Fennel, Sunchoke and Apple Salad

In case you don't know, Sunchoke is a fairly new name for a Jerusalem Artichoke which is a misleading term. The vegetable is not from Jerusalem nor really an artichoke. It is, however, related to the sunflower and is indigenous to North America. It is the tuber of a plant that looks like a sunflower with a much smaller bloom. This tuber grows all summer and is best harvested after a few freezes. Here in New Mexico, it can stay in the ground nearly all winter and once harvested can hang out in the refrigerator for months. When I first bought some from my local farmer's market, I was unaware of the sunchokes long storage potential so when I found one in my fridge several weeks later, I threw it into my vermicompost pit. Some months later, I noticed what I then considered an undomesticated sunflower growing near the pit. The next spring (a year after I'd tossed it) we decided to empty the compost pit and were surprised to discover we'd been growing sunchokes. We harvest a 5 gallon bucket full! I'd guess most Americans are unfamiliar with this American food and I'm surprised at how few of us grow them. In my garden, especially next to the compost, they grow unusually well.

Sunchokes can be eaten raw, roasted, sauteed, in soups, stews and as a side dish. They are a great substitute for a cucumber in a winter salad. Raw they have a nutty flavor and are crisp but not juicy. I wouldn't waste time peeling them, just give them a good scrub. Sunchokes oxidize quickly so either get it into the salad dressing immediately, or put it in water with a little lemon juice or vinegar.

These are the largest  sunchokes we've harvested.

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Fennel, Sunchoke, and Apple Salad

Source:  Saveur.com based on a recipe from Peter Berley, author of The Flexitarian Table
Serves 6-8

For the dressing:

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T rice vinegar
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T chopped fresh chives
2 T chopped fennel fronds
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a bowl, whisk together to make a smooth vinaigrette.

For the salad:

8 radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced
10-12 oz sunchokes, scrubbed and very thinly sliced
2 gala or fuji apples, cored and very thinly sliced
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, and very thinly sliced

As you slice these, place in the bowl. Toss well, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day. Taste to check seasoning before serving.

Crispy Tortilla Eggs with Avocado and Lime

This can be served for any meal of the day.

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Crispy Tortilla Eggs with Avocado and Lime

Adapted from a recipe published in The Washington Post which referred to the book How to Eat Supper,  by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift, which apparently includes this recipe.

Serves 4

4 6-inch stale corn tortillas, stacked and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
1/4 onion, coarsely chopped
5-6 oz. Monterey jack cheese, or queso fresco, crumbled or grated
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 large lime, cut in half
6 large eggs
3 T vegetable oil, plus more as needed
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 c salsa of your choice
1/4 c crema or sour cream, as a garnish

Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly beat them.

Have ready a plate lined with paper towels next to the stove. Heat the oil in a large12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in 2 batches, add half of the tortilla strips and cook for about 1 minute without moving them around until they begin to crisp. Use tongs to turn them over and cook for another minute. Don't let them cook too long since you'll be cooking them more later. Transfer them to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining half of tortilla strips, adding oil if needed.

When the second batch of tortilla strips is done, return the first batch to the pan. Turn the heat to medium and add the chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes until the onion has softened and the strips look nicely browned. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and spoon off any extra fat, reserving about one tablespoon in the pan.

Return the pan to the stove top. Move most of the strips to the edges of the pan, leaving about 3 inches clear in the center. Add most of the eggs to the center but drizzle some over the strips. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, allowing the eggs to set, and then gently pull them apart, letting any uncooked egg reach the surface of the pan.

Once the eggs are firmly set, turn them gently in large pieces to finish cooking.

Serve immediately with the salsa, cheese, slices of avocado, a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of crema or sour cream.

Note from Colette: You can add to this basic recipe to spice it up. I like to add chopped green chile to the eggs and top with chopped cilantro and, although I haven't tried it, I think it would be good with some left-over chorizo sausage mixed in.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Chicken Divan

This recipe is fussy, as slow cooker recipes go. It doesn't really save time, but it does allow for the bulk of preparation to be done several hours ahead of dinner, leaving the cook free for socializing or side dish preparation closer to mealtime. And did I mention how delicious it is?

