Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzlin’ Cornbread

What to do when you have buttermilk in the fridge? Make it sizzle. But first, add some cornmeal and other stuff. This is The Best (that is, most delicious and most easy) cornbread recipe out there. Have some local honey on hand for drizzlin’ on that sizzlin’.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

1. Preheat over the 375F. Coat a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray.
2. Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
3. Stir baking soda into buttermilk in a small bowl. Whisk in sugar, egg and oil.
4. Place prepared skillet over medium heat; add butter. Heat until butter melts and starts to sizzle. Tilt pan to coat sides and bottom.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into prepared pan. Bake until cornbread is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool a few minutes and slice into wedges to serve. Serves 8.

(From Crescent Dragonwagon’s Cornbread Gospels (New York: Workman Publishing, 2007).

new fave: pot-roasted free-range chicken

the flavors of this dish are subtle and delicious, and the recipe is a snap. this one will flow nicely into our regular rotation.

serves 4

2 carrots

i large leek, white part only

2 fennel bulbs, fronds removed

2 cloves garlic

4 (10-oz) bone-in, skin-on chicken legs

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 fresh or dried bay leaves

1/2 cup white wine

1 quart chicken stock

—-

thinly slice the carrots at a slant. slice the eek in half lengthwise and rinse it under cold running water to remove any dirt or sand. slice across at a slant the same thickness as the carrots. cute the fennel bulbs in half through the base, trim the core, an dthinly slice lenthwise. peel the ggarlic cloes and crush them with the back of a knife.

season the chicken with salt and pepper. in a large dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat to hot but not smoking. lay the chicken, skin side down, in the pot and cook until browned, 6-8  minutes. turn over and brown on the other side, about 4 minutes. transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

about 10 minutes before the chicken is done, place an oven rack in one of the top slots of the on and preheat the boiler. removed the chicken from the pot and place it on a baking tray. broil the chicken until the skin is crisp and nicely darkened, about 5 minutes.

meanwhile, increase the heat under the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. cook, uncovered, until the sauce is concentrated, 4-5 minutes. removed the bay leaves and spoon the vegetables and sauce into 4 warmed bowls. place the chicken on top. serve.

Polenta with herbs

this is a favorite recipe that we just entered into siena’s repertoire. i wasn’t sure if she’d like the herbs, but she ate it, which is a good–and common–sign. we fed her polenta after it’d been in the fridge overnight, which means it was a bit more solid than the first time around. i cut it up into small pieces and she grasped each bite-sized mound with her chubby fingers.

4 servings

boil, in a heavy-bottomed pot:

4 cups water

when boiling, whisk in:

1 cup polenta

1 teaspoon salt

turn down the heat and stir constantly until the polenta is suspended in the water and no longer settles to the bottom of the pot. cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, at a bare simmer. add water if the polenta gets too thick.

stir in:

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

(david added rosemary and marjoram at this point, which was a DELICIOUS addition)

taste and add more salt if needed. (be careful when tasting the poltenta; it is very hot.) keep warm until ready to serve or spread it out on a rimmed basking sheet and let cool.

Curly Kale and Potato Soup

this is perhaps siena’s most favorite meal. she stretches her little mouth to its limit and waits for each tasty spoonful. after witnessing her eat, a friend dubbed her a “little kale hole”. that nickname stuck.

the recipe is from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food. i’m not a fan of how she presents the recipes without a list of ingredients so i formatted the ingredients in bold to make reading the recipe a bit easier.

the photo of siena is from her dad’s garden to bib series, and unfortunately doesn’t show the kale hole in action. but you get the idea…

makes 2 quarts: 4-6 servings

–> to feed the lil’uns, puree a small batch. i prefer this soup un-pureed for adult types.

remove the tough stems from the leaves of:

1 large bunch of kale, curly, or russian (or whatever greens you got!)

wash, drain well, and coarsely chop.

heat in a heavy soup pot:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

add:

2 onions, sliced thin

cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally  about 12 minutes

while the onions are cooking, peel, cut in half, and cut into 1/4 in thick slices:

