Pear Mozzarella Salad

Pear Mozzarella Salad

The original intent was to make burrata, but with the shell a little too thick, and the filling not quite creamy enough, the end result was still basically mozzarella (the cheese was still delicious, so not a huge loss).  Instead of the classic tomato, we decided to serve along with pears from our latest Urban Acres pick up. 


Ingredients
2 Servings

1/4 lb mozzarella cheese
1 Bartlett pear, cut into 1/2" pieces
Lettuce, cut into thin slices
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Place pears and mozzarella on a bed of lettuce. Drizzle with olive oil and salt/pepper to taste

Steamed Lamb Wontons

Steamed Lamb Wontons

The filling for these wontons can be made in advance and frozen, allowing for a quick dinner preparation.  Our local grocery started carrying lamb shoulder, which is much cheaper than other cuts and still tastes great.  Feel free to substitute the lamb for pork or chopped shrimp.  This also provides an opportunity to sneak in a lot of other vegetables. 

Ingredients

Serves 4; approximately 32 wontons

1 lb ground lamb (we use shoulder, and grind it at home)

2 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil

4 carrots, grated

4 leaves Napa Cabbage, sliced thin 

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

½ C fish sauce

2T Maggi seasoning

4T sugar

½ tsp ground black pepper

Directions

Heat a large skillet on high heat, and add oil, garlic and lamb.  Sautee for 4-5 minutes, then reduce to medium heat.  Add carrots, cabbage, jalapeno, fish sauce, maggi seasoning, sugar and pepper.  Sautee until the carrots are soft. Remove from heat, and allow filling to cool to the touch. 

While filling is cooling, spread wonton wrappers out on a flat surface.  These are delicate, so take care not to tear any of them.  Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wrapper, and use some of the liquid from the filling to brush the edges. Bring the corners together and press together to seal.

Steam for 8 minutes.

Monica's Chicken Curry

Monica’s Chicken Curry

Indian food is not something we were very familiar with, but had always wanted to learn more about.  Luckily for us, Greer grew up with a family from India (and quite skilled at cooking).  After several scheduling attempts, we met with family and friends at Monica’s house for a demonstration.  Again, knowing very little about Indian food and flavors, we were surprised to find the basic ingredients were ones we were very familiar with and used regularly.  A flavor profile that had seemed exotic now seemed approachable as we could see and taste ties into Mexican, Mediterranean and Southeast Asian flavors.  We always enjoy cooking classes; add friends and family and you get a great night with a great memory to accompany future meals.

Ingredients

Serves: 4-6

¼ C Canola oil

1 tsp Cumin Seed

2 White onions, diced

4 Garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped

2 Curry Leaves

½ tsp Tumeric

½ tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp Cayenne

½ tsp Ground Cloves

½ tsp Cinnamon

½ tsp Ground Cardamom

3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 Jalapeño, finely chopped

2 Chicken Breasts, cut into ~1” cubes

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cilantro for garnish

Directions

In a 5.5 quart French oven on medium heat add oil and cumin seed, cook until the seeds pop and you can smell the cumin (2-3 minutes).  Be careful not to burn the seeds.  Make the curry base by adding onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves; sauté until the onions are well colored (12-15 minutes).

Add the spices, tomatoes and jalapeño to the base and stir until well mixed.  Add cubed chicken and water for desired thickness; cover and cook until chicken is cook through (~5-7 minutes).  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with basmati rice.

Cost

Onions $2.02

Garlic $0.15

Ginger $0.20

Spices $0.75

Tomatoes $2.54 

Chicken $4.97

Cilantro $0.25

Total: $10.88

Per serving: $2.72

This will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and reheats well.

Oatmeal and Eggs

Oatmeal and Eggs

With the weather turning a little cooler, a hot bowl of oatmeal is a great way to start off the day.  Add some milk and honey, top off with a fried egg, and a simple breakfast gets a lift.  If you have the time, get your hands on local honey; the depth of flavor is incomparable to your grocery store variety and unique to your community.

 

Ingredients

1c rolled oats

1c water

1c goat milk

2Tbsp honey

1tsp salt

4 eggs

½ Tbsp butter

1 Roma tomato, sliced 

Directions

Serves 2

Add water, milk and honey in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add salt and oats to warm liquid and bring to a simmer.  Let cook for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

While the oatmeal is cooking, add butter to a hot skillet.  Once the butter is melted, crack the eggs directly into the skillet giving each yolk as much room as possible.  (In an 18”skillet we can fit four eggs; any smaller than that and it would be best to cook in batches.)  Cook the eggs for 2-3 minutes for a runny yolk, or longer depending on your preference. 