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Slow Cooker Broccoli Chicken Divan 

Source: Slow Cooker Revolution from America's Test Kitchen

3 T vegetable oil
2 onions, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced fresh thyme or 1 t dried
3 T all-purpose flour
1 c low-sodium chicken broth
½ c heavy cream
1 teas dry mustard
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
salt and pepper
2 c instant rice
1 c shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz)
½ c grated Parmesan cheese (1 oz)
12 oz broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces (4 ½ c)
1 recipe Toasted Bread-Crumb Topping (see below)

1. Heat 2 T oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add onions, garlic, and thyme and cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps; transfer to slow cooker.

2. Stir heavy cream and mustard into slow cooker.  Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to slow cooker, and coat evenly with sauce.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.

3. Break up chicken into bite-size pieces with wooden spoon.  Stir in rice, cheddar, Parmesan, and 1 teas salt, cover, and cook on high until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Microwave broccoli with remaining T oil in bowl, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes.  Stir softened broccoli into casserole and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with Toasted Bread-Crumb Topping and serve.

Toasted Bread-Crumb Topping
Process 2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces, to coarse crumbs in food processor, about 10 pulses.  Melt 2 T butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add bread crumbs and toast, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bread crumbs to bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Makes about 1 c.

Notes from Betsy: I usually skip the bread crumbs. Also, I've used bone-in skinless chicken thighs instead of boneless. If you do this, just remove the chicken from the crockpot in step 3 and discard the bones before replacing the chicken in the pot.

Spring Vegetable Risotto

I didn't discover this Italian comfort food until about 10 years ago and I'm sorry I didn't become acquainted sooner.  There are numerous variations and I haven't run into a variety I haven't liked. This version is particularly nice at this time of year.

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Spring Vegetable Risotto

Source:  Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Serves 4-5

To make this dish vegetarian, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.  Onions can be substituted for the leeks but use 1 roughly chopped medium onion (1 cup) as a substitute for the leek greens in the broth and 2 minced medium onions (2 cups) in the risotto. At the end of cooking, you may have up to a cup of broth left over.

For the Gremolata:

2 T minced fresh parsley leaves, stems reserved
2 T minced fresh mint leaves, stems reserved
1/2 teas finely grated zest from 1 lemon

Combine ingredients in small bowl and set aside.

For the Risotto:

1 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and reserved, spears cut on bias into 1/2-inch thick pieces
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and sliced thin (about 4 cups), and
2 cups roughly chopped leek greens, reserved
4 c low-sodium chicken broth
3 c water
5 T unsalted butter
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 c frozen peas
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teas)
1 1/2 c Arborio rice
1 c dry white wine
1 1/2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup), plus extra for serving
2 teas juice from 1 lemon

Chop tough asparagus ends and leek greens into rough 1/2-inch pieces. Bring chopped vegetables, reserved parsley and mint stems, broth, and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan; cover and set over low heat to keep broth warm.

Heat 1 T butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add asparagus spears,  a pinch of salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add peas and continue to cook 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to plate and set aside.

Melt 3 T butter in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leeks, garlic, 1/2 teas salt, and 1/2 teas pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.

When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.

Stir in about 1/2 cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 3 or 4 times until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining tablespoon butter, Parmesan, and lemon juice; gently fold in asparagus and peas. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving with gremolata and passing Parmesan separately.

Notes from Colette:

I recommend that you use Parmigiano Reggiano if you can swing it. Using the stuff in the can would seriously compromise the flavor.

Chimichangas

An old family favorite even though I'm not certain it's authentically Mexican:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/us/arizonans-vie-to-claim-cross-cultural-fried-food.html?_r=0 .

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Chimichangas

2 pounds beef chuck, cut in 1-2 inch pieces
1 1/2 c water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chili powder
1 T vinegar
2 teas dried oregano, crushed
1 teas salt
1 teas ground cumin
1/8 teas pepper
2-3 green onions, sliced
1/2-3/4 c shredded cheddar or jack cheese
approximately ten 10-inch flour tortillas
guacamole and/or sour cream

In a large saucepan or a Dutch oven combine meat, water, garlic, chili powder, vinegar, oregano, salt, cumin, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours or until meat is very tender. Uncover and cook at medium high for about 15 minutes or until water has almost evaporated. Watch close­ly and stir near end of cooking time so meat doesn’t stick or burn. Remove from heat. Using 2 forks, shred meat.  Add the cheese as well as the green onions (or substitute 1/3 c minced yellow onion).

