Garlic Basil Oil

This oil is super easy to make yet it's packed with flavor. I like to drizzle it over so many foods: lentils, chicken, fish, potatoes, salad, and toast all benefit from the oils fresh flavors.

Fresh Basil - about an ounce
3-5 Garlic cloves - peeled and roughly chopped
EVOO
White Balsamic Vinegar
Salt



Place the basil and garlic in a food processor or blender.

Pour just enough oil in to top the herbs and garlic.



Use the pulse setting, if you have one, to blend the basil and garlic together.

Tip - How to Roast Garlic

To roast garlic, this one's for you Tim, you take a whole head and cut the top off of it.



Place the garlic on foil cut side up.

Drizzle oil over the garlic.

Roasted Potatoes

This recipe is for Traveling Tina.



small Red Potatoes
pot of Water
EVOO
s/p
Smoked Paprika or your favorite dry seasonings

Pre-heat oven to 400°.

Clean the potatoes and then drop them into the pot of water.

Bring the water up to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the water goes down to a simmer.

As soon as the potatoes are fork tender, but not fully cooked, remove them from the water.

Cut each potato into quarters. Do this carefully, they will be hot.

Place the wedges on a baking sheet.

Drizzle oil on the potatoes. Sprinkle them with s/p and paprika. Use your fingers to evenly spread the oil and seasonings around.



Place the tray in the oven and cook to your desired crispy/brownness. It wont take too long, so keep an eye on the potatoes!



Serve with gluten freeTarragon Dijon Mustard Cream.



-The potatoes don't have to be parboiled before roasting, I just like the texture it produces and they seem to cook a bit quicker that way.

-You can also roast potatoes and vegetables on the grill outside. Follow the above steps, but put the veggies on the grill, away from direct heat and close the lid. Flip once, if desired. Remove them when they are light in some spots, dark in others. If you're roasting vegetables, they should still be a bit crisp when you remove them from the grill (or oven). Tender crisp, as they say.

You can roast many vegetables by rubbing them with oil, salt and pepper and then baking at a high degree. It's a simple technique that yields great flavor and texture!



A 'How to Roast Garlic' tip will be posted tomorrow. Till then, bon appetit!

Chicken Stock

Tony was sick last week and requested chicken noodle soup. It's nice and light and good for your belly, even if you are feeling well.

I started by making chicken stock. I think that in a soup like chicken noodle where the broth is a star it's important to have a lot of flavor in the stock. When you make your own, you can add lots of vegetables. I use left over bits from previous meals. The same veggies that can be used in vegetable stock can be used in chicken stock. Use any that you have on hand. You also have better control over the amount of salt and fat that go into your own stock. But if you must, you can use a store bought one.



1 T EVOO
1 Onion - roughly chopped, peel on
3 Carrots - roughly chopped
4 Celery stalks - roughly chopped
6 Garlic cloves - crushed
Ginger trimmings (peel)
Bell Pepper trimmings (tops and bottoms)
Bay Leaf
s/p
1/2 Chicken* (1 leg, thigh, wing, breast, back, neck)
Water
Green tops of Leeks
Parsley stems
Rosemary stalks

*The neck, back bone, giblets, and wing tips are great for stock. I don't use the kidneys, liver, or heart. I removed the skin from the chicken before I cooked it to lower the fat that I'd have to skim out later. Always rinse your chicken in the sink under cold water, then pat it dry with a kitchen or paper towel. Remember to clean all surfaces that come in contact with raw chicken!

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a stock pot, or any large pot.

Add the next eight ingredients to the pot and sauté for a few minutes.



Salt and pepper the chicken and place it in your pot.



Fill the pot with water, be sure the chicken is covered.



Bring the water to a boil.

Lower the heat so that the stock will simmer and add the rest of the ingredients. (Your herbs and soft vegetables.)

Roasted Sweet Potato, Asparagus & Arugula Salad

I served this salad under roasted chicken when Euro and James came over for dinner. It's gluten free and vegetarian. The peppery leaves of the arugula pair wonderfully with sweet potatoes and the citrus vinaigrette balances the salad out nicely.



Pecan Pieces
Sweet Potatoes - peeled and diced in large chunks
Asparagus
EVOO
s/p
Arugula
Citrus Vinaigrette
Goat Cheese

Preheat oven to 400°.

Toast the nuts by placing them in a heated pan and cook for about a minute. You'll know that they're toasted when you smell them. Set the nuts aside.

Separately, toss the potatoes and asparagus in EVOO. Sprinkle both liberally with s/p.

Place the potatoes in the oven. Cook until tender, stirring once or twice, 40-60 minutes depending on the size and type of potato chunks.



When the potatoes are 10 minutes from being cooked, put the asparagus in the oven. Cook the asparagus turning once until they are tender crisp, 6-10 minutes.

Cabbage Rolls

This is my version of my mother's version of my great grandmother's Cabbage Roll recipe. These days my mother doesn't roll her cabbage, she layers the ingredients instead. It saves some time and still taste great, but I like the little meatballs that are formed inside the cabbage. I say try it this way first and then if it's too much work for you, layer.



1 lb Ground Meat - I use turkey. You can use beef, chicken, pork or a combo.
4 cloves Garlic - pressed or finely chopped
s/p
CRP
White Pepper
Smoked Paprika
1 green Onion - finely sliced
Fresh Parsley - chopped
3/4 cup Rice*
1 can Tomatoes
1 can Tomato Sauce
Garlic Chili Sauce (optional)
Water

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

As you wait for the water to boil, mix the first nine ingredients together and set it aside. Your hands are the best tools for this job.



