Strawberries

How can one word invoke such astounding feelings and memories?  For me I have always loved eating strawberries and I even have a small strawberry patch.  Easting sun ripened strawberries is always a great summer treat, but I met my match when I tasted Norwegian and Finnish strawberries.  I have to assume that their cold winters and slow growing season does something different to their berries.

I visited Finland for the first time in 2004 and never have I fell so hard for a strawberry, so this summer when I returned to Finland, I mentioned to my friends that I had to eat Finnish strawberries.  I was so desperate that I wanted to bring them home with me, but alas I could not.  So within hours of arriving in Finland, I tasted the first Finnish strawberries I had eaten in 7 years.  They were even better than I remembered.  They are so juicy that they just melted in your mouth.  They tend to be smaller than our strawberries here and sweeter.  So sweet and fragrant that you could never believe it.  My friend's mom told me where to find the wild ones at their summer cabin and those are the ones pictured here.  If you ever have a chance or happen to find yourself in Finland, you would be missing out if you don't eat their strawberries.  More than half the days I was in Finland I ate strawberries and the first was as good as the last.

Fresh Artisan Bread

Baking yeast goods never appealed to me, and when I would attempt baked cinnamon rolls or other things that had to rise it daunted me.  I was afraid that whatever I baked would turn out in a flat lump of hard dough.  I admit I did have unsuccessful tries as well.  When I moved to a city with a high altitude, I really didn't want to experiment with yeast goods and have to adjust the recipe.  Fortunately, I first stumbled upon an Irish soda bread recipe which didn't need to be adjusted and it wasn't your typical soda bread in that it was made with spelt and had a variety of seeds in it.  Since I like out of the ordinary and it wasn't a bread that I had to wait and let rise, I knew that it would be a good start to baking bread at a high altitude.

The Irish soda bread was a success and so started my desire to attempt to make more bread, even if I had to work with adjustments at a high altitude.  First, I dug out a Julia Child book to master a french loaf.  That under taking took most of a day to master, but I was as amazed as my boyfriend when the bread had been baked and it actually tasted like French bread.  It didn't rise like I had wanted it to and I wasn't equipped to handle making bread, but it was a success that I later decide I wanted to repeat.

So I started reading...I read a book about a man who baked bread for a year.  He was a novice so I figured if he could do it, so could I.  I started researching a couple of books so I could make a purchase and it came down to Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson.  I read through the first part about how to bake bread at home.  It included everything that I would need for supplies, the procedure I would need to learn, tons of photos so you know what the goal was, but the part that stood out was that there were people that had used this recipe and it also worked for them.  What was amazing is, that although I live at altitude, although I was worried about making a good and successful loaf of bread, although the leaven hadn't been ready the first time I attempted to bake the bread, it worked!

My very own first loaf of artisan bread.  The best part was that the bread crackled as it cooled and the crumb had very nice bubbles in them, despite it being the first time I attempted this kind of bread.  I encourage you also to try out baking your own loaf of bread.  And this recipe makes two loaves so you can take one with you to share with friends.

Chicken Enchiladads Verde

Since I am still stuck on Pam Anderson's Perfect One Dish Dinner cookbook, here is another easy to prepare recipe for chicken enchiladas. I really love enchiladas and though this is simple to prepare, I think I need to tweek it a little next time as I like it spicier than this version. I should have tried out the salsa verde before I made it with them, but oh well. You can always spice it up afterward with some lovely chipotle tabasco sauce or just some spicier salsa which is what I did. I also think that if the chicken is cooked in advance, letting it sit in salsa over night or for a little while before throwing it all together would help the flavors mesh together better.

4 cups cooked chicken

4 cups green chile salsa

1 can diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions

8 ounces cheese, I prefer sharp cheddar for more flavor, but you can use a milder one as well

Fresh cilantro (I like a sprinkle, but you can add more if you like the flavor)

Corn tortillas (16 or more to fit your pan)

½ onion, chopped

Sour cream for garnish

Heat oven to 400F. Mix chicken with diced tomatoes and onions. Add half the green chile salsa and stir together well. Add 1 ½ cups cheese, sprinkle of cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Spread one cup salsa in baking dish.

Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave on high until warm, about 30-45 seconds. Spoon in chicken filling and roll. Place seam side down into your baking pan. Fill the rest of the tortillas. Spread another 1 1/2 cups salsa over the tortilla rolls, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking oil to prevent sticking. Bake for about 30 minutes or until heated throughout. Sprinkle onion slices and a little more cilantro. Let stand for a few minutes and then serve with sour cream and salsa.

Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages and White Beans

After not posting for a while, I am back and determined to keep this up with some regularity. Where have I been you might ask? I spent some time in Hong Kong, eating and relaxing. Then once I returned home, I decided that I better get in some training runs for my up and coming races. With one half marathon completed yesterday in the drizzle and 39F once I returned to the car (and I have no idea how cold it was at the start), I thought I would take some recovery time to post. Thinking about protein and easy to prepare meals, this one is very good on both accounts.

Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages and White Beans come from Pam Anderson's Perfect One-Dish Dinner and below is my version of it. This book contains meals which are easy to prepare with delicious results. I like to tweak things to make them to my tastes, so here is my version of it. The roasted sausage in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar is divine. Try it and enjoy!

1 pound spicy Italian sausage

1 pound cherry tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes with onions and peppers

1 medium onion, cut into about 1 inch pieces

2 teaspoon diced garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

3 canned white bean (I used great northern and pinto)

Preheat oven to 425F. Mix sausage pieces, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, bay leaves and sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground pepper in a roasting pan. Roast until sausages are brown and tomatoes have thickened. This takes about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in white beans and roast until everything is heated through. Remove from oven, remove bay leaves and serve. Serves 6-8.

Sausage, Chicken, Peppers and Potatoes

Farewell to March and heavy winter foods...It was 70F today and it makes me look forward to spring with all of my flowers and vegetables beginning to grow. The other day I saw the ground cracked and the daffodils and crocus' are starting to push their way up to see the sun. Not far behind will be the irises and the phlox; I love the color they are bring to my yard, not to mention the yummy fresh herbs which will start to appear.

This recipe is one from Elodia Rigante's Italian Immigrant Cooking. My boyfriend is half Italian and when we started dating I found this cookbook was just the sort of Italian food that he would eat. I wouldn't say he is a picky eater, but once I started cooking from this cookbook I couldn't stop. I had to finally put it down in order to eat less heavy foods in summer. It also made me aware of just how much olive oil and garlic one could actually consume in a meal was far greater than I had ever used before. I broke down and bought a gallon of olive oil. However, the food is hearty; the portions generous. I haven't even tried out any of the dessert yet.

Sausage, Chicken, Peppers and Potatoes
Serves 4

Rinse a large skillet. While pan is still wet, put over medium heat and add the sausage. Turn the heat down low and sauté until the sausage is browned. Remove the sausage and set aside the bowl.

Sauté the chicken pieces in the oils from the sausage in the skillet. Turn the heat down low and sauté, covered, until the chicken pieces are very tender. Transfer them to the bowl with the sautéed sausage.

In the same skillet, heat up the olive oil, and add the potatoes, peppers, and onions. Brown the vegetables over low heat. Stir in the oregano, and when the vegetables become tender, season them with salt and pepper.

Add the browned sausage and chicken and sauté until all the flavors are mixed together and the sausage and vegetables are tender. For additional spiciness, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes or other chili seasoning.
This reheats very well. Enjoy!

Chicken Biryani American Style

Yet another cookbook with delicious recipes...this one came from Pam Anderson, Perfect One-Dish Dinners.  The recipe I based it on was Chicken Biryani American Style, though like most of my cooking I modified as I went along.

The recipe called this dish distinctly spicy, which I have to disagree with as I tend to like things spicier.  Next time I make this I will definitely make it spicier by  adding more red pepper flakes or add some other chile for more spice.  I would also recommend not adding the cashews as they do not reheat well and are rather chewy.  It is much simpler to add what you would like to each portion.

Serves3-4

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch chunks

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 large onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon grated gingerroot

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon curry

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 cup basmati rice

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 roasted cashews

Generously sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; set aside.  Heat half the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add half of the onion, ginger and pepper flakes and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.  Add chicken and stirring constantly and until it looses its raw color.  Add yogurt and lime juice and cook until juice thicken slightly.  Transfer chicken mixture to bowl.  Wipe out pan and return to heat.

Heat other half of the butter, remaining onion and cook, stirring until soft (about 5 minutes).  Stir in rice and saffron.  Then stir in coconut milk, 1/2 of the chicken broth and a little salt.  Cover and bring to a simmer, about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Heat oven to 375F and pour about 1/3 of the chicken mixture into a medium bowl.  Spread remaining rice evening over the bottom of the skillet.  Pour chicken and juices over rice in skillet and then top with remaining rice.  Pour second half of chicken broth over rice and cover the pan with foil.  Bake until heated through and rice starts to crust around the edges, about 30 minutes.  Remove from over, sprinkle with cashews and serve.

Long Pause - Salad without lettuce

After a month of random friends and family staying, eating and socializing, I am back to my blog.  First up really should be the most wonderful recent salad that I threw together this weekend when I was craving fresh vegetables.  I really can't wait until summer comes with all the great fresh ingredients.  In the meantime, I looked to see what I could find that would satisfy such a salad craving.  When I questioned my boyfriend if he wanted to join me in salad eating, he informed me that it wasn't a salad if it didn't have lettuce in it.  While I disagree with him, I explained what I was making and he whole-heartedly ate it with me.  This is a twist on the classic caprese salad since I wanted to balance the colors with the fresh veggies in my refrigerator.

Twisted Caprese Salad

 Since I didn't have large slices of tomatoes, I cut everything into the same sized pieces.  So I chopped the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and cucumber into bit-sized pieces.  I chopped fresh basil for the top and added a touch of salt and pepper.  Then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil later, this salad was ready for the eating.