Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

The rain continues this summer.  It made me want to get out my crock pot and make something comforting.  Also, after having that wonderful meal at the other Penny’s home, which included marsala pears cooked in the crock pot from a recipe in The Italian Slow Cooker, I purchased the book myself.   The first recipe that the book fell open to was this spicy Tuscan sausage ragu.  It said ” This thick, rich sauce is heavenly on chunky cuts of pasta, such as rigatoni or rotelle.”  That’s all of the incentive I needed.

I just let the sausages bubble away in the tomato sauce for about five hours then added cream to the mixture and cooked it for another hour.  The cream gave the sauce a nice richness and took away much of the acidic flavor of the tomatoes.

With a few shavings of grated Parmesan cheese on top this made for a hearty and heady bowl of pasta.  Just what I was craving.

Guess what I am looking at in this picture.  It will be the subject of my next post.

SPICY TUSCAN SAUSAGE RAGU

Makes 10 cups

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1/2 pound hot Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 28-ounce can Italian peeled tomatoes with their juice, chopped
1 28-ounce can tomato puree
Salt
1 cup heavy cream

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Crumble the sausages into the pan and cook, stirring frequently to break up the  lumps, until the meat is lightly browned.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is tender.

Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the skillet.  Pour the contents into the slow cooker.  Add the tomatoes, puree, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.  Stir in the cream and cook for 1 hour more, or until the meat is very tender.  Taste for seasoning.

Printable recipe

This quinoa salad is a lovely dish to serve with any of your Southwestern inspired dinners.  Quinoa is one of those grain-like seeds that have become fashionable because of both its exotic nature and because it is good for you.  Unfortunately its popularity has resulted in a price increase for this native South American staple.  It has always been a mainstay of the diets in the Andean highlands of Bolivia and Peru.  In the last three years the price of quinoa has increased three times.   Because of the demand for this healthy foodstuff, local villagers in South America have to pay more.  Some believe that the people are eating less of it because of the price.  But another theory is that because the farmers are making more money they can afford more imported products like white rice and noodles.  Children, given a choice between a sweetened water and quinoa drink or a coca cola will choose the coke.  But the farmers are happy and eventually the supply and demand will equalize and everyone will be better off from the consumption of this protein rich seed.  At least I hope that is the case.

I found this recipe on the Food 52 website.  Because it has so many of the fresh summertime vegetables in it, I knew that it would be a bowl full of goodness.  I love the way that the quinoa cooks up to almost translucent bubbles.  The corn is charred in a skillet with cumin seeds which brings out the flavors of both in a big way.  Add black beans, tomatoes and scallions and a lime and orange vinaigrette and you have a nutritious and delicious salad.

SOUTHWESTERN QUINOA SALAD

• 1 1/2cups quinoa
• 1 cup corn (or two ears of corn, with the kernels sliced off)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 1/2cups black beans, cooked (or use canned beans rinsed and drained)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup feta, crumbled (I omitted this because I didn’t have it)
• 3 green onions, sliced (the whites and the greens)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 poblano chiles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice

1. Bring three cups of salted water to boil in a large saucepan. While it warms, rinse the quinoa well under cold water. When the water boils, add the quinoa and stir. Cover the pot, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes — the quinoa should still have a slight bite. (You want it well before mushy.) Then drain it well and add to a large salad bowl.
2. While the quinoa cooks, heat a cast-iron skillet or wok on high, without adding oil. When the pan is hot, toss in the corn, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are singed. It should take at least five minutes, possibly as much as ten. When they are almost done, add the cumin seeds to the skillet and toast briefly. Then add both to the large salad bowl.
3. To the same salad bowl, add the halved cherry tomatoes, the cooked beans (drained and rinsed, if using canned), the feta, the sliced green onions, and the smoked paprika.
4. Roast the poblano peppers until blackened. (I use the open flame on the stove.) Let cool, then peel, seed, and chop roughly. Add these to the bowl too.
5. Toss the salad together and add salt to taste. Then whisk together the oil, lime juice, and orange juice. Toss the salad with the dressing. Taste. You may want more oil or more lime juice. Adjust as desired. Taste again. Serve.

