How To Chiffonade Basil

My basil plants are exploding with growth this year. 

So I'm putting it into everything.  (Seriously.  I made a blueberry smoothie the other day and added basil; it was actually good.)

Long, dreary winter days lay ahead; I know I will dream about my herb garden and miss fresh basil.  But in the meantime, I want to use this herb as efficiently as possible.  And for me, that means cutting it into chiffonade.  (That's just the French term for cutting a leafy herb or veggie into long, thin strips.)

It's super-easy and quick.  

Just stack the leaves.

Roll them together like a cigar.

And slice into thin ribbons. 

Voila.  Ready to be tossed into...anything!

How To {Quickly} Dice an Onion

 

Did you know there's a relatively quick and easy way to chop an onion?  It's all about how you slice it...

You may have to chop a few onions to get into your slicing groove, but once you've got the hang of it, you won't believe how quickly you can dice them up!

The first order of business: onion anatomy.   This is the "root" end. 

And this is the "tip" end...the green shoots grow out of this end when the onion is underground.

First step: halve the onion from root to tip.

Like so.

Peel off the outer papery layer of skin.

Begin slicing the onion from the root to the tip end.   Do not cut all the way through on the root end.  Leave yourself about 1/2 inch or more. The root end serves as an extra "hand" for you, holding the onion together until you're ready to dice it.

Keep slicing....

Now, make horizontal slices into the onion.  I usually start at the bottom of the onion and work my way up with about 3 or 4 horizontal slices.  Again:  DO NOT SLICE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE ONION ON THE BACK SIDE.  

Now cut horizontally across the onion.  And voila.  You have an even-sized dice.  This is important because when food is cut into an identical size, it cooks evenly.  Also, it look pretty.  :)

I hope this is helpful to you!

Tuscan Roasted Chicken

Imagine the aroma of garlic, rosemary, sage, white wine, olive oil, and a little pancetta (Italian bacon) perfuming your kitchen on a cool fall afternoon.

This is another lovely recipe from Sarah Fioroni's "A Family Farm in Tuscany".  I've made no secret about the fact that I am hosting a world-wide blogging tour for Sarah's book next week.  I've also made no secret that my sweet mama published this book.  GO, SMALL FAMILY BUSINESSES, GO!  I am so proud to be part of a family who cherishes food and beauty and the story of people like mine does.  

Sarah's book has over 50 recipes from her family's organic farm which is nestled in the fertile Italian hills.  The farm is nearly self-sustaining, producing their own meats, wine, vegetables, and even saffron.

 

 Photo credit: Oriano Stefan

Sarah (pronounced "SAW-rah") unfolds the story of her family's hard work and dedication to the land they originally worked as sharecroppers after World War II.  She dedicates the book to her parents and all members of the Fioroni family who have spent their lives bent over the earth, working and making unbelievable sacrifices for their children.

It's a lovely read coupled with gorgeous photography that will transport you to the rolling hills of Tuscany where Amico, Sarah's father, jokes that "even the hens need brakes." 

I don't have a mortar-and-pestle, but I used this little set up to smash garlic cloves into a paste.

This summer, a vendor at my local farmer's market was selling organic whole chickens.  I purchased several and froze them.  The ole' girl pictured in these photos was recently awakened from her frozen sleep...so please excuse the condition of her skin.  Arctic climates are not kind to the skin of birds (or people)! 

Following Sarah's instructions, I stuffed the cavity with bacon (I was out of pancetta), rosemary, sage, and garlic paste.  Reaching for my cooking twine to tie the chicken's legs together, I was shocked to find my recently-purchased spool completely empty.  Upon interrogation, it seems that two certain little boys used about 8 feet of my twine to construct a parachute with which to jump from Timothy's top bunk.  This would be the life of a boy mom. 

I love this trick.  Cut small slits in the skin of the chicken and then insert a mixture of salt, herbs, and garlic paste into each slit. 

Spread remaining garlic paste over the breast of the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  (I also scattered some remaining herbs here.)  Allow the chicken to "rest" at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Then drizzle olive oil over the chicken and pour white wine into the baking dish.  Roast at 400 degrees for about an hour and a half, turning the chicken onto its back after 20 minutes of roasting and then flipping it again after another 40 minutes.

The result:  juicy, tender, flavorful perfection.  

I really, really hope you will make this.  If you have never dared to roast a whole chicken, let this be the first recipe you try.   It's very easy and, served with roasted red potatoes, steamed broccoli, and crusty French bread (slathered with soft butter, of course), makes an incredibly satisfying and comforting meal.

Here's the printable recipe.

Roasted Chicken Poggio Alloro
Serves 8

1 whole chicken, about 5 pounds
3 paper-thin slices pancetta 
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh sage
8 large garlic cloves, ground to a paste using a mortar and pestle
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc or vernaccia
3 tablespoons olive oil

Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with olive oil and set aside.  Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold running water.  Drain well and pat dry using absorbent paper towels.

