The Charmed Kitchen

Kale with Apples

I made this dish in honor of my friend, Mari, who harvested 100 pounds of apples from her tree the other day. She also has a lot of kale in her garden so here is way to enjoy them together.

Kale with Apples

3 thick slices bacon, chopped

5-6 cups sliced kale- tough stems removed

3 T. water or apple juice

3 apples, peeled if desired, cored and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

Cook bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add kale and saute until wilted. Add water or juice and cover. Cook over medium heat until kale is tender. This could take 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the type of kale and how old it is. Once the kale is tender add the apples and cook, uncovered, until apples are tender. Stir once in awhile to keep mixture from sticking. Most of the liquid in the skillet should cook off. Adjust seasonings and serve. Serves 2 as a side dish.

Sweet Focaccia

Focaccia is a wonderful Italian flat bread. Baked in a jellyroll pan, it is about an inch thick and is often used in savory dishes with cheese and other toppings-  like pizza. It is also sometimes split to make sandwiches. When I make focaccia I often add sauteed shallots, garlic and fresh rosemary. This time I made a lightly sweetened version. It only has 1/2 cup of brown sugar in it total- but gets a lot of sweetness from the dried fruit and orange juice. Loaded with dry fruits it could be a dessert or even a tasty breakfast. It was a big hit when a friend dropped in last night. It is moist and has a wonderful flavor and texture. You can leave it plain once baked or add a powdered sugar glaze. I added the glaze. 

Sweet Focaccia

3 cups assorted dried fruits (cherries, raisins, currants, cranberries or blueberries)

2 c. orange juice

1 packet yeast

1 t. sugar

3 ½ c. flour

2 t. salt

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar

½ t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

6 T. cold butter, cut into bits

In a bowl combine the fruit and orange juice and let stand 20 minutes. Drain fruit, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. Heat liquid until it is lukewarm. In the bowl of an electric mixture combine yeast with warm juice and sugar and let stand 5 minutes. Add flour, half the brown sugar, seasonings and butter and mix until dough is well-mixed. Knead dough with dough hook for 5 minutes, dough will be sticky. Add fruit and mix until evenly blended. Transfer dough to floured work surface and just roll around to coat with the flour. Place in oiled bowl, turning to oil top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to double, about 11/2 hours.

 Note: At this point, if you would rather, you can punch the dough down and wrap it, then chill it overnight. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Press the dough into an oiled 15×10 inch jellyroll pan and let it rise, loosely covered, for about 1 hour. Dimple the dough using your fingertips and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Note: The focaccia is just fine the way it is, but you can drizzle it with a powdered sugar glaze, or dust with powdered sugar. It makes a great breakfast dish, or the base for fruit shortcake,. If you wish to use large pieces of fruit like apricots, pineapple or mangoes, dip scissors in oil and use them to snip the fruit into smaller pieces. I sometimes also add 1/2 c. chopped nuts to the dough when I add the fruit. 

Note: Any focaccia made with fruit, vegetables, meats or cheese should be refrigerated. Also, baked focaccia can be wrapped well and frozen for a couple of months. Just defrost in the wrapping and then warm a little, if desired.

Freshly Glazed Sweet Focaccia

Homemade Granola

I really love good granola.  Not too sweet and loaded with nuts, fruits, seeds and more. Sadly, much of what is available in the stores is too sweet and lacking the extras I enjoy. I end up making my own and getting exactly what I want. Granola is easy to make, too. Sweetened with just a little honey and loaded with nuts, seeds and fruit it becomes more than just a handy breakfast food. It is also great as a snack. This batch I used walnuts, coconut, almonds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds plus dried cherries, raisins and dried blueberries. Also nice if you have kids- it’s a pretty healthy snack choice- and the kids can pick what they like to add to it.

Granola

3 c. rolled oats

1/4 -1/2 c. each of any of the following to equal 1-2 c. total

Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, wheat germ, peanuts, pecans, almonds, hazel nuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, coconut… you get the idea. Don’t forget to chop up any big pieces.

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. orange peel

1/2 t. nutmeg

pinch of salt, optional

1/4 c. oil

1/4 c. honey- or add a little more if you like a sweeter granola

2 t. vanilla

Dried fruit to equal 1 -1 1/2 cups. Some choices could include: raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, pineapple, dates, figs, apricots, bananas, blueberries etc.

In large bowl combine oats with seeds and nuts and toss well with seasonings. Heat together oil, honey and vanilla and pour over oat mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. Halfway through the baking time stir mixture so the edges won’t burn. Remove from oven and return to large bowl. Toss with the dried fruit and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use in 1 month or store in freezer or fridge to keep longer. Makes 5-7 cups.

