Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

I think I may have mentioned before that I led a fairly sheltered "food life" until ten or so years ago. I had never heard of pesto, sun-dried or otherwise. When I discovered it I kind of went crazy with it, making several different kinds (and loving all of them). The two that have become my favorites are just the basic pesto made with basil and this one made with sun-dried tomatoes. If you've never had it you're in for a treat. There are many different ways to use it, including pasta, but my all time favorite is as a spread on a sandwich - particularly a panini made with chicken, a wine-reduction sauce, grilled onions, havarti cheese and baby spinach all on a grilled and pressed ciabatta roll. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Give it a try - you'll be glad you did!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (minus the oil they were packed in)
• 4 tbsp fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsp toasted pine nuts (pignolis)
• 4 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano (or parmesan)
• 6 tbsp oil from sun dried tomatoes (or olive oil)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and run until the mixture resembles a coarse paste. You may need to adjust the amount of olive oil to suit your preferences.
2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month - but you'll probably use it up long before then!

Pumpkin Soup

Incredibly yummy pumpkin soup topped with sour cream and chives

Maybe I've simply led a sheltered life, but until a few years ago I had never eaten anything made with pumpkins other than pumpkin pie (unless you count the Dunkin' Donuts inundation we get at a certain time of year with all of their muffins and donuts).

I had no clue exactly how versatile the pumpkin is - nor did I realize that in certain parts of Italy, the pumpkin is a staple in cooking and has been for centuries. I learned all of these things when I bought a cookbook a few years ago that has hundreds of recipes for using pumpkin. Who'd a thunk it? Pumpkin, this staple of pies in thousands (if not millions) of households every Thanksgiving, ALSO in hundreds of different recipes? I certainly never would have realized it!

One of those hundreds of things I hadn't tried until recently was pumpkin soup. Pumpkin and butternut squash can be used interchangeably and I have certainly made many different versions with butternut squash but for some reason I simply hadn't tried it with pumpkin.

I've since remedied that! Unfortunately, at this time of year here in New England, I had to settle for canned pumpkin (I much prefer roasting and pureeing a whole pumpkin myself but that's difficult to do when there are none to be had!). Even with canned pumpkin, it was still a hit even with my 17 year old that swears he hates pumpkin (he had two bowls!).

If you try it, let me know what you think in the comments.

Prepping the ingredients - I made a double batch
since it was going with us to a dinner party

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
• 1 cup chopped onion (approx. 1 medium onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 2 tsp mild curry (I use the Penzey's Sweet Curry exclusively - other curries can be WAY too hot for my wimpy palate)
• 1 tsp salt (use more or less to taste) 
• 1/2 tsp coriander 
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper 
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground dried rosemary
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash nutmeg  
• 3 cups chicken broth 
• 15 oz. can pumpkin 
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup light cream or half and half 
• sour cream and chives for garnish 

Stirring in the spices after sautéing the onions and garlic

Method: 

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan
2. Sauté the onion until soft (about two to three minutes)
3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds to one minute) 
4. Add curry, coriander, salt, black pepper, rosemary, cinnamon and nutmeg and cook for one minute to toast the spices
5. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil

   

   Stirring the chicken stock into the onion/garlic mixture

6. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes 
7. Stir in the pumpkin, cream, applesauce and sugar. Bring back to a simmer and cook for an additional five minutes 

   

   Stir in the pumpkin, cream, applesauce and sugar

8. Either use a stick blender and blend well in the pan or allow to cool for ten minutes or so and pour into a blender in small batches and blend until creamy. Combine all batches from blender and stir well

   

   Using a stick blender to combine all the ingredients until smooth

9. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives

   

   Ready to eat!

White Chicken Chili

White chicken chili served over rice, with a side of homemade cornbread.
As Alton Brown (my culinary hero) might say, "That's good eats!"

We had chili quite a bit when I was growing up - but never with chicken. It was always the red chili with plenty of beans and hamburger. I still love it that way but as I've gotten older I've also gained an appreciation for that other kind of chili - white chicken chili.

