Fresh produce is in at the markets

Easy Week-Night Chicken Paella

Easy Week-Night Chicken Paella

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 3 TBS tomato paste
• 1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 tsp smoked paprika (we prefer hot smoked paprika)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1-1/4 cups Arborio rice
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup small green peas (frozen works perfectly)

Combine chicken broth and saffron in a small saucepan (or glass measuring cup). Heat oil over medium heat in a large oven-proof skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes or until soft and very lightly browned. Heat oven to 350°.

Add tomato paste, red and green peppers and seasoning. Cook over very low heat until ingredients are completely coated with tomato paste mixture. While this is cooking, heat the chicken broth and saffron on cooktop or in microwave.

Add the rice and heated saffron broth, mix well and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and place skillet in oven. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, fold in the chicken and peas then bake (covered) an additional 10 minutes or until the rice is tender. Correct seasoning. 4 – 6 servings.

Ferran Adria’s Gazpacho

Ferran Adria’s Gazpacho

Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 shallot
• 2 1/4 oz cucumber
• 2 7/8 oz bell peppers
• 2 1/4 lb ripe tomatoes
• 1 1/4 oz white country-style bread (without crust)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 4 oz croutons

Peel and cut each garlic clove in half. Remove the green shoot inside, if there is one. Fill a small saucepan with cold water and add the garlic. Bring the water to a boil. When the water begins to boil lift the garlic out of the water and into a bowl of ice water to quickly cool it. Repeat this twice, always starting with cold water in the saucepan.

To food processor bowl, add shallot (peeled and cut in half) along with cucumber (peeled if not using thin-skinned) cut into pieces and bell peppers seeded and cut into pieces. Cut tomatoes into large wedges and add to food processor. Add garlic. Tear bread into pieces, add to processor bowl and pour in water. Process everything together until finely chopped. Add oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and blend until creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Chill at least two hours. Serve in chilled bowls topped with a drizzle of olive oil and croutons.

Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil and Brie

Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil and Brie

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pounds Brie
• 4 medium ripe-as-can-be tomatoes
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, cleaned and dried
• 1/2 cup excellent olive oil
• 1 dash Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound pasta

Put the Brie in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm up a little. This will make it easier to cut when the time comes.

Roughly chop the tomatoes and put them in a large serving bowl.

Finely chop the garlic and add it to the bowl.

Chiffonade or roughly chop the basil and add that to the bowl too.

Pour in the olive oil and add salt and pepper. Gently stir everything together.

Once the Brie is firm enough, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes and add these to the bowl. Gently fold to combine the cheese with the rest of the ingredients. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2, and up to 6 hours.

When you are ready to eat, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just al dente. Strain it and tip it into the bowl with the sauce. Fold everything together until it is well combined and the Brie has begun to melt.

6 servings
From Food52

Marinated Zucchini

Marinated Zucchini

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pound very small zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• Salt
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Pepper to Taste
• A small handful fresh basil leaves, sliced

Working in batches as needed, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the zucchini cut side down in one layer in the hot skillet and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Use a fork or tongs to turn the zucchini over, then cook them until tender, about 2 minutes, reducing the heat if the zucchini get too dark. Transfer the zucchini to a shallow dish and sprinkle with salt.

Whisk together the garlic, vinegar, and remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the zucchini and add the basil. Gently toss everything together and adjust the seasonings. Let the zucchini marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving. Alternately, let marinate longer in the refrigerator. Tightly covered, marinated zucchini will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts*
• 1/4 cup flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter (additional butter for lemon slices, if needed)
• 1-2 cups asparagus pieces, lower stems peeled if desired, cut into 1″ pieces
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced, seeds removed

* Purchasing thinly sliced chicken breasts will eliminate the need to flatten, but otherwise proceed as directed.

Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound until each piece is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick.

Place the flour, salt and pepper on waxed paper and gently toss each chicken breast piece to coat.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat; add the chicken and sauté for 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown (thermometer should read 165°).

Add the chopped asparagus to the pan. Sauté for a 2-4 minutes until bright green and tender crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.

If there is no fat remaining in the pan, add an additional small amount of butter. Lay the lemon slices flat on the bottom of the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side without stirring so that they caramelize.