Easy Mini Doughnuts

I had a couple of friends drop by the other day and while we had plenty of savory things to munch on I didn’t have any dessert. I did have a couple of packages of refrigerated biscuits, though. I heated up oil in a medium saucepan- only needed 3 cups or so. I also tossed in a kernel of popcorn as the oil was heating up. Popcorn pops at 350 degrees so when it popped I knew the oil was hot enough. I fried the biscuits, 5 at a time, for a minute or so per side, or until they were golden brown. Then I drained them on paper towels. I mixed a couple of cups of powdered sugar with some milk and vanilla to make the glaze. While the doughnuts were warm I dipped them in the glaze then set them on a plate to cool a little before serving. They were a big hit. It probably took longer to heat the oil than to actually cook the dough. If you don’t have biscuits laying around- I normally don’t have them- you can make biscuits from scratch and do the same thing. Great when you have unexpected guests- or just a taste for a warm doughnut.

Note: I could also have rolled them in cinnamon sugar or a mixture of cinnamon and powdered sugar. Or I could have melted chocolate chips with a little milk and made a chocolate glaze. I have made these before where I use a small cake decorating tip to insert jelly.

Frying the doughnuts

Smoky Shrimp and Corn Soup

One of those days that I was inspired by produce I wanted to use and what I had on hand. In the end I ended up with a really good soup that I will be making again soon. I had some fresh tomatoes and corn and some shrimp and bacon. Added a few more ingredients and the soup was finished. This soup was hearty enough that it could easily have been served over pasta or rice, too.

Smoky Shrimp and Corn Soup

4 c. peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes

2 ribs celery, chopped fine

1 sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 small leek, white part only, washed and chopped fine- you could use a small onion instead

1 c. stock- chicken, vegetable or seafood*

1/4 c. sherry, not cooking sherry

4 slices of thick-sliced bacon, chopped

corn kernels from 1 large ear of corn

1 1/2 lbs. raw medium shrimp, cleaned, shelled  and de-veined

hot pepper sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped parsley

Make the soup base by combining the tomatoes, celery, peppers, leek, stock and sherry in a pot and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain off most of the fat in the pan and add the corn to the skillet with the bacon. Saute the corn for 3 or 4 minutes- to cook it and give it a little color. Puree the soup base.  I used an immersion blender so I didn’t have to take the soup out of the pan.  Add the bacon mixture and the raw shrimp to the soup base. Simmer until the shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes. Add hot sauce, adjust seasoning and add the parsley.  Serves 3-4.

* I had shrimp with shells on so I peeled the shells and placed the shells and tails in a little more than a cup of water and simmered them for 20 minutes to make a shrimp stock for my soup. Then I just strained out the shells and used it in the soup.

Hot Pepper Vinegar

If you find yourself with more hot peppers than you can use you might want to use some to make hot pepper vinegar. In just a few weeks you’ll have vinegar that is spicy and great to add to salsa, chili, marinades and more.

To make the pepper vinegar you’ll need a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid, 5% acidity vinegar (it tells you that on the label) and hot peppers. I like using cider vinegar. You can also add garlic cloves, if you like. Always remember to wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers. Wash peppers and cut a couple of slits in each one. That will allow the vinegar to fill up the peppers. Place peppers in the jar and add peeled garlic cloves, if desired. Pour in vinegar to completely cover the peppers. Put the lid on the jar and tip the jar back and forth a few times. As you do this vinegar will fill up the peppers. You’ll likely have to add more vinegar. Fill jar so peppers are covered. Put lid back on the jar. Check the next day as the vinegar will continue to fill the peppers. Add more vinegar, if needed. Leave the jar in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks. Strain out the peppers. I usually discard them- but they are still edible. Save them if you like. For extra clear vinegar pour strained vinegar through a coffee filter or several layers of cheesecloth to filter. Pour into a bottle and enjoy!! You can also leave a pepper or two in the bottle for a more decorative appearance. Makes nice gifts, too.

Tomatoes after 12 hours in the dehydrator

Tomato season always seems too short. This season more than most. A lot of us want to save as many of them as possible. Canning is great and freezing, too. Still I enjoy “sun-dried” tomatoes so much I always make sure to dry plenty of them.  In warmer, drier climates tomatoes really can be sun-dried. Not possible where I live so I use a dehydrator to dry mine. It’s easy and only requires a little patience.

