DUCK LIVER & MUSHROOM PÂTÉ

It has been well over a year since my last post and so much life has happened since then. I got engaged, bought a house, got married, received a wonderful promotion at work and am so happy to share that I am expecting a little one in May 2017.

Looking back, the time has been short and amazing but not without hardship. While I will not hash out the details, I am happy to say that I am thankful for how things have worked out. As cliche as it may sound, the dark has put the light into such stark contrast and maybe it’s just my pregnant hormones, but I have cried happy tears almost daily for the past two months. After the sleepy fog of my first trimester, I am starting to reemerge in my kitchen. Before conceiving my little one, for a myriad of health-related reasons I transitioned to a VB6 (Vegan Before 6) diet, in which I was exclusively vegan before 6 PM  I pescatarian after 6. I was quite happy with this lifestyle change but to my dismay, the only thing that kept my morning sickness at bay was animal protein – meat, eggs and cheese. Nothing else worked. I could consume 4o g of protein but if it was plant-based, no luck. Interestingly, my earliest pregnancy cravings were all beef-related. I’m not proud to admit that I once spent 40 minutes in line at McDonald’s one afternoon for a steak, egg and cheese bagel and LOVED every last bite. I’ve come to terms with my return to an omnivorous diet but plan on switching back to my ways once Baby H arrives.

With all that said, I’ve been a bit of a renegade pregnant woman in that I will consume the occasional small glass of red wine, eat sushi if I feel the inclination (yes, the raw kind) and sometimes enjoy some brie. I’m a firm believer in moderation being the key to a balanced diet and I have not changed my way of thinking since discovering the little life within me. During my time TTC, I began educating myself on the pregnant body and came to the conclusion that mainstream prenatal/maternal care in the U.S. is sadly and horrifically anti-woman, including the heavy restrictions with which pregnant woman are continually bombarded. This brings me to pâté, which I adore and is on the long list of pregnancy n0-nos. While recovering from a nasty sinus infection post-Thanksgiving and with a lovely whole duck on my hands, I had a hankering for charcuterie with all its accompaniments. The only thing I happened to be missing was pâté. My original plan was to make a simple mushroom pâté but then I realized I had duck liver and BOOM! deliciousness.

DUCK LIVER & MUSHROOM PÂTÉ

2 cups mushrooms (I used baby bellas), sliced
1/4 c chopped leek greens
1/2 c unsalted cashews, roasted
1 duck liver
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 oz red wine
2 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
Sea salt & pepper
Splash heavy cream

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat.

Add mushrooms and leek greens, salt and pepper to taste. Lightly saute and place in a bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add duck liver, then wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through but not dry (should be lightly pink inside). Set aside to cool, then chop.

Once mushrooms, leeks and liver are cooled a bit, add to food processor with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Serve with a full charcuterie spread or more simply with warm sliced baguette. Refrigerate. This makes a little more than 1/2 pint and would be an awesome gift if canned in a mason jar!

 

*Special shout-out to this cookbook, published by South Carolina DNR in the 1950s. No recipes for pâté but it does include great simple recipes for wild game, from dove to beaver. 

 

 

 

Squash Frittata

My favorite thing about summertime is the fresh produce – tomatoes, berries, corn, beans, peppers, cucumbers and last but not least – squash. My in-laws have about 60 laying hens and a large, high-yielding garden and I get to reap the benefits! This Sunday, they brought me zucchini, cucumbers and the pretties yellow squash you ever did see. I love eating squash raw and chopped up, sauteed, in pasta, soups and many other ways but I always seem to get into a rut with squash and find myself racking my brain for something different. There are the ubiquitous dishes like squash casserole and fried squash but I feel that those dishes tend to overcook the squash and really downplay how wonderful it is.

I remembered a beach trip last spring during which my fiance and I stopped at a lovely cafe for brunch and I had the best quiche of my life. I could make a squash quiche! No.. too heavy for the 100 degree weather yesterday and I really didn’t want to bother with a crust. Squash frittata it is! Like quiches are frittatas are made for, the ingredients in this frittata are items from my refrigerator desperately needing to be used up. That’s the beauty of frittatas – you can add just about anything your heart desires. I feel like this would have been good with turkey and brie as well but I didn’t happen to have those on hand. I had this for supper but you can have frittata any time of day.

Squash Frittata

2 medium yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz deli ham, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c chevre, crumbled
1/4 c hard cheese, such as manchego
sea salt, pepper, to taste
olive oil

Heat oven to broiler setting.

Heat 2 T olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, squash and ham to pan and saute until vegetables are just softened. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl to cool. Wipe out pan.

