Saucy Side Dishes, Arugula Pesto

Most evenings after work, it's all I can do to make sure I make an entree for dinner. Tonight: spaghetti. Tomorrow: broiled chicken. Blah. 

After a while, it's like, "Jeeeez, let's just go out to eat." 

Orchiette Swathed in Arugula Pesto

The trick for me is side dishes, sauces, toppings, and other accoutrements that make food more, well, interesting. You'll see in an upcoming post about sweet potato soup, it's not about the soup as much as it is about the candied bacon, the rye croutons, and the drizzle of seasoned butter. 

One of the things that helps bring more characters to a boring ol' chicken breast for me is arugula pesto. The pesto is peppery but soft on the palette quenched by the other flavours that marry nicely. It can also be a garlicky fun time, if you so choose.

The recipe I'll share today is from The Blue Bottle Cookbook. My friend Emily found this gem and it's your lucky day that it's here for you. Why? Because it is simple, fast, and every time I've made it, it's been absolutely perfect.

I struggle with basil-based pestos: 

• They go brown/off-colored quickly unless used immediately. 
• I cannot keep them tasting fresh; they seem to go off quickly or the flavors fizzle in the 'fridge.
• My basil pesto rarely folds or sticks easily and nicely to the pasta.

The reason for these problems? Probably varies, but it's most likely because basil is a tender leaf that is not also chlorophyll-laden, but also vitamin- and mineral- rich. Arugula has none of these challenges. It appears to have virtually no vitamins or minerals of note. A little frustrating because I always thought arugula was healthy for you, but hey, if I'd known this about basil before I wrote this blogpost, I'd have sought out a fool-proof basil pesto recipe. As I say, I'm not aware of one that doesn't tune the pesto into a lemony culinary detour.

In the images I have included here, I've only used this over pasta as you can see. However, this pesto works beautifully over boiled and sliced potatoes. It makes a terrific cold potato salad. But as a warm pasta dish, it's unbeatable. So attractive and so flavorful. Enjoy experimenting with this.

And don't be turned off by the rosemary or the parsley. You don't taste either very much at all. And I've made the same recipe below with 3 cups of arugula and no almonds at all, and it's just as delicious. I'm not sure the nuts are required at all. The way it blends, it's perfect without.

Orchiette Lightly Touched
With Arugula Pesto

Blue Bottle Cookbook's Arugula Pesto

1/2 c almonds

1 c arugula

1 c parsley

1/4 c Parmarsan (pecorino)

Salt

2 T EVOO oil

2 to 3 inches of rosemary leaves fresh

1/4 c water

1 clove garlic

Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Done.

Happy side-dishing. This pesto will bring zing to your humdrum 

weekday dinners.

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Mom's Scalloped Potatoes from 1955

Ever wonder why those scalloped potatoes that you used to get at those old “bring a covered dish” dinners your parents dragged you to as a kid?  Meet my mother and her flawless recipe from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook’s 1955 edition–easily replicated in your 21st century kitchen.

This Christmas will be an exercise in getting my mother to and from her various holiday parties with her pals. This means making successful “covered dishes.” 

Mom's go-to dish for something that can be easily reheated once you arrive? Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes from the Good Housekeeping Cook Book 1955. 

After having watched her make it twice, I have concluded that it’s the scalded milk and the Gruyère that really makes the dish. Here is the most successful crowd-pleaser you’ll ever cook.

Ingredients

1955 Good Housekeeping Cookbook

4 c potatoes, thinly sliced

2/3 c minced onions (my mom slices them thinly and doesn’t mince them)

1 1/2 c scalded milk (you can do this in the micro or on the burner, entirely up to you)

1 c  Gruyère cheese (Mom relies on  Gruyère over Swiss for this dish)

2 T butter

2 T flour

1 t salt (Mom used Lawry’s seasoned salt, so she doesn’t add in the paprika separately)

1/4 t pepper  

Mom has found that you don’t really need to follow recipes precisely. In fact, it’s absolutely not required in order to make this recipe shine. This fact may explain the tenor of my website—make recipes your own and you’ll feel much more confident in making your own dishes.

In this instance, you can switch out the lousy cheeses available to Americans in the 1950s, and jazz it up with Gruyère. Just layer the potatoes, onions, cheese, and seasoned flour (Flour, salt, and pepper) like you would a lasagna as evenly as possibly.

If you run out of the flour mixture too soon, create a little more to finish the preparation. The key is to tuck in the onions throughout evenly, so all parts receive the tang of the sharp yellow onions.

My mom then bakes at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  She uncovers the dish to brown the top for about 15 minutes.

Layered and Ready for the Oven

For the record, the leftovers are great because it reheats like a dream in the micro. Remember my microwave reheating rules: 

• First, take the chill off it for about 30 seconds.
• Let it sit for a minute.
• Then depending on the portion size, reheat covered for about 2 full minutes.
• It’ll be like hot lava when you take it out, so let it sit for a solid minute, once it hits the table.

