The Charmed Kitchen

Marinated Tomato Salad

Sometimes less is more, especially when it comes to fresh produce. I could eat fresh tomatoes all day just off the vine. Still, if you want a simple way to dress them up a little you might want to try this simple, yet tasty, tomato salad.

Marinated Tomato Salad

3 large tomatoes, cut in wedges, or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

1 T. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 basil leaves, cut into thin strips

2 T. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and serve at room temperature. Serves 4-6.

I got really behind and didn’t post these pics from last week’s cooking camp with kids. Here are the cakes they made. Very proud of the work they did. Please enjoy looking  at what they accomplished. Youngest camper was 9, most were 10-11 year olds.

I have a number of classes coming up on canning and other food preservation topics. Here is the info. Unless otherwise noted all classes are from 7-9 pm.

I will also be at the Shaker Lakes Nature Center this Wed. (Aug. 7) doing a class on cooking with and preserving tomatoes. Here is the info for registration.

Nature Center at Shaker Lakes
2600 South Park Blvd
Cleveland, OH 44120
P: 216-321-5935
F: 216-321-1869
Visit our website for upcoming events: www.shakerlakes.org

Mentor

Mentor classes are held at Wildwood Center at 7645 Little Mountain Road. Unless otherwise noted all Mentor classes are held on Tuesdays. You can register online at CityofMentor.com/play or by phone at 440 974 5720 from Cleveland call 440 942 8796.

Classes in Mentor sell out quickly. Please be sure to ask to go on the waiting list if the class you want to attend is full. We do get openings and if there are enough people on the waiting list we can always schedule an additional session. Cost to residents is $14, non-resident fee is $17. That does not include the food fee paid to me the night of the class.

Aug. 6: Pickle Barrel: From old-fashioned crock pickles to pickled peaches this class will teach all you need to know to make tasty pickled products for home and gifts. You’ll get to taste several pickled products and learn how to use them in cooking. You’ll get recipes for cucumbers and other pickles. You also learn how to make tasty relishes including one that uses up all those green tomatoes. There will also be recipes for home. Food Fee $8.00.

Aug. 13: Totally Terrific Tomatoes: They are powerhouses of nutrition and very versatile. Fresh, cooked or dried they can be used in salads, sauces, soups and more. In class we will learn how to make the most of this tasty food. You will also learn how to preserve fresh tomatoes by dehydrating, freezing and canning. Plenty to sample in class and recipes for home. Food Fee $8.00 

Aug. 20: Jams and Jelly: Making homemade jams and jellies can be very rewarding and fun, too. You’ll learn the basics of jams, jellies, preserves, conserves and marmalades. There will be food to sample in class and everyone will have a jar of preserves to take home. Recipes included. Food Fee $8.00.

Aug. 27: Food Dehydrating: The oldest known method of food preservation is dehydrating. If you have a garden, a dehydrator or both come to class and learn how to get the most out summer’s harvest. We’ll discuss methods, safety and storage. From sun-dried tomatoes to vegetable soup mix and jerkies (including tofu jerky!) you’ll get a lot of ideas on how to dry food and how to use dried foods. You’ll get to taste several dishes in class and will have recipes for home. Food Fee$8.00.

The Wellness Center

Located on 3035 Wooster Road in Rocky River the Wellness Center is part of Fairview Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic Health Systems. Unless otherwise noted classes here are on Mondays. You can register for classes at the Wellness Center by calling 440 356 0670.

Aug 5: Totally Terrific Tomatoes: They are powerhouses of nutrition and very versatile. Fresh, cooked or dried they can be used in salads, sauces, soups and more. In class we will learn how to make the most of this tasty food. You will also learn how to preserve fresh tomatoes by dehydrating, freezing and canning. Plenty to sample in class and recipes for home. Food Fee $8.00   

Aug. 12: Preserve It: This class will give you the information you need to get the most out of your garden and summer produce specials. From canning basics to freezing you’ll learn how to safely store many fruits and vegetables. You’ll also get recipes using fresh, frozen and canned produce. Learn how to make super salsa and pie fillings and much more. There will be plenty to sample in class and recipes for home. Food Fee $8.00

Aug. 19: Pickle Barrel: From old-fashioned crock pickles to pickled peaches this class will teach all you need to know to make tasty pickled products for home and gifts. You’ll get to taste several pickled products and learn how to use them in cooking. You’ll get recipes for cucumbers and other pickles. You also learn how to make tasty relishes including one that uses up all those green tomatoes. There will also be recipes for home. Food Fee $8.00.

