Penney’s Palate

It wasn’t very cold today, but I wanted to make soup anyway. Sundays seem like good days to make soup. I had a frozen ham bone in my freezer left over from our Thanksgiving Ham and I wanted to use it. Split pea soup it was. I had never eaten split pea soup, and I certainly didn’t know what was in it, besides, of course, split peas. Like most soups, it was simple to make. I didn’t know what to expect in terms of taste because in general, I don’t like peas. I found out that split peas don’t really taste like regular green peas. At least not when put in a soup with other flavorful things such as a hambone. I also had some frozen rolls in the freezer that I took out this afternoon to let them rise. Soup and rolls. That was our Superbowl Sunday dinner.

The soup turned out delicious. It was thicker than I expected, but I was okay with that. When browsing recipes for the soup, I noticed that very few recipes included potatoes. I ended up going with a recipe with potatoes, although I think that it would be just as fine without the potatoes. A lot of recipes also included cut up ham instead of a ham bone. I chose just to use the hambone. There were a few bits of ham that fell off of the ham bone, but most of the spoonfuls of soup were without ham. I also forgot to add the sherry at the end. I always forget stuff like that, or garnish at the very end. I took pictures but the soup looks very ugly. I didn’t want to gross anyone out or discourage anyone from trying the recipe based on the picture.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 lb split green peas
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp tarragon
1 bay leaf
1 ham bone
4 small red potatoes
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 small carrot, diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 leek (white and light green parts), chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp Sherry

Preparation
Combine chicken stock, water and split peas in pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the thyme, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, ham bone and potatoes. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and continue simmering for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Saute the onion, carrot, celery and leak in some olive oil. After the soup has simmered for an hour, add the sauteed mixture to the soup. Simmer for another 45 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and add the sherry just before serving.

I have some heavy cream in my refrigerator that I am determined to use before it goes bad. Making chocolate pudding got me a few inches closer to the bottom of the container. It satisfied my sweet tooth just fine.

Double Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Dutch-processed because that is what I had)
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp heavy cream

Preparation
Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until light yellow and thick. Add the cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. Bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil. With the mixer on slow speed, very slowly add the milk to the mixture in the mixer. Make sure that you start with just a few tablespoons of the hot milk at first, and then slowly add the rest. If you add too much of the hot milk at first, the eggs will cook and you will get small bits of egg in the finished pudding (I’m speaking from experience here).

Pour the combined mixture back into the pot and cook on low heat until thickened. Stir constantly while doing so. Once thick, remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla and the heavy cream. Stir until the butter melts. Pour into serving bowls and cover with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is touching the pudding. Chill for a few hours.

This dinner was made possible through the joined efforts of both Tommy and myself. We knew we wanted to eat some fish, but we wanted to eat something more than just fish and rice, so Tommy started searching for a recipe that would be more fulfilling. It took him a few hours, but he finally settled on this one. We modified it a little based on what was available to us at the local fish market.

Overall, the fish was fresh, moist, meaty and flavorful. The fish, kale, and lentil mixture all complemented each other very well. This was the first time that I had eaten lentils too. If you haven’t eaten lentils before, you’re missing out! I LOVED them. Tommy would have preferred a little less mustard taste to the lentils, but I felt that there was just enough mustard. This was also the first time that we steamed fish. I think that it came out perfectly. This dish didn’t take very long to make either. Tommy made the fish and Kale, while I made the lentil mixture, set the table, and poured the wine.

Steamed Grouper with Lentils and Kale

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 small stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup Beluga lentils, rinsed and picked over (green lentils will work just as well)
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons fresh ground white pepper
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1/8 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/8 cup diced red onion
1 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 (6-8 ounce) grouper fillets
1 bunch Kale

Preparation
In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoons of the olive oil and add the onion, carrot and celery. Saute the vegetables until just tender about, 4 minutes. Add the lentils, broth and herbs. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the white pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until lentils are just tender.

In a small bowl, combine the Dijon mustard with 1/8 cup of the balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Whisk until emulsified. Add the bell pepper, red onion, parsley, and green onions, and toss to combine. Add the dressing to the lentils, toss to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Combine the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Brush the fish with the oil and vinegar mixture and season with the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper. Steam the fish until just cooked through.

