Oh! Rosemary!

  I really like dishes that include the distinctive flavor of rosemary.  I have a bush growing right by my back door.  Every time I walk out I pull a little and rub it in my hands, just to smell that wonderful, fresh aroma.  No matter the weather, it stays!  It's a wonderful flavoring for vegetables, meats, and stews.  Today I'm sharing a really simple side dish, rosemary cannelini beans and  a recipe for a succulent rosemary chicken. I first heard a version of the cannelini beans on "The Splendid Table" program on NPR.  It's hard to believe that something so tasty is so simple! The chicken is one that was created in my kitchen.

Rosemary Cannelini Beans

1 can of cannelini beans

1 teaspoon of rosemary (More if you love rosemary like I do!)

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

olive oil

1.  Heat the beans on top of the stove

2.  Add rosemary and stir

3.  Serve in individual bowls with a good drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper

Rosemary Chicken

1 chicken, spatchcocked (good instructions here:  http://www.nakedwhiz.com/spatch.htm)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp. chili pepper flakes

1 tsp. sea salt

1.  Combine olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary and pepper flakes

2.  Rub mixture all over chicken and place in a non-reactive dish

3.  Place, covered in refrigerator

4.  After one hour flip the chicken and leave in the refrigerator for another hour

5.  Cook for one hour on a grill (about 350)

Shrimp and Grits

This is a real favorite for my family these days. Although it sounds complicated. it really isn't.!   If you prep the vegetables and shrimp ahead of time you can prepare this quickly for a group and seem to be be the completely cool chef! You'll need to have the shrimp portion and the grits prepared simultaneously.

Ingredient (Shrimp portion)
The Shrimp

2 slices bacon
1/2/ yellow onion, sliced
1/2 large green pepper, cut in strips
1 tbs. flour
1/2 cup beer
1 cup water
1 Tsp. Tony Chacere's original creole seasoning
1 dash Tabasco
1 1/2#   shrimp, cleaned and deveined

Cook bacon until done and remove.  Saute onion and green pepper until tender.  Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until blended, add beer and stir until smooth, add 1 cup water and stir until smooth. Add Tony Chascere's amd Tabasco, stir until blended.  Add shrimp and cook for 5 minutes.  Crumble bacon over shrimp.

Grits

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits*
• 1/2 (8-ounce) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 (8-ounce) block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Bring 5 cups water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened.
 Stir in Cheddar cheese and remaining ingredients until cheese is melted and mixture is blended. Serve immediately.
*Stone-ground grits may be substituted. Increase liquid to 6 cups, and increase cook time to 50 minutes.

Serve shrimp over grits.

It's Not Figgy Pudding...It's Figgy Salad

I know we usually think of using figs during the summer when we can get them fresh from the fig trees.  I make this "Figgy Salad" lots during the summer, thanks to the abundant crops of figs my mother's fig tree produces.  However, I made this salad, for the first time, one New Year's Eve with figs I found at Fresh Market.  The original recipe calls for a dressing made by whisking together 2 Tbs. of lemon juice with 4 Tbs. olive oil.  I changed that to a balsamic reduction which, I think, makes this salad amazing.  For my vegetarian friends, I think you could leave off the meat, add some nuts and feta cheese...sounds yummy to me!


Ingredients:
9-12 ripe figs
6 slices prosciutto
12 thin slices good salami
1 small bunch of fresh basil
mint sprigs (just a few)
1 small bunch of arugula leaves or packaged Baby Spring Mix


1.  Trim the stem off the figs, cut into quarters
2.  Arrange the prosciutto and salami on 6 salad plates
3.  Mix greens together and place a portion on meats
4.  Arrange figs on top of greens
5.  Dress with either a dressing made with 2 tbs. lemon juice/4tbs. Olive oil or Balsamic reduction

Balsamic Reduction

Bring 1 cup of Balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Turn the heat to low and reduce to 1/3 to ½ cup.

The vinegar will thicken as it cools.

Refrigerate in a covered container.

*This will keep in a cool place for months

Memories Bubble in a Cocktail

Today Wayne and I had lunch in Williamsburg at King's Arms Tavern.  It brought back such fond memories of the many years we went to Williamsburg for the day with 2, sometimes 3, "couple friends".  We'd leave home in the morning, spend the day wandering around the colonial area and always have lunch at King's Arms Tavern  ending the day with dinner at one of the great restaurants in Williamsburg.  I remember well the year we all went in our conversion van and the hilarious time we had that day!  Great memories with wonderful friends at Christmas!  The favorite cocktail for the gals was the lunchtime Champagne Cocktail at Kings Arms.  I hope to be toasting with some of these same friends on New Years!