My wife is a sometime vegetarian but even she'll eat this - and my son much prefers it to a red chili. I'm not certain I could honestly say that I PREFER the white over the red, but suffice it to say I'm a fan of both and for some reason the chicken version at least SEEMS a bit healthier (which could very well be all in my mind).

So, here is how I make mine. Keep in mind that all of the spices can (and should) be adjusted to suit your tastes. We are not fans of hot and spicy chili (or hot and spicy anything else for that matter) in our house but I have plenty of friends that believe the hotter the better in the food department. Because of that, I'm aware that this recipe even more than many of my others needs to be adjusted to allow for the taste preferences of your household.

Likewise, I use homemade chicken broth and beans that I've soaked and cooked myself rather than from a can. Feel free to use canned broth and beans if that's what you prefer or have time for!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken (Use more or less depending upon how much chicken you want in the recipe as opposed to beans. I used leftover chicken from a whole chicken I had cooked earlier in the week. If you buy rotisserie chicken from the store, this is a good way to use any leftovers. You can also bake, roast or poach chicken specifically for this purpose if you want. If you poach it, use the leftover liquid in place of the chicken broth further down in this list.)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (garlic infused if available, plain is fine if not)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 whole cans green chilies, chopped
• 1 pound navy beans, soaked per directions on the bag - OR - 2 (14.5-ounce) cans white beans
• 8 cups chicken broth (4 cups if using canned beans or precooked beans)
• 1 whole roasted jalapeño or 1 whole chipotle, sliced (the best directions I've seen for roasting your own peppers are here - and if you're a wimp like all of us here in our household remember to remove the seeds)
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp cornmeal
• grated cheddar cheese, to taste
• sour cream for garnish

Directions

Sautéing onions and garlic

1. Pour the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat
2. Add onions and cook until just turning translucent (about two or three minutes)
3. Add garlic and chopped chilies and cook until fragrant (about a minute)
4. Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder and paprika and cook for another minute to toast the spices
5. Add the chicken stock and beans and bring to a simmer
6. If using uncooked beans, cook for two hours or until the beans are tender (if you are using canned beans, cook for about twenty minutes until heated through)
7. Stir in the chicken and roasted jalapeño
8. Add the cornmeal to the cup of milk and stir well (this step and the next are optional - I like the flavor and texture it adds to the chili. It thickens it at the same time. If you don't like cornmeal or if your chili is thick enough feel free to skip both)
9. Pour the cornmeal mixture into the chili and stir well (optional - along with previous step)
10. Serve chili in a bowl topped with cheddar cheese (or your choice of cheese) and sour cream. If you have cilantro on hand, maybe a slice of lime or some tortilla chips and salsa it would also make an excellent finish!

My wife loves her chili served over white rice. I had never heard of it before but I have since seen it served that way in a few restaurants as well. Now, we always have it that way and I have to admit it makes it even better!

Roasted Garlic Infused Olive Oil

If you read many of my recipes, you may have noticed

Bottled roasted garlic infused
oil with the roasted garlic

that I frequently will allude to using flavored olive oil. It's one of those things that isn't really necessary (in most every case, unflavored oil will work just fine) but I LOVE the extra flavor you get from using it - not to mention that using it as dipping oil is heavenly.

The first time I made this, I did a lot of research - and found that making infused oils can actually be kind of dangerous. Not dangerous as in "it might explode", but dangerous as in "it can give you food poisoning if you're not careful" (and this isn't true of making all infused oils - but it is true of garlic infused oil).  

Because of that, I opted out of trying to make just garlic infused oil and went with the ROASTED garlic infused oil.  That eliminates a lot of the risk - you are heating the oil in the oven (with the garlic in it) to 350 degrees for an hour which will kill most anything that could possibly make you sick.  I also store it in the refrigerator which seriously reduces the other main problem that can occur with the NON-ROASTED garlic infused oil - which is something "growing" in it when it sits out.  In any case, I've made this several times now and haven't encountered any issues whatsoever - but thought it was best to let you know in case you want to try it yourself. 