Heat flour tortillas in microwave to soften.  Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture onto each tortilla, near one edge. Fold edge nearest filling up and over filling just till mixture is covered. Fold in the two sides envelope fashion, then roll up. Fasten with wooden pick, if needed.

In heavy skillet or saucepan fry filled tortillas in 1/2 inch hot fat about 1 minute on each side or till golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in oven (at 200F) while frying remaining chimichangas. These can also be baked on a cookie sheet at 350F for 20-30 minutes until browned. Garnish with lettuce, guacamole and/or sour cream.

Cochinita Pibil (Slow Cooked Achioto Pork)

This recipe hails from a great book, Mexican Everyday, which is full of recipes so streamlined they can easily be fit into busy days. Conchinita Pibil is a dish from the Yucatan and to be truly authentic, it would need to be a whole pig, cooked in a pit in the ground. Using the banana leaves around a pork roast in a slow cooker makes it something American cooks are more likely to do, at least with some frequency. This pork never fails to please; it is highly flavorful without being spicy (hot). Everyone I've ever served it to can't get enough of it. The lovely aroma will fill your kitchen all the while it cooks which is an added pleasure.

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Cochinita Pibil (Slow Cooked Achioto Pork)

Adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless
Serves 6-8

Shopping:

One available brand.

Achiote paste, or seasoning can be found in any Mexican market, usually in a small rectangular box. You can also make your own if you can't find it although you'll have to have annato seeds on hand, also available at the Mexican market. (Pre-mixed achiote paste is more convenient but if you buy a jar of annato seeds it will last nearly indefinitely and it might save you a trip to the store. As a note of interest, you've likely eaten annato since it is often used as a safe, red or orange food colorant.) You'll also need a small spice grinder, (I use a coffee grinder I picked up at a garage sale) or a blender.  See the recipe below.

Banana leaves can be found in  Mexican or Asian market, often frozen rather than fresh, at least here in western USA, but frozen is just as easy to use. Although this recipe can be made without them, I highly advise you to seek them out for they add a subtle but wonderful flavor.

I suppose technically it isn't necessary to use a bone-in roast but you will lose flavor. The pork will cook so long you will not have to worry about slicing around the bone, so there is little reason to skip it. 

One half 3.5-oz package of achiote seasoning (paste)
3/4 c fresh lime juice (bottled juice will inhibit pickling), divided
salt
one half 1-pound package banana leaves
a 3-pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
1 large white onion, sliced about 1/4 in thick
1 large red onion, thinly sliced

Stir 1/4 c lime juice and 1/2 teas salt into a medium bowl. Slice the red onion thinly from pole to pole and place in bowl. Stir well. Set aside on counter and from time to time as the pork cooks give the onions a quick stir. They'll turn fuchsia in color and soften into pickles.

Place the achiote seasoning into a small bowl. Pour in 1/2 c lime juice and 1 1/2-2 teas salt, then use the back of a spoon to smash the paste into the lime juice until it is a smooth marinade (I've left a lump or two when I'm in a rush).

If you use banana leaves line your slow cooker with one leaf along the sides and bottom of the insert. The best way is to lay one 2-ft section along the length and then another section across, pushing them down into the bottom of the insert. Place a handful of the white onion slices on the banana leaves. Lay in the pork roast and pour the marinade over the top. Around the sides pour 1/2 c water. Scatter the remaining white onion slices on top of the roast. Fold the banana leaf flaps over the top of the roast. If the top isn't covered, take  another smaller section of leaf and lay it on top, tucking the edges into the slow cooker.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 6-7 hours until  the meat is falling off the bone.

When the pork is done, use tongs to pull the meat out of the slow cooker into a serving dish, discarding the bone. It will naturally break up so you won't really need to do additional shredding. Cover and keep warm. Skim any excess fat off the top of the brothy marinade in the slow cooker and decant it into a shallow sauce pan and reduce the liquid by boiling it until it is more like a gravy than a broth. Taste this sauce and add salt if needed.