Aug. 26: Food Dehydrating: The oldest known method of food preservation is dehydrating. If you have a garden, a dehydrator or both come to class and learn how to get the most out summer’s harvest. We’ll discuss methods, safety and storage. From sun-dried tomatoes to vegetable soup mix and jerkies (including tofu jerky!) you’ll get a lot of ideas on how to dry food and how to use dried foods. You’ll get to taste several dishes in class and will have recipes for home. Food Fee$8.00.

I will be teaching a food preservation workshop after the seed saving class. Come for one or both.

Anyone needing a refresher or a first-time discussion of seed saving whys and how-to’s are invited to come:
FOOD NOT LAWNS, CLEVELAND, with suopport from OSU EXTENSION, presents
SEED SAVING WORKSHOP/POTLUCK

Chicken with Blueberry Sauce

I was given a beautiful chicken from my friend, Carl Skalak. He raises the chickens on his farm in Cleveland. He also had harvested some blueberries and wondered if I could make a dish with both ingredients. Felt like I was on an episode of Chopped. I worried that there might be a reason I hadn’t seen recipes with chicken and blueberries very often. It turned out there was no reason to worry. I started by roasting the chicken, which I had split in half, in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. I had seasoned the bird with salt and pepper. Then I topped the chicken with some of the blueberry sauce I had made (recipe follows)  and returned it to the oven for an additional 45 minutes. I basted it with the sauce once during the 45 minutes. Serve extra sauce on the side, if desired.

Blueberry Sauce

1 onion, chopped

oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. flour

1 c. chicken stock- you can use vegetable stock instead

2 pints blueberries, washed and drained

1/4 c. sherry

1 T. hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more. Stir in flour. Add broth and blueberries and bring to a simmer. Add sherry and hot sauce and simmer until mixture is thickened and bubbly. If too thick- add a little more stock. Adjust seasoning. Serve with chicken or other poultry. Would also be good with pork dishes.

My friend, Carl Skalak, from Blue Pike Farm recently asked what could be done with plums and chicken. Carl raises chickens and grows these delicious little plums. I decided to pair them for dinner and here is what I came up with. Carl and I had it for dinner and he really enjoyed it. Simple to make and really made the meal special.

Plum Glaze

2 T. oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 qt. plums, washed, pitted and chopped coarsely

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 t. hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until tender. Add garlic and cook a few minutes longer. Toss in  plums, honey and vinegar and cook over medium heat until plums have cooked down and mixture has thickened. Add seasonings and set aside until ready to use.

Prepping the Chicken

I cut a chicken in half and placed it in a roasting pan. Baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. I took it out of the oven and spooned over the plum glaze and returned the chicken to the oven for another 45 minutes. Basted the chicken with the glaze  and returned it to the oven for another 20 minutes. Served with fresh cole slaw. So tasty and tender. The meat had a richness – almost like duck.

The plums I used- I think they are called Methany. Really juicy.

The kids did a super job today making braided breads and cheese filled loaves of bread. Here is some of their work today.

Baking is dirty work.

One of the girls asked this morning, as we were preparing to roll out the pizza dough, if she could make a bunch of little pizzas instead of one big one. Cute idea, smart kid. They loved the idea. Here is what we were up to in cooking camp this morning.

We also enjoyed some Ohio sweet corn with lunch.

Rhubarb-glazed Chicken

I  had some rhubarb and could not decide what to do with it. I cooked it up with a little water and sugar and popped in the freezer until I could decide. Took the first container out the other day and turned it into a glaze for some chicken I was cooking. I mostly eat poultry so I am always looking for ways to change it up. The glaze was really good. I had it with sweet potato fries and cole slaw.

Rhubarb Glaze

2 c. chopped rhubarb

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook until thickened and bubbly. Use as a sauce or glaze on chicken, pork, lamb turkey or duck.

Rhubarb Glazed Chicken

8 chicken thighs or 1 whole chicken, cut up

1 recipe rhubarb glaze ( recipe above)

salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken pieces in roasting pan, season to taste and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drain any fat out of the pan. Pour over the rhubarb glaze and return chicken to oven for an additional 45 minutes. Baste the chicken with some of the glaze in the pan and return to oven for 15 minutes more. Serves 4.

We baked and decorated cakes in class on Friday. I showed the kids a few basics- gave them supplies and just let them go. The hardest part sometimes is just letting them have a good time and not trying to do things for them. The results were sweet!!

The cakes were colorful inside and out.