Printable recipe

This has been the strangest summer.  The rain has been non-stop.  The oak trees surrounding our house have dripped and weeped constantly.  The flower pots have overflowed resulting in rotting plants with no hope of recovery.  The herb garden is not doing well. But the two hydrangea plants that I put in place are thriving.  I keep asking myself why this summer is so different.  By this time in the year we are usually hot and dry.  Not so this year.

I took this picture last week.  The low hanging clouds are obvious, as are the drips of water clinging to our screen.  The porch was gloomy and not at all inviting.  But this week the weather has improved and we felt that summer had returned to the lake.

It was a pleasure to fire up the grill and enjoy dinner on the porch.

 One of my favorite ways to cook chicken breasts is by cubing them and putting them on skewers with peppers and pineapple chunks.  The peppers and pineapple chunks are marinated in one bag and the chicken in another bag.  The marinade is a combination of soy sauce, mirin and sugar.  Mirin is rice wine and an ingredient in teriyaki sauce.  The marinade from the pineapple and peppers is used to baste the skewers as they cook.

It was good to have this summertime favorite from the grill as the sun was setting in the west.  I served it over a bed of rice pilaf.  I have blogged about this recipe before, but it was at least two years ago.  So here it is again in case you missed it the first time.  That time I served it with an orange and rice salad.  You can find the orange and rice recipe here.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN SKEWERS

Makes 3 servings (can easily be doubled)
3 boneless chicken breast halves cut into 2″ squares
1 green pepper, cut into 1″ squares
1 red pepper, cut into 1″ squares
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1″ squares
2 Tbls sugar
4 Tbls Soy Sauce
4 Tbls Mirin (sweetened sake) If you can’t find this, eliminate the soy and use 8 Tbls teriyaki sauce
6 wooden skewers, soaked in water

Place chicken pieces (you should have 18 pieces) in one large baggie. Place pepper and pineapple pieces in another baggie. Mix sugar, soy and mirin (or teriyaki sauce) in small sauce pan and heat just until sugar dissolves. Cool. Pour half of marinade over chicken and the other half over the peppers and pineapple. Marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Thread ingredients on six wooden skewers alternating. You should have three each of red pepper, pineapple, chicken and green pepper.

Prepare grill. It should be hot. Spray grill with oil and grill the skewers turning as needed and basting with the marinade from the veggies and pineapple, until chicken is cooked, approximately 10 minutes.

Printable recipe

My friend Penny of The Comforts of Home and From Harvest to Table is a multi-talented lady.  Not only has she turned her new home into a beautiful place to live by painting, sewing, digging in the dirt and creative decorating, but she is also an accomplished and creative cook.  This past weekend David and I had the pleasure of dining with Penny and her hubby.  The menu was posted in her kitchen.

We were seated in her cozy kitchen nook and enjoyed the crostini and brushetta while she stirred the risotto and we all had a chance to chat. It is fun to watch the hostess put the finishing touches on a meal.  It is smart though to have a place for your guests to sit well out of the way of the action.  Sometimes it is easy to get distracted when people are leaning over your shoulder and messing in your space.  Penny has the perfect set up.

Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the appetizers.  But they were just perfect with a glass of crisp white wine.

I cannot say enough about the Creamy Corn Risotto with grilled shrimp and truffle oil.  This is a perfect summer dish.  All of the flavors of fresh corn are extracted from the ears.  The cobs are used to make a stock and the corn kernels are used in both a puree and a saute.  The risotto is creamy and full of the flavor of corn.  The shrimp with truffle oil is just simply the perfect embellishment to the dish.  I can see why Penny said “there were a lot of mmms going on from her friends” when she first made this because we were doing it too.  We all ate our dishes with a big spoon and I scraped my bowl clean.

