Happy birthday: Bell pepper chicken with orzo

For my birthday last week, Dave gave me a cookbook, "Cooking Light Weeknight," along with a promise that he would cook recipes from this book on a regular basis. This was an excellent gift, as my schedule is so packed lately that weeknight cooking has become something of a challenge. Dave made good on his promise Thursday night. It was lovely to come home to find him sautéing chicken with peppers and cooking orzo with feta to go with. In the time it took him to cook this fine, healthy meal, I was able to slip into my jeans, take the dog on a nice walk, and then enjoy dinner feeling pampered and relaxed.

Feta orzo is a cinch. Two ingredients-- cooked orzo (start with 4 ounces uncooked), mixed with three ounces crumbled feta. A nice pasta variation.

Here's the chicken recipe:

Bell pepper chicken with lemon juice

4 teaspoons olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (Dave used a package of chicken tenders)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup green bell pepper strips
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Heat two teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and red pepper. Cook chicken in oil 4 minutes to each side. Remove chicken from pan and place in warming oven.

Add remaining oil and bell peppers to pan. Sauté 2 minutes. Add oregano and garlic. Sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Serve with feta orzo.

Look mom, no iodine: Cranberry orzo salad

We have a friend, Mike, who is being treated for thyroid cancer. For the next few days he needs to be on a low-iodine diet. My impulse when someone is sick is to take them something to eat, so I was grateful when Chris, one of the women at book group, shared some of her own experience with this illness (check out her blog entry on the topic)-- and a good link for recipes at http://www.thyca.org/. She recommended an orzo salad that I made today. It turned out so nicely that I think I will make this again and again. I didn't add any salt, although the Web site version says it's OK to used the non-iodized variety. I left a container of this, along with a card and the recipe, on Mike's porch this afternoon.

Orzo salad with cranberries

1 16-ounce box orzo pasta
1 cup dried cranberries
1 large diced red onion
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, mix with remaining ingredients. Serve warm or at room temperature.

"United States of Arugula" alive at the olive bar

I've joined a book group -- a terrific circle of smart, funny women. This month's reading selection was "The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution ," by David Kamp. What a great read. Kamp examines how the American food scene has evolved, thanks in large measure to foodie pioneers such as James Beard, Julia Child, Alice Waters and Craig Claiborne. I loved the book-- it's a lively examination of how what we eat has changed for the better over the last 50 years.

Book group is a potluck event, and for this week's get-together I really wanted to cook something excellent to match our subject matter. But I had no time, so I decided to just stop at the store after work to pick up munchies. Cop-out, yeah. But what first caught my attention when I walked into the new Dillon's store on Douglas Avenue was the olive bar, filled with all kinds of beautiful olives, stuffed grape leaves, marinated cheese, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. It was beautiful, and illustrated perfectly what Kamp describes in his book-- the wonderful supply of delectable ingredients available everywhere we shop, a different food universe than the landscape Julia or James or Craig inhabited when they started out in the middle of the last century. So I bought several plastic containers of goodies from the olive bar, picked up some water crackers and some goat cheese brie. Also a little jar of yummy oily sundried tomatoes. Used to be you only found this kind of stuff at Dean & DeLuca's (the founders of which were also significant characters, by the way, in Kamp's book.) Now good food surrounds us everywhere. I felt very happy.

I went home, arranged my cheese, olives and everything else in a white serving dish I'd picked up at DeHillerins in Paris. I packed this off to book group with a bottle of wine. Life is good. And food has gotten really good.

This mac and cheese suits grown-up tastes

Tonight I made mac and cheese that suited our adult tastes just a bit more than the blue-box variety I used to serve my kids. I just threw in some ingredients we happened to have on hand-- a bit of ham, some fresh spinach, three different kinds of cheese, a shot of Chardonnay. It was really quite good-- a bit lighter on the butter than a traditional recipe.

Macaroni and cheese for grown-ups

1 pound of pasta (rotini, penne, whatever you like)
2 cups grated cheese (I used a mixture of jack cheese, sharp cheddar and colby)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 cup ham, cut into small chunks
1 fresh tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
3/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 cup milk
1/2 cup panko crumbs

Cook pasta in a large pot according to package instructions. While pasta cooks, melt butter in a deep skillet. Cook onion pieces over medium high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in ham, spinach and tomato pieces. Stir for about two minutes. Add milk, reduce heat and stir with a whisk for about three minutes until milk is heated through. Add wine and all by 1/4 cup of the cheese. Continue stirring until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Add marjoram. Drain pasta, and pour back into the pasta pot. Stir in cheese sauce. Butter an 11-by-13-by-2 inch casserole dish and spoon in pasta with sauce. Top with panko crumbs. Top with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Couscous is worth the price of herbs, olives

Here's the recipe I used Sunday for couscous with Greek olives. It is delicious. This recipe makes enough to serve eight or so. We had the last of the leftovers at supper tonight. I know this is not the best time of year to use fresh herbs-- they're not growing in the garden, and are plenty pricey in the produce aisle. But I splurged and bought what I needed for this. I also indulged in a nice jar of pitted, halved Kalamata olives.

