Slow Gardening, Foraging, Eatint Green on St. Patrick's Day

Recently we attended a seminar at Sligo Plantation (outside of Natchez) on slow gardening and foraging. There are so many interesting things to attend around here it is hard to get it all in. This turned out to be a great day with the morning speaker being Felder Rushing, who has several books to his credit and a public radio show here in Mississippi (some people in west Alabama can get him on Mississippi public radio). His book Tough Plants for Southern Gardens has as a sub-title, ‘Low Care, No Care’---my type of gardening. He is an interesting guy, very pragmatic.  When people get technical about planting, he puts them down with “Dig a hole, green side up.”  And he likes tough plants. He’ll talk about plants that dead people can grow---those found in cemeteries.

The afternoon was spent foraging for edible plants with Dr. Charles Allen, a retired professor of biology at the University of Louisiana.  We nibbled our way through the lawn ‘weeds’ and then had samplings of various herbal teas.  Tea and the fireplace were welcome treats on that particularly windy cold day.  I bought a book of his that I hope will be helpful to me in finding some interesting nibbles—Edible Plants of the Gulf South.

Our lunch was just the best and I was able to get two recipes from the lunch. Christina Johnson, the owner of Sligo Plantation, prepared the food and most of it was grown in her garden.

I thought today would be the appropriate day to share these green recipes with you.  Try them instead of green beer and Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Parsley Dressing

Take a bunch of parsley, 2 minced garlic cloves, about ½ cup of nut oil (I used walnut), a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, about ¼ cup raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar, the juice of two tangerines, and puree all these ingredients in the food processor. Ingredients are not exact but this would be enough dressing for 4 salads. Instead of parsley one can use basil when it is in season in the summer. I found the dressing to be really good and easy, and a ‘keeper’. This was served with different greens from her garden and some mushrooms.  I’ve been making the dressing a lot as we eat our salad greens from the garden which are even now going to seed.

Christina Johnson served a green soup garnished with crème fraîche she had also made.  Homemade bread and these two courses was all that was needed, although she had a mushroom lasagna as well.  She had adapted her recipe from Lynne Rosetto Kasper.

This recipe is from Eating Well by Anne Thomas, published in 2011. Tweak it as you like. Christina had changed it some and I added a bit more hot pepper than called for, to give it a little more zing.

Basic Green Soup

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 50 min

Total time: 1 hour

8 servings

To make ahead: Prepare through Step 4 (omitting the lemon, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Season with lemon just before serving.

This chard and spinach soup gets complex flavor from slowly cooked onions and lemon juice; while a sprinkle of rice gives it body and a velvety texture. Serve with a swirl of fruity, fragrant extra-virgin olive oil for richness or serve with a tablespoon or two of crème fraîche. I really like the crème fraîche with it.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

2 large yellow onions, chopped

1 teaspoon salt, divided

¼ cup Arborio rice

1 bunch green chard (about 1 pound)

14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 ounces), any tough stems trimmed

4 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade

Big pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups of water and ¾ teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard (save for another use; such as to add to a stir-fry or other soup). Coarsely chop the chard greens and spinach.

When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, stir in a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the rice along with the spinach, broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes.

Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot) Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil or crème fraîche.

Bon appetite viridis (as Dr. Allen signed his book)

Deviled Eggs

Over the five years since I have been writing this column, I usually think of deviled eggs for Easter since there are usually so many hardboiled eggs to use. I am always amazed that of all the foods I prepare for coffee hour at church, the deviled eggs are the first to go. They are just the perfect two-bite hor d’oeuvre for any gathering and they are easy to make and highly portable. I have recently bought my own special container just for my deviled eggs.

Where in the world did the term “deviled” come from? I found that it dates back to the 18^th Century, referring to the use of hot spices in cooking.” Devil” in the Oxford English Dictionary became a verb, in its referral to various highly-seasoned broiled or fried dishes. Contemporary versions of deviled eggs may include garlic, horseradish, chutney, capers, salsa, hot sauce, wasabi, spinach or sour cream. Some of these are not hot. Some parts of the United States such as the South and Midwest refused to use the term “deviled” and would call the eggs “salad” or “dressed” eggs.

