Caldo Verde - Getting Your Fiber With Flavor!

A painter sees a flower and is inspired to paint. An architect sees a building and envisions how to build it. A poet experiences a powerful life event and takes pen to paper. I see fresh, available ingredients and think about their peak of flavor, how they work with other ingredients and what recipes make them shine.

Working with my farmers market purchases this week, the next recipe up is going to use the kale I got from the Del Ray market.

Caldo Verde, or Portuguese kale soup, is a delicious hearty dish that's high in nutrients and fiber and big on taste. Served as a first course, or main dish with hearty bread, this verdant symbol of Portuguese cuisine satisfies both cook and consumer due to the ease of preparation and accessibility of ingredients. I first discovered caldo verde when watching an episode of Emeril. The colors looked great and I happened to have a bit of Polish kielbasa on hand and thought "what the heck?". I tried it. I liked it.

Now, I've made caldo verde with chorizo and linguica with tasty results. Being Polish, and having kielbasa on hand much of the time, I've taken to making this soup with smoked Polish sausage. I find the kielbasa seasoning goes a long way in flavoring the stock. In this recipe, I use only 8 ounces of turkey kielbasa, in the name of making this soup as healthy as it is robust.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, diced into half inch squares

8 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

1 lb. kale, sliced thinly into "ribbons" after rib has been removed*

8 ounces kielbasa, chorizo or linguica, casing removed and diced fine

pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a dutch oven or heavy pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and water. Place potatoes into pot and cook at a strong simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Using a potato masher or large fork, break up about half the potatoes to release starch and thicken soup.

Add thinly sliced kale, red pepper flakes and kielbasa. Salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer partially covered over low heat an additional 20 minutes to soften kale.

Serving suggestions: Drizzle a small amount of good extra virgin olive oil over individual servings at the table.

* Chiffonade is a cutting technique which results in thin strips or ribbons. Take leaves and pile one on top of the other. Roll tightly like a cigar and cut across the roll to make ribbons. This cutting method can be used for leafy greens and herbs such as basil.

Tucker says "Good soup that's good for you!" In dog speak, of course....

At the Del Ray Farmers Market - The Autumnal Equinox

On Saturday, I packed up my Bichon Frise, Cole, and headed to Del Ray. Looking at the slide show in this post, you can see dogs are very popular in Del Ray. While not allowed in the market proper, they are welcomed on the grass nearby. Cole got to cavort with a nice black lab while his mama went shopping.



(He was way more excited to go to the market. He gets to lick babies)


Indian Summer came on cue one day before the Autumnal Equinox. Fittingly, nectarines were still available at Toigo's stand, as were Bartlett pears. I bought a handful of each and wandered over to the "cheese guy" from Apple Tree Goat Dairy. Based on my enjoyment of his mediteranean herb covered chevre, I bought a cheddar-horseradish chevre this time around.

Next, I headed over to the farmers from Reva, Va. (first stall on the left as you enter the parking lot). These folks are so nice and their prices are easy on the wallet. I picked up kale and a butternut squash. Finally, as I could hardly wait a minute longer, I bought a chicken saltena from Marcela's Bakery stand. These golden and spicy stew filled savory pastries were piping hot out of the oven just up the street. It was still good and warm when I got it home and tucked into it's goodness.

The goat cheese chevre was fantastic. At $9 for a large log, it's truly a deal and lasts for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator, wrapped in a paper towel an sealed in a plastic bag. Here's my favorite new snack: chevre on toast with a slice of fresh field tomato.

Stay tuned for a recipe using the kale: Caldo Verde. Yum!

Play With Your Food- Meet Mr. Tomato Head

OK. So I got a little silly when making tomato sauce. What's food for if not to play with once in a while?

If you follow along with me here at Pie a la Mona, you know that I'm a big fan of farmers markets and seasonal cooking. Last week, part of my market harvest was tomato seconds which I bought to make fresh tomato sauce using Marcella Hazan's basic recipe. It's more like a method than an recipe with exact measurements.

First, I cored the tomatoes and sliced them in half. Using a heavy pan, I cooked them covered, over medium heat for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. When the tomatoes were softened, I ran them through a food mill and returned the strained tomatoes to the pan.

Next, I added a peeled onion, cut in half, and about 5 tablespoons of butter (see Mr. Tomato Head above). This was cooked at a low simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Discard the onion before refrigerating or freezing.

I salted the tomato sauce throughout the reduction process, being careful not to load all the salt at the beginning because the sauce concentrates as it simmers away.

Nine tomatoes yielded almost 2 quarts of simple, delicious sauce.

Note: You can use canned tomatoes for this recipe, but avoid using tomatoes packed in puree. Puree tomatoes are cooked and this detracts from the fresh brightness of this tomato sauce.