Couscous with olives and fresh herbs

1 stick butter
3 large onions, chopped
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2-1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup pitted halved Kalamata olives
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups couscous

Melt butter in deep saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions, stir and cook, covered, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. Add ginger and turmeric. Add broth, olives, basil, mint and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Add couscous. Cover pan, turn off heat. Let stand until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 10 minutes.

Inspired by cafeteria fare: Greek chicken

I'm blessed to work for a company that provides first-rate fare in the employee cafeteria-- a good selection of healthy, nicely prepared dishes. One day last week the menu featured delicious Moroccan chicken with couscous, which inspired me to try something similar at home. I found a good recipe in "The Bon Appetit Cookbook" for chicken wth artichoke hearts (Greek, not Morrocan) and also a recipe for couscous with Kalamata olives and fresh herbs. With a simple spinach salad, this made for a nice dinner tonight just for the two of us.

Here's how I cooked the chicken. I'll blog about the couscous in my next post.

Greek chicken and artichokes

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken breasts and 4 thighs, with skin and bones
2 6-ounce jars marinated artichoke hearts
1 15-ounce can chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Drain artichokes, saving marinade in a small bowl. Add to the chicken: 2 tablespoons marinade, broth, lemon juice, lemon peel and crushed red pepper. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Stir in artichokes and 2 tablespoons of the oregano. Simmer about 5 minutes longer. Stir in remaining oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Up for some variety? Try barley casserole

Craig Claiborne's "New York Times Cookbook" is an excellent resource. For years I kept a copy at my mom's vacation place in Florida, and when I was there with her last week, she insisted I take it home, since we don't use it as much as I'd thought we might when we're at the beach. It's got no glossy photos, just really lovely recipes, many of them pretty simple. So I packed it into my suitcase and brought it home where I can put it to good use.

Yesterday we invited friends over for Sunday dinner, and then circumstances dictated I had to work most of the day. So I didn't have much time to prepare anything. Dave agreed to grill pork chops, one set of guests agreed to bring a salad and our other guests agreed to bring a dessert. So my only responsibility was a side dish. Potatoes? Rice? Pasta? No, I wanted to do something more interesting. I thumbed through Claiborne's cookbook and found a recipe for barley mushroom casserole that was delightful. I love barley. It deserves better than its status as just something to throw into soup. And this was very easy to put together in the short time I had between work and my party. I used twice the barley and broth that Claiborne recommended , so we'd have enough for our party of six. Here's my adaptation of his recipe:

Barley mushroom casserole

2 cups pearl barley
1 large onion, chopped
5 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

Melt butter in a deep skillet. Cook onion and mushrooms until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add barley and cook until slightly browned. Add two cups broth. Bring to a boil. Pour into a buttered casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, add remaining broth. Cook, covered, another 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and barley is tender.

The world is my oyster, nicely breaded

I love oysters. Our church, St. James Episcopal in Wichita, celebrates Mardi Gras with an amazing all-you-can-eat oyster and beer fest. It's a tradition we wouldn't miss. Last night, after Dave and I had our fill of all manner of oysters (cooked, raw and swimming in steaming cream with fresh leeks and tabasco) we helped with post-party clean-up. And before the night was over, we scored a bucket of fresh oysters to cook at home for our Ash Wednesday supper.

Tonight I dipped my stash of oysters in ice water and then coated each in cornmeal. I heated about a cup of vegetable oil in the wok on high heat, threw in oysters about a half dozen at a time, and fried for just a couple minutes, 'til they were nicely browned. After moving the oysters to a plate, and soaking up the excess oil with a paper towel, I served them with lemon and tartar sauce. Dave made a nice salad to go with. Nice way to kick off the Lenten season, I'd say.

Almost no effort: Slow cooker ribs

Yesterday while I was drinking my morning coffee before going to church, I put together a supper of ribs in about 15 minutes. I took a short cut, using bottled barbecue sauce, so this was one of the simplest dishes I've cooked in a long time. Here's the recipe:

Over medium high heat, brown 1 pound of country-style boneless pork ribs in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (brown for about 4 minutes, turn and brown 4 minutes more.) Chop a large sweet onion into about 8 chunks. Place ribs and onion pieces in the slow cooker. Pour one bottle of commercial barbecue sauce over the ribs. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure ribs are coated with sauce.

Winter treat: Salmon & grilled potatoes

It's been so frozen cold the past few weeks in Wichita. So when it hit the high 50s yesterday, it felt like summer. After a day spent playing outside with the pup, we grilled salmon, potatoes and veggies for dinner, as if it were August.

