donna's daily dish

squeeze the day

11/27/2023

I recently came across a recipe by Anna Francese Gass on The New York Times cooking webpage for Crispy Lemon Chicken Cutlets with Salmoriglio Sauce. What is Salmoriglio Sauce? It’s a dressing made with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, peperoncino and fresh parsley. You can dress or marinate poultry or fish with the sauce.

Some salmoriglio recipes use oregano, mint, dill or fennel fronds. The herb they chose is predicated on what they’re serving. While lemon juice is the preferred choice, some Sicilian or Calabrian variations may use vinegar, wine or tomato pulp in place of the lemon juice.

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pardon this interruption

11/26/2023

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Hello again, it’s been a few weeks since I last posted. My husband and I had a brief weekend getaway to Annapolis to see a Navy football game. Now that we’re back and Thanksgiving has passed, it’s time to catch up on what I’ve been cooking.

Prior to departure, I made another “House and Garden” UK recipe by Donal Skehan from his book “Home Kitchen,” Autumn Pasta with Blue Cheese and Nuts. It’s an unusual combination, but my husband loves pasta in any shape. For the recipe you’ll need 1 pumpkin or autumn squash, 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, olive oil, salted butter, 2 onions, either conchiglie or rigatoni pasta, 3-1/2 ounces blue cheese, 3 ounces toasted and chopped walnuts, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and extra-virgin olive oil.

I used a butternut squash that I cut into 1-inch chunks, tossed with olive oil and roasted with sprigs of thyme. While the squash was roasting, I started the sauce by thinly slicing the onions and cooking in butter seasoned with salt and pepper until caramelized.

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cooler days

11/14/2023

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Autumn’s chill has finally arrived and there’s nothing like a walk on a sunny, crisp day. My husband and I took a ride to visit our granddaughters over the weekend and took a walk to Dreyer Farms to pick up a few things. This is the last week of their CSA program. In our box this week we’ll receive fall squash, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, lettuce, apples and honey.

Last week we also had spinach and I turned it into a delicious Spinach Cheddar Cheese Puff. I remember going to Paramus Park Mall and having lunch at the Magic Pan where a variety of sweet and savory crepes were prepared. One of my favorites was filled with spinach and dressed with a cheddar cheese sauce. Many years ago, I made a Spinach Puff recipe from “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook” (© 1983) along with their recipe for cheddar cheese sauce. This time, I omitted the sauce and added finely shredded cheddar cheese to the base white sauce. As for the spinach, I steamed it until it wilted, cooled, then placed the spinach in a dish towel to wring out all the moisture.

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lots of vegetables

11/4/2023

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With the cooler weather, I’ve been preparing vegetables in a variety of ways. I pulled from “Charleston Magazine,” issue of February 2023, a recipe for Cauliflower & Goat Cheese Soup from Chez Nous Restaurant. From Melissa Clark of The New York Times, a meatless meal, One-Pot Braised Chard with Gnocchi, Peas and Leeks. My husband loves stuffed peppers; this time I tried a recipe from Lidia Bastianich for Meat-Stuffed Peppers. To use up some of the apples I received in my CSA share, I made a “vintage” recipe for Apple Coffee Ring.

The soup recipe is easy to prepare, but I was a little concerned with the amount of cauliflower in conjunction with the amount of liquid. The recipe calls for 2 heads cauliflower (about 2 pounds), 1/2 cup yellow onion, 4 quarts water or chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of kosher salt, a bay leaf, 1-1/2 cups of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup crumbled goat cheese and white pepper. The subtitle of this recipe called this an “ultra-creamy bowlful,” but with four quarts of liquid, I thought this was a misprint. I have another cream of cauliflower soup on my website, so I assumed this was an error. I used 1 quart (32 ounces) of boxed chicken stock and started with a teaspoon of salt. I found a head of cauliflower that was just over two pounds which was perfect for the recipe.

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apples

11/4/2023

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To use up some of the apples I received in my CSA share, I made a “vintage” recipe for Apple Coffee Ring. The last recipe I want to share is for Apple Coffee Ring. I found this recipe in a book from my late mother-in-law called “Grass Roots Cookbook,” by Jean Anderson (©️1977, 1976, 1975 1974.) The recipes in this book are from women across the country with contributions that reflect the flavors of their region. Apple Coffee Ring is from Mrs. Leroy Losey of Yakima County, Washington.

As you can see from the copyright dates, this recipe is old. In fact, after preparing this per the recipe, I found adjustments need to be made. The coffee ring is made with a sweet dough recipe that will make two 12-inch coffee rings. The recipe calls for 4 cups of apple that are peeled and coarsely grated. I would change it from grated to a combination of sliced and chunks and 8 cups of apples (4 cups per coffee ring). The recipe mentions that as the coffee ring rises after filling and shaping, juices will seep out. I decided to sauté the apples in the butter and drain some of the liquid before placing the apples on the dough.

The coffee rings came out great, but definitely needed more apple filling for more of an apple taste and texture. The dough was tender and had just the right amount of sweetness. The recipe is a keeper. Another note on the apples, is that Mrs. Losey used Golden Delicious apples. In 49 years since this booked was published, the variety of apples has exploded exponentially. Unfortunately, I forget the variety that was in my CSA box, but they weren’t Golden’s and they were extremely juicy when I grated them.

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