Artichokes are yummy!

Hi,
Missed you!  Well, so much has happened since I was here last..
Most importantly I have been cooking and creating and having a
wonderful time.  Just got back from Malibu where I was visiting
my OBD(Oldest, Bestest, Dearest) friend Sharon...  So on the 2nd night she invited her friend Craige over to have dinner with us..
Sharon is a fabulous cook and we are always talking or emailing about food for dinner parties and things we tried and things we ate..  You know, the good bad and ugly... anyway, she said ok lets do things we have never done before..  so I said I'll do artichokes.  I mean I have done them before but, I'll create a new recipe..

So, here are some things I learned...  if you want to quarter an artichoke do it before you cook it otherwise it falls apart.
A big thing is that artichokes are really good for you they help to clean out the liver.  They are filled with ant-oxidents thus rated number 1 in ant-oxidant count in vegetables.  Among the most powerful phytonutrients are Cynarin and Silymarin, which have strong positive effects on the liver.

Adding a large artichoke to your daily diet would add 6 grams of dietary fiber!  Oh, and they are only 25 calories a piece.

Now that you have the facts....  Tell you what I did..  cut the bottom to make it sit straight, then with scissors I took off the points/thorns on the leaves that stab you when you handle it..  (see photo)  then I threw 5 artichokes into boiling water that had a handful of sea salt in it...  Let them go for about 30 minutes maybe 40 minutes for large ones.
Then you are gonna want to put them upside down in a colander and let them drain..
Then I took 2 of then and cut in half pulled all the leaves off eating as iI went (of course I shared with the girls) took the fuzzy choke out very carefully cause you don't want to get rid of the heart.. cause that is the really great part.
I took the hearts and chopped them into chunks and then the really wonderful soft leaves in the center took them and cut off the tender part about half way up and put them in a skillet with 2 tbls EVO and garlic chopped and salt....  took 4 springs of fresh tarragon and pulled it off stem and thew that in, stirred and let it simmer..
then I added lemon zest and juice and 1/2 cup white wine and slivers of lemon (just one lemon will do the trick) and let it continue to simmer..
meanwhile the artichokes that were for us to eat were nicely drained and I then gently pulled them out ward from the center so I could take a small spoon and remove the choke from them (see photo) it also then allows room for us to put the wonderful sauce all over and in to permeate the heart of the artichoke..  I added a blooming spring of lemon  thyme that Sharon had growing in her garden as a garnish..
Now I will tell you .. if you turn off the sauce and let it sit, it will get bitter.. you need to take it off the heat and serve..

What fun we had, will tell you about more of the dinner tomorrow..  gotta go!  Fun food great friend and now I have met a new friend too..  life is good.

Cod & Cilantro.. Love it or hate it !

Cilantro is not for everyone.. But, I love it..
And Cod, well is there a whiter, fresher, more wonderful fish for everyday eating??
Daddy and I just watched our beloved Steelers play Denver. What a game.. But, alas, they lost in overtime. The very first play. Ughg!!!!!
Anyway, we needed to eat and I had planned on Cod. Baked etc. Daddy said he wasn't very hungry having lost his appetite cause of the game. So I remembered this bunch of fresh cilantro I had in the fridge.. AND, I thought,well. Butter in a skillet on medium high heat, then rough chop the cilantro add the cod that I cut into filets, added sea salt and lemon squeezed all over, place fish into skillet on the butter and cilantro and put the lid on and every once in a while shake the skillet to keep from sticking. Cooking about 7 minutes. Meanwhile in the microwave I heated Bob Evans mashed potatoes. (if you follow,the directions they are great)!
Because of the lid on the skillet there is a bit of sauce made with the lemon and cod and cilantro..... The last 2 minutes I spooned an Italian viniagrette on the fish rather liberally...VOILA... In 10 minutes there is a quick delicious meal.. Plate in a pasta bowl, then spoon in mashed potatoes, place Cod on top and spoon a bit of the sauce from the pan. Serve with a very cold Chardonnay. And WOWOWOW!!!!!!! Really delicious!!!
Labels: Cod and cilantro

So much to cook... So little time...

