French Chicken in a Pot

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped coarsely
• 1 small celery stalk, chopped coarsely
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 250F. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, enameled cast-iron ditch oven over medium heat. Add chicken breast-side down, then add vegetables and herbs. Cook about 5 minutes until browned, then turn chicken breast-side up and cook about 7 minutes more until chicken and vegetables are browned. Put lid on dutch oven and place in oven until done, about another hour and 45 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board, then strain juices, adding lemon to taste. Serve chicken au jus.

White bean and Pasta Soup

Thanks to the October ‘09 Bon Appetit for this one. Use some of your white beans with garlic and sage for this recipe; save the rest for Tuna and White Bean salad.

• 3 TBS olive oil
• I large onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3 1/2 cups (or more) water
• 2 to  cups white beans with garlic and sage with 3/4 cup  cooking liquid
• 4 small tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped
• 1 cup small pasta

Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrot, and celery. Sauté until all vegetables are soft, about 12 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups water, cooking liquid, and tomato and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 25 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Mix in beans and pasta; bring to boil. Cook until pasta is just tender but still firm to bite, adding more water to soup by 1/2 cupfuls if very thick, about 10 minutes.(I had to add a one half cup of water) Add salt and pepper to taste.

White beans with sage and garlic

Thanks to the October ‘09 Bon Appetit for this one. It is a great base recipe that can be used to make White Bean and Pasta Soup and White Bean and Tuna Salad.

• 1 lb white beans, soaked overnight
• 8 cups water
• 1 sprig fresh sage
• 1 head garlic, unpeeled, with the top cut off
• 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 3/4 tsp salt

Place beans in a large pot, cover with water, and add garlic, sage, and peppercorns. Boil about an hour and a half, until soft, then add salt, and boil another half hour or so. Makes about 6 cups of beans.

Corn Pones

Corn Pones

Originally uploaded by ted_major

Say what you will about whether corn bread should be sweet or savory, but the apotheosis of cornbread is the corn pone. To make a proper corn pone, though, you’ve got to have the right corn meal. That coarse stuff from the grocery won’t do. You need fine (or better yet, extra-fine) stone ground cornmeal. When we lived in Georgia, we could get Alabama King brand corn meal (made in Tennessee), but now that we’re in Alabama, it’s not available. Go figure. The best corn meal for pones, though, is from J.T. Pollard Milling Co., 3431 N. Highway 123, Hartford, AL 36344, 334-588-3391. They do mail order, but you’ll have to buy a case (and pay more for shipping than for the corn meal!)

To make corn pones, preheat the oven to 425F, Then put 2 cast iron skillets in the oven to preheat while you mix the dough.

Combine 2 cups of corn meal and 2 tsp of salt, then mix in just enough water to make a loose dough (stiffer than pancake batter, looser than bread dough). Take the skillets out of the oven one at a time and add some oil or shortening to the bottom. Then, with wet hands, make small balls of dough and flatten into pones, filling the skillet with about half the dough. Repeat with the other skillet. After about 20 minutes, put a pat of butter on each pone and then cook until golden-brown, about 20 more minutes. Remove from the oven and eat while hot.

Corn pones are sublime when fresh–hot, crispy, and buttery on the outside, creamy and smooth on the inside, and salty throughout. The next day, they’re rubbish. The outside becomes rubbery, and the inside dries out. Eat ‘em while they’re hot!

Banana Muffins

Claire’s weekly treat for Christopher’s preschool class:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter or applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Combine bananas, sugar, egg, apple sauce (or butter), and vanilla (or cinnamon). Fold in flour. Mix until smooth, and scoop into mini muffin tins.

Bake 12-13 minutes.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Originally uploaded by ted_major

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Whisk together oil and sugar, then beat in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour, then oats and chocolate chips. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes.

Garlic Shrimp

Garlic Shrimp

Originally uploaded by ted_major

• 1 lb shrimp (we used 10-15 ct), peeled and deveined
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced (or more to taste . . .)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 oz cognac
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 3 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• juice of 1 lemon

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper and saute until the garlic turns golden. Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp, lemon juice, cognac, and paprika. Saute until the shrimp are pink. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with fresh bread/

Tapas party

The menu:

• Melon & prosciutto
• Tortilla Española
• Spanish-style tuna salad on flatbread
• Smoked salmon with cream cheese
• Goat cheese with paprika, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers
• Marinated olives
• Marinated manchego

The preceding menu (and following recipes) were just the right amount for a party of around 25 folks. We served Spanish white and rose wines and Granny’s peach gin freezes to drink. Two days before, we did most of the shopping. The day before, we made bread dough and prepared the marinated olives and cheese, tuna salad, and made the garlic-goat cheese mixture. The afternoon of the party, we made the Tortilla, baked the bread, and assembled the appetizers.

