A few weeks ago, I was sent samples of dried mushrooms from the very generous and food blogger friendly Marx Foods.  You can visit their website at http://www.marxfoods.com

    I was very proud of my first creation because it was delicious and all mine. Proud because I’m good at following recipes but not good at creating. 

With 1/2 of the bag of dried Chanterelles still on my counter, I decided to make a version of a salad I found in Food and Wine.  I love this salad.  Delicious and crazy healthy. 

The recipe calls for a slice of aged Cabot Clothbound Cheddar.  I chose a slice of cheddar that had small bits of cranberries instead.  It sounded so very seasonal.   Also the recipe calls for arugula which looked pretty ragged at Whole Foods, so I substituted with Watercress.

I soaked the dried chanterelles in water for a couple of hours and then gently sautéed them in butter for a few minutes.  They were just starting to crisp and the earthy flavor was outstanding in this salad.  I didn’t let them cook nearly as long as the recipe indicates for fresh mushrooms and kept a close eye on them for just the right texture.

Warm Chanterelle and Berry Salad with Cheddar

6 Tbs plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small sweet onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb chanterelle or hedgehog mushrooms, stems trimmed and large mushrooms halved
1 Tbs plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 cups baby arugula
1 cup blackberries
1 cup raspberries
Four 2-ounce pieces of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion rings, season with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until richly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the onion rings to a medium bowl.

2. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to the skillet and when it is hot, add the chanterelles and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat until the liquid in the skillet has evaporated, about 7 minutes. Continue to cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the chanterelles are browned, about 5 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.

3. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar with the mustard and the remaining 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil; season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Add the arugula, blackberries and raspberries to the bowl with the onions. Add the chanterelles and the vinaigrette and toss well. Put a piece of cheddar on each plate. Divide the salad among the plates and serve.

I served this with Corn Chowder.  Simple:  Just saute some onion in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add a heaping Tbs of flour and let it cook for a minute or so and then add ingredients.  1 can creamed corn, 1 package frozen corn, milk, chicken broth, and a little of the water from the boiling potatoes on the next burner.  Drain and stir in the diced potatoes and serve with bacon bits and some parsley.  Delicious!!!

Raspberry Chipolte Roast Beef Panini

Served with stuffed Winter Squash

This past Sunday I made one of those old-fashioned pot roast dinners. A nice big roast snuggled into a Dutch oven surrounded by lots of potatoes, carrots, onions and celery and slow cooked in the oven until tender.
When I was growing up, this was our every Sunday meal. My mom would pop this in the oven, we’d head off to church and return home to wonderful aromas filling the house.

A few weeks ago, I won a bottle of Chipolte Raspberry Sauce from Dave  The Master over at Year on the Grill.  Thank you Dave!  This is the first time I’ve ever tried this sauce and it is delicious.  If you can find it at your local store, grab a bottle.  I noticed Costco offers a giant size  So with this sauce, here’s what I did with the leftover roast beef.

First of all, I don’t own a Panini press, but I do own a grill pan and a brick. HUH?

I saw this on Rachael Ray one day. Take a brick and wrap it in heavy-duty foil and use it for the press. That darn Rachel.

I used Panera Bread Whole Grain

• Slice and caramelize some onion slices
• Shred some left over roast beef
  Panera Whole Grain Bread
• Sliced Provolone Cheese

Butter each slice of bread on one side only. On the non-buttered side of each slice, spread on a bit of the Raspberry Chipolte Sauce, about the amount you would use if you were spreading jelly or jam. Top with roast beef and onions. Top with the remaining slice of bread and place butter side down on a sizzling grill pan. Place the high-tech panini press on top of the sandwiches and sizzle until browned with nice grill marks, just a couple of minutes… Flip sandwiches over and repeat.

I love the flavor of this sauce and this panini was absolutely delicious!

And look!  My homemade panini press stores much easier than the store-bought version.    If your kitchen is anything like mine, stuffed to the gill with gadgets, you’ll appreciate this. Plus clean-up was a breeze, I just tossed the aluminum foil into the recycle and rewrapped with fresh and it’s ready to go for next use.

This just may be the best White Bean Chili I’ve ever had – EVER! 

The odd combination of the flavors march right up the aisle, all the way to the altar, and to everyone’s surprise, and without much ceremony, join in holy matrimony.

Giada served this up a couple of months ago on Giada at Home.  I went to foodnetwork.com, bookmarked the recipe and vowed to give it a try.

First of all, I’ve never seen chard in a White Chili recipe, nor have I seen Parmesan Cheese in a White Chili recipe.  But they seemed happy, so who am I to judge. 

2nd of all,  Chard is about the most beautiful vegetable to prepare.  Those deep rich green leaves with the red veins and those luscious colored stalks.  It just makes me feel good about adding it.   I think my New Year’s Resolution might be to get to know Chard a bit better.

Plus I must say that this Fall I froze a lot of delicious fresh Colorado sweet corn, cutting the kernels off the cob and saving them for special occasions such as this.

The only thing I changed with this recipe was to garnish with cilantro instead of parsley.  Yum either way.  Enjoy!

White Bean and Chicken Chili, courtesy Giada De Laurentiis:

2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs ground chicken
1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
2 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs fennel seeds
1 Tbs dried oregano
2 tsp chili powder
3 Tbs flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

This is an impressive  and delicious little meal.

I spotted this in Food and Wine and had to give it a test run. This recipe is elegant, easy and delicious and I can’t wait to serve it for a dinner party.

Whole Foods had beautiful Veal Chops sitting right next to some tempting Veal Shanks (I love Osso Bucco).  Osso Bucco is my tradition for New Year’s Eve, so resisted the temptation to celebrate early and ordered up the chops for the original plan.  Warning, these chops were $20 pound. I had planned to purchase 2 chops, but when they were sitting on the scale I could tell they were thicker than what the recipe called for. Weighing in at 3/4 pound each and with that expensive price tag, I came home with only one chop for the two of us.

As I suspected, it was enough, as I served it with some hearty Garlic and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes, a recipe I found over at Closet Cooking. FABULOUS potatoes!  Go to his website and check-it-out, capture the recipe and don’t look back.  I’m of the “traditional mashed potatoes are so good why would you mess with them” school of thought.  Well I messed with them (added garlic and goat cheese) and boy am I glad I did.

Wine Pairing:  We brought up an Oregon Pinot to serve with the meal.  However, the recipe instructs to pair with an easy to find velvety merlot.  I thought the Pinot was just fine!

Here’s the recipe.  Give it a try.

Roasted Veal Chops with Grapes:

1 lb seedless red grapes
3 Tbs sherry vinegar
2 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Four 1-inch-thick veal rib chops (about 1/2 pound each)

1. Preheat the oven to 500°. On a sturdy rimmed baking sheet, toss the grapes with the vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the sugar; season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 10 minutes, shaking the baking sheet halfway through, until the grapes are hot and the pan is sizzling.

2. Rub the veal chops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper. Push the grapes to one side of the baking sheet. Add the veal chops and roast for about 5 minutes, or until sizzling underneath. Turn the chops and roast for 5 minutes longer for medium-rare meat. Transfer the veal chops to a platter, scrape the grapes and juices on top and serve.  Since the chops I purchased were a bit thicker, I cooked them for about 6 1/2 minutes per side.  Serves  4.