Yes, I owe you an apology. I am so very sorry it has been so long since I have blogged to you!!! Truly ridiculous, especially since my aunts and uncles all came to Richmond for Daddy's birthday and wanted to help me push this blog. they all agreed to help and visit and tell their friends cause THEY REALLY LOVED THE FOOD!!!!!

So, I am back and I am going to try very hard to be consistent in keeping you informed on all the great food I have been producing.


Today I made the best pasta sauce of my life! And it is only noon. And I already created , cooked and ate it!
I went to the Apple Store for my one to one lesson this morning, early... Not being a morning person I didn't eat before I left the house. while driving out to short pump, about a 40 minute drive, I started thinking about what I wanted to eat after class. it is cold and drizzly and so I wanted something warm... That is about as far as I got..,then on the way home all energized from learning all the millions of things my new iphone 4s could do, I started thinking food again.

First off, what do I have in the house that I can use? Fresh bratwurst, tomatoes, hummmm. Already sounds like a pasta sauce.. then I remembered this great sauce Daddy and I had in Mauritea, Italy. as I recall it was not thick and it was on angel hair and I remembered a hint of cinnamon. So... As soon as got home I went to work.
Pot of water with a splash of olive oil on the stove to boil. Skillet with half cup of water on med high... 2 bratwurst that I removed the skin casing and then put on skillet and smashed till it separated really well.
To that I added 1/4teas cinnamon 1/2 teas oregano, 1/2teas basil (or  chop up a small bunch of fresh) 1/2teas beef bullion 1/2teas powdered garlic 1/2teas coarse ground sea salt 1/4teas red pepper flakes a drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter, stirring often, I THEN CUT UP 3 Roma tomatoes very fine, and added 2T of sundried tomatoes after I put them in the cuisinart with a little olive oil and puréed them.
I didn't have angel hair pasta so I used thin spaghetti.. Half a box. Cook for 6 minutes! Meanwhile I turned up the heat on the sauce to low high and kept stirring. When the pasta was done I drained it and tossed it a bit at a time into the sauce making sure to cover each strand till all was done. Served and grated fresh Parmesan Romano on it. YUMMMMMMMM.... This recipe serves 2 people easy.

I have loads of recipes for you, especially from Daddy's party. I will, I promise get to those later today or tomorrow at the latest. Oh I should take a photo of the pasta when I serve it to Daddy for his lunch!

Thanks for reading and I promise to do better. Tracey

Panko encrusted Chesapeake Bay Oysters

The Tidweater area is know for its fabulous oysters so i came up with this recipe of Panko encrusted Oysters on a bed of corn puree and of course i gave it a little zing....

Panko encrusted Oysters with Corn and Onion Puree

Ingredients:

3 oysters fresh and shucked 2 large sweet onions

2 eggs beaten 2 tbls olive oil

1 cup panko crumbs 6 ears corn

salt and pepper 1 t crushed red pepper

2 to 3 tbls vegetable oil 1/4 cup naturally fresh ranch

Dip drained oysters in beaten eggs, and then in panko crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper (coating each oyster thoroughly). Set aside to dry at least 1/2 hour.

Heat oil in frying pan (I like to use my cast-iron frying pan) to 370 degrees F. (or until quite hot). Fry oysters until golden brown on one side, then gently turn over each oysters carefully to brown the other side, approximately 3 to 4 minutes on each side (fry oyster until golden brown and edges are curled). Do not overcook or overcrowd in frying pan. Remove from frying pan place on a paper towel.

The corn and onion puree is very simple .... 6 ears of corn shucked and then placed in ziplock bag and put in microwave for 4 minutes. When cool enough to handle cut off cob and place in cuisinart.

2 large sweet onions chopped and placed in skillet with 2 tbls olive oil and sauteed until golden brown. Place onions in cuisinart, pulse to puree corn and onions add half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, salt and 2 teaspoons of butter, 1/4 cup of naturally fresh lite ranch dressing. Yep.... trust me it is great. Continue puree process.. approx. 1 minute.

in a pretty bowl, the pasta type or a plate with a rim.. place a mound of corn puree and then artfully arrange the oysters on top.. it is YUMMY

Tomato Eggplant Towers

Ok, so next on the Cromwell Farms, Distinctive Magazine shoot was Tomato Eggplant Towers.. ohhhhhh so good and the vinaigrette is amazing..