Add vegetable mixture, parsley and cheese to lightly beaten eggs. Stir until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat 2 T olive oil to nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Pour in egg mixture and cook until edges start to solidify. Place pan in oven and allow to cook for about 3 more minutes or until set.

You may flip over onto a serving plate or just serve straight from the pan.

Serve while hot with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Shrimp Cakes

After a very long hiatus, I’m back! The past year has been a whirlwind of major life events – I got engaged and am currently planning the wedding, my fiancé got sworn in as a police officer, I got a major breast reduction and bought a house – PHEW! While my fiancé was training (for about three and a half months), I discovered meal subscription boxes, which are now one of my favorite things. Blue Apron, Plated, PeachDish, HelloFresh, HomeChef – they’re all the great in their own way and I should probably do a comprehensive review of them all. Even though they’re awesome, they have definitely cut down on my creativity in the kitchen since I’m not developing my own recipes nearly as often as I did previously. However, I by no means rely on these for every meal and am still regularly coming up with yummy things to eat.

These delicious little cakes came to be because my fiancé used the ground turkey I needed for one of my Blue Apron meals to make chili and I didn’t feel like making any of the meals I had. While wondering what to make and craving crab cakes, I remembered the shrimp waiting to be used and decided to try making shrimp cakes. With a rough recollection of a past-used crab cake recipe, this is what I came up with. Most crab cake and probably shrimp cake recipes use mayonnaise; I chose to try using Greek yogurt here and had great results with texture and flavor. I served with a whole grain mustard and Greek yogurt sauce over a bed of spinach and alongside lightly roasted red potatoes. Mm mmm.

Shrimp Cakes

12 oz shrimp (feel free to use any leftover precooked shrimp as well)
1/3 c Italian breadcrumbs, plus extra for coating
1/4 c all purpose flour, plus extra for coating
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 T plain Greek yogurt
1 t chopped jalepeno, seeds removed, optional
1 1/2 t garlic powder

Begin heating a small saucepan of water to medium-high heat. Before water has heated, add shrimp and cook until just pink. Drain, peel, dry with a paper towel and chop.

While shrimp is cooking, add all other ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir in cooked, chopped shrimp until evenly distributed. Form mixture into four evenly divided cakes.

Combine equal quantities of additional breacrumbs and flour and lightly bread cakes.

In a nonstick pan, heat 3 T of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook cakes for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Serve with sauce of your choosing.

Graze – Quick Review

In our day of emails and texts, real mail is fun to receive. That being said, I’m a huge fan of boxes. I’ve been receiving Birchbox for about a year now and have never been disappointed. I also enjoy Julep, which sends fabulous nail polishes monthly. My newest box to try is graze; originally from the U.K., graze is a snail mail box-delivery providing snacks. The company launched in the United States in December 2013 and have had huge growth as a result. With a price tag of just $6/box, I decided to give it a whirl.

You get to decide how often you receive your snack box, whether it be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. You also get to rate snack items; doing so determines what you’ll receive. They offer great variety of options, with both sweet and savory items well-covered. I received my first box today at my office and love it. The snack sizes are just perfect and everything tastes great. I always try to include ‘healthy snacks for work’ in my weekly grocery shopping but oftentimes end up forgetting my tasty treats in my pantry at home, completely defeating their purpose. A weekly graze box takes care of that. Since they’re snacks of the no-refrigeration-required variety, I can just pop my box in one of my desk drawers (or leave it in the office kitchen). It’s easy, everything is super tasty and I don’t have to do a thing but rate snacks on their site.

My favorite from this box would be the apple and cinnamon flapjack. Although like I said, it’s all delicious. I also really like that they include nutrition facts in the little booklet. If you’re into boxes and food, this is definitely worth trying out.

Kimchi, Cucumber & Avocado Salad

While I was in college, I worked at Japanese sushi restaurant. Like most Japanese restaurants in the U.S., the place at which I worked was owned and operated by a Korean family. Before each shift, all employees and the owner (who was also the head chef) would sit down for a meal. This meal was usually interesting, sometimes a little strange and always very Korean. It’s not surprising then that kimchi was such a common occurrence on the table. Strange to me at first, kimchi became something I crave quite often. I go through spurts when I eat it just about daily and while I don’t make my own, the store bought variety fits the bill just fine for me.