I've blogged before about grilling tiny potatoes on skewers. Yesterday I cut red potatoes into medium-size chunks, skewered those and brushed with a generous dose of olive oil. Dave grilled these for about 40 minutes. They were great-- crispy on the outside, cooked to perfection inside. We grilled our salmon fillets in foil, after I rubbed them with excellent seafood rub that was a Christmas present from my sister (dubbed "Rub With Love," it's marketed by Seattle restaurateur Tom Douglas of Dahlia Lounge fame. Molly sent me a whole set, including rubs for steak, pork, chicken and crab cake mix. Very good stuff, available at Tom Douglas' Web site.)

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. My evenings have been too booked to do much cooking. Last weekend, however, I did make chili in the Crockpot with a pound of browned hot sausage, dry red beans that had been soaked overnight, a small can of green chilis, a big sweet onion, 2 cloves garlic and 3 tablespoons chili powder and three 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes. I cooked this on high for about 6 hours, then threw in a cup of frozen corn and heated 'til the corn was cooked. This is the time of year when I love throwing basic soup, stew or chili ingredients into the slow cooker. Makes for several days of nice suppers.

Chicken pot pie: Comfort food for company

Every time I make chicken pot pie, I wonder-- why don't I do this more often? It is so mouth-watering good. We had friends over for dinner last night and this is one of those dishes that keeps warm perfectly in the oven all through appetizers and a salad course. Here's my recipe, adapted from "The Best Recipe" from Cook's Illustrated. The crust turns out perfectly light and flaky. The filling has a subtle sweet flavor of cream sherry and thyme.

Chicken pot pie

Filling:

1-1/2 to 2 pounds chicken breast tenders
1 15-ounce can chicken broth plus water added to make two cups
3 medium carrots, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
4 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup cream sherry
1 teaspoon dry thyme
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Slice chicken tenders into 1-inch pieces. Put into a large heavy pan with the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. With a slotted spoon, spoon chicken into a large mixing bowl. Pour broth into a measuring cup. In the same heavy pan, heat vegetable oil. Add carrots, onion and celery. Saute for about 6 minutes over medium heat. Put vegetables into bowl with chicken. In the same heavy pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, chicken broth and thyme, bring to simmer and stir until fully thickened, about 1 minute. Add sherry and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir into bowl with chicken and vegetables. Stir in peas. You can cover this and refrigerate overnight if you like until ready to use. Reheat on the stove top before constructing your pie.

Pour filling into a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Top with pastry crust. In a small bowl, beat an egg white with 1 tablespoon water and brush over the top of the crust. Make five 1-inch cuts in the crust to vent. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. You can leave this in the oven once you've turned it off so you can enjoy appetizers with your guests before serving dinner.

Savory pastry crust:

1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, chilled
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, mix flour and salt. Cut butter into 10 or so slices, sprinkle into the flour, tossing a little to coat. Pulsate for 1 second, five times. Add shortening. Pulsate again for 1 second, five times. Turn into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle water into dough. With a rubber spatula, mix water into flour mixture with a folding motion. Add a fourth tablespoon ice water if needed. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight.

On a floured sheet of waxed paper, roll dough into an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Fold in half gently and then unfold to cover the chicken filling in your casserole dish. Tuck in overhanging dough to make a nice edge. Bake as directed above

Corn chowder is perfect January supper

The other day I ordered corn chowder for lunch, and got to thinking I gotta cook up some of this. So today that's what I did. I didn't crack open a cookbook; I just kind of threw this together. It's yummy. It'll make a perfect wintertime supper with the fresh wheat rolls I made this morning and a green salad.

Corn chowder

1 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound frozen corn
2 15-ounce cans creamed corn
5 unpeeled white or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers
2 15-ounce cans chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
6 jalapeno slices (from a jar)

In a heavy soup pot, cook bacon until cooked but not crisp. Spoon off excess fat from the pot. Add onion pieces. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Add creamed corn, red pepper, green chiles, jalapeno slices and frozen corn. Cook 20-25 minutes. Stir in half-and-half, simmer on low until ready to serve.

Greet the New Year with Hoppin' John

For the last several years, I've adopted the tradition of making a big pot of Hoppin' John on New Year's Day. This is something I learned from friends in Philadelphia who'd spent time in the South. We love this dish, which is supposed to bring good luck in the new year. Today I used the slow cooker-- in years past I've cooked this in a big soup pot on the stovetop, which too often results in a burnt layer at the bottom of the pan. No such misfortune with my Crockpot. Here's my recipe:

Hoppin' John

1 pound dry black-eyed peas
4 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
7 mild Italian sausages, cut into 1-inch slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 15-ounce cans chicken broth
2 cups uncooked white rice
1/3 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 slices ham, cut into chunks

Soak black-eyed peas overnight according to package directions. In the morning, drain and put peas into the slow cooker. Add ham, tomates, broth, onions, jalapenos, garlic. In a large skillet, brown sausage in olive oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to slow cooker. Stir things up well. Cook on high for 3 hours. Then add rice. Continuing cooking until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed, about 3 more hours.

You can use all ham or pre-cooked kielbasa instead of Italian sausage. This makes a lot of Hoppin' John; I suggest freezing a batch to enjoy later in the winter.