Place sautéed chicken pieces on platter, top with lemon slices and asparagus.

Strata with Greens

Ai-Mei’s Strata with Greens, Bacon and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 oz mild goat cheese, crumbled (or substitute shredded fontina)
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups packed 1-inch cubes bread (6 to 7 ounces) we used a Palladin loaf
• 3 oz kale or Swiss chard leaves, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped, about 2 heaping cups

Preheat oven to 425°.

Beat eggs and milk together until thoroughly combined. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and the crumbled goat cheese.

Cook chopped bacon in a 9- or 10-inch cast iron pan over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to a small dish, leaving the fat behind. Add the onion and cook until softened but not browned. Add the bread and stir into cooked onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Remove pan from heat, add reserved bacon, and fold in the egg mixture. Add half of the greens and fold into the mixture until combined. Add remaining greens and fold again until combined. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until center of strata is puffed and set and edges have browned and pulled away slightly from the sides of the skillet, about 15 minutes, rotating skillet halfway through baking. May take an additional 5-10 minutes. Let strata cool for 5 minutes before serving.

4-6 servings

Adapted from a Food52 recipe

Accordion Potatoes

Ai-Mei’s Accordion Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 6 Yukon Gold potatoes based on skillet size (ours were ~5″ in length)
• 6 TBS butter, melted
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Asiago (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Scrub the potatoes thoroughly, but do not peel. Slice one very thin layer off each potato, along the length, then set aside. This serves as a solid base to rest on while you slice them. Place a potato flat side-down and use a sharp knife to make slices that are about 1/8-inch apart; slice into the potato but not completely through it — the slices should stay connected at the bottom.

Our preferred way to keep the potato intact but evenly sliced is to run a metal skewer through the lower third of the potato lengthwise. This allows you make perfect slices without cutting all the way through.

Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a cast iron skillet and each potato with the butter. Brush the potatoes generously reserving some butter for basting during cooking. Place potatoes in skillet Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 60 minutes — basting the potatoes every 15 minutes or so with the remaining butter. If using the grated cheese, sprinkle on the potatoes and cook an additional 15 minutes or until completely done and golden brown on top.

White Bean Soup

White Bean Soup with Quinoa and Greens

Ingredients:

• 3 TBS Olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tube tomato paste
• 6-7 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
• 1 (or more – see note) 15.5 oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup quinoa, soaked for 5 minutes and thoroughly rinsed (do not skip this step)
• 1 bunch kale, Swiss chard or spinach, washed and slivered
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Sherry vinegar (at table)

Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and sauté until just tender (5-8 minutes). Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and combine with other ingredients. Add stock and simmer ~20 minutes. Add beans and quinoa, cover and simmer until quinoa is cooked (tiny threads are visible), approximately 20 minutes. Remove lid, stir in slivered greens and cook an additional 5-8 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a splash of sherry vinegar

Note: We found that this recipe could accommodate 1 1/2 – 2 cans of white beans which may also require some adjustment on the amount of stock. We started with 6 cups and when reheating leftovers, added 1/2 cup more.

Black Bean Tart

Black Bean Tart with Chili Crust

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp salt 1 stick (1/2 cup) chilled unsalted butter, cut into bits 2-3 TBS ice water Raw rice or beans for weighting shell

Filling Ingredients:

3 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained (2, 15.5 Oz cans) 2 TBS sour cream 1 medium red onion, finely chopped 1 TBS olive oil 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup) 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack, coarsely grated (about 6 ounces) 2 fresh jalapeño chiles, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves) 1 TBS ground coriander

Lime Sour Cream Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice, or to taste
• Zest from one lime

Preheat oven to 350°.

Make crust: In a bowl with a pastry blender (or in a food processor) pulse together flour, spices, and salt until combined. Add butter and blend or pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and pulse until incorporated, and mixture forms a ball.

Press dough evenly onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim and chill 15 minutes, or until firm. Line shell with foil and fill with rice or beans. Bake shell in middle of oven until edge is set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and rice and bake crust 10 minutes more, or until golden. Cool crust in pan on a rack. Crust may be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature, covered loosely with plastic wrap.