My favorite way to eat kimchi is simply as a salad topper.

ingredients
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 t fish sauce
1/4 c kimchi
1/2 T basil, chopped
Dash black pepper

Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese

Fall has become synonymous with pumpkins – anything and everything pumpkin imaginable. There are many other flavors and foods I enjoy in the fall months but the obsession with pumpkin does hearken to seasonality. Not only are pumpkins in season but so are brussels sprouts, carrots, sage, rutabagas and a myriad of squash and gourds. Early fall is a time for a shifting of gears from tomatoes, cucumbers and the like to the fall crops.

That being said, I do love pumpkin. We tend polarize it more than other squash varieties by relegating it to pies, breads and lattes; rather than restricting this gourd, we should let it’s versatility shine. Many years ago, I remember watching Food Network’s Ellie Krieger put together a beautiful macaroni and cheese in which she incorporated squash puree to sneak in vegetables. After stocking up on pumpkin puree this dish came to mind and I decided to try my hand at a pumpkin macaroni and cheese. With classic Southern mac & cheese in mind, I put together what I thought would a full-bodied pumpkin version and I was not disappointed. The result was deliciously creamy, cheesy and rich albeit not low in fat by any means but that’s okay with me;

Ingredients

10 oz whole wheat elbow macaroni or mini penne
1 1/2 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c dry white wine
1/4 c unsalted chicken stock
1 c milk
1/2 c cream
2 oz. pancetta, choppped
1/2 shallot, chopped
1/2 c ricotta
1/8 t cardamom
1 t dijon mustard
1 pinch salt
1/4 t chili powder
1 t rosemary, finely chopped
1 c sharp cheddar, finely grated
1/4 c Jarlsberg, finely grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 c shaved Parmesan
2 slices deli cheese, provolone or swiss

Instructions

Heat oven to 375F.

Cook pasta until al dente, drain and set aside.

In a small pan, saute chopped shallot and pancetta. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, bring white wine and chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir in pumpkin, milk, ricotta, shallots and pancetta. Allow to cook over medium for about 15 minutes; stir in cardamom, dijon, rosemary, chili powder, salt and pepper. Temper beaten eggs with sauce (so as not to scramble); then add to sauce.

Slowly stir in sharp cheddar and Jarlsberg until combined. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce.

Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Set aside. Pour pasta and sauce into a 9×9 baking dish. Tear apart slices of deli cheese and add place on top of pasta. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and Parmesan over top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Serve hot.

Black Bean Espresso Chili

Well I believe it’s safe to say that fall weather is officially here in South Carolina, which means late spring temperatures in the afternoon and winter temperatures at night. With that said, our low here in the Lowcountry was in the forties Sunday night and into Monday morning. When the weather turns chilly, what better to warm you up than soup or stew, or how about chili? I decided to go the chili route.

The wonderful thing about chili is that is that it’s infinitely adjustable and this recipe is something I scrapped together from my pantry and took very little effort. The espresso adds a mysterious smoky zip that’s complimented by a dash of cinnamon. The pumpkin doesn’t stand out on its own, but rather works to add thickness and depth (no, it won’t taste like pumpkin spice chili). I added a little more spice than I recorded, simply because my hunny loves him some hot chili. The way it’s recorded is more to my taste but it’s equally good extra spicy. I have to admit this was pretty addictive – I already have requests to make this again.

 

Black Bean Espresso Chili

3 T olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz can unseasoned black beans, drained
1 17.64 oz box rustic chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 c pumpkin puree
1-2 c water
1 1/2 T instant espresso powder
2 T chili paste
2 T cayenne
1/4 t cinnamon
1 t cumin
3 T fresh cilantro, chopped, plus extra for serving
1/2 t black pepper
1 1/2 T Sriracha
Plain Greek yogurt to serve, optional
1 1/2 T green onion, chopped, to serve, optional
In a large saucepan, cook red onion over medium heat until just softened. Add garlic and cook until golden.

Add black beans, tomatoes, pumpkin puree and water; stir well to combine and bring to a low boil for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and ad espresso, chili paste, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, Sriracha and cilantro.

Cover and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes, checking for sticking and stirring every few minutes.

Serve topped with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, cilantro and green onion. I added sauteed shrimp to mine as well, you know for extra protein and just because I love me some skrumps.

Blue Cheese-Balsamic Roasted Cauliflower

I had no intentions of making anything blog-worthy for supper last night: I marinated a large salmon filet in orange juice, bourbon, soy sauce and honey, topped it with fresh dill and broiled. This is served quite often in my home. The particularly great part of supper was not this salmon, although it is always more than satisfying, but was this cauliflower dish I threw together in a rather haphazard manner.

