The Red Chair

Once again the days are getting away from me.  Between the B&B and volunteer work I seem to have little time left over to come up with unique ideas for dinner  - let alone blog about them – though we did have a great pork tenderloin  the other night with a terrific marinade using dark soy sauce.  But that has nothing to do with the red chair.

Several months ago I saw a post on the PAII (Professional Association of Innkeepers International) about the opportunity to host the Red Chair.  The Red Chair is a well loved desk chair rescued from uncertain future by an innkeeper in the Woods Hole area on Cape Cod.  She posted a picture on facebook of the chair sitting on a frozen pond and it generated a lot if likes.  The Red chair took on a life of its own as the owner allowed it to “visit” various B&B’s in New England.

Then the Chair decided to expand its travels and move across the US.  This is where the post on PAII came in.  PAII members were asked to sign up if they wished to host the Red Chair.  I decided I had nothing to lose and it sounded like a fun thing to do so I submitted all of my information and immediately forgot about the project.  I figured that as a small B&B I would most likely not be selected as a stop along the way.

WRONG!!!!! This morning I opened my email to find I had been selected as one of 4 B&B’s in the entire state of New Mexico to host the Red Chair!  The “visit” won’t take place until sometime in February of 2014, giving me lots of time to plan for the event.   But right now I am as excited as can be.  After all, who doesn’t need a little whimsy in their life!

Garden Time

This post will deviate from my usual discussion of food to talk about the next best thing – gardening.  Today is the Saturday before Mother’s day and I can officially plant with little worry of freezing weather.  That’s not to say it can’t happen – we had a hard freeze two weeks ago – but the chances are pretty small.

The flower garden I planted two years ago is really starting to take shape.  Not much got added to that garden the exception of a basil plant.  As you can see, the garden is filling out nicely.

Flower Garden beginning to bloom

The garden contains yarrow, Jupiter’s beard, saliva  a couple of lilies  a few poinsettias leftover from Christmas, violets, correopsis,  and  a couple of mat daisy plants.  Today I added a basil plant.  No law says you can’t mix herbs and flowers.

Several weeks ago, during our first bout of warm weather, I planted bibb lettuce.  It has germinated and, with some very careful covering, managed to survive the recent frosts.

Bibb lettuce going strong

The lettuce will be making it way unto our salad plates and as a garnish for breakfast dishes very soon.

Today I also set out the decorative flowers in the pots on the portal; geraniums with a small day lily plant as an accent.  At the end of the season the day lily plant with be moved to a permanent place in the garden.   A spearmint plant and Italian parsley also went into large pots on the portal.  So much easier to use as a garnish when they are nearby.

The last things I planted were the vegetables.  This year we are growing grape tomatoes as well as a standard size tomato, green peppers and Japanese eggplant.

Tomato plants in the pots and ready to go..

All of these items were planted in pots inside the wall and behind the flower garden.  I discovered, after our first 8 years here, that plants do better inside our adobe wall.  For some reason we don’t seem to have the problem with leaf hoppers inside the wall as we do if plants are place in the raised beds outside the wall.  I am resigned to growing onions in the raised beds as they are the only plant that doesn’t seem to interest the nasty leaf hopper.

One of our apple trees flowered this year, the other has yet to show us any blossoms.  I don’t think we will get much of an apple crop as the flowers appeared before the final frost and some very hig winds.  I won’t know for a few weeks yet if the flowers set any fruit.  I’m keeping my finger crossed.

So everything is in the ground.  I’ve fertilized and watered and planted with care. I ‘ve done my part – plants get busy!

