Tonight, summer arrived for me. Yes, we've already had some hot days. And it's true, I actually don't like hot weather, so I wasn't complaining that June was colder and wetter than usual around here. But there was one problem with our cold and wet June: no tomatoes.
But tonight, we finally enjoyed what to me is the taste of summer -- tomatoes. And not just tomatoes any old way, but tomatoes in Caprese Salad.
Of course, I haven't been to the Isle of Capri off the coast of southern Italy. The closest Kathleen and I got was Naples, which is close, but no cigar. Yet I have fallen in love with this delectable salad inspired by that celebrate island.
Caprese Salad is simple to make, but easy to mess up. To really enjoy this dish, you have to use vine-ripened tomatoes. You cannot make this with hothouse tomatoes or canned tomatoes. And you need to use fresh basil. And fresh mozzarella. And extra virgin olive oil.
4 tomatoes
20-25 fresh basil leaves
1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Wash basil leaves and dry in a salad spinner or on clean kitchen towel. Slice mozzarella 1/4 inch thick and about the same size as the tomato slices.
Arrange the tomato, basil and mozzarella on a platter in a circle (first a tomato slice, then a basil leaf, followed by a slice of mozzarella, and repeat). Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Tip: Refrigerating tomatoes will destroy their texture. Leave them on the kitchen counter instead, and eat them within a few days. If you have more than you can eat, you can:
1. Make tomato sauce and freeze the sauce
2. Make salsa
3. Give tomatoes to your friends, neighbors and family members who don't have gardens. They'll thank you!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Last Night's Experiment -- Verdict: Delicious
Chicken Strudel
You may remember that last night I tried another culinary experiment. It was delicious! It turned out great. Not only was it easy to make, much easier than I feared, it tasted great. So great that there were no leftovers.
Serves 4
2 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 scallion, chopped (both the green and the white parts)
¼ cup raisins
½ cup cashews, chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mango chutney
1 tablespoon apple juice
2 teaspoons curry powder
8 tablespoons butter, melted
10 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed out in the refrigerator overnight
2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the shredded chicken, the chopped scallion, the raisins and the cashews in a bowl.
Add the mayonnaise, chutney, apple juice and curry powder to the bowl of a food processor. Whir to form a sauce, which will probably be more sauce then you will need for the dish.
Stir together the chicken mixture with just enough sauce to moisten. Set aside.
Unfold 1 sheet of phyllo dough, with the long side in front of you. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with some of the bread crumbs. Add a second sheet on top of the first, brush with butter and sprinkle the bread crumbs. Repeat till you have five layers. Spoon half of the chicken mixture in an even line, about 1 inch in from the long side. Roll it up, brush with melted butter and set aside. Repeat the entire process using the remaining phyllo dough, melted butter, bread crumbs and chicken mixture.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Score the strudel diagonally at approximately 1 ½ inch intervals. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly brown on top. Slice through the score marks, and serve.
You may remember that last night I tried another culinary experiment. It was delicious! It turned out great. Not only was it easy to make, much easier than I feared, it tasted great. So great that there were no leftovers.
Serves 4
2 ½ cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 scallion, chopped (both the green and the white parts)
¼ cup raisins
½ cup cashews, chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mango chutney
1 tablespoon apple juice
2 teaspoons curry powder
8 tablespoons butter, melted
10 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed out in the refrigerator overnight
2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the shredded chicken, the chopped scallion, the raisins and the cashews in a bowl.
Add the mayonnaise, chutney, apple juice and curry powder to the bowl of a food processor. Whir to form a sauce, which will probably be more sauce then you will need for the dish.
Stir together the chicken mixture with just enough sauce to moisten. Set aside.
Unfold 1 sheet of phyllo dough, with the long side in front of you. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with some of the bread crumbs. Add a second sheet on top of the first, brush with butter and sprinkle the bread crumbs. Repeat till you have five layers. Spoon half of the chicken mixture in an even line, about 1 inch in from the long side. Roll it up, brush with melted butter and set aside. Repeat the entire process using the remaining phyllo dough, melted butter, bread crumbs and chicken mixture.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Score the strudel diagonally at approximately 1 ½ inch intervals. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly brown on top. Slice through the score marks, and serve.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Tonight's Culinary Experiment
Tonight, we try something new -- Chicken Curry Strudel. I'm taking a favorite -- a chicken salad recipe with curry powder, chutney, etc. -- modifying it, and putting it inside phyllo dough. Of course I have never used phyllo dough, so that in and of itself should be challenging.
