easy gourmet cooking: stuffed pattypan squash

Always be careful what you ask for. When I recently relocated to Westview, I hoped that I’d be able to find a nearby community garden or small-scale farmer to get fresh produce from. I had no idea my request would be so thoroughly fulfilled.

The beau’s job hosts a weekly farmer’s market throughout summer, where local farmers and community gardeners bring out their wares to sell. Since he helps out with setting up their stands and assisting customers carry their purchases to their cars, the grateful farmers give him some of their excess to take home. Which means that, at least once a week, I get a nice delivery of local fruits and veggies right into my kitchen.

This also means that I am positively swimming in summer produce. Melons, tomatoes, okra, peaches, nectarines, corn, red potatoes, onions, and cabbages come in the door faster than I can think of ways to uniquely prepare them. So I’ve had to scramble around the interwebs in search of recipes to provide additional inspiration. One of the bumper crops that I’ve enjoyed finding new ways to prepare is squash. In addition to the standard crookneck yellow squash and zucchini that I’m used to working with, I got a delivery of pattypan squash. I’d never laid eyes on one in real life before, and was so struck with the elegant scalloped edges and blanched-white skin that I had to find a recipe worthy of the ingredient.

Fresh local ingredients call for a fresh local recipe, so I was pleased when I saw a recipe for Farm-Stand Stuffed Zucchini Squash over at Running With Tweezers. A couple of quick modifications based on the ingredients I had on hand, and… voila! A recipe that was fit for a pattypan squash.

Stuffed PattyPan Squash

Ingredients:

• 2 pattypan squash
• 1-2 fresh Italian sausage (I use turkey sausage, with removable casing)
• 1 cup couscous (I prefer whole wheat)
• 1/2 bell pepper (red, green, or yellow)
• 1 small onion (red or white)
• grated Parmesan cheese
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• minced garlic
• fresh or dried herbs: thyme, rosemary, marjoram
• 1-3/4 cup chicken broth or bouillon

Cooking Instructions:

Preparing the Squash: Preheat oven to 375. With a small knife (serrated works best), cut a circle around the top of the squash. As you cut, angle your knife diagonally from the outer edge of the squash towards the center. Remove the top of the squash and set aside – this will serve as your lid. Hollow out the insides of the squash with a small spoon, being careful not to pierce through the squash. Set the removed squash aside. Drizzle the inside of the squash and the bottoms of the lids with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then set on a baking sheet or pan in the oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes, then set aside to cool.

For the Couscous: In a small pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, until all water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.

For the Sausage and Veggies: Chop the bell pepper and onion and add to the squash flesh you removed earlier. Add a little olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium-high. Remove the sausage from casing, and add in small pieces to the heated skillet. Cook and crumble the sausage until brown. Add the garlic, onion, and pepper to the skillet and sautee for 4-5 minutes, or until onion is slightly translucent. Add herbs to taste, then add squash and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste. Add couscous to skillet and stir to combine with other ingredients. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over everything and stir to incorporate.

Stuff each squash with the couscous mixture, and sprinkle a little more Parm on top. Place the stuffed squash back in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

cheers,

k

copycat recipe – tangerine basil mojito inspired by king of pops

Popsicles are for kids, right?

Wrong.

Once you’ve tasted the tantalizing frozen treats from Atlanta popsicle purveyor, King of Pops, you might find yourself elbowing little kids in the forehead to get to them before they do.

King of Pops (a member of Atlanta’s growing street food vendor community) offers gourmet popsicles that feature unique pairings of fresh ingredients like pineapple and ginger, grapefruit and mint, and lime with fresh squeezed cane juice.

On a recent visit to the Irwin Street Market, the beau and I sampled King of Pops tangerine basil offering. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a popsicle that tasted soooo good! The popsicle had little pieces of tangerine pulp and whole-leaf basil throughout – a very refreshing combo for a hot day. On the beau’s suggestion that flavors in the popsicle “might make a tasty beverage as well,” I decided to test out a cocktail recipe with tangerine and basil that’s a lot like the recipe for a traditional mojito.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to fight the kids over this one – it’s strictly for the grown ups.

