From Market to Table

Today I converted two people who proclaimed that they don't like lima beans. They devoured their serving and asked for second helpings of the lima beans with Greek olives and roasted red peppers. The "Farmer's Market to Table" Cooking Class series has been a great success this summer. Nearly every meal in our class today contained roasted red peppers. It was over a hundred degrees today so I thought I would keep everything light and fresh for the class.

We started with a glass of iced cucumber water, herb butter that I had made early in the morning on slices of a fresh whole wheat baguette and a small salad of vietnamese cucumbers, sliced garden tomatoes and onions with B.R. Cohn Garlic Olive Oil and 15 year Balsamic vinegar.

Two of my favorite customers were at the table. The Conners have taken several classes from Culina and have really enjoyed the experience. We love having them in the classes as well.

Sue Conner had asked that I create something with beans or lentils that they could make at home. She and her husband have been trying to watch their diet and glycemic index.

I knew that I wanted to make something with chicken so I changed up a Cat Cora recipe that I have been making for a couple of years. Her Basque Rubbed Shrip Skewers with Romesco was converted to Basque Rubbed chicken breast with Romesco. When entering the kitchen, the students were greeted with the spicy pungent smell of roasting Zsa Zsa bell peppers. Chef Lance was roasting them off to prep for all of my dishes.

A large basket of fresh baked whole wheat baguette slices accompanied with herb butter, a cheese board of French, English and Italian cheeses and a small salad of sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced white onions, one clove of minced garlic, Fleur de Sel and ground fresh pepper marinated in garlic olive oil and 15 year balsamic. The 15 year is deeeelish but the 25 year...I could eat that right out out of the bottle with a spoon.

Below are the recipes for today's class. Click on the titles to access the links to printable recipes.

All of the menus are listed below. If you want to print the menus you have to go to my website

Summer Vegetable Casserole
[Food & Wine, July 2010]

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tsp Trapani Salt
2 tsp ground black Tellicherry peppercorns
1 Yellow bell pepper
1 small - medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 lb. plum tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 small zucchini (1/2) il., sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch baking dish with olive oil Spread the potatoes in the dish in an even layer , drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cover the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with the cheese. Arrange two-thirds of the bell pepper mixture over the potatoes and drizzle with oil. Top with the tomatoes and the zucchini: drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with grated cheese.
2. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover the the casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer until the vegetables are tender and glazed on top. Let stand for 10 minutes - serve warm.


Lima Beans with Olive and Peppers
[The Savory Way]
1 1/4 cups dried lima beans, soaked hours
2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, sliced
2 carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped into 1/4 - inch squares, several celery leaves, chopped
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Pinch of salt
Chicken Broth
2 yellow peppers roasted and cut into squares
12 Pitted Greek olives cut into large pieces
Extra -Virgin olive oil
Drain the beans and cover them with fresh cold chicken broth. Bring them to boil & boil rapidly for several minutes; then skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
Lower the heat and cook the beans slowly until they are tender but still a little on the firm side, about an hour.
When the beans are ready, warm the olive oil in a roomy skillet or saute pan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, celery leaves, bay leaf, all but a little of the parsley and thyme. Cook briskly for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring everything about; then add the beans, enough of their cooking liquid to cover them and salt to taste.
Simmer everything together over medium-low heat until the beans are tender and the liquid is mostly reduced. Stir in the peppers and the olives, let them stew with everything else for a few minutes, and serve the beans garnished with the remaining fresh herbs and finish with a spoonful of olive oil drizzled over all.

Grilled Basque Rubbed Chicken with Romesco Sauce
• 4 lbs Chicken Breast rinsed and dried completely
• 1 tbsp dried orange zest
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp Trapani Seasalt

Rub the dried chicken with salt and pepper first, so that it stays on, and then rub the chicken breast with the entire Basque blend of dried orange rind, chili powder and sea salt until well coated. Cover, set in refrigerator, and let sit for 30 minutes - or seal in instant marinater for 15 minutes in refrigerator.
Place the chicken on a hot grill and sear on both sides until done. Move the chicken onto a clean platter. To serve, slice chicken diagonally on a plate and spoon the Romesco Sauce over the chicken and serve.
Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup roasted cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8-9 whole almonds, coarsely chopped or 2 tbsp. Almond Flour
• 1 tablespoon Zinfandel wine vinegar or Sherry Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Natural Foods Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Natural Foods Ground Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Victoria Gourmet Tellicherry Black Peppercorns, freshly ground
• 1 tsp Victoria Gourmet Trapani Sea Salt
Sauce Preparation
Roast tomatoes and peppers until skin begins to peel away. You can roast them on an indoor or outdoor grill or in the oven on broil. If roasting in the oven, check them frequently to ensure they do not burn.
Place roasted pepper, tomatoes, olive oil, almonds, garlic, Sherry wine vinegar, garlic powder and ground cayenne pepper in blender. Blend until smooth. (Note: You can toss whole almonds and garlic cloves into the blender, but giving them a rough chop first prevents large chunks from ending up under the blender blades.) Season with salt and pepper. Set aside

Herb butter
[Savory Way]
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs
1 shallot, finely dressed
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
pinch of salt

Pistachio Gelato
[David Lebowitz]

About 3 cups (3/4 liter)
• 2 cups (½ liter) whole milk
• 1/3 cup (65 gr) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (16 gr) cornstarch (also known as corn flour)
• 7 ounces (200 gr)* pistachio paste
• A few drops of lemon or orange juice

1. Make a slurry by mixing the 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, mixing until the starch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

2. Heat the rest of the milk in a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar.

3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

5. Once chilled, whisk in the pistachio paste and just a few drops of citrus juice until smooth.

6. Freeze the gelato in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Pistachio Paste can be purchased at the American Almond Products of Brooklyn and is available on line through King Arthur Flour. The Pistachio paste used in the Gelato is from France.