Spring Vegetable Ragout

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Despite a forecast of bad weather, we're heading to the coast for the holiday. Bob and I both love the sea and, strange as it might seem, we love it most when it's raging and buried in drifts of fog. This has the makings of our kind of weekend. Pounding waves and screeching gulls will be music to our ears. While we'll do some eating out, provisions for Easter dinner will come with us. The traveling larder will include gravlaxs, double-cut lamb chops and the fixing for soy glazed potatoes and this lovely vegetable ragout. Dessert will probably be a simple lemon pudding with apricot sauce. The ragout comes from Alice Waters, who does simple better than the legions who try to imitate her. I absolutely love this recipe and the bright shot of green it puts on any table. Three basic ingredients are quickly cooked in what becomes a light butter sauce. If not overcooked the ragout would be fit for Lucullus. The downside of this is the amount of chopping required to bring the dish to the table. That is the only downside. The beautiful ragout, especially if made with the very freshest of vegetables, will bring Spring to your table. Here's the recipe.

Spring Vegetable Ragout...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy Of Alice Waters

Ingredients:
3/4 pounds fresh green peas (See Cook's Note)
3/4 pound asparagus
3 spring onions (about 3/4 cup sliced)
3 tablespoons butter, divided use
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or chervil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Shell fresh peas or thaw 1 cup frozen petite peas under cold running water. Set aside. Snap tough ends from asparagus. Discard. Slice stalks into diagonal slices 1/4-inch thick. Cut tips into 1-1/2-inch pieces. Set aside. Trim and thinly slice spring onions.
2) Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large heavy bottomed skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add asparagus and peas; stir to combine. Add water and cook until vegetables are just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add reserved 1 tablespoon butter and parsley or chervil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Yield: 4 servings.

Cook's Note: If fresh peas are not available, substitute 1 cup best quality thawed frozen peas.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Moroccan Carrots - One Perfect Bite
Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame - One Perfect Bite
Green Beans with Sesame Miso Sauce - One Perfect Bite

Lemon Cheese Buns

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Some things never change. One of my grandson's called tonight, ".....love you, Oma." I know he does, but an unsolicited call of this sort, at his age, is unusual and I sensed something was up. We chatted for a bit and then the shoe dropped. "Mom and I have to make a Sachertorte for school tomorrow. Do you have a recipe?" Seems he was giving an oral report on Austria and wanted to share a sample of Viennese food with his classmates. Whatever happened to cupcakes? I quickly pointed out that a Sachertorte was not simple to make and tossed out a couple alternatives that were a bit more realistic. He listened politely but he still wanted to make the torte, so I sent him to a trusted site where he could find a recipe. A few minutes later his mother called. "He asked the wrong question, Mom." My girl is no fool. She doesn't do Sachertorte on Monday night. So, we went to conference call and came up with a Viennese-style fudge that, while delicious, was much easier to do. I thought I could share the recipe with you but I was missing the hazelnuts which are the core of the recipe. What I do have is the recipe for a kolache-like cheese bun that my classmates and I might have taken to school for an Easter party or had for Easter breakfast. The buns are quite nice and would be a lovely addition to your breakfast or brunch table. The soft dough is silky and a joy to work with. You can, of course, substitute plum or jelly fillings for the cheese that is called for here. These do not freeze well, but they will keep for 24 hours if well wrapped and refrigerated. Here's the recipe for an old-fashioned Easter treat.

Lemon Cheese Buns...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 eggs
4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Filling *
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add sugar, butter, salt, lemon peel, eggs and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
2) Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3) Punch dough down. Divide in half; shape each half into 12 balls. Place 3-inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Flatten each ball to a 3-inch circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5) In a small bowl, beat all filling ingredients until smooth. Make a depression in center of each roll; add filling. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Yield: 2 dozen.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Hot Cross Buns - One Perfect Bite
Shrove Tuesday Buns - One Perfect Bite
Cinnamon Rolls - One Perfect Bite


This post is being linked to:

Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting

Crock-Pot Dried Apricot Jam

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a huge store of dried apricots in the pantry. I used a dehydrator for the first time last summer and my over zealous experimentation led to storing far more of the fruit than I could sensibly use. To make matters worse, I forgot the fruit was stored and didn't find it until I began to clean the pantry today. The apricots still retained their color, so I decided to use them to make some jam and a glaze for tarts that I'll be baking later in the week. I have a crock-pot recipe that uses dried apricots to make jam. The recipe is really easy and the only trick is cooking the jam to the consistency you want. No pectin is used in this recipe because apricots are high pectin fruits and the jam will "set" of its own accord if you cook it long enough. If the jam will be kept in your pantry, make sure you sterilize the jars and caps you plan to use for storage. I actually prefer frozen jams, so I bypass that step and make quick work of the very few steps needed to make these beautiful preserves. The frozen preserves retain a lovely amber glow that is muddied in the sterilization process. I can't over emphasize how important it is to cut or shred the fruit into small pieces. Whole apricots are neither attractive or spreadable. They are actually too large to be used to make either jam or preserves. For those who may not know the distinction between jellies, jams and preserves, I have a super short primer. A jelly is made from fruit juice and has no trace of fruit in it. Jam is made by boiling bits of fruit and preserves are basically the same as jam except chunks of fruit are used. The fresh jam will keep in the refrigetor for up to a month and it can be safely frozen for up to a year. If you wish, small amounts or herbs or spices can be added to the completed jam. Here's the base recipe.

