Summer Switch Up

I have a confession to make. This New Englander has never been to a clambake. It's sad, really. I mean what's not to love about clams, sausage and all the trimmings cooked up and served right on the beach - one of my favorite places?

I was really jonesing for all of the components of a clambake, but I didn't want to cook up everything individually just to serve myself. I was in the grocery store one afternoon, not knowing what to make for dinner, and I passed the seafood counter, eyeing the stuffed clams. That's when it hit me -- I have sausage in the freezer! I know you're wondering, where is she going with this? Random recipe ideas just hit me like that and I run with them. And I run far sometimes. Enter a deconstructed clambake in hash form. Oh yes. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

Clambake Hash
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
3 frozen stuffed clams
1 link pre-cooked sausage, cut into chunks (I used leftover spicy Lamb sausage)
2 Cippolini onions, peeled
Olive oil
1 Yukon gold potato, cut into chunks
Sweet corn


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with foil.

Drizzle the onions with olive oil and roast along side the clams and sausage for 15-20 minutes, or until all items are cooked through.

Meanwhile, place the potato into a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender.

Place all ingredients into a fry pan and saute until the potato and stuffed clams have crisped up.

On A Chive Kick

I took my lunch break at the farmer's market today. It was such a nice treat to get outside and walk around after a busy morning. There were a bunch of vendors that I haven't seen before and I happily sampled my way through them. My favorites included non-dairy ice cream sold by an adorable mom and daughter duo (perfect on a 90 degree day) and grass fed ground beef, which was surprisingly succulent. Unfortunately they were just too expensive. That's the one problem I have with these markets. I'm all for supporting local, but I'm not made of money!

I ended up with a bunch of garlic scapes, which I'm hoping to make into pesto, a head of kohlrabi, a small container of carrot miso dressing, and some dry garlic chive pappardelle. The pasta was a splurge, but it sounded interesting. And the vendor was tying up the bunches with a beautiful ribbon. I couldn't resist :)

I thought about the pasta all afternoon and decided to have it with dinner. I cooked it up for 7 minutes, drizzled it with a little olive oil, minced chives and feta. It was so simple and so delicious. Just..yum. The feta was a little older and had a nice tang to it, which paired beautifully with the bite of the chives.

Summery Classic

I always forget how much I enjoy a Caprese salad. It's so simple to put together, but I hardly make it. Perhaps because it most certainly requires firm, ripe tomatoes that only summer can produce. In honor of the first day of summer, I decided to treat myself.

I made the salad a little different this time. Traditionally, basil forms the iconic trio, but I used chives instead. I saw them in the market and thought that the oniony note would be interesting. I was pairing the salad with a grilled portobello mushroom and I figured the heat from the mushroom would enhance the flavor of the chives, whereas I think it would have hindered that of the basil.

I layered the slices of fresh mozzarella with beautiful heirloom tomato. I sprinkled the chives on top and drizzled the plate with a simple vinaigrette of EVOO, balsamic vinegar and some herbs.

Post dinner, I was treated to the most beautiful sunset. Light pink clouds and an orange sun. Quite possibly the only time where pink and orange don't clash.

The fireflies have also emerged, one even landed on my shirt. I'm always amazed by those things.

Summer is here.

Worldly Winter Stew

This stew is a collaborative effort with my Ghanaian roommate. We both have a love of food, but we also have similar health issues, so this stew has lots of gut-healing ingredients. It's a mix and match kind of dish, with influences from Africa and India by way of Italy. A very international dish, don't you think?

Ingredients:

1/2-1 lb goat meat, fat trimmed

4 cups chicken broth (or water and low-sodium chicken bouillon)

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground ginger

salt to taste
1-2 tsp Adobo seasoning

1-2 tsp italian seasoning blend

1-2 tsp garlic powder

1 handful carrots, cut into 1 in. pieces

1 handful green beans, cut into 1 in. pieces

1 large white or orange sweet potato, cut into 1 in. pieces

1-2 tsp whole grain mustard

1/4-1/2 a cabbage, rough cut

2 oz. GF pasta

(we didn't measure any of the spices, just sprinkled in enough until it looked right -- the pinch and pour method I grew up on)

Directions:

Place the goat meat in cold broth/water with your spices and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow the meat to cook until it falls apart, about 2 hours (we didn't dice our meat ahead of time). Toward the end (about an hour and a half in), add the carrots, green beans and sweet potato along with the mustard. Skim the fat if there is any. Once the vegetables are tender, add the cabbage and pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente. Check your seasonings and adjust to taste. 

Our Garden Over-Groweth

My mom has these beautiful patty pan squash in her garden that have grown to nearly the size of a baseball glove. Actually, my mom likened them to the size of my 2-year old nephew’s face, but since most of you don’t know my darling Eli, let’s just say for argument’s sake they’re large. 

They are delicious on their own but we wanted to try something different other than sautéing them again. Last night I actually modified my morning glory muffins by adding in some shredded squash for extra nutrients. You can’t even taste the difference! But tonight the squash is getting stuffed.

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 super-large patty pan squash (or 2 normal-sized ones)

1 lb ground turkey

1 med size onion, chopped

1 med size red bell pepper, chopped

1 pkg roasted garlic and pecan rice blend

golden raisins

spices of choice (I used garlic powder, oregano, paprika, grated lemon, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut tops off the squash and remove seeds. Place in a casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes, or until soft. Lids of the squash can be on or off the bottoms, it doesn’t matter. Be careful not to let them burn or become wrinkled.

Cook rice blend (or regular rice if you wish) according to package directions, using a little less water so that it under cooks slightly, adding in the golden raisins at the beginning of the cooking process so they plump.

Meanwhile, sauté the ground turkey with the onion and pepper, adding in the spices as you go. Cook until the turkey is browned all the way through and season to taste. When both the rice and turkey are finished, combine the two in one pan and stir so they blend together.

By this time, the squash should be done par-baking. Remove the squash from the oven and fill with turkey and rice.

Return to the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until squash is cooked through. You can test this by piercing the top of the squash with a fork. If it enters and exits easily, it’s dinner time!