Steam the Kale in a steamer, lightly season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Tommy and I had a double steamer, in which we steamed both the Kale and the fish. We started the fish on the top level of steamer. Half way through cooking, we added the Kale to the bottom level of the steamer. We steamed the fish for about 15 minutes, but the fish could have been cooked for probably 10 minutes, ours was a little overcooked.

The steamed fish, Kale, and lentil mixture should be done at about the same time. If this is not possible, make sure that the lentil mixture finishes first and can be kept warm while the fish and greens steam in the steamer.

We served the fish beside a bed of Kale with the lentils on top of the Kale. You could also put the fish on top of the lentils.

Tommy stumbled upon this recipe while he was in Italy for a summer. He made it in his cooking class, and carried the recipe all the way back with him over the Atlantic. It is a very simple recipe that doesn’t require much time or many ingredients. And it is full of flavor. We’ve had it a few times over the past few years. It sits a little heavy on the stomach, so if you’re looking for a lighter meal, this is not the one for you.

Walnut-Gorgonzola Penne

Ingredients
1 lb Penne Pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
4 thick slices of onion, chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1.5 oz Gorgonzola cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Boil some water and cook Penne according to directions on box.

Meanwhile, saute the oil and onion in a pan on medium-low heat until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add walnuts and saute for another 4 minutes. Add the Gorgonzola and let melt, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and Vegetable Stock and increase heat to medium, cooking until creamy. Add the parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the drained pasta to the mixture and serve.

Tommy and I are subscribers to Food & Wine Magazine. Occasionally we run across some recipes that get our attention, so I bookmark them and then file the magazine away on the shelf. One thing that I do when I’m looking for ideas of what to make for dinner is go through this stack of magazines to see if there is anything that once again sparks my interest. This was one such recipe. It didn’t take more than an hour to make, if you look at the prep time vs. the active time, it would lead you to believe that it takes an hour and a half to make. Not true. One thing that did surprise me was that the cauliflower takes a long time to cook down (25 minutes). I monitored this process very closely because I was afraid that 25 minutes would turn the cauliflower into mush, and I don’t like mush. But 25 minutes it took,and the cauliflower came out cooked but not mushy.

This dish was surprisingly flavorful. I don’t remember which white we used, but I remember being able to taste the wine flavors in the dish. It is very important to use a wine that you would drink and enjoy when using wine for cooking. Tommy and I follow that rule. I think that it is necessary in this dish. If I had kept up with my food blog this month, I would have been able to blog about the wine as well… The only variation that I did to this recipe is that I only used 1/2 lb pasta instead of 3/4 lb. I liked the cauliflower/leek mixture to pasta ratio that we ended up with.

Cauliflower and Leek Penne

This pork chop recipe is adapted from another one of Rachel Ray’s 30-minute meals. It is fairly quick to make and tasty as well. I didn’t measure anything, and as a result, I think that I put in a little too much lemon juice and not enough maple syrup. This made a very lemony sauce that didn’t thicken. The pork chops were also a little on the tougher side, so I might have been able to cook them for a few less minutes. I have kept the cooking time at the recommended times in the recipe, so feel free to adjust based on your stove. I served the pork chops with my favorite Swiss Chard dish.

Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Ingredients
2 boneless pork loin chops
Salt + pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1/8 cup maple syrup
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation
Heavily salt and pepper the pork chops on both sides. Preheat a pan with the olive oil on medium-high heat and add the pork chops. Sear for 2 minutes on each side, then turn the heat down to medium and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer the pork chops to plate and cover with foil. Add the chicken stock, thyme, maple syrup. lemon zest and juice to the hot pan. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thickened (recipe says that this should take about 3-5 minutes, mine never thickened). Return the pork chops to the pan and glaze each side with the sauce. Place chops on plates and drizzle remaining glaze from the pan on top of the pork chops.

Tommy and I like eating greens. We usually just saute them in garlic and some oil and then salt them. But sometimes that gets a little boring, which is why I was very excited to find this recipe. It is a very delicious way to sneak in some healthy greens to any meal. I think that it is an appropriate portion to serve as a side dish for 2 very hungry people.

