Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Grilled Farmer’s Market chicken with lemon ginger basting sauce

July 28, 2013 by Mary Frances 18 Comments

Our farmer friends, Ethel and Tom are taking things up a notch! Instead of selling out of their home, they are now at Farmer’s Markets on Fridays and Saturdays. The Friday one is at the Milan, NY Town Hall, complete with other vendors selling wines, cheeses and meats, all local, organic and free range. There’s even entertainment with a guitar player! The Friday night one stays open until 7 pm so if we can get out of the city by 5 pm and assuming there are no delays on the Taconic, we can get there in time.

The meat vendor, called Second Chance Farm (ha!), had fresh killed chickens. He said they were “harvested” Thursday night at 10 pm. (Isn’t that a lovely way to put it?) So we just had to buy one, along with 2 lbs. of ground lamb (one for dinner tonight), breakfast sausage, hot Italian sausage and 2 pork chops. We had the pork chops last night marinated in olive oil, garlic and anchovies and grilled. They were delicious!! So very clean tasting and flavorful.

But let me tell you about the chickens! They were all large and I chose the smallest one they had at 5.2 lbs. I cut the backbone out and broke the breast to “butterfly” it of sorts and therefore have it cook quicker. It cooked so quick – I don’t know if it was because it was so darn fresh or what – but it only took about 35 minutes on the grill at 425 degrees, direct heat. And, the dark meat even cooked quicker than the white meat, perhaps because the breasts were so big. So he just cut the leg and thigh pieces off and kept the whole breast on. Easy to do when it’s butterflied. I stuffed fresh sage and garlic slices under the skin, and topped it with salt and pepper. The basting sauce I made is really a remake of my lemon garlic sauce recipe for the Santorini chicken, changing it up and adding ginger. Here’s what I did:

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SAGE AND GARLIC AND LEMON GINGER BASTING SAUCE – serves 6

One 5.2 lb chicken, washed, thoroughly dried with backbone cut out and breast flattened with your hand
4 full stems of fresh sage
4 larges cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Fine sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Stuff one stem of sage and one clove of garlic, sliced, under the skin in each of the breasts and thigh sections. Salt and pepper your birds all over on both sides. Spray your grill with oil. Grill at 425 degrees basting with the Lemon Ginger sauce, turning twice, until your instant read thermometer registers at 155 degrees. Let it rest for 10 – 15 minutes before carving.

LEMON/GINGER BASTING SAUCE

1.5 tbs. unsalted butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 bay leaf
5 tbs. finely minced onion
4 tbs. minced ginger
6 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
10 grinds of black pepper
¾ tsp. Sriracha sauce
3 tbs. water

In a small saucepan, melt the butter in olive oil over low heat. Add bay leaf, ginger and onion, cover and sweat for 10 – 15 minutes. Check often, stir and do not let it brown, but you want it to be meltingly soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the water, stirring well. Raise heat to medium-high and whisk in water. Stir until mixture boils and then remove from heat. This can be made a couple of hours before you’re going to use it. Keep it at room temperature.

It was so flavorful and toothy – not tough – but not melting tender either. After all, these chickens walk and run. I have to say it was so fresh and clean tasting. This is the way we all should be eating and when you make it with LOVE, there’s no better way!

Last of the lettuce and a beautiful pork roast

July 24, 2013 by Mary Frances 15 Comments

So you saw my beautiful bounty of lettuce last week. This past Sunday I went out to cut the lettuce again for the week and some animal ate it all!! Except for one plant leaning over the mint on the left, my crop was decimated! Gone!! Overnight! So frustrating. I had put down dried blood as a fertilizer and animal deterrent in the middle of May. I guess it had all worn off by now. Bummer!

But let me tell you about the gorgeous pork roast I made on Sunday night. First, I started marinating it on Saturday afternoon. I love marinades. Because you do the work the day before, the day you roast it becomes a breeze. This is very good for us because we like to stay late in the country on Sundays, till 5, so we give ourselves a full day there. That puts us back in the city at around 7 pm. But if your roast is ready to go in the oven, you can still have dinner on the table by 8:30, even with unpacking a weeks worth of groceries on top of everything.

I combined fresh herbs from my garden with garlic and olive oil, blanketing the roast overnight. Then I wrapped it with some locally raised and cured bacon with no nitrates (pork and pork, yum!) and set it on a bed of sliced onions, and we went to town! It was so delicious. And the leftovers warm nicely in the microwave, making a great lunch. This is super easy. Give it a go!