The recipes:

Melon and Prosciutto

• Honeydew or canteloupe
• 1/4 lb proscuitto, thinly sliced (use Serrano ham if it’s available)

Seed and peel the melon and cut onto bite size pieces. Wrap with a piece of ham and secure with a toothpick.

Tortilla Española

• 6 medium sized red potatoes
• 3 cloves garlic (or to taste)
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup freshly grated manchego cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Dice the potatoes, then heat oilover medium heat in a nonstick, heat resistant 10″ skillet. When oil is hot, add garlic and sautee briefly. Add potatoes and cook until browned. Meanwhile, beat eggs and add 3/4 cup of cheese and salt and pepper. When the potatoes are done, pour the egg-cheese mixture into the skillet. As the egg starts to set, use a rubber spatula to lift the edges and allow egg to run under the omelet. When the center starts to set, place pan under broiler and broil until the top is browned. Let cool and cut into bite sized pieces.

Spanish-style Tuna Salad

• 2 red bell peppers, peeled and diced
• 4 6-oz cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 30 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• 4-5 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 TBS olive oil

Mix ingredients and serve on flatbread or sliced and toasted baguette. (Note: leftovers make a great sandwich on toasted whole wheat with goat cheese/garlic/paprika mix from goat cheese tapas and a slice of tomato.)

Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese

• 4 oz smoked salmon
• 8 oz cream cheese (or other soft cheese; next time I’ll use goat cheese)
• Toasted baguette slices or flatbread
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced

Assemble bread slices with a bit of cheese and an appropriately sized piece of smoked salmon. Garnish with thin slices of lemon.

Goat Cheese with Paprika, Garlic, Sun-Dried tomatoes, and Capers

• 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 TBS olive oil
• 8-10 oz goat cheese
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 2-3 TBS capers, drained
• Baguette slices

Heat oven to 350F. toss garlic with olive oil, and roast uncovered for 15 minutes or until soft. Let cool.

Add paprika to goat cheese and mix. Squeeze the garlic into the cheese and add olive oil. Mix thoroughly.

On each baguette slice, smear some cheese mixture and then add a piece of sun dried tomato and a couple of capers.

Marinated Olives

• 2 jars pitted Kalamata olives
• 4 green onions
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Sweet paprika
• 2 TBS sherry vinegar
• salt to taste
• Pinch of dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Rinse olives in cold water, then combine in a bowl with remaining ingredients, stir well, and marinate at least one hour, preferable overnight.

Marinated Manchego

• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 4-inch sprigs rosemary
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 8 oz manchego, cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes

In a small saucepan, heat olive oil and thyme, rosemary, and red pepper until the oil is hot (about 160F). Set aside and cool to room temperature. Place manchego in a bowl, cover with the oil mixture and marinate at least 4 hours and preferable overnight.

Dough for flatbread and baguettes

• 4 cups bread flour
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp yeast

Mix water and yeast, then add flour and salt. Stir to mix, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, knead and divide in half. Roll out half to fit a 13 x 18 baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Divide the other half and form into two baguette loaves. Preheat oven to 550F (use a baking stone or tiles if you have them). Brush the flatbread with olive oil and bake until golden brown. Bake the baguettes until well-browned.

Rigatoni with tomatoes, basil & mozzarella

Rigatoni with tomatoes, basil & mozzarella

Originally uploaded by ted_major

1 lb rigatoni
4 or 5 ripe tomatoes
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 oz shredded fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
olive oil
salt, to taste

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

While waiting for it to boil, coarsely chop the tomatoes. Put them in a mixing bowl with the garlic, salt to taste, drizzle with olive oil, and let stand while you prepare the other ingredients and cook the pasta.

Toast the pine nuts, chop the basil, grate the mozzarella, and cook the pasta.

When the pasta is almost done, drain and combine with tomatoes and other ingredients. Let ii sit for a few minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of the tomato juice.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Originally uploaded by ted_major

1/4 cup beer
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp curry powder (very mild flavor–use more or less to taste; I’ll use more next time)
3 egg whites, beaten until stiff but not dry
zucchini or squash blossoms, and/or baby squash/zucchini
oil for frying
salt to taste

whisk together liquids, flour, and curry powder; let rest for 20 minutes or so to allow flour to absorb liquids. Fold flour mix and egg whites together.

Dip blossoms and/or baby squash into batter and fry in small batches in 375F oil. Drain on paper towels and salt to taste while hot.

Claire also likes the blossoms stuffed with a ricotta/mozzarella/egg mix before frying