley, garlic, seafood, meat, wine and pasta - everything made from scratch, yet easy and uncomplicated. The result is spectacularly beautiful, delicious food that takes no time at all to prepare and tastes as good as it looks. Nothing fussy, nothing pretentious. My favorite kind of eating.

So, over the next month, maybe longer, I'm going to pick my favorite recipes from the different regions in this book.  Needless to say, my family is totally stoked that they won't be eating peanut stews in the foreseeable future. I've already found a new Italian market in my area that carries some of the harder to source ingredients like real amaretti biscuits, homemade ricotta and dried chestnuts - I'm like a junkie who's just found a flush new street pharmacist.

Hereto-with, the first recipe - perfect for summer: Amaretti Stuffed Peaches from the Piedmont region (#1 on the map) of Italy. Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate desserts and pastry, almost more than I love my children, but fresh summer fruit and whipped cream is untoppable  - I don't think that's a word, but you get what I mean. Ciao!


Amaretti bicuits are delicious alone, with coffee, ice cream or added to whipped cream

Beautiful summer peaches are in season now and make an easy, elegant dessert - Slice and add to the simple syrup to poach, then cool before filling

mmmm....whipped cream - I could never say no to you fat (said in a Homer Simpson voice)
Crush up the cookies - a rolling pin works too

One egg yolk is added to the whipped cream with the crushed cookies

Fill with whipped cream mixture, pour syrup around peaches and serve

Pesche Ripiene Agli Amaraetti - Recipe Adapted from Italy The Beautiful Cookook, by Lorenza De Medici
(Amaretti Stuffed Peaches)

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup sugar
6 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
12 amaretti biscuists, crushed
1 egg yolk, beaten
3 tablespoons heavy cream, whipped

Boil the wine and sugar on a low-medium flame for 5 minutes to form a simple syrup.
Poach the peach halves in the syrup for 5 more minutes, then lift out with a slotted spoon and let cool.
Fold the amaretti crumbs and egg yolk into the cream.
Fill the peach halves with the cream mixture.
Arrange on a serving platter and pour the remaining wine syrup around the peaches.
Serves 6



© 2010-2012 What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved