Heart of the Kitchen

Friday Quick Biscuits

With the Lenten season fast approaching, I will try to post more of our family's meatless recipes. 

Our family makes biscuits every Friday for lunch. I have made them for years from a recipe that my friend Barb shared with me.  It was originally from Whole Foods for the Whole Family, a La Leche League Cookbook. 

I normally serve these biscuits with tuna salad, cheese slices, honey, jam or butter.  Our family has grown such that I usually double or triple the batch.

2c. flour (any combination of whole wheat, unbleached, oat flour, wheat germ or rolled oats)

1/2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

1/4-1/2 c. butter ( I use 1/2 c.)

2/3 c. milk

Stir together dry ingredients.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Add milk until dough forms a ball.  Knead gently 5 to 10 times.  Do not overwork or biscuits will be tough.  Roll or pat out dough on a floured surface.  For flaky biscuits, fold dough into thirds toward the center and roll out again, gently.  Repeat two or three times.  Cut into squares or rounds with a floured glass/biscuit cutter or use a cookie cutter for feast days (heart, shamrock, etc.) Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

Optional ingredients:

1/2 c. sesame seeds

1/2-1 c.  grated cheese

2 T. sugar or molasses

Broccolini

1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

2 10 oz. cans chopped clams

1/2-1 cup butter

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. rigatoni or ziti

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2-1 cup grated Romano cheese

Cook and drain broccoli firm.  Drain clams; melt butter in large skillet; add garlic, broccoli and clams.  Simmer 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile cook and drain pasta; return to hot kettle and mix in eggs thoroughly.  Pour in serving dish;add broccoli and clam mixture and mix together.  Sprinkle grated cheese over top and serve HOT.

German Potato Pancakes

Today is a chilly day, the rain dripping from the eaves.  My mother is coming over tonight and I am serving potato pancakes.  The following recipe comes from my grandmother's family which is of German descent. 

Jewish people call Potato Pancakes "Latkes" and traditionally make them with matzo meal on Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.  Our family makes them with regular flour, instead of the matzo meal, but the taste is very similar.  Potato pancakes are a favorite of my family, however we do not eat them very often because of the oil content.  They certainly are a comfort food!

Here is the recipe:

8-10 large potatoes (I like Yukon Gold)

1/2-1 cup flour

3-4 eggs

2 TBLS. finely chopped onion or a bit of onion powder

1 TBLS. fresh minced parsley (optional)

Peel and shred the potatoes.  My family uses a hand grater.  My grandmother used a crank grater.  If you have a food processor, you can use it as well.  We prefer to grate them on a coarser hole rather than the finer grate so they have a lot of texture.

In a large mixing bowl, add potatoes, eggs, flour, salt, onion and parsley.  The mixture should be very moist but not soupy.  If there is a large amount of water in the bottom of the bowl, drain some out and add a bit more flour.

Fill the bottom of a large skillet or electric frying pan with cooking oil.  On medium heat, heat oil, being careful not to burn.  Using a slotted spoon to drain any liquid from the bottom of the bowl, add large spoonfuls of potato mixture to the oil.  When pancake is browned on one side, turn over with a fork.  When browned on both sides, drain on papertowels and salt to taste.  Keep warm on a cookie sheet covered with foil on your lowest oven setting while you prepare the remaining pancakes. 

Potato pancakes must be watched carefully.  They burn easily and then the oil must be discarded and the cooking process begun again.

We serve our potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream.  This recipe makes a couple dozen pancakes.

Some More Greens!

Kale is chock full of vitamins and minerals!  It is loaded with calcium, potassium, beta-carotenes, and other antioxidants. Collards have the same nutrients, but in lesser concentration. Here are two simple ways to prepare Kale.

Kale-Potato Soup from The New Laurel's Kitchen

1 TBLS. butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic (I use three or four)

2 large potatoes

5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided

1 large bunch kale

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet, add onion and saute until nearly tender.  Add garlic and continue to cook until onion is translucent and golden.  Add potatoes and 2 cups of the stock; simmer, covered, until potatoes start to soften around the edges.  Meanwhile, wash kale, remove stems, chop and steam.  (Don't try to cook with the potatoes; the flavor will be too strong.  Really.) When potatoes are very tender, puree half of them with remaining stock, salt and pepper.  Combine everything and heat gently, thinning if necessary, by adding hot water or milk.  Four servings.

Colcannon -The New Laurel's Kitchen

4 medium potatoes, quartered

3-12 cups chopped kale

1 tablespoon butter

3 leeks or 1 large onion, chopped

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley

salt and black pepper to taste

Steam potatoes. Steam kale separately.  Meanwhile, heat butter in skillet, add leaks or onion and cook until soft, stirring frequently (and/or adding a little water) to prevent sticking.  When potatoes are tender, peel and mash them.  When kale is tender, drain well. Combine potatoes, kale, leeks, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Four servings.

Greens are Cropping Up All Over

Aside from using them in salads, there are many delicious recipes that make use of greens.  I will be posting some recipes that contain these nutrient dense foods in the upcoming days.  Greens are often an early crop for many farms and gardens.  Usually, you can substitute spinach, kale, chard, collards in cooked recipes according to your tastes.

Fresh Greens Pasta Pie-Crystal Lake Gardens 

10 ounces vermicelli

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

5 eggs

2 teaspoons cooking oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups chopped fresh spinach or other greens

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozarella cheese

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/8 tsp.  ground nutmeg

several shakes of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a large pie plate.  Cook vermicelli according to package directions; drain.  Stir butter and Parmesan cheese into hot vermicelli.  Beat 2 of the eggs and stir well into pasta. Spoon mixture into pie plate and use a spoon to shape vermicelli into a pie shell.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake 10 minutes.  Set aside.  Heat oil in a small skillet, add onion and saute until tender.  Beat the remaining 3 eggs and combine with spinach, mozarella, milk, seasonings, and sauteed onions.  Spoon spinach mixture into pasta shell.  Cover pie with aluminum foil.  Bake 35minutes; uncover and bake and additional 5 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  Six servings.

This is an attractive dish and tastes really delicious.  There is a fair amount of protein and fat due to the eggs so I use this as a main dish with the following salad.

Mixed Greens Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Red and Green Leaf Lettuces

Mustard greens (very tasty raw--spicy flavor)

Grape tomatoes

Cucumber slices

Dried Cranberries

Roasted Pecans (can be roasted in a dry skillet until hot)

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

2 T.  red wine vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, pressed

salt and pepper to taste

6 T. olive oil

1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese

Beat together vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.  Slowly beat in olive oil, then stir in blue cheese.  Chill.  (will keep up to 4 days refrigerated)

 

Orzo with Spinach

Ingredients:

1/2 c. Orzo

1 TBL. Butter

1/4 c. Fresh Basil, sliced in strips

1/2 C. Grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 TBL. Olive oil

2 Medium zucchini, quartered

2 1/2 c. Sliced mushrooms

1 lb. Spinach, chopped (can also use 10 large leaves swiss chard)

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions:

Boil water.  Cook orzo 10-12 minutes, drain.  Add butter, basil, cheese and lots of freshly ground pepper.  Set aside.  In large skillet heat oil, zucchini and mushrooms.  Saute until almost tender.  Add spinach and garlic.  Cook until zucchini is soft.  Toss vegetables with orzo.  Add salt to taste and more parmesan cheese on top.  Serve hot!

