Melanie's Spinach Salad

Recently I was asked to bring a salad to a potluck. I remembered this delicious old favorite that came to us from my Aunt Melanie and although I managed to overdress the salad, people seemed to like it quite well. If you haven't used jicama before, it's a tuber and looks like a big, misshapen potato. The white insides taste slightly sweet and clean and crisp, providing lovely texture to this salad.

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Melanie's Spinach Salad

Source: my Aunt Melanie, of Melanie's Biscochitos fame

Spinach
Jicama, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 c-3/4 c slivered almonds (I used sliced in the picture, and you can chop whole almonds, too, but I think the sugar sticks better to slivered almonds)
3 T sugar

Toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat for 5 or so minutes. Then remove the almonds and heat the sugar without stirring until it begins to melt. Once most of the sugar is liquid, but before it turns brown and burns, add the almonds to the skillet and stir well. Pour the nuts onto a sheet of wax paper to cool and harden. Break up any large clumps of nuts.

To assemble, start with spinach and add jicama and oranges to your taste. Dress the salad--to your taste, the dressing recipe makes a lot--and top with caramelized almonds.

Dressing:

1/2 T orange zest
1/4 c orange juice
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 T sugar
2 T white vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1/4 c salt

Mix well together. (This dressing is amazing with freshly squeezed orange juice!)

French-Style Pork Stew

A couple of weeks ago I watched America's Test Kitchen on PBS. The following is one of the featured recipes from the episode "French Style Dutch Oven Dinners." It is quite a meaty stew and in the future I think I will use less meat and add more cabbage and potatoes. But I will post it as appears on the website. I encourage you to search out the ham shank or hocks (or a left-over ham bone) since this ingredient adds both flavor and a silky mouth feel.

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French-Style Pork Stew

Adapted from: America's Test Kitchen
Serves: 8-10 (easily halved if needed)

6 parsley springs, plus 1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
3 large sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teas dried thyme)
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 bay leaves
1 T black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
5 c water
4 c chicken broth
3 pounds boneless pork butt roast (or shoulder) trimmed of fat and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 meaty smoked ham shank or 2-3 smoked ham hocks (1 1/4 pounds)
2 onions, halved through root end, root end left intact
4 carrots, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (waxy potatoes are better than russet)
12 oz. kielbasa sausage, halved lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded (8 cups) (savoy has a milder flavor but you can substitute regular cabbage, if necessary)

Preheat oven to 325F. Cut a 10-inch square of triple-thickness cheesecloth. Place parsley springs (fold or break to fit), thyme sprigs, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and cloves in the center of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with kitchen twine. (If you don't have cheesecloth, I suggest you tie the herb sprigs and bay leaves together with twine so they can be removed later. Smash the garlic and substitute ground pepper and cloves, although I'm not certain on amounts--use only a little powdered cloves.)

Bring water, broth, pork, ham, onions, and herb bundle to simmer in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, skimming off scum that rises to the surface. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook until the pork pieces are tender and a skewer inserted in the meat meets little resistance, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the ham to a plate. Add the carrots and potatoes to the pot and stir to combine. Cover and return to the oven. Cook until the vegetables are almost tender, 20-25 minutes. When the ham is cool enough to handle, remove the meat, and using 2 forks, shred into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bones.

Add the shredded ham, kielbasa, and cabbage to the pot. Stir to combine, cover, and return to the oven. Cook until the kielbasa is heated through and the cabbage is wilted and tender, 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the chopped parsley. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread. The stew can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Mike's Treats

I made these treats often during the years that my kids were teenagers. They were a hit at fundraisers and requested often for other occasions. In addition to its long-standing place in our nuclear family cooking history, the recipe has an even older connection to the Peterson side of the family.

