The Charmed Kitchen

Spelt Bread

There is just something about homemade bread. I grew up in a house where we often had homemade bread. I love the way the house smells when bread is baking. I decided to bake some spelt bread last night. It is one of my favorites.

I always have at least a few people who ask me what spelt is.

Spelt flour is a close relative to wheat. I love cooking with it because it is so easy to work with. It doesn’t require much, if any, kneading when you make yeast bread out of it.

Spelt has a texture much closer to white flour in baking other things, like muffins or biscuits. It does contain gluten, so it’s not an answer for people with gluten issues.

For those who do cook with wheat, spelt provides whole grain nutrition in a delicate, less heavy package. The bread I baked was so easy to make and gives me all the taste and fiber of whole wheat bread with less work.

Spelt flour is still tricky to find. Some larger grocery stores carry it, but you might have to go to specialty markets. Bob’s Red Mill is my usual source, so if your store carries their products, you should be able to locate it.

Spelt Bread

3 ¼ c. whole spelt flour
1 pkt. Active dry yeast
1 c. water
1/3 c. honey
¼ c. oil
1 t. salt
1 egg
Place 2 c. flour, yeast and salt in a medium bowl. Heat together water, honey and oil until warm (120-130 degrees) Add water mixture to spelt mixture and beat on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds, or until moistened. Add egg and beat on high 3 minutes. Stir in enough spelt to make a soft dough. Cover bowl with towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and use a rubber scraper to transfer dough into prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, another hour. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Cover top with foil during last 10 minutes of baking. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf.

Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup

I was asked recently for my recipe for chicken noodle soup. I teach several different classes on making soup but it wasn’t in there. That seemed odd. I mean with all the recipes I share, you would think I would have posted it somewhere by now.

I think the truth is that there really isn’t a recipe. Well, not a recipe I can share in the normal sense. I can guesstimate the amounts of this and that but every batch is a little different. That is part of the fun. The basic ingredients are the same, good stock, cubed chicken, carrots, celery and of course, noodles.

My Mom made wonderful chicken noodle soup, so I think of her every time I make it. I pretty much make mine the same way she did. She taught me well.

There is one pretty important thing about chicken noodle soup you should know- don’t cook the noodles in the soup. I know that sounds wrong. Trust me, if you cook your noodles in your soup you’ll end up with a goopy mess. Cook your noodles separately and add them when serving the soup. This does two good things. It keeps the noodles from getting overcooked and it lets each person add just the amount of noodles they like. Let’s face it some people just like a few noodles and others prefer a lot. This way each person gets their soup the way they like it.

So for directions here is what I do. I start with homemade chicken stock. Since I made the stock I’ll have the chicken I used to make it. I cube up some of the meat and add it to the stock. I also add some sliced carrots and sliced celery and let them simmer in the soup until tender. I sometimes add other veggies. Green beans or maybe a zucchini. I don’t get too crazy with the veggies here or it will become vegetable soup. I almost always remember to add some parsley. I love fresh ground pepper, too. Don’t put too much stuff in – you will be adding noodles after all. I cook my noodles and when the soup is ready to serve I warm them up a little- often just in a bowl in the microwave. That way they won’t cool down your soup. For little kids leave the noodles cold- they normally like their soup a little cooler. I ladle the soup into bowls and put the noodles on the table so everybody can add their own. Seems to work out pretty well.

My Mother was so funny when eating this soup. She had to have it come out “even”. She’d be nearly finished and realized she was out of noodles- so she would add a few. But then she needed more broth so she would add more of that. This went on several times. At the end she always insisted she only had one bowl.

Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd

This dessert was not planned. I am happy I made it, though.  I had picked up a bag of Meyer lemons the other day, with no specific use in mind. I was probably going to use them in drinks, or maybe in a savory dish.

Later, a friend posted a picture of lemon bars she had baked.  That got me thinking about lemon desserts.  It also got me thinking about ingredients I already had. I had some graham cracker crumbs and I had cream cheese.

Lemon cheesecake made sense. But I couldn’t forget about my friend, and those lemon bars. So, I decided to also make a batch of lemon curd- and use it to top the cheesecake.

It worked out even better than I thought. Lots of lemon flavor in a creamy cheesecake. The lemon curd brought even more lemon to the party. Just wonderful.

You don’t have to use Meyer lemons. Other lemons are also going to work just fine. The Meyer lemons are a little less tart than other lemons, with floral notes in the zest.

So here is the recipe. I used a 9×9 inch glass pan to bake the cheesecake- rather than the normal spring form pan. Kind of an homage to the lemon bars.

Lemon Lover’s Cheesecake with Lemon Curd

Crust:

1½ c. graham cracker crumbs

3 T. sugar

4 T. melted butter

Filling:

2 (8oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

¾ c. sugar

2 T. flour

2 eggs

3 T. lemon juice

2 t. grated lemon peel

Lemon Curd: recipe below

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan- I used a glass pan. In medium bowl, combine  crumbs and sugar, then add melted butter. Toss to distribute butter evenly. Press into bottom of prepared pan and bake 10 minutes.  Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in juice and peel. Pour over crust and bake for 30 minutes, or until set. Cool then top with lemon curd. Chill well before cutting. Store covered in fridge. Serves 8-10.

Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd

1/2 c. lemon juice

zest from one good sized lemon- you should have 2-3 teaspoons

1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs

6 T. unsalted butter- cut into little cubes

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Whisk the mixture until the eggs are well blended. Cook over medium low heat, whisking often, until the mixture thickens. This will take 5-7 minutes. Whisk more often as mixtures warms and starts to thicken. Better to heat over lower heat and take longer than cook over too high a heat. You don’t want the eggs to scramble. Once the mixture is thickened , transfer to a bowl or jar. Cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the surface from developing a skin- like any pudding will do. Chill until ready to use. Makes about 2 cups. Will keep in fridge a week or two.

Note: For using with this cheesecake, just make the lemon curd while the cheesecake is baking. Pour over the cheesecake while the curd is still a little warm, to make it easier to spread.

Hazelnut Biscotti

These biscotti are the perfect treat to have with your morning cup of coffee or tea. Crisp, but not too hard, they are studded with crunchy hazelnuts and flavored with vanilla and orange peel. I like them just the way they are, but you could dress them up with a drizzle of powdered sugar glaze. You can also dip one end of each biscotti in melted chocolate.

I don’t know why more people don’t make their own biscotti. They are so easy to make, and you can flavor them to suit your own taste. Once baked, store them in an air tight container. They stay crisp for weeks. Assuming you don’t eat them first!

Biscotti get their distinctive, extra crunchy texture, from being baked not once, but twice. The batter is spread on a cookie sheet and baked until firm. Once cooled and little, the loaf is sliced and the slices are returned to the oven to get baked until crisp and toasted. I put the slices on a cooling rack, placed on the baking sheet, before the second bake. That way, the biscotti toast on both sides evenly. No need to turn them all over half-way through the second bake.

So here is the recipe. I hope if you haven’t made biscotti before, you give them a try.

Hazelnut Biscotti

3 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

3 eggs

1 c sugar

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 c. olive oil

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 t. grated orange peel

1 c. hazelnuts, toasted, peeled and chopped

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together eggs, sugar, butter, oil, vanilla and peel. Beat until smooth and stir in flour mixture and nuts. Grease a large baking sheet, oil your hands,  and place dough on sheet, forming into a 16×4-inch log. Bake at 325-degrees until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Loaf with spread a bit. Cool 15 minutes and leave oven on. Use serrated knife to cut into 1/2 -inch thick slices. Place cooling rack on a baking sheet. Place slices, cut side down, on cooling rack and return to oven for 20-22 minutes. Cool. Makes about 24.

Homemade Spaetzle

Spaetzle are easy to make little dumplings that can serve as the noodles in all sorts of dishes. The dough is a thick batter, dropped into boiling water, and cooked until the spaetzle float to the top and simmer for 5 minutes or so. They come out in all sorts of shapes, which adds to the charm.

Spaetzle can also be served as a side dish.  Serve as is, or you can brown them in a little butter first.

I added my spaetzle to Polish mushroom soup. They work great as a “noodle” in soups.

I love to make homemade pasta. Spaetzle really area type of pasta and so much easier to make. No rolling out and cutting. They make a quick and tasty side dish for roasts of all types.

I do have a spaetzle maker, which is a fun little device. It has holes for the batter to fall through and a sliding container for the dough, so it falls into the boiling water in pretty even amounts. I’ve been know to just put the dough in a strainer and press it through, or to use a cheese grater. The things we do when we have to improvise. My Busha just put her dough on a cutting board and used a knife to cut little bits of dough off and push them into the water. I remember watching her do that. She was so fast. My mom made them the same way.

Spaetzle Maker

So here is the recipe I use. Simple, fun and fast.

Homemade Spaetzle

3 eggs
1/2 c. half and half or evaporated milk
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour

Combine all ingredients and let rest 30 minutes. Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling water. Cook until they float and puff up, about 5 minutes. Serve with soups, stews sauces. You can toss them with a little butter. I sometimes heat butter in a pan and brown them up a little. You can also add some fresh, chopped herbs to the batter.

Chicken Florentine

I love spinach. I always have, even when I was a kid. My Mom used to make Pork Chops Florentine and it was one of my favorite dishes. She had to add more spinach to her recipe because I loved the spinach so much.

Chicken Florentine is a favorite of mine. It is a simple dish to prepare, too.  Great for a weeknight, when you might not have a lot of time to get dinner ready. It is also special enough to serve to company. The most difficult part is getting all that spinach in the skillet.

A pound sounds like too much spinach, but trust me, it is the right amount. The spinach cooks down so much, you need more than you think.

The hardest part of making this dish is just getting all the spinach in the skillet. Don’t try to get it in all at once. As you add the spinach, it will cook down a lot. As the spinach wilts, keep adding more, until it is all in.

I served the Chicken Florentine on its own, but you can serve it over rice, pasta or potatoes. You can also cook it longer to thicken the sauce more, if that is how you prefer it.

I used boneless chicken breasts, because that is what I had. Boneless thighs work great in this dish, too.

So here is the recipe. I hope you give it a try. It is an easy way to get a lot of leafy greens in your diet, for sure.

Chicken Florentine

2 T. oil

1 c. sliced onion

1½ lbs. boneless chicken

Flour

Salt and pepper

1 c. chicken stock

½ c. half and half or milk

¼ c. sherry

1 lb. fresh spinach, washed

In large skillet, oven medium high heat, heat oil. Add onions and sauté until golden. While onions are cooking, season flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in the seasoned flour. Add chicken to the skillet. Cook until chicken is golden on both sides, turning once. Add stock, half and half and sherry to the skillet and bring mixture to a simmer. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, until it wilts and will fit in the skillet. The spinach wilts down a lot. Turn down heat to medium and cook until spinach is cooked down, stirring to get spinach mixed in. Cook a few minutes more so sauce will reduce and thicken a little. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serves 4.