French Chicken, Leek And Mushroom Pie (Tourte)

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I’m sure this recipe must have come to me from Pinterest, and the original recipe is from Pardonmyfrench.com. The first time I made it I followed Audrey’s recipe exactly. It was good, but I wanted a little more spice. The second time, I had tons of leeks so I made a few tweaks, (added leeks instead of onions and added red pepper flakes). Samir came for a visit this afternoon and tried a bit off the spoon. He asked if it was on the blog, and that’s when I knew it was a keeper. So Samir – here you go!

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1″ pieces
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp (60g) unsalted butter, divided
2 strips bacon, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 lb (450g) Portobello mushrooms, sliced
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 cups leeks, chopped and washed
6 Tbsp (50g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1½ tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup + 1Tbsp (195ml) water
3/4 cup + 1Tbsp (195ml) milk
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 (13-oz [370-g]) packets ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed for a good 40 minutes.
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp (15ml) milk

Directions:

It seems like a lot of steps, but it’s actually pretty simple. For the filling, you’ll cook the meats first, then the veggies. Then you make a white sauce and dump everything back in. So don’t be scared by the directions!

On medium high heat, heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a frying pan. Add bacon and cook until fat has rendered – at least a few minutes. Season chicken thigh pieces with salt and pepper and add to frying pan. Cook for several minutes, until chicken is cooked through and starting to brown a bit.

Remove chicken and bacon to a plate, leaving any bacon drippings and other oil. Add mushrooms, and cook for several minutes, until they have released their water and dried up again. Remove to chicken plate. Add a tsp more olive oil if needed and add leeks. Sauté leeks stirring frequently, until they have wilted and reduced a good bit. Remove from pan to chicken plate.

Mix flours and seasonings in a small bowl, and have ready.

Add 3 Tbsp butter to frying pan and melt. Add flour and seasonings and stir quickly for a minute. Add water and milk and stir vigorously until you get a smooth, thick consistency. Cook for several minutes stirring constantly until the roux has thickened up a good bit.

Add Dijon Mustard and stir well. Then add the chicken, leeks and mushrooms back in and and stir. Check seasoning – adding salt and pepper if needed. Take off heat.

Preheat Oven to 410 degrees.

Line a springform pan bottom with parchment paper. You can also line a cast iron skillet. Lay the Puff Pastry into the pan. If you’re picky, you can kind of roll it out first so it covers the bottom and sides. Prick with a fork all over.

Add filling and smooth it so it’s fairly even. Take top piece of puff pastry and lay over the top of the filling. Squeeze the top and bottom pastry edges together gently wherever you can.

Mix egg yolk with 1 Tbsp milk and brush over the top of the pastry. If your pastry is totally sealed (top and bottom) cut a 1″ slit in the top crust to let steam escape.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 20 – 25 minutes until the crust is nice and golden brown.

Remove from oven, and use a butter knife around the outside edge of the pan. Release the pan side and cut wedges to serve. So good!

Sausage, Leek & Pea Pasta

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This is a lovely recipe I found on LanasCooking.com. I did make a few tweaks – used a whole red onion instead of a shallot, added more peas and heavy cream. It’s really delicious – with a little sweetness from the leeks, onion and peas that works really well with the sausage. It’s fast and it makes a lot – I think this could easily serve 6 people. (It’s hard to tell but my skillet is huge!!)

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb bulk sweet Italian Sausage
2 large leeks, rinsed well and cut into ½” rings
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1½ cups frozen peas
3/4 lb pasta (I used Trottole and Penne, but any short pasta would do.)
½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/3 cup heavy cream

Start a large pot of salted water boiling, and cook pasta al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil and fry sausage until cooked through and lightly browned, 8 – 10 minutes. Add leeks and onion and cook until leeks are softened, and onions are translucent, another 8 – 10 minutes.

Add butter, black pepper, chicken stock and frozen peas, and stir well. Let come to a simmer, then add pasta, cheese and heavy cream and mix well.

Cook for a few minutes until everything is well combined and warmed through. Check seasoning, and top with a grind of black pepper, and a sprinkling of grated Romano cheese. I didn’t add any salt since the pasta was salted and the sausage is pretty salty, too.

Delish!

Spiced Tomato Stew with Cheesy Polenta

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From Sara Bradley, in the Wall Street Journal

We’re kind of swimming in garden tomatoes at the moment, and this recipe is a great way to use them. Sara’s original recipe calls for heirloom tomatoes, smoked cheddar and regular cheddar, but I had Pecorino Romano and Gruyere and garden tomatoes, so I just used those.

It was really delicious and I loved the rustic tomato sauce, which I’ll definitely make again.