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that everyone loves to hate. I’ll admit that it usually not presented in the best way. As a child, cauliflower was rarely served and when it was, it was typically mushy and slathered in some yellow-orange ‘cheese sauce’ or on vegetable trays with copious amounts of ranch dressing. When I decided on last night’s vegetable, I was almost hesitant to use the big white bunch staring up at me from the crisper but I washed it and went about dissecting it. From that point, I just threw together a few ingredients from my refrigerator and cupboard. The result was almost too good to let go to the oven – I ate a good 25% of it uncooked because it was just so darn tasty. The finished product had just enough creaminess, just enough crunch and the balsamic resulted in just the right amount of caramelization. Also, cauliflower is chock full of vitamin C, K, B6 and omega-3’s, among other vitamins and nutrients, so eat up!

Blue Cheese Balsamic Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, washed and separated in florets
3 T olive oil
1/4 red onion, chopped
2 T or a good drizzling balsamic vinegar
1 T herbes de Provence
1/4 c blue cheese crumbles (blue cheese dressing would work well and lend creaminess)
1/4 c shredded Romano or Parmesan, optional.

Heat oven to 450F.

In a large bowl, toss cauliflower florets and chopped red onion with olive oil. Toss in herbes de Provence and blue cheese.

Drizzle in balsamic and stir to combine.

Place in 9×9 glass dish and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with Romano; return to oven for 5 additional minutes.

I regret to inform that this is the only picture I can provide

Pan-Seared Lebanese Lamb Chops and Roasted Eggplant with Toasted Hickory Nuts

I don’t believe that I’ve yet to rave about my love for this highly under appreciated meat. Growing up, lamb was never cooked in my house; my mom said it made her sad to think of cooking the lamb of God. I find that idea to be pretty ridiculous since in my line of thinking, all creatures are of God and I happily consume others, so why leave out the lamb?

My first introduction to lamb was at a wonderful Greek restaurant that is sadly now closed. The place was in North Charleston and looked a bit dingy on the outside but once you walked in, the smells were intoxicating. I remember going as a little girl and marveling at the two gigantic fish tanks in one of which a huge eel slowly crept. North Towne, as it was called, had the best of just about anything you’d expect to find it your standard Greek restaurant. Most people probably don’t know this but Charleston has a large and long-standing Greek population; our local cuisine has been graced with that of the Greeks for well over a century. That being said, I owe it to Charleston Greeks for introducing me to lamb as a young child who refused to order from the lacking kid’s menu. The subtleties of its taste are outstanding. Provided it is properly prepared, lamb is tender, succulent and bursting with flavor. I would gladly denounce beef for the rest of my life it was reasonable to replace it with lamb. As it is, lamb is not the easiest meat to come across in the U.S. Americans don’t seem to appreciate it like so many other regions of the world.

With my introduction to lamb being Greek, it’s not surprising that my favorite preparations tend to be Mediterranean. When people think of the Mediterranean, they’re usually thinking of Europe – Greece, Italy, southern France. However, the Mediterranean is vast and includes the Middle East and Northern Africa. With borders touching Israel, Jordan and Syria, Lebanon is right on the Mediterranean. Among my cookbook collection is a small, old Lebanese recipe collection, much like one that you’d have from any of your local Baptist churches. The recipe I am sharing today borrows heavily from these Lebanese antecdotes.

I also have to add that hickory nuts are particularly delicious with the eggplant, although you could just as well use walnuts, pecans or even hazelnuts. I happen to have more hickory nuts than I know what do with at the moment because I ended up a collecting a very large bucketful during an unsuccessful dove hunt this past weekend.

Pan-Seared Lebanese Lamb Chops

5 shoulder lamb chops
olive oil
sea salt
2 T cumin
2 T cinnamon
2 T oregano
1/2 T paprika
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 mint leaves, chopped
1/2 c fruity dry red wine (I used my favorite red blend – Save Me, San Francisco’s Drops of Jupiter)
1 T tomato paste
1/3 c lemon juice

Place lamb chops In a 9×9 glass baking dish. Rub both sides of each chop with sea salt (salt as you like, I use very little). In a small bowl, combine cumin, cinnamon, oregano and paprika; rub lamb with seasoning mixture on each side. In another small bowl, whisk together garlic, mint, wine, tomato paste and lemon juice; pour over lamb. Marinate lamb for at least one hour, flipping once halfway through.

Once marinating has completed, place lamb chops on a meat cutting board and pat dry. In a heavy pan, pour just enough olive oil to coat the bottom; bring to high heat. Once heated, sear lamb chops for about three minutes on each side. Lamb should be rare to medium rare, depending on your taste. Be very careful to not overcook lamb, as it becomes dry and tough. Also remember that the meat will to continue to cook once removed from direct heat.