Some of the people down South only use Duke’s mayonnaise and some people use pickle relish. The ones I made used firm yolks combined with mayonnaise, mustard and a little bacon fat. You can finish the eggs with toppings of paprika, caviar, or as I did, use the bacon for a topper.

Bacon Deviled Eggs from ‘bon appétit’

Makes 24. Skip the bacon if you like and substitute 2 Tbsp. melted butter instead.

Place 12 large eggs in a saucepan; add water to cover by 1”. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool completely, about 10 minutes; peel. Halve lengthwise and remove yolks. Coarsely chop 3 slices of bacon. Cook in a medium skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Strain drippings through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Add melted butter if needed to measure 2 Tbsp.

Finely mash reserved yolks, bacon fat (and /or butter), 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, and 1 heaping Tbsp. chopped scallions in a medium bowl; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer to a large re-sealable freezer bag, then cut 1/2 “ off  1 corner. Pipe into whites; garnish with thinly sliced scallions and reserved bacon.

This is a new twist with deviled eggs, using salmon in the filling. I tried these and they are keepers.

Taken from the April 2012, issue of ‘Food and Wine’.

Smoked-Salmon Deviled Eggs

8 large eggs

½ cup finely chopped smoked salmon (2 ounces)

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 cornichons, cut into ¼ -inch dice plus 2 teaspoons pickling liquid from the jar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt

Old Bay seasoning for sprinkling

In a large saucepan, cover the eggs with water and bring to a vigorous boil. Cover the saucepan, remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Drain off the water and shake the pan gently to crack the eggs. Cool the eggs slightly under cold running water; then peel them under running water. Pat dry.

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and carefully remove the yolks. Transfer the yolks to a bowl and mash well with a fork. Stir in the salmon, mayonnaise, cornichons, cornichon liquid, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt. Mound the filling in the egg-white halves and sprinkle with Old Bay. Serve slightly chilled.

Even if you do not like the contents of a deviled egg, the plain hardboiled is good for you. Of course the best eggs to buy are the pastured or free range, but they are pricey and hard to find. The organic indicates cage free and free of hormones and antibiotics. They would probably be next best. The cage free means they were not confined to cages but they may never have left the crowded barn. The natural label means nothing since every raw chicken egg is natural. Just read your labels. I’ve come a long way in my understanding of where my food comes from.  On a trip to England in the 1980’s I remember seeing a sign ‘free range eggs.’ Great, free eggs!

One large egg weighs about 2 ounces, has 74 calories and is made up of many interconnected parts. The yolk delivers three-quarters of the egg’s calories and nutrients and contains the proteins that create emulsions like aioli. The white is 90 percent water, the remainder is mainly protein. The inner white of the egg cushions the yolk and will appear cloudy when very fresh.  The outer white will cook more quickly than the inner (as in a fried egg). Older eggs have a higher proportion of this thin white. It is good to remember that the yolk and white go together just like peanut butter and jelly.

Happy Easter! Enjoy the eggs!

Crawfish

It is that time of year when you can buy fresh crawfish. I like to buy some pounds of boiled crawfish and just come home and eat them even though they are messy. A pound of boiled crawfish is about $3.69 this time of year but they will get cheaper. A pound of fresh crawfish tails, are running about $14.99, so that is rather expensive also, and about $2.00 more than last year.

Perhaps the best crawfish étouffée recipe that I have found is from John Besh’s cookbook, My New Orleans. Étouffée means smothered, and this dish is smothered both with a lid and with the holy trinity of vegetables: onion, celery, and bell pepper. The essential flavor is taken from the crawfish tails which are used to make the stock. (Recipe below). The crawfish should be added near the very end so they do not become tough. The velvety texture of the étouffée comes from browning the flour in oil in the early stages; this makes our roux, the base of this classic dish.

Basic Shellfish Stock

Makes 6 cups

½ cup canola oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 leek, white part, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 pound shells from shrimp, blue crab, crawfish, or lobster

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over moderate heat. Cook the onions, celery, carrots, leeks, and garlic, stirring often, until they are soft but not brown, about 3 minutes.