Ingredients:

4-5 cups water
½ tsp salt
1 cup polenta
2 oz smoked cheddar (or gruyere), grated
2 oz white cheddar (or pecorino romano), grated
2 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced or chopped
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
4-6 cups roughly chopped tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves, torn

Bring salted water to boil in a medium pot. Add in polenta, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes or so, stirring from time to time and adding a little water if it gets very thick. Once the polenta is creamy, add in the two grated cheeses and the cream cheese. Stir well and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large frying pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil. When hot, add in shallots and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and stir another couple of minutes. Then add red chile flakes, fennel seeds, salt, black pepper and sugar. Stir for a minute or so, then add all of the tomatoes.

Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Check seasoning.

Scoop polenta into a wide bowl, and top with a nice big spoonful of the tomato stew, and some fresh basil leaves.

Vietnamese Tomato Salad

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  • Version #2 with grape tomatoes, cucumbers and cashews.


Saw Emily Paster’s recipe in Midwest Living Magazine and realized I had everything I needed to make it. It’s so good and ready in just a few minutes. The dressing would be great on other fresh veggies, too. It’s really the perfect summer salad and we ate every last drop!

Ingredients
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar or sugar)
1 Thai (or Serrano) chile, seeded and minced
2 Tbsp light olive oil ( or a neutral oil like canola oil)
5 medium plum (or heirloom) tomatoes, sliced
1/4 of a red onion, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs – I used regular basil and spearmint, but you can also use Thai Basil and peppermint
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped – I used half peanuts and half cashews
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Directions

For dressing: whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, honey and the chile, then continue whisking whil you slowly drizzle in the oil.

Arrange tomato slices on a large platter. Top with onion, herbs and nuts.

Spoon dressing over salad, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve immediately.

Version #2; Used grape tomatoes, with some quartered, sliced cucumbers (about a cup) and used cashews instead of peanuts. It was good, too.

Easy Rhubarb Crisp

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My friend Dot made this amazing rhubarb crisp for dinner a few nights ago and I was gobsmacked. How have I never had a Rhubarb Crisp before? It’s sweet, tangy and a perfect summer dessert.

Dot was kind enough to share the recipe with me, which was from Nora at Savorynothings.com and I used her recipe exactly, just adding a little vanilla. A few nights ago we were having friends over to play cards and I loved being able to pop out in the garden and gather fresh rhubarb for dessert!

At some point, I might try swapping out the cinnamon for a little fresh & candied ginger, since we love Rhubarb Ginger Jam, but this is honestly just about perfect as is.

Rhubarb Filling
2 lbs. fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2″ slices
¼ cup cornstarch
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Crumble Topping
1 cup oats
½ cup flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1 stick cold butter, in ½” cubes or grated (8 Tbsp)

Gently but thoroughly combine all rhubarb filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a 10 x 13″ baking dish.

Then thoroughly combine the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in the same bowl. You can cut in the cubed butter (that’s what Nora does) but I find it easier to just coarsely grate the stick of cold butter directly over the flour and oats mix, and then gently blend so there are no clumps of butter left. Scatter the crumb topping evenly over the rhubarb filling. Don’t worry about overflow, this dish doesn’t rise, so it fits fine.

Bake at 400°F for around 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sweet, tart and crunchy. So good.

*Nora mentions that if you use frozen rhubarb, to thaw it completely and let it drain without squeezing it. Freezing makes rhubarb a little more watery so you may need to add another Tbsp of cornstarch.

Tomato & Mini “Baby” Cucumber Salad

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Want a salad that keeps well, tastes delicious and is super easy? This is the one. I used Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette, which I’d kind of forgotten about. It’s light, a little sweet and is perfect with this salad. (I saw a few copycat recipes online, so if I do find a good one, I’ll add it.)

I use mini “baby” cucumbers and score them with a fork. Just drag the tines of a fork from end to end all the way around the cucumber. It leaves a pretty pattern and helps them soak up a little of the dressing. (Thanks, Jamie Oliver!)

Ingredients

1 10 oz package cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 lb mini seedless cucumbers, scored and sliced into 1/2″ thick slices
8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls
1/4 cup Brianna’s blush vinaigrette (can use more if desired)
1 Tbsp fresh basil, sliced thinly

Mix everything in a large bowl. Keeps well in the fridge for a few days and tastes wonderful.

Frog & Prince Sheet-Pan Baked Feta With Broccolini, Tomatoes and Lemon

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Note: this was the first time I made this, and hadn’t dipped the feta slices or nestled them down. But I had to share the tray before going into the oven with all these vivid colors!

Based on Yasmin Fahr’s recipe with a few tweaks, it is one of those incredibly beautiful dishes because of the colorful veggies, that also tastes wonderful. It’s also quick and easy.

The funny name came because I try new dishes all the time, and honestly, some are duds. (Those don’t make it on the blog.) Kumy tried this and said, “There are frogs and princes, and this one is definitely a prince.” You can add practically any vegetable, as long as you include sliced lemons, onions and tomatoes, which are the real stars. So good!