Crock-Pot Apricot Jam...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/4 pound dried apricots
2 cups sugar
3-1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Chop apricots finely using a knife or food processor. Place in a 3-1/2 quart crockpot with sugar and water and stir to combine. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 2-1/2 hours, stirring twice during cooking. Uncover and add lemon juice and salt> Cover again and cook on high 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
2) Ladle preserves into clean, hot jam jars, seal tightly, and keep refrigerated up to 1 month. You can process the jars in a boiling water bath if desired, but follow instructions from your county extension agent carefully. The jam can also be frozen, Yield: 4 to 6 pint jars.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Pumpkin Butter - One Perfect Bite
Tomato Jam - One Perfect Bite
Popovers and Strawberry Butter - One Perfect Bite

This recipe is also being linked to:

Crock Pot Wednesday - Dining with Debbie

Yucatan-Style Chicken, Lime, and Orzo Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite..."Come tip toe through the tulips with me." Really. I'm serious. We spent the day at a tulip fest held by a grower in our area and we had a really fantastic time wandering through 3000 acres of gorgeous, glowing color. We left early and returned late, so dinner, while necessary, was problematic. The cast iron stomachs of youth are just that and after a day of corn dogs, currywurst, and elephant ears, our digestive systems need some pampering to neutralize the grease and sugar we managed to consume while making merry. I'm like Mrs. Pac Man at these events. I have to taste everything that's being sold. I am not fond of corn dogs, but they smell so good my olfactory senses convince my brain that the culinary equivalent of a miracle has occurred and this time the corn dog will be delicious. Of course they never are and they are just the beginning of the problem. Smell those curly fries? I'm there in seconds. Blue cotton candy? I'm weak in the knees. Bob jokes, I hope, that it's less expensive to take me to the opera than a fair. After a day of such excess something light and palate cleansing is in order and this soup is perfect on both those counts. It's a quick fix meal that is perfect for a light spring supper. I found the recipe years ago in a copy of Bon Appetit magazine. They say the soup comes from the Yucatan. That may be, but I suspect it came from a resort rather than a native kitchen. Regardless, it is a lovely soup. I hope you'll try the recipe.

Yucatan-Style Chicken, Lime and Orzo Soup ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients:
3/4 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced
3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into matchstick-size strips
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 large tomato, seeded, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:
1) Cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain well.
2) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and chiles. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add chicken; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, lime juice, and tomato. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Mix in orzo, then chopped cilantro. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Yield: 4 servings.

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Avgolemono - One Perfect Bite
Tortilla Soup - One Perfect Bite
Chicken Long Rice - One Perfect Bite

Limoncello - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I make Limoncello as a gift for friends. Lemons, bought in quantity, are relatively inexpensive throughout the year, so I'm not seasonally tied to its preparation. I have several recipes for the liqueur, but I usually end up using one developed by Giada De Laurentis because it is simple to make and is ready to drink in days rather than months. While many drink Limoncello out of hand, I prefer to dilute it and serve it over ice. Its main purpose in our house is to use as an ingredient in cheesecake and other lemon desserts. I am "brewing" a bottle now to use in a cheesecake that I plan to make for the Easter holiday. If you like Limoncello you know the only thing that can spoil it is too much sugar. I've cut back on the amount of sugar that was called for in the original recipe. I also use 100 proof vodka. Anything less than that will freeze and you don't want that to happen. Here's the recipe that I use to make homemade Limoncello. You might want to consider it as an aperitif for Passover or Easter.

Limoncello...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Giada De Laurentis and others

Ingredients:
10 large lemons
1 (750-ml) bottle 100 proof vodka
3-1/2 cups water
2 cups sugar

Directions:
1) Using a vegetable peeler, remove peel from lemons in long strips (reserve lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim white pith away from lemon peels; discard pith. Place lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour vodka over peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep for 4 days at room temperature.
2) Stir water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour sugar syrup over vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard peels. Transfer limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month. Yield: 7 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Blue Lemonade - One Perfect Bite
Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur - One Perfect Bite
Cranberry Cocktails - One Perfect Bite


This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Pasta Primavera

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love pasta, so when I came across a dish that is heart healthy, diet friendly and delicious I knew it had to be shared. Several years ago Giada De Laurentis featured this version of Pasta Primavera on her television show. At the time it was unique because it was made with roasted vegetables and used pan juices rather than cream to coat the pasta. While this is not a difficult dish to make, it involves mise en place a plenty and it's best to set aside 30 minutes to prepare the vegetables for the oven. Try to cut them all into matchstick-size pieces to insure even cooking. You will need two large baking sheets to hold the vegetables and it will look like you are planning to feed the immediate world. Don't worry, their volume will decrease by half as they cook, so you'll be left with a manageable quantity to add to the pasta. I do cheat a little when I make this dish. I've found that the other vegetables cook more quickly than the carrots, so I blanch the carrots prior to roasting. I also warm the tomatoes before adding them to the pasta. This recipe makes a lot of food. If you are cooking for a small family I'd advise cutting the recipe ingredients in half. The dish does not freeze well. If you are looking for a meatless meal, I think you'll love this one. Here's the recipe.

Pasta Primavera...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2) On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all vegetables, except for tomatoes, with oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Coat well. Transfer half to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange vegetables evenly on pans. Bake until carrots are tender and vegetables begin to brown, stirring after first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.
3) Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.
4) Toss pasta with vegetable mixture in a large bowl to combine. Add cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately. Yield: 6 Servings.

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Pasta Puttanesca - One Perfect Bite
Straw and Hay - One Perfect Bite
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Shrimp Enchiladas Verde

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm always on the lookout for meatless meals, especially at this time of year. I came across a recipe for shrimp enchiladas in Family Circle magazine last week. I had homemade salsa and really fresh shrimp in the refrigerator, so there was no reason not to give the recipe a try. It was easy to do and I was really happy with the results. I followed the original recipe to a tee, but I wanted to try it again using frozen shrimp and bottled salsa before I shared it with you. I wanted to make sure that the quality of the the ingredients I had originally used hadn't skewed the results. I made the dish again tonight and can report that the enchiladas are a really nice weekday meal. I don't think they'll ever become anybody last meal request, but you'll be pleased with the results. The enchiladas can be on the table in less than an hour, and most of that hour is cook time. Here's the recipe for shrimp enchiladas with salsa verde.