Make filling: In a food processor purée 1 cup canned beans with 2 TBS sour cream until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until warm but not smoking and sauté onion until soft. Add yellow bell pepper, and sauté additional 2 minutes. Cool.

In a large bowl stir together whole beans, bell pepper and onion mixture, Monterey Jack, jalapeños, and ground coriander, and season with salt and pepper.

Spread bean purée evenly onto crust. Mound with remaining filling, pressing gently.

Bake tart in middle of oven about 20 minutes, or until hot through and cheese is melted. Let tart cool in pan on a rack 15 minutes.

Make lime sour cream: In a bowl whisk sour cream, lime juice, and lime zest with salt and pepper to taste. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Makes about 1 cup.

Remove rim of pan and serve tart warm or at room temperature with lime sour cream. Serves 6-8.

Lex’s Roast Chicken

Lex’s Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 large onions, sliced into half-moons
• 2 cups celery, sliced
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

• 1 chicken (3-4 lbs)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 loaf crusty French bread, sliced 3/4 inch thick
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375°. Sauté onions in 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add celery, and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add lemon zest, garlic, pepper, and red pepper; continue to sauté an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley, and set aside.

While vegetables are cooking, butterfly the chicken. Remove the backbone by cutting along both sides with kitchen shears. Turn the chicken over (breast side up) and press down on the breastbone to crack and flatten it. Rub chicken on both sides with 2 TBS olive oil; season with pepper and salt.

Lightly oil the skillet or baking dish, and place bread slices snugly against each other to fill the bottom of the pan. Spread the sautéed onion mixture over the bread slices to completely cover.

Place the chicken, breast side up (tucking the wings under the breast) over the bread and vegetable mixture. Pour the fresh lemon juice over the entire chicken, and place, uncovered, in the oven. Roast the chicken until golden brown, and it registers at least 165° on meat thermometer (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, begin checking for ‘doneness’ during the last 15 minutes of cooking time).

Remove from oven, and let stand for 10 minutes. Place chicken on cutting board, and cut the chicken into quarters, or smaller pieces for serving. Place slices of bread and vegetables on serving plates, and top with chicken. 4 servings.

From the October 2004 issue of Cuisine at Home.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 medium-large butternut squash*
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 TBS fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 cups water (or milk)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 TBS fresh lime juice
• Garnish: Toasted pumpkin seeds

*Heat oven to 350°. Halve washed squash, seed, and lightly coat cut side with olive oil. Place on jelly roll pan (use either Silpat or parchment paper) cut side down and roast for ~1 hour, or until completely soft. Remove from oven and cool just long enough to handle. Peel flesh from skin and add to soup in order listed.

Heat Dutch oven and add 1 TBS olive oil to pan. Add sliced onion and sauté until completely softened. Add ginger, sauté additional minute. Add 2 cups water (or milk), coconut milk, cayenne pepper, salt to taste, and squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Using stick blender, blend until completely smooth. If needed, thin with additional water. Stir in lime juice and serve with toasted pumpkin seed garnish.

4 servings

Broccoli and Breadcrumbs

Broccoli with Spiced Breadcrumbs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb broccoli cut into flowerets
• 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs (whole wheat)
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup plain yogurt, drained

Steam the broccoli just until crisp-tender and immediately run under cold water. Drain and dry on paper towels.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and add the bread crumbs. Saute until golden brown. Combine the crumbs with the cardamom and salt.

To serve, put bread crumbs in one small bowl and yogurt in another. Dip broccoli in sour cream and then bread crumbs.

This is an incredible recipe and when we make our breadcrumbs, we prefer using whole wheat bread or a fresh baguette from Bread Furst.

Crispy Skillet Corn

Ai-Mei’s Crispy Skillet Corn

Ingredients:

• 6 ears corn, shucked
• 1/3 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 tablespoon bacon fat or olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place an 8-inch cast-iron skillet in a 425-degree oven to heat up for at least 10 minutes.

Cut the kernels off the corn cobs and place them in a large bowl. Use the blunt edge of your knife to scrape the milky liquid from the cobs into the same bowl. Add the cornmeal and salt to the bowl and stir well to combine.

