feast for the senses

The topic for last week’s Coffee Klatch was “What’s Cooking?” and participants certainly arrived to the Zoom meeting with the good stuff!  Your cooking game is about to be sizzling! 

Next week, we’ll be chatting about looking ahead to fall.  Register here to receive a link to the Zoom meeting: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/4320501

Vintage Lemonade

6 lemons juiced

1/2 cup sugar

12 cups water

2 cups crushed ice

lemon slices to garnish

Juice the lemons, removing the seeds. If desired, strain out the pulp. Mix the lemon juice with the sugar until dissolved. Add the water, crushed ice, and garnish with sliced lemons.

Frosty Blended Basil Lemonade

3 lemons

1 cup basil

1/2 cup sugar

6 cups water

2 cups ice

basil leaves to garnish

Excluding the garnish, add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend on high for 30-60 seconds. Pour into glasses (or a pitcher) and garnish with fresh basil leaves. NOTES

To minimize the possibility of sugar crystals, make a quick simple syrup by bringing equal amounts of sugar and water to a boil. Make sure to subtract the water from the water measurement.

Alternative sweeteners to experiment with include maple syrup, honey, date syrup and stevia, sweetening to taste. 

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqz3e1yRE-Mu4roc8SWNcUA

Whipped Feta w/ Honey (A Taziki's recipe) 

1 tbsp Chives, cut up

1 tbsp Honey

Black Pepper, to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 Cup Feta Cheese Crumbles, fat free

1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese, skim or low fat

Pita Chips or Pita Bread, for dipping

In a food processor or blender, add ricotta cheese, feta cheese and olive oil. Blend until combined and smooth.  Add to a shallow bowl to serve, or any bowl if you don't have a shallow bowl. Spread it around and make a little flat. Add honey on top of cheese spread. Swirl honey around with a spoon.

Add pepper and chives on top.

Summer Protein Shake

- 1-2 medium-sized peeled and cut bananas

- 3 Tbs. of Greek Vanilla Yogurt

- 1/4 cup of rolled oats; uncooked

- 1 Tsp. of fresh ground mint

- 1 Cup of Ice

- 1 scoop of protein mix (vanilla flavoured) 

- 1 cup of Milk (vanilla flavoured; plant or nut based - optional)

- 1/4 cup of iced light or medium brewed coffee

Blend and serve. Makes about 3-4 Cups. 

Chicken and Rice Soup With Celery, Parsley and Lemon

Kate Mathis for The New York Times.

This soup is simultaneously cozy and fresh. It’s just the kind of thing you want to eat when you’re sick and seeking something that’ll perk you up and get you through it. The soup simmers long enough for the rice to start to break down so it thickens the soup. If you prefer a brothier soup that’s predominantly chicken and rice floating in broth, cook just until the rice is tender. Or if you want thick porridge, just keep simmering. (You can’t really overcook chicken thighs.) Lemon juice adds brightness, as does the lively mix of parsley, lemon, garlic and celery leaves strewn on top.

8 cups chicken broth

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

4 stalks celery, leaves reserved and stalks thinly sliced

¾ cup jasmine rice (unrinsed)

 Kosher salt

½ cup fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest plus up to 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)

1 small garlic clove

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine the broth, chicken, celery and rice. Season lightly with salt. (Some broths have more salt than others, so start easy.) Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the rice starts to break down and lose its shape, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop together the parsley leaves, lemon zest and up to 1/2 cup celery leaves. Transfer to a small bowl, grate the garlic clove into the bowl, season with salt and stir to combine.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken into pieces, then stir it back into the soup. Remove from heat, stir in the butter (if using), and season to taste with salt. Stir in the lemon juice a little at a time until the soup is bright but still tastes like chicken. (You may not use the full 1/2 cup juice.)

Divide the soup among bowls and top with the parsley-lemon mixture. (The soup, minus the lemon juice and parsley mixture, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; the rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so add more chicken broth when reheating. Add the lemon juice and fresh herb garnish just before serving.)

ROASTED CHICKEN PROVENCAL

5 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 T olive oil
2 T serves de Provence
1 lemon, quartered
8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
1/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken lightly in flour.

Swirl oil in a roasting pan or cast iron skillet and place floured chicken in it. Sprinkle with herbs de Provence. Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken then add Vermont or wine to the pan.