Shrimp Enchiladas Verde...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, Coutesy of Family Circle Magazine

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium-size red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 medium-size green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1-1/4 pounds medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and cut in half crossways
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 corn tortillas
1 bottle (16 ounces) tomatillo salsa (such as La Victoria)
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp; cook an additional 3 minutes, until shrimp is opaque. Stir in corn, 1/4 cup water, chili powder and cumin. Heat through.
2) Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 11 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3) Wrap four tortillas in damp paper towels. Microwave 30 seconds. Brush one side of each tortilla with salsa. Spoon 1/2 cup shrimp mixture on each. Roll up and place seam-side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Top with any extra filling.
4) Mix remaining salsa with half-and-half. Spoon over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Camarones a la Mexicana - One Perfect Bite
Thai Tamarind Shrimp - One Perfect Bite
Shrimp Cakes with Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce - One Perfect Bite

Asian-Style Carrot Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Most of us have a recipe for the ubiquitous carrot-raisin slaw tucked somewhere in our kitchen files. I haven't used my copy of the salad in over thirty years. I was never especially fond of it and, as we began to travel, I found other recipes that I thought were far more satisfying. This Asian-style carrot salad is one of my current favorites. There is a tartness to it that plays nicely against sweet barbecued meats and it is a wonderful, easy addition to an Asian-style meal. We had a salad that was quite similar to this while we were in Thailand. This salad, developed by Laurent Tourondel for Food and Wine magazine, is zen-like in its simplicity. Its only ingredients are carrots and cilantro. The dressing, however, takes the salad to another plane. Carrot and ginger juice are teamed with vinegar and a mixture of oils to produce a vibrant dressing that is unique and plays nicely with the sweet and crunchy carrots it is used to dress. I do have a few cautions should you choose to make it. If you can't resist the temptation to use pre-shredded carrots, test to make sure you can get a forkful that doesn't resemble porcupine quills into your mouth. That is a lesson learned from bitter and embarrassing experience of the "we grow too soon old and too late smart" variety. You should also know that the dressing will slightly dull the vibrant color of the carrots. The carrot juice can't quite overcome the mayonnaise in the dressing and the carrots will take on a slightly milky hue. Lastly, don't add the final measure of cilantro until you are ready to serve the salad. Its brilliant green is gorgeous against the orange of the carrots, but if it sits too long it will blacken and add nothing to the finished salad. If I haven't scared you away, here's the recipe for a unique salad that I think you'll enjoy.

Asian-Style Carrot Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Laurent Tourondel

Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup carrot juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon fresh ginger juice, squeezed from 2 teaspoons finely minced ginger

Directions:
1) Combine carrots, garlic, vinegar, 1/2 cup cilantro and 1/4 cup canola oil in a medium bowl. Toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let carrots stand for 15 minutes. Drain well.
2) Boil carrot juice in a small saucepan set over medium heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Add mayonnaise, sesame oil, ginger juice and reserved 1/4 cup canola oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3) Add dressing and remaining 1/2 cup cilantro to carrots and toss well. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

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Asian Bean Sprout Salad - One Perfect Bite
Thai Cucumber Salad - One Perfect Bite
Khmer Green Papaya Salad - One Perfect Bite

Horner's Corner Plum Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Oven duty began early this morning. There's been a death in a neighbor's family and I wanted to get a loaf of their favorite plum bread to them while it was still warm and fragrant. When I make this kind of visit, I'm confounded by the way we mark the measure of a man and his passing. A life, a good life of 80 years, is over and can't be summarized in the seven lines of his obituary. Those who mark his passing will take those lines and, from them, weave the history that is his life and share it with each other. He was not a religious man, so, most likely, this story will be told at the table as they break bread together. Friends and neighbors will assure that none who gather to tell that story will go hungry. Food has become an important part of all our rituals. This bread is but one of many offerings that will be shared as his story is re-told.

Plum Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite


Ingredients:
1 cup pitted dried plums, coarsely chopped
3 cups all-purpose flour + flour for kneading
1 cup whole wheat flour
4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon honey, divided use
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions:
1) Toss plums with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside. Combine 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, yeast and salt in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add sweet potatoes, milk, 1/4 cup honey and oil. Beat with a paddle attachment until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in reserved 1-1/2 cups flour and mix to form a soft dough.
2) Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Knead plums into dough. Place dough into a bowl coated with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Turn to coat top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3) Punch down and turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 3 potions. Roll each portion into a rope about 15-inches long. Braid ropes, pinching ends to seal. Place braid on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 30 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake bread for 40 minutes, or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack. Mix reserved 1 tablespoon honey with orange juice and brush over exposed surfaces of bread. Yield: 1 large loaf.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Lemon and Blueberry Sweet Bread - One Perfect Bite
Lemon Poppyseed Bread - One Perfect Bite
(Almost) Irish Soda Bread - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:

Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting

Flower Pot Bread - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Saturday was a beautiful day in the Willamette Valley. We spent the morning at the Junction City Daffodil Festival, but the day was so lovely, that Bob and I couldn't bring ourselves to return home and attend to the chores we should be doing. We headed, instead, to some local nurseries to check out new stock. I also needed clay pots to use as molds for ornamental breads that would be used as centerpieces for a luncheon. I've made flower pot breads before and they are really not hard to do. While a lovely sweet bread or brioche could be used to fill the pots, I planned to use a reasonably plain white bread dough. The loaves were to be used for decoration only and it didn't make much sense to spend a lot of time or money on something that wouldn't be eaten. I hasten to add that the bread is edible, but in its unwrapped state it will stale quickly. The bread I used is simple to make and, as luck would have it, I could pass the finished loaves on to others for final decorating. Actually, the only difficult part of my chore was seasoning the pots to make them fit for baking. It's tedious work but not hard. I set aside 3 hours to season twelve pots and get the bread ready for its first, and only, rise. I'm including instructions for seasoning the flower pots, along with the recipe for the very easy bread I used to make them. Here's how it's done.