Add the shells from the shrimp, crab, crawfish, lobster, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, and 3 quarts water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface, until the stock has reduced by half, about 2 hours.

Strain through a fine sieve into a container with a cover. Allow the stock to cool, cover and refrigerate, then skim off the fat. Freeze the stock in small batches to use later.

Crawfish Étouffée

Serves 6

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons flour

1 small onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

Half a red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 small tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 quart Basic Shellfish Stock (above recipe)

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound peeled crawfish tails

2 green onions, chopped

2 dashes Worcestershire

2 dashes Tabasco

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 cups cooked Basic Louisiana White Rice

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk the flour into the very hot oil. It will immediately begin to sizzle and fizz. Keep whisking and reduce the heat to medium. Continue whisking until the roux takes on a gorgeous dark brown color, about 15 minutes. Add the onions, reduce the heat, and cook until the onions caramelize. If you add all the vegetables at the same time, the water that results will boil the onions and their sugars won’t caramelize.

When the onions have turned the roux shiny and dark, add the celery, bell peppers, garlic, thyme, cayenne, and paprika. Cook for 5 minutes. Now add the tomatoes and the Shellfish Stock and increase the heat to high.

Once the sauce has come to a boil, reduce the heat to moderate and let simmer 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Be careful not to let it burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter. Add the crawfish tails and green onions. Season with Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt, and black pepper. Once the crawfish tails have heated through, remove the saucepan from the heat.

Serve in individual bowls over rice.

Curry in Wilmington

We had a very nice visit to Wilmington, North Carolina, recently. It was the 100^th birthday of a lady we have known for 35 years and her children really planned a wonderful tribute to her. The community center had a red carpet laid for her to walk down. I was impressed that a 100 year old could walk the red carpet. She was dressed in a black and white formal and she waved to everyone just like the queen. A bagpiper piped her into the building and everyone said “surprise” since Miss Dolly (that is her name) thought she was coming to sit for a portrait. We all sang ”Hello Dolly” in words that were changed to reflect her life in Wilmington. Food was provided by the Residents of Old Wilmington and letters were read to her from President Obama, Willard Scott, and the governor of North Carolina. Dolly you rock!

After the party I had our best friends for a curry dinner. I used the curry recipe that I had done for almost 35 years, but had not done lately. It is a great dish for cold weather. With a fire going and some good wine, it was a wonderful evening.

Don’t let this recipe scare you. It has lots of ingredients but all can be found in the grocery, and it is worth the effort.

Chicken Curry

From a 1974 cookbook entitled Step-by-Step Guide to Indian Cooking by Khalid Aziz. (I bought it back in 1975 because it was a British book and I felt it might be a bit more authentic.)

Makes 6-8 servings

1 4-lb. stewing chicken (take skin off and cut chicken into 8 pieces)

1 ½ cups ghee (clarified butter or you can use real butter)

1 ½ lb. onions

1 cup fresh chopped ginger

1 head garlic, about 7-8 cloves

2 ½ cups water

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons garam masala

3 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons cumin seed powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

10 cardamoms

10 cloves

4 bay leaves

5 sticks cinnamon

1 ½ cups yogurt

Take a heavy, 4-pint saucepan and melt the ghee, adding half the diced onions.

While they are frying on a gentle heat, liquidize the ginger, garlic and the rest of the onions with the water. When the onions are golden brown add the liquidized mixture and stir on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Now add the turmeric, garam masala, salt, cumin seed powder, pepper, chili powder, cardamoms, cloves, bay leaves, and cinnamon and stir for a further 10 minutes.

Then add the chicken pieces and yogurt. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours. You will now have beautifully cooked chicken in which the spice has permeated the meat to the bone, and the flesh will fall away when properly done.

When the chicken curry has cooled, I take the meat off the chicken and remove all the spice pieces.  (The cinnamon sticks and bay leaves are easy to recognize but if you leave a cardamom pod, you will recognize it if you bite into it and that’s not good.)

This curry is served over basmati rice and with condiments which are passed around to each guest. I included peanuts, onions, green peppers, raisins, chutney, hardboiled eggs (chopped), coconut, chopped apples, green onions, and chopped bananas. You can add whatever you like to this list. My husband likes his favorite achar (mango pickle).