To me, this has potential. It sounds delicious.
Will it work? Or will we order take out? I'll let you know tomorrow.
To me, this has potential. It sounds delicious.
Will it work? Or will we order take out? I'll let you know tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Singing the Mealtime Prayer
One of our family’s current favorite ways to pray before meals is to sing our prayer. Usually we sing a slightly modified version of a traditional prayer, “God Is Great and God Is Good,” to the tune Hendon, the music for the hymn “Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know.”
God is great and God is good,
Let us thank him for our food.
By his hand we all are fed,
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread.
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread. Amen.
You can also sing this gender-inclusive version, which makes it clear that God is neither male nor female:
God is great and God is good,
Let us thank God for our food.
By God’s hand we all are fed,
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread.
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread. Amen.
Another good sung mealtime prayer is often called “The Wesley Grace,” although the words are attributed to John Cennick.
Be present at our table, Lord;
Be here and everywhere adored;
Thy creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in paradise with thee. Amen.
This prayer, which reminds us of Jesus’ promise that we are invited to a great heavenly banquet with God, is usually sung to the tune Old 100th, a tune that has been used for the doxology sung in many Protestant worship traditions.
Singing the mealtime prayer is not just reserved for families with children; it is also appropriate for adults of all ages. Dean McIntyre, who works for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, joyfully reminds gatherings of worship leaders that singing our grace reminds us not only of the spiritual dimension of food, but also the joy of sharing a meal with others.
God is great and God is good,
Let us thank him for our food.
By his hand we all are fed,
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread.
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread. Amen.
You can also sing this gender-inclusive version, which makes it clear that God is neither male nor female:
God is great and God is good,
Let us thank God for our food.
By God’s hand we all are fed,
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread.
Thank you, Lord, for daily bread. Amen.
Another good sung mealtime prayer is often called “The Wesley Grace,” although the words are attributed to John Cennick.
Be present at our table, Lord;
Be here and everywhere adored;
Thy creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in paradise with thee. Amen.
This prayer, which reminds us of Jesus’ promise that we are invited to a great heavenly banquet with God, is usually sung to the tune Old 100th, a tune that has been used for the doxology sung in many Protestant worship traditions.
Singing the mealtime prayer is not just reserved for families with children; it is also appropriate for adults of all ages. Dean McIntyre, who works for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, joyfully reminds gatherings of worship leaders that singing our grace reminds us not only of the spiritual dimension of food, but also the joy of sharing a meal with others.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Planning Tips to Make Meals Simple
Money-saving Tip: As you plan your weekly menu, consult the supermarket circulars to see what food items are on sale. Who knows, this might be the week you can splurge on filet mignon because of a special at your local store!
Family-friendly Tip: Include the whole family in your menu planning. It can be as easy as asking, “What would you like to have for dinner this week?” Not only will asking the question help you come up with ideas, it will also help dinner be more of a true family meal. And if you have fussy eaters, they may be more willing to eat dinner when they help plan it.
Time-saving and Money-saving Tip: As you plan your dinner menu, prepare a shopping list. List all the ingredients you will need to buy for each dinner planned. Your list ensures that you will have everything you need when you need it. The list will save you time – you won’t have to go back to the store again and again to get a needed item you forgot. And the list will save you money – with a list, you are less likely to buy on items on impulse that you do not need. Plus when you go to the store less frequently, you are less tempted to overspend. The Marketing Science Institute reports that shoppers on a “quick trip” to the store usually spent 54 percent more than planned. ("Save Money on Food," February 26, 2008, Kiplinger.com) The fewer quick trips you make to the store, the more money you will save.
