My friends @glaciers_end recently provided me with some Cranberry Savory Chutney for my kitchen “playtime.” 🙂 I have some other ideas for recipes, but I’ve discovered that you can make a quick and satisfying grilled cheese with it. I just used white sandwich bread with a little mayo on the outside of the slices. Inside, I spread the Chutney on one side, added a slice of American cheese, and cooked both sides in a non-stick, oil-sprayed skillet. Yum! I suspect a white cheddar or baby Swiss cheese would also be good. The Chutney has an extra depth of flavor that isn’t normal in a regular Cranberry sauce. You can find their products at their Marion store (check their posts for times) as well as @leaffoodhub and @carbondalemarket
#tastesofsouthernIllinois #asliceofsouthernillinois #southernillinoisliving #shoplocal #southernillinois #Chutney #Cranberry #cranberries #umami #grilledcheese #farmersmarkettotable #farmersmarketfinds #farmersmarkets #Marion #downtownmarion #UniversityMall
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmuCJYOL7v0/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
This version of caccia e peppe, or cheese with pepper pasta, came about last spring when I had a lot of oregano that needed a trim.
Above: oregano and lettuces growing in a repurposed box frame
Below: freshly harvested oregano, mint, basil, and cilantro
I also had a few tomatoes, Vidalia onions, and garlic. I chopped them as I would for a salsa fresca and sautéed them in olive oil with some fresh oregano, salt, and pepper. It simmered on low heat for a bit while the pasta boiled.
For the pasta, I chose angel hair pasta, a slightly skinnier version capellini.
After boiling the pasta for a whole 4 minutes to hit the al dente stage of doneness, it was drained. (At this point, it is wise to save some of the salted pasta water to use if needed in the dish. )
The drained pasta was added to the sauce with gratuitous amounts of parmesan cheese and black pepper. Even more fresh oregano and a bit of basil was added right before plating–after the cheese had begun melting and mingling nicely with the olive oil-based sauce. If I hadn’t been out of mushrooms, I totally would have added some….
A bit more parmesan sprinkled over the top is not a bad thing either…
Ingredients:
-Pasta (often capellini or spaghetti)
-Water and salt (follow package directions for cooking the pasta)
-Olive oil and/or butter–approximately 2 tablespoons total
-Ground black pepper to taste
-A cup (or more) of Grated hard cheese (parmesan, Asiago, etc.)
-About a cup and a half total of chopped tomatoes and onions and a tablespoon chopped garlic (or just use salsa fresca or pico de gallo)
-A handful if fresh, chopped herbs that you enjoy (or need to use…) Suggestions are basil, oregano, parsley, and perhaps a bit of mint
Instructions:
Thoroughly wash all fresh herbs and vegetables before chopping them.
Prepare pasta in salted boiling water to al dente. (Al dente means “to the tooth.”) While the pasta cooks, simmer your tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a bit of olive in a small skillet or pan to help take the edge off of the garlic and bring out the onions natural sweetness.
Drain pasta and reserve some of the water.
Return pasta to pan with a bit of the pasta water and a couple tablespoons of unsalted butter or olive oil.
Toss it all together.
Add grated cheese and black pepper. Toss together until sauce the looks smooth and creamy. Add the tomato, garlic, and onions.
Top with fresh herbs and even more grated cheese. Serve and enjoy!
What do you fix for dinner when you have ground beef but can’t decide if you want tacos or meatloaf? Mija recently solved that dilemma at our house by making a wonderful Salsa-Loaded Meat Loaf.
Ingredients
Meatloaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound ground beef
½ cup salsa
¾ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground guajillo pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup sour cream, Mexican crema, or a mix of both
½ cup dried breadcrumbs
½ cup shredded cheddar (or other melting cheese)
Glaze
½ cup ketchup
½ cup salsa (jarred is fine)
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Salsa Lizano
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, then garlic. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Cook until soft, approximately 7 minutes.
Combine in a large bowl: the sautéed onion, garlic, and ground beef.
Combine in a medium bowl: eggs, salt, pepper, ground guajillo, and cumin in a medium bowl. Add the ketchup, salsa, and sour cream. Mix together with a large fork.
Back to the large bowl: pour the egg and spice mixture over the ground beef. Add the breadcrumbs and thoroughly mix by hand.
Place half of the meat loaf mixture into a greased a 9×13 loaf pan. Spread the cheese over it. Then cover the cheese with the remaining meat loaf mixture.
Bake the meat loaf approximately 45 minutes. Ground meat must cook to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Pour any excess juices/grease into a heat safe container to cool for disposal.
For the glaze, stir the ketchup, salsa, brown sugar, and Salsa Lizano together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes. Spread the cooked glaze over the meat loaf. You may wish to save some or make a double batch for serving. Place the glazed meatloaf back into the oven for another 5 minutes.
Serving suggestions
You may wish to use extra glaze, salsa fresca, pico de gallo, queso fresco, queso blanco, cheddar, or avocado slices in plating.
Substitutions
Guajillo chiles are a mild heat pepper with a slightly fruity taste registering 2,500 to 5,000 on the Scoville scale. For comparison purposes, jalapeños are 2500 to 8000 and poblanos are 1000 to 1500 SHU.
Salsa Lizano is a very popular Costa Rican condiment that is found in most Costa Rican homes and restaurants. It is a brown sauce made from a special blend of vegetables and spices that is used to add flavor to most savory dishes and meats. If you cannot find it (my local international grocery store carries it,) it can be ordered online. Some people substitute worcestershire sauces when they run out or cannot access it.
