at last a recipe from the laggard Oeno...

Oeno's Skillet-Charred Broccoli

This is a simple and quick recipe. Cast-iron skillets work best. I like the charred flavors which combine with the sweetness from a little carmelization. I also like my broccoli al dente, but the dish will succeed if cooked more. A tasty result depends on timing more than anything.

Ingredients:
A couple of heads of fresh broccoli (don't crowd the skillet)
1 to 2 Tbl Olive oil
Kosher salt (some fancy-schmancy flavored sea salt would work well, too)

Cut broccoli into florets, not too small. I like to use some of the stalks because they have good flavor. Just peel the skin. Let it all soak in water for about 20-30 minutes.

Place skillet over high heat. Get it HOT.

Add olive oil to skillet.

Be quick here. You don't want the oil to scorch. Strain water from broccoli and transfer immediately to hot skillet. You want the vegetable to remain fairly wet. Quickly shake, flip or stir the broccoli to distribute oil evenly and cover skillet.

Let broccoli cook for a minute or so, until the sizzling dies down. Lift the cover; broccoli should be bright green and beginning to get a little limp. Add a splash of water and cover again if it needs a little more cooking time or if you just like your broccoli softer. Otherwise, set the cover aside.

Let it saute for a minute or so. You should be able to smell it charring. Once it's slightly charred on one side, reduce the heat to medium-high & flip it in the skillet to get some char on other parts of the broccoli. You want fairly small charred areas with some golden brown carmelization. Some parts of the florets will crisp up, too, and add some textural interest.

Just before removing from heat, season with salt.

Serve immediately right from the pan.

Variations include adding some chopped garlic near the end of the process. You can also use soy sauce instead of salt. A little sesame oil is sometimes nice.

Curried Zucchini (and carrot) Soup (easy) (Williams-Sonoma)

Prep time: 15-20 min.

Cooking time: 30 min.

Serves 6

1 large onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into thin half moon

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. curry powder, or to taste

Fine sea salt, to taste

4 small zucchini (12 oz. total), ends trimmed, cut lengthwise then crosswise into 1” pieces

1 qt. chicken stock

(I made this using 3 zucchini and 6 of the baby snacking carrots cut into pieces, and it was wonderful)

1. In unheated heavy, 6 qt. pot, combine onion, oil, curry powder and salt. Stir to coat onions.

2. Sweat over low heat, stirring until onions are soft, 3-4 min.

3. Add zucchini (and carrots if using them) and cook until soft, 3-4 min.

4. Add stock, blend, bring to simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 20 min.

5. Remove pot from heat. Blend in blender. Taste for seasoning.

6. Can serve hot or cold.

Libby’s Chicken Soup

Makes 2 ½ qts.

1 5 to 6 lb chicken or hen (I’ve also used one 4 pound cut up chicken and 2-3 lb. wings. You can also use necks)
2 ½ to 3 qts. water
1 small or ½ medium parsnip
1 small petrouchka (root of Italian parsley)
(I’ve never been able to find this so it must not be important)
1 small or ½ large knob celery
1 medium onion
1 medium leek
2 medium carrots
2 ribs celery w/ leaves
3 or 4 sprigs parsley, preferably Italian
A bit of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
White pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar, if needed
Garnishes: parsley, dill, noodles, rice, matzoh balls

1. Quarter chicken so it can be covered w/ as little water as possible. Trim all excess fat from
the neck opening and undersides of quarters. Remove skin from neck and wash neck. Scrape
gizzard clean and rinse, along with heart. Discard liver.

2. Place chicken, giblets, and 2 t. salt in tall straight-sided soup pot, preferably not aluminum;
and add just enough water to barely cover—ideally not more than 2 ½ qts. If you need more
water to cover, then the pot is too wide.

3. Bring water to boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered, skimming scum off surface as it
rises. When soup clears, cover and simmer slowly but steadily for about 45 min.

4. While soup simmers, prepare vegetables. Scrape parsnip, carrots, peel knob of celery and
and onions, trim and wash leeks well to remove sand. Add along w/ washed celery ribs
w/ leaves and parsley sprigs.

5. Bring back to simmer and cook for 1 ½ hrs. longer or until meat begins to fall from bone.

6. As soup cooks, add a little salt gradually, if needed. Do not add too much or soup will
become salty as it cooks down.

7. Remove chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside. Let soup cool; strain it
through a very fine sieve. Rinse original soup pot.

8. Season soup w/ tiny bit of white pepper, if desired. If soup has acid edge, add the tiniest
pinch of sugar. Most times, the root vegetables provide enough sweetening.

9. Serve soup scalding hot. Never boil it in the reheating or it will turn cloudy. Serve in wide,
flat bowls, ladeled over noodles, rice, or other garnishes and liberally sprinkle w/ parsley.

adrienne's marinade

1/4 cup worsterchire sauce
1/4 cup wine (any will do)
2T-4T honey
2T vinegar (rice vinegar works quite well)
1 garlic clove minced
rosemary & thyme

mix it all up and marinade what you will in it. . .it kind of looks gross when you take it out of the fridge before you cook whatever you marinated but it is muy delicioso when you are eating it.

s-panko that chicken!

here's how to panko crust some chicken real good:

*put some panko crumbs in a wide dish.
*add some or all of the following:
paprika
chili powder
garlic powder
*add some freshly grated parmesan
*squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top of that
*mix that all up

*using an egg wash (or just whites) or even water, dip the chicken in the liquid and then run it through the panko mixture, pressing the crumbs into the chicken.

*oh, this whole time the oven will be on 375 but you will have taken out the middle rack while it's pre-heating and wrap it in foil. lightly spray some cooking oil on the foil (that rhymes!) and lay the chicken pieces on it.

*when the chicken is laid out lightly spray the tops with cooking oil. put the rack in the middle position of the oven and cook for 10 minutes. flip the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. remove chicken and let rest for a few minutes so the crumbs are nice and crunchy.

eat and enjoy! (really yummy with a simple green salad, btw.)

Tuna Nicoise: Shaygo's way

oh tuna nicoise, how i love thee.

*mixed greens or spinach
*hard boiled eggs
*green beans
*olives (oil cured are delicious)
*red onion
*avocado
*tuna steak (for real -- leave your canned in the pantry)

no tomatoes because i think they taste weird with the tuna steak.

i like to blanch the green beans and then shock them in cold water.

to make the tuna i coat that sucker in some evoo and coarsely ground pepper and then sear it so it's nice & raw on the inside.

for the dressing i use white vinegar, evoo, about a tsp of dijon, 1 minced shallot and salt & pepper.

put it all together and eat it. . .

Someone's in the kitchen

This is a space for us to begin to build an archive of favorite family recipes, new recipes and other food related things -- including wine!

It will be a way for us to share and also a way for us to keep in touch.

Bon Appetite!!