The most recent time that I made this, it turned out way too salty. I don’t know if it is because I added too much salt, or because the prosciutto that I happened to get was a little saltier than last time. It was still good, but I probably would have eaten more if it was less salty. I took out the salt from the recipe, but if you wanted to salt it, do it at the end before you add the cheese.

Creamy Swiss Chard with Prosciutto

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced prosciutto
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 bunch of swiss chard (about 6-8 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preparation
Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add prosciutto and saute for 1 minute. Add the onion and garlic, and increase the heat to high. Saute for 1 more minute stir often. Add the chard and saute for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Cook until the chard is tender, about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Parmesan and nutmeg. Serve as soon as possible.

This sparking wine is a Cava (basically a Spanish Champagne). It is also a Rose, meaning that it is pink instead of clear. I like sparkling Roses because they usually have that extra little component of flavor that most other champagnes or sparkling wines lack. We drank this bottle with our Polenta and Chicken Salad dinner. I think that it went well with the meal and with the football that we are watching.

I always have a hard time describing any taste or smell components in sparkling wines, maybe because I am too overwhelmed and excited about the bubbly factor. Or maybe it is because the sparkling wines that we drink do not have much of a specific taste or smell component. It has a small sweetness to it, but not an overly sweet wine. But I like this wine. I read the back of the bottle, hoping that it would highlight the tastes that I am supposed to be tasting. But it doesn’t. It says: “This wine is fermented in the bottle for a luxurious 1-2 years”.

This wine is also non-vintage, meaning that it does not have a year associated with its grape-age. This is normal for the sparkling wines that we drink, because we cannot afford to drink the vintage sparkling wines. Vintage sparkling wines don’t really start to appear until the $20-$30 per bottle mark. I think that those sparkling wines might have more taste and smell components to them.

I score this wine an 88. A very solid bubbly wine to drink before dinner, during dinner, and after dinner.

I feel like Tommy and I are getting really good at making dinner. Most of the time, I would rather eat here than go out to eat, knowing that what we make here will far surpass the restaurant quality that we are willing to afford. The only time that I prefer to go out to dinner is when I’m too tired to cook. Even when the preparations seem simple, the tastes explode in my mouth and I want to keep eating past the point of being full. I usually stop before I get to the uncomfortable full-ness, but I always want to eat more… Tonight we had Melanie’s polenta (with a cheese substitution) and a simple chicken salad. The only regret to the dinner was that I didn’t have anything made for dessert.

I won’t elaborate on the recipes, only to say that I substituted a combination of 2/3 mozzarella and 1/3 unknown semi-soft cheese in our fridge for the 1 cup of fontina for the polenta. Oh yeah, and I also used normal spinach instead of baby spinach, and I added the spinach to the polenta after about 10 minutes of cooking the polenta, instead of sauteing the spinach separately. The salad consisted of mixed greens, an heirloom tomato, and a marinated chicken breast. So delicious. I’m not sure that anyone would ever serve a bowl of polenta beside a plate of chicken salad, but we did and loved it.

I feel like Tommy and I are getting really good at making dinner. Most of the time, I would rather eat here than go out to eat, knowing that what we make here will far surpass the restaurant quality that we are willing to afford. The only time that I prefer to go out to dinner is when I’m too tired to cook. Even when the preparations seem simple, the tastes explode in my mouth and I want to keep eating past the point of being full. I usually stop before I get to the uncomfortable full-ness, but I always want to eat more… Tonight we had Melanie’s polenta (with a cheese substitution) and a simple chicken salad. The only regret to the dinner was that I didn’t have anything made for dessert.

I won’t elaborate on the recipes, only to say that I substituted a combination of 2/3 mozzarella and 1/3 unknown semi-soft cheese in our fridge for the 1 cup of fontina for the polenta. Oh yeah, and I also used normal spinach instead of baby spinach, and I added the spinach to the polenta after about 10 minutes of cooking the polenta, instead of sauteing the spinach separately. The salad consisted of mixed greens, an heirloom tomato, and a marinated chicken breast. So delicious. I’m not sure that anyone would ever serve a bowl of polenta beside a plate of chicken salad, but we did and loved it.