The side benefit I found from making roasted garlic oil is that I actually like it better - roasting the garlic gives the oil a mellower flavor than if it's not roasted.  The best part of all is what's leftover - the roasted garlic!!  This is absolutely awesome to spread on a piece of crusty bread. It's like butter, only better!

Ingredients

• 4 cups olive oil (I actually do something slightly different. I keep my oil refrigerated for the reason mentioned above, and pure olive oil can solidify in the refrigerator. This will NOT harm it in any way and will work just fine when it warms up - BUT I don't always have time to warm it up or simply don't feel like waiting, so instead of using strictly olive oil, I use two cups of olive oil and two cups of canola oil. I can't really taste the difference after roasting the garlic in it and it won't solidify in the refrigerator so you are able to pour it out for your favorite recipe without any "warming" time)
• 8 heads of garlic, sliced in half
• *4 fresh thyme sprigs
• *2 fresh rosemary sprigs

*Optional - add these ingredients or any others you may like if you want that particular flavor in your oil as well.  Feel free to experiment and vary the type and amount used to match your tastes.

Directions:

Just before being covered by foil and going in the oven

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place halves of garlic heads cut-side down in a baking dish and cover with the oil. 
3. Place thyme, rosemary or any other herbs you may be using in oil (this step is optional)
4. Cover with aluminum foil, then place the dish on a baking sheet. 
5. Roast for one hour.  
6. Pour the oil through a fine mesh strainer.
7. Remove the garlic from the strainer and set aside to drain on paper towels.
8. Pour the oil into a tightly sealed container or jar. It should last a minimum of a month - I've never been able to keep it much longer than that simply because it's all gone before that time comes!
9. Don't toss the garlic! After it has cooled, squeeze the cloves out of each bulb. Keep them whole or mash them with a fork, using as desired in a recipe or simply spread onto a piece of crusty bread. Don't let anyone else in the family know you have them if you want to have any for yourself (I have to hide them from my wife or they're all gone within a day)!
10. Enjoy!

    

    Fresh out of the oven - it also makes your house smell incredible!
    
    

    
    

This is a different batch with garlic, rosemary and oregano - best batch yet!

Cashew Brittle (or Peanut Brittle if you prefer!)

I remember loving peanut brittle

Cashew brittle - broken up and ready to eat!

when I was growing up - the problem was, about the only time we had it was around the holidays when my aunt would make a batch for my dad and us kids didn't get much of it.

Fast forward MANY years - I had still never had it often but loved it. Then a very good friend gave me her recipe and introduced me to the homemade stuff and I never looked back (the same friend pretty much singlehandedly changed how I think about cooking and got me started on the path of loving it that I'm still walking today, for which I am eternally grateful).

To give you an idea about how good I think her original recipe is, I only made one minor change (the addition of vanilla).  Most recipes I get - even ones from my mother - I seriously modify (because I can't help myself, not necessarily because they need it) but this one is so good and yet simple at the same time that it didn't need any changes (the addition of vanilla is truly a personal preference - add it if you like it, leave it out if you don't).

That's when I found out that you could make brittle with something besides peanuts (yes, it seems pretty obvious now!).  My favorite is cashew brittle. If you like nuts, it truly is amazing. It's also incredibly simple - it takes just a few ingredients and small bit of time. In addition, it's vegetarian AND vegan so you can serve it to anyone (as long as they don't have a nut allergy that is).

I've followed in my aunt's footsteps and given it out for the holidays in a nice tin lined with wax (or parchment) paper and it was a huge hit. Today, I just made it because it sounded good and I hadn't had it in a while.

If you prefer peanuts to cashews, simply substitute raw peanuts for the cashews and it will come out fine.  I've also made it in the past with macadamia nuts, almonds and even pine nuts (pignolis) or a combination of the above.  Also, this is pretty thick with cashews as it is, but if you want even more, feel free to add more than the cup listed. You won't have to change anything else to make up the difference and it will taste fine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar

  

  Sugar, corn syrup and salt
  mixed together and ready.