Williamsburg Memories Champagne Cocktail

·         6 oz. chilled champagne

·         1 cube sugar

·         1 maraschino cherry

  Angostura® bitters

·         Lemon twist

Place sugar cube and maraschino in the bottom of a champagne flute and soak it with bitters. Fill with champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Enjoy!

Crazy Crispy Kale

After posting about cooking greens I had a complaint from my son-in-law that I did not include a recipe the Mason kids love, "Crazy, Crispy, Kale".  Since 3 of the Masons were here for the weekend, I had them teach me how to make it last night.  It was so simple!  We had guests for dinner and served it as a appetizer...everyone was amazed!  So here, from the Mason kids, is "Crazy, Crispy, Kale".



Kale, stemmed and torn in pieces (the bagged, already washed and stemmed is perfect)
Pam Olive Oil Spray
Salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  Lightly spray cookie sheet with Pam
3.  Spread kale on cookie sheet in one layer
4.  Lightly spray kale with Pam
5.  Lightly salt
6.  Cook in preheated oven until krispy, about 4 minutes

Party Perfect Eye of Round

Yesterday  I was chatting with my daughter, Amanda, about her annual Christmas party and the menu.  One of the favorites she prepares is a wonderful eye of round roast beef.  I first got this recipe years ago from Ellen, a family friend.  It's been a favorite for lots of folks around here and a version is included in the Arts Council cookbook, Plate and Palate.  It works for different cuts of roasts, but I think it's best done with an eye of round.  It's great for a party, served thinly sliced with horseradish, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and Kaiser rolls.  You'll be amazed at how simple this is!

1.  Purchase an eye of round roast (or another cut if you prefer)
2.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees
3.  Pierce the roast several places all over with knife and insert 1/4 clove of garlic in each spot.
4.  Season all over with black pepper and salt
5. Place uncovered roast in pan and cook according to weight:

• 5 minutes per pound for rare
• 6 minutes per pound for medium
• 7 minutes per pound for well done

6. After the calculated time cut the oven off and...DO NOT OPEN FOR 2 HOURS!

Remove, after the 2 hours, and cover with foil.  Slice, just before serving.

My New Favorite Color...Green!

If you grew up in the south, you often had "greens" at the table.  Collard greens and turnip greens were most frequent, with kale and "mixed greens" sometimes making an appearance.  Cooking greens was quite a process.  Most of the greens came right out of someone's garden so the first step was to wash them multiple times to remove all of the garden dirt and grit.  While this was going on either salt or corned pork was cooking in a big pot.  The greens cooked for a long time, until they almost turned to mush. Potatoes and cornmeal dumplings were always added to the pot.  Mu mom still cooks collard greens at Christmas with the potatoes and cornmeal dumplings and they are delicious.

I cook greens now at least 2 times during the week, usually it's kale or spinach, but sometimes turnip greens or a mixture of turnip and mustard greens.  I'd like to say I go pick them out of my garden but that would not be true.  I buy them at the grocery store, usually in the handy-dandy bag, already washed, stemmed, and chopped.  Sometimes I buy them loose, and remove stems and chop myself.  Greens are so healthy and kale, now, is getting great press about being the most healthy.

Quick Spinach

Serves 4

1 #  baby spinach

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. sun-dried tomato, finely chopped

1 Tsp. toasted pine nuts (optional)

1.  Wash and dry spinach

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet

3. Add garlic and sun-dried tomato to skillet and saute for 1 minute

4.  Add spinach and cook until wilted

5. Top with pine nuts and serve immediately

Kale ( or Turnip Greens, Mixed Greens)

1 # greens, washed, stemmed and chopped (large pieces)

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.  Parboil the greens by putting them in a pot of boiling water.  Cooks for just a few minutes, until they have a vibrant green color.  Drain completely.

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet

3. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute

4.   Add greens to skillet and cook, covered for 5 minutes, remove cover and cook for another 2 minutes.

Oysters Rock!

This delectable bivalve mollusk is now being harvested in the NC waters.  This year harvesting was delayed a month with all of us waiting anxiously until November to get our first sample.  After our family's Thanksgiving oyster roast (oysters are actually steamed), the verdict is in...they are big, salty, and delicious!