1 pound potatoes (yellow finn or yukon gold)

when the onions are cooked stir in:

4 garlic cloves, chopped

cook the garlic for a couple of minutes, then add the potatoes and chopped kale. stir, then add:

a large pinch of salt

cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

pour in:

6 cups chicken broth

raise the heat, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and ocok for 30 minutes, or until the kate and potatoes are tender. taste the soup and add more salt if necessary serve hot and garnish each serving with :

extra-virgin olive oil

parmesan or other hard cheese, freshly grated.

a list to remember

i haven’t cooked these yet, but i want to. soon. and i didn’t want to forget, so here they are, in my online brain:

Niku Jaga

i love beefy, home-cooked dishes, and this recipe’s resemblance to a beef stew, only pepped up with ginger and likely on top of noodles sounds like a tasty future meal.

Cannelini Beans with Garlic and Sage

I can’t get enough of cannelini beans. Ever since visiting Siena, Italy, I’ve been a fan of this delicious white morsel. Since we have some sausage from our neighborhood butcher waiting to be eaten, it’s time I found a recipe worthy of that ingredient. Tomorrow night, hopefully.

Moroccan Chicken with Carrot Puree

I love moroccan food, although I bet I haven’t enjoyed much of what this culture has to offer. Yet. This recipe combines greens, carrots, oranges… and harissa, a sauce I haven’t tasted. I had to look it up online, and I imagine I’ll find it at Berkeley Bowl.

Now I just need to remember to look back here when I’m at a loss for what to cook.

a new favorite: Chicken with Tomatoes and Apricots

i found this recipe in Sunset magazine and altered it a bit, as i had only dried chickpeas, rather than the canned variety, and didn’t have enough time to cook the peas and eat them in the same evening. (the original title is, “Chicken with Tomatoes, Apricots, and Chickpeas.”)

instead of chickpeas, i opted for a cup of brown rice, which may end up being the starch future servings require. the apricots and the seasonings offered a smoky sweetness that was both unusual and savory. next time i’ll experiment with more sauce–it was thick and delicious, but needed about half as much more to really soak into the brown rice.

ingredients:

• 4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 2 lbs. total)
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and rinsed (i substituted a cup of brown rice, cooked separately)
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry, and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then add cumin, coriander, and cayenne; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on underside, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until brown on other side, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, sugar, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and return chicken to pan. Cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and parsley, and cook until heated through.

Umami Carrot Soup with Mint

This is soup is one of the most delicious I’ve eaten. Even David, who is not a big fan of soups, declared this one a winner. This recipe is from the Herb Farm Cookbook.

“Food is said to have umami when it is at its peak of perfection, at the height of its season, handled with respect, and simply presented–a sublime, ripe peach, an impeccably fresh oyster, a bowl of sugary green peas cooked straight from the garden.” Jerry Traunfield, The Herb Farm Cookbook

And so this soup with its carrot-y goodness evokes umami, especially when the carrots are fresh and at their most ripe and delicious. The addition of mint tea is genius. You can’t discern it, but that’s the stuff that makes this soup special.

2 medium leeks (about 1.5 lb)
1 1/2 T dried whole coriander seeds
3 T unsalted butter
1 lb large sweet carrots (about 4), peeled and cut into 1/4 slices
1/2 C dry white wine
2 t finely chopped fresh ginger
3 C fresh carrot juice (i used 1 1/2 odwallas, but i hope to get a juicer soon)
1 t salt
2 C water
1 large bunch fresh spearmint (about 2 oz)

2 t freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more if needed (i didn’t need it)

garnish: tiny mint leaves or thinly sliced mint leaves (while pretty, i liked the soup without the added mint garnish. the mint tea is SO subtle, that the garnish forced the minty flavor too forward.)

1. leeks
cut off and discard the tops of the leeks at the point where they turn from light to dark green. split them lengthwise in half, keeping the roots attached so that the layers will not fall apart, and wash thoroughly. thinly slice the leeds into half circles discarding the roots.

