KitchenCUE

Orange and Grapefruit with Candied Zest and Basil

Thank you to our reader Ellen who has inspired me to look to the grapefruit for some delicious winter fruit eating!  This is a simple, light and delicious way to partake in these seasonal fruits.  Enjoy!

ORANGE AND GRAPEFRUIT WITH CANDIED ZEST

AND BASIL CHIFFONADE

yield: 8 servings

3 navel oranges

3 grapefruit

1 c. sugar

1 c. water

Extra sugar for coating zest

Pernod, for garnish

Chiffonade of basil, for garnish

Remove the zest from one orange and one grapefruit with a peeler. Trim off any white pith from under the strips and julienne. Blanch zest by placing in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain & repeat to remove bitterness. Combine blanched zest, water, and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until thick and syrupy, approximately 20 minutes. Remove zest with a slotted spoon to a rack set on parchment paper and let it drain. Toss zest in sugar to coat and reserve for garnish.

Imagining the citrus as a globe, slice off the North Pole and South Pole to the point where the flesh is exposed. Standing the citrus on one of the poles, start slicing off the rind by guiding the knife carefully along the flesh just inside the pith, going from top to bottom. After each section of peel is removed, rotate the fruit toward you and slice off another section. Once the entire fruit is peeled, remove each segment by carefully slicing between the membranes, working over a bowl to catch all the juice. There should be no pith remaining on the segments. Squeeze center of citrus into bowl to remove any juice and discard.

Arrange citrus segments in serving dishes. Moisten with some of the reserved juice and drizzle with Pernod. Garnish with candied zest and chiffonade of basil.

Caramelized Onion and Roasted Pepper Salsa

This delicious recipe is one from last years "Salsa Wars" that was held by the Denver Public Library's fabulous Fresh City Life cultural programming.  Make it now with fresh from the garden tomatoes and peppers and enjoy the last bit of summer!

CARAMELIZED ONION AND ROASTED PEPPER SALSA

yield: approximately 1 and 1/2 cups

1 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

Salt

pinch sugar

Approximately 3 T. water

2 red peppers, roasted whole, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced

3 regular or 6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

¼ - ½ c. fresh lime juice

½ bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt and stir to coat in fat.  Cover with parchment and a lid and cook, making sure no steam is emanating from the pan, until the onions are meltingly tender.  Remove lid and parchment and increase heat to medium high.  Cook, stirring frequently until water has evaporated.  Sprinkle onions with a pinch of sugar and continue cooking until golden and caramelized. Deglaze pan with a few tablespoons of water and scrape the brown bits from bottom of pan. Transfer onions to a bowl and cool.

Chop caramelized onions.  In a large bowl combine roasted peppers, tomatoes and cooled onions.  Season with salt.  Stir in lime juice and cilantro to taste. 

Quick Pickling for Seasonal Vegetables (Beets Exampled)

½ cup cider vinegar

¼ c. water

2 T. sugar

½ t. mustard seeds

½ t. fennel seed

1 small bay leaf

1 t. whole black peppercorns

1 clove

1 t. salt

1 sprig fresh dill

1 bunch small (4 or 5) beets, washed

Bring all ingredients except beets to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cover and let marinade steep, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.  Strain marinade and discard spices.

Remove greens from beets, reserving for another delicious use!  Steam or boil beets, 20-40 minutes (depending on size) until barely knife tender. Drain beets; rinse under cold water and slip the peels off of the beets using your fingers.  Cut into ½” wedges.

Place beets in a glass jar and pour marinade over the top.  Allow beets to pickle in the refrigerator for at least 1 day or longer depending on your taste preference. 

 

Recipe provided by:     Chef Shellie Kark, KitchenCUE

                                    KitchenCUE is “everything you didn’t know about cooking”.  An interactive DVD series that shows you how to be a better cook not just how to follow a recipe. Distilling techniques down into easy steps gives you the ability to create hundreds of dishes using a simple process.  Make your recipe books better, enjoy your kitchens more and easily add variety to your meal routine. Join our community and download your FREE Pantry Resource Guide at www.kitchencue.com.

 

© 2010 Kol Ha’kavod, LLC.  The information here is not to be used or reprinted without permission.

Summer Beet Risotto with Kale and Goat Cheese

 

Look at this luscious, rich springtime beet risotto!  Creamy and delicious, risotto is a great technique for using the bounty from your spring and summer gardens!  Chef Shellie's two-part video teaches you the technique to making perfect risotto everytime!

For the Beet Risotto with Kale and Goat Cheese recipe click here!

 

 

 

 

Jim Lahey's "No Knead Bread"

Not being an avid bread baker, this bread has become one of my favorite weekend baking traditions.  I start it on Saturday night and by mid-day Sunday we have a delicious, hot loaf of bread emerging from the oven.  It's perfect everytime, with a crusty exterior and an airy, ciabatta like interior.  This recipe makes bread baking look easy!  Enjoy! 

