The Stock Pot

At a cooking school I attended a while back, the chef said restaurant chefs never throw anything away. He told me lots of restaurant chefs save their scraps of vegetables and make a pot of homemade stock every week, a practice I've been trying to get in the habit of ever since.

Now, I save the scraps, ends, peelings of everything-- onions, garlic, leeks, carrots, ends of celery in a large Tupperware in my freezer. (More on my freezer organization system later. According to my friend, it's a small wonder.)

About once a month, or whenever I have the time, I make a pot of homemade stock with my little treasure chest of scraps and whatever else I have in the cupboard or refrigerator in need of disposing. I usually also freeze the bones from rotisserie chickens I get during hectic weeks and throw that in with some fresh herbs too. I cover it with cold water, simmer for a few hours and when the house smells like heaven, season to taste. Voila. Homemade stock for immediate use or to freeze for later, and a nice little cost saving, especially if you make a lot of soup like me!

Lemon Butter Thanksgiving Rutabega

My very favorite food for Thanksgiving is... rutabega! That's right. My Grandma Helen mashed it up and served it on her table and my mother, her daughter, carried on the tradition. My mom wanted a slightly different recipe, and today we have lemon butter rutabega on our table every Turkey Day. It's the perfect complement to the heavy sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, and the lemon cuts some of the sweetness in the other dishes. Here's how to make it:

Here's a rutabega:

Peel the rutabega (this part is a beyotch. It's got a waxy coating all over it, so make sure you have a great peeler or a sharp knife.), and ignore my tea cup:

 Once the rutabega is peeled, cut it into chunks. You will mash these eventually, so they don't have to be pretty. Boil the rutabega until soft. You'll want them to be the texture of boiled potatoes before you mash them. Drain the rutabega.

Juice one lemon into a small bowl. I broke my mom's handheld juicer, so she showed me this cool trick (let it be known she did not want to be on the blog. But I got her hands, BOOM!): Heat them lemon in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Then, cut in half and place in the lever of a pair of tongs. Squeeze- you're in business!

Add the lemon juice, a pinch of Kosher salt and about 4 Tbsp of butter to the rutabega while hot and proceed to mash.

Serve as a perfect an unexpected side dish.

Radicchio with Cranberries, Walnuts and Gorgonzola in a Rasbperry Balsamic Dressing

I definitely could have shortened that title. Moving along...

My college friends and I recently held our annual "Friendsgiving" event. Everyone brings a dish, and the host provides the turkey, stuffing and some sides. I was tasked with bringing salad. Crap. I hate bringing salads since there aren't any that are really stellar, and because let's face it, it's hard to show off when the main ingredient is lettuce! Ordinarily, I bring my mom's famous Cesare salad, but our friend is known for his Cesare, so that was out. 

So I did what I do most Saturday mornings-- I pulled out every single cookbook I have and scoured them in search of the perfect recipe.

I came up with this salad after looking at probably no less than 30 recipes. I began with the dressing, and settled on a balsamic recipe with a "twist" thanks to a few tablespoons of fruit jam. (I chose raspberry- my favorite!) Everything else had to complement that.

I knew I wanted romaine, because everyone eats romaine, but also wanted to add the bitter radicchio because of its festive color and bitter taste to help "cut" some of the sugar in the dressing. I then added walnuts for crunch, low-sugar Craisins to add a holiday feel and a bold Gorgonzola. For decoration, I cut the a rose out of radicchio and placed it on top.

It was a hit! (Disclosure-- I ate this three nights in a row. Mmmm!) 

Raspberry Balsamic Dressing

1/4 cup good quality olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. fruit jam (use any kind you like, but make sure to use seedless!)
1/2 tsp Truvia (or any sweetener; even honey would work)

Pour all ingredients into a shaker bottle (or a bowl) and shake (or whisk) until combined and the jam has broken down and the dressing is the consistency of honey. Add a pinch of salt if you like.

Hurricane Pot Pie

I wish I could say I had a better reason to bake a chicken pot pie than a hurricane, but I can't. Does anyone ever really NEED a reason to make a chicken pot pie?

At any rate, as we braced for Hurricane Sandy to sweep across the state, I took an inventory of my fridge and freezer. Knowing we'd likely lose power, and I'd have to throw everything out, I tried to quickly come up with recipes that could use up things on hand. I had a pie crust (Only one! So I had no bottom crust in this recipe) and a chicken breast, and a whole drawer of fresh vegetables from the farmer's market. Combined- pot pie. Done.

We ended up actually heating this on my parent's grill and eating it by candlelight in a cold house, but it was delicious nonetheless.

Ingredients

• 1 peeled potato
• 2-3 carrots 
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• Roasted chicken (I used whatever I had left from a breast that I roasted with thyme and lemon)
  
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 pie crust

Directions

• Place potatoes and carrots in a pot with water, cook until soft, then drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme (or whatever herbs you have on hand) and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat and dump into a pie pan.
• Roll the pastry out on top of the pie filling. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.(I cheat and use a pan with it done for me!!)
• Bake pie at 425° for about 40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

 Adapted slightly from: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Chicken-Potpie-3

How to Roast Garlic

I've always loved the savory roasted garlic flavor in roasted garlic butter spreads in upscale restaurants, but I never knew how to make it. Well, I am an idiot! This was so easy and simple!! Just cut the tops off of the garlic, pack them up in a pretty pan, drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper over the top, cover with aluminum foil and pop them in a 425 degree oven until browned (or until your house smells like the kitchen of an Italian restaurant. Is there a better smell in life?) Check out the before and afters below.

You can put the roasted garlic in anything. I used some of mine in mashed potatoes (delicious!) and the other half to make roasted garlic butter for a crusty French bread.

Try it!