Insert the pancetta, 2 rosemary sprigs, 1 sage sprig, and about 1 teaspoon of the garlic paste into the cavity of the chicken.  Using a small paring knife, cut six small slits in the skin of the chicken.  Strip the leaves from the remaining 2 rosemary sprigs and mince with 6 leaves from the remaining 2 sage sprigs.  Put a pinch of salt, a portion of the herbs, and a pinch of the garlic paste into each slit.  Gently massage the seasonings into the chicken.  Tie the legs of the chicken and place in prepared baking pan.  Spread the remaining garlic paste all over the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour the wine into the baking pan and spread the olive oil over the top of the chicken.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then turn chicken onto its breast and bake an additional 40 minutes, or until well browned.  Turn the chicken onto its back again and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees F.*  Remove from oven and set aside to rest for at least 7 minutes before carving.  Carve as desired and serve hot.  

Recipe from:  A Family Farm in Tuscany:  Recipes and Stories from Fattoria Poggio Alloro

  

*Ginny's note:  If the chicken you're using is less than 5 pounds, please reduce roasting times accordingly.  There are few gastronomic experiences worse than overcooked chicken (undercooked chicken being one of them.)   

Chocolate Ganache

An absolute staple in my kitchen, chocolate ganache can be used for a myriad of delicious recipes from Lavender Truffles to Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse, as filling between layers of Yogurt Cake, and a litany of other ways.

In fact, I found this lovely list of 10 things you can do with chocolate ganache, complied by Hannah of A Very Foodly Diary. (This is a wonderful site, by the way!)

Here's my recipe for ganache.  You can vary the amounts, depending on how much ganache you actually need.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
Yields about 3/4 cup

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat.  When cream is steaming (don't let it boil), remove from heat and stir in chocolate.  Whisk mixture until all chocolate is melted and smooth (it will thicken as it is whisked).  

Use as per recipe instructions.  Or eat it straight out of the pot.  You just can't go wrong.

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

It's that time again.

Gardens across the nation are rewarding those who have weeded, watered and mulched with a bumper crop of produce.

Tomatoes are in rather abundant supply around here.

But the jewels in the photograph below did not come from my garden...they are waaaaaay too perfect.  My little organic tomatoes are riddled with bug holes.  And I'm OK with that.

I came across this recipe on a food blog called The Smitten Kitchen.  If you have a chance, please go visit Deb.  She operates out of a tiny (42-square feet!) kitchen in New York City.  It just goes to show you don't have to have an acre of kitchen to crank out delicious, good-looking food.  She has my full admiration and respect.  Her writing is crisp, her recipes are fresh.  She's clearly deserving of the success of her blog.

And I share her addiction to love of slow-roasted ("sun-dried") tomatoes. 

Truly, the methods couldn't be simpler. 

It works best with cherry, grape, or small Roma tomatoes.

Just slice the tomatoes in half, place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, toss around with some some unpeeled garlic cloves and fresh herbs, drizzle with olive oil, and bake them at 225 degrees for about three hours, until they are shriveled and a little dried. 

Simple ingredients. 

Simple preparation.

Mind-blowing results. 

When they're done, you can taste every ray of sunshine and every gentle breeze that caressed their skin while they were on the vine.

And the garlic?

Like an eager recipient of parade candy, I feverishly peeled away the papery skin, squeezing the complexly sweet and velvety smooth morsel into my mouth.

I heart roasted garlic.

This recipe rocks my world.

Smitten Kitchen's Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Cherry, grape or small Roma tomatoes
Whole gloves of garlic, unpeeled
Olive oil
Herbs such as thyme or rosemary

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

If you are using Roma tomatoes, slice them in half lengthwise.  For cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half crosswise.   

Place tomatoes (cut side up) and garlic cloves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil (don't drown the tomatoes...just make them lightly shimmer.)  Toss on the sprigs of herbs (or sprinkle on dried herbs if substituting).  You can add a little salt and pepper, but it's really not necessary. 

Bake the tomatoes for about 2 1/2 to three hours.  The goal is for the tomatoes to emerge a bit shriveled and dried-looking...with a little juice remaining inside.  (Hard to describe...easy to see when you check on it in the oven.)

When finished, the tomatoes can be stored (after they've cooled) covered with olive oil in the refrigerator.  Or toss them with a pasta dish.  Or eat them straight off of the baking sheet.  You will never have to buy "sun-dried" tomatoes again.  Because let's face it..."they" make theirs in the oven, too. 

Recipe rewritten from The Smitten Kitchen

Cooking Basics: Kitchen Tips and the Importance of the Table

The fifth in the Kitchen Basics workshop installment is a compilation of (random) kitchen tips and ideas. 

Here are the other topics in this series:
Meal Planning
Stocking Your Pantry
Kitchen Efficiency
Let's Get Cookin'!

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Perking Up Fresh Herbs:

Fresh parsley is something I always have on hand.  It lends tremendous flavor to many recipes and makes them more visually appealing. 

But it gets kind of flaccid and wilty in the refrigerator crisper drawer.

So I treat it like the fresh plant that it is!

I snip off about an inch of the stems, 

put the bunch in water,

and it will perk right up.

(Forgot to snap a pic of the perked-up parsley.  Sorry.)

The parsley will stay fresh for almost a week this way.

And it's kind of pretty to look at.

