Thai Corn Chowder and Basil Parmesan Biscuits

We woke up yesterday morning to a very dreary scene -- lots and lots of rain. It was the perfect morning to sleep in and potentially sleep the day away. But alas, when small children are involved, there is no rest for the weary.

So given the cooler than usual and dreary conditions, I thought a soup and biscuits dinner sounded like a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, as the afternoon progressed and I started my preparations for the meal, the weather became warm and sticky. So I ended up sweating through the rest of my preparations and the meal itself.

BUT... The meal was delicious. The chowder was really flavorful and the biscuits, though they weren't necessarily supposed to be paired with the chowder, came out great and tied in with the basil in the soup beautifully. The original biscuit recipe actually calls for purple basil, which I think is supposed to have a bit more of a mild flavor, but I couldn't find it, so I just used regular basil. Though maybe I should have used Thai basil in pairing these two recipes... Hmmmm...

The meal was quite labor-intensive. But I'm sure that was felt a bit more with the growing heat and the fact that it was the second meal that I had made that day. I'll be sure to wait until it's a bit cooler and less busy when I make it again. But I will make it again.

Thai Corn Chowder
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine



4 ears corn
2 cups diced red-skinned potatoes (about 12 ounces)
3/4 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, smashed
8 black peppercorns
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into thirds (optional)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt
1 red jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
8 fresh basil leaves
8 fresh mint leaves
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime, plus lime wedges for garnish
1 tomato, seeded and diced

Cut off the corn kernels; set aside. Combine the cobs, 1 cup potatoes, 1/2 cup scallions, 1 tablespoon ginger, the garlic, peppercorns and 5 cups water in a pot. Smash the lemongrass, if using, and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes before the broth is finished, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a separate pot. Add the remaining 1 cup potatoes, season with salt and cook until slightly soft, 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon ginger and the jalapeño; cook 1 minute. Add the corn kernels; cook until the vegetables are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Strain the broth, pressing out as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Add 2 cups of the strained broth to the potatoes and corn; bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, basil and mint; season with salt. Stir until simmering. Remove from the heat and add the radishes, cilantro and lime juice. Top with diced tomato and the remaining 1/4 cup scallions and serve with lime wedges.

**********************************************************

Basil Parmesan Biscuits
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light



9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2/3 cup fat-free milk
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in basil and cheese. Combine milk and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

The dough will be very sticky. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap. Wrap it up tightly and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. The longer you chill it, the easier it will be to work with when you're ready to cut out the biscuits.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat to 1-inch-thick circle. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter into 12 biscuits. Place biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool.

Fusilli with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Italian Sausage

I decided to make this pasta dish this week, but to make it a bit more of a significant meal, I added some Italian sausage. Kind of selfishly too, I may add. I've been dying for some sausage, for some odd reason.

The house smelled fantastic while the tomatoes were roasting, but despite following the directions exactly, I think I may have roasted them for too long. By the time I pulled them out, they were about a quarter of their original size and there was very little flesh left to use for the sauce. So the dish ended up feeling a bit weak. Thank goodness I used super tasty fresh Italian sausage with sun-dried tomatoes and basil that we had picked up at Booth's Corner.

I'm wondering if maybe I used a tomato or two more that maybe that would make a difference. My pan was big enough for at least one more... Hmmmm... Maybe I will make this dish again.

Fusilli with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Italian Sausage
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 large tomatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds), cored, cut in half crosswise, and seeded
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 1/2 cups hot cooked long fusilli (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Basil sprigs (optional)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Brush a jelly roll pan or shallow roasting pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer, cut sides down, in pan. Arrange crushed garlic around tomatoes; sprinkle tomatoes with thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes; drain juices from pan. Bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove tomatoes from pan; cool slightly. Discard juice and crushed garlic. Peel and coarsely chop tomatoes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and break up with a wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Reduce heat in pan to medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, or as much as is needed to keep the rest of the ingredients from sticking and/or burning. Add chopped garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chopped tomatoes and basil, and cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add pasta, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese; garnish with basil sprigs, if desired.

Banana Bread Muffins

We invited Jillie's friend, Sophie, over for a playdate this morning, so I decided that we were in need of some goodies. So I took the banana bread recipe from The All New Good Housekeeping Cook Book by Susan Westmoreland and made it into muffins. I overfilled the first batch a bit, but other than, they came out great.

Banana Bread Muffins



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 medium)
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease or place muffin cups in a 12-count muffin pan.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In small bowl, combine bananas, milk, and vanilla.

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat just until blended.