Place the bacon fat (or olive oil) in the scorching-hot skillet and tilt the skillet so that the fat coats the bottom and sides. Add the corn mixture and pat down in an even layer. Roast (middle rack) in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Use a round-edged knife to loosen the edges of the corn, and a flexible spatula, as needed, and carefully invert the corn onto a serving platter. Serve right away.

Ai-Mei’s Green Bean Salad

Ai-Mei’s Green Bean, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 lb tender green beans, stem ends removed
• 1/2 cup walnut halves
• 4 oz blue cheese or smoked blue cheese, crumbled

Vinaigrette:

• 1 TBS Dijon mustard
• 2 TBS red wine vinegar
• 3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• Black pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add green beans, and cook just until tender (about 4 minutes). Drain, and immediately run under cold water. Put on paper towels to dry.

In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for the vinaigrette. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

Just prior to serving, toss green beans with vinaigrette. Plate dressed beans, and top with walnuts and crumbled blue cheese. 4 servings.

Redd’s new shirt

Redd needs a shirt to celebrate his upcoming birthday on September 12. So, Ai-Mei is pitching in to make sure everyone who wants to join the celebration can get their own shirt. If you are interested, choose a style/size (info is in the link below) and e-mail your preferences to reddtheorangutan@gmail.com by July 29. Once we know the size of the order, we can provide specific pricing and payment details as well as postage required for shirts being shipped from DC. We hope to keep the price at ~$15 before postage.

Here is the front and back of Redd’s shirt which will come in Ash (pale grey).

The description of the styles and sizes of shirts are found at the Gildan Shirt Specifications.

Cold Zucchini Soup

Ai-Mei’s Cold Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
• 1 TBS parsley, finely chopped (Optional)
• 1 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped (Optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place zucchini, green pepper, onion and chicken stock in saucepan. Simmer covered for 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Process with stick blender until smooth. Add sour cream (or yogurt, or a combination of both), mix well and chill. Serve garnished with sour cream and dill. Makes 4 servings.

Ai-Mei’s Burmese Melon Salad

Burmese Melon Salad with Sesame-Ginger Vinaigrette*
Recipe created by Susan Feniger, featured in O Magazine

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• 2 TBS white sesame seeds
• 2 TBS finely chopped fresh ginger

• 1/4 cup peanut or olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 TBS fish sauce
• Kosher salt to taste

• 3 cups melon (any combination of melons; we used watermelon), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, toasted (optional)
• 1/4 cup mixture of chopped basil, cilantro and mint (optional)

*Note: we made a few changes to this recipe. The original recipe can be found on the Oprah web site.

Heat large skillet over medium heat; add coconut and toast, stirring often, until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat the skillet over medium heat and add sesame seeds; toast, stirring constantly, until golden. Add to the coconut.

Add the ginger and a small amount of the oil to the pan; cook, stirring often until very fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add to the toasted coconut and sesame seeds.

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the oil, lime juice, and fish sauce. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

To serve: Combine all of the ingredients, toss well, season to taste, and serve immediately.

Ai-Mei’s Temperature Chart

Ai-Mei is always having trouble deciding when to take the fish out of the oven and when her bread is actually done. So to keep things straight, she collected all of the internal temperatures she could find and put them into her internal temperature chart. She knows she isn’t the only one who is tired of putting a wooden skewer into the zucchini bread to see if the timing was correct.

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki (Savory Japanese Pancakes)

Ingredients:

Pancake Batter

• 5 large eggs
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2-3 TBS all purpose flour
• 1 TBS fennel seeds, toasted and crushed

• 2 cups shredded or finely chopped cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded or finely chopped carrots
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and finely chopped

• Olive oil for sautéing
• Slivered speck

Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 TBS Sambal Oelek

Place first five ingredients in a bowl and blend thoroughly with a stick blender. Stir cabbage, carrots and scallions into the batter by hand.

Warm oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat. For each pancake, ladle one heaping tablespoon of batter into skillet, top with some of the speck, pressing down lightly with spatula. Flip pancakes to cook the other side. Remove to paper towels when lightly browned on each side (about 3 minutes/side).

Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Serve pancakes with a side of the sauce.

Note: The batter can be refrigerated overnight. You also can save the cooked pancakes overnight and reheat them on parchment paper for 10 minutes at 400°