Lady who lunches

Perfect for a weekday lunch when you are home writing cover letters. 

Roasted salmon and leeks

-1 half-pound salmon fillet

-1 lemon, sliced into rings

-1 cup dry white wine

-2 tbsp. grainy French mustard 

-1 leek, roots removed, cut in half length-wise and thoroughly rinsed, then chopped into 1/2" thick pieces 

-1/2 bulb fennel, sliced into rings, plus some of the fronds 

-2 cloves garlic, chopped

-1/2 yellow pepper, cut into strips 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Rinse salmon and place on a large piece of parchment or aluminum foil on a baking sheet.  Place lemon, garlic, and fennel fronds under salmon, then top with mustard and other remaining ingredients.  Fold up parchment/foil like a package and roast for about 25-30 minutes. 

Serves 2. 

The 50 best foods in the world, and where to eat them

Worth reading for the debate it will start.  Enjoy!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/13/best-foods-in-the-world

Comfort food, part one

Feeling kind of burned out not too far into the semester.  A friend asked for spaghetti and meatballs and doesn't eat red meat.  I was more than happy to oblige.  This sauce is a little more developed than the previous recipe I listed.

Turkey meatballs and homemade marinara 

For the meatballs:

-2 lbs. ground turkey breast 

-1 tbsp. dried oregano

-8-9 leaves fresh sweet basil

-6 sprigs fresh parsley (flat-leaf/Italian or curly is okay, whatever you have)

-1/2 cup freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano

-2 eggs, beaten

-Freshly ground pepper 

For the sauce:

-3 lbs. whole tomatoes, stems removed and coarsely chopped

-1 can tomato paste 

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

-1/4 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti 

-5-6 leaves fresh sweet basil 

-2 tbsp. dried oregano

-Salt and pepper  

-1 sweet onion, skin off but left whole

For the sauce, heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium.  Add garlic and cook until brown.  Add tomatoes and cook mixture until it boils.  Add onion, tomato paste, wine, oregano and salt and pepper and turn down to low.  Let mixture simmer for at least two hours to let all of the flavors combine.  Add basil to sauce when you add the meatballs.  Remove onion before serving.

Heat oven to broil and line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil.  Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs (chiffonade the basil and finely chop the parsley first) in a large bowl.  Using your hands, mix just until herbs, egg and cheese are incorporated into the turkey.  Roll mixture into golf ball-sized balls, and place on cookie sheets.  Broil for about 7-8 minutes, until outside is cooked but inside is still raw.  Remove from oven and drop into boiling sauce.  When they float to the top, they're done.  Enjoy over whole wheat pasta. 

A favorite fall breakfast

I love pumpkin anything.  Here's a stellar way to work it into breakfast:

Pumpkin spice oatmeal 

-1/4 cup quick-cooking Irish oatmeal

-1/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

-3/4 cup water or milk (skim's okay) 

-1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

-2-3 tbsp. brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey 

Bring the water or milk to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the oatmeal, pumpkin, spice, and sweetener.  Let simmer until the liquid has reduced. 

Serves one. 

Guaranteed to make your house smell amazing

For when you just can't wait until Thanksgiving for turkey. 

Maple-mustard-thyme turkey breast 

-1 /2 turkey breast, bone-in, skin-on, rinsed and patted dry

-5 tbsp. maple syrup (Grade A, Grade B, whatever you like)

-5 tbsp. olive oil 

-5 tbsp. english mustard powder

-3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar 

-The leaves from about 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

-Salt and pepper 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place turkey breast skin side up into a large, foil-lined roasting pan.  Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and whisk to mix.  Pour over turkey and sprinkle extra english mustard on top.  Roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the juices run clean when you poke a knife into it and the top is deep golden brown. 

Labor day, olé

Try these with eggs scrambled into them or poached eggs on top for breakfast tomorrow!

Spicy home fries

-5 small gold potatoes, skins on, cut into eighths 

-1 medium jalapeño, cut into thin rings 

-1 yellow onion, sliced (including the top if you can get it, sliced into rings)

-Salt and pepper

-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 

-2 cloves garlic, minced 

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent.  Add potatoes, jalapeño, salt and pepper and cook until golden brown.  

Serves about four. 

Jamming

I finally learned how to make jam with the help of my friend Cara.  The recipes are in the box of pectin you need to get it to set, but here's a picture of the finished products: 

Vermont blueberry and Pennsylvania nectarine 

I want to make raspberry if I can find some good berries, and now that I know how to jar, stay tuned for an apple-cranberry chutney recipe. 

Everyone's favorite comfort food

My friend Matt came over for dinner last night.  He loves roast chicken, and lucky for him, I picked up a local free-range organic one from the farmer's market yesterday.  Here's my favorite way to cook it.  It's a hybrid of my Mom's and my own recipes:

Roast chicken

-1 4.5 lb. chicken, neck removed, washed and patted dry

-1 lemon, quartered

-2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied into a bunch

-4 cloves garlic

-2-3 tbsp. sweet paprika 

-Extra virgin olive oil 

-Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place chicken into a large baking dish.  Stuff cavity with thyme, lemon quarters and garlic cloves (all will fit, I promise).  Pour olive oil over top and coat skin with paprika, salt and pepper.  Roast for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you pierce one of the thighs with a sharp knife.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. 

I served it with mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, and a green salad with lots of farmer's market veggies. 

Savory crostata redux

Make dough as listed in the recipe below except add dried parsley instead of the oregano, roll out and spread with 2 tbsp. tomato paste.  Add some roasted fennel (roast for about 20 min, drizzled in olive oil at 400 degrees F), chopped artichoke hearts, shaved parmiggiano-reggiano and crushed red pepper flake.  Bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.  Just as delicious as the tomato-pesto-goat cheese version, as it disappeared just as quickly from the table at the dinner party I took it to.