I grew up in the most kid-friendly spot in United States. My dad and mom were one of the many American couples who married in the decade after WWII. When my dad got a job teaching at Carbon College in Price, Utah, they bought a little concrete block house in a neighborhood of affordable homes populated by other couples just like them. The baby boom was in full swing and our small street was home to about 45 children so my brothers and I always had friends to play with. Mothers stayed at home and watched out for all the kids on the street, not just their own, so to us it seemed we played outside without supervision. Our street was the last street in a small town offering open space for exploration.

My brother Joe's best friend was Michael Bryson, who sadly died of Hodgkin's disease before he turned 20. Years later, Mike's sister lived nearby another of my brothers, John, and his wife, Linda. She shared a recipe for one of Mike's favorites with my sister-in-law who shared it with me. Like his family, we refer to this confection as Mike's Treats.

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Mike's Treats

Source: Linda Peterson
Serves: it depends on how big you cut them

In a roomy saucepan, heat the following and bring to a simmer, cooking just until the sugar dissolves (if you let it boil too long the Rice Krispie layer will be too hard):

1/2 c sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup

Remove from the heat and add 3/4 c creamy peanut butter and mix well. Add 4 c Rice Krispies and stir well. Press into a buttered 9X13 pan. Set aside. Over a very low heat, or in the microwave, melt together 1 c butterscotch chips and 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used bittersweet chips last time so the chocolate layer would be a bit darker). Be careful that no water gets into this mixture or it will seize (no fun). Spread the melted chips over the cereal layer and allow to cool before cutting.

Taco Soup, with Homemade Taco Mix

There are many versions of this quick soup; this is the one I rely on, and it's perfect when I  need dinner in 30 minutes. It calls for a taco seasoning mix. Recently I started mixing my own, and I chose the recipe from the internet primarily because I had all the ingredients on hand. But the whole family enjoys it, both in this soup and on ground beef tacos, so it's a keeper.

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Taco Soup

Serves 4-6

1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can kidney beans, undrained
1 17-oz can corn, undrained
2 T taco seasoning mix

Brown meat and onion. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 15 minutes. Serve with warmed flour tortillas and top each bowl with grated cheddar cheese to taste.

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Taco Mix

Source: allrecipes.com

2 teas chili powder
1 1/2 teas paprika
1 teas onion powder
1/2 teas sea salt
1/2 teas garlic powder
1/2 teas ground cumin
1/2 teas oregano
1/4 teas freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together. For tacos, use 1-2 T on 1 lb ground beef. 

Layered Taco Dip

I had planned to post this recipe during the Christmas holidays but everyone knows how that week can be full of the best of intentions that aren't met.  But here comes the Super Bowl with lots of folks planning parties. This dip is great any time of year and would be a hit if you have a party this weekend. 

For years taco dip has been our unconventional, but tasty, Christmas Eve dinner and it has become such a favorite that we won't even consider other options. It was during our years in Bahrain that we started eating this but even earlier I started fixing dinner on the 24th of December to help ease holiday pressures on Colette who is a bit of a Scrooge and needs the help. Even though our nest has been empty for a long time now, our kids still insist on this meal if we are together for Christmas Eve. It is basically a combination of the elements of an American taco layered on a tray or a glass baking pan. I have tweaked it slightly over the years to adapt to our changing tastes but I'll include original ingredients as well.

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Layered Taco Dip

Serves 6-8 as a main dish and many more as a party dip

1 pound good Mexican chorizo (originally ground beef and a McCormick taco seasoning mix)
2 to 2 1/2 c refried beans (the best are homemade)
guacamole, using 2 avocados
1 1/2 c sour cream
3 sliced scallions
1 chopped green pepper (you may use some chopped jalapeno if you like)
1 can California black olives, sliced (you may use Kalamata olives if you prefer)
8-12 oz. cheddar cheese or mix of cheddar and jack, shredded
iceberg or leafy lettuce, chopped, enough to cover your dish 1/2-3/4 inch thick
1/2 c chopped cilantro
8 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered (or you may use a large tomato, although the flavor and texture will be rather poor)
tortilla chips

Brown the meat (if you are using ground beef, add the seasoning package and follow directions). In a 9 X 13 glass pan or on a large platter, spread a layer of refried beans. Top with a layer of meat. Spread sour cream over the top and then spread the guacamole. Layer everything else in the order given. See photos below. All amounts are flexible and optional. Use whatever you like. You may want to consider using crema instead of sour cream and crumbled queso fresco instead of cheddar or jack.