No, I wasn’t out chomping on landscape. Instead, I tried The Burning Bushes Shrub, one of the drinking vinegars, from Glacier’s End. I purchased some earlier in the season from them at The Marion Farmer’s Market. I had tried earlier in the year to get some at the Winter Farmer’s Market (Carbondale Community Farmer’s Market) in Carbondale, but it was always sold out by the time I made it to the high school to shop. That told me it MUST be good!
First, I mixed up a quick marinade for boneless pork chops and added about a tablespoon of the Shrub to it before I dried them off and breaded them…
Then I added a aplash to a vinaigrette for watermelon and arugula salad.
I threw it all together, drizzled on some marinade made by shaking it in a jar with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then I tossed it together with pieces of seeded watermelon, arugula, and queso blanco. (Goat cheese, cotija, or feta would also have been good…) I would like to have added a bit of mint chiffonade for another layer of flavor, but I didn’t want to go out and pick it at the time…
I also mixed a healthy splash with some chilled club soda.
It was pretty refreshing. I decided I might like to add a bit of simple syrup for a bit of sweetness, but it was still good without it. Adding a bit of white wine would probably work well too.
The Burning Bushes Shrub is a combination of elderberry, honeysuckle, strawberry, cayenne, and galangal. I want to try Pearapple Rain next. They actually make a variety of shrubs with unique combinations.
Please note that at this time, a new location for the winter market has not yet been announced. They cannot meet at the high school due to COVID-19 restrictions, but per their website, they still plan to return in December.
Did you know that a good way to stretch ingredients is to make them into a topping for something like smashed potatoes, baked potatoes, salad, pizza, or even nachos? If you haven’t noticed, meat has been more scarce and pricey thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. When all the shelter in place directives first came down, it was very hard to find meat in many grocery stores. (If you were smart enough to go to smaller, locally owned shops, you probably faired a bit better than fighting the hording in the large chain stores…) I literally bought frozen hamburger patties for the first time ever to take them apart in order to have ground beef.
So, in order to feed myself and four hungry teens this evening, I stretched out a pound of thinly sliced beef into a smashed potato topping for loaded smashed potatoes. Sautéing it with sliced onion, mushrooms, garlic, and seasonings bulked it up a bit. Although I’m not as fond of processed cheese slices, they do melt well. Putting a processed cheese single on the smashed potato mound before adding the beef topping adds flavor and dimension.
I like to add another layer of flavor when I boil potatoes by either boiling them in some type of stock or broth. I didn’t really have either on hand, so I added some of the powdered cubito de pollo/bullion to the water along with salt, pepper, and a bit of turmeric. Sometimes I throw in a smashed garlic clove.
Did you also know that you don’t really have to have butter, milk, cream, or sour cream to make smashed mashed potatoes? If you have a creamy salad dressing in the fridge, add enough of it to your boiled (or baked) potatoes to get the consistency you like. It adds flavor and does the trick. I’ve used ranch dressing before, but I used a mix of Caesar and bleu cheese this evening. I also like to add some chives. I prefer fresh, but I had to use dried this evening.
Loaded Smashed Potatoes…with a side of fresh garden salsa. #whatsfordinner #smashedpotatoes #mashedpotatoes #potatoes #shavedbeef #stretchingingredients #tastesofsouthernillinois #asliceofsouthernillinois #mushrooms https://www.instagram.com/p/CDh-dQeJbK-/?igshid=1iu7wfkpmmzjm
Are you searching for a tasty dip or appetizer for last minute company or a get together? This dip is only three ingredients and literally can be made in seconds. All you need is a softened brock of cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese, a packet of Sazón, and some basil pesto.
Ingredients:
1 block of cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese
1 packet of Sazón (found in the Latin foods isle)
1/4 cup of basil pesto
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Adjust to taste by using more or less pesto. Serve with crackers or veggies.
A few years ago, I repurposed a very old mattress box springs into a raised herb garden. The oregano I planted has made it through a couple winters and continued to grow stronger each spring. This is good. Southern Illinois seems to have a climate that pleases oregano.
One of my favorite meal prep uses for oregano is in pesto. The other night, I had walnuts and some manchego cheese nearing their expiration. So, you guessed it. Pesto they became. I tend to switch up the cheese and nut type with whatever I have that seems like it makes sense–such as parmesan and pine nuts or even sunflower seeds. You do want to use a harder cheese, with a consistency such as parmesan, so that you don’t end up with a gooey mess.
Once made, I like to spoon my pesto into pint canning jars and top each with a little pool of olive oil at the top to help keep it from drying in the fridge or freezer. Ideally, the pesto jars should keep for a couple weeks in the fridge or a few months in the freezer. Just make sure whatever you store it in is airtight and kept at a food safe temperature as this is not a canning process. (Simply using a canning jar does not make it canned…) You can also freeze it in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into a freezer bag for storage.
Oregano pesto is handy thing to have in the fridge on standby. It adds an extra layer of flavor to soups and sandwiches and can be added to omelets or egg dishes. Pesto also stands in great as a wet rub on meat. Be creative. It is wonderful as a spread itself or mixed with other ingredients to make other variations.
This is the basic recipe:
Ingredients:
clean, fresh oregano, approximately two to three cups
cheese–such as manchego or parmesan, approximately one and a half cups grated
nuts–such as pine nuts or walnuts, about one cup
juice of one lemon
honey (or sugar), about a tblsp
kosher salt or sea salt
crushed black pepper
one clove garlic, minced
about a 1/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Chop together the oregano, cheese, nuts, lemon juice, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic in the food processor.
2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil.
Add more olive oil for a thinner pesto if desired.
You may also use a traditional mortar & pestle method to combine ingredients if desired.