Yesterday Wayne opened a peck and I prepared Oysters Rockefeller for dinner last night.  I've found two short cuts for preparation: (I'm sure professional chefs might look down their oyster knives at this!)

• If I'm preparing these for a large group I go to the fish market and buy oysters already shucked.  The problem with already shucked oysters is that they have been washed which removes most of the salt from the oyster.  So, I drain the oysters, put them in a bowl and add a little bit of salt. I taste a raw one to make sure I've gotten in right. (You can do this...they'll slide right down your throat!)
• At the first oyster roast I attend, I gather up about 4 dozen oyster shells, take them home and wash them well, even boiling after washing.  These become the shells I use all season (wash by hand after using).

Oyster Rockefeller

Ingredients:

4 Tbs. butter

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 shallots, minced

3 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/4 cup Ouzo (most recipes call for Pernod, I can't find it here.  I found Ouzo to be a great substitute)

A dash of salt and pepper

1 Tbs. parsley

2 dozen shucked oysters

2 dozen clean oyster shells

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese,shredded

Olive Oil

Rock Salt (sold here by Morton in a red box and called ice cream salt)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Melt butter in skillet and saute garlic for two minutes.  Put the Panko in a small bowl and add half the butter mixture, parsley, and stir until combined and set aside.  Put the pan with the remaining butter mixture back on the burner and add shallots and spinach and cook until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the Ouzo and saute for another 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fill the bottom of a cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan with a layer of the rock salt.  Place oyster shells on the salt and fill each with an oyster (if the oysters are small I put 2).  Spoon a teaspoon of the spinach mixture on top of each oysters followed by a heaping teaspoon of the Panko mixture   Top each oyster with Parmesan cheese, then drizzle a little olive over each one. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until golden.

The Not So Secret "Secret" Pickled Shrimp Recipe...The recipe Everyone Will Want From You!

All of us living here in Eastern North Carolina know, for sure, the best shrimp, anywhere, come right out of the Pamlico Sound!  We've found all kinds of ways to prepare these delicious sea creatures.  Years ago, a neighbor of my mom and dad's (Joe) brought over, what he called, pickled shrimp.  It was amazing and was devoured quickly.  This was back when we got shrimp for fifty cents a pound off of the shrimp boats.  My mother, Edna, would purchase fifty pounds at the time and freeze them.  One year Edna decided she had to make Joe's pickled shrimp and asked for the recipe.  Come to find out, this recipe was a huge secret, given to Joe by someone who had worked for his wife's family.  But Joe, loving mom's ham biscuits, relented and gave her the "secret" recipe.  Now, after more than 30 years, the pickled shrimp recipe is not a secret any more.  I will say that I have never seen this recipe in all of my reading recipes... on line, in magazines and in cook books.  If you like shrimp and really want to impress, this is a must.  It will last for a couple of weeks in the frig, and the red onions are especially good at the end.  You can double, even triple, this recipe and you will have none left!

2# Shrimp
1 lemon
Bay leaves (for boiling shrimp and making layers)
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
Small bottle of capers (optional)
2 8 oz. bottles of Catalina dressing
2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
hot sauce (to taste)

1. Clean shrimp, removing vein, and tail.  The best gadget I've used to do this is a red plastic deveiner.  It takes off the shell, vein, and tail in one step.  It's available at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/chefgadget-Shrimp-Deveiner-and-Cleaner/dp/B003MB08JC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1323530735&sr=8-2
2. Put a gallon of water in a large pot with 3 bay leaves and a lemon, halved.  After the water begins to boil add the shrimp.  As soon as the water returns to a boil dump the shrimp into a colander and cool immediately with cold water.  Set aside.
3. In a bowl combine Catalina dressing, Worcestershire Sauce, lemon juice, olive oil and hot sauce.  Do a taste test....sometimes I add more lemon juice.
4. In a 2 quart container (not metallic) make layers of shrimp, red onion slices, 1/2 tsp. capers, and 4-6 bay leaves.  When layers are complete, pour sauce over all. 
5.  Hide in your refrigerator over night.

Wyatt's Favorite: "Korean Beef"

Wyatt was the most adventurous eater of all my children.  He would try different things and had a great palate when he was just a little boy.  He loved being in the kitchen, watching and helping me cook.  I remember how he would come up behind me when I was cooking and lift me off the floor, showing off his strength.  Wyatt spent hours watching Emeril cook and became pretty skilled at the "pan flipping" skill.  When he was about 8 years old we visited a Korean restaurant in Arlington.  We ordered several dishes but his favorite, as well as his brothers, was Bulgogi.  Wyatt became quite a good cook, especially at the grill at Peaches in Myrtle Beach .  I remember well a night in May when he prepared tequila grilled shrimp skewers, it was a really special evening with just Wyatt, Wayne and me...

