Foodle Canoodle
Oct. 29th, 2003 02:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidI did a bit of experimental cooking this week. Nothing really pushing boundaries, but still enough different to feel like I was noticeably permuting things.
Friday I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the chicken thighs I would be cooking. I didn't have time to do anything too complicated, and roasting seemed right. I started looking around for veggies to put under the chicken. I diced a couple of onions, then sliced some carrots. I was bored, looking for some kind of inspiration, since I've done something like this a zillion times. I poked around in the fridge, and found the beets I'd gotten with last week's farm share. Beets are root vegetables.... I cut off the greens, peeled the beets, cut them into chunks, and added them to the pan. Chicken on top, then some garlic powder and sage on them, and into a hot oven.
I ate this for Shabbat dinner, and it was wonderful. The beets worked, caramelizing just a bit, turning the onions and carrots red. I was surprised to see that the juices were, in fact, red, not the deep magenta I expect from cooked beets. I don't know if this is a function of how they were cooked, or what. It was all good, though!
Sunday night, I had more chicken to cook, and I was in a bit of a rush, since I was home late from a gathering, and hungry. What to put with the chicken this time? I thought a bit, then remembered the beet greens still waiting to be used. I chopped them up, added some onion, and topped them with the chicken pieces. I was nervous about the greens drying out, turning into unpleasant ashy things, but it didn't happen. With the chicken on top, the greens cooked down beautifully while the chicken thighs roasted. An hour later, I was happily eating chicken and greens.
Tuesay, I decided to make some pasta, and was astonished to find that I didn't have any, except the mediocre macaroni that comes in the mac-and-cheese-in-a-box (it's a vice, I know, and I'm not likely to give it up!). Instead of the orange powder, I diced a couple of farm tomatoes, and ripped up a couple of handfuls of arugula. I stirred this into the hot pasta, then added a third of a package of feta, crumbled, and some black pepper. I debated black olives, or mozzarella, but didn't add either, which I regretted later, since the pasta needed more stuff in it. Still, I found that the arugula does well wilted in pasta.
I've started thinking about what to do with all the farm bounty from this week, especially the pounds and pounds of squash and carrots. I've started having some ideas.
For the squash:
I could bake them now, mix in whatever seasoning (I vacillate between the more usual cinnamon-nutmeg sorts of flavors and salsa), and freeze it/them for Thanksgiving. The idea of having a couple of things done in advance is pretty appealing. I could make some of that for now, too. Or perhaps a butternut squash pie. Or squash gnocci. Or simmer some squash in apple juice, then add sage and caramelized onions, and turn that into ravioli filling, using wonton skins as wrappers. Or make some kind of savorty squash tart, perhaps with leeks, sage, and cheese in a puff pastry crust.
For the carrots:
Of course I could roast some, with onions, or potatoes (or both), or perhaps some other root veggies (parsnips!). I've gotten a suggestion for mashed carrots, or carrot cake. They go well in lots of soups, too. I'm not feeling nearly as inspired about them, so other suggestions would be useful.
Hm. And all this starts me thinking about a Thanksgiving menu. I went looking to see what I'd made last year, and I don't have it written out as a menu in one place. I shall have to remedy that this year. Current thoughts: herbed rolls (made with sage, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, which I did for the first time last year) (some of which will become stuffing), turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, winter squash, green salad, possibly mashed neeps, with dessert to follow. Probably pumpkin pie, perhaps an appley something. And things like nuts and dried fruit and bits of chocolate for later munching. I feel like I should try something new, though, if just one dish. Does anyone have any favorites to suggest?
Friday I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the chicken thighs I would be cooking. I didn't have time to do anything too complicated, and roasting seemed right. I started looking around for veggies to put under the chicken. I diced a couple of onions, then sliced some carrots. I was bored, looking for some kind of inspiration, since I've done something like this a zillion times. I poked around in the fridge, and found the beets I'd gotten with last week's farm share. Beets are root vegetables.... I cut off the greens, peeled the beets, cut them into chunks, and added them to the pan. Chicken on top, then some garlic powder and sage on them, and into a hot oven.
I ate this for Shabbat dinner, and it was wonderful. The beets worked, caramelizing just a bit, turning the onions and carrots red. I was surprised to see that the juices were, in fact, red, not the deep magenta I expect from cooked beets. I don't know if this is a function of how they were cooked, or what. It was all good, though!
Sunday night, I had more chicken to cook, and I was in a bit of a rush, since I was home late from a gathering, and hungry. What to put with the chicken this time? I thought a bit, then remembered the beet greens still waiting to be used. I chopped them up, added some onion, and topped them with the chicken pieces. I was nervous about the greens drying out, turning into unpleasant ashy things, but it didn't happen. With the chicken on top, the greens cooked down beautifully while the chicken thighs roasted. An hour later, I was happily eating chicken and greens.
Tuesay, I decided to make some pasta, and was astonished to find that I didn't have any, except the mediocre macaroni that comes in the mac-and-cheese-in-a-box (it's a vice, I know, and I'm not likely to give it up!). Instead of the orange powder, I diced a couple of farm tomatoes, and ripped up a couple of handfuls of arugula. I stirred this into the hot pasta, then added a third of a package of feta, crumbled, and some black pepper. I debated black olives, or mozzarella, but didn't add either, which I regretted later, since the pasta needed more stuff in it. Still, I found that the arugula does well wilted in pasta.
I've started thinking about what to do with all the farm bounty from this week, especially the pounds and pounds of squash and carrots. I've started having some ideas.
For the squash:
I could bake them now, mix in whatever seasoning (I vacillate between the more usual cinnamon-nutmeg sorts of flavors and salsa), and freeze it/them for Thanksgiving. The idea of having a couple of things done in advance is pretty appealing. I could make some of that for now, too. Or perhaps a butternut squash pie. Or squash gnocci. Or simmer some squash in apple juice, then add sage and caramelized onions, and turn that into ravioli filling, using wonton skins as wrappers. Or make some kind of savorty squash tart, perhaps with leeks, sage, and cheese in a puff pastry crust.
For the carrots:
Of course I could roast some, with onions, or potatoes (or both), or perhaps some other root veggies (parsnips!). I've gotten a suggestion for mashed carrots, or carrot cake. They go well in lots of soups, too. I'm not feeling nearly as inspired about them, so other suggestions would be useful.
Hm. And all this starts me thinking about a Thanksgiving menu. I went looking to see what I'd made last year, and I don't have it written out as a menu in one place. I shall have to remedy that this year. Current thoughts: herbed rolls (made with sage, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, which I did for the first time last year) (some of which will become stuffing), turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, winter squash, green salad, possibly mashed neeps, with dessert to follow. Probably pumpkin pie, perhaps an appley something. And things like nuts and dried fruit and bits of chocolate for later munching. I feel like I should try something new, though, if just one dish. Does anyone have any favorites to suggest?