2. toasting the coriander
put the coriander seeds in a small dry skillet and place in over medium heat. shake the pan contstantly until the seeks begin to darken in color and smell wonderfully fragran and tasty’ be carful not to overcook. pour them out onto a paper towel to stop the cooking. using the towel as a funnel, transfer them to a spice mill and grind very fine. if you don’t have a spice mill, use a mini processor or blender. (i used a molcajete, which cooled them down well.)

3. vegetables
melt the butter in a medium (3 qt) heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. add the carrots, wine, and ginger. cook uncovered until all the liquid has boiled away, about 15 minutes, then continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are slightly browned, about 10 minutes. don’t rush the step, for it allows the natural sugars to slowly caramelize. as the vegetables cook, keep scraping the bottom of the pan iwth the spoon to gather up andy brown bits. (i cooked much longer than 10 min; it took a while for the veggies to turn color. the moment a leek or carrot turned a bit brown, i proceeded to the next step.)

4. soup.
add the carrot juice, coriander, and salt. bring to a boil, cover and gently simmer over heat until the carrots are very tender, 20-30 minutes.

5. mint tea.
meanwhile bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. submerge the mint in the water, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 20 minutes. strain the tea, squeezing all the liquid out of the leaves.

6. finishing the soup.
put half of the soup in the container of an electric blender (you can use a food processor instead, but the soup will be as smooth). hold the lid down with a dry towel and turn the blender on at a low speed so that the soup doesn’t splash up, then gradually increase the speed to high. add half of the mint tea. blend the soup until is is creamy and very smooth. pour the pureed soup into a second saucepan and repeat with the remaining soup and tea. when all of the soup is pureed, add the lemon juice and gently reheat. taste and add the additional salt or lemon juice if needed. ladle the soup into warned small bowls or demitasse garish with tiny mint leaves.

best when served with fresh bread baked by david. enjoy!

pesto: a go-to ingredient

when summertime comes, i reach for basil.

gobs of it. and i make pesto from memory, and freeze it immediately (unless i’m serving it that night). pesto is best made with fresh and vibrant basil; once it becomes a bit black around the edges, the flavor diminishes. if you’re making a bunch for later, freeze it in ice cube trays.  pesto cubes thaw easily and are a  decent serving gauge–a cube per person is about right

Pesto, from sarah’s brain:

a bunch of basil
olive oil
clove of garlic (some peeps like more, but i’m not a fan of over-powering garlic)
salt
pine nuts
parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not that creepy green can of non-cheese)
food processor or blender (fp works best)

1. if you have a food processor with a grater blade, grate about a half cup or so cheese. leave it in the fp bowl.
2. wash and pluck the basil leaves from the stems.
3. toss the basil, garlic, a pinch of salt, and a handful of pine nuts in the food processor.
4. with the food processor running, pour olive oil in the bowl until the pesto starts to bind together, yet is still coarse. some people like a super oily smooth pesto, but i like a pesto with character.

mix in to hot, just-made pasta, or make pesto-crusted chicken, or spoon into an ice cube tray, cover with plastic wrap, and save it for a rainy–or non-basil season–day.

i’ve been cooking, just not blogging about it

my buddy brenda commented recently on my dried up savannah of a cooking blog.

the blog isn’t a reflection of a lack of creativity in the kitchen, just competing priorities, i guess.

i’m going to change that.

maybe tomorrow. i’m a bit too tired to chronicle tonight’s go-to meal (e.g., “go-to” when i’m plum outta ideas), one of david’s faves: pesto crusted chicken with carmelized onion pasta and tonight’s surprise nebraskan guest: corn on the cob. mm mmm.

soon.

new pizza toppings

experimentation is almost limitless when it comes to pizza–fun, too. tonight i tried a completely new combo that took advantage of fridge contents and remainders from earlier pizzas (we made 3):

1. tomato sauce
2. a few kalamata olives 
3. a few carmelized onions
4. cheese (a blend of some sort, shredded)
5. stir-fried-until-brown leeks
6. chopped almonds, also stir fried with the leeks

ooooo—eee! i love me some nuts on pizza. and the leek/almond combo is the piece de resistance, a fave creation of the past 24 hours.

yum. 

update: here’s proof of the deliciousness.