Put pan in the oven, and roast for 25-30 minutes, baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 2030 minutes or until chicken is crisp and meat is cooked through.


NO KNEAD BREAD

2 pkg. instant yeast
3 cups warm water
1 1/2-2 T kosher salt
6 cups AP flour

Mix all. Form into a ball and place in a bowl covered with a moist cloth. Set in a warm place and let rise 1-2 hours.

Recipe will make 2 large loaves of bread but if you don’t need that much, pull off enough to make a small loaf (about 1/4), form into a ball and allow to rise again for another hour. Put remaining dough in refrigerator where it can be used for a week, allowing for a longer rising time since it is cold.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut top of dough. Cook on parchment on a pizza stone, cookie sheet, or in a small iron pot. If using the latter cook with top on for 20 minutes, remove top and cook for another 15-20 minutes. If on a pizza stone, cook for 40 minutes.

Puppy Chow

(notes from the participant:  I add a stick of REAL butter to this though!  I also microwave instead of use a stove.  I also just use a whole box of cereal, powedered sugar, etc.  I am a minimalist. thus far improvising has not failed me.)

9 cups crispy rice cereal squares

½ cup peanut butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate; add peanut butter and mix until smooth. Remove from heat, add cereal and stir until coated. Pour powdered sugar into large plastic bag, add coated cereal and shake until well coated. Store in airtight container.

Crockpot Chicken Marrakesh (one of Holley's favorites and it freezes really well!)

1 onion, sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (this tastes good, but I prefer to use an equivalent amount of butternut squash instead)

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I use 2 cans)

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch pieces (I use thighs instead)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

Place the onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, and chicken breast pieces into a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, and salt, and sprinkle over the chicken and vegetables. Pour in the tomatoes, and stir to combine.  Cover the cooker, set to High, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened, 4 to 5 hours.

Blueberry cobbler (this is a Pioneer Woman recipe and also freezes well)

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup of milk

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 cups blueberries, washed and lightly patted dry (I’ve only ever used fresh)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, milk. Add butter and mix until smooth and silky. Pour into preheated cast iron skillet and top with blueberries.  Lightly sprinkle more sugar and bake for an hour.

Summer Fruit Salad

dressing

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon maple syrup, more if desired

½ teaspoon grated ginger

Pinch of sea salt

for the salad

10 strawberries, sliced

2 peaches, sliced

½ cup Bing cherries, pitted and sliced

½ cup blueberries

½ cup raspberries

¼ cup fresh basil, more for garnish

¼ cup fresh mint, more for garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice, maple syrup, ginger, and salt.

In a large bowl, toss together the strawberries, peaches, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, basil, and mint. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss to coat. Garnish with basil and mint and serve.

Summertime Fruit Salad

1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

3 medium peaches, thinly sliced (I peeled mine, but if you don’t mind the skin, you can leave it on)

6 ounces (1 cup) blueberries

1 heaping tablespoon fresh, chopped basil or mint

2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)

1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

In a medium serving bowl, combine the strawberries, peaches, blueberries and basil. Drizzle the lemon juice, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar on top. Gently toss to combine.

Serve immediately, or chill for later. This salad is best enjoyed promptly, but will keep well for about 2 days in the refrigerator (pour off excess juices if necessary).

Peach Blueberry Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

1 cup (225 g) blueberries

2 peaches

Juice from 1 lime

3 Tbsp honey

Fresh mint leaves

Wash the blueberries and peaches. Cut the peaches into wedges. Arrange the blueberries and slices of peaches on a platter. Mix the lime juice and honey and drizzle over the fruit. Add fresh mint leaves, sliced thin or whole, and toss everything together.

Cranberry Orange Relish

From the Joy of Christmas (Junior League of the City of Washington Cookbook, 1983)

2   large oranges

4   Cups of raw cranberries

2   Cups of sugar

1   Ounce of brandy (or less to taste)

Seed and peel oranges; remove white membrane.  Chop oranges and cranberries.  Combine thoroughly with sugar. Add brandy and mix well. Refrigerate overnight.