Here's my version of "Korean Beef" I don't have the nerve to call it  Bulgogi!
2-3 # flank steak or london broil
Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 tbs. sherry
3 tbs. sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tbs. toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Combine all marinade ingedients in a gallon zip lock bag with the meat.  Marinate for 8 hours.
On a hot grill sear the meat on both sides and grill as you would a good steak. Let stand for 5 minutes covered with foil.  Slice thinly, "on the bias".

Joel's Favorite: Chili

Joel was not the easiest Blanks to feed when he was younger.  Once I realized that he really liked plain ol' food, the problem was solved.  He has some recipes of his own including unbelievable barbecued chicken, fried fish, and a Thai shrimp soup (not so plain ol') that I'll share some time.  I think his most requested dish is chili.  With this cold snap, I thought I'd share my very simple chili recipe.

2# hamburger (I get very lean)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 large green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
3 19 oz. cans of dark red kidney beans
tomato juice
hot sauce

1.  Brown hamburger with onion and green pepper
2. Add cumin, chili powder and stir until blended
3.  Add kidney beans and simmer for 15 minutes
4. Add enough tomato juice to create the consistency you like; my family likes it thick!
5. Add hot sauce to taste
6.  Simmer for 30 minutes
7.  Cut off and cool completely
8.  Reheat and serve

Have shredded sharp cheddar, chopped green onions, sour cream and cilantro for toppings.

Tom's Favorite: Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Tom’s Red Cabbage

One of my cooking adventures was to prepare a German meal for the family. I don't remember them being crazy about the Sauerbraten, but Tom loved the red cabbage. When he would come home from NC State, I would include it in the menu. Whenever I fix it now, I always think of him. Tom has become quite the cook and enjoys preparing interesting dishes on the grill. It's not unusual for him to stop on his way home from work on his bike and pick something up to grill.

I'm not sure that his three children appreciate their dad's adventurous cuisine!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 medium head red cabbage, chopped (some prefer shredding)
• 4 bacon strips, diced
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• a pinch of  ground cloves

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving drippings.
2. In the drippings, sauté onion until translucent;  add cabbage and apple and sauté until tender.
3. Add vinegar, apple cider, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes. ( You may need to add water as it cooks down)
4. Stir in the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and cloves. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with reserved bacon just before serving.

Amanda's Favorite: Shrimp and Pasta

It was no secret that when Amanda came home for the weekend from William and Mary, I would prepare Shrimp and Pasta for her.  I remember Greg her, then boyfriend (now husband), saying, "We'll be having shrimp and pasta" on one of those weekends.  I got this recipe from a friend,  Kathy, an excellent cook, and promptly lost it.  So what we have here is my version of Kathy's Shrimp and Pasta and Amanda and Greg with their 5 children.

8 oz pasta (your choice)  I use whatever I have; some think fettuccine is best
1# broccoli (crowns only)
2 # of shrimp, shelled and deveined (please remove the tails!)
4 tbs. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 or 2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste


1.  Cook pasta  al dente, set aside
2. Steam broccoli and set aside
3. Heat olive oil in skillet
4.  Add chopped garlic and saute' for 2 min.
5.  Add shrimp to garlic and saute' until shrimp turn pink
6. Add steamed broccoli to shrimp and garlic, saute for 5 minutes
7. Combine shrimp, garlic, broccoli with pasta
5. Add butter to mixture and stir until butter combines with pasta
6.  Add parsley and Parmesan cheese
7.  Cover for 5 minutes

Serve with crusty Italian bread and a green salad

Gathering 'Round the Table

One of the things most important to my husband, Wayne, and me when we were raising our children was that we always took time to sit down and have a meal with our four children in the evening.  It was not always easy...work, soccer, school activities made it difficult, but, somehow, we made it happen. As the kids got older we would even take the phone off the hook so we were not interrupted.

 Wayne and I, now, with no kids at home, still have a "real" meal every night.  One of the reasons we do is that I hate take out and good restaurants are too expensive!  So, yes, even though I am a liberated female, I cook a "real meal" every night...because I love doing it!   So I'll be sharing some of these dinners with you.  I'll be starting with favorites of my children.