Serving ideas: This sauce is great for gnocchi and pastas such as spaghetti or linguine. How about serving it with my meatballs? (good idea!) Serve with fresh shredded basil and grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.

At the Kingstowne Farmers Market- The Tween Season

Although yesterday had me still in shorts, the signs of fall were apparent at the market. Gone were the peaches and nectarines. Small ears of corn were a mere shadow of their robust August counterparts. But, that's OK. This is what seasons bring us: produce that burns as bright as a star, then goes to ground only to emerge again next year in full splendor.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun.....a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which has been planted. There is comfort in the rhythm.

And so the apples comfort with their beautiful red and green hues and crisp white flesh. The tomatoes continue to give fruit, unwilling to concede the fall. Apple pies and tomato sauces. The crossroads of the Autumnal Equinox. That time of year ( in Virginia) when sweatshirts top shorts and promising cool clear days are tempered by Indian Summer. I am as excited to fill my basket with Honeycrisp and Empire apples as I am to snap up $1/lb tomato seconds, then run over to the Middleburg Creamery ice cream truck to pick up a pint or two for home.

At Allenberg Orchards: Pumpkin Faces, Honeycrisp apples and tomatoes

Developed in Minnesota in the 1960's as a cross between the Macoun and Honeygold apple, the Honeycrisp apple has soared in popularity since it's commercial release in 1991. The "explosively crisp" apple seems to achieve the elusive balance between sweet and tart, enabling it to be eaten plain and in salads, baked goods and savory recipes. Large cell structure gives it extra crunch and it can be stored in the refrigerator for months.

Behold the Honeycrisp:

A mix of seconds tomatoes were still lovely specimens which will be used today in Marcella Hazan's tomato sauce recipe. I'm still too much of a coward to try canning them, so the sauce will be frozen in zip-loc baggies.

At Crackpot Gourmet: Delicious Jams

Smita Nordwall of Crackpot Gourmet offers wonderful jams with perennial and seasonal favorites. She has been selling her jams at the Kingstowne Market for 3 years. I bought a jar of "Peachy Keen" jam, which is also made with blackberry brandy and almond. It transcends the store brands by a mile and is fragrant with fresh peaches.

Samples and good company are abundant at Smita's stall.

Country Captain Chicken- an exotic and easy curry

At first glance, country captain chicken would appear to be a southern dish conjured up to delight dinner guests with it's far eastern spice. In fact, this dish is an easy East India curry probably first served at an English table by an Indian soldier in service of the United Kingdom. While in the service of the UK, Indian troops were referred to as "sepoys". In their native India, they were called the "country troops". The "Captain" likely refers to a native captain of troops.

The earliest published recipe for country captain chicken according to Cecily Brownstone, a food columnist, was in 1857 in Miss Leslie's New Cookery Book. Early in the twentieth century Alexander Filippini, the chef at Delmonico's in New York City, was famous for making this dish with dried currents and slivered almonds, as it is generally prepared today and in my version. Ms. Brownstone, being a strong proponent of properly prepared country captain chicken, had an ally in the late James Beard, who taught this recipe to his students and eventually it made it's way into "The Joy of Cooking".

My Country Captain recipe aligns itself closely with Cecily Brownstone's. It comes from a wonderful cookbook: of the "365" series of cookbooks. In particular, this is from "365 Ways to Cook Chicken".

Ingredients:

1/2 cup flower

1 chicken (3 lb.) cut up, or 3 lb. chicken thighs

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1/4 tsp. mace (or 1/4 tsp. nutmeg)

1 16 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

1/2 cup currants (or 1/2 cup golden raisins)

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:

Place flour in a shallow baking or pie dish. Dredge chicken to coat lightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large dutch or cast iron oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and brown on each side, about 10 minutes. Do this in batches to not over crowd the pan. Remove chicken to paper towel and set aside.

To the same pan, add onions bell peppers, and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, pepper and mace. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes, parsley and raisins.

Bring to a gentle boil and return chicken to pan. Reduce heat and simmer partly covered for 40 minutes, until chicken is tender.

Serve over rice and garnish with almonds.

Soup Ought To Be A Food Group- Polish Mushroom Soup

Soup is one of my favorite things to eat and make actually. Sometimes, I wish the bowl were bottomless! It's filling, satisfying and comforting all at the same time. Here's a recipe for a mushroom soup using Polish dried Borowik (king of mushrooms) mushrooms which I picked up here in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia has a rather large Polish population in the neighborhood of Port Richmond, were my mother grew up. Polish grocery stores carry Polish products of all sorts. These mushrooms caught my eye and made me reminisce about that earthy soup, usually served on holidays. My mother's version adds potato dumplings and prunes. Tonight, I garnished mine with sherry and a dollop of sour cream.