Nadiya Hussain’s Kiwi and feta salad

We eat peaches with their fuzzy skin and don’t bat an eyelid, so why not kiwis? This salad offers a great balance of tart and sweet with the added pop of the little black crunchy sesame seeds. Great with a barbecue.

5 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp clear honey
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp za'atar spice mix
4 tbsp tahini
1 red onion, finely diced
8 kiwis, firm but not overripe, topped and tailed and chopped into chunks, skins and all!
1 cucumber
7oz feta crumbled or roughly chopped
a small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tbsp black sesame seeds

1. Start by making the dressing at the bottom of a large serving bowl (saves on washing-up if nothing else). Add the oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, za'atar and tahini and mix together.
2. Add the onion and mix through really well. The onion will soften as it sits in the vinegar. Tip in the kiwi.
3. To prepare the cucumber, slice lengthways and remove the seeds using a teaspoon. Cut into long strips and cube. Add to the bowl. Add the feta on top and sprinkle over the chopped dill and sesame seeds.
4. Don’t mix the salad till you are ready to serve, or everything will wilt and go weird!

And some of our favorite foodie tv shows and movies:

Salt Fat Acid Heat (Netflix) https://www.netflix.com/title/80198288

Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat travels the world to explore four basic keys to wonderful cooking, serving up feasts and helpful tips along the way.

Nadiya’s Time to Eat (Netflix) https://www.netflix.com/title/81185359

On this cooking show, Nadiya Hussain serves up delicious shortcuts, vital ingredients, and fast favorites perfect for today’s time-strapped families.

Flavorful Origins (Netflix) https://www.netflix.com/title/80991060

Flavorful Origins is a twenty-part Mandarin-language (dubbed and subtitled) documentary series exploring culinary secrets of China and various cooking techniques and cuisines with native ingredients from the Chaoshan (season 1) and Yunnan (season 2) regions.

Alton Brown’s Good Eats (Foodnetwork.com, available for purchase on Amazon)

With humor and good eating, Alton Brown explores the origins of ingredients.

It’s Alive with Brad Leone (bonappetit.com, Youtube, Bon Appetit streaming app)

This series follows Leone as he creates food with microbial food cultures, though later episodes additionally focus on more general recipes and on-location activities.

Chef

Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what's next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen -- and zest for life and love. (c) Open Road

No Reservations

Master chef Kate Armstrong lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery--with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. Kate's perfectionist nature is put to the test when she "inherits" her nine-year-old niece Zoe, while contending with a brash new sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer couldn't be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe and find true happiness with Nick.

Babette’s Feast

The Danish/French Babette's Feast is based on a story by Isak Dinesen, also the source of the very different Out of Africa (1985). Stephane Audran plays Babette, a 19th century Parisian political refugee who seeks shelter in a rough Danish coastal town. Philippa (Bodil Kjer) and Martina (Birgitte Federspiel), the elderly daughters of the town's long-dead minister, take Babette in. As revealed in flashback, Philippa and Martina were once beautiful young women (played by Hanne Stensgaard and Vibeke Hastrup), who'd forsaken their chances at romance and fame, taking hollow refuge in religion. Babette holds a secret that may very well allow the older ladies to have a second chance at life. This is one of the great movies about food, but there are way too many surprises in Babette's Feast to allow us to reveal anything else at this point (except that Ingmar Bergman "regulars" Bibi Andersson and Jarl Kulle have significant cameo roles).. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Julie & Julia

Based on two true stories, "Julie & Julia" intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

Under the Tuscan Sun

rances Mayes is a 35-year-old San Francisco writer whose perfect life has just taken an unexpected detour. Her recent divorce has left her with terminal writer's block and extremely depressed. Her best friend, Patti, is beginning to think that she might never recover. "Dr. Patti's" prescription: 10 days in Tuscany. It's there, on a whim, that Frances purchases a villa named Bramasole--literally, "something that yearns for the sun." The home needs much restoration, but what better place for a new beginning than the home of the Renaissance? As she flings herself into her new life at the villa in the lush Italian countryside, Frances makes new friends among her neighbors; but in the quiet moments, she is fearful that her ambitions for her new life--and new family--may not be realized, until a chance encounter in Rome throws Frances into the arms of an intriguing Portobello antiques dealer named Marcello. Even as she stumbles forward on her uncertain journey, one thing becomes clear: in life, there are second chances.