LOCAL LIQUIDS: Tax free weekend at Seaboard

Seaboard Wine is offering to pay the tax on any case purchase this weekend. That's an additional 7.75% off the already discounted case prices (anywhere from 10-25% depending on what you buy). That's a total of a 32.75% discount off of the red tag full cases.

RECIPE: Chilled Borscht

I'm a big fan of cold soups during the summer (a gazpacho recipe will undoubtedly appear at some point), and this is a pretty and tasty soup that is easy to make and very good for you. You can easily make this a vegetarian soup by substituting veggie stock for the beef stock. There are a million ways to make borscht, but to me this is the most flavorful for the least amount of work.

INGREDIENTS:

15 small beets, peeled and quartered (or 8 large beets)

2 cloves of garlic, whole

3 allspice berries

1 bay leaf

2 dried Thai chilies (this adds an extra layer of flavor, but doesn't make the soup spicy)

1 star anise

3 whole cloves

.5 t. black peppercorns
1 T. olive oil

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. honey
.5 T. kosher salt

32 oz. beef stock

1 c. sour cream

GARNISH

Chopped dill

Grated radish

In a medium sized pot, combine beets, stock, garlic, oil, honey, vinegar and salt. Put all the loose spices and chilies into cheesecloth and tie closed with a string. Add to pot. Simmer all ingredients together for 20 minutes. Remove spice bag and discard.

Transfer beets and broth (including the cloves of garlic) into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to fridge to cool for at least 4 hours.

Right before serving, add sour cream and blend until combined. If you want this soup perfectly smooth you can strain it before serving, but I don't mind a little texture, so I don't.

Garnish with dill and radish.

LOCAL FOODIE ACTIVITY: Taste of Carolina

I just came across this local company that does culinary tours of the Triangle. Looks pretty interesting. They have both bus and walking tours with a variety of subject matter including a Brew and Cue Tour, a Chocolate Tour of Raleigh, a Happy Hour Tapas Crawl, and a Taqueria Tour to name a few. They also have a Whole Hog Barbecue bus tour that visits 5 different barbecue restaurants throughout the Triangle over 4.5 hours. Sign me up! Check out their Web site at www.tasteofcarolina.net . Next time the in-laws are in town, I know one new activity to add to the list!

Smoked Salmon Toasts with Herbed Cream Cheese, Veggies and Chopped Egg

This is a nice cool meal during the summer heat. It is pretty self-explanatory so I'm not sure it needs a recipe. I like to use ciabatta for the toast and then load it with herb cream cheese, thin slices of cucumber, tomato, smoked salmon and red onion. Then I top the whole thing with chopped hard boiled eggs, capers and basil. These are messy but yummy.

FOOD NEWS:

Whole Foods (Raleigh) has replaced part of its dessert counter with a gelato counter. I repeat - Whole Foods now has fresh gelato. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

Crispy Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, giblets removed

4 T. unsalted butter, softened

1 T. dried herb mix (use whatever combination you like. I like Herbs de Provence)

1 t. black pepper

1 T. salt

2 cloves garlic minced

1 c. dry sherry

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine butter, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper forming a paste.

Rinse chicken, inside and out and pat dry. Using your fingers, very gently loosen skin on chicken. To do this start at the top of the breast and run your hands under skin all the way down to the drumsticks. Get as much of the skin loosened as possible, using care not to rip it.

Take butter mixture and spread on chicken under the skin, distributing over thighs, drumsticks and breast. Reserve 1 T. of herb butter and smear on the outside of the chicken.

Truss the chicken (if you don't know how, visit http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/trussing-a-chicken.html)

Place the chicken breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan. (Most of the fat in a chicken is in dark meat, so roasting it upside down for the first portion lets the chicken self baste with it's own fat and juices and keeps the breast from drying out). Roast the chicken like this for the first 3/4 of the total cooking time (as a general rule, most chickens take 20 minutes per pound, though an instant read thermometer inserted at different stages in the cooking is the best way to gauge the doneness of the bird).

After the 3/4 mark flip the chicken breast side up and turn the oven temperature up to 425. Add sherry to dripping in the bottom of the pan, and using a brush, baste the chicken with this liquid every 10 minutes until chicken is golden and crispy and your thermometer reads 165 (check the thighs).