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup raw cashews (if you choose to use raw peanuts, be certain they do NOT have the skins - I was told this initially when I got the recipe and tried using the ones with skins anyway because I didn't think it made any difference.  I was wrong.)  

Directions

1. Prepare a cookie sheet by coating with Pam spray or a light coat of butter or oil (lately, instead of doing this I put a piece of parchment paper - NOT wax paper - on the cookie sheet and lightly spray that.  It makes cleanup a snap!). Place the prepared sheet close to the stove.
2. Measure out one teaspoon of baking soda and have it close at hand. 

   

   After adding cashews.
   Note how light the color is.

3. Combine sugar and corn syrup with the salt in a large heavy bottomed pan and mix together. 
4. Turn heat on medium high.
5. Stir continuously until the mixture comes to a boil.
6. Stir in the cashews (or whatever nuts you're using).
7. Keep stirring for approximately 8-10 minutes. What you're looking for here is a color change - it will turn from a white/clear to a golden/amber color. If you want to use a candy thermometer, it's approx. 300 degrees. It's VERY important to not overcook or your brittle will taste burnt.
8. Remove from heat immediately when the right color/temperature is reached.
9. Remember that baking soda we said to keep close?  This is when you need it. Dump it and the vanilla in the pan with the rest of the ingredients and keep stirring. It will start foaming and should be a golden/light tan color.

   

   Just before taking off the heat.
   Note the color of the mixture (and
   cashews) at this point.

10. Quickly pour the entire thing onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread out evenly with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon. Remove as many of the bubbles as you can. This step goes VERY fast and the candy is VERY hot. Be careful and do it as quickly as you can.
11. Put the sheet on a cooling rack and let rest until cool - alternately, if you're like me and don't want to wait, make room in the freezer!
12. Once it's cool, carefully turn it over and wipe the oil off the back. 
13. Break into pieces and store in a wax paper lined tin (or other airtight container).
14. Enjoy!

This is what the mixture will look like after
you add the baking powder.  It will foam up.
At this point, you have to work fast!

We buy all of our raw nuts at a local Asian grocery store (for anyone living in our area, A. Dong in West Hartford is a great place to visit!).  I know not everyone has an Asian grocery store close to them or they simply never have the opportunity to go to one so I've included links to Amazon for all the different types of nuts I mentioned - and it IS important to use raw nuts as opposed to ones that have already been roasted.

This is the cashew brittle cooled, waiting to be
broken into smaller pieces and eaten!

Instant Chai Tea Mix - just add water!

A cup of hot chai.
Perfect for a cold winter day!

Anyone that knows me knows that I drink iced tea.  Morning, noon and night, that is pretty much all I drink...until recently.  I've always liked chai (and I do have a brewed version that I make into iced tea) but I very rarely drink ANYTHING hot.  No real reason other than a personal preference for cold drinks.

A couple of weeks ago we were at our local farmer's market (Coventry Regional Farmer's Market - if you're close enough to attend, I HIGHLY recommend it).  About once a month they have a "swap". Anyone can do it - you simply bring something homemade (it can be edible or a craft item) and people swap items they've brought with items from someone else. We love doing this and try to attend them whenever we can.  At the last swap, someone brought an instant chai tea mix. We ended up getting it in a swap and brought it home.  I hadn't thought much about it until we had a party last weekend and several people tried it and absolutely loved it.

That was enough for me - I had to figure out how to make it. I visited a number of sites that had their own version and came up with one that I liked. It's a bit different than some of the others that I've seen out there but the great thing about it is that you can quite easily tailor it to your own tastes.  If you don't care for cloves, leave them out. Want some allspice or nutmeg? Put in a pinch (or more).  There are no hard and fast rules - put in what you like, leave out what you don't until you get a combination that you want to stick with. I know people that even like a small bit of ground white pepper in their chai. Likewise with the milk powder - if you want something a bit "creamier", add a bit more of the milk powder.  If you want more of a tea taste, add more of the instant tea. 

You get the idea - make it yours!

