Stove Top Granola

This stove top granola is quick to prepare and delicious on yogurt strawberry parfaits!

Heat a skillet and then add:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
dash salt

As soon as the oil is hot, add:

1 1/2 Cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon ginger
dash salt

Stir oats over medium until fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Then add:

1/2 cup broken pecans
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons shredded coconut

Cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour into a flat rimmed tray to cool. Once it is cool, store in an airtight container.

Blueberry Biscuits

Preheat oven to 400’F.

Line a small baking tray with parchment paper.

Mix dry ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Add to dry
1 cup cream

Then add

1/3 cup blue berries

Shape into an 8-inch disc
Use a knife to score into quarters.

bake for 20 minutes.

Potato Potage

Broth ingredients
2 onions
2-4 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only minced
3 tablespoons white wine
rosemary needles from one-inch of stem
5 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups of vegetable broth
fresh thyme leaves
1/3 cup cream

Directions
Assemble any wilted vegetables you have on hand. Add water and salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer 30 minutes or longer. Let cool and strain.

Clean and finely mince the leek.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot. Sauté the leeks until they are soft. Add the finely minced rosemary needles. Then add the wine. Add the potatoes and strains broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer 30 minutes or longer.

Just before serving, blend the soup in batches in an electric blender. Return to the pot. Stir in the cream and warm the soup. Add the fresh thyme leaves.

Coq au Vin

Ingredients

2-4 tablespoons of olive oil
4 guinea fowl leg quarters (I imagine chicken thighs would work as well)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunky logs
1 stalk celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped
several sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stem
sprig of rosemary needles, chopped

1/2 bottle of red wine
8 oz. button mushroom, halved, and woody end of stem removed

Preheat oven to 350′.

Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe pan.
Sauté the poultry, turning once, until both sides are browned.
Remove poultry to rest on a tray.
Sauté the onions until transparent.
Add the carrot & celery to onion and sauté.
Add the garlic & herbs.
Return the poultry to the pan.
Add the mushroom.
Pour the red wine over all and bring to a boil.
Simmer for several minutes. Then cover and out in oven for 40 minutes.

Blue Cornmeal Biscuits

These are quick and easy. Preheat oven to 400’F. Line a tray with parchment paper. Then mix:

1/2 cup blue cornmeal, finely ground
1/2 white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup half-and-half

My dough was moist so I added additional white whole wheat flour. I put some flour on the counter before rolling out the dough rather thin with a rolling pin. I cut the dough with a cookie cutter shaped like the state of New Mexico. I baked the biscuits for about 10 minutes and served them with strawberry jam.

For a richer biscuit, use cream instead of half-and-half. To avoid a sticky dough, you could also try refrigerating the dough before rolling it out.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Spinach

This salad is inspired by one with a similar name at Leite’s Culinaria. I decreased the quantity overall and changed the proportions a bit to suit my taste. I heated the oven to a higher temperature but then reduced the heat when I put the tray of potatoes in to roast. I did not peel my potatoes. I substituted sunflower oil for some of the olive oil. I also added walnuts and dried cranberries to the salad.

For the roasted sweet potatoes, line a tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400’F. On the parchment-lined paper, assemble the following and give it all a good stir before putting it in the oven. As soon as the tray is in the oven reduce the heat to 350’F:

2 smallish sweet potatoes, unpeeled, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 red onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1/8 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon salt
several sprinkles of black pepper

For the dressing:
1/8 cup of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/3 cup olive oil
a dash of salt & black pepper

In a salad bowl, assemble:
8 oz. baby spinach
the roasted veggies
1/4 cup feta
most of the dressing
1/8 cup walnuts
1/8 cup dried cranberries

This serves two as a main dish salad. I served it with blue cornmeal biscuits and strawberry jam.

Blue Corn Tacos

First make a spice mix:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Take 1 pound or more of boneless chicken breast and cut in small dice.
Marinate chicken in spice mix.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of sunflower oil. Then sauté the chicken.