Ingredients:

1.4 (or there abouts )oz. dried Borowik or dried porcini mushrooms

2 pints white (button) mushrooms

8 cups beef stock

3 cups water

1 carrot

3 stalks celery with leaves

1 medium onion

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup sherry

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a sauce pan, bring 3 cups of water to a gently boil. Add dried mushrooms and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

In a pot (I use le creuset enameled cast iron dutch oven), saute fresh mushrooms in 1 tbsp. butter. Add a pinch of salt to allow mushrooms to release their liquid. Set aside in a bowl.

In same pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add shredded carrots, diced onion and diced celery. Saute gently for 10 minutes. Add beef stock and simmer gently, uncovered for 30 minutes.

Strain beef stock and discard vegetables. Return stock to pot and add sauteed mushrooms and dried mushrooms with liquid. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add half and half and sherry.

Blend in blender or use immersion blender to get desired consistency.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a shot of sherry on the side!

*Don't forget to inspire me with your soup challenge recipes!*

Prune Plum Upside Down Cake

Prune plums were looking gorgeous at the farmers market last Friday. I bought a pint of them and said "Hmmm....what now?" I decided on an easy recipe from Epicurious which showcases their purple and red beauty.

This cake makes for a nice breakfast along with a cup of tea or coffee. It's not just for dessert!

Recipe from Epicurious.

**note** I baked the cake for an hour and it was a tad dry. I would set the timer for 50 minutes and check for doneness then.

Enjoy!

Rigatoni with Meatballs - Presto Pasta Night

I've been making meatballs for like I don't know...ever. When I was dating my husband Frank, he made for me and a few friends his grandmother's meatballs. Come to think of it, I do believe that was the last time he cooked for me! Well, I was impressed and after we were married, we combined our cookbooks and loose recipes together. Handwritten on an index card was the meatball recipe, passed down from his grandmother to his mother and then to me.
Frank's Italian grandmother took her cooking seriously. Her recipes were taught my my mother in law personally so her son would not miss her cooking. While not in person, I learned from her meatball recipe what makes the meatball turn out tender and savory. First, use fresh bread crumbs and milk/cream. No dried pre-made bread crumbs from a container. Next, use garlic salt. I don't know what it is, but there's something about garlic salt whose flavor surpasses powdered garlic and salt. Perhaps it's the blend whereby the ratio of garlic to salt is just perfect. All I know is that it works.
Here's my recipe, inspired by grandmom, and made my own. They are tender, moist and delicious. Makes about 28 meatballs.
Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs ground beef, 80/20 lean to fat ratio
1 tbsp. each:
dried basil
dried onion flakes
dried marjoram
dried oregano
dried shallot flakes (optional)

pinch cinnamon
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (I used white bread with crusts, about 4-5 slices)
1/2 cups each:
half and half
milk
water

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs gently beaten
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place ground beef in large mixing bowl. Add herbs, cinnamon, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, half and half, milk and water. Gently combine. Do not overwork meat. Add salt and pepper. Mix throughout meat.

Into a heated pan, cook a small patty of the meatball mixture to test for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Gently hand roll golf ball sized meatballs and place onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Treat surface with non-stick spray. Place meatballs at least one inch apart.

Place baking sheet( I used 2 half sheet pans)on racks set in the middle of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotates sheets upper rack to bottom rack and vice versa. Bake and additional 15 minutes. The meatballs should be golden brown.

Transfer meatballs into gently simmering marinara on stove top. Cover and continue to simmer on low for 30 minutes to an hour.

While meatballs are simmering, cook pasta according to directions. Drain pasta and portion into bowls. Top with meatballs, marinara, grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Mangia!

Colonial Cooking at Mount Vernon

This weekend Mount Vernon (home of George Washington) held a craft festival. Juried craftmen and women donned period garb and made their wares with skill and love. The cooking demonstration caught my eye (of course) as the mistress cooked on a little "oven" these lovely hoecakes. I got to sample them and I was reminded of Paula Deen's little beauties.... butter! They were absolutely delicious!

Enjoy the slide show!

At the Kingstowne Farmers Market

This cooler Friday brought the last of the peaches from Allenberg Orchards. Baseball sized and still a bit under-ripe, they will be savored until a new crop is picked next year! Prune plumbs were abundant and looked inviting in their aubergine splendor (I'm thinking upside down cake).

White corn was still present, but I (gasp) skipped them at this point as I'm pretty sure I'm about ready to grow a husk right about now.

Beautiful rainbow swiss chard showed up at $1.50/ lb. I bought a just over a pound. It's washed, dried, wrapped in paper towels, stored in a plastic baggie, and waiting in the refrigerator for a roast chicken dinner tomorrow (braise?). Apples are becoming abundant too!

Meanwhile, this morning, we're enjoying croissants and coffee cake from Cenan's Bakery.

Allenberg Orchard goods:

Let's see what recipes I can share from this week's bounty. Check back soon!!