Pineapple Glazed Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 TBL. Oil

1 LB. Shrimp

1 Bag Frozen Sugar Snap Peas

2 Tsp. Minced Garlic

1 C. Chicken Broth

5 1/2 oz. Can of Pineapple Chunks with 1/3 cup juice

2 TBL. Corn Starch

1/4 TSP.  Ginger

Hot Cooked Rice

Cooking Directions:

Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat until hot.  Add shrimp, cook until pink.  Add snap peas and garlic.  Cook and stir until vegetables are hot.  Combine broth, pineapple juice, cornstarch and ginger in a small bowl and blend well.  Add pineapple chunks and cornstarch mix to shrimp mix.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add sliced almonds if desired.  Serve over rice. 

Black Bean Chili

Here is a recipe that I acquired from Roseann LaDue, who so graciously delivered this meal to our family after my second son was born.  Serve it with spinach salad (below) and some crusty bread and you've got a hearty, delicious meal. 

1 large onion, chopped

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 TBLS. chopped jalapeno (optional)

10 mushrooms, quartered

6 small tomatoes (I use Roma), cut in chunks

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin (but more is yummy!)

1 TBLS. chili powder

4 cups canned black beans, rinsed

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 bag baby spinach

Spray skillet.  Add onion, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, corn and spices.  Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.  Transfer to soup pot, add beans and broth.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Take 1 1/2 cups and puree in blender or food processor.  Return it to the pot.  Add spinach.  Cook for 10 minutes or so until spinach is wilted.  Can be served alone or with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream on top. 

Spinach Salad with French Dressing:

Assemble the salad...

One bag baby spinach

Mushrooms, uncooked and sliced

Water Chestnuts, sliced

Bacon, fried and crumbled

Mandarin Oranges, small can

For the French dressing you'll need:

1/3 cup ketchup

1 t. salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 small onion, quartered

1 c. vegetable oil

Mix in food processor or blender until smooth

Pesto!

I simply LOVE pesto.  We use it in our home as a dip with toasted pita, as a sauce to mix with hot pasta or as a delicious coating on baked chicken. Pesto conjurs up such wonderful memories of hot summer days when basil is at its peak.  I grow basil in my yard each year and not a single leaf goes to waste.  It is important to pick sweet basil before it goes to flower.  Once flowering, the leaves turn bitter.  If you notice your basil about to begin flowering, snip the flower off so more of the plant's energy goes into growing the leaves. 

Here is our family's favorite pesto recipe that we acquired many years ago when my oldest was just a baby.  I worked at a co-op organic farm on Thursdays in exchange for a delicious array of vegetables each week.  After all the work was done, families gathered together under the trees and shared a community meal.  This is where I found:

The Yummiest Pesto

1 cup basil leaves, packed

1 cup olive oil

1 cup pine nuts (or walnuts are tasty too!)

1 cup parmesean cheese

Whirl it all up in your food processor, in that order, and Voila! 

Can be frozen...just leave out the cheese. Believe me pesto is a real treat in the middle of February!

Also, if you are dairy free, you can replace the cheese with tomatoes with a delicious result.

 

Grandma Fitch’s German Spaetzle

My grandmother made these homemade noodles or "spaetzle" quite often when I was a child. She served them with kielbasa and sauerkraut. There are many commercial spaetzle makers that form uniformly shaped noodles but, instead, my grandma scraped her dough off a cutting board into the boiling water by hand. This is the way that her little German grandmother made them.

This recipe makes enough spaetzle for two people to eat as a side dish. We make four batches for our family's dinners.

In a large soup pot, bring several quarts of water to a boil. Add a couple of slices of onion and a pinch of salt to the water.

Prepare the spaetzle dough as follows:

One cup all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur brand unbleached white)
One egg
Enough water to make a sticky dough (about 1/3 cup)

Mix ingredients , turn dough out onto a small cutting board.
Using a sharp knife, scrape a small amount of dough (about the size of a nickel) into the boiling water. Continue until all dough is used, spooning out the cooked spaetzle as they float to the surface. Butter and serve.

You can also add spaetzles to homemade chicken or turkey soup. We add them to the bowls after the soup is fully cooked. They soak up all of the broth when added directly to the soup pot.