One bulb is not enough for more than one person and the while some of the more thinly cut slices were charred instead of caramelizing, it still tasted pretty decent for a side dish. It is sad to see that our state considers this plant to be a noxious weed and prefers to use herbicide to eradicate common fennel than to allow people to harvest it for free. Seriously, all public lands management would need to do is post an alert saying that there's a free vegetable that people can harvest and it would all be picked; of course that would also encourage visitors to pick all the other native plants that managed land and state parks have.
Ingredients
One (or more) fennel bulbs, washed and cored
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp olive oil + more if needed, for roasting
handful of whole grape or cherry tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp organic sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
1. Slice fennel bulb(s) in half and take out the core. Thinly slice the bulb as you would celery or any root vegetable.
2. Toss fennel with garlic, salt, sugar, lemon juice, tomatoes, and olive oil.
3. Arrange fennel in a glass baking dish (I used a 9" x 13") and bake for 30 minutes. Check the oven after 15 minutes and stir the vegetables around.
4. Remove from heat and serve on a plate, as a condiment or side dish for another entree.
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Sourdough Starter Batch #1
Hopefully it'll ferment in time to make some loaves for this weekend's BBQ. This particular starter recipe doesn't make you feed it every day. This is fortunate because the slacker in me doesn't want to do that. Instead, the fermentation time is 4-8 days and you need to check the starter for signs that it is not doing well, like the entire mixture turns pink (bad sign! toss it out and start over). You only start to feed the starter once you take a cup of it out for a bread recipe.
Starter Recipe Ratio
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 c all purpose unbleached flour
2 c warm water (between 105 and 110 degrees F)
Maintenance Ratio
1 c warm water
1 c all purpose unbleached flour
+ a pinch of sugar
I started the starter in a large wide-mouth glass jar and covered it with a kitchen towel secured by a rubber band. At the moment, it is sitting in a corner of the kitchen counter.
Starter Recipe Ratio
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
2 c all purpose unbleached flour
2 c warm water (between 105 and 110 degrees F)
Maintenance Ratio
1 c warm water
1 c all purpose unbleached flour
+ a pinch of sugar
I started the starter in a large wide-mouth glass jar and covered it with a kitchen towel secured by a rubber band. At the moment, it is sitting in a corner of the kitchen counter.
AB Broiled Artichokes
For this dish, broiling is not a good substitute for a grill. The roasting time and amount of heat exposure for the first crop of artichokes this season is too little and too much at the same time. The artichoke certainly takes on a toasted look but even after 8 minutes with the cut-side up and 5 mins on the reverse, the artichokes were still not cooked all the way through. And, despite only having the added flavors of salt, freshly ground black pepper, olive oil and lemon juice; tasters noted hints of nutmeg and Worcestershire sauce. The heart parts were pretty tough. I think steaming or parboiling the chokes before placing them in the broiler would be good for the next time.
Ingredients
2 large globe artichokes, halved with choke removed
up to 1/4 c. olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of one lemon
Directions
Preheat oven with broiler set on high. (AB's instructions say to just turn the broiler on but the one I'm using has two settings: high and low.)
1. Halve and clean artichokes, taking the thistle (hairy) part of the choke out of the vegetable and trimming off the spiky tops of the top part of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Immediately put the cut artichoke into cold water with some lemon juice to help prevent the artichoke from browning. It really doesn't matter much after you roast it since the ideal color is slightly charred (if grilling) or lightly browned (if broiling/baking).
2. Drain and spin the artichokes dry in a salad spinner. Then put into a large bowl with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
3. Place artichokes on a Silpat-lined or greased baking tray and place in the oven for 5-6 minutes, then flip over for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and eat.
Ingredients
2 large globe artichokes, halved with choke removed
up to 1/4 c. olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
juice of one lemon
Directions
Preheat oven with broiler set on high. (AB's instructions say to just turn the broiler on but the one I'm using has two settings: high and low.)
1. Halve and clean artichokes, taking the thistle (hairy) part of the choke out of the vegetable and trimming off the spiky tops of the top part of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Immediately put the cut artichoke into cold water with some lemon juice to help prevent the artichoke from browning. It really doesn't matter much after you roast it since the ideal color is slightly charred (if grilling) or lightly browned (if broiling/baking).
2. Drain and spin the artichokes dry in a salad spinner. Then put into a large bowl with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
3. Place artichokes on a Silpat-lined or greased baking tray and place in the oven for 5-6 minutes, then flip over for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and eat.
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
By the name of the recipe, you'd think that basil was the only herb that goes into this soup. There are certainly quite a few strong flavors in this batch, notwithstanding the crab stock I used in lieu of chicken stock. At the moment it is simmering on the stove and looks quite normal. Hope it tastes okay. I'll just have to wait and see if anyone notices that crab stock was used or if anyone can tell. When I made butternut squash soup the other day with crab stock, I couldn't tell the difference. Original recipe ratio is from Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook; what lies below is close to but not really. It reflects ingredients that I had on hand. This version is not vegetarian.