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes and serve.

RECIPE: Cherry Blueberry Crisp

I'm not a big believer in kitchen "gadgets", but you will need a cherry pitter for this recipe. Unless you want your kitchen to look like a Dexter crime scene, get one with a guard that keeps the juice from going everywhere. That said, even the pitters with guards still splatter quite a bit, so wear an old shirt while pitting your cherries. There are only a few weeks of overlap between blueberry and cherry season (at least good cherries), so if you want the best quality, early summer is best for this dish (in NC anyhow).

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. ripe sweet cherries (look for the darkest cherries you can find - the old saying is true).
1 pint blueberries
1-3 T. granulated sugar (this varies depending on the sweetness of your berries)
Zest of one lemon
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. vanilla

Topping:
2 c. granola without raisins (I like the ginger kind)
1 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 t. butter, cut into 1 t. portions
1 t. salt (skip this if using salted butter)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cherries, blueberries, sugar, zest, cornstarch and vanilla in a bowl and combine until cornstarch is evenly distributed.

Transfer to a greased 2.5 quart baking dish. (You can also make these individually, by using small souffle dishes).

In a a food processor, pulse topping ingredients 4-5 times. (**If you don't have a food processor, combine all ingredients except butter in a Ziploc bag and roll over it with a rolling pin several times - add to fruit and dot with small pieces of butter).

Top fruit with granola mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes, until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling.

Let cool slightly. This is best served warm (not hot) with either whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

DEAL: $1.99/lb. cherries - tomorrow only

Whole Foods (Raleigh) will have cherries on sale tomorrow (June 18) for $1.99/lb. One day only! I predict there is a cherry recipe in my not-too-distant future.

RECIPE: Sweet Potato Salad

This is an easy side dish for hot weather. Sweet potatoes are more flavorful and healthier that white potatoes and give this dish a new twist.


INGREDIENTS:

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" by 1/2" cubes
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
2 T. honey (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. spicy brown mustard
1 t. salt
1 t. fresh black pepper
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 c. Dukes mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste


Hard boil eggs and put in the fridge to cool.

In a large pot (fill about 2/3 with water), bring water to a boil. Add potatoes. Cook until just tender. Do not overcook or they will fall apart when you try and mix in the other ingredients. While the potatoes are cooking combine oil, vinegar, garlic, honey, mustard and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk until combined.

Drain potatoes and add hot potatoes to mixture in bowl. Mix, coating potatoes thoroughly in vinaigrette mixture. (This step is the key to flavorful potato salad of any kind. The warm potatoes absorb the liquid making them much more flavorful).

Put potatoes in fridge to cool.

Chop eggs and onions while waiting for the potatoes to cool.

Once potatoes are cool, add eggs, onions and mayo. Gently mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 8.

June 13 - Asparagus and Pea Risotto with Bacon, Mint and Pecorino

What I'm cooking: Asparagus and Pea Risotto with Bacon, Mint and Pecorino
What I'm drinking: Arneis
What I'm listening to: Built To Spill

Contrary to popular belief (and a screaming Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen), making risotto does not take a whole lot of skill. Patience maybe, but not skill. The key to a good risotto is to know when it is done. Almost all risotto failures are a result of overcooking it. Overcooked risotto is gummy and not at all appetizing. Properly cooked risotto should be al dente and creamy. Don't reduce the last ladle of stock too much as the risotto will thicken even more as it cools. If your risotto is too thick, add a little more stock (off the heat as not to overcook the rice) to loosen it up.

Now get cooking, you donkey! (Kick trash can).

INGREDIENTS:
8 strips of thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 small spring onion (any type of onion would be an OK substitute), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. arborio rice
1 c white wine
4 c. vegetable stock (I like Kitchen Basics brand)

1 c. water
1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 c. fresh peas
1/2 c. grated pecorino cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest of one lemon, divided
handful of fresh torn mint

In a 12" pan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Drain excess bacon fat, leaving enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
(In the meantime, while bacon is cooking, put veggie stock and water in a pot and warm over medium heat.)
Add onions and garlic to bacon fat, sauteing for one to two minutes.
Add rice and saute until all grains are coated in the fat. Saute one minute longer.
Add wine. Stir until wine is almost completely absorbed.
Add one ladle of veggie stock and stir until almost completely absorbed. Keep repeating this process.
When rice is almost done (should still have a little "bite" to it), add peas, asparagus, pecorino and 1/2 of lemon zest. Continue adding stock until risotto is finished and veggies are cooked but still crisp (about 5 more minutes). Season to taste. Serve risotto in shallow bowls. Top with bacon, mint, other half of lemon zest. If you like your risotto extra cheesy, use a vegetable peeler to shave pecorino curls on top (this also makes a nice garnish).

