Quinoa

Grains are “in” these days and rightly so since they are healthy and low in calories. The one that seems to be all the rage is quinoa pronounced (keen-wa). Twenty years ago the Quinoa Corporation introduced this grain to the world. This important grain has ancient origins, dating back over five thousand years to the mighty Inca civilization of South America. The Inca referred to it as the Mother Grain.

What does this grain have that makes it so great? Quinoa contains more high quality protein than any other grain. It stands alone as a complete protein. In other words, it provides all the essential amino acids in a balanced pattern, close to the ideal set by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Since many people cannot eat gluten these days, quinoa contains no gluten, which means it is wheat-free. Quinoa is easy to digest and less filling than most grains and pasta. It is also easy and quick to prepare.

I have noticed lately at the Whole Foods prepared food area that there are always three or more salads prepared with quinoa. I have started using it because it is good with almost any vegetable and can be enhanced with some lemon juice and olive oil.

You can find a box at Wal-Mart (in the rice section) for around $4.00 so it is easy to locate. It is prewashed if you buy in the box, but if you buy in a bin in some stores it needs to be washed before cooking. It cooks in 10 to 15 minutes so an easy answer for a quick grain salad for dinner.

The June issue of ‘bon appétit’ had a whole section on grains, in fact the opening editor’s letter was about quinoa. These recipes were taken from the magazine. They are cooling, healthy, and taste of summer.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

6 servings

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

½ tsp. kosher salt plus more

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large English hothouse cucumber or two ordinary cucumbers, cut into ¼ “ pieces

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (or use your fresh tomatoes, chopped)

2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

½ cup chopped fresh mint

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Bring quinoa, ½ tsp. salt, and 1 ¼ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet, let cool. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in ¼ cup dressing. DO AHEAD.  Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately, chill.

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf

6 servings

1 ½ cups quinoa, well rinsed

1 cup vegetable broth

2 cups frozen petite peas, thawed, divided (You might like to substitute fresh green beans.)

5 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, divided

1 garlic clove, peeled

3 tablespoons butter

1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

¾ cup sliced shallots

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, stemmed, thickly sliced

1 12-ounce bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces

Bring 2 ½ cups water to boil in small saucepan. Add quinoa and 1 teaspoon salt; return to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed, 10-15 minutes. Drain if necessary.

Puree broth, 1 cup peas, 4 tablespoons mint, and garlic in blender until smooth.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and shallots; sauté until soft and light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, then asparagus; sauté until mushrooms are tender and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in puree and 1 cup peas; stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add quinoa; stir to coat.

Divide pilaf among bowls; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon mint and serve.

Green Beans

Green beans, string beans, snap beans are coming into the markets locally now.  We have had a poor pea crop this year? But the green beans appear that they are going to be good.  I prefer pole beans as they produce over a longer period of time.  I have been growing Rattlesnake beans for several years and save seed.  They are “a heavy producer in the hot, humid areas…of the South,” according to the seed catalogue and I tend to agree.  This year I tried a new one, Louisiana Purple Pod; another one touted as a “beautiful Southern heirloom with prolific, drought-resistant vines.”  They turn green when cooked and it looks like they are going to be a good producer too.  If you want to grow your beans perhaps on a patio trellis, the Louisiana Purple Pod has purple vines too and therefore more colorful.  If you have your own beans in the garden you can choose to harvest when small and stringless or let them get larger and more mature.

In John Edgerton’s Southern Food he notes “there is only one basic way to cook them: very slowly, in a black pot or skillet, with a ration of cured pork or bacon grease added to enhance the flavor.” He notes two variations of the cooking method. You can either simmer a 2-inch cube of salt pork or a small piece of country ham hock in a deep, covered pot or skillet with 4 cups of water for 1 hour or more.  Put in 1 pound of beans and cook them covered over low heat for 3-4 hours.  Stir occasionally and add water if necessary.  Some salt may be needed if the pork is not enough.  Or put 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in a heavy iron skillet over medium heat.  When the grease is hot, put in the beans. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook slowly for 3 hours or more.  It may be necessary to add a little water now and then, but condensation in the closed pot should provide most of the moisture needed.  Add salt if necessary.  He notes some cooks add a little sugar or a pod of red pepper or an onion to the pot.  Throughout the South this is a mess of beans—the most popular dinner-table side dish.