I had made Indian bread (naan) which made the meal complete. You have that recipe from another article.

Namaste.

Mardi Gras 2012

It is carnival time again! Seems to roll around fairly soon each year, and it is earlier this year. I already see many King cakes in all the stores. I would love to eat them but they are so sweet! And the parades are rolling!

I got my new issue of Louisiana Cookin’ and there was a recipe for gumbo just using greens. That seemed like a good idea to me so my husband went to the garden and found all the greens he could and we did this recipe for Gumbo Z’Herbes. You can make this recipe your own by using whatever greens you wish to use. The beauty of the recipe is that is can be made with or without a roux. So for your Mardi Gras party this year try Gumbo Z’Herbes.

Gumbo Z’Herbes

Serves 10

1 pound collard or mustard greens

1 pound spinach

1 pound turnip greens

1 pound green cabbage leaves

1 large bunch fresh watercress (optional)

1 large bunch fresh parsley (optional)

6 carrots, tops only (optional)

1 large bunch radishes, tops only (optional)

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon ground thyme

½ teaspoon allspice (optional)

1 pound salt meat or ham, cut into small cubes

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1 garlic clove, minced

If using fresh greens, trim and wash well. Put greens in a large, deep pot and add enough water to cover. Add cayenne, black pepper, bay leaves, thyme, and allspice. Boil until greens are tender. Drain and reserve cooking liquid (you should have about 3 to 4 quarts.)

Once greens are well drained, chop them up fine, either by hand or with a food processor. If you are using frozen greens, cook according to package directions with spices, drain, and reserve cooking liquid.

If using a roux, skip to roux recipe. Melt shortening in a large skillet and brown salt meat or ham, yellow onions, and garlic. Return greens to reserved liquid and add cooked salt meat, onions and garlic. Simmer for about 2 hours.

Note: Some people add a couple of teaspoons of white vinegar during the final two hours of cooking time. Correct seasonings to taste. When it is prepared in this manner, you can choose to eat the gumbo with or without rice. The Cajuns always eat gumbo with rice.

With a roux;

Use the same ingredient list as above, with this addition.

½ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Make a roux with the oil and flour. When roux is a warm brown color, add yellow onions and garlic, and cook until onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Add salt meat or ham and cook for a few more minutes.

Combine roux mixture with cooking liquid from the greens in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add green onions, and cook for 30 minutes. Add all of the greens and continue to simmer for 2 hours.

The only step omitted from the first recipe is the browning of onions and salt meat in the shortening.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Turnips

Recently a friend invited us to go and get some turnips.  The hunters who had been renting his land had left for the season and they had planted a field in turnips.  Do deer eat turnips?  It didn’t look like it in this huge field of turnips.  The field could have fed the whole county if they could have found it.  We had to use a 4-wheel drive to go the several miles back in the woods.  We pulled big and little until we had filled up all our bags.  I’m not a great turnip fan but I got out all my books looking for ways to eat turnips other than just boiling and served with butter.

Turnips are seasonal now and can be gotten locally if you don’t have any in your garden. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  The leaves should be trimmed from the root before storing.  Young fresh turnips probably will not need to be peeled but for the older bigger turnips, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin.

Julia Child has several recipes in her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I. I choose this                               one with bacon.  Everything tastes better with bacon! This dish could change your mind about turnips because it is tasty and would go well with pork, beef, duck, or turkey.

Turnip Casserole (Navets à La Champenoise)

Serves 6-8 people

2 ½ lbs. turnips, peeled and cut into quarters (8 to 9 cups)

A  ¼ -lb. chunk of bacon

A 3-quart, fireproof casserole about 2 inches deep

1 Tb. butter

2/3 cup finely diced onions

1 Tb. flour

¾ cup stock or canned beef bouillon

¼ tsp. sugar

Salt and pepper

¼ tsp. sage (You need this in the herb garden but can use dried from the grocery.)

2 Tb. minced parsley (Easy enough to grow in the herb garden but available in the grocery.)

Blanch the turnips for 3 to 5 minutes in boiling salted water to cover. Drain.

