Let's hear it for the holiday party

For the first time in my life, I am singing in my church's choir on Christmas Eve. This means that I am having to re-familiarize myself with reading music--bass clef, at that. It also means that I got to attend the choir Christmas party. It was crunk, yo. I took these Blue Cheese and Caramelized-Onion Squares, and they were a big hit. Dang, I love that stinky cheese!

Zach

Blue Cheese and Caramelized-Onion Squares

Makes 42 (it ended up being more like 30 when I tried it)

Crust
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Topping
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions (about 2 pounds), halved, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

For crust: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Make well in center of dry ingredients. Whisk milk, olive oil, and melted butter in liquid measuring cup to blend. Slowly pour milk mixture into well in dry ingredients, stirring until just blended and smooth. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 10x13-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to rimmed baking sheet. Re-form dough into 10x13-inch rectangle (dough will shrink when moved). Pierce dough all over with fork. Let dough rest while preparing topping.

For topping: Melt butter with oil in large skillet over high heat. Add onions. Cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add rosemary, sugar, and salt. Season onions to taste with pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Continue to cook until onions are soft and dark brown, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes; cool.

Spread onion mixture evenly over dough. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let cool. Cut into squares and serve.

from Bon Appetit, November 2006

Tabouli

Hi friends.
As a new wife I get a strangely old-fashioned pleasure when John tells me that I cook something as well as his mother or grandmother. John's family has Lebonese heritage so when I made this tabouli and received that complement, I was especially happy.
This is a good dish to make at the beginning of a busy week- it keeps all week in the fridge and makes a good lunch. The recipe is a slight modification of the one from Cook Boldly, the Holden Village cookbook.

Enjoy!
Anne

Tabouli

1 1/3 cups dry bulghur
1 tsp. salt
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. dry mint (or 1 1/2 tsp. fresh mint if you have it)
2 medium tomatoes
some cucumber

Dressing:
3 Tbl. olive oil
juice from 1 large lemon
1 1/2 tsp. garlic (I usually just use 2 large or 3 small cloves)
1/4 cup dry parsley (or 1/2 fresh parsley)

Boil water.
Add bulghur, salt and mint to boiling water. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand for 20-30 minutes, fluffing after 15 minutes.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Add dressing to bulghur mixture after liquid has been absorbed.
Add chopped tomatoes and cucumber.
Stir it up and serve chilled. Yum!

Chicken!

I roasted a chicken for supper at the Lace's last night. Right now, I'm using the leftovers to make chicken stock. Thought I would share the recipes for both!

Shannon's Favorite Herb-Roasted Chicken
serves 4

2 tablespoons Chicken Herb Rub (see below)
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 whole chicken, approximately 4 pounds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place Chicken Herb Rub in a food processor with the garlic and olive oil, and puree into a smooth paste.

Rinse the chicken, and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub the herb paste all over the chicken, being sure to get underneath as well as on top of the skin. Allow to sit for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or roast immediately, roughly 1 1/2 hours, until the legs are loose, or until the internal temperature of the breast reads 160 degrees F and the internal temperature of the thigh reads 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Chicken Herb Rub

1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried oregano

Basic Chicken Broth
makes about 3 quarts of stock

(If you don't plan to use the broth right away, store it in your freezer, and take it out when you want to make soup.)

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, scraped and cut into large pieces
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons white vinegar (draws more nutrients from the bones)
4 quarts water
1 leftover chicken carcass and pan drippings

Place all ingredients in a large stockpot. Allow everything to sit, with the heat off, for 30 minutes. Turn the heat on high, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the broth for a minimum of 6 hours--the longer the broth simmers, the richer it will be.

Strain the liquid, discarding the vegetables but reserving the carcass. Place broth in a container, cover tightly, and refrigerate. When it is chilled, skim the fat from the surface.

Pick off the remaining meat from the carcass, and either return the meat to the broth for chicken soup or use it to make something else (such as chicken and rice).

These three recipes are from The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook by Shannon Hayes

Soup and Bread

Hello friends,

Here are recipes for the French lentil soup and bread boules we had at Sam and Marja's last night. I call for a rematch of Cranium next time we are together, so we can k_c_ S_m's _ss. Enjoy!

Zach

French Lentil Soup
6 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup celery stalks plus chopped celery leaves for garnish
1 cup chopped carrots
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups lentils, rinsed, drained
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic; saute until vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups broth, lentils, and tomatoes with juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.

Transfer 2 cups soup (mostly solids) to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to soup in pan; thin soup with more broth by 1/4 cupfuls, if too thick. Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar, if desired. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with celery leaves.

from Bon Appetit, December 2006

*Just a note: I didn't use the balsamic vinegar.

French Bread (Pain Ordinaire)
Makes 3 long baguettes or round boules

2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 packages) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
About 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for glazing

1. In a large bowl using a whisk or in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment: pour in the warm water and sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the surface of the water. Stir until combine. Let stand at room temperature until dissolved and foamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Add 2 cups of the bread flour and the salt. Beat hard until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup bread flour and most of the all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a shaggy dough that clears the sides of the bowl is formed.

3. If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft, silky, and resilient, 5 to 8 minutes, dusting with flour only 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking. The dough should not be sticky. If kneading by machine, switch to the dough hook and knead for 1 to 3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and springy.

4. Place the dough in a lightly greased deep bowl. Turn once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a cool area until tripled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If you have time, punch down the dough and allow it to rise again for about 1 hour. The dough may also rise in the refrigerator overnight.

5. Gently deflate the dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Grease or parchment-line a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Knead in more flour now if the dough seems sticky. Shape the portions into tight roud balls for boules. Or flatten each portion into a rectangle for baguettes. Roll each rectangle up tightly with your thumbs to form a long sausage shape; roll back and forth with your palms to adjust the length. Place the loaves 4 inches apart on the baking sheet.

6. Quick method: Directly after forming the loaves, slash the tops diagonally no deeper than 1/4 inch and brush the entire surface with the glaze. Place in a cold oven on the middle or lower rack. Turn the oven thermostat to 400 degrees F and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until crusty and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger. Eat immediately or transfer the loaves to a cooling rack.

7. Standard method: Preheat a baking stone at 450 degrees F for at least 20 minutes, if using; otherwise, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the loaves loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes. Slash the tops of the loaves diagonally no more than 1/4 inch deep and brush the entire surface with the glaze. Spray a mist of water into the oven, or throw a few ice cubes onto a gas oven floor to crisp the crust, if desired. Turn the oven thermostat to 400 degrees 4 if using a stone and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until crusty and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger. Eat immediately or transfer the loaves to a cooling rack.

from The Bread Bible by Beth Hensperger

*Note: To make the individual bread boules we had at Sam and Marja's, divide the dough into 6 equal parts in step 5, and shape the portions into tight round balls. Continue with the rest of the directions, and bake for 30 minutes.