Monday, June 8, 2009

Barley, Tomato and Corn Salad




We bought some tasty heirloom tomatoes at a farmers market Saturday and needed a way to use them up. A while ago, I got curious about grains and bought a ton of different kinds. So, we've had the barley just waiting to be cooked. This made a wonderful salad. Derek found this recipe from the following site.

1 cup pearl barley tightly packed
1 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups corn kernels, cooked (about 3 cobs)

*We had made a bunch of pesto and frozen it into ice cube shapes....we just added that instead of most of the seasoning...and it worked well. We also just cubed our larger tomatoes.

Bring large pot of boiling water to boil; add barley. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes or until tender. Drain; chill under cold running water and drain again.

In food processor, puree basil, Parmesan, oil, salt and pepper; stir in garlic. Toss with barley. Add tomatoes and corn. Toss again.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin



We had this for dinner tonight, and it was very good. Derek and I both agree that it's one of the tastiest tenderloins we've had. I got the recipe off of foodnetwork. We first saw it on Good Eats with Alton Brown.
I didn't get the ingredients until the night we were making it, so I didn't marinate it as long as it says, and we just threw it on our grill, but it was still really good.


Ingredients

* 1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
* 1 lime, zest finely grated
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
* 1/4 cup honey
* 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin.

Place the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, and garlic powder in a small, lidded jar and shake to combine. Pour half of the marinade mixture into a 1-gallon resealable bag, add the chipotle pepper, and move around to combine. Add the pork tenderloin to the bag and seal, removing as much air as possible and place in a container to catch any leaks. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours, rotating the bag halfway through the time. Place the remaining marinade in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove the tenderloin from the bag and allow to sit at room temperature while preparing the grill. Remove the reserved marinade from the refrigerator.

Fill a large chimney starter with natural lump charcoal and light. Once the charcoal is ashy and white, approximately 30 minutes, dump the hot charcoal onto the lowest grate of the grill and spread into an even layer using extra-long tongs. Place the cooking grate back on the grill and cover with the lid; heat the grate to medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the tenderloin from the bag and place in the center of grate. Discard bag with marinade. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloin from the grill and place on a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil folded at the edges to create a basket, and pour on the reserved marinade. Wrap tightly and rest for 10 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and slice. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Fresh Cranberry Scones


Derek found this recipe on The Kitchn

makes about 2 dozen

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Zest of 1 small orange (we only had limes, so we used that...citrus family?)
2 1/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
Extra flour
White sugar, for topping

*We didn't have fresh cranberries, so Derek used craisins--which we always have in our pantry. Plump the craisins by bringing about 1/2 cup orange juice to a boil and pouring the juice over the craisins. Let the craisins sit for at least 15 minutes, or over night. When ready to make scones, drain the craisins and chop.


Heat oven to 350 F and prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment or lightly spraying with oil.

In the bowl of a food processor, whiz the cranberries until lightly chopped. (Skip if you plumped craisins and hand chopped.)
Dump out into a bowl, toss with the brown sugar and orange zest. In the food processor, whiz the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and whiz with the flour in the processor until fine and crumbly.
Mix with the sugar and cranberries and stir in the beaten egg and milk.
Sprinkle the counter or a board with flour, and dump the dough out on it. It will be very wet and sticky. Cur out rounds using a biscuit cutter or glass, and put on baking sheet. (Leave the dough fairly thick...maybe 3/4 inch--like a thick biscuit.) Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until just getting golden. Serve warm with plenty of butter.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Chicken and Fettuccine with Tomato Cream Sauce


This recipe seems complicated, but I promise it's not very hard to make and it is totally worth it!
From the Williams Sonoma Complete Pasta Cookbook
Serves 8

1 1/2 lb Fettuccine
Tomato cream sauce (recipe to follow)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken breasts cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and cut into strips
Fresh thyme sprigs

Prepare tomato cream sauce. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and saute until cooked through (about 7-8 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep warm. Cook fettuccine and combine with tomato cream sauce. Top with chicken and sun-dried tomato strips. Garnish with a thyme sprig.

Tomato Cream Sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 cup chicken stock (I used chicken broth)
10 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, pureed
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream and thyme sprig to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until cream is reduced by one-third, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprig. Return the cream to the heat, add the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, stir in the thyme leaves and keep warm until ready to use.

Thai Green Chicken Curry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 to 2 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 fresh hot red chile thinly sliced crosswise
1 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 scallions thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the curry paste and chile and saute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Add the chicken and saute until just cooked through.
Add coconut milk, broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice to skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and scallions and simmer for about 1 minute more. Serve with rice. Makes 4 servings. Recipe from foodnetwork.com
*I ommitted the chile because I didn't have one on hand but this was still very yummy! Sorry, I didn't take a picture.

Lemon cupcakes with whipped cream cheese frosting


Cupcakes (recipe from allrecipes.com)
1 cup butter softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sour cream

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add lemon peel and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Makes 30 cupcakes.

Frosting (from allrecipes.com)
8 oz cream cheese room temperature
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form (I beat mine for 5 minutes on high in a bowl that had been in the freezer for 30 minutes. You want the cream to be very thick). In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream. I made this the night before and kept it in the fridge. It piped very well and seemed to hold it's shape well. Makes enough for 12 cupcakes.

Beef with Rosemary Mushroom Sauce


The picture isn't very appetizing, but this sauce is AMAZING! So good over mashed potatoes as well.
Recipe from The Best of Cooking Light cookbook
Serves 4

1 8oz package presliced mushrooms
1 cup red cooking wine
1 lb boneless top sirloin steak
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 10 1/2oz can beef consomme
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons butter

Combine mushrooms, wine, and steak in a large zip-top plastic bag. Marinate in fridge for 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade. Melt 2 tablespoons butter (cookbook called for the skillet to be sprayed with cooking spray instead of using butter but I chose to live dangerously!) in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak and cook until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan.
Combine onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, rosemary, and remaining ingredients. Add onion mixture and reserved marinade to pan. Bring to a boil, cook until reduced to 2 cups (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently.
Cut beef diagonally across grain into thin slices. Place beef on plates and cover with mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.