Remove the rind and cut the bacon into ¼-inch dice, making about 2/3 cup. Simmer for 10 minutes in a quart of water. Drain.

Sauté the bacon in the butter for several minutes until very lightly browned. Stir in the onions, cover, and cook slowly for 5 minutes without browning the onions.

Blend in the flour and cook slowly for 2 minutes.

Off heat, blend in the stock or bouillon, seasonings to taste, and the sage. Simmer for a moment, then fold in the turnips. Cover and simmer slowly for 20 to 30 minutes or until the turnips are tender. If sauce is too liquid, uncover and boil slowly for several minutes until it has reduced and thickened. Correct seasoning. May be cooked several hours in advance and reheated later.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Another way to treat turnips is to add Indian spices to jazz the taste up a little. This dish which I did last week is a winner and really good with Indian bread and rice.

From Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking

Turnips with Fresh Coriander and Mint (Rasedar Shaljum)

Serves 6

2 lb. turnips (weight without leaves)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 oz. fresh tomatoes, peeled; canned tomatoes can be used (which I think is best when cooking tomatoes this time of year)

1 inch cube ginger, peeled and grated to a pulp

1 tablespoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

15 oz. water

3 tablespoons very finely chopped, fresh green coriander (Mine is in the garden but it can be purchased in the grocery.)

2 tablespoons very finely chopped, fresh mint (You really should have some mint in the garden somewhere.)

1 ½ teaspoon salt

Peel the turnips and cut them in half, lengthwise. Put the cut ends flat against your chopping board and cut them, lengthwise, into 1/3 inch thick slices.

Put the oil in a fairly wide pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the tomatoes. Stir and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the ginger, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Stir and fry another 2 minutes or until sauce is thick and paste-like. Add the turnips, water, fresh coriander, mint and salt. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, and cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Stir a few times as the turnips cook. Now cover the pan tightly and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes or until the turnips are tender. You should have a little thick sauce left in the bottom of your pan which can be served spooned over the turnips.

If you don’t have sage, parsley, mint and fresh coriander in the garden, now is a good time to go buy some.  Use some of the leaves and then put the plants in the garden.  Parsley is a biennial, coriander an annual.  Sage and mint are perennial but be careful with the mint.  It spreads easily but not a bad thing to have spread.

Valentine's 2012

It is the time of year to think about what you are going to serve to that special someone on Valentine’s Day. Yes, I mean to cook for that special someone and not a reservation. I always go back to my favorite chef Frank Stitt in Alabama for some ideas. I have done this recipe many times before but I happened to see some good looking T-Bone steaks at Whole Foods (grass fed of course) and thought that this would be the perfect Valentine’s dinner. With a salad and some chocolate for dessert, it will be an easy evening for good food.

“Cowboy fillet” refers to a bone-in beefsteak. You can substitute a bone-in rib eye (also known as cowboy rib eye), a bone-in strip steak or a strip sirloin, or the more familiar T-bone or porterhouse. This is a wonderful recipe with whatever you choose to use.

Cowboy Fillet with Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 4

Kosher salt

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or olive oil

2 medium onions, cut into ½ -inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 marjoram sprig, leaves removed and chopped (could not find and did not use)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

Four 10-12-ounce bone-in beef tenderloin fillets

Coarsely ground black pepper

4 slices Blue Cheese Butter (recipe to follow)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the bacon drippings and let melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sweet potatoes take on a little color, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the marjoram (did not do), salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

While the onions and sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Season the steaks with salt and lots of coarse black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-high and sear the steaks, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, then cook to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes total time for rare, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes.

Scatter the sweet potato hash browns onto individual plates and top each with a cowboy fillet. Garnish with the blue cheese butter.

This butter is excellent over baked potatoes, lamb chops, or crusty bread.

Blue Cheese Butter

Makes one 6-ounce log

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 shallot, finely minced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 ounce blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, or Roquefort crumbled

½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest strips

Juice of ½ lemon

Kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 scant tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and the garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining butter, the blue cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper, shape into a log, and roll up in the waxed paper. Refrigerate until needed. (The butter can be kept for several days in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, or freeze it in smaller batches for use as needed, for up to 3 weeks.)