Just add a spoonful (or two) and you're good to go!

Ingredients

• *1 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder 
• 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
• *2 1/2 cups vanilla sugar  
• 1 3/4 cups unsweetened instant tea (you can also use decaf instant tea if you prefer)
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice

* If you don't have vanilla sugar, simply use 1 cup of French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer along with 2 1/2 cups of regular sugar instead.  If you do this, you can also cut the amount of dry milk powder down to 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 cups.  The important part here is simply getting the vanilla flavor into the mix in a dry format as opposed to liquid vanilla extract.

Directions

The final result should be a very fine powder like this.

1. In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla sugar (or flavored creamer), and instant tea. 
2. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and allspice and mix well. 
3. In a food processor (or blender), blend 1-2 cups at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder (you can skip this step, but it will dissolve better if you take the time to do it).

To serve: Stir 1-2 heaping tablespoons Chai tea mixture (depending upon taste) into a mug of hot water. If you prefer an even creamier consistency, you can add hot milk instead of water.

Tater Tots - from scratch (NOT the ones in a bag!)

One of my favorite foods from childhood (that wasn't made by my mom or grandfather) was tater tots. I

Perfectly done tater tots - nice and crisp on
the outside, soft and creamy on the inside!

still love them today and I know lots of others that do as well. If my kids are any indication, it's not just a generational thing - they love them as well.

Having said that, I never even considered making them from scratch. I would just open a bag, pour them on a baking sheet and throw them in the oven. I have noticed lately that they really don't taste as good as the ones I had as a kid but I just chalked that up to a kid's memory vs reality.

The other day, I overheard someone talking about making them from scratch and that got me thinking - was it my memory that was faulty or were they really made differently?  I'm sure it was some of each but once I started thinking about it I had to try it myself.

This was my first attempt and the three of us loved it (my wife, my 17 year old son and me). I'll try slightly different spices/herbs going forward just to switch it up a bit but I'm very happy with the way they came out. I'm also going to try deep frying them in the future, though that negates any "healthy" benefits that may come from making them myself.

So, here's my version of homemade tater tots!!

Ingredients

• 5 medium red potatoes - about 2 pounds (it's important to use red potatoes - they have more starch and are much "gummier" than russets which will help them stick together better)
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• Olive oil for greasing pan
• *1/2 tsp garlic powder
• *1/2 tsp onion powder
• *1/2 tsp freshly ground dried rosemary
• *1/2 tsp oregano
• *1/2 tsp sweet curry

*Optional herbs/seasonings - experiment with whatever combination of seasonings and herbs you like. I used garlic powder, onion powder and rosemary. You could also give them a southwestern flair by adding seasonings like chili powder and cumin.  Basically, make them yours by adding whatever flavors you and your family like.

Directions

The potato mixture waiting
to be formed into "tots"

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Scrub the potatoes clean and roast until fork tender. Depending upon the size of the potatoes, you may want to cut them in half first. For my potatoes, this took about 40 minutes.
3. Cool them rapidly by plunging them in ice water. Change the water, and repeat, until the potatoes are cool.
4. Shred the potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. I peeled mine - you can leave the peel on if you prefer.
5. Put the grated potatoes in a bowl and add the other ingredients. I prefer to mix using my hands, but a fork works quite well also. Mix until fully combined.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and rub or spray with a layer of olive oil. I used a rosemary infused olive oil to give a bit of extra flavor.

   

   Formed and ready to go
   into the oven

7. Preheat oven to 425° F.
8. Using about a teaspoon of the potato mixture, form it into a small ball.  If you then flatten it on the ends, you'll have the traditional tater tot shape.
9. Place on baking sheet and repeat until all the tots are made. I was able to make just short of 50 tots with the potatoes I used.
10. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes, turning once about 20 minutes into the cooking time.
11. Serve hot with catsup (or, if you're like me, try Heinz 57 sauce - it puts catsup to shame!).
12. Enjoy!

As always, if you try it, please let me know what you think in the comments!

Straight out of the oven...

...and ready to be served!