Ingredients / Supplies (for 1 tangerine-basil mojito)

1 small tangerine or 1/2 large tangerine

3-4 fresh basil leaves

2 tsp granulated sugar (raw sugar is best, you might also sub agave, if that’s your thing)

white rum (preferably Cachaca – Brazilian rum)

crushed ice

highball glass

muddler or pestle

How to make the tangerine-basil mojito:

Cut the tangerine into small wedges and place in glass. Roll basil leaves together and slice into thin strips. Add the basil to the glass. Add sugar to glass and muddle all ingredients together with pestle or muddler. The goal is to extract as much juice from the tangerine as you can while dissolving most or all of the sugar. Fill the glass with crushed ice. Pour in rum until glass is approximately 3/4 full. Vary the strength of the drink by using more tangerine and sugar and / or less rum to your tastes.

Of course, if you absolutely must share this beverage with the little ankle-biters, just substitute the cachaca with ‘fizzy lifting drink’ – aka, sparkling water or club soda.

cheers,

k

easy gourmet brunch – the social house’s farmstead eggs benedict

When I first reviewed The Social House in 2008, I couldn’t say enough good things about the place. The homey, retro decor and the menu - featuring standard breakfast and brunch classics with a little somethin’ extra – quickly catapulted Lorenzo Wyche’s newest venture to the top of my ‘favorite places for breakfast in Atlanta’ list. Since the restaurant’s opening, however, the long waits and occasionally inconsistent food have made it lose some of its lustre for me. But there’s one favorite from The Social House that I still regularly crave for weekend brunch.

The Farmstead – one of 5 variations of eggs benny on the restaurant’s menu – includes leeks, mushrooms, gouda, and country ham along with the requisite English muffin and poached eggs. For my at-home version, I replaced the country ham with turkey bacon, though if you’re a vegetarian, you could skip the meat altogether and it’d still be very flavorful dish. The smokiness of the gouda and the aromatic butteriness of the leeks will make you forget everything you thought you knew about traditional eggs benedict. But the best thing about this dish? It can go from fridge to plate in about 15 minutes.

DO try this one at home.

Ingredients (for 2 servings):
1 leek
6 to 7 slices turkey bacon
2 english muffins, sliced in half
3-4 slices smoked gouda cheese
mushrooms (preferably crimini, aka baby portabella)
4 eggs
1 Tbsp olive oil
apple cider vinegar (optional)

Preparation:
Prep the leeks by cutting off and discarding the root end and the leafy tops. Cut the remaining section down the middle and rinse well, making sure to remove any grit or dirt between the layers of the leek. Slice the leek crosswise. Stack bacon slices and chop into pieces. Chop the mushrooms.

Put a pot of water on to boil for the eggs. If you have it, add a dash or two of apple cider vinegar to the water. The vinegar helps the egg whites hold together better – which makes for a prettier poached egg. When water comes to a low boil, add eggs one at a time. I like my eggs poached medium well, so I let them go for about 6 minutes at a simmer (not a full boil!). In the meantime, place the English muffin halves in the oven on low broil to toast.

In medium or large skillet, heat olive oil and add cut bacon. Sautee bacon for 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Add the leeks and saute until slightly softened. Add mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Transfer toasted English muffin halves to serving plate, and top each half with a slice of smoked gouda. Pile bacon-leek-mushroom mixture on top. Add another slice of gouda to the mound, and finish each stack with a poached egg. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each egg, if you like.

Eat. Enjoy.

cheers,

k

lime and garlic panko-crusted prawns

Two days prior to the recent ‘Atlanta blizzard’, I found myself with a predicament.

1. I had a refrigerator full of food. But little of it was fit for consumption by either humans or many other carbon-based life forms.
2. I had absolutely zero desire to submit myself to a grocery store full of Southerners stricken with pre-snow hysteria, forming lines longer than Crystal Gale’s hair.

So when Sunday came around and the snow started falling, me and the beau hit the near-deserted streets and headed to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market.

Thanks to the ‘blizzard’, the Farmers Market was more calm than usual, so I took my time sniffing, examining, and exploring all the fresh and exotic wares. Just before checking off the last item on my list, I caught sight of a great deal. Huge, whole, head-on shrimp (so huge I decided to promote them to prawn status) for 4.99/lb. I was a bit daunted by the look of the alien heads with long antennae, but not enough to pass up such a bargain. Plus, I thought it’d make for good presentation to cook a couple with the heads / antennae intact.

Here’s how I handled the little monsters.