Happy Valentine’s

It is the time of year to think about what you are going to serve to that special someone on Valentine’s Day. Yes, I mean to cook for that special someone and not a reservation. I always go back to my favorite chef Frank Stitt in Alabama for some ideas. I have done this recipe many times before but I happened to see some good looking T-Bone steaks at Whole Foods (grass fed of course) and thought that this would be the perfect Valentine’s dinner. With a salad and some chocolate for dessert, it will be an easy evening for good food.

“Cowboy fillet” refers to a bone-in beefsteak. You can substitute a bone-in rib eye (also known as cowboy rib eye), a bone-in strip steak or a strip sirloin, or the more familiar T-bone or porterhouse. This is a wonderful recipe with whatever you choose to use.

Cowboy Fillet with Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 4

Kosher salt

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or olive oil

2 medium onions, cut into ½ -inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 marjoram sprig, leaves removed and chopped (could not find and did not use)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

Four 10-12-ounce bone-in beef tenderloin fillets

Coarsely ground black pepper

4 slices Blue Cheese Butter (recipe to follow)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the bacon drippings and let melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sweet potatoes take on a little color, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the marjoram (did not do), salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

While the onions and sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Season the steaks with salt and lots of coarse black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-high and sear the steaks, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, then cook to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes total time for rare, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes.

Scatter the sweet potato hash browns onto individual plates and top each with a cowboy fillet. Garnish with the blue cheese butter.

This butter is excellent over baked potatoes, lamb chops, or crusty bread.

Blue Cheese Butter

Makes one 6-ounce log

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 shallot, finely minced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 ounce blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, or Roquefort crumbled

½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest strips

Juice of ½ lemon

Kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 scant tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and the garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining butter, the blue cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper, shape into a log, and roll up in the waxed paper. Refrigerate until needed. (The butter can be kept for several days in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, or freeze it in smaller batches for use as needed, for up to 3 weeks.)

Happy Valentine’s

It is the time of year to think about what you are going to serve to that special someone on Valentine’s Day. Yes, I mean to cook for that special someone and not a reservation. I always go back to my favorite chef Frank Stitt in Alabama for some ideas. I have done this recipe many times before but I happened to see some good looking T-Bone steaks at Whole Foods (grass fed of course) and thought that this would be the perfect Valentine’s dinner. With a salad and some chocolate for dessert, it will be an easy evening for good food.

“Cowboy fillet” refers to a bone-in beefsteak. You can substitute a bone-in rib eye (also known as cowboy rib eye), a bone-in strip steak or a strip sirloin, or the more familiar T-bone or porterhouse. This is a wonderful recipe with whatever you choose to use.

Cowboy Fillet with Sweet Potato Hash Browns

Serves 4

Kosher salt

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

1 tablespoon bacon drippings, or olive oil

2 medium onions, cut into ½ -inch dice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 marjoram sprig, leaves removed and chopped (could not find and did not use)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

Four 10-12-ounce bone-in beef tenderloin fillets

Coarsely ground black pepper

4 slices Blue Cheese Butter (recipe to follow)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the bacon drippings and let melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10-12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sweet potatoes take on a little color, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with the marjoram (did not do), salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

While the onions and sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Season the steaks with salt and lots of coarse black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-high and sear the steaks, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides, then cook to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes total time for rare, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a rack set over a baking sheet and let rest for 5 minutes.

Scatter the sweet potato hash browns onto individual plates and top each with a cowboy fillet. Garnish with the blue cheese butter.

This butter is excellent over baked potatoes, lamb chops, or crusty bread.

Blue Cheese Butter

Makes one 6-ounce log

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 shallot, finely minced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 ounce blue cheese, such as Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert, or Roquefort crumbled

½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest strips

Juice of ½ lemon

Kosher salt to taste

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 scant tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and the garlic and cook until just tender and fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining butter, the blue cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper, shape into a log, and roll up in the waxed paper. Refrigerate until needed. (The butter can be kept for several days in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, or freeze it in smaller batches for use as needed, for up to 3 weeks.)

Happy Valentine’s