Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Pancetta makes everything better.  Many people say that about bacon, but my preference is pancetta.  Pancetta is salt cured pork belly and is not smoked like bacon.  What I love about it is that when diced and fried crisp, it is like eating toffee bits.  It is so crispy and the flavor is intense.  This recipe only calls for 2 ounces, but it is enough.

The asparagus in the markets right now is beautiful; bright green and firm.  I added it to the pasta three minutes before it was done to save on pots.  This is one of those dishes that comes together easily and is perfect for a busy day.

My Brother Bill and SIL Barb are coming from Michigan for a visit starting this weekend and then next weekend we will be heading back to welcome Spring in the North Carolina mountains.  Lake Lure beckons this time of year.

Enjoy!

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, PANCETTA AND WALNUTS

8 ounces Penne pasta
1 pound of asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
1 clove of minced garlic
1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces
2 ounces of diced pancetta
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Have the deli cut a 2 to 3 ounce slice of pancetta.  Dice the pancetta and saute in a skillet until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is golden brown and crisp.

Cook the pasta according to package directions and 3 minutes before it is done, add the asparagus.  Drain, reserving some of the pasta water.  Put pasta mixture in a bowl and add the garlic. 

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.  Whisk together.  Drizzle over the pasta mixture; toss well to coat and add a little pasta water if it is too dry.  Sprinkle with the pancetta, walnuts and Parmesan.  Mix together and serve.  4 servings.

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St. Patrick’s Day is known for Corned Beef and Cabbage, but it is also known for Irish soda bread.  In this case I have made a brown soda bread.  The recipe came from Margaret M. Johnson, noted Irish- American cook and cookbook author.  According to her, the American version of soda bread is sweeter and more of a cake-like consistancy with raisins and caraway seeds.  True Irish soda bread, be it brown or white, is a hearty bread best served for breakfast with smoked salmon.  Her brown Irish soda bread is full of whole wheat flour, steel cut oats, and wheat germ.  It is a quick bread, relying on only baking soda and powder for leavening and uses buttermilk and an egg for the wet ingredients.  I had the ingredients mixed and the bread in the oven within 15 minutes.

Ireland is surrounded by some the cleanest water in the world and according to Margaret Johnson, seafood is one of the nation’s specialties.  One of her favorite Irish breakfasts is this Irish brown soda bread with smoked salmon and horseradish sauce.

Give this a try for breakfast on St. Patrick’s Day.  May the luck of the Irish be with you.

BROWN SODA BREAD (Margaret M. Johnson from Cooking Light Magazine)

Cooking Spray
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup steel-cut oats (such as Mc Cann’s)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.  Combine flours and next 6 ingredients (through salt).  Combine buttermilk and egg; add to flour mixture.  Stir just until combined.

Spoon the mixture into prepared pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Invert bread onto a wire rack and cool completely.

HORSERADISH CREAM (Epicurious)

1 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons white horseradish (about 4 ounces)
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill pickle
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or green onion tops

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

I am joining Kathleen of Kathleen’s Cuisine for her 3rd annual St. Patrick’s Day blog crawl.  Check out all of the St. Paddy Day recipes.

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The best laid plans . . . Well, it looks like the anticipated pool party will not happen this year.  We are returning to Lake Lure in two weeks and scheduling problems and other obligations have occured.  But these easy to eat sticky skinless chicken legs would have been a good addition to the buffet menu.  If you are interested in hosting a similar party here is my game plan.

                                                Cheese Platter
                                                Vegetable and Fruit Platter
                                                Boiled Shrimp Platter with Cocktail Sauce
                                                BLT Wraps (recipe posted)
                                                BBQ Beef Brisket with Sliders (recipe posted)
                                                Asian Glazed Chicken Legs (recipe here)
                                                Sweet Potato Salsa (recipe posted)
                                                Cole Slaw
                                                Deviled Eggs
                                                Apple Pound Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze
                                                Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Everything on the menu can be done ahead of time.  The beef and chicken can be rewarmed at the last minute.  The only thing that should be assembled right before your guests arrive would be the BLT wraps, but the bacon can be pre-fried and the other components prepped ahead.  If you are short on time, you can purchase the shrimp platter and the cheese and vegie trays from the deli department.