Flower Pot Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Recipezaar

Directions for seasoning Terra Cotta Flower Pots:
1) Take two (6-inch) new terra cotta flower pots. Wash thoroughly, drain dry and grease them inside and outside, with shortening, butter or oil. Make sure to coat the rims as well
2) Heat pots in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes. Remove. Let cool. Repeat process two or three more times to create a non-stick surface on flower pots. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Flower Pot Bread

Ingredients:
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sugar, divided use
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
Egg wash: 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water or milk
Optional Extras
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons mixed seeds
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts


Directions:
1) Grease inside and rim of 2 (6-inch) flower pots with shortening, oil or butter. Set aside.
2) Combine water and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast over water. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.
3) Combine flour, salt and reserved 2 teaspoons sugar in a large bowl. Add any extras you want to use. Add yeast mixture and oil. Mix to form a smooth dough. Turn onto floured board and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
4) Cut dough into 6 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Place 3 balls in the bottom of each flower pot. Place on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
5) Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush top of loaves with egg wash. sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake loaves in middle of oven for 30 minutes, or until bread is a rich golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove bread from oven. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pots and continue cooling on wire racks until bread is at room temperature. Bread can be served in flower pots or decoratively wrapped. Yield: 2 loaves.

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Kaiser Rolls - One Perfect Bite
Anadama Rolls - One Perfect Bite
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This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

This post is being linked to:
Wild Yeast - Yeast Spotting

Moroccan Carrots

From the kitchen One Perfect Bite...As babies, my children ate orange vegetables with such abandon that they occasionally radiated a jaundiced glow. We didn't have that problem as they became older. The carrots and sweet potatoes they loved as infants became a hard-sell at the dinner table. I couldn't understand it. I happen to love carrots, but then I'm also a beet lover, so, I'm probably a poor barometer of public taste and vegetable consumption. I set out to find or create recipes for vegetables that were so appealing that they couldn't be refused. I found today's recipe, which comes from New York Magazine, while on a quest to add color to our Easter table. I traditionally make lamb on Easter Sunday. While working through the various options at my disposal, I decided to give this recipe a try. I'm so glad I did. These carrots are flavored with the spices of Morocco, and they pair wonderfully well with lamb or any plain roasted meat. The carrots, which are very easy to prepare, should be refrigerated for at least 8 hours, but be sure to serve them at room temperature.

Moroccan Carrots...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Chef Einat Admony

Ingredients:
2 pounds carrots, peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for sautéing
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar

Directions:
1) Place carrots in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil, cooking until slightly tender but not overdone, approximately 15 minutes depending on size of carrots. Drain and place carrots in cold water until cool. Slice diagonally into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
2) In a large skillet, sauté carrot slices in olive oil until slightly brown, cooking them in small batches if your pan becomes crowded.
3) Place carrots in a bowl, add olive oil and remaining ingredients, and mix well. For best results, refrigerate overnight and serve at room temperature. Yield: 5 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Herb Roasted Carrots - One Perfect Bite
Braised Carrots and Shallots - One Perfect Bite
Creamy Carrot Soup - One Perfect Bite

Ciambellone - Italian Easter Bread - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had some fun testing recipes for the Italian Easter Bread that's called Ciambellone. I'm not going to talk about the two recipes that failed, other than to say my evil eye is now trained on the developers and, once they recover, they'll get with the program and do a better job. I am happy to report that I did find a workable recipe. This link, Chef's Line , will take you to a pod cast that demonstrates exactly how Easter Bread is made. Ciambellone falls somewhere between a cake and bread on the culinary periodic table. It tastes like soft biscotti and that, of course, makes it perfect to serve with coffee or tea. It also requires no special equipment to make. Flour is piled onto an immaculately clean board and the remainder of the ingredients are added to a fist-made well and mixed into the flour using your equally immaculate fingers. It's then formed into rings and baked. I prefer to make one large ring and use a ring mold to enhance the appearance of the Ciambellone. The recipe appears below the next photo.

I also want to share a great recipe for Soft Sugar Cookies with you. It comes from Denise at Cottage Sisters. I stumbled on it while searching for the Italian Easter Bread. She was kind enough to share the recipe and photo with me so I could pass them on to you. I hope you'll take a look at her fabulous site.


Photo courtesy of Cottage Sisters


Ciambellone - Italian Easter Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Kitchen Guy at Chef's Line

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 egg for egg wash
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a large baking sheet or a 9-inch tube pan. Set aside.
2) Mound flour on a board. Create a well in center of mound. Using your fingers, begin alternating liquid and other dry ingredients into well, mixing until all ingredients are combined. Knead, adding additional flour if needed, to form a smooth dough.
3) Divide into one or two parts and shape into fat rings. Beat additional egg with a teaspoon of water. Brush top of ring with egg wash. Place on baking sheet or into tube pan. Bake 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Yield: 1 or 2 coils.

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Lemon Tea Cookies - One Perfect Bite
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This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Zeppole for the Feast of St. Joseph

From the kitchen of One perfect Bite...The calendar for March contains a holiday as important to Italians as St. Patrick's Day is to those of Irish ancestry. The feast of St. Joseph always falls on the 19th of March. Religious Italians believe that the intercessions of St. Joseph saved the population of Sicily from a serious drought during the Middle Ages. So, in his honor it is the custom for all to wear red on this day, in the same way that green is worn on St.Patrick's Day. Those who observe the holiday will attend Mass and make a contribution of food that is placed on a large altar called St. Joseph's table. The table, which is blessed by a priest, consists of three tiers to represent the Trinity. The table will be laden with meatless food that will include pasta with bread crumbs, seafood and fava beans. The beans are considered to be lucky because during the Sicilian drought the bean crop did not fail. The bread crumbs are symbolic of the sawdust that covered the floor of St. Joseph's workshop. The top tier of the altar always contains a statue of St. Joseph. The feasting begins with a traditional cry of "Viva la tavola di San Giuse!" When everyone has had their fill, the altar is smashed and three children, representing the holy family, will knock on doors asking for shelter. The re-enactment is called the "Tupa Tupa" or "Knock Knock." At the end of the celebration, everyone is given a fava bean to remind them to pray to the man who saved the Sicilians. I know that celebrations such as these are fading into history and, sadly, the ties that bind these various communities to their emigrant roots will be lost. I had the great privilege as a child to see the preparations for this celebration from the Italian kitchen of my childhood benefactor, Mrs. S. She taught me how to make zeppole, which are served on this day. A true zippole is baked and filled with cream. It is a time consuming process, so I set out to find one that would be easier to do. I found one developed by Giada De Laurentis that I want to share with you today. I had to smile as I prepared the recipe. Certain foods have spread across oceans and found their way into the diets of people who have nothing else in common. We can add fried dough, to that list. This version of zeppole can, fairly, be called an Italian donut. It is simple and inexpensive to make and, when served warm, absolutely wonderful. Here's the recipe for a delicious Italian donut.