Spoon the oatmeal into a bowl.  Top each bowl with two eggs and two slices of tomato. 

Cost

Oats: $0.50

Milk: $0.78

Honey: $0.30

Eggs: $0.80

Tomato: $0.65

Total: $3.03

Per Serving: $1.52

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Versatile and delicious; this is a great recipe to have on hand.  You do need to set aside some time to roast the squash, but the puree will last for several days in the fridge.  It can be a lot of work to take the skin off an uncooked squash, so don’t bother.  Use a cleaver to split in in half and scoop it out after roasting.

Shown here, the puree is tossed with pappardelle noodles and topped with oyster mushrooms, bacon and shallots.  Cook down in a skillet to remove moisture and use it for ravioli filling.  Add chicken stock for a tasty soup.

 

Ingredients:

6-8 Servings

3 lbs butternut squash (2-3 individual squash)

1 lb white onion (1-2 onions)

6-8 garlic cloves

¼ cup finely chopped fresh sage

3 oz Chevre (goat cheese)

Up to ¼ c chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Split the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds.  Cut the onion in half.  Place squash and onion on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.  Add the garlic cloves for the last 10 minutes.  Smaller garlic cloves will cook much quicker, watch to make sure they do not burn.

After the squash, onion and garlic have slightly cooled (~5 minutes), scoop out the squash into a food processor with the onion, garlic and sage.  Blend until smooth.  You may need to add chicken stock at this step for a smoother puree.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the Chevre.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Cost:

Butternut Squash $5.97

Onions $1.99

Garlic $0.25

Sage $0.75

Chevre $4.50

Total: $13.46

Per Serving: $1.69

Spinach Salad with Caramelized Onions and Dried Cranberries

Spinach Salad with Caramelized Onions and Dried Cranberries

We have certainly taken an extended break from posting.  Here's a quick salad, great for the fall, to get things going again.  The yuzu gives it a bit of an Asian feel, but your favorite vinaigrette should work as well.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Serves 2

Total time: 15 minutes

2 handfuls spinach leaves

½ white onion, sliced

¼ cup dried cranberries

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons yuzu

 

For croutons:

Baguette, 4 thin slices

1 tablespoon goat cheese

salt

pepper

olive oil 

Place onions in skillet over medium heat with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and cook until browned, 8-10 minutes. Set aside

Toss spinach leaves with yuzu and remaining olive oil. 

Place spinach on plates and top with onions and dried cranberries

While onions are cooking, drizzle baguette slices with olive oil and lightly salt and pepper. Spread goat cheese on half.  Place on cookie sheet under broiler until toasted; 2-3 minutes.

Soft Shell Crab BLT

Soft Shell Crab BLT
Greer first tried this at The Grove in Houston before an Astros game.  After a few tries, we ended up with our own recipe.  If you like BLTs, you will surely enjoy these additions.  This does take a little bit of time, but worth it in the end.  This makes enough for two.

Ingredients

2 softshell crabs, cleaned

Milk (enough to cover crabs in a bowl)
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ c flour
Vegetable or Canola Oil for frying

2 teaspoons mayonnaise

2chipotles, finely chopped

½ bunch watercress

1 roma tomato, finely diced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ avocado, sliced

4 slices bread

Directions

Place the cleaned softshell crabs  in milk, and let soak for about an hour. 
While crabs are soaking, remove watercress from stems, combine with diced tomato and bacon, set aside.  Mix mayonnaise and chopped chipotle.  Spread mixture on bread, and toast. 
Coat crabs with beaten eggs, dredge through flour and repeat.  Fill wide pan with tall walls with about 1.5 inches of oil.  Place crabs in hot oil and fry until golden brown, flip once.  Remove from oil and place on rack and lightly pat dry.
On toasted bread, generously heap watercress, tomatoes and bacon.  Place one crab on top.  Finish with avocado slices.

Feel free to add some spices (like pepper, chili powder, paprika) to the flour to give a little kick.

Cost

Softshell crabs $13.98
Watercress $0.89
Tomato $0.31
Bacon $0.79
Bread $0.50
Avocado $0.99
On Hand $2.oo
Total: $19.46
Per Sandwich: $9.73