Another Time-saving Tip: If you are a regular customer of a supermarket, you can save time by organizing your list according to where the items are in the store. At the store I frequent, the produce department is at the door, so fruits and vegetables are first on my list. I know that canned tomato products are in the same aisle as dried pasta, so I list them together on my list. Dairy products and eggs are at the far-end of the store from the entrance, so those items are at the bottom of my list. Instead of zig-zagging around the store, back-tracking to get what I need, and forgetting something I need, I save time by organizing my list as the store is organized.
Yet Another Time-Saving Tip: When you plan your menu for the week, you can also plan for leftovers. I will be honest with you: I hate leftovers. Let me clarify that: I hate eating leftovers that have simply been heated up. But when you plan for leftovers, you can creatively make them into a totally different meal. If you have chicken salad on Sunday, you can roast extra chicken and have risotto with chicken and asparagus or chicken enchiladas later in the week. If you have tomato sauce in the freezer from when you made a big batch two weeks ago, you can have spaghetti and meatballs with your own homemade sauce in half an hour.
Family-friendly Tip: Include the whole family in your menu planning. It can be as easy as asking, “What would you like to have for dinner this week?” Not only will asking the question help you come up with ideas, it will also help dinner be more of a true family meal. And if you have fussy eaters, they may be more willing to eat dinner when they help plan it.
Time-saving and Money-saving Tip: As you plan your dinner menu, prepare a shopping list. List all the ingredients you will need to buy for each dinner planned. Your list ensures that you will have everything you need when you need it. The list will save you time – you won’t have to go back to the store again and again to get a needed item you forgot. And the list will save you money – with a list, you are less likely to buy on items on impulse that you do not need. Plus when you go to the store less frequently, you are less tempted to overspend. The Marketing Science Institute reports that shoppers on a “quick trip” to the store usually spent 54 percent more than planned. ("Save Money on Food," February 26, 2008, Kiplinger.com) The fewer quick trips you make to the store, the more money you will save.
Another Time-saving Tip: If you are a regular customer of a supermarket, you can save time by organizing your list according to where the items are in the store. At the store I frequent, the produce department is at the door, so fruits and vegetables are first on my list. I know that canned tomato products are in the same aisle as dried pasta, so I list them together on my list. Dairy products and eggs are at the far-end of the store from the entrance, so those items are at the bottom of my list. Instead of zig-zagging around the store, back-tracking to get what I need, and forgetting something I need, I save time by organizing my list as the store is organized.
Yet Another Time-Saving Tip: When you plan your menu for the week, you can also plan for leftovers. I will be honest with you: I hate leftovers. Let me clarify that: I hate eating leftovers that have simply been heated up. But when you plan for leftovers, you can creatively make them into a totally different meal. If you have chicken salad on Sunday, you can roast extra chicken and have risotto with chicken and asparagus or chicken enchiladas later in the week. If you have tomato sauce in the freezer from when you made a big batch two weeks ago, you can have spaghetti and meatballs with your own homemade sauce in half an hour.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Pipe Dream?
You may think that the idea of everyday celebrations is a pipe dream. Who can pull off a sit-down dinner every day? It seems unworkable, both for two-parent families where both husband and wife work outside the home, and for those who are single. Shopping, cooking, cleaning up are just the tip of the iceberg. Even coming up with what to have for dinner can be challenging. And then to celebrate the spiritual dimensions of meals on top of it all?
“The meal is not something that Americans see as primary in their lives,” according to Darra Goldstein, editor in chief of Gastronomica, a food and culture journal. “Eating is something they do while they’re doing something else.” (“Takeout Transition: Restaurant used to be where folks would eat in,” The News Journal, June 19, 2007)
Phyllis Tickle writes that the changed dynamics of family life over the last three or four decades “translates to the complete reorientation of the evening hours in the family’s life. The solidifying bond of a shared meal is often sacrificed.” Tickle asserts that the change in family life also leads to the sacrifice of “the traditional time of family-based religious instruction and formation.” (Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence, p. 115)
We cannot turn the calendar back to the 1950s, even if we wanted to. Instead, we can re-configure mealtime. This blog is filled with suggestions for how to realistically get meals ready, tips for how meals can be more social (even for those who live alone), ideas to enhance the spiritual nature of eating, and of course recipes for succulent dishes.
Everyday celebrations are not only possible, but life-giving.