Zeppole...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Giada De Larentis
Ingredients:
1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 stick butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
Olive oil, for frying

Directions:
1) Cut open vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside.
2) In a medium saucepan combine butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in flour. Return pan to heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3) Transfer flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
4) Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Using a small ice-cream scoop or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches. Turn zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday

Avgolemono - Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you're looking for a soup to span the seasons, I suspect you'll love this light chicken soup that's patterned after Avgolemono, a Greek soup made with chicken, rice and lemon broth. I've taken some real shortcuts with this recipe. Busy folks will love them, but they'll cost me points in my quest to earn a "foodie" merit badge. I hope you share my dislike of that word. It makes me downright uncomfortable. Someone, several years ago, decided there was an unpleasant class connotation associated with the words gourmet and gourmand. They, whoever "they" might be, wanted a word that spoke to the common man and the great unwashed. In a flash of brilliance, they plucked the word "foodie" from the rarefied atmosphere surrounding them and the era of the gourmet was put to rest. Those who love to cook and eat, and love other people who love to cook and eat, smiled and carried on, sure in the knowledge that the games and self-importance would continue unabated. I suspect we'll always remain on the outside looking in. We take shortcuts, make substitutions and listen more to table banter than the words of the current culinary super star. We - I - am a mess! I cook for fun, but I want my fun to be part of a life that revolves around more than food. I need great recipes, but I need shortcuts that make them feasible for my kitchen and family. Now here's where I'm going to get myself in trouble. I love deli chickens and canned broth. I love pre-minced garlic and, yes, I love frozen vegetables. The thing is, I want to consume my food rather than have it consume me. Now, if you want to make this soup from scratch I'll be the first to salute you. I did that once myself, and it was wonderful. It just wasn't necessary. What is necessary, is using the right kind of rice. Hopefully, you'll have access to (sushi)pearl or arborio rice. If not, use anything that works for you, save for instant or converted rice. The rice helps thicken the soup and give it its lovely creamy color. Don't overcook it. While I prefer to use fresh lemon juice for the soup, there have been occasions when I've used the bottled variety, and I'm happy to report the world didn't end. This is a very light soup and I think it works best for lunch. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Here's the recipe.

Avgolemono - Greek Lemon Chicken Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
8 cups canned chicken broth
1 cup uncooked pearl or arborio rice
1/2 cooked deli-chicken, skinned, boned and coarsely chopped or shredded
2 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, lower heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add chicken and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
2) Meanwhile, whisk egg whites in a small bowl until they are frothy. Stir in yolks and lemon juice and whisk to combine.
3) Remove 1 cup of broth from soup. Slowly whisk it into egg mixture. Add another cup of broth in the same manner. Remove soup from heat and pour egg mixture into it. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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Four Farls - A Curiosity from Northern Ireland

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I was born to the green, but it's been years since my family celebrated St. Patrick's Day in an overt way. Those celebrations ended when my paternal grandmother, Maude, passed away. Maude was the grandchild of Irish immigrants, and was born here thirty years after the Great Hunger had ended. She was, however, raised in a community so insular that she spoke with a soft lilting brogue and retained that curious fusion of religion and superstition that some immigrants never put behind them. She attended Mass every day of her adult life and thought that the "Lives of the Saints", with it's graphic depictions of martyrdom, was the perfect picture book for children. She spoke of banshees, told of sin eaters and warned of the Dark Man's terrible wrath, but she wove these fiercesome creatures into lyrical tales of such beauty and redemption they'd make even the Irish poets weep. We learned about the "Hunger," the "Troubles," the "Drink" and the coffin ships that carried famine Irish to their deaths in the depths of an ocean they probably could not name. Only Christmas and Easter were more important than St. Patrick's Day to her. If she was staying with us for the holiday, we were expected to attend Mass before traveling downtown to see the parade and watch the Chicago river run green. There would, of course, be soda bread and colcannon and a bread pudding so soaked in Jamesons, that sobriety tests would probably be failed. Once she was gone, we put aside the trappings of St. Patrick's Day, and made a conscious decision to, instead, celebrate the Irish, and by extension, all immigrants, who braved the coffin ships to make new homes across the sea. Seven million people were driven from that island in the Irish Sea. Another million died of starvation in a passive genocide of which no one speaks. They spread across the continents and wrested something from nothing. It took some time, but they were successful where ever they chose to settle. They survived, "Irish need not apply." They endured, "Irish keep the pigs in the parlor." They triumphed and did indeed hang "lace curtains" at their windows. They even managed to put "a fine Irish lad" in the White House. In our house, St. Patrick's Day serves as a reminder of cruelty in the extreme and the capability of the human spirit to overcome, endure and triumph. Over the course of the year, I've shared many Irish recipes with you. It's fitting that the last comes on St. Patrick's Day. Four Farls is the simplest of all the Irish breads to make. I recommend it to you as an oddity that serves as a reminder of how far immigrant communities have come. I hope a few of you will try it. The Irish peasant kitchen would have used whole meal to make the bread. I recommend using cake flour should you decide to make farls. For the record, they taste a great deal like a biscuit made without shortening. They really are not bad. Here's the recipe.

Four Farls Soda Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/4 cups buttermilk

Directions:
1) Preheat a heavy based flat griddle, skillet or frying pan over medium to low heat.
2) Whisk flour,salt and baking soda together in a medium pan. Make a well shape in center of flour mixture and pour in buttermilk.
3) Quickly mix ingredients to form a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead to form a ball. Pat into an 8-inch circle about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 4 pieces with a floured knife.
4) Sprinkle some flour over base of a hot pan and cook farls for 10 to 15 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Be careful not to overcook. Serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.