Saved by the Pantry and Garden and Fridge

It started out well enough.  I saw a recipe in a magazine for pappardelle with arugula and prosciutto   It looked really good and I decided to give it a try .  It was on the menu for this week which meant I needed to buy any ingredients I didn’t already have when I went shopping last Friday.  So far, so good.  But here’s were it goes awry  You see I actually thought I remembered the ingredients I needed as I made up my list  Silly me, I didn’t actually bother to get the magazine and check.  So I came home with prosciutto and asparagus.  No arugula.  Hey there was a picture next to the recipe and I saw prosciutto and green.  My mind told me the green was asparagus.  I was wrong.  Of course I didn’t know that until yesterday afternoon when I began to prepare dinner.  Nothing to do but make the best of it with the ingredients at hand.  The pasta was no problem.  I mixed up a batch of pasta dough and with the help of my trusty pasta machine, rolled out the dough and cut it into thick strips.  And here’s a tip for those of you who have never made pappardelle before – cut it narrower than one inch wide; it grows as it cooks! With my pasta cut and drying on semolina dusted baking sheets I turned my attention to the rest of the ingredients.  Here’s the list of original ingredients for the dish that serves 4:

• Parpadelle – ok made that
• 2 leeks – nope – forgot those but I did have shallots
• 1/4 fresh chives – cut them from plant in the yard
• 2 tsp lemon zest – had that!
• 1 bunch arugula – yeah, that somehow became asparagus, but I do have some arugula growing in the garden so I used a bit for flavoring
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese – always have this on hand
• 3 oz prosciutto – I remembered this ingredient!

I  just decided I would have to improvise with the ingredients I had.  No trip to the grocery store for me.  So here’s my recipe for

Pappardelle with Prosciutto and Asparagus   Serves 2

• 1/4 lb of pappardelle 
• 10 stalks of asparagus, tough ends peeled
• 1 tbs Olive oil
• 2 tbs unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 2 tbl chopped chives
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest – more for serving
• t tbl minced arugula -
• 2 1/2 tbl grated parmesan cheese, additional can be offered at the table
• 1.5 oz prosciutto (about 3 thin slices) torn/cut into one inch pieces
• salt and pepper to taste

Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water.  Remove from pan to a bowl of ice water and cool immediately.  Drain the asparagus, cut into one inch pieces and set aside.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.  Remove pasta from water, reserving one cup of pasta water for sauce.  While the pasta is cooking, slice the shallot, chop the chives, grate the lemon, mince the arugula and cut up the prosciutto.  Set aside until pasta is done.

Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan.  Add the shallots and cook until softened but not browned.  Add the pasta, chives. lemon zest and arugula to the pan with 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.  Cook, stirring gently and adding more of the reserved pasta water, a small amount at a time,  until you get a glossy sauce that coats the pasta.  Add the asparagus, prosciutto and parmesan cheese and stir gently until asparagus and prosciutto are warmed.  Remove from heat, transfer to plates and top with more freshly grated lemon zest and parmesan cheese.

The dish turned out pretty well. George and I both enjoyed it though I will have to try the original version soon.

So in the words of the Kung Fo Master “What have we learned from this grasshopper”  Two things Master –  Read the ingredients while you are making up the shopping list and There’s nothing better than a well stocked pantry and fridge to save you from yourself!

Cinco de Mayo in New Mexico

Yesterday was  Cinco de Mayo.  And no, contrary to popular opinion, Cinco de Mayo it is not Mexican Independence day.  In New Mexico Cinco de Mayo  ranks up there with St. Patrick’s day as far as celebrations go.  For some people it’s about the cerveza (beer for you non-spanish speakers) but for us it is about the food.  I started looking for Mexican dinner ideas about 10 days ago.  I pulled out all my Rick Bayless cook books- my go to Mexican recipe guy – and started planning a menu.  I came up with two winners; Polla a la Poblana con Hongos (Chicken Breasts with Poblanos, Mushrooms and Cream) and Arroz Verde al Poblano (Green Poblano Rice.)  These two dishes go wonderfully together and with the chiles and mushrooms you have no need for another vegetable.  A word of caution – there is a fair amount of prep time with these dishes.  Making the sauce for the chicken takes the most time.  It can be prepared a day or two in advanced and refrigerated until ready to use.

