donna's daily dish

Dreyer Farms CSA Week 2

5/30/2023

Last week I was getting through my produce from a shared CSA box. So far I’ve received asparagus, lettuce, radishes, kale, spinach, eggs, golden beets, shiitake mushrooms and rainbow Swiss Chard. For the kale in the box, I found a recipe on Lidia Bastianich’s website, www.lidiasitaly.com for Barley, Kale and Butternut Squash Risotto. The spinach was used in a recipe from the website www.modernproper.com for Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spinach, Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. For the radishes and the arugula, I prepared White Beans with Radishes, Miso and Greens, a recipe by Colu Henry via The New York Times and their column, “Five Dishes to Cook This Week.”

Although risotto can be filling, using pearl barley made for a lighter tasting risotto. For the recipe you’ll need kosher salt, fresh bay leaves, pearled barley, chicken stock, extra-virgin olive oil, a carrot, two stalks of celery, dry white wine, one bunch of kale, butternut squash, butter and Grana Padano cheese.

Dreyer Farms CSA Week 1

5/22/2023

Asparagus-Feta Pasta

After skipping participation in Dreyer’s Farms’ CSA program in 2022, this year my daughter and I have decided to rejoin. For us, we selected the medium box which is perfect for six people. This first week of the program offered asparagus, lettuce, radishes, parsley, spinach, kale, parsley and eggs. We split the produce between us, however, depending what’s in the box, sometimes splitting is difficult. This week I let my daughter keep the parsley and I took the lettuce.

I did it my way

5/20/2023

“A recipe has no soul. You as the cook must bring soul to the recipe.” Thomas Keller

A recipe is someone’s creation that has been tried and improved until perfected. However, sometimes, you as the cook, add your own nuances to achieve the flavor you desire.

Recently I prepared a recipe by Emily Weinstein of The New York Times for One-Pot Tortellini with Meat Sauce. I don’t know where my mind was when I was food shopping last week, instead of tortellini, I accidently bought Wegmans Italian Classics Potato Gnocchi. Beside the pasta for this recipe, you’ll also need fresh garlic cloves, extra-virgin olive oil, one pound of hot or sweet Italian sausage (casing removed) tomato paste, 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, grated Parmesan cheese and grated mozzarella cheese.

chicken stew

5/12/2023

Mother’s Day is Sunday and if you still don’t know what to serve, may I suggest Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Chicken Stew. I made this the other evening and it was delicious; my husband has already asked me to make it again. The recipe is by Sarah DiGregorio from the New York Times/ Here to Help column which appeared on April 28th, 2023.

For the recipe you’ll need unsalted butter, yellow or red onion, kosher salt, black pepper, celery, garlic cloves, chicken stock, white wine, boneless skinless chicken thighs, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, frozen cut spinach, marinated artichoke hearts, cream cheese, fresh dill, scallions and grated Parmesan cheese.

birthday celebration

5/9/2023

Last week we celebrated our daughter-in-law’s birthday at our house with dinner. In the May 2023 issue of “Southern Living Magazine” there was a recipe for Sweet & Smoky Grilled Pork Tenderloin. For the recipe you’ll need brown sugar, kosher salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, pork tenderloins and canola. I was happy to see another recipe using smoked paprika, which I purchased for other recipes I’ve made.

The pork has a dry rub made with brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powders and ground mustard. You must plan ahead as the pork has to sit refrigerated uncovered for 8 to 12 hours. When ready to cook, the pork is brought to room temperature by removing it 30 minutes ahead of cooking. The pork is grilled until the internal temperature reaches 140°. When done, remove from the grill, cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. The temperature will rise another 5 to 10 degrees.

what happened to spring?

5/3/2023

I saw a funny meme on Facebook recently. “I just realized why this month is called May. It may rain, it may snow, it may be 70 degrees or it may be 20 degrees. However, we seem to have turned the corner and the weather is becoming more enjoyable.