Place on serving plates; top with some of the sauce and the pickled onions. Serve with hot tortillas and a roasted chile salsa if you like. A good rice such as Moros y Cristianos (white rice with black beans) is a good side dish for this meal. For a small group, I like to serve this with fried plantains, but it complicates last minute preparations. Tasty, though, for sure.

Homemade Achiote Paste:

also from Rick Bayless

2 T annato seeds
2 teas allspice
1 teas black peppercorns
1 1/2 teas dried oregano, preferably Mexican (also available in a Mexican market)
3 T cider vinegar
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 generous teas salt
Water as needed

In the spice grinder, pulverize the annato as finely as possible and dump into a small bowl. Pulverize the allspice and peppercorns together along with the oregano and add to the annato. Mince the garlic and add to the mixture along with the salt. Add the vinegar and stir. It won't really hold together so add a tablespoon or so of water until the mixture is a thick paste. Use the entire mixture for this recipe; however, if you are using it for another application and have leftovers, they may be refrigerated in the fridge for several months, according to the book Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen.

Whole Grain Hot Cereal

 

I developed a strong aversion to oatmeal "mush" that was served to me as a young child, so strong that I didn't try hot oatmeal for breakfast for decades. In spite of enjoying oatmeal in other applications (such as a salted oatmeal cookie) it took an introduction to steel-cut oats to help me overcome my dislike. As I've tried to include more whole grains in my diet, I've tried variations and the following is one of my favorites. Check out the link for multiple ideas for gussying-up hot cereal.

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Whole Grain Hot Cereal

Adapted from a recipe by cookbook author Lisa Yockelson, published in The Washington Post, called Hot Cereal Merry-Go-Round:  http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2012/01/04/hot-cereal-merry-go-round/
Serves 5

4-5 c water, divided
1/4-1/3 c maple syrup, to taste, or other sweetener such as brown sugar or agave syrup 
1/2 teas salt
2 teas cinnamon or 1 teas ground cardamom (Tom gave me and Betsy a spekulaas spice mix that is great here, too), optional
1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c rolled wheat flakes
1/2 c rolled spelt flakes
1/3 c miller's bran (also know as unprocessed wheat bran)
1/4 c brown rice farina (also known as brown rice grits or creamy rice cereal
3 T golden flaxseed meal (I've used brown)
3/4 cup dried apples 
3 large dates (such as Mejdool), pitted and chopped
2-3 teas vanilla, optional
1/2 chopped toasted nuts, any kind

Bring 3 1/2 c water to boil in a large saucepan. Add maple syrup, spice, and salt, stirring well. Sprinkle the grains and flaxseed meal into the boiling water, making sure all ingredients are mixed in well. (The original recipe suggests adding each grain separately which certainly is a good technique but when I just dump in the "mix" everything stirs in satisfactorily.)

Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in 1/3 c water, adjusting the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. At this time I usually add the dates and apples as well.  Repeat  in 5 minutes with another 1/3 c water and then another 1/3 c water, letting the cereal cook 5 minutes between additions. (I usually find an additional 1/3 c water necessary or it is too thick.)

Remove from the heat and add vanilla to taste. Divide into bowls, top with toasted nuts and milk or cream and serve.

Notes from Colette:

Some of these ingredients will take some hunting, but it is worth it and once you've found them you can buy them in quantities and have them ready at hand. Here's a little shopping advice:

Almost all of the grains can be found in Whole Foods or other stores with bulk sections, such as Winco. I have substituted oat bran for miller's bran. Brown rice farina can be hard to find under that name, but look at the ingredient list on a box of hot rice cereal and it may say brown rice grits--that's the stuff. I've used Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills (Gluten Free Rice & Shine Hot Cereal). The first time I made this, I coarsely ground some brown rice using a small coffee mill and that worked, too.

I usually measure at least two batches of the dry ingredients at a time and freeze a bag of "hot cereal mix" to use next time.

I've also made this with ginger syrup instead of maple and topped it with crystallized chopped ginger. This is a recipe that is quite flexible and you can try your favorite flavors.