To prep tomatoes for drying just cut them in half- for small tomatoes and plum tomatoes, or slice larger ones. Remove the seeds- I use a spoon for small tomatoes and just squeeze larger tomatoes after slicing in half. Then I slice the larger ones. They will stick to your dehydrator tray unless you oil it first. I use a non-stick spray or dip a paper towel in oil and rub it over the trays. Start tomatoes cut side up for the first 12 hours or so. This will help with the sticking problem. Then you turn them over and continue drying until crisp. Time will vary with the size of the tomatoes and with individual dehydrators. My small dehydrator has a pre-set temperature so I just leave them in. My larger one has temperature controls so I start my tomatoes for the first couple of hours at 150 degrees then reduce heat to 130 until dried. Drying normally takes a day or two. Once dried I store my dried tomatoes in the freezer. Left at room temperature tomatoes tend to reabsorb moisture and will darken. Edible but not pretty.

You can also powder some of the dried tomatoes. I use the tomato powder when a recipe calls for a small amount of tomato paste. I just mix a small amount of water in with the powdered tomatoes until I get the consistency desired.

Oven drying is possible. Oven should be set at 130-with the door cracked to allow moisture to escape. I don’t recommend it because of the time required and the heat it generates- with the oven door cracked open. I do have friends that dry in their ovens all the time and say its fine. Would love to hear if you have oven dried tomatoes.

The tomatoes when I put them in. Note how much they will shrink.

Corn and Pepper Stir Fry

Corn might not be the first veggie that comes to mind when you think stir fry, but maybe it should be. I had some fresh local sweet corn and a couple of sweet peppers. I wanted to use them for a quick lunch today so I decided to stir fry them with some other veggies. The corn and peppers worked so well together. I was lucky enough to even have some broccoli from my yard. With just a few more ingredients and a little time I ended up with a really wonderful meal.

Corn and Pepper Stir Fry

2 T. oil

 1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. sliced summer squash

 corn cut off 2 ears of fresh corn

2 c. sliced sweet pepper

1 c. chopped fresh broccoli

1/2 c. whole almonds

2 T. oyster flavored sauce- or use soy sauce to taste

several dashes of hot sauce

sesame oil

In wok or skillet heat oil and cook onion until tender. Add squash and cook 3 minutes. Add corn and peppers and cook, stirring often 3 more minutes. Add broccoli and cook a few minutes longer, until veggies are tender/crisp. Add almonds and seasonings and toss together. Cook 1 minute more and serve. Serves 2.

Powdered dried peppers

If you have extra peppers you can easily preserve some for later in several ways. You can chop them up and freeze or add some to vinegar for spicy vinegar. You can pickle them or make stuffed peppers and freeze those.You can also dry them and then powder them up. Drying is one of my favorite ways to preserve peppers.

I dry both hot and sweet peppers. Drying small hot peppers is easy.  You can just string them and hang to dry. You can also use a food dehydrator to dry whole small peppers or chopped larger peppers. You can even air-dry larger peppers if you chop them up and lay out in a warm, dry place, preferably on some sort of screening to allow better air circulation.

Once dried I like to powder up the peppers in a spice grinder. I just use a small coffee grinder that I only use for spices and herbs. Paprika and cayenne are just dried and powdered peppers. The dried powdered peppers can be added to all sorts of dishes or combined with other seasonings for spice blends or rubs for meats. Dried peppers are the main ingredient in chili powder.

I had a pile of poblano peppers, both red and green so I decided to dry some of them.  Dried poblano peppers are known as ancho chilis. After drying I powdered them up and have a medium- warm pepper powder that I can add to almost every dish. Although they are dried I like to keep them in the fridge for longer shelf life.

Freezer Tomato Catsup

If you have some extra tomatoes you might want to try making your own catsup. You can play with seasonings for fun. Maybe make yours extra spicy or add horseradish. I like it so much more than the commercial stuff. Freeze some for later- but leave some out to enjoy.

Freezer Tomato Catsup

1 stick, cinnamon, broken

1 t. whole cloves

1 t. mustard seed

1 t. celery seed

1 c. vinegar

8 lbs. tomatoes

1 c. chopped onion

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 c. sugar

1 T. salt

Combine cinnamon with cloves, mustard seed and celery seed in a large tea ball or tie up in cheesecloth. Add to vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat at let stand. Core and cut up tomatoes and combine in a saucepan with onions and pepper. Simmer until vegetables are soft and press through a strainer or food mill. Combine sugar with tomato pulp and salt in saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Remove spices from vinegar and add vinegar to tomato mixture. Simmer, stirring often until desired consistency is reached, about 30 minutes. Cool. Ladle catsup into freezer containers leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal, label and freeze. Makes about 5 half-pints.