Ah, Poached Pears in Marsala wine with English Stilton Cheese.  This was such an elegant dish and believe it our not it was made in a crock pot.  Simple elegance.  Penny and I both have The French Slow Cooker cookbook by Michele Scicolone which we love.  But she also bought the Italian Slow Cooker and this recipe came from that book.  It is a no fail easy way to poach pears and the rich sauce and bleu cheese complemented it perfectly.  I have a feeling Penny will have the recipe on her From Harvest to Table website soon so be sure to go over there to view it.  Here is her recipe for the risotto.  It might seem long but it can be done in stages and each component held in the fridge until the final cooking of the risotto.

This is a perfect dinner party menu.  I hope you give it a try.  Thanks Penny.

CREAMY CORN RISOTTO WITH GRILLED SHRIMP AND TRUFFLE OIL

RECIPE (serves 6)

Corn Stock

• 6 ears corn, husked
• 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise
• 1 leek (white and light green part only), cut into 1-inch pieces

Corn Purée and Sauté

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs

Risotto

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup grated Sartori Stravecchio cheese (or another domestic Parmesan  cheese)

Shrimp

• 24 peeled and de-veined shrimp
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• 2 medium summer truffles, very thinly sliced (optional)

Make the Corn Stock

Using a large chef’s knife, cut the corn kernels off the cobs and set aside.  Place the cobs in a large stockpot along with the onion, celery, and chopped  leek. Add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat  and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain the corn stock through a fine-mesh  strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids. You should have at least 6 cups of  stock.

Make the Corn Purée

Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan over  medium heat until the butter begins to foam. Add the onion and garlic and sauté  until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the reserved corn  kernels, season to taste with salt and pepper, and continue to cook over low  heat, stirring constantly, until the kernels begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the cream, thyme, and 1 cup of the corn stock and continue to simmer over  low heat until the mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove the thyme  and purée the mixture in a blender until smooth.

Sauté the Corn

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium sauté pan over  medium-high heat. Add the remaining corn kernels and sauté until the corn is  tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make the Risotto

Heat the olive oil in a large wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion  and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir  to coat with the oil. Add the wine and reduce the heat to a simmer until most of  the wine has evaporated. Add 1 cup of the corn stock to the pan and continue to  cook, stirring constantly, until most of the stock is absorbed. Repeat the  process with the remaining 4 cups of corn stock, making sure the stock has been  fully incorporated after each addition before adding more. Once the rice is  tender yet firm to the bite, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the corn  purée, sautéed corn, and grated cheese and season to taste with salt and  pepper.

Prepare The Shrimp

Preheat a gas grill to high.  Lightly brush the peeled and de-veined shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Place on grill and cook until pink, about 2 minutes per side.

To Serve

Divide the risotto among 6 warm bowls. Arrange 4 shrimp atop each bowl of risotto. Drizzle with the truffle oil and garnish with sliced summer  truffles, if desired.

We are fortunate to be spending some time with our family in Cary this week.  Kristen and Michael receive a CSA box regularly with all that is in season from the local farmers.  The above photo shows some of the fruits and vegetables that were in last week’s box.  They received fresh blueberries, peaches, heirloom cherry tomatoes, two small watermelons, fresh sweet corn, cucumbers and sweet onions.

Kristen made two salsas to go with our freshly caught (cornmeal dusted) grouper.  The first one was a watermelon and blueberry salsa that also incorporated the cherry tomatoes.  The second one was a peach and mango salsa with a bit of heat from a jalapeno pepper.  When asked which was our favorite, none of us could declare either one the winner.  That was because both were winners in their own way.

Not only is Kristen a great cook, but her brother David (as in “restaurant chef”) came to dinner also and offered great tips on how to cook the grouper properly.  It was cooked to perfection with a light dusting of cornmeal before being fried on one side, flipped and finished in the oven.  What a beautiful plate of food with all of the bounty of summer upon it.  Enjoy these  salsas with any of your favorite main courses.

4 small Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped (we used heirloom cherry tomatoes)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, chopped (discard seeds for a milder salsa)
1 cup diced watermelon
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
1/4 teaspoon salt