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the best quiche i never had

Last Sunday, the beau and I decided to take a walk to the neighborhood discount retail store. I came across a really good deal on some porcelain tart pans, but hesistated a moment before deciding to purchase them.

“What would I use them for, really? I mean, it’s not like I’m gonna make a bunch of tarts anytime soon.”

“Ooh! you could make a quiche,” beau replied, then went on to extol the wonders of various quiches he used to make and enjoy.

I for one can’t stomach scrambled egg dishes, but I love a great cookware deal. Plus, when I saw the delighted anticipation on beau’s face, I caved. I’m a sucker for anyone that appreciates my cooking.

That day, I broke in one of the pans with my first quiche ever. I had some fresh spinach, mushrooms and broccoli florets leftover in the fridge from a meal earlier in the week, and 2 or 3 mostly empty bags of shredded cheese. With a few pointers from my handy go-to kitchen bible, “How To Cook Everything“, I turned out what was apparently a very tasty dish (I didn’t taste it myself, but beau raved about it and polished most of the thing off before kickoff that afternoon).

This past weekend, my good friend Regina had her annual holiday ladies’ gathering at her house. This year’s theme was ‘tea and crumpets’, and guests were invited to bring a ‘crumpet’ to share. I’ll give you one guess what I brought.

I made one quiche to share with the ladies and another for beau to eat while he watched the Falcons try to make the playoffs. This time the dish was a double success. Within 20 minutes after setting it on the ‘crumpet’ table, all but one slice was gone. And a few minutes after that, I got the following text message from beau:

this quiche is sooo frickin’ delicious!

If you say so.

Here’s the recipe (some approximations):

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my thanksgiving staycation – part 4

Home for the Holidays – Tastes to be Thankful For

A sure sign that I’m getting old? The family entrusted me with the preparation of the turkey this year. Of course I couldn’t disappoint, so I ended up giving that bird more love than it had since it’d been born.

Fresh sage, thyme and rosemary from my little herb garden got finely chopped with some garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil. This was rubbed all over the bird and under the skin. Before that, I threw a few charcoal on the grill, let them burn down to low heat and covered with hickory chips to get a good smoke going. The herb-rubbed bird got the smoke treatment for about 20 minutes, just to infuse with some flavor. Then I stuffed the cavity with celery stalks, a quartered onion, and a cut apple and put her in the oven. About halfway through the cooking time, birdy got doused regularly with a basting liquid composed of turkey stock (from a carcass i absconded from a party earlier in the week), more of the herb-garlic mixture, brown sugar, butter, and a touch of grade b maple syrup.

 

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salad shoot – ksolo in atlanta intown

Almost forgot to mention:

Check me out in the August issue of Atlanta Intown Paper! This is the last of the summer food panel series that I was fortunate enough to participate in. This month’s food panel topic is salads. Visit Atlanta Intown’s website or click the image below…ain’t I cute!

And while we’re on the topic, I thought I’d share one of my all time favorite go-to salad recipes – the asian noodle salad. This one’s extremely simple, affordable, and very portable for summertime picnics, bbqs, etc. You’re going to want to keep this one on hand for Labor Day and beyond.
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Shrimp Cobb salad rolls

Good lawd, it’s hot outside!

Looks like we’ve officially entered the dog days of summer here in Atlanta, and temps will consistently hover at mid-90 or more every day for at least another month. Most days, just the thought of eating is enough to make we want to break out into a profuse sweat, but it’s not exactly feasible to go on a fast ‘til September. During this time of year, I instinctively switch to lighter fare (read: white wine instead of red, LOL), but I still need something substantial enough to keep me from getting hungry again a few hours after I’ve eaten.

I was watching a recent episode of The Barefoot Contessa on DVR, and saw a delicious-looking preparation of a lobster Cobb salad, which Lady Ina served in hot dog buns. Talk about shabby chic, right? The recipe below is my adaption of Ina’s recipe – for budget purposes, I ‘shabbied’ the lobster for shrimp, and for presentation purposes, I ‘chic-ed’ the hot dog buns for whole wheat bolillo rolls.

This one is light, quick, and tasty enough that you’ll still be thinking about it a couple of days later. The recipe makes enough for about 4 sandwiches. Or if you like, you can skip the bread altogether, and just eat it as a salad.

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