Makes 4 entree size portions or 8 side dish portions.

REVIEW: Fresh.

I am a sucker for high quality homemade ice cream. And I'm picky - I like the real stuff. Not custard or "mix-ins", but hard-packed ice cream with the flavors frozen in the base (as opposed to added after the fact to soft serve). I could go on about why the former method is far superior (depth of flavor, etc.), but I won't bore you with a bad Alton Brown impersonation. Anyway, when I heard a new place had opened on Glenwood that fit this bill, I had to give it a try. It is called Fresh. and it's located right in front of Casa Carbone. I wanted to love this place because, in addition to making all the ice cream on site, they also use local, hormone-free milk from Maple View Dairy. Unfortunately, it was a little disappointing. The ice cream was just average. It's too bad, because Raleigh seems to be lacking in good, locally-owned ice cream shops. I hear that Loco Pops is going to start serving ice cream and sorbet, so maybe I'll give that a try next.

LOCAL DEALS: Whole Foods Weekly Specials

Some of the local (NC) items on sale this week at Whole Foods (Raleigh):
Organic Yellow Squash and Zucchini - $1.99/ lb.
Organic Large Basil Plants - $4.99
2 lb. Blueberries - $7.99 (this is a ton of blueberries - enough to make a pie)
Pork Sausages (Andouille, Chorizo and Sweet Italian) - $4.99/ lb.

LOCAL LIQUIDS - Porter's now showcasing NC beers

Support you local breweries! All 10 taps at Porter's City Tavern are now pouring beers from the great state of NC. They are currently serving:
Mother Earth Endless River (Kinston)
Lone Rider Shotgun Betty (Raleigh) - my personal favorite. Betty and I have a special relationship.
Highland St. Therese's Pale Ale (Asheville)
Foothills Hoppyum IPA (Winston-Salem)
Red Oak Amber Lager (Whitsett)
Aviator Hot Rod Red (Fuquay Varina)
Triangle Belgian Style Strong Golden Ale (Durham)
Big Boss Bad Penny (Raleigh)
Duck Rabbit Porter (Farmville)
Carolina Springbock (Holly Springs)

(Full disclousure: this is one of the restaurants I work for, but I probably would have posted this even if they didn't write my paycheck.)

RECIPE: Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Garlic Vinaigrette

Beet, goat cheese and orange is one of my favorite flavor combinations. This is a simple salad that showcases those ingredients. I threw a tomato from the garden on as well, but it is just as good without. This makes 2 large, or 4 small salads.

INGREDIENTS:
Salad:
5 small beets, peeled and quartered
1 navel orange, peeled and segmented
1 small button of goat cheese, crumbled
2 small spring onions, thinly sliced
4 cups of spring greens mix

Dressing:
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
Zest of one orange
2 t. honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the beets in a little oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 45 minutes-one hour (until tender). Let cool (put them in the fridge to speed this up).
In the meantime, whisk together salad dressing ingredients. Let dressing stand for 20 minutes while beets are cooling. Toss greens in dressing. Add other ingredients.

June 8 - Red and Green Tomato Pizza

What I'm cooking: Red and Green Tomato Pizza with Cornmeal Crust
What I'm drinking: Soave
What I'm listening to: Mandolin Orange (from Carrboro!)

Pizza is a great way to clean out the fridge. I always have some random cheeses and other ingredients hanging around. Not enough to make a full entree, but enough to throw on a pizza. I'm a big believer that almost anything makes an appropriate pizza topping. My only rule with pizza is that is must have some type of cheese on it. In my opinion, a pizza without cheese is like decaf coffee - utterly pointless. In this recipe I'm making a light cornmeal crust (too much can make the dough heavy). Pizza dough can be tricky. It's taken me years to get a decent recipe. Part of the problem is that cooking pizza in a home oven is never going to yield the same results as a pizza or wood burning oven. That said, there are a few things you can do to improve the outcome. Letting the dough rise twice is key - don't skip this step or your dough may end up too dense. Also, kneading until the dough is elastic will result in a far superior crust. A Kitchen Aide mixer with a dough hook comes in handy here (and in many other cases). Keep the dough working for a good 8-10 minutes. Finally, using bread flour (instead of all purpose) will make a big difference in the texture of your crust.