Using an ice cream scooper, fill each section of the muffin pan about 3/4 of the way full. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Immediately remove muffins from pan. Serve warm, or cool on wire rack to serve later.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream

Basically, old-fashioned here means using eggs in the recipe. It makes a very rich ice cream which is always good. I'm thinking it will be particularly tasty with some homemade chocolate sauce on top. Yum!

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream
Courtesy of Tracey Seaman



2 cups hulled and halved strawberries (about 12 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
Ice Water
1 pint half-and-half
2 large eggs yolks

In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; mash with a fork. Set the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water.

In a medium saucepan, bring the half-and-half and remaining 1/2 cup sugar to a simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium heat. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then gradually whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until steaming hot and frothy, about 3 minutes.

Strain the custard into the bowl of strawberries. Let stand, whisking occasionally, until cool.

Using an ice cream maker, process the cooled custard according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.

Tuna Salad Lasagna Stack

I think this dish confused my mouth a bit when I first tried it. It looks like lasagna. But it really really isn't. It just has the same noodles and is layered like lasagna. It's served cold, like regular tuna salad, and instead of layers of meat and/or veggies, tomato sauce, and cheese, it's layers of a tuna mixture, arugula, and roasted red pepper sauce. It took me a minute or two to convince my brain that there wasn't something seriously wrong with my lasagna, but when my brain caught up, I really liked it!

I had gone light on the salt while I was making it since I have felt like I have been going a little heavy on the salt lately, but I found when I ate it that it actually needed a bit more.

I think it would be a really fun thing to bring to a picnic. Even if just to mess with people's heads.

Tuna Salad Lasagna Stack
Courtesy of Katherine Barreira



4 red bell peppers
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lasagna noodles
Three 6-ounce cans tuna packed in water, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 cups torn arugula
1/3 cup minced chives

Preheat the broiler. Place the bell peppers on a baking sheet and broil, turning every 5 minutes, until charred all over, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cover; let sit for 10 minutes. Using your fingers, peel and discard the charred skin. Discard the stems and seeds.

Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet to prevent sticking.

In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, dill, lemon juice and 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Using a blender, puree the roasted peppers, sherry vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. With the machine on, pour in the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil in a slow stream, blending until thick, about 30 seconds.

Place a layer of lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of the arugula and one-quarter of the bell pepper sauce. Repeat 2 more times, using the remaining tuna mixture and arugula and topping with the remaining noodles. Top with the remaining red pepper sauce and the chives.

Vegetarian Makhani Curry

So I was planning on making the Chicken Makhani that I had made before, but when I went to pick up the chicken at the grocery store, I couldn't bring myself to pick up a package. I don't know if it's just because I've been cooking mainly vegetarian stuff lately or because I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and was feeling irresponsible for eating a piece of meat that had been grown in a non-sustainable setting... Though that latter fact didn't stop me from eating Chick-Fil-A today, so I'm thinking it had more to do with the fact that the chicken in the grocery store just looked kind of sad. So... I decided to vegetarianize this recipe.

And it came out really well. Added bonuses: I was able to use some spices that I don't regularly use but have giant bottles of them in my spice drawer (why are these unusual spices only available in giant containers?). AND I was able to use a can of beans that I had kept forgetting to use every time a recipe called for it. Yay. I used cannellini beans, but I think chickpeas (garbanzo beans) could have worked really well too.

Vegetarian Makhani Curry

1 onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons curry
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup frozen peas
Brown rice

Place onions, garlic, carrot, celery, and beans in crockpot. Dot with butter. Add spices, coconut milk, tomato paste, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in plain yogurt and frozen peas 15 minutes before serving. Serve over brown rice.

Warm Italiano Spread

I decided to give this appetizer a shot in preparation for some dinner parties we're going to be having in the fall. It had all sorts of elements that appeal to me (pesto, tomatoes, cheese), but I didn't really like it. It just felt like there was too much cream cheese. I would have preferred to just have put the pesto, tomatoes, and shredded cheese on top of the crackers and melted them that way. Though, if you enjoy appetizers that consist of cream cheese with stuff dumped on top, you will likely enjoy this one. It's not bad by any stretch. Just not my favorite.

Warm Italiano Spread
Courtesy of Kraft Foods

1 package (8 ounces) Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
1/4 cup pesto
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 cup finely shredded Italian cheese blend
Crackers

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place unwrapped Neufchatel cheese in small baking dish. Top with pesto, tomatoes, and shredded cheese.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until shredded cheese is melted and Neufchatel cheese is softened but still holding its shape. Serve with crackers.