BACON-WRAPPED GARLIC AND HERB ROASTED PORK LOIN – serves 4

¼ cup of olive oil
9 large cloves of garlic, chopped
½ cup chopped sage, rosemary and mint leaves, combined
2 tsp. Kosher salt
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 lbs. center cut pork loin roast
4 – 5 thick slices of bacon, grass fed, organic, nitrate-free
2 medium onions, sliced ¼” thick

Combine the olive oil, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rinse and pat dry your meat with paper towels. Spread herb mixture evenly all over the roast with a spatula and carefully slide the roast into a Ziplock bag. Seal, removing air and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Let the roast stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Arrange the onion slices in a rectangle in a roasting pan or large ovenproof skillet. Place the roast on top, fat side down, and then lay the bacon slices on top, probably wrapping them around would be better than my horizontal job. Either way, they’ll flavor the meat with amazing goodness and with the fat side down on the roast, this is actually healthier and more flavorful as long as your bacon is fairly lean.

Roast for 55 – 60 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 145 degrees. Lift the roast and onions to a platter or carving board (leaving the grease behind) and let rest for 10 – 15 minutes before serving. Slice in 1/4″ slices and enjoy!!

We started this meal with a kale salad and as you can see, I served the roast with some fresh tomatoes and couscous. Really yummy!

Happy mistakes

May 6, 2013 by Mary Frances 16 Comments

Yesterday morning, while I was making our Sunday breakfast, I was doing too many things at once and kept on messing up. No matter how many people tell you that multi-tasking is good, it is not! I was rushing, trying to get a load of laundry in, thinking about planting my tomatoes and how I could con my husband into digging a new garden and listening to the Sunday morning TV political talk shows on the radio, while I was making sausage patties, eggs, fruit salad and warming bread.

After my sausage patties were all done, I realized I had forgotten to put in the half of the minced shallot that I wanted to. Ah, no matter, I thought, I’ll put them in the eggs! So I put some butter in the pan and the minced shallots with the heat on low. Then I went to spray Shout on the laundry, went to the bathroom, and went upstairs to make up the bed, totally forgetting about the shallots in the pan. I came back and they were nearly burnt. So as I was about to throw them out, I thought, wait, these could be crispy minced shallots on TOP of the scrambled eggs and voila – it was really good!

The sausage patties were really good too! Here’s the recipe:

BREAKFAST SAUSAGE PATTIES
– makes 10 – 12 patties

2 tbs. of a combo of herbs – minced sage, rosemary and mint leaves
1/2 large shallot, minced
1 small egg (or beat an egg and use 2/3 of it – the rest can go in your scrambled eggs)
1 lb. ground pork – I use a local grocery store’s bulk ground pork breakfast sausage that is seasoned with salt, pepper and a little dried sage. So if you start with plain ground pork, add salt, pepper and 1/4 tsp. dried sage leaves crumbled
1/4 cup of panko
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper (skip this if your ground pork is already “seasoned” for sausage patties)

Mix all ingredients together with your hands. Shape into small patties. This should give you 10 – 12 patties. Sauté in a non-stick skillet on the stove, medium high heat, about 5 minutes per side, with the pan covered. Pork should be at 155 – 160 degrees. Enjoy!

And oh – I burnt myself too. I had warmed a casserole dish in the oven, to put the finished scrambled eggs in. I forgot that it was hot and picked it up with bare hands!

TIP: Always have Tea Tree oil around as that is the best for burns! (but, the smell is strong and not very good around food)

P.S. Seriously, due to the tea tree oil, I am fine today!

Gardening in gorgeous weather

May 5, 2013 by Mary Frances 10 Comments

I am sitting outside in our backyard upstate as I write this. It has been a glorious weekend, weather wise. Just spectacular!!

I should be riding my bike right now, but my body hurts too much from all the gardening yesterday. What happened? Gardening reaches muscles you forgot about for a year, even if you work out regularly, as I do. Honest. My father used to say, “It’s tough to get old, Mare.”

How right he was.

So here is my herb garden. I was so excited to see that my Italian parsley made it through the winter, as it’s an annual. Even my English thyme looks like it’s coming back. The chives, sage, mint, sorrel, and oregano are all in good shape. I planted sweet basil and some lettuces and weeded everything else.

And here are my tomatoes and nasturtiums. Yet to buy – tarragon, rosemary and arugula – next weekend.

Now I have to put covers on them before heading back to the city as it still gets really cold here at night.

Easy, so delicious pork chops

October 4, 2012 by Mary Frances 2 Comments

I made the most amazing, simple dinner the other night. I had thick cut pork chops – two meals for me, one for my husband and about 30 small portobello mushrooms, fresh oregano and fresh sage – and we were hungry and needed to eat quick. I also had some spinach that was begging to be of service.

I used Garam Masala for a quick and delicious flavoring. It is an Indian spice that I love, a mixture of coriander, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon. To me, it’s a terrific, already made up spice rub! I like to use it on pork, although it’s probably good on chicken and maybe even roasted cauliflower. I’ll have to try that and let you know.