Sheri Castle in her The New Southern Garden Cookbook notes, “Few aspects of southern cooking are more maligned and misunderstood than the issue of how long to cook vegetables, particularly snap beans.  At one time, most snap beans were sturdy pole beans with thick, tough pods that required extensive cooking to become edible.  Subjecting the newer stringless varieties to long cooking would dissolve them into a tasteless mess.  Each variety of bean requires the appropriate approach.  If a bean pod is delicate and tender enough to eat raw, it needs quick, gentle cooking.  If a bean pod is thick and has strings that must be pulled off, it needs long, slow cooking.”

My favorite Southern chef, Frank Stitt, gives this recipe in his Southern Table.

Pole Beans with Onions and Potatoes

2 onions, quartered

Several thyme sprigs

Several savory sprigs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 quarts water, preferably spring water (Now where does he get this?)

1 pound small new red or white potatoes, scrubbed and halved

2 pounds pole beans, strings and stem ends removed

1 tablespoon extra- virgin olive oil

Combine the onions, herbs, salt, and garlic in a medium pot, add the water, and bring to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the beans and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and reserve the broth for another use.  Serve drizzled with olive oil.

I usually do my beans this way.

Green Beans with Onions

Measure 2 cups of water and 2 cups of beans in a pot, then add a tablespoon of salt. Add ½ chopped onion and a few red pepper flakes. Cook for 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat. Drain. Add a splash of olive oil and heat gently and finish with freshly ground pepper and salt if needed.

Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking tells us to blanch beans in a large kettle of rapidly boiling salted water until tender or almost tender and drain immediately. She talks about 10-15 minutes and suggests tasting to test the tenderness.

Haricots Verts a l’Anglaise (Buttered Green Beans)

Toss the hot beans in the saucepan over moderately high heat to evaporate their moisture.  Toss briefly with salt and pepper. Turn them into the serving dish and distribute 4-8 Tb of butter cut into pieces over them.

Haricots Verts a la Maître d’Hôtel (Buttered Green Beans with Lemon Juice and Parsley)

Toss the hot beans in the saucepan over moderate high heat to evaporate their moisture.  Toss with salt, pepper and a piece of butter. Add 6-8 Tb softened butter gradually alternating with drops of lemon juice (2-3 tsp). Taste for seasoning.  Turn into the vegetable dish and sprinkle with parsley.

I learned a few years ago how good vegetables can be when roasted.  Sheri Castle suggests,

Oven-Roasted Whole Beans

1-1 ¼ pounds slender beans, ends trimmed (Save sturdy bean-filled pods for recipes that bring out their flavor through long cooking.)

1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

½ teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste

Preheat the oven to 450ᴼ

Put the beans on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with enough oil to moisten, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  Spread the beans in a single layer and roast until tender with a few browned spots, 6-10 minutes.

You can also use infused olive oil, such as garlic, lemon, basil, or mushroom.

Hank Williams and Crawfish Pie

Hey, Hey, Good Lookin’, whatcha got cookin’

How’s about cookin’ somethin’ up with me

Hey, sweet baby, don’t you think mabbe

We could find a brand new reci-pe

The 33^rd Annual Hank Williams Festival is in Georgiana this weekend June 1-2.  If you aren’t going to the party, maybe you can cook somethin’ up at home in homage to Hank.

Hank joined a medicine show and was touring south Alabama when he met Audrey in 1943.  As Audrey remembered, “I knew Hank about a year before I married him.  All that time he was trying to get me to marry him…..He was living in a trailer in Andalusia and playing for a club, a rather large club in Andalusia.  I was doing the cooking for the boys in the band.  All of a sudden one afternoon he asked me and I said, ‘yes.’………We went by the justice of the peace who ran a filling station, with a couple of the boys in the band, and we got married.”

Andalusia has remembered Hank with one of its murals and with a marker on East Three Notch where he and Audrey married.

In 1948 Hank moved to Shreveport, Louisiana to play the Louisiana Hayride on radio.

Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a file gumbo

‘Cause tonight I’m gonna see ma cher amio

Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh

Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou.

Put on your favorite Hank Williams CD and let’s cook.

This recipe is taken from My New Orleans, The Cookbook, by John Besh.

Crawfish Pie

Serves 6

You may prefer using a nine-inch prepared pie shell instead of the individual shells; just know when you slice the big pie it will be slightly runny. I will also give the recipe for basic pie dough, since this is so much better that a prepared shell.

5 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour, plus more for dusting

1 onion, diced

½ green pepper, seeded and diced

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

1 bay leaf

½ cup seafood stock (can buy already prepared, or use clam juice, or water)

½ cup heavy cream

1 pound peeled crawfish tails

2 dashes Tabasco

2 dashes Worcestershire

Preheat the oven to 325ᴼ. Make a roux by melting 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Stir in the flour until it is incorporated. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until all the roux is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Then add the onions and cook for a few minutes more until the roux becomes golden brown.

Add the bell pepper, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes more.

Stirring constantly, slowly add the stock and cream to the skillet. Raise the heat to moderate and simmer the sauce until it has reduced itself by half. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the crawfish, Tabasco, and Worcestershire and stir to combine. Set the filling aside; discard the bay leaf.

Liberally coat each of 6 individual 3-4-inch pie tart pans with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then dust with flour.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch. Cut into 6 individual circles, each a bit larger than the tart pan. Gently fit the dough circles into the prepared pan.

Place the tart pans (or the 9-inch shell) on a cookie sheet and fill with the crawfish mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pie shells are golden brown.

Basic Pie Dough

Makes one 9-inch crust

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons cold butter, diced, plus softened butter for greasing the pan

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Sprinkle in ice water, as needed, as many as 4 tablespoon, mixing it into the dough until it comes together into a ball. Press the dough into a round, flat disk, then wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling it out. (I kept mine in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Just remember to keep it cold because if it gets sticky it will give you problems.)

Liberally coat a 9-10 inch pie pan with softened butter, then dust with flour. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch.

Wrap the dough around the rolling pin, then gently fit the dough into the pan. Trim off overhanging dough and crimp the edges.

…fill fruit jar and be gay-oh…..

Kentucky Derby 2012

Let cheese and butter come to room temperature. Stir together cheese, butter, and remaining ingredients with a fork until thoroughly blended. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week. Today is Derby Day, the fastest two minutes in sports. I think it is a good excuse to have friends over and a good time to try one of those mint juleps. It is probably the only day I have one but since the mint is growing strong it’s just a perfect time to give this Southern drink a try. To add to the drink one should have some great little appetizers and some biscuits and ham to go with the drink. I have devised a menu that can be done ahead so you can enjoy your friends and the race. I could not resist and used the recipes from Southern Living, May 2012. They just looked so good and they were!                     

Derby Julep

1 serving

3 to 5 fresh mint leaves

2 Tbsp. julep syrup (recipe follows)

Crushed ice

¼ cup bourbon

1 fresh mint sprig

Place mint leaves and syrup in a chilled julep cup, and muddle (use the back of a spoon to press mint leaves against sides of cups; twisting slightly to release flavors). Pack cup tightly with crushed ice; add bourbon and mint sprig.

Mint Syrup

Boil 1 ½ cups sugar and 1 ½ cups water, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; add 15 fresh mint sprigs, and cool completely. Cover and chill 24 hours. Strain syrup; discard solids.

The mint syrup is good also to flavor ice tea---if you have any left.

Roasted Brown-Butter Pecans with Rosemary (These are so good.)

Makes 4 cups

¼ cup butter

4 cups pecan halves

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. sugar

 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Garnish: Fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat the oven to 350ᴼF. Cook butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown. Immediately remove pan from heat, and stir in pecans. Arrange pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and sugar.

Bake pecans at 350ᴼ for 10 to 12 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Sprinkle with rosemary. Bake 2 more minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet (about 30 minutes). Store in an airtight container.

The next recipes are for the cream cheese biscuits, fig chutney, and blue cheese butter. You need some ham of course for this dish, but I did not have time to cook a ham so bought some good ham from Whole Foods.

