Get Grilling

We have been getting amazing, I mean absolutely amazing, fruit and veggies from our farm co-op.  This past week we have gotten more peaches than we know what to do with!  I was flipping through the July 2009 Real Simple and came across a treasure trove of 20 minute summer meals - so far we've tried two and both have been fantastic!  And, oh by the way, the J Man made this delectable dish of grilled chicken, grilled peaches, and grilled onions!  YUM.  And no, we are not violating Arlington County's restriction on BBQ's, we used are fabulous All Clad grill pan...I love me some All Clad.  Fo shizzle.

Chicken with Grilled Peaches and Arugula

Serves 4 - Real Simple, July 2009

Ingredients

4 6-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts (I always put them in between some plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet so they cook a little more evenly...)

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

2 medium red onions, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds (not an exact science...I used one large onion and sliced the rings in halfster)

3 peaches, cut into wedges (if they are on the small side, like my organic ones are [and man are they delish!!] just throw one more in there)

1 bunch arugula, thick stems removed (about 4 cups) (and again, didn't really follow this one...we used mixed baby romaine)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 oz blue cheese, broken into pieces

Instructions

> Heat grill to medium-high (or if you are going for the grill pan option, medium-high on the burners).  Brush the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  In a bowl, toss the onions, peaches, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

>Grill the chicken and onions until the chicken is cooked through and the onion are tender, 5-6 minutes per side.  Grill the peaches until charred, 2 minutes per side.

>Toss the arugula (or baby romaine) with the onions, peaches, vinegar, and remaining oil.  Top with the cheese; serve with the chicken.

Roots

So probably not the prettiest specimen, but delish nonetheless!  We got collard greens in our farm basket and I had to school myself in the fine art of Southern cooking.  The J-man's Michigander roots were actually planted in Central Tennessee and grew their way up to Motown - thus collard greens were up his ally.  As my roots are firmly planted in So Cali, I was at an absolute loss as to what to do with these "assertive greens" as the fine folks of America's Test Kitchen call them.  Don't you just marvel at the term "assertive greens?"  I guess greens such as Swiss chard, spinach, or beet greens are "passive greens?!  Anyfood, I went to my cooking bible, The New Best Recipe cookbook, and came up with this tasty side dish...absolutely amazing.  When I described the recipe to my sweet MIL, she declared it was a real "hillbilly recipe" - love it.  So ya'll get yourself some "assertive greens" and get cookin' Paula Dean style!  

Assertive Greens with Bacon and Onion

Serves 4 ~ The New Best Recipe Cookbook

Blanched Assertive Greens

Makes about 2 cups

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 lbs assertive greens, such as kale or collard, mustard, or turnip greens, stemmed, washed in 2-3 changes of cold water, and chopped coarse.

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven or large, deep saute pan.  Add the salt and greens and stir until wilted.  Cover and cook until the greens are just tender, about 7 minutes.  Drain into a colander.  Rinse the Dutch oven or pan with cold water to cool, then refill with cold water.  Pour the greens into cold water to stop the cooking process.  (This all seemed to be a giant waste of time so I just drained them in a colander and ran cool water over them...)  Gather a handful of the greens, lift out of the water, and squeeze dry.  Repeat with the remaining greens.  Roughly cut each bunch of greens and proceed with the following recipe...

Assertive Greens withe BACON and Onion

Serves 4

 2 ounces bacon (about 2 slices - but really, who are they kidding?  I at least doubled this one...) cut crosswise into thin strips

Vegetable oil (not entirely necessary if you increase the tasty bacon)

1/2 medium onion, chopped fine

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press

1 recipe Blanched Assertive Greens

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 tsps cider vinegar (I don't have cider vinegar on hand, I substituted red wine vinegar)

Salt

1.  Fry the bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the bacon to a place lined with paper towels.  Refrain from sampling.

2.  If necessary, add oil to the bacon drippings in the pan to make 2 tablespoons (but if you follow my suggestion above and just use more bacon, this step is wholly unnecessary.)  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the greens and stir to coat them with the fat.  Add the broth, cover, and cook until the greens are heated through, about 2 minutes.  If any excess liquid remains, remove the lid and continue to simmer until the liquid has thickened slightly, about 1 minute longer.  Sprinkle the greens with the vinegar and bacon bits and season with salt to taste.  Serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!

The Princess and the Pea

I have been rather lackadaisical this summer in terms of posting yummy foodie finds on the blog.  This is partly due to a very very busy summer and partly due to me dividing my crafty attention between cooking, knitting, sewing, and gardening.  Now, I know what you are thinking, gardening?  Yes, on my little tiny balcony I have planted a world of succulents that my dear Grammy and my Auntie Wink gave me from their gardens.  There is just something about "passing along" a garden - I love that all of my succulents are from my Gram's and Auntie's plants.  Next post I will have pictures to share.  I've also planted a bell pepper plant that is flourishing and some fresh herbs (pronounced like Martha with a hard "h").    

Anywho, a while back I posted a little ditty about our camping trip to the Eastern Shore.  On the drive back I begged the J Man to stop at a roadside Farmer's Market to check it out.  We got melon, tomatoes, and some peas in the pod - I've never in my life had to shell peas, have you?  It took me a good hour to shell these puppies but it was TOTALLY worth it.

Aren't they pretty??  So I was trying to figure out what to make, and I decided to try the Pesto Pea Salad that Coxina posted earlier - A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!  We practically inhaled it!  I wish I could have fresh peas every day!!  They were so plump and crisp and totally different than frozen jobbies you get from the super market.  It's going to be hard going back, but alas, this salad is totally worth it!

I thought I'd repost that delectable little treat as it is totally worth it!  I decided to make a meal of it, rather than just as a side dish, so I added some tasty rotisserie chicken - yummo!!

Pesto Pea Salad

Serves 4 to 6 ~ adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients

1/4 pound baby spinach leaves

1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted (if you can get fresh peas in the pod - DO IT!!!)

1/2 cup prepared pesto (is anyone else a little surprised that Ina is recommending prepared pesto instead of making your own??)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (pignolis)

1 rotisserie chicken (optional - I just cut of chunks of the breast meat until I thought we had enough to keep us full :)

Instructions

Wash the spinach leaves and spin them dry.  Place the spinach and the peas in a large bowl.  Add the pesto and Parmesan, then sprinkle with salt.  Toss well, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.