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cup warm (not hot) water
2.5 cups bread flour
1 cup fine corn meal
4 T. olive oil
1.5 T. salt
1 T. sugar (optional)

Toppings:
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 T. olive oil
2 large green tomatoes
2 large red tomatoes
1 large ball of fresh mozzarella (.5-.75 lb.)
handful of fresh torn basil
1 cup of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of your mixer, combine warm water and yeast. Whisk.
Add flour, cornmeal, olive oil, salt and sugar (be careful not to pour salt directly on yeast - it will kill it). Mix on slow speed until combined. Increase speed to medium and allow to knead for several minutes. Check consistency. If dough is still very sticky, add 1/4-1/2 cup more flour. Continue to knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic - about 7 more minutes. If you do not have a mixer, this can all be done by hand, though the kneading process will take a little longer.
Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place (event he top of the fridge will do) until doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of your house, this could take anywhere from 1 to an 1.5 hours. Due to the corn meal, this is a particularly dense dough, so it takes a bit longer to rise than an all flour version. In the summer, I put my dough outside to rise - it will cut the time in half.
Once doubled, gently press dough down to remove some of the air. Transfer dough to whatever you are going to cook your pizza on (cookie sheet, pizza stone, screen - all lightly greased). Using a combination of hand stretching and a rolling pin, shape your dough into the desired thickness and shape. I prefer this dough recipe for a thinner crust, but it makes an OK thick crust too.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Now this is important: Do not put your toppings on yet. Let the dough rise again, this time for only about 45 minutes. This will give you all those great air bubbles and not a heavy crust. Once the dough has risen again (zombie crust), use your fingers to gently make small indentations in the crust - do not flatten completely.
Topping: In the microwave, combine olive oil and garlic in a small bowl and heat on high for 1 minute. This is now your pizza base - brush over pizza as liberally as you like.
Alternate thin slices of tomato and mozz. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is starting to lightly brown. A thicker crust will take 15-20 minutes.
While the pizza is baking, put balsamic vinegar in a small pan and reduce until syrupy.
Topped baked pizza with kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, torn basil. Drizzle with vinegar.

June 7- Fried Egg BLTs and Blueberry Clafoutis

What I'm cooking: Fried Egg Blts, Blueberry Clafoutis
What I'm drinking: Red Stripe
What I'm listening to: Band of Horses

OK, so the Fried Egg BLTs don't really need a recipe. I like to use the Farm bread from Whole Foods and a high quality thick-cut bacon. Anything other than Duke's mayo is condiment blasphemy. Leave the yolks runny - you won't be sorry. Grill the bread for an extra layer of flavor.

The Clafoutis recipe is a take on a French classic that traditionally uses cherries. I used blueberries because they are in season right now. Finish this off with some whipped cream and lemon zest.

Ingredients
2 cups of fresh blueberries
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, sifted
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of whole milk
2 teaspoons of Cointreau
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter (for pan)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch cast iron pan. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt and flour until smooth. Whisk in the milk. Add the Cointreau and vanilla.

Place berries in bottom of pan. Pour egg mixture on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Well... here we go.

I've been getting a lot of requests for recipes lately. The request always elicits the same response - "I'm not really a recipe person. I just kind of make it up as I go along." So basically this blog is my feeble attempt to document at least some of the things I make, with (fingers crossed) a recipe. I don't plan on posting something every day - just when I actually cook (every girl needs her Lilly's and Chubby's nights right?). Knowing me, I'll probably feel the need to comment on other food issues, from good restaurants to my own take on the state of food and eating around the Triangle and beyond. I'm passionate about local, organic foods, but like most, don't always have the pocketbook to back it up. What can I say - I try, but no one can eat or shop like that all the time. I will try and keep up on what's good and local and also when a good deal can be found. That said...