Fluffy Cream Cheese Biscuits

Makes 18 biscuits

1 (1/4-oz.) envelope active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water (105ᴼ to 115ᴼ)

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 (8-oz.) Package cold cream cheeses, cut into pieces

½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces

1 ¼ cups buttermilk

Parchment paper

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400ᴼ. Combine yeast and warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; cut cream cheese and cold butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly.

Combine yeast mixture and buttermilk, and add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 6 to 8 times (about 30 seconds to 1 minute), sprinkling with up to ¼ cup additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Roll dough to ¾-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 ½-inch round cutter, rerolling scraps once. Arrange biscuits on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Bake at 400ᴼ for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter.

Figgy Port Chutney

Makes about 1 ¼ cups

1 Tbsp. butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 cup chopped dried Mission figs

½ cup port

¼ cup honey

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/8 tsp. salt

½ cup fig preserves

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add shallot, and sauté 3-5 minutes or until tender. Stir in figs and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Remove from heat, and stir in preserves and thyme. Cool 30 minutes. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week. (If chilled, let stand 30 minutes before serving.)

Blue Cheese Butter

Makes 1 cup

1 (5-oz.) wedge soft ripened blue cheese, rind removed

½ cup butter

1 green onion, minced

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Spread biscuits with blue cheese butter, add ham, top with chutney and enjoy.

May the best horse win!

I’m going to be looking at Alpha from Godolphin Stables.  Godolphin was founded by Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai.  Sheikh Mohamed also founded in 1996 the Dubai World Cup—the world’s richest race.  I used to live in Dubai and knew Sheikh ‘Mo’ and on a return visit a few years ago got to go to the Dubai World Cup.  Sheikh ‘Mo’ has had several horses in the Derby over the years but has never won.  Will this be his year?

Fried Chicken

Memorial weekend is a good time for a picnic and I decided to try and cook the best fried chicken I can since I have not cooked fried chicken in years. We decided to do a picnic on the pier on our pond (with the cows).  How wonderful is that? Anyway, I thought it was time to do a chicken that was crispy and irresistible.

In my research on how to cook the perfect chicken, I found three things were involved. The bird should be small. Fried chicken was traditionally a spring dish in the South, and the young chickens used were dainty compared with today’s hefty birds. A three to four pound chicken should be cut into 10 pieces. (If you fry anything larger than four pounds, the crust will burn before the meat has cooked through.) Promote even cooking by halving the breasts, then cutting them crosswise. Antibiotic-and hormone free or organic chickens are worth the expense. It’s not like frying is an everyday affair, so start with a good bird.

When it comes to seasoning your bird, embrace the overnight rub. Many people use buttermilk to brine the bird, but this makes the skin hard to get crispy. Kosher salt is the key. It keeps the meat juicy and carries the flavors of the spices to the bone. (My recipe will give the other rub ingredients.)

Now that the interior of the bird is seasoned, it is time to address the surface.  A good wash and dredge---that marriage of wet and dry ingredients---should complement, not bury, the skin. The loose buttermilk-egg wash imparts rich color and encourages the flour mixture to cling. A single dip accentuates the skin’s texture as the fat renders and the skin becomes crackling. So do not double dip! You want a “rumor of flour,” says Scott Peacock, former chef of the Watershed restaurant, and native of South Alabama.

When it is time to fry the bird, use a cast iron skillet and peanut oil. A thermometer is helpful for knowing when the oil is hot enough to fry the chicken, but putting a bread cube into the oil and having it sizzle, lets you know the oil is ready. The oil should be 350ᴼ.

So, perhaps this is the only fried chicken recipe you will ever need.

This recipe is from the February 2012 issue of ’bon appétit’ magazine.

Skillet-Fried Chicken

4 servings

2 Tbsp. kosher salt, divided

2 tsp. plus 1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ tsp. paprika

¾ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. onion powder

 1 3-4 lb. chicken (not kosher), cut into 10 pieces, backbone and wing tips removed

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Peanut oil for frying

Whisk 1 Tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Season chicken with spices. Place chicken in a medium bowl, cover, and chill overnight. A secure plastic bag can be used also.