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Oatmeal Scones with Dates

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When I was a little girl we had a neighbor who made oat farls on St. Patrick's Day. If you're not to the shamrock born, it helps to know that a farl is a scone that's made from the same dough as plain Irish soda bread - the naked variety that's made with whole wheat flour and not much else. Oatmeal is usually added to the dough which is then cooked on a griddle until it's done. The griddle is a holdover from the days when there were no ovens in Irish kitchens and all cooking was done on the hearth. I have a morning meeting on Wednesday and I'm responsible for providing Irish treats to go with our coffee and tea. Because it's a large gathering, I want to make something that honors the spirit of the day, but, more importantly, is fast, easy and inexpensive to assemble and reheat. I've seen this recipe floating through the ether for several years now. I can't date the first occurrence of the recipe, so I 'm going to consider it one that is in the public domain. If I'm wrong, let me know and you'll be credited for the recipe. I tested the recipe last week and I'm happy to report that it makes lovely, soft scones that are dropped rather than shaped or cut. The sweetness of the scones comes from a very small amount of sugar and dates. These scones are more tender than most because cake flour is used to assemble them. They take 15 minutes to prepare and about 20 minutes to cook. It doesn't get any easier than this. Here's the recipe.

Oatmeal Scones with Dates...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter-cut into bits
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1) Move a rack to middle third of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Whisk milk, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until mixture is well combined.
3) In another bowl stir together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
4) Stir in dates and milk mixture until a sticky dough forms.
5) Drop dough by 1/3-cup measures onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake scones for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are golden. (Alternatively scones may be dropped onto a hot greased griddle and cooked over moderate heat, turning them, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they are golden on both sides and cooked through.) Serve hot with butter and jam. Yield: 8 servings.

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Shrimp Risotto - Daring Bakers - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of Melbourne Food Geek and Jess of Jess the Baker. They challenged the Daring Cooks to make risotto. While they provided great instructions for the various components of risotto, leeway was also given to use another recipe, as long as the parameters of the challenge were followed. They requested that stock be homemade and the elements of their risotto base be honored. It happens that I have a wonderful risotto recipe that met those requirements. The original recipe came from Bon Appetit magazine a decade ago, and while it has been changed and massaged over the years, that recipe is the inspiration for today's shrimp risotto. If you like shrimp and risotto, I think you'll love this recipe.

Shrimp Risotto...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients:
Shrimp
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 pound uncooked peeled shrimp deveined and shelled (reserve shells)
1/2 cup vermouth or dry white wine
Shrimp Stock
5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white vermouth or dry white wine
Shrimp shells from 1/2 pound shrimp
Risotto
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-1/2 cups arborio rice
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1) Bring broth, shrimp shells and 1/4 cup vermouth or white wine to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove shells. Keep stock warm.
2) Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and red pepper flakes until garlic is fragrant. Add shrimp and saute just until shrimp begin to color, about 2 minutes. Add vermouth or white wine and simmer for 2 minutes longer. Drain shrimp reserving liquid. Drain shrimp, reserving cooking liquid.
3) Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until limp and a pale golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant. Add rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups broth mixture. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding broth mixture 1 cup at a time, stirring often and simmering until liquid is absorbed before adding more, about 20 minutes total time. Stir in reserved shrimp cooking liquid. Cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
4) Stir shrimp and 2 tablespoons parsley into risotto. Season risotto to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowls. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons parsley. Yield 2 to 4 servings.

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Potato Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been looking for something that I could serve with eggs on a leisurely Sunday morning. This creation is basically a breakfast pizza that uses thin sliced potatoes as its crust. The concept of potato pizzas is not new, and the ingredients used to make them are as varied as the cooks who assemble them. I've used the most simple of ingredients to assemble mine and this particular version is much like an Italian tomato pie. I have another version that uses ingredients associated with Mexican cooking for a pie with a more south of the border flair. The basic difference between the two is the type of cheese and sausage used to assemble the pie. This is not the easiest of dishes to prepare. It requires a lot of peeling, slicing and dicing that will be off-putting to some, but much of the work can be done prior to assembly if a little care is taken with ingredient storage. The potatoes are the real culprit. They'll begin to oxidize and turn gray soon after they're sliced. I've found this can be prevented if they are covered with acidulated water and refrigerated. Simply add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the water covering the potatoes to hold graying at bay. The potatoes and tomatoes must be as dry as possible before they are baked. I use a mandolin to slice the potatoes. It's not necessary to slice them this way, but you will get more uniform slices if the proper equipment is used. When I make this tart, I prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and don't do any assembly until I'm ready to begin cooking. I have a friend who assembles and cooks the tart the night before she plans to serve it. She reheats it a microwave just before serving. I must admit it tastes just fine when prepared this way, but color and texture are affected. Bob and I had this for a late breakfast this morning. I topped our slices with eggs, fried for him and poached for me. It was a quite pleasant way to begin the day. Here's the base recipe.

Potato Tart...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound smoked garlic sausage, thinly sliced
1 pound Idaho potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cut in 1/2-inch slices
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
1-1/4 cups shredded Provolone cheese
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2) Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add sausage and cook for 3 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and transfer to paper toweling to drain. Working in batches, add potatoes and cook until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and spread in prepared baking pan. Top with sausage. Cover with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with oregano and salt and pepper. Spread grated cheeses over tomato layer.
3) Bake for 25 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into serving pieces. Transfer carefully to individual plates. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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Frozen Lemon Yogurt - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Frozen yogurt enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the 1970's. It was touted as being a healthier alternative to ice cream, but many thought it was too tangy and its popularity faded. It was reintroduced in the 1980's and captured about 10% of the frozen dairy market. Today it still accounts for about 10% of all ice cream sales. I wish I could tell you that frozen yogurt is better for you than ice cream. That's not quite true. While it contains less fat than ice cream, it is still high in calories and can't be considered a "diet" food. Regular readers know that I love citrus desserts. What they don't know is that sweetened lemon yogurt is one of my favorites. If you freeze it, I'm in paradise. The sugar in this recipe helps balance a combination that would otherwise be too tart. This is almost effortless to make if you have an ice cream maker. It can, however, be made without one if you have time and follow the directions you'll find here. This is a perfect dessert for Easter Sunday or a spring fling. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Frozen Lemon Yogurt...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 cups (32 ounces) plain yogurt
1-2/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
4 drops yellow food coloring, optional

Directions:
Combine yogurt, sugar, lemon juice and peel in a bowl and mix well. Stir in food coloring if using. Freeze, following directions that come with your ice cream maker. Transfer to freezer compartment of refrigerator and let sit for several hours before serving. Yield: 5 cups.