If you’re like me you like to have an extensive collection of various preparations for poultry and beef. My husband has been in a stir fry mood, which brings me to my first recipe. It’s from the website “Dinner at the Zoo.” This website specializes in easy dinner recipes that appeal to kids; aren’t we all kids at heart? The recipe, Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry was a quick meal to prepare. For the recipe you’ll need vegetable oil, carrots, broccoli florets, boneless skinless chicken breasts, fresh garlic, chicken broth/stock or water, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, salt and pepper.

rain, rain go away

4/29/2023

What a crummy weather week this has been. I was a bit busier this week, but managed to try two new recipes; one of my own creation. The first recipe is for a stuffed chicken breast using Alexian Pâtés and Specialty Meats, Herb de Provence Pâté.

Using skinless, boneless chicken breasts, I pounded them slightly. Next, I thinly sliced the pâté and placed in the center of the breast. Rolling the breasts as tightly as I could, I inserted several toothpicks to hold close. I carefully coated the chicken with seasoned flour (salt and pepper), dipped in an egg wash and coated with panko breadcrumbs. I pan sautéed the chicken until golden then removed. I deglazed the pan with white wine and off heat added two tablespoons of butter to create a glossy sauce. I placed the chicken back in the pan, lowered the heat, covered and cooked a little longer until the chicken was cooked through.

simply the best

4/22/2023

Recently I was selected as a brand ambassador for Alexian Pâté and Specialty Meats. I love their pâté for their assortment of preparation (coarse cuts, creamy and spreadable, vegetable and vegan varieties), quality and flavors. Whether part of a charcuterie platter or on their own, its entertaining made easy.

One of the pâtés I received was Wild Forest Mushroom Pâté. I thought this might be an easier way to prepare Beef Wellington than make my own duxelles. With that in mind, I scoured the web for a traditional Beef Wellington recipe. Two recipes that piqued my interest were by Melissa Clark of The New York Times and Tyler Florence of the Food Network. I decided to follow Ms. Clark’s recipe albeit they were similar in preparation. I am going to list all the ingredients you’ll need If you are going to prepare the mushroom duxelles. For the recipe you’ll need, tied center-cut beef tenderloin, pancetta or bacon, unsalted butter, assorted mushrooms (mix of cremini, white, shiitake, chanterelles or oyster), a shallot, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh thyme, dry sherry or dry vermouth, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, Dijon mustard, thinly sliced prosciutto, an egg and a 16-ounce package of puff pastry.

Mother's Day

4/17/2023

Mother’s Day is just four short weeks away, have you started planning yet? I am the mother of two children and grandmother to 3 and I prefer to stay home and not join the throngs of people dining out. In fact, I wouldn’t mind cooking if that meant my entire family would be together at once. I’ll take it a step further and host my children and grandchildren on Saturday. If, however, you prefer to take Mom out, consider other days besides Mother’s Day. Another suggestion would be to cater the dinner and enjoy it at home thus allowing younger children a bit more freedom.

Perhaps you’re sharing the cooking duties with family. I have some wonderful recipes for appetizers. If available by Mother’s Day, Garlic Scape Salad Dressing is decidedly different and delicious on a tossed salad. Marinated Beet Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese is also tasty. If you want to hit wider range of palates, create a charcuterie board using Alexian Pâté. If you’re not sure how to build a charcuterie board, I’ve provided a link to “Better Homes and Garden’s” website for instructions.

It’s not pasta night but…..

4/16/2023

Last week was a hit and miss with new recipes. I shook things up a bit by moving our traditional Thursday pasta night to Wednesday. There was a terrific recipe in The New York Times by Anna Francese Gass for Rigatoni all Zozzana. While in Italian zozzana means filthy, or some website translations say dirty, in either case this recipe has many layers of flavor.

For the recipe you’ll need kosher salt, large rigatoni pasta, extra-virgin olive oil, guanciale (or pancetta), small onion, hot or sweet Italian sausage (removed from casing), tomato paste, cherry tomatoes, red wine, egg yolks, Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 cup reserved pasta water and freshly ground black pepper.