Unfortunately my camera isn’t working as well as it should so I have no pictures – you’ll have to use your imagination.  Here are the recipes with my changes:

Chicken Breasts with Poblanos, Mushrooms and Cream  Serves 2

• 2 medium poblano chiles
• 2 tbl grapeseed oil, divided
• 1 large Mexican spring onion – you can get them at a mercado or Mexican market. If you can’t find Mexican spring onions you could use white onions.
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 3 large leaves, epazote
• 1 tsp salt plus a little to sprinkle on the chicken
• 1/6 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms.  I used a combination of wood ear and white mushrooms because I wanted to use them up.  Use what ever kind you want.
• 1 cup heavy cream – I use Mexican creama because I like the tang.  If you can’t find creama you could use creme fraiche or whipping cream

Roast the chiles over an open flame until blackened on all sides.  Place chiles in a deep bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to steam for 10 – 15  minutes.  This will facilitate the removal of the skin from the chile.  Peel the chiles, remove and discard the stem and seeds.  Slice into 1/4 inch strips.

In a  10 – 12 inch skillet, heat 1 tbl of oil over medium high heat and add the onion.  Cook, stirring frequently, until nicely browned but not too softened.  Add the garlic, oregano and thyme and stir for one minute.  Add the chile slices and heat through.

Remove about 1/3 of the mixture from the pan and place on a cutting board.  Roughly chop this mixture and set aside.  Add one half the cream and the epazote leaves to the pan with the chile mixture and and bring to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.   Remove from the pan and place in a blender.  Add the remaining cream and blend smooth. You can add some chicken stock or water to the sauce if it is too thick.  It should be the consistency of a cream soup.  Remove the sauce from the blender and stir in the cilantro, reserved chile/onion mixture and salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place 10 – 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining 1 tbl oil.  Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and sprinkle both sides of the breast with salt.  Place the chicken breasts into the pan when it is very hot.  Lightly brown on one side ( about 3 minutes) then turn and brown on the other side.  When both sides are browned, lay them in a baking dish.

Return the pan to the heat and add the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms are softened but not mushy.  Remove from the pan and spoon them over the chicken breasts.  Cover the chicken and mushrooms with the sauce.  Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 or 20 minutes.   Remove from the oven and plate with the rice.

Green Poblano Rice Serves 2

• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 fresh poblano
• 6 sprigs of cilantro
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbl grapeseed, vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 cup aborio rice
• 1/2 small white onion – use a whole white onion if you are using Mexican spring onions – cutr into a 1/4 inch dice
• 2 – 3 garlic cloves – finely chopped

Remove the stem and seeds from the poblano and roughly chop.  Place in a saucepan with the chicken stock and bring to a boil, partially cover and reduce heat.  Simmer until the poblano chile is very soft.  Pour the mixture into a blender, add the cilantro and blend to a smooth puree.  Start blending at a low speed to avoid the hot liquid exploding out of the blender!  Press through a medium strainer into a bowl and stir in the salt.  Set aside.

Wipe the pan clean, add the oil and heat over medium heat.  Add the rice and the onion and cook, stirring frequently until the rice is chalky looking and the onion is soft – about 5 – 7 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.

Add the chile liquid to the to the hot rice pan and stir to blend.  Cover the pan and cook over medium – low heat for 15 minutes.  Check the rice for doneness.  It should be nearly cooked through and will have the consistency of rice in a paella.   If the rice is done, remove from the heat, leave covered and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.  If the rice is still too hard, continue cooking and check every 5 minutes until rice is finished. Remove from the heat and let stand.

I plated the rice and laid the chicken breast partially across the rice.  Then I topped the chicken breast with some of the sauce.  There was some sauce left in the baking dish when I finished plating so I put it in a bowl and passed it separately.

So much better that tacos – a fitting way to celebrate the day.

Meatless Friday

Lent may be over but meatless Fridays have become a bit of a habit so tonight we will be having Cioppino for dinner.  I first blogged about this dish back in 2011.  Even then it was a staple in our dinner rotation.  I have done it so many times now that I don’t even look at a recipe.  I use whatever seafood I may have in the freezer or caught my eye at the grocery store.  The sauce is nothing more than my standard red sauce made a little thinner with the addition of white wine.