Here’s what I did.

GARAM MASALA PORK CHOPS WITH MUSHROOMS AND FRESH HERBS
– serves 2-3

1.5 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. unsalted butter
2 thick, center cut pork chops with the tenderloin section
Salt
Pepper
Garam Masala
About 30 small Portobello mushrooms, washed quickly and cut in half.
¼ cup leftover dry white wine or dry vermouth
¼ – 1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano
¼ – 1/3 cup chopped fresh sage leaves

Wash your chops thoroughly and pat dry. Wash the mushrooms in a cold bath of water quickly, lift them out of the water and drain and dry on paper towels. Mushrooms are delicate and very porous do you don’t want them lingering in the water and soaking it up. When the mushrooms are dry, trim a little bit off of the stems if necessary and cut in half to make them all the same approximate size.

Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper and then cover with Garam Masala and rub in with your fingers. Do this on both sides. See photo.

Heat the oil on medium high heat. Add the butter and when sizzling subsides, add the chops to brown. After about 4 minutes, add the mushrooms on both sides of the chops and sprinkle on 2/3’s of the chopped herbs which have been mixed together. Do not disturb for 3 minutes. The mushrooms will absorb the oils and then emit their own juices while browning underneath. Then turn your chops, and when you see the mushrooms getting juicy, you can toss those around to brown on the other side. After about 2 more minutes, add the white wine and continue cooking the chops until done. You will most likely want to remove the mushrooms beforehand, if your chops are as thick as mine were. Put the mushrooms in the center of your platter and place the chops on top of them when done to rest and warm the mushrooms up again. Drizzle all pan juices on top. I like to remove my chops at about 140 degrees as they will continue cooking when resting on top of the mushrooms. Let the chops rest for 5 – 10 minutes and sprinkle with remaining herbs before serving.

I served this with some spinach sauteed in olive oil and garlic. A perfect, quick, early autumn dinner!

Creamy, dreamy…

September 19, 2012 by Mary Frances 6 Comments

…parsnips!! Yes, parsnips! Who would have thunk it? This dish, in the newest October Food and Wine magazine, appealed to me. I had parsnips and I had chicken thighs. I always have white wine that can be used up. If not that, use dry vermouth and feel very French. And the rest of the recipe I just improvised and changed.

Yesterday, my day was challenging. Our refrigerator and freezer went kaput in the middle of the night and I had to work from home while waiting for the repair men to come. Meanwhile I had the bright idea to call the super and ask if there were any empty apartments that had a refrigerator and could I please store all my food there? Yes, there was one on the third floor. Bingo! So here I am, hauling bags of food down there and then I’m trying to work at our kitchen counter and our darn refrigerator keeps on beeping to tell me that the temperature is below where it should be. Duhhh!!! Do you know how annoying that is?

Meanwhile, I’m dealing with two very inexperienced clients and I am frustrated. After the repair guys finally fix the refrigerator, I had to go to the Bronx for a meeting with the new board president at the school I volunteer at and I am not in a pretty mood. I tell them what I really think about their name at this meeting and leave. I am nice about it but firm.

I get back home and decide I need to sweat all this meanness out so I go to the gym and ride a bike for over 5 miles and come back up to cook this dinner which was so delicious and creamy dreamy that I am now a nice person again.

You see how food has the ability to comfort and soothe, curing all that ails you? When you cook with love, you only magnify that tenet.

Parsnips are in season now. Buy only fresh young ones — no big fat woody ones allowed! This really is a must-make dish. We served a Vouvray and some steamed Jasmine rice with this and all was well and back to normal in our household!

CHENIN BLANC BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH PARSNIPS AND SAGE
– serves 4

2 tbs. unsalted butter
2 tbs.extra-virgin olive oil
8 medium chicken thighs, with bones and skin
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 large shallots, peeled and quartered
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into 3″ lengths and then quartered or halved
1 large sage sprig with numerous leaves
1 cup Chenin Blanc or other dry white wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, preferably homemade
Chopped fresh sage leaves and chives for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large, deep ovenproof skillet, melt the butter in the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust lightly with the flour, tapping off the excess. Add the chicken to the skillet skin side down and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add the shallots, parsnips and sage sprig to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken skin side up in the skillet, tucking it between the parsnips. Transfer the skillet to the middle rack of the oven and braise the chicken uncovered for about 25 minutes, until cooked through.

Turn the broiler on. Broil the chicken for 3 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Return the skillet to high heat and boil until the sauce is thickened, 3 minutes. Discard the sage sprig, if you like. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to bowls, garnish with chopped sage leaves and chives and serve with steamed Jasmine rice.