Corn, Kale, and Quick

This simple easy recipe was the perfect compliment to topless tapa night at my good friend Chris's home. Chris being an amazing artist and creative as always, centered her meal around a painting of a nude without a head. This gave the evening a fun edge and a great spin on tapas. Each of the guests were asked to bring a small dish of her choosing. I had not been to the grocery store for a week because of schedule and was down to the minimum for food. I thought I would pop into the store after work but drove right past it and returned home empty handed. With only forty-five minutes to spare, I knew I had to think quickly. I pulled out the half bunch of Kale that remained and admired its color thinking what can I add to it. Then I remembered my corn in the freezer, grabbed an onion from my root cellar, peeled a garlic, reached for some thyme, and set to work creating a delicious new recipe. The tip with this recipe is in the sauté of the corn. Patience is your friend because you want most of the juice to evaporate and the corn to brown slightly.

1 12 oz package of frozen corn, 2 cups of fresh corn, or one can of corn

1/2 bunch of kale peeled off the stem and chopped

1 onion chopped small

1 clove garlic peeled and left whole

1/2 tsp dry thyme ( if fresh just toss in some sprigs)

salt and pepper

about 2tsp butter and 2TBS extra virgin olive oil

2 saute pans

Melt the butter with 1TBS olive oil in a sauté pan. 

Add the whole garlic clove and chopped onion and sauté over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion is translucent

Remove garlic and add the chopped kale and thyme and sauté until kale is soft and begins to crisp slightly

In its separate sauté pan on low heat add 1TBS EVOO. Add corn and salt and pepper then sauté until liquid from corn evaporates and corn begins to brown slightly. This can take up to 10 to 15 minutes.

Toss together and that's it. 

Enjoy and yes you may want to double this recipe because it's that tasty even the day after and as you all know I am not a leftover person.

The Impeccable Mini Pecorino Crusted Turkey Burger

Wow, now that is a long name for such a mini burger but I guarantee this will be a hit at a casual  lunch/dinner get together or for a quick meal for yourself or family. And for all vegetarians, please note that this recipe was just as delicious with my favorite veggie burger recipe using mashed chick peas. If I am not creating a recipe, I read through many before making a decision. I choose one that sparks my taste buds and I must admit anything with the word crusted catches my attention. But as in any recipe I decide on, I make a few changes as I did with this turkey burger from Food.com. And, I know this will be a surprise, but it includes Mead's Maple Syrup.

*My oven was 375. My time 35 to 45 minutes. Check after 25/30 minutes.

*First, I made eight small burgers from a pound of ground turkey not the six they suggest.

*Next I used 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup Pecorino Cheese, and 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs mixed with 2 TBS of Italian Seasoning. I mixed these all together on a flat dish.

*In a bowl I used two eggs ( beat them with fork) and mixed in  3TBS of fresh lemon juice

*I dipped the formed burger into the egg mixture then into the crumb mixture, then redipped it into the egg mixture and back into the crumb mixture to give it a nice thick crust to keep burgers moist.

*I then put the burgers onto a lightly greased baking dish, covered them with foil and baked. I removed the cover half way through cooking.

I served with a  Maple Mustard Glaze on the side and put Caramelized Onions on top after removing from oven.

Maple Mustard Glaze

Stir together:

1/4 cup maple syrup ( the darker the better for this glaze)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard or any of your favorite mustard.
1TBS mayonnaise

Went to the cupboard and the cupboard was bare

Dear Friends,

       Today I worked and then had to travel an hour to the nearest Apple Store to inquire about a software update. This visit was recommended Sunday afternoon by the helpful technician who tried dearly for two hours and fifty-four minutes( yes that is correct because I timed it) to fix the problem. The up side to such a techno session is how much I learn. At the Apple Store, I had to wait as well but only for 45 minutes until one of the thirty-one people on the floor could help me. Yes, thirty-one, all wearing the visible blue t-shirt and all friendly and smiling. There were, of course, more employees in the back room dancing in and out of the swinging door but trying to keep up the count made me dizzy. My personal helper finally arrived and within twenty minutes concluded that it indeed was a software update issue but unfortunately the software would have to be ordered and sent to my house. He added that he could take care of it for me. I agreed, foolishly. Another thirty minutes passed. By the time I arrived home it was dark, cold, and I was starving. Being in one of those busy times in my life, I tend to  forgo grocery shopping and scrape by on what I froze last summer and a few fresh vegetables. So this is what I did. Quick - yes. Delicious - yes. Worth sharing - yes.  I then built a fire and sat on the rug and ate two huge servings of what I am going to call " cut up whatever is in the refrigerator, add a few seasonings, and put it on top of some pasta" dish.

Enjoy,

jude

So this is what I found to use:

3 TBS EVOO
One large tomato
one small red pepper
one of my med yellow onions from my root cellar
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 sprig of fresh thyme ( I was happy to still have some left)
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/4 cup red wine
a bit of tube tomato paste ( optional but something you may want to have on hand because it is tasteful)
Parmesan cheese

6 -8 oz of any pasta ( I used noodles )

I cut up vegetables and sauteed the pepper and onion in EVOO until lightly browned. I added spices, wine and tomato and simmered until tomato softened and juices flowed out. I then added a bit of tomato paste from a tube that I always have on hand. If you do not have it, buy some. I put this mix on top of noodles, added a little Parmesan and enjoyed every bite.

The Onion Obsession

Peel by peel

Tear by tear

The onion remains

To me so dear

Sumptuous soups

Caramelized

The onion remains

Uncompromised

Dear friends

       I love the onion. In my so-called root cellar I have bags and bags of onions and believe it or not, I eat them all by the time my new crop arrives in mid summer. They are the foundation for most of my recipes and I am always finding new ways of using them. One would think that with this many onions on hand that Onion Soup would be a staple in my home. I must admit, however, I have always avoided making this soup. Not because I dislike it, but only because I never quite made it well enough for me and I am not the biggest fan of beef broth.

       The other day though I felt compelled to experiment again after reading a wonderful article on caramelized onions by Maryellen Driscoll in the Fine Cooking magazine. Her affection for this vegetable equaled mine and we agreed that cooking the onions on low heat very slowly resulted in a sweet yet savory taste. She inspired me when she said that when you think the onions are done, have patience and wait a bit longer. Being inspired, I borrowed some of her ideas and created this amazingly tasty soup.

Enjoy,

Jude

Saute in a heavy duty pot about four to five medium yellow onions in a bit of olive oil ( about 1/4 cup). Put these on low heat and stir every so often for about an hour. You can read a book or do some yoga stretches but do not forget them. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the them about half way through. When the onions are caramelized Maryellen suggests adding about 1/2 cup pale ale but I added a full cup. Bring this to a boil for about 2 minutes. I then added about 31/2 cups vegetable broth. Let this all simmer gently for another 10 minutes and it is complete. I did follow Maryellen advise and used a nice blue cheese melted on top of a slice of sourdough bread. I garnished with chopped chives. That's it. Simple and oh so good.