Serve immediately passing tortilla chips at the table.

Many thanks to Sam Peterson for taking the photos.

Orange-Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes

A couple of years back I won a cookbook on The Washington Post Free Range weekly chat. Titled Autumn Gatherings, it has become one of my favorites and is starting to show considerable signs of wear. Here is one of the recipes that I have returned to often each fall and winter season.

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Orange-Chipotle Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Adapted from: Autumn Gatherings by Rick Rodgers
Serves 6 to 8

3 pounds sweet potatoes (Rodgers is a southerner so calls for yams, the same veg in this case)
3 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1 T bitter orange marmalade
grated zest of 1 large orange
1/4 teas ground chipotle chile
salt

Preheat your oven to 400F with the rack placed in the top third. (Rodgers suggests lining a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. I can't bring myself to waste the foil, so I just wash the sheet.)

Cut each sweet potato in half, then crosswise into 3/4 inch-thick half rounds. Toss the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet with the oil and spread into a single layer.

Bake, turning the sweets once or more, until they are tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. (I admit I've forgotten to turn them and they were fine.)

Meanwhile, mash the butter, marmalade, zest, and ground chipotle in a small bowl and set aside at room temperature. (This step can be done up to three hours ahead.)

Remove the sweets from the oven. Dollop teaspoons of the orange butter over the sweet potatoes and stir gently to coat. Return them to the oven and bake until the orange butter reduces to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt to taste. Serve.

Notes:

The sweets can be prepared (prior to the glazing step) up to eight hours ahead, cooled, and stored on the baking sheet at room temperature. Reheat for 5 minutes, also at 400F, before adding the orange butter.

If you can find only whole dried chipotles you can make your own chipotle powder by grinding pieces in a dedicated spice grinder (I have 3 old blade coffee grinders that I use only for spices--look for them at garage sales and thrift shops). You may also substitute 1/2 teas ground ancho (you can grind that, too), or, in a pinch, 1/2-1 teas chili powder.

Brownie Sundaes

I've never been one to make resolutions in January. Call it my rebellious side, perhaps. I prefer to believe that change is possible any time of the year. So during a time when many people are thinking about living in a more healthy way, let me tempt you with my favorite brownie sundae.

Brownie sundaes have always been a top choice. There's something about perfectly plain vanilla ice cream combined with a chewy, chocolate-y brownie, smothered in chocolate sauce. At restaurants I find them a little sweet but with this homemade bittersweet sauce and raspberries, these sundaes reach new levels of perfection. Fresh or frozen berries both work well.

Of course there are lots of brownie recipes that will work. I'm sharing a zucchini brownie recipe here, good for using up frozen zucchini, and brownie bites would also be tasty, with their additional crust. Combine your ingredients for a sundae of your choice!

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Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

Source: Cooks Illustrated

3/4 c heavy cream
3 T light corn syrup
3 T unsalted butter, cut into three pieces
pinch table salt
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

Bring heavy cream, corn syrup, butter, and salt to boil in small nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat. Off heat, add chocolate while gently swirling saucepan. Cover pan and let stand until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Uncover and whisk gently until combined.

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c canola oil
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c cocoa
2 c shredded zucchini
1 teas salt
1 1/2 teas baking soda
1 c dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x11 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. (The brownies are better in an 8x11 pan but they will also work in a 9x13 pan.)

In a stand mixer, combine sugar, canola oil, and flour until mixture resembles wet sand. While mixing, on low, add cocoa, zucchini, vnilla extrac, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!