Let chicken stand covered at room temperature for 1 hour. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and ½ cup water in bowl. Whisk flour, cornstarch, remaining 1 Tbsp. salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. pepper in a 9x13x2” baking dish.

Pour oil into a 10”x12” cast-iron skillet to a depth of ¾ “.  If using a thermometer, prop deep-fry thermometer in oil so bulb is submerged. Heat over medium-heat until thermometer registers 350ᴼ. Meanwhile set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet.

Working with 1 piece at a time (use 1 hand for wet ingredients and the other for the dry ingredients), dip chicken in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Dredge in flour mixture; tap against bowl to shake off excess. Place 5 pieces of chicken in skillet. Fry chicken, turning with tongs every 1-2 minutes and adjusting heat to maintain a steady temperature of 300ᴼ-325ᴼ, until skin is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165ᴼ, about 12 minutes for thighs, legs, and breasts.

Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet, allowing excess oil to drip back into skillet; transfer chicken to prepared rack.

Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

This turned out very well---crispy and juicy and with the right amount of spiceyness.

For a picnic, potato salad is a good side.  I added some fresh spring English peas from the garden (although they have not produced overly well this year) and made some deviled eggs. Sweet tea to drink.  Use the minty simple syrup I gave you on May 5 to sweeten the tea.  Have a good Memorial Day.

Cilantro and Mint in Indian Cooking

I usually do some Indian dishes every week and this week was no exception. I did notice that I was using cilantro and mint in most of my dishes this week and realized they are a great combination and Indian cooks must know that.

Cilantro, also known as coriander, is an important ingredient in many savory dishes, salads, and chutneys. Its delicate leaves have a distinctive, fragrant aroma, and are usually added to dishes just before serving. My husband’s cilantro is going to seed, since it does not like the hot weather, but it is an herb that you can find in the grocery store year round. It is reasonable in price and sometimes gets mistaken for Italian parsley, but you just have to smell it to know it is not parsley.

Mint is all over the place here, since it loves the heat. Fresh mint is so much nicer that the dried, and adds a zesty freshness to so many dishes. It is easy to grow so you should have it in your garden year round.

These dishes below are fresh and easy to prepare. The green curry chicken is sweet and spicy and cooked in a coconut sauce which is common to South India. It calls for palm sugar or jiggery, which I did not have so I used soft brown sugar instead. These recipes are taken from a great little Indian book called Fresh Indian by Sunil Vijayakar, and it contains over 80 healthy Indian recipes.

Green Chicken Curry

Serves 4

1 Tbsp. Sunflower oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsps. finely, grated fresh ginger root

Large handful cilantro leaves, chopped

¼ cup chopped mint leaves

1 jalapeño, chopped

¼ tsp. crushed cardamom seeds

2 tsps. ground cumin

2 tsps. ground coriander

1 tsp. jiggery or palm sugar, (use soft brown sugar)

1 ¾ cups low-fat coconut milk (used regular coconut milk)

1 ¼ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces

Scant 1 cup water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

English cucumber, cut into fine strips for garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.

Meanwhile, place the garlic, ginger, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, jalapeno, cardamom, ground cumin, ground coriander, brown sugar, and coconut milk in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Add the chicken to the onion and cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until sealed and lightly browned. Pour in the coconut mixture and add the water. Season well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook gently for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Serve immediately with the cucumber garnish and steamed basmati rice.

These green chicken kebobs have similar ingredients as the curry but these kebobs are bursting with flavor, and would make an excellent light lunch or dinner dish when served with a red onion salad.

Green Chicken Kebobs

4 servings

½ cup low-fat yogurt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons finely grated gingerroot

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

Large handful of freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Small handful of chopped mint leaves

Juice of 2 limes

Sea salt

4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned

Lime wedges to squeeze over

Place the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, jalapeño, chopped herbs, and lime juice in a blender and blend until fairly smooth. Season lightly.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Pour the spice mixture over and toss to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours, or overnight if time permits.

When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium-high and thread the chicken pieces onto 8 presoaked skewers. Cook over a preheated grill for 8-10 minutes, turning frequently, until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove and serve immediately with lime wedges to squeeze on top and red onion salad on the side.