The fish component in tonight’s Cioppino includes mussels, shrimp, squid and a piece of cod.  No fancy crab or lobster.  And, as much as I would like to have a salad made with baby greens from my garden; they just aren’t quite ready to be picked.  So I ‘ll have to make do with some store bought romaine and bibb lettuce.  Spring can’t come fast enough!

An Apple a Day

Today has been overcast and windy.  The temperature has hovered around 60 degrees but the wind and overcast skies definitely makes it feel colder.  With around 320 days of sunshine here in New Mexico, cloudy days are a rarity.  Days like this always make me yearn for comfort food.  So tonight we are having potato pancakes, sausages and apple sauce.

I spent most of the day running errands and preparing for a 3 pm meeting here at the inn.  As soon as the meeting ended I began the preparation of the applesauce   Apple sauce is one of those dishes that it seems to take more effort to buy than to make.  I know that’s not really true but I can’t see buying it when I can make it fresh inside one hour.  I peeled and cored the apples, sliced them and added them to a pot with water, sugar, cinnamon and cloves.  The pot went over a medium flame and one hour later – applesauce.  Well at least cooked apples.  I got out my stick blender and blended the cooked apples into a slightly chunky sauce – another great thing about making your own -  you get to pick the consistency.  As I write this the applesauce is cooling on the counter top and the yummy smells of cinnamon and cloves fill the air.

In an hour or so I will prepare the potato pancakes.  It’s a pretty simple recipe; potatoes, egg, a bit of flour, salt and pepper.  That’s it.  I fry my pancakes in a very small amount of oil – because what are potato pancakes without oil.  My grandmother used a lot of oil when frying hers.  Perhaps that is why I have such fond memories!  I’ll serve mine with sour cream and chives, applesauce and pork sausage.   A great meal for a gray and blustery day.

Home Made Applesauce – 2 – 4 servings

• 3/4 lb apples – Any kind except Red or Yellow Delicious
• 1/4 cup of sugar ( more if apples are tart – you decide how tart/sweet you want your sauce to be)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• enough water to barely cover the apples

Peel, core and dice the apples.  Place in a saucepan with enough water to just barely cover, the cinnamon and the cloves.   Cook over medium flame, stirring frequently, until apples are soft and most of the water is evaporated.  Remove from the heat.  Use a stick blender, food mill, food processor or even a blender to turn the soft apple pieces into a sauce.  Pour into a serving bowl and let cool.

That’s it – you’re done.  And if you have apples, cinnamon, sugar and cloves in the house probably faster than going to the store to buy it.

And to Sean and Sam who always ask for this meal when they come to visit – we’ll think of you tonight as we enjoy our dinner!

Eggplant – It’s Not Just for Parmigiana

Yesterday I wrote about our gourmet group Spanish dinner.  One of the Tapas dishes was an Eggplant dip that was really quite good.  I wanted to add an eggplant dish to the menu to reflect the Mediterranean influence I experienced when I first had tapas on the Andalusian coast in Spain.  This turned out to be the perfect example.  The dip had a great mouth feel and was seasoned perfectly.  The recipe called for serving it on slices of French bread but I could see it served with garlic pita chips or even crudities.  Perfect for a lot of different occasions and diners!  And yes, the smoked Spanish paprika makes a difference!

Eggplant Dip   Serves 6-8

• 1 large eggplant – about 14 oz
• 5 tbl olive oil
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbl finely minced parsley
• salt and pepper
• smoked Spanish paprika to garnish
• French bread to serve

 

Cut the eggplant into thick slices and sprinkle with salt.  Let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

Heat 4 tbl. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the eggplant slices and cook on both sides until soft and beginning to brown.  Remove from the skillet and let cool.  The slices will release the oil again as they cool.

Heat the remaining 1 tbl of olive oil in the skillet.  Add the scallions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until the scallions become soft.  Remove from the heat and reserve with the eggplant slices to cool.

Transfer the cooled ingredients to a food processor and process just until a coarse puree forms.  Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the parsley.  Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.  Cover and let chill until 15 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with paprika and serve with French bread slices.