Ingredients
1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed, thick stalks split lengthwise, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
1 big red onion, peeled, quartered and cut into 1-inch wedges
1 small zucchini, cut into ½” thick rounds (optional)
1 and 1/2 yellow or orange bell peppers, sliced into 1″ strips
1 lemon, 1/2 cut into thin rounds and the remaining 1/2 left intact, for serving
3 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp red-pepper flakes
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 (6- to 8-ounce) block feta, cut into 1-inch slices (can also use Queso Fresco wedges)

Cooked orzo, for serving
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped for garnish

Heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack set in the lower third. Put all the veggies in a sheet pan.

Mix olive oil and seasonings in a bowl, then carefully dip the feta slices in the oil to coat, set them on a plate and drizzle the oil mixture over the veggies. Toss the veggies with your hands until the veggies are pretty evenly coated. Nestle the feta slices into the veggies.

Roast at least 20 minutes, until the broccolini stems are soft enough to pierce with a fork and the tomatoes blister and collapse a bit. Yasmin tosses the veggies 1/2 way through, but I didn’t want to break up the cheese, and it was fine.

Remove from the oven, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon over it then serve over orzo, and top with a drizzle of olive oil and the basil. Yum!

My Favorite Fast & Easy Bread

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This is the bread that I make every few days, because it is so good and it is very quick – ready to eat in about 1 1/2 hours. It’s very flexible and works for white bread, whole wheat bread, herby bread or a cheesy bread. If you have a mixer with a dough hook it’s really easy. If you don’t, no worries – mixing and kneading isn’t that hard because it’s a soft dough.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten (I get Bob’s Red Mill)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt

If you have a stand mixer, fit the dough hook on. If not just use a large bowl and know you’ll need to stir it well and then knead it in the bowl for a few minutes.

In stand mixer bowl, add warm water, honey and yeast. Stir gently and leave alone for 5-10 minutes in a warm place. The yeast should get nice and foamy. If it doesn’t, give it a little more time, or try putting the bowl in a warmer place. If it doesn’t get foamy at all, the yeast is dead and needs to be replaced.

Add everything else, and start mixing, letting it go for several minutes until it is almost all pulling away from the side. If it is still very sticky, add another spoonful of AP flour. It’s a pretty soft dough, so it will be a little sticky. If you’re not using a mixer, stir well and put some oil on your hand. Knead the dough in the bowl for several minutes.

Spread a little olive oil in a loaf pan with your fingers. You want a little oil on your hand so the dough won’t stick.

Dump the dough in the loaf pan, folding it in the pan a few times. Put the seam side down and spread the dough to the corners of the pan.

Cover it with a clean dish towel and let it rise for a good 45 minutes in a warm place. You want it to rise to the top of the loaf pan and a bit beyond.

Preheat oven to 350 with the top rack about 1/3 of the way from the top.

Once at temp, place the loaf pan in the oven and throw a few ice cubes on the bottom of the oven. Quickly close the door and bake for 30 minutes. You want it to be nicely browned on top,

When it’s done, let it cool in the loaf pan for a while, and then take it out to finish cooling on the counter. Slice immediately and slather with butter and a little home made jam. Yum!

Note: For white bread, just use all AP flour.

I also make savory herb bread. Just replace the honey with 1 tsp sugar. Add 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1 Tbsp dried dill when you add the flour. You can also add 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese for cheesy bread.

Bean & Edamame Salad

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My friend Vicky brought this salad to work the other day and said she always makes some to keep in the fridge. I had to try it because I love how colorful it is and that it has so much protein. You can always soak the beans yourself, but canned beans makes this incredibly fast. Vicky uses a little good red wine vinegar, but we ended up using a vinaigrette instead. It was so good.

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 package frozen Edamame, thawed
1 orange or red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp wine vinaigrette (I used Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigette)

Add onions to vinaigrette in a small bowl, stir well and let it pickle for about 10 minutes.

Add everything together in a large bowl, and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Delicious right away and keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew

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Another fast and fabulous recipe from Sue Li in the New York Times. I made it with a few tweaks for supper last night. It was just delicious – with a wonderful, creamy texture from the Cannellini beans, rich flavor from the shrimp, onion, shallots, garlic and paprika and a burst of citrus from the zest and lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest and 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (save peels for stock)
4 Tbsp butter (½ stick)
1 yellow onion, cut into large chunks
2 large shallots, cut into large chunks. (Or 2 large leeks, trimmed, halved and sliced)
1 big handful spinach (2 cups?)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shrimp stock, or chicken stock*
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Toasted bread, for serving

PREPARATION

Peel shrimp and remove tails. Add peels to a small saucepan with 2½ cups water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer while you cook. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to get 2 cups shrimp stock.

Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.

Add onions and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted.

Gently stir in beans and hot stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve with toasted bread.

*Can use chicken stock if your shrimp is already peeled. But the shrimp stock is super tasty! You can also use any white bean. I added spinach and used an onion and shallots because I didn’t have any leeks – and we loved it that way.