I served with a red wine reduction and the roasted eggplant included below.

Roasted Eggplant with Toasted Hickory Nuts

1-2 large graffiti or regular eggplant
olive oil
sea salt, to taste
herbes de provence
herbed chèvre
15 hickory nuts, chopped

Heat oven to 375°F.

Slice eggplant in half lengthwise. Slice halves once more so that there are four eggplant slices about 1/2″ thick each. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste and liberally sprinkle with herbes de provence.

Roast for about 10 minutes. While eggplant is roasting, place a small pan over medium-high heat and toast hickory nuts until fragrant and lightly darkened. Nuts should have slightly more crunch than before.

Remove eggplant from oven and top each slice with desired amount of crumbled herbed chèvre and an even amount of toasted hickory nuts. Return to oven for three more minutes.

And there you have it. I made this to serve two with enough for leftovers to bring to work for lunch. This meal would be great for entertaining guests or for a  romantic evening. I just really wanted lamb.

Blackened Chicken with Grapefruit Chermoula & Sweet Potato with Ginger-Orange Butter

The past few weeks have been full of health issues for myself and my family. I spent a week out of work after a surgical procedure and Caleb’s mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Things just seem to be hitting us non-stop right now. Needless to say, I haven’t exactly been on my A-game in the kitchen. This meal was one I was particularly excited about though. It struck the most perfect balance of flavors and Caleb just LOVED it. It just goes to show you that a good meal can make even the gloomiest times a little brighter.

My most recent food fascination has been with North African cuisine. When flipping through my most recent copy of  Bon Appétit, I came across a wonderful recipe for Grapefruit Chermoula from Chef Cassie Piuma of Sarma in Somerville, MA. The recipe calls for preserved lemon but like many sauces, you can simply use what suits your taste and what ingredients you have readily available. I declined to use the preserved lemon because I just couldn’t find it anywhere. Instead, I combined lemon juice with a little ginger syrup and added that in the same amount as the recipe called for preserved lemon. For anyone wondering what chermoula is, I found it to be very much like a salsa but with a different combination of flavors than the typical Latin American salsa. I served it atop blackened chicken and with a side of lightly baked and sliced sweet potato drizzled with ginger-orange butter. The result felt tropical and well-balanced while being hearty enough to satisfy a very hungry man.

Grapefruit Chermoula (courtesty of Bon Appétit)

1 grapefruit
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 t kosher salt
1/2 small preserved lemon, flesh discard, peel finely chopped
1/2 c finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 T olive oil
2 t finely grated peeled ginger
2 t harissa paste (I subbed red chili paste)
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 t honey
1/2 t tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper

Using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from grapefruit; discard. Working over medium bowl, cut between membranes to release segments into bowl. Squeeze in juice from membranes as needed to amke 2 T juice; discard membranes and reserve any extra juice for another use. Coarsely chop segments, return to bowl.

Combine shallot, garlic, lemon juice and 1 t salt in a medium bowl; let shand 10 minutes (this will mellow shallot and garlic). Mix in grapefruit, preserved lemon peel, cilantro, oil, ginger, harissa, cumin, honey and tomato paste; season with salt and pepper.

(Do ahead: Chermoula can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Blackened Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c Chef Paul Blackened Redfish seasoning
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t black pepper

Combine dry ingredients in a small shallow dish.

Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and coat with olive oil. Dip olive-oil coated chicken breasts in seasoning mixture.

Heat cast iron pan to high heat; add remaining olive oil to pan and cook chicken breasts on just below-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Sweet Potato with Ginger-Orange Butter

1 large sweet potato
4 T butter
1 1/2 t fresh, minced ginger
2 t minced orange peel

I cheated a bit here by baking the sweet potato in the microwave. The sweet potato I used was quite large and I cooked it for 10 minutes. It came out just tender enough but not at all mushy. The sweet potato should be able to be sliced into medallions and hold its shape.

In a small sauce pan, heat 2 T butter over med-low heat until almost completely melted. Add orange peel and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 2 T butter and melt. Stir in ginger and allow to cook a little longer. Butter should bubble a bit but not start to brown.

Slice sweet potato into 1/2″ thick medallions and arrange on plate. Drizzle with ginger-orange butter.

PS – the sweet potato with ginger-orange butter is excellent with the chermoula as well. This a plate on which all components of the meal can definitely be cut up and mixed up. I’m a person who loves to mix up the food on my plate so this was just marvelous to me.