TOMATO & EGGPLANT TOWERS

This recipe is 3 parts... easy but, has steps you need to follow.... start in the order below..

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional for sprinkling eggplant

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 small eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

4 ripe medium to large tomatoes

large bunch of fresh basil

one round of fresh mozzarella

Directions

Place the flour, egg, and bread crumbs each in 3 small bowls. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the egg and whisk to combine. Season the bread crumbs with some garlic powder and stir with a fork or your hands to thoroughly combine.

Dredge each piece of eggplant in the flour, coating thoroughly and then shaking to remove any excess flour. Coat each piece with the egg, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture, pressing to make the bread crumbs adhere. Transfer the eggplant pieces to a rack or to paper towels to let them dry slightly before frying.

In a deep, heavy skillet heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil to 375 degrees F. Fry the eggplant pieces, in batches if necessary, for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt before building tower.

cut tomatoes into 1/2 “ round slices. set aside to drain

cut the mozzarella round into 1/4” slices

Tomato Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 cup olive oil

1/cup balsamic vinegar

1package good seasons italian dressing

1 small can of V8 juice

place all into blender or mini cuisinart and blend together 45seconds should do it.

Building the tower

ok..... here we go..

on a small attractive plate place the first tomato, then mozzarella then 3 basil leaves then eggplant slice then tomato , mozzarella, eggplant and finally basil.

lastly you will drizzle by spoon the tomato vinaigrette making it artistic.

3 Baked Hens....

So Chicken is always a good thing and so for the shoot I decided to do 3, count them.... 3 baked chickens.. it is just to dard to decide on one recipes. I love to grill and bake and roast and well just about everything..

3 Baked Hens

INGREDIENTS

3 ..... 4 lb chickens (of course you can do just one)

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lemon

1 apple

1 onion

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 bunch fresh basil

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse chicken in water and pat dry with paper towels. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil. Rub some olive oil

over all of the chicken in the roasting pan. Cut up lemon (for next hen apple and last hen onion) then stuff the bird with the lemon wedges. Next you will take the fresh thyme and put several pieces inside the bird with the lemon... take several more and gently place under the skin on breast side of bird. carefully separating skin from meat as you go. don’t tear the skin, as the breast will dry out. (repeat this process with basil and apple for hen # 2 and cilantro and onion for hen # 3) close the bird up tight with dampened wooden skewers or tying the legs together.. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2 Cook for 30 minutes at 400°F. Then lower the heat to 350°F and cook for 10-30 minutes more (approximately 14 to 15 minutes per pound total cooking time) until juices run clear (not pink) when poked with a sharp knife or the internal temperature of the chicken breasts is 170°F and the thighs 185°. If your chickens aren't browning to your satisfaction, you can put them under the broiler for the last 5 minutes of cooking, until browned sufficiently.

3 Remove roasting pan from oven. Remove chicken from roasting pan to a serving plate. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Photo worthy... Tomato Shooters

Well, this summer I was asked to be a contributing editor for Distinction Magazine, out of Tidewater, Va...

We went to this fabulous farm in Pungo, and did an amazing spread.. I created recipes to go with food grown there as well as from the Tidewater area..

Tomato Basil Shooters

Ingredients:

2 tbls olive oil 2 sprigs basil

1 red onion sliced salt and pepper

1 shallot sliced finely chopped chives

2 cloves garlic, halved basil to garnish

2lbs ripe tomatoes stemmed, cut into chunks

1 bouquet garni 1tbls vegetable bullion

2 tbls honey

Heat the olive oil in heavy bottomed pot. Sautee the onion and shallot gently for about 4 minutes or until lightly golden in color. Add the garlic and chives , saute for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bouquet garni, honey and basil. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper and boullion partway through the cooking. Remove the bouquet garni.

Blend the soup in a blender or cuisinart. Repeat the process of blending several times.

This soup is great served hot, for lunch or even breakfast....

But, for summer I like it chilled overnight and served as a great appetizer in a aperitif or cordial glass or even a shooter!!!!!

Don’t forget to garnish with the fresh basil..