Brunch for Mother's Day

This weekend is a special one for Kelly Finley of Andalusia. She is getting married this Saturday at Sweet Gum Bottom and there is a brunch celebrating her wedding right after the ceremony. Kelly is a good friend of ours and we are so happy to be invited to the brunch and are excited about seeing some of our friends from Andalusia.

This weekend is also Mother’s Day and another good reason to have a brunch---for your mom. I always think it is good for children and the husband also to do a little special breakfast or brunch for this day. It can be just some pancakes, muffins, or some special egg dish, but the point is to give mom a break for a day. I have an easy brunch menu which anyone can pull off. Now, I would like to start my Mother’s Day with a Bellini, but since I go to church I guess I can save that until later!

Below is a choice of a frittata or a goat cheese tart. 

My Favorite Frittata Recipe

Serves 6

Bake two large baking potatoes or 4 small ones in the microwave.

Preheat the oven to 400ᴼF. Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a baking dish and slice an onion and put several thin slices on top of the olive oil to cover the bottom of the dish. Put this in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until the onions are brown.

Cool the potatoes and slice and put over the onions. Now you can add whatever you have on hand. I usually add some cilantro or parsley. You can add any green vegetable you have available such as asparagus, broccoli, or even green beans. Green and red peppers make a good combination also. I add some red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.

On top of this, add about 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese or a combination of cheddar and mozzarella.

Mix together 5-6 eggs and spread the eggs on top of the cheese.

Bake in the 400ᴼ oven for about 25 minutes, or until lightly brown. The frittata can be served warm or at room temperature. It is a staple at our house for a quick meal. Can be reheated in the microwave and it is just as good as right out of the oven.

You can add some bacon slices, tomato slices and toast to the frittata plate as well.

I did a goat cheese tart from the May 2012 issue of ‘bon appétit’. It was a little harder to do but very good none the less.

Savory Spring Vegetable and Goat Cheese Tart

8 servings

1 store-bought pie crust (I made my own.)

2 bunches asparagus (about 1 ¼ lb. total), trimmed, peeled if thick

5 spring onions, or 12 scallions

3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

8 oz. soft fresh goat cheese

¼ cup crème fraîche

¼ cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

2 tsp. minced fresh tarragon

3 large eggs

Roll out pie crust on a lightly floured surface to a 12” round. Transfer to tart pan and press onto bottom and up sides. Bake crust according to package directions. Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

Preheat oven to 425ᴼF. Line a baking sheet with foil.  Cut off top 1 ½ “of asparagus tips; reserve. Slice stalks into ¼ “rounds. Cut white bulbs from spring onions; trim and quarter (halve if using scallions). Slice pale green parts into ¼ “pieces. Toss asparagus tips and spring onion bulbs in a small bowl with 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on prepared sheet; roast, turning once, until onions begin to brown and asparagus is bright green and tender, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 375ᴼ.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sliced asparagus and pale green parts of spring onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and asparagus is bright green and tender, 6-8 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan. Spread evenly over bottom of tart crust.

Whisk cheese and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in eggs. Pour over vegetables. Scatter asparagus tips over and spring onions over.

Bake tart until edges of crust are golden brown and filling is set, 20-22 minutes. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Remove sides of pan. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

My husband brought in some lavender and asked how I could use it in my cooking. Well, actually a scone recipe came in this same issue of ‘bon appétit’ and I thought it would be an extra special treat for the brunch.

Sweet Lavender Scones

Makes 16

3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for surface

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. dried lavender buds (available at some supermarkets and natural food stores if you don’t have your own)

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ¼ “cubes

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk

2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. sanding or granulated sugar

1 ½ cups store-bought lemon curd

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425ᴼ. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk 3 cups flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter; rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk 1 cup buttermilk, zest, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until shaggy dough forms.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead until dough forms, about 5 turns. Pat into a 10x6” rectangle. Halve dough lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 4 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half into 2 triangles. Divide between baking sheets. Brush with 2 Tbsp. buttermilk. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake until scones are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 13-15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon curd.