Serve with blue corn taco shells, red onions that have been sliced and marinated in red wine vinegar, thin slices of red bell pepper, and cilantro.

I served these tacos with sliced cucumbers on the side and tangerine-grapefruit juice.

Red Clam Chowder

Although this sort of chowder is sometimes called Manhattan clam chowder, this version, with all ingredients purchased locally in Northwestern New Mexico, is only a distant cousin to the original.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
about 1 cup finely diced potatoes
4 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups chicken broth
5 oz. tomato paste
3 10-ounce cans of baby clams

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan.
2. Sauce the celery, scallion, carrot and potato.
3. Add the thyme, oregano, bay leaves, garlic and cayenne.
4. Add the chicken broth and the clam juice, reserving the clams.
5. Bring to a boil and then simmer 20 minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste, give it a good stir, and simmer another five minutes.
7. Add the baby clams and simmer several more minutes.
8. Serve with crackers.

We ate this soup while watching the January 14, 2020, Democratic debates. It made for an enjoyable evening.

Minestrone

For the vegetable broth:
1 onion, cut in half or quarters
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch celery, or at least several stalks
2 large carrots, cut into several chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups water

For the minestrone:
4 stalks Swiss chard, stems separated from leaves
2 or more tablespoons of olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can kidney beans, drained and briefly rinsed
1 small zucchini, diced
2 small carrots, finely diced
1 teaspoon chile flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 garlic cloves, or a bit of garlic paste
black pepper

For serving:
hard rolls
freshly grated parmesan

1. First off, prepare the vegetable broth. Combine the vegetables and salt, add the water, and bring to a boil. At this point, you can either simmer it on the stove while you chop the vegetables for the minestrone, or, if there is no rush, you can simply cover the pot of vegetables with a lid, turn the heat off, and let the vegetables “stew” in their own heat for 2-3 hours.

2. Dice the zucchini and carrots. Drain the beans and combine zucchini, carrots and beans in a small bowl.

3. Add the spices and garlic to the opened can of diced tomatoes.

4. Mince the Swiss chard stems and onion.

5. Heat the olive oil. Then sauté the onion and chard stems. Add a little black pepper.

6. Add the vegetables and beans.

7. Add the tomato sauce and spices.

8. Remove the broth from the homemade vegetable broth and add to the minestrone. Bring it to a boil and then simmer 20 minutes.

9. While the minestrone is cooking, tear or chop the chard leaves into small pieces, grate the parmesan, and heat the rolls. The carrots from the homemade broth make a nice snack while you wait for the minestrone to cook.

Leftover Risotto Casserole

We love risotto, but with just two of us at home, I’ve always wondered what to do with the leftovers. Now I know.

Ingredients:

leftover risotto
a bit of white wine
some feta
some Parmesan
some parsley
6-oz can of tomato paste

First off make Swiss Chard Risotto and enjoy it! Here’s the link: https://terimusocooks.wordpress.com/2016/03/10/swiss-chard-risotto/

If there are only two of you for dinner, you will have leftovers. I lined an oven safe glass dish with parchment paper. The dish was about 5×7 inches and not much deeper than an inch. I packed the leftover risotto into the dish, covered it, and stored it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, I took the risotto and doused it with several tablespoons of white wine, Pinot Grigio. I took a 6-ounce can of tomato paste, put it in a pan, and diluted it with about 1/4 cup of Pinot Grigio, heating and stirring. I chopped up several tablespoons of parsley and added half of them to the tomato sauce. When the wine was absorbed and the sauce thick, I layered it over the risotto. I sprinkled about 3 tablespoons of crumbled feta over the tomato sauce. Then I added enough grated Parmesan to cover the top and sprinkled some more chopped parsley over the top. I put it in an oven heated to about 375’f and let it bake 20-30 minutes.

It was delicious. Jon said it reminded him of something he ate on Air France, one of those little dishes that is reminiscent of eggplant parmesan, but lacking eggplant and infused instead with a certain je-ne-sais-quoi.