(This trick works with almost all types of fresh herbs.)

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Steaming Fresh Veggies:

Fresh steamed vegetables are an excellent addition to any meal. 

The steaming process is gentle and helps preserve all the great attributes of the vegetables (as long as you don't overdo it). 

Drizzle a little olive oil and lemon juice over the steamed veggies and VOILA!  You have a delicious, healthy side dish.

I use this pot every time I steam veggies. 

The thing on the top is a steamer basket. 

The veggies hang out here and have their little spa day as the steam rises from the boiling water in the pot beneath the basket.

Steamed asparagus are my favorite.

Even my 2-year old enjoys them.

(Too bad there's no audio clip: my four-year old, sitting nearby, is gagging on his asparagus in the background, crying because I'm "such a mean mommy to make him try it" and he's pretty sure "other mommies don't make this kind of yucky stuff.")

You win some, you lose some.

I also love to steam fresh green beans. 

We have these about once a week, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkled with slivered almonds.

Here's a helpful guide to steaming vegetables:

Artichoke (medium)....................40 minutes

Asparagus (thin spears)...............3 to 4 minutes

Asparagus (thick spears).............5 to 6 minutes

Beets......................................30 to 35 minutes

Broccoli florets..........................4 to 5 minutes

Broccoli spears..........................5 to 6 minutes

Brussels Sprouts........................7 to 11 minutes

Cabbage, cut in wedges..............6 minutes

Carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick..........6 to 8 minutes

Cauliflower, head......................12 to 15 minutes
Cauliflower spears.....................4 to 6 minutes

Corn on the Cob.......................5 minutes

Green Beans.............................4 to 5 minutes

Kale.......................................4 to 5 minutes

Parsnips, 1-1/2-inch pieces.......8 to 10 minutes

Peas..........................................2 minutes

Potatoes, new (small size).........12 minutes

Potatoes (2-inch pieces)............15 minutes
Spinach.....................................4 to 5 minutes

Sweet Potatoes, whole..............40 to 50 minutes

Sweet Potatoes (2-inch pieces)..12 to 15 minutes

Winter Squash, peeled, 2-inch pieces....15 to 20 minutes

Zucchini, 1/4-inch slices............5 to 7 minutes

from info found here

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Pots, Pans, Whisks, and Docking Stations:

I get a lot of questions about my most-used kitchen equipment. 

Here is an ever-growing list:  My Favorite Kitchen Things

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Kids in the Kitchen:

You may have noticed (*wink*) that it can be a bit of a challenge to cook a meal with little ones (4 and under) in the kitchen.

I put together a page with a few tips to occupy those precious little hands and minds while you cook.  Please (please!) comment or email me (cookingwithchopin@yahoo.com) if you have a tip that needs to be on this list:  Cooking with Kids in the Kitchen.

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The Power of the Table Experience

In closing, I'd like to talk about something very near and dear to my heart.

The act of gathering your family around your table.
 

Dinnertime.  What once was simple has now become complex.

Our schedules?  They're crazy.  Soccer, piano, dance, gymnastics, baseball, football, basketball, swim lessons. 

But you already know this.

As moms of the 21st century, we have a harder time than any of our predecessors in getting hineys to fill up all of the chairs around our tables on any given night of the week. 

We live so much of our lives on the road.  In our cars.  In the drive-thrus.

I'm reading an incredible book called "The Table Experience" by Devi Titus. 

Devi highlights the link between regular family meals (around the table) and stronger families who have deeper connections and healthier relationships. 

Several research studies have confirmed that families who take time to eat together at the dinner table do better in every area--body, mind, soul and spirit. 

In fact, a decade-long study by the American Psychological Association reports that children who eat at the family dinner table have greater academic motivation and are less likely to experiment with drugs and sex. 

(I realize no one is eating in these pictures...my family gets wary of all my picture-taking, so I try to be "present" when we're eating, and not behind the camera.  These were taken after a meal.)

Devi very much intertwines biblical insight into the fact that God Himself designed the dinner table to be central to the family.

In fact, she points out, God could have created our bodies so that we never had to eat at all, or perhaps we'd only need to eat once a month or even yearly.  Why, then, did He make our bodies in such a way that eating is a DAILY need--even three times a day?

Because eating together is a powerful tool for healthy family relationships.  Being only a table-width apart and having eye-to-eye, face-to-face conversations with the precious members of your family is the way to establish safe and secure bonds and to really FORM those darling hearts.

I could go on and go because I am completely enthralled by this book and its principles. 

But at the same I realize we're busy people, living in a culture that applauds busyness. 

So let's not heap guilt on ourselves if we rarely gather our family around the table for a meal.

No self-condemnation allowed!

Let's start small.

What if you just ask yourself this question:  When CAN you eat together as a family?  Saturday mornings?  Sunday nights? 

Set an achievable goal:  once a week perhaps. 

You don't have to spend money.  Use what you have.  Want to use paper plates and cups?  GO FOR IT. 

Just get some bottoms in those chairs and make eye-to-eye and face-to-face connections with your family over a meal. 

I think you will be blown away by the positive impact it will have on your family.