The recipe for the chicken was in the latest issue of Cooking Light, but they used skinless chicken thighs. I loved the mahogany sheen that the combination of rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and chile paste gave to the chicken and will definitely be making this again. Next time, I will serve it with sticky rice, but the roasted potatoes and sugar snap peas made a pretty plate. This dish is a great example of the delicious flavors you can find in Asian cuisine, which is becoming increasingly popular in the restaurant industry.

ASIAN-GLAZED CHICKEN LEGS

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste
10 garlic cloves, minced
12 bone-in chicken thighs or legs, skinned
Cooking spray
Salt to taste

Combine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame lil, chile paste, and garlic, stirring until honey dissolves.  Pour vinegar mixture into a zip-top plastic bag.  Add chicken to bag; seal.  Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.  Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil.  Cook for 2 minutes or until syrupy, stirring occasionally.  Place chicken on a rack coated with cooking spray, and place rack in a roasting pan.  Baste chicken with reserved marinade; sprinkle evenly with salt.  Bake at 425 dgrees for 10 minutes; baste.  Bake an additional 10 minutes; baste.  Discard remaining marinade.  Bake an additional 10 minutes or until done.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Mine took a little longer and I did not use a rack.  I placed the chicken directly on foil (non-stick) wrapped tray.

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These are tasty little morsels.  This variation on a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich really packs a punch of flavor.  Oil packed sun-dried tomatoes are mixed with mayonnaise and basil and spread on flour tortillas.  Diced bacon is fried crisp, scattered on and then the lettuce is plumped on top.  The whole wheat tortillas are rolled up and sliced.  It is easy to assemble at the last minute and perfect for a buffet.

Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches are a traditional luncheon dish in our family.  Every Labor Day our extended family gathers at the lake for the four day holiday.  We always have BLT’s for one lunch.  My DIL Kristen is the creative force behind the sandwiches.  She always makes them special by flavoring the mayonnaise with fresh herbs and using special breads like rosemary olive oil bread.  The tomatoes usually come from her Mom’s garden;  Darla always brings her multi-hued heirloom tomatoes.  There is nothing better.  But they are time consuming.

When you are serving a crowd, this BLT wrap is a perfect compromise.  All of the flavor is there and I like the bite size presentation.  You may want to secure the wraps with toothpicks, but they are fairly easy to eat as is.  Or if you just want a sandwich for lunch, just cut the tortillas in half and enjoy.  The recipe appeared originally in Southern Living Magazine.

BLT WRAPS

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dry
8 ( 10-inch ) flour tortillas
1 large head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (optional) – I left this out
16 bacon slices, diced and cooked crisp.  Drain on paper towels.
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine mayonnaise, tomatoes and basil in a small bowl.  Spread evenly over 1 side of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Layer bacon, onions, and lettuce evenly over tortillas; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roll up tortillas; cut in half diagonally or cut into smaller slices and secure with wooden picks.

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As a side dish or a condiment to compliment other dishes, this sweet potato salsa cannot be beat.  While researching recipes for my pool party, I was drawn to this dish because it was suggested as a topping for the chipotle maple barbecued brisket.  To my way of thinking, it can stand on it’s own.  As a matter of fact, I am going to serve it in place of potato salad.  It is just as good at room temperature as it is warm from the oven.

The sweet potato chunks are baked in the oven with oil, balsamic vinegar, chili powder and ground cumin.  There is something about the balsamic vinegar and spices that inspire me to dig into this dish and keep eating.  You can adjust the heat in the dish by cutting back on the jalapeno peppers.  Because I will be serving a crowd, I will go easy on the peppers and I think I will substitute parsley for the cilantro.  Not everyone loves it and for those who don’t, it is usually a true aversion.

Sara Foster has hit another homerun with this salsa.  For those of you who are not familiar with her, I wrote about her here.  There is nothing in her cookbooks that I would not be pleased to put on my table. 

Next up, BLT wraps with sun-dried tomatoes.  This recipe testing is playing havoc with my weight loss program.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALSA (Sara Foster Fresh Every Day)

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tomato, cored and chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced (I used 1 pepper)
2 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I used parsley)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet with sides.  Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar, sprinkle with the chili powder and cumin, and toss to coat.  Spread the sweet potatoes in one even layer and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally for even browning, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender.  Set aside to cool.

Scrape the sweet potatoes into a large bowl.  Add the tomato, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, scallions, parsley, lime zest and juice, salt, and pepper, and toss to mix.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

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