Good Housekeeping's Finest

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The Secret Behind America’s Test Kitchen Cornbread

Since reading Michael Pollan’s books, I do realize that American Agri-business-produced corn is a giant conspiracy to kill off people and destroy “the family farm.” This admission aside, reading his book, I realized just how much I love cornbread, and subsequently, ended up going on a search for the kind of cornbread worthy of my childhood memories.

This desire stems from my memories of chili dinners where neighborhood moms would bring freshly made cornbread and delight everyone with little rectangular yellow cake cutouts from either a cast iron skillet or a 9”x 9” baking dish. Slathering pats of butter and thick, viscous honey (the kind that the bees we do have left seem to not be producing anymore) makes me salivate slightly from the sides of my mouth. Like a big, dopey dog hanging his head out the window of a car drool a-flowin’, I deliver to you the discovery of the month: the great American cornbread secret.

Corn—actual room temperature—corn ground up in a food processor or mashed with a ricer. It’s probably not a particularly surprising secret, but the key ingredient missing from all those cornbread boxes—those just add an egg and water boxes of Jiffy cornbread—is that they lack corn in any other form than powder/flour. 

America’s Test Kitchen did a scientific study and figured it out—add in corn, and you add in the flavor you are otherwise missing from cornbread. 

Here’s how you make it:

Ingredients

1 ½ c unbleached white flour

1 c yellow cornmeal

2 t baking powder

¼ t baking soda

¾ t salt

¼ c brown sugar , packed

¾ c corn

1 c buttermilk

2 large eggs

8 T unsalted butter—melted and cooled slightly (1 stick))—I always use less, more like 4 T of butter.

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or rub down with butter.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium-sized mixing bowl until combined, or you can sift these ingredients. If you mix your flours, adding in whole wheat (which, I warn you will change the yellow color to a lighter, browner color), be aware that the sifting will really help. Set aside.

In food processor or blender, purée the brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds.

Add eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer. Using rubber spatula, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into well. Begin folding dry ingredients into wet, giving mixture only a few turns to barely, but thoroughly combine.

Add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth surface with rubber spatula.

Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes.

Cool on wire rack for about 10 minutes. You might want to brown the top by turning up the heat to 425 for about 5 minutes. Best served warm with your favorite chili recipe (see future posts here for the best chili recipes); leftovers can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Read more here.

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Shirin Polow

Puttin’ it all Together!

MATTHEW0 COMMENTSFROM THE LUNCH BOX, RECIPES

Mar 09

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Persian Rice Before you Flip it Into the Serving Dish

At this point in the week, after MONDAY, WEDNESDAY and Thursday’s blogposts, now your meal is nearly ready to serve. You just have to make the rice. This part should be easy, and while it’s not hard, it does require far more attention than you might normally provide  a pot of rice.

This milk-soaked, butter-drizzled rice is spectacular, creating a chewy crust on the bottom of the pan with saffron, sugar, and salt. My guests were bowled over by the show-stopper performance that this rice provided when it came time to eat it with all the accompaniments and the main course.

Knock Your Socks Off Persian Rice

PLAYPREV|NEXT1 of 9

Saveur says, “Shirin Polow is a rice pilaf famed for its thick, crisp tah dig crust and crown of sweet garnishes”

Serves 4-6

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 c Jasmine rice

1 1/4 c water

1/2 c whole milk

1/4 c sugar

2 T butter

1/4 t crushed saffron (threads)

1/2 T rose water

1/4 c sultanas/golden raisins/currants

1/4 c shredded carrot

1/4 c barberries (some people used chopped dried cranberries)

1/4 – 1/8 c chopped pistachios and sliced almonds toasted

peel of two oranges cut into ribbons

freshly ground salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Bring 1/2 c water and sugar to a boil, place shredded carrot and ribbons of orange rind into the water for about 10 minutes. Let stand, add in the rose water.
2. Rinse the jasmine rice, set aside.
3. Toast the chopped and sliced nuts in a toaster oven until just barely browned; or roast on a cast iron skillet for about 5 minutes shifting them regularly over a gas flame with a good shake or two.
4. Boil  water.  When at a full boil, pour in the rice, lower to a simmer (about 5-7 minutes).
5. When the water has mostly absorbed, place the butter on top of the rice and allow to melt through. Pour milk over the melting butter into the rice. Continue to simmer with lid off.
6. Pour over the carrot, orange peel & rose syrup/water over the rice (This step should not result in adding a lot of liquid; add no more than a tablespoon or so of the orange peel water and rose water).
7. Again, allow to cook through with the lid off until all liquid is absorbed. You can speed up the process by covering and letting rest for 5-8 more minutes, if you like.  I cook with the lid off as is my preference.
8. Place the toasted nuts and dried berries on top of the finished rice.
9. Invert the pot onto a serving plate. The berries and chopped & sliced nuts will drop to the bottom of the plate, and the tah dig will glisten on the top. Slice into the rice with a serving spoon, place in the middle of the table and take in the look on your guest’s faces!

- See more at: http://www.alunchboxblog.com/puttin-it-all-together/?preview=true&preview_id=2504&preview_nonce=57eea6e1db#sthash.PnN3SZoX.dpuf