Remove the core form your head of cabbage.

Creamy Garlic Potatoes

These garlicky potatoes are a great side dish. The potatoes are cooked in water and finished in cream and butter with herbs. I know that a lot of people are trying to avoid two of those things, so I have a few suggestions. You can use more EVOO and only a small dab of butter and/or substitute stock for some of the cream. You could also use Greek yogurt instead of cream. This will reduce the amount of fat and calories, and should still make some tasty potatoes, though less rich and creamy.



6-8 medium Red Potatoes
Cold Water
1/2 T EVOO
2 T Butter
Garlic Chili Sauce (or any hot sauce)
2-4 finely chopped Garlic Cloves
1 Green Onion - thinly sliced (green and white parts separated)
Cream ( I didn't measure the cream, I think I splashed about a 1/4 cup into the pot)
Parsley - chopped

Cut the potatoes in half and place them in a pot.



Cover the red potatoes with cold water.



Bring the water up the a boil, then reduce the heat and let them simmer.

Once the potatoes are fork tender, remove them them from the pot and throw the water out.



Place the pot over low heat.

Add your oil, butter, and hot sauce sauce to the pot.



Cook for 30 seconds.

Add the garlic and white onion slices (the bottom half of the onion) to the butter mixture.



Cook the aromatics for one to two minutes. Then, add the potatoes back to the pot.

Spicy Red Wine and Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

It snowed another couple of inches last night, so we stayed in. I made this sauce from what was on hand. It turned out to be very tasty! I served it with fettuccine and broccoli, but any pasta and vegetables would work. I think shrimp would be a nice substitute for the chicken too. As always, have fun with it!



1-2 T EVOO
1/2 Onion - diced
1 Celery stalk - dice
s/p
1 Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless) - diced into small pieces and seasoned with s/p (optional)
3 cloves Garlic - diced
1/4 - 1/2 c Red Wine
Garlic Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce)
1/2 28oz can Muir Glen Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
fresh Thyme
Fresh Basil - chiffonade
1 T cold Butter
1 1/2 c Broccoli Florets - Blanched, Chilled in an Ice Bath, and Drained (not needed for the sauce, but it adds flavor, color and great texture)

If you're making pasta with the sauce, start to boil a large pot of water. I blanched my broccoli, and then cooked the pasta in the same water. Don't forget to heavily salt the water before cooking anything in it.

Heat EVOO in a skillet over med-low heat. Then, add the onions and celery. Stir occasionally.



When the onions are clear, add the chicken pieces to the pan.



Turn the heat up a little so that the chicken browns, but doesn't burn. You're looking for a golden brown.

Stir in the garlic.

Once the chicken has started to brown, deglaze the pan with your red wine. You want the pan to be hot when the wine is added. If you're scared of the alcohol flaring up, turn the flame off as you add the wine. Then, turn it back on.

Use a spatula to scrape up and incorporate any brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan into the sauce.

Lemon - Soy Marinated Grilled Halibut

Halibut is a firm white fleshed fish. It's texture makes it great for the grill. The flavor of this large fish is pretty mild and clean. It's great simply prepared and served with a light sauce.



You could substitute any other firm fish for the halibut in this recipe and it would still be tasty stuffs.

1 T Ginger - minced
2 T Lemon Juice
1 t Lemon Zest
1 T Light Soy Sauce (substitute gluten free soy for a GF dish)
1/2 T Dark Soy Sauce (I used a mushroom flavored dark soy)
1 T Dried or a hand full of fresh Parsley
1 T Green Onion - chopped
Garlic Chili Sauce (or other hot sauce)
Splash of Water
Halibut*



*If you buy a large piece of fish, it's best to cut it into manageable pieces. The smaller size is easier to flip and to remove from the grill. I like to keep the pieces about the size of my spatula.

Mix all of the ingredients, except the fish, together in a flat bottomed dish.

Remove about a 1/4 of the mixture and set it aside.

Place your halibut in the dish, move it around, flip it over, spoon some marinade on top of the fish, and cover it.



Let this marinate for ten minutes.


Flip the fish and spoon more marinate on top of it.

Potato Spinach Enchiladas

I made these enchiladas after it snowed. We didn't want to leave the house, so I used what was on hand. I like to keep a can or two of enchilada sauce in my pantry. It's great for all kinds of quick meals.



This recipe makes 6-8 enchiladas, depending on how full you stuff them.

1 Potato
1 T EVOO
1/4 Yellow Bell Pepper - diced
1/4 large Yellow Onion - diced
1-3 cloves Garlic - diced
1 Tomato - diced (peeled and seeded, optional)
s/p
Dried Oregano
CRP
Chili Powder
Fajita Seasoning
Vegetable Stock, Chicken Stock or Water
2 handfuls Spinach
Oil for frying*
Corn Tortillas
1 can Enchilada Sauce
Cheese - shredded or crumbled (I used Feta, Chipotle Gouda, and Parmesan)

Preheat oven to 375°

Clean the potato. Place it in a pot and cover it with cold water. Place a lid on the pot and bring the water up to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove the lid. Cook the potato till it's fork tender (the fork should easily slide in and out of it).



As the potato boils, heat the EVOO in a small pan. Add the onion and pepper. Cook for two minutes. Stir garlic into the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.



Add the diced tomatoes to your pan. Stir.



Season the vegetables to taste.



Add a couple splashes of stock or water to the pan, carefully so that you don't splash yourself. Cover the sauce and cook it over med-low heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.