Ingredients
1 quart of crab stock (can substitute with chicken broth, vegetable broth)
1-2 cups of fresh basil leaves, whole
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, diced
6 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1 (14 oz) can of organic diced tomatoes
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
small fresh basil leaves, to garnish
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes ( don't know what this really is, so I used chili pepper flakes)
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh thyme
olive oil, for roasting the tomatoes
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 c organic heavy cream, optional
pinch of baking soda and/or sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. In a 9" x 13" glass baking dish, arrange tomatoes cut-side down in a single layer. Drizzle a fair amount (up to 1/4 cup) of good quality olive oil on top and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 40 minutes. It's okay if the skins get charred, that's what it means to roast a vegetable.
2. While the tomatoes are roasting... In an 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot, add olive oil, butter, red pepper flakes, garlic and onions. Let the onions sweat for at least 10 minutes over medium heat. It's okay if the onions start to caramelize, that will add a nutty-sweet taste to the soup.
3. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
4. If you want to see some texture in this soup, take out the basil leaves before taking an immersion blender to the soup; otherwise, it'll just be green bits of something in the soup. This can be served hot or cold; except if you are having dinner guests, I don't advise making this soup 1-2 hours before they arrive since the soup will not chill properly if serving it up cold.
Blend soup until smooth. The soup still tasted acidic after the tiny bit of sugar and baking soda that I added. I also added some heavy cream and blended that in before serving.
5. Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with fresh basil.
Ingredients
1 quart of crab stock (can substitute with chicken broth, vegetable broth)
1-2 cups of fresh basil leaves, whole
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, diced
6 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1 (14 oz) can of organic diced tomatoes
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
small fresh basil leaves, to garnish
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes ( don't know what this really is, so I used chili pepper flakes)
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh thyme
olive oil, for roasting the tomatoes
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 c organic heavy cream, optional
pinch of baking soda and/or sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. In a 9" x 13" glass baking dish, arrange tomatoes cut-side down in a single layer. Drizzle a fair amount (up to 1/4 cup) of good quality olive oil on top and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake for 40 minutes. It's okay if the skins get charred, that's what it means to roast a vegetable.
2. While the tomatoes are roasting... In an 8-quart heavy-bottomed pot, add olive oil, butter, red pepper flakes, garlic and onions. Let the onions sweat for at least 10 minutes over medium heat. It's okay if the onions start to caramelize, that will add a nutty-sweet taste to the soup.
3. Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
4. If you want to see some texture in this soup, take out the basil leaves before taking an immersion blender to the soup; otherwise, it'll just be green bits of something in the soup. This can be served hot or cold; except if you are having dinner guests, I don't advise making this soup 1-2 hours before they arrive since the soup will not chill properly if serving it up cold.
Blend soup until smooth. The soup still tasted acidic after the tiny bit of sugar and baking soda that I added. I also added some heavy cream and blended that in before serving.
5. Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with fresh basil.
Broiled Basil Chicken
This chicken entree was supposed to have more Thai flavor. The key ingredient of real Thai basil was the missing flavor essence from the marinade. I used boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs for this dish. I suppose you could use other cuts of poultry, and the cook times will be different. Better Homes and Gardens has an easy to use time table by cut for broiling.
As far as meal prep goes, this one is pretty simple if you have all the ingredients on hand. I used a large resealable container to marinade the chicken.
Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai basil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp (up to 1 tbsp) chili sauce (I used a basic sirracha sauce)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
Directions
0. Combine all ingredients together in a resealable container and marinade for at least an hour, several hours, or overnight.
1. Place chicken on a broiling pan, or a lightly greased baking pan if you don't have a broiling pan.
2. If you need to move oven racks so that the meat is about five inches from the flame (if using a gas oven), you should do so now before turning the broiler on.
3. Let the oven heat up. Most modern ovens will tell you when the temperature is right. I have never measured the ambient oven heat when using the broiler, so the only test for doneness is by using a meat thermometer and checking the thickest part of the meat. Internal temp for thighs should be 180 degrees F, for breasts it is 170 degrees F, and for patties it is 165 degrees F. Keep in mind that the chicken will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven.
4. Broil chicken thighs for 20 minutes total, 10 minutes each side. Remove from heat and serve with hot steamed rice.
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| broiled basil chicken, hot from the oven |
As far as meal prep goes, this one is pretty simple if you have all the ingredients on hand. I used a large resealable container to marinade the chicken.
Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai basil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp (up to 1 tbsp) chili sauce (I used a basic sirracha sauce)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
Directions
0. Combine all ingredients together in a resealable container and marinade for at least an hour, several hours, or overnight.
1. Place chicken on a broiling pan, or a lightly greased baking pan if you don't have a broiling pan.
2. If you need to move oven racks so that the meat is about five inches from the flame (if using a gas oven), you should do so now before turning the broiler on.
3. Let the oven heat up. Most modern ovens will tell you when the temperature is right. I have never measured the ambient oven heat when using the broiler, so the only test for doneness is by using a meat thermometer and checking the thickest part of the meat. Internal temp for thighs should be 180 degrees F, for breasts it is 170 degrees F, and for patties it is 165 degrees F. Keep in mind that the chicken will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven.
4. Broil chicken thighs for 20 minutes total, 10 minutes each side. Remove from heat and serve with hot steamed rice.
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