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

 

Stuffings for Your Holiday Bird

As Thanksgiving approaches, the same questions and concerns about stuffing your turkey seem to surface. I love cooking my stuffing in the bird becasue it absorbs all of the delicious juices and gets moist and tender from the insulated cooking.  There is some concerns about the safety of cooking the stuffing in the turkey (or cooking stuffing in any protein for that matter) and I address all of those and tell you how to confidently do it in KitchenCUE's Volume 3: Roasting.

I have also just added some new video's to my Chef Shellie YouTube Channel that pertain to making stuffings and carving your bird.  Take a look and eliminate the turkey intimidation!

Here are a couple of stuffing recipes to inspire your Thanksgiving holiday!  Be well, be grateful and be happy! 

I'll see you in the kitchen...Chef Shellie

CHALLAH STUFFING

yield: stuffing for 12-14 pound turkey

 Olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely diced

¾ # mushroom, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. chopped fresh sage

¼ c. chopped parsley

8+ c. shredded challah bread – dryness is your preference

Broth to moisten (amount will vary based on dryness of bread but averages ½-1 cup)

In a large sauté pan set over medium high heat, film the bottom of the sauté pan with olive oil.   Add onion, celery and a pinch of salt and sauté until vegetables soften and begin to brown, 10-12 minutes.  Add mushrooms, another pinch of salt and sauté until mushrooms have softened and begun to release their water and caramelize.  Stir in sage and parsley and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds. 

Pour mixture into a large bowl.  Mix in bread and enough broth to make a moist stuffing; it should still be fluffy, not soggy.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  COOL stuffing completely before placing inside the cavity of turkey.

 

SAUSAGE STUFFING WITH FRESH HERBS, PECANS AND BOURBON

yield: stuffing for 12-14 pound turkey

12 oz. mild flavored sausage (i.e. breakfast sausage)

Olive oil, if needed

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely diced

¾ # mushroom, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. chopped fresh sage

2 t. chopped fresh rosemary

¼ c. chopped parsley

8 c. ½” cubed hearty Italian or sourdough bread – dryness is your preference

1 c. toasted pecans

¼ - 1/3 c. Bourbon

Broth to moisten (amount will vary based on dryness of bread but averages ½-1 cup)

In a large sauté pan set over medium high heat, crumble sausage and sauté until browned.  Remove sausage to a large bowl.

Add a little olive oil if needed, to film the bottom of the sauté pan.   Add onion, celery and a pinch of salt and sauté until vegetables soften and begin to brown, 8-10 minutes.  Add mushrooms, another pinch of salt and sauté until mushrooms have softened and begun to release their water (do not cook until juice evaporates). Stir in sage, rosemary and parsley and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds. 

Pour mixture into the bowl with the sausage.  Mix in bread and pecans.  Stir in Bourbon and enough broth to make a moist stuffing; it should still be fluffy, not soggy.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  COOL stuffing completely before placing inside the cavity of turkey.

Recipes provided by:Chef Shellie Kark

                                    KitchenCUE, everything you didn’t know about cooking

We are KitchenCUE; a company developed, devised, and dreamed by people who believe that we can help people utilize their inherent skills to create delicious, healthy meals with ease.  We distill techniques down into easy steps and give you the ability to create hundreds of dishes using a simple process.  Make your recipe books better, enjoy your kitchens more and easily add variety to your meal routine with this fun, educational, interactive DVD series.

Visit us at www.kitchencue.com to join our community and download your FREE Pantry Resource Guide.

© 2010 Kol Ha’kavod, LLC.  The information here is not to be used or reprinted without permission.

Green Tomato Salsa

Here is "Coleen's Amazin' Green Tomato Salsa" that was entered by Coleen Walsh into the Fresh City Life 2010 Salsa wars competition.  It is quite delicious and perfect for those green tomatoes we have hanging around at the end of the season!  Enjoy!

GREEN TOMATO SALSA

yield: approx. 3+ cups

 

2 - 3 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno with or without seeds depending on spice tolerance

4 large green tomatoes (heirloom are the best - pick the ones with just a little give)

1 almost all pink medium tomato

½ red bell pepper

½ medium red onion

¼ c. roasted green chiles

1/3 c. fresh corn kernels

1½ T. of cilantro

Juice of one lime

Capful of apple cider vinegar

Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Coarsely chop all ingredients then put in food processer and puree to a fine chop (if needed – do in batches and stir together in bowl - you can also dice/chop everything finely yourself).  Add lime, vinegar, salt and pepper at end to taste.  Place all ingredients in serving bowl and let it sit and marinate at room temperature for one hour before serving with fresh baked/fried chips.

Salsa Puttanesca

 

The Denver Public Library has a fabulous crew (a crew of 2, actually!) that put together the most amazing cultural programming, FREE to anyone who wants to take part.  The program is called Fresh City Life and it is worth checking out!  KitchenCUE is always lucky enough to be involved and this last month we participated in a series of cooking demonstrations based in the concept of "Street Food of South America".  I did two demonstrations, one on making Kibbe, a classic street food from Brazil and one centered in Mexico as we made Memelitas with Caramelized Onions, Black Beans and Queso Fresco.

 

The month log celebration of Street Food culminated with a salsa competition in which anyone could submit an original recipe and have an opportunity to win a $600 prize package!  We recieved many entries and widdled the pile down to six. 

 

Three judges assembled on a lovely Saturday afternoon outside the library and amidst Salsa music and dancing, tasted all of the salsa's and after much deliberation, we proclaimed a 1st prize winner.  All of the salsa's were unique and delicious so we will be posting all six recipes on my blog, on KitchenCUE's facebook page and on my colleague, Andrea Juarez' delicious blog Fork Fingers Chopsticks.

 

Here is the 1st place winning recipe for you to try!  The Caramelized Onion and Tomato Salsa (3rd place) and the Green Tomato Salsa (did not place but is still delicious!) will be coming shortly.  Try 'em out...there will be one in the mix that you will love!

 

SALSA PUTTANESCA

Salsa Italian Style

Yield: approx. 2 ½ cups

 

Do not be intimidated by the anchovy in this recipe.  It is so mild you can barely tell it is in there, yet it adds a nice saltiness and roundness to the salsa.  Use this salsa to top a piece of fish or some shrimp as they come off the grill.

 

3 medium, ripe tomatoes, diced

3 jalapeño peppers, finely diced, leave the seeds and veins on the jalapeños if you like the heat

½ medium onion, finely diced

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 T. olive oil

1 stalk celery, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2 anchovy filets, chopped

1½ T. capers

6 large green olives, pitted and diced

6 large black olives, pitted and diced

1 T. lemon juice

2 t. caper brine (the liquid the

 capers are packed in)

Fresh basil, chopped or chiffonade

 

Place half of the diced tomatoes in a medium mixing bowl; crush with a potato masher or by hand. Stir in the balance of the diced tomatoes and the jalapeños. Add the onion, salt and black pepper and stir to combine.

 

In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté the celery and red pepper until tender; add the anchovy, capers and olives and sauté until mixture is heated through. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

 

Pour the cooled puttanesca mixture into the tomatoes. Season with lemon juice, caper brine and a tablespoon or so of chopped basil. Allow this salsa to rest refrigerated several hours or overnight for the flavors to blend. Garnish with additional basil.

 

Submitted by: Beth Hewlett

Top 10 Tools for Your Kitchen

Spring is the season of new beginnings and the perfect opportunity to consider those things that clutter our lives and those that give us inspiration to be healthy, happy and fulfilled.

 

In the kitchen, simplicity is the name of game.  While distractions abound, with all the fabulous new gadgets we feel like we can’t live without, here is my list of tools that have vast functionality and really do make our life easier.

 

It goes without saying that a sharp chefs knife, a high quality sauté pan for those fresh, easy one-pan meals and a cutting board that won’t dull your knife are absolutely essential and at the top of the list.  With these basics handled, here are a few more supporting players that will round out the fundamental needs.

 

Mesh strainer – salvage your kitchen gaffes such as eggshells in crepe batter and curdled custard; produce soups with a luscious, silky texture; drain pasta and chopped tomatoes; sift dry ingredients and the list goes on and on.  A strainer makes you look good, even when you’re not quite feeling it!

Sharpening steel – use it every time you grab your knife to hone the edge and cut with less effort.  You will be amazed at the difference it makes and every KitchenCUE DVD contains a “how to” video on using a steel.

Small bowls for mise en place – meaning “everything in its place”, they allow you to get organized and work clean.

Serrated knife –Use this knife to cut citrus fruits, tomatoes and other acidic ingredients which will otherwise dull the edge of your chefs knife.

Heat resistant spatula – combines the flexibility of a traditional rubber spatula with the heat-resistant qualities of a metal kitchen utensil.  Use in temperatures up to 500 degrees without the fear of melting plastic into your food or damaging the bottom of your pots and pans.

Parchment paper – certainly not essential but it absolutely makes clean up, and thus your life, easier!  Use it anytime you put a sheet pan in the oven; baking cookies, making croutons, toasting nuts, etc. 

Peeler – always needed, have one that works…well!

 

Take a look at what is causing your drawers to overflow, and simplify it all.  Every tool needs to pull its weight.  Make this the beginning of peace, health and joy in your kitchen!

 

Focusing on the clever and simple guidelines of Michael Pollan’s new book Food Rules, Chef Shellie Kark will inspire the "enlightened mindset" and demonstrate new cooking strategies that will make you feel better, eat healthier and help you live a more sustainable life. Week 1: Rule #25 Eat Your Colors! Visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kitchencue for more information on the event!