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This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

ReadyMade-Instructions for Everyday Life, St. Patrick's Day and One Perfect Bite

The luck of the Irish, if not the pot of gold, has rubbed off on me. One Perfect Bite is part of a St.Patrick's Day feature at ReadyMade - Instructions for Everyday Life. Marc Matsumoto included my recipe for Colcannon in his featured article. My thanks to Marc and all who are associated with the food features there. I hope you'll visit their site and explore the four courses they have chosen for their St.Patrick's Day menu. Erin Go Bragh!

Tortilla Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our weather turned damp and chilly again today. As luck would have it, Bob and I were walking along the river when it began to pour. We were at the mid-point of the trail, so our options were limited and the only certainty was we'd be drenched before we got back to the car. Spring comes early to Oregon. I retire my winter recipes and restock the pantry and freezer at the end of February and move on to lighter and more colorful meals. Days like this one make me wish I still had a soup or stew hidden away. What I did have were the ingredients for a wonderful tortilla soup developed, years ago, by Martha Holmberg for Fine Cooking magazine. The soup is wonderfully warm and filling, but the spice level is very low. If you like your tortilla soup hot and spicy, you'll have to add more chili powder or use one that has more heat. The broth that is poured over the ingredients must be very hot in order to warm them. While the recipe is scaled to feed two, it can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. You can also swap beef for the chicken that's used in the soup. It does not keep well, so don't make more than can be eaten in one meal. Here's the recipe.

Chicken and Tortilla Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Martha Holmberg and Fine Cooking magazine

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus another 1/2 to 1 cup for frying tortillas
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (from about 1/2 small onion)
1 tablespoon chili powder; more to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt to taste
4 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth
Fresh cilantro: six 2-inch stems for the broth, plus 1/4 cup roughly chopped leaves for garnish
4 fresh corn tortillas, 6 inches across, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1/2 cup corn kernels (canned is fine)
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup diced fresh tomato
For the garnish:
1 ripe avocado, diced and tossed with a squeeze of lime juice
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or ricotta salata
2 dollops sour cream
Lime wedges for serving

Directions:
1) Place 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan or small soup pot, add onion, and cook over medium heat until onion has softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder and tomato paste and stir with a wooden spoon to mix and cook briefly; take care not to let the chili powder scorch.
2) Season chicken thighs lightly with salt and put them in skillet with chile paste, turning them once so they’re entirely coated. Add 1/2 cup broth and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook chicken, turning once, until it’s extremely tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 to 30 minutes. Add more broth if pan dries out.
Remove chicken from pan and allow it to cool slightly before shredding into bite size pieces. Set aside.
3) Remove any visible grease from pan before adding remaining broth and cilantro stems. Simmer, uncovered, until broth has reduced by about one-third and is quite flavorful, 20 to 30 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, fry the tortillas: Line a plate with two layers of paper towels. Fill a small, high-sided saucepan with enough oil to come to about a 1-inch depth. Heat oil over medium heat to 375 degrees F. Add six to eight strips of tortilla. With tongs or a long fork, "scrunch" them for a second or two so they take on a wavy shape. Fry until strips are golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels. Repeat with remaining strips.
5) Divide shredded chicken, corn, black beans, tomato, and tortilla strips between two large soup or pasta bowls. Pour hot broth over ingredients in bowls. Serve immediately. Pass avocado, cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro and lime at the table. Yield: 2 servings.

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Florentine Schiacciata - Carnival Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a quick and easy version of Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, a flat cake served by Florentines during their extended Carnival season. The cake is flavored with orange zest and extra virgin olive oil and, while it can be made with yeast, this version is leavened with baking soda and can be assembled in about 15 minutes. It's a lovely cake. It's lighter than an American sponge cake and it has an unusual, but very pleasant, fruity flavor. It is best served for dessert and it's wonderful with a slightly sweet fortified wine. I learned to make a version of this cake in the kitchen of an Italian neighbor when I was a child. There are, literally, hundreds of recipes for this treat. I like this one because it so nicely blends the flavors of the Tuscan orange and olive groves. Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil if you decide to make this. Anything else would be too strong for a dessert cake. It is also very important to make sure the cake is completely cooked before it's removed from the oven. Test in several areas, not just in the center of the cake. This is a moist cake and will stay fresh for several days if properly wrapped and refrigerated. Oh, before I forget, schiacciata is pronounced ski-ah-CHA-ta. I'm quite sensitive to this. I was able to make the cake long before I could pronounce its name and there was a lot of good natured teasing at my expense. Here's the recipe.

Florentine Schiacciata - Carnival Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite and La Cucina Italiana

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar for dusting cake

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan with wax or parchment paper. Grease and flour pan. Set aside.
2) Whisk eggs, sugar, orange zest and juice in a large bowl. Combine olive oil and milk in a two cup measure. Whisk into egg mixture. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into egg mixture until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
3) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes before removing from pan. Invert on rack to complete cooling. Sprinkle a liberal layer of confectioners' sugar over top of cake before serving. Yield: 9 servings.

