Farro Pilaf

Seasonal Recipe of the Pandemic
My new obsession is finding creative ways to use the miscellaneous leftovers in my fridge, which seem to be piling up at a fast rate. I guess it's because we are eating all our meals at home. Yesterday, I was looking for some ingredients to create a grain side dish and this happened and it was amazing! I got the idea to throw in an egg from my fried rice recipe and it really made it moist and delish. Here's my Mediterranean-inspired version, but get creative with whatever ingredients you have and make it your own. Enjoy!



Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
2 cups cooked farro (I love the fast-cooking Faro from Trader Joe's, 10 minutes and done!)
1/2 cup full-fat feta, crumbled
1/4 cup pitted green olives
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 roasted red pepper, skin removed
1 tablespoon capers
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Procedure
In a large pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the shallot until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the faro and dump in everything else except the egg and the scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until everything is hot — make sure you give the feta time to melt. Then add the raw egg and stir until it's all coated and the egg sets. Remove form heat, garnish with the scallions, and eat!

Guest Monica Meehan: Hors d'oeuvres

Nice New Nibbles
For New Year's Eve, my family does a snacky-type dinner made up of appetizers. Things like shrimp cocktail, deviled eggs, those little cocktail wieners in grape jelly, pigs in a blanket, potato salad, herring salad ... This year we're doing the same. Here are a few hors d'oeuvres recipes we'll be having:

olive cheese bites

Mmmmm ... buttery, cheesy, salty!

Ingredients
1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 tsp milk
3 Tb melted butter
1/8 tsp salt (I omit if I'm using salted butter)
1/8 tsp dry mustard (optional)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
30 to 40 pitted green olives, such as manzanilla

Procedure
Mix together all the ingredients, except the olives. Mold a rounded teaspoon of dough around each olive. Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

These also freeze really well so you can make them ahead of time and bake later. Once you've covered the olives with the dough, put them on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid. Then you can dump the olives into a ziploc bag and keep frozen until you're ready to bake them. Don't thaw, just put directly into your 400 degree oven and bake a little longer.

chipotle and rosemary spiced nuts

This is a combination of a recipe from Ina Garten and one from David Leboviz.

Ingredients
8 cups total of your favorite mixed nuts
(you can also bulk this out with up to half the total amount of small pretzels or Chex cereal)
1/3 cup maple syrup
(real, please, none of that Aunt Jemima corn syrup stuff!)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tb orange juice
2 tsp ground chipotle powder
(or less, or none, if you don't like things spicy)
4 Tb minced fresh rosemary leaves
kosher salt

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper — this stuff is sticky! In a large bowl, combine nuts (and pretzels/Chex, if you're using), maple syrup, sugar, oj, and half of the rosemary. Toss to coat everything. Dump onto sheet pan, and spread out in one layer. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring twice, until nuts are glazed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with remaining rosemary, and salt to taste. Keep stirring as the mixture cools, so you don't end up with giant clumps. The nuts will crisp up as they cool. Serve warm, or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

prune and walnut log

Yeah, it looks weird, but this is really yummy with a cheese plate.

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tb honey
zest and juice of one lemon
3/4 pound pitted prunes
3/4 pound raw walnut halves or pieces

Procedure
Combine sugar, honey, and lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan (preferably non-stick). Bring to a boil, then continue simmering until the temperature reaches the hard ball stage. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to touch.

In a food processor, chop the prunes slightly, then add the syrup and process untill well chopped. Don't make a completely smooth paste, you want some chunks of prune left.

Turn the mix into a bowl and add the walnuts. Mix thoroughly, using a spatula, or your hands. I use my hands, but I wear those food-handling gloves — this stuff is sticky! Spread the mixture onto a big sheet of parchment paper and form into a log shape. Roll up in the parchment paper, place on a sheet pan, and bake at 250 for about 45 minutes. Let cool on sheet pan (it will be soft), then refrigerate until firm. Slice thinly and enjoy with a sharp cheddar!

stuffed peppadew peppers

This is a new one I'm trying out for New Year's Eve.

Ingredients
12 peppadew peppers
(make sure you get ones that aren't split down the side)
12 chunks of mozzarella cheese
(sized to fit in the peppers)
6 slices bacon, cut in half
12 toothpicks

Procedure
Put a chunk of mozzarella in each pepper. Wrap pepper with a half-slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. If your bacon is thick, pre-cook it a little. Put the peppers on a rack on a sheet pan (so the bacon fat can drain off) and bake at 375 for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your bacon.

Muhammara and Rosemary Yogurt Flatbread

Seasonal Recipe of the Week
This week I have been thinking about some new hors d’oeuvres to add to my repitoire and I tried these items and I think they have great potential so here they are. An unusual dip and some all purpose flatbread.

Muhammara

Ingredients
1 cup walnuts
3 stove roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon Sambal
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Olive oil and parsley for garnish

Procedure
In a dry hot skillet, toast the walnuts until they start to get a little brown — not burnt — and smell good. Remove from skillet and let cool. In the food processor, combine all ingredients except olive oil and parsley and blend till smooth. Top with oil and parsley and serve with dipping bits like bread or veggies.

Rosemary Yogurt Flatbread

From the El Farol: Tapas and Spanish Cuisine

Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Procedure
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Stir in yogurt. Knead till a smooth dough forms. In a lightly oiled bowl, let dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour covered with a damp cloth. Cut cough into 12 pieces and roll each into a ball. Then roll out each ball into a 1/4 inch thick disc. Heat a stovetop cast iron grill, which you have oiled with the veggie oil. Cook one piece of bread at a time 2 minutes on the first side, 1 minute on the other side. Serve warm.

Roman Style Chicken

Low-Cal But Still Lovely
Still fighting the good fight! We all have some ups and downs but the important thing is to keep your perspective and after a weekend of slight indulgence get back on track and stay healthy. This is a simple and delicious chicken dish to get you going. Serve it with a big plate of oven-roasted veggies and be happy. This dish is made on the stove top so it's quick and easy.

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breast halves or thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Procedure
Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and cook until the peppers have browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes. If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. This will serve 4.