“The meal is not something that Americans see as primary in their lives,” according to Darra Goldstein, editor in chief of Gastronomica, a food and culture journal. “Eating is something they do while they’re doing something else.” (“Takeout Transition: Restaurant used to be where folks would eat in,” The News Journal, June 19, 2007)
Phyllis Tickle writes that the changed dynamics of family life over the last three or four decades “translates to the complete reorientation of the evening hours in the family’s life. The solidifying bond of a shared meal is often sacrificed.” Tickle asserts that the change in family life also leads to the sacrifice of “the traditional time of family-based religious instruction and formation.” (Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence, p. 115)
We cannot turn the calendar back to the 1950s, even if we wanted to. Instead, we can re-configure mealtime. This blog is filled with suggestions for how to realistically get meals ready, tips for how meals can be more social (even for those who live alone), ideas to enhance the spiritual nature of eating, and of course recipes for succulent dishes.
Everyday celebrations are not only possible, but life-giving.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Meals that Are Simple
I remember a television commercial that used to drive me crazy. It begins just after a family has finished eating dinner. Dad and the children are in the family room, having fun. But Mom is stuck in the kitchen, cleaning up. Poor Mom is washing the dishes, while everyone else is playing. The solution? According to this commercial: buy paper plates! At the end of the commercial, after the family has eaten on paper plates, Mom is in the family room, joining the fun with everyone else.
That commercial taps in to a real frustration: having dinner at home can be a lot of work. Watching that paper plate commercial, the viewer gets the distinct sense that most likely Mom did all the work preparing for dinner, too: planning, shopping, cooking, and setting the table. Disposable plates might seem like part of the solution to the daily frustration.
Of course, there is another way, a way to make food simple.
Sitting down to an everyday celebration can seem a monumental task when you ask yourself, “Okay, what am I going to make for dinner?” on your way home from work. The drive-through window, the frozen entrée aisle at the supermarket, and the stack of take out menus at home are all appealing at 5:30.
There is nothing wrong with asking the question, “What am I going to make for dinner?” In fact, it is a great question, when you ask it early enough.
How early? I recommend asking that question for the entire week as you plan meals in advance. You may be thinking, “I thought this is supposed to make food simple? Planning in advance doesn’t sound simple.” While advance planning may not sound simple at first, trust me, it is. Not only does planning simplify your meal preparation, it will also save you money and save you time.
Start planning by deciding your dinner menu for the week. You can come up with ideas by scanning cookbooks, watching television cooking shows, or thumbing through the recipes in this book. Have a hectic Wednesday coming up? That may be the perfect time to have a dinner you can prepare in a flash. Have a late day on Friday? Then Friday may be the day to break out the slow cooker and plan a little preparation time in the morning so dinner will be ready when you get home.
That commercial taps in to a real frustration: having dinner at home can be a lot of work. Watching that paper plate commercial, the viewer gets the distinct sense that most likely Mom did all the work preparing for dinner, too: planning, shopping, cooking, and setting the table. Disposable plates might seem like part of the solution to the daily frustration.
Of course, there is another way, a way to make food simple.
Sitting down to an everyday celebration can seem a monumental task when you ask yourself, “Okay, what am I going to make for dinner?” on your way home from work. The drive-through window, the frozen entrée aisle at the supermarket, and the stack of take out menus at home are all appealing at 5:30.
There is nothing wrong with asking the question, “What am I going to make for dinner?” In fact, it is a great question, when you ask it early enough.
How early? I recommend asking that question for the entire week as you plan meals in advance. You may be thinking, “I thought this is supposed to make food simple? Planning in advance doesn’t sound simple.” While advance planning may not sound simple at first, trust me, it is. Not only does planning simplify your meal preparation, it will also save you money and save you time.
Start planning by deciding your dinner menu for the week. You can come up with ideas by scanning cookbooks, watching television cooking shows, or thumbing through the recipes in this book. Have a hectic Wednesday coming up? That may be the perfect time to have a dinner you can prepare in a flash. Have a late day on Friday? Then Friday may be the day to break out the slow cooker and plan a little preparation time in the morning so dinner will be ready when you get home.
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