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(Almost) Irish Soda Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Ina Garten has develop a recipe for the best soda bread I've ever eaten. Unfortunately, it's inaptly named and bares only the slightest resemblance to a true Irish soda bread. The Irish began to use baking soda in the mid 1800's. Bread was made mostly in the summer months when potato stores had been exhausted and grains were needed to carry the poor through to the next harvest. They called the summer months "meal months" . Irish peasants lived, for the most part, on a diet of potatoes, grains and milk. Eggs, butter, zests, currants and nuts appeared only in the breads of English landholders or successful Irish emigres. True soda bread was a mix of flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. It was cooked in a bastible, a lidded cast-iron pot that was put right into the coals or on a turf fire. In the Southern part of the country, the bread was shaped into a round loaf that was scored with a cross that was made to "let the devil out" as the bread cooked. In Northern Ireland, the bread was baked in a flat circle called a farl. What is, today, called Irish Soda bread should really be called "Spotted Dog". Now, please understand, I don't fault Ina for not calling her bread that. It lacks panache and would be hard to sell even the most devoted of her followers. I just wanted to set the record straight before giving you the recipe for the best soda bread you'll ever have.

(Almost) Irish Soda Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1-3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup dried currants

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add butter and mix on low speed until butter is mixed into the flour.
3) Lightly beat buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. Set mixer to low speed and slowly add buttermilk mixture to flour. Toss currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into dough.
4) Dump wet dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into top of bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean and loaf has a hollow sound when tapped. Serve warm or at room temperature.Yield: 1 loaf.

You might also like these recipes:
Barmbrack - One Perfect Bite
Boxty and Latkes - One Perfect Bite
Colcannon - One Perfect Bite

Salt Rubbed Roast Chicken

When I began to explore the possibilities of blogging, one of the first sights I discovered and tracked was Wandering Chopsticks. In addition to fantastic recipes, the site provided invaluable information on how to start a blog. I probably wouldn't be here now if it weren't for that information. I again tapped into the blog before Bob and I left for Vietnam and began our travels through Southeast Asia. I can tell you now, that in my very humble opinion, this is the best collection of Vietnamese recipes that I've ever found. What is equally delightful are the wonderful Western recipes the site contains. Though I've made the requisite changes to legally call today's recipe my own, that simply wouldn't be true. The concept and execution belong to Wandering Chopsticks. I hope you'll take a look at her recipe for Basic Baked Chicken. Since finding her recipe, I no longer brine my chickens before roasting and rely, instead, on a salt rub to provide flavor and keep the chickens moist. This is very easy to do and the best part of it is that the technique can be used for turkeys as well. I love poultry prepared this way. Here is my adaption for salt rubbed chicken. I hope you'll give it a try. I know you'll be hooked if you do.

Salt Rubbed Roast Chicken...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Wandering Chopsticks

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1 teaspoon of coarse garlic salt per pound of chicken
1 teaspoon coarse cracked fresh black pepper
2 lemons, divided use
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Directions:
1) Rub chicken, inside and out, with garlic salt and black pepper. Place on paper toweling and sit at room temperature for one hour.
2) Squeeze juice of 2 lemons over chicken. Place lemons shells inside chicken with crushed garlic cloves and tarragon.
3) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cook chicken, breast side down, for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Turn chicken breast side up and bake for about another hour, or until skin is crisp and golden. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 to20 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Orange Phoenix Chicken with Grilled Bok Choy - One Perfect Bite
Roast Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Herbs - One Perfect Bite
Lemon Herb Slow Cooked Chicken - One Perfect Bite

CafeMom, St. Patrick's Day and One Perfect Bite - Among Others

My thanks to Kim and the folks at CafeMom for including my recipe for Fresh Mint Ice Cream in their Green Food for St Patrick's Day feature. They've made everything look appealing and delicious and I love the company they have placed me with. I hope you'll take a look at the other recipes. Erin Go Bragh.

Roast Lamb - Blue Monday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I was sent this photo by a friend who has long insisted that photography is an art form. She's made it very hard for me to argue the point and in the process managed to stimulate my taste for lamb and excite an already chronic case of wanderlust. Hopefully, the yen for lamb will be satisfied by tonight's dinner, but wanderlust is another story. Normally, we'd just pack up and go. That would be fine if Bob and I could agree on which continent to visit, but at this juncture he's in Africa and I'm in Asia and we may have to settle the stalemate with a roll of the dice. After looking at the photograph, I decided that if I paired the photo with a recipe, I could share it with you. I still had a gorgeous piece of of lamb that had been sent to me by the folks at Lava Lake Ranch several months ago. It was a top round roast which I decided to bake and serve with a new sauce. I really like this particular cut of meat. It comes packed as a 1 to 1-1/2 pound roast which is perfect for folks who love lamb, but don't want to deal with leftovers for days on end. Roasts this size can be baked in about 20 minutes and while they require another 20 minutes to rest, they can be table ready within an hour. I decided to do a coffee based sauce but I wanted to brighten it with pomegranate molasses and orange essence or zest. It worked out well and we had a lovely meal. Here's the recipe for the roast lamb.

Roast Lamb with Coffee and Orange Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs lamb top round, room temperature
1 large clove of garlic, finely slivered
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
.
1 cup strong coffee
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 tablespoons orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Cut slits into top of lamb with knife tip and insert garlic slivers into them. Rub outside of roast with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Cover top surface of lamb with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
3) Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until very hot. Add reserved olive. Place lamb, seasoned side down, into skillet and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle exposed meat surface with reserved salt and pepper before turning. Turn and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and cook for about 15-20 minute, or until an instant read thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove from oven, transfer roast to a serving platter and tent with foil. Let sit for 20 minutes.
4) Deglaze skillet with 1 cup strong coffee. Add sugar, molasses, orange zest and juice and boil rapidly to reduce by half. Add cream and any accumulated meat juices. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Keep warm.
5) Cut lamb into thin slices and serve with sauce. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Lamb Shanks with Black Cherry Wine Sauce - One Perfect Bite
Moroccan Shepherd's Pie - One Perfect Bite
Persian Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce - One Perfect Bite
Quick Roast Lamb with Mint Sauce - No Recipes
Pomegranate Molasses - The Hungry Mouse
Lamb Stew with Dill - Bitten

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday