Whole Steamed Artichokes with Tomato-Basil Salad Recipe

whole steamed artichokes with tomato-basil salad | pamela salzman

I remember the first time I ate an artichoke, I really ate the artichoke.  Or at least I tried to.  I had no idea that I was supposed to scrape the meat off of the leaves with my teeth and not (attempt) to eat the entire thing.  Ooops.  I just kept chewing and chewing and chewing and thinking, “why on earth do people love artichokes so much?  This is terrible!”  Fortunately, I was taught how to properly eat an artichoke before I swore them off for good.

artichokes

how to prep a whole artichoke

But for many years I thought artichokes were too intimidating to cook at home, and were only a special treat to be ordered in restaurants.  Until one day I saw my grandmother making stuffed artichokes and I quietly stood by and took mental notes.  I’m sure you know what I am about to say.  So easy!  Really, once you learn how to trim an artichoke, the rest is a piece of cake.  I am hoping these photos can help you get past any artichoke anxiety you might have.

ready to be steamed

cooking artichokes

Artichokes are so versatile.  You can eat them hot, warm, room temperature, even cold.  It’s fun to dip the leaves into a sauce or a vinaigrette before nibbling the tender meat on the bottom of the leaves.  Mayonnaise sauces are probably the most popular, but I prefer to keep things lighter and fresher.  I love this artichoke preparation which I first had at the Ivy Restaurant in LA.  I could eat tomato-basil salad on most anything, from fish and chicken to pasta and toast.  On artichokes, this classic combo is just as delicious, with the juice from the tomatoes creating a vinaigrette of sorts with the olive oil.  Love it!

cleaning out the choke

get the chokes out

Artichokes are a good source of folate, fiber, and vitamins C and K. Artichokes are also packed with antioxidants; they’re number 7 on the USDA’s top 20 antioxidant-rich foods list.  I also read somewhere that artichokes used to be considered an aphrodisiac.  Well now.

cleaned out and ready to be filled

tomato-basil salad

I was advised by my produce friends at Grow in Manhattan Beach that artichokes are more tender when the leaves are more closed and tighter than more open.  A little frostbite on the outer leaves is completely fine, just check to make sure the stems don’t have any evidence of rot.  They’re in season now, so get them while you can!

whole steamed artichokes with tomato-basil salad

Whole Steamed Artichokes with Tomato-Basil Salad

Pamela
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Servings 3 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 3 whole artichokes washed
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 lemon halved
  • 1 ½ pints cherry tomatoes quartered (you can also use an equivalent amount of whole fresh tomatoes, diced, when they are in season)
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove minced (or crushed for a more subtle garlic flavor)
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Trim the artichokes: Remove the outer layer of small, tough leaves from the stem end. Trim the stem to create a flat bottom and discard cut stem. With a very sharp serrated knife, cut off the top 1 inch of each artichoke. Use scissors to snip the thorny tips of the remaining leaves. Artichokes should fit into your pot so that the lid fits tightly.
  • Cook the artichokes: Fill a large saucepan with 2 inches of water and add the garlic, bay leaves and lemon. Arrange the artichokes in the saucepan STEM SIDE UP. Bring water to a boil, cover and lower to a simmer. Steam artichokes for 30-45 minutes (depending on the size) or until stem can be pierced easily with a knife. Remove artichokes from the saucepan and set aside until cool enough to handle. I like to put them in a colander stem side up to cool.
  • Make the salad: In a medium bowl combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Remove the chokes: Pull out the center leaves of the artichoke. They are the ones that are closed together and light purple at the top. Underneath that you will see the spiky, lighter leaves around the heart. The fuzzy choke is hidden underneath. With a spoon, scoop out the spiky leaves and the choke and discard. Take care not to remove too much of the meaty heart which sits just underneath the choke. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
  • Arrange artichokes on a platter and spoon tomato salad into each of the cleaned out artichokes.

Notes

These can be served warm, room temperature or cold.  Artichokes can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.  After removing the choke, they can also be quartered, brushed with oil and grilled.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Mediterranean Fish Stew Recipe

Mediterranean Fish Stew | Pamela Salzman

I had some friends over for dinner recently on a Friday and remembered that it is Lent.  Lent starts about 40 days before Easter on Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter.  It is a very holy time for many Christians and I remembered observing as a child.  Traditionally no meat is eaten on Fridays, but fish is acceptable.  During Lent, many observers also give up something pleasurable or something that might be a challenge to go without.  When I was much younger, I asked my mother if I could give up beef or chicken (which I didn’t like) or going to CCD classes (which I really didn’t like.)   And she always instructed me that I was missing the point.  If I needed some ideas, my mother suggested perhaps my sisters and I could give up bickering with each other.  I understand my mother so much more now.

chopped onion, bay leaf and turmeric

parsley, thyme, crushed red pepper

Whether you observe Lent or not, I think you should make this absolutely delicious fish stew.  My family doesn’t love fish as much as I do, although they never complain when I make it.  There are certainly recipes they like more than others, like fish tacos (and who can blame them?) or poached salmon (“because it doesn’t taste fishy.”)  This fish stew was a hit when I made it because all the fish is mixed with other stuff, Mr. Picky explained.  Whatever works!

sliced fennel

wild halibut

This stew is brothy like a soup, but full of all sorts of chunkiness like a stew and you can easily make a meal out of it with a piece of crusty bread.  So I’ll call it a stew.   When I put this together the first time, I was thinking more bouillabaisse, the classic French seafood soup, and less cioppino, the zesty Italian tomato fish stew.   Either way I think this is the perfect light, but warming dinner.  It also cooks in a very short amount of time, so you’ll have it on the table in less than half an hour.  You can also adjust the amount of fish in the recipe without adjusting any other ingredient.  If you want lots of fish because this is your main course, then add another 3/4 pound.  If you’d like to use a mix of seafood, such as shrimp, scallops or mussels, those would all work well too.  The only thing I would advise is NOT to skip the butter.  If you have to go dairy-free, use Earth Balance.  I tried this with all olive oil and surprisingly it wasn’t nearly as good.  In fact, in my next life I’m going to double the butter.    And if you live where the temperature has been freezing since Thanksgiving and you’ve more snow storms than the previous 10 years combined, I give you permission to use as much butter and wine as you want in this recipe.  You’ve earned it!

Mediterranean fish stew | pamela salzman

Mediterranean Fish Stew Recipe

Pamela
5 from 3 votes
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Servings 4 (multiply everything by 1 1/2 to serve 6)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter or organic Earth Balance
  • 1 Tablespoon unrefined cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves sliced
  • 1 fennel bulb halved and chopped
  • 2 medium carrots chopped
  • 2/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped, divided
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • pinch of red pepper flakes or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric optional
  • ¾ pound of fresh tomatoes chopped (peeled and seeded, if desired) or 14-ounce container of chopped tomatoes, drained (I like Bionaturae in glass jars.)
  • ½ pound Yukon Gold or other boiling potatoes peeled if you like and diced
  • 10 ounces 1 ¼ cups of fish stock (or even chicken stock or vegetable stock)
  • 1 cup dry white wine like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc
  • 1 ¼ pounds fish fillets use halibut, cod, sole, red snapper, sea bass, cut into 2-inch pieces (or use more fish and fewer vegetables)

Instructions
 

  • Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, fennel and carrots and sauté for about 6 minutes, until tender.
  • Add half the parsley, bay leaf, thyme, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and turmeric. Gently cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and stir to combine.
  • Add potatoes, stock and white wine. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook, covered until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Add fish and cook another 5 minutes uncovered or until fish is cooked through. (If you decide to use mussels or small clams, simmer with the pot covered until they open.) Add more salt to taste, if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve. Garnish with reserved parsley. Nice with a piece of toasted baguette rubbed with garlic.

Notes

I buy fish stock from the freezer case in the seafood department at my local Whole Foods.  I have also tried a a good stock by Stock Options which I found in the freezer section at Whole Foods.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Pasta with Shredded Grass-Fed Brisket Recipe (slow cooker version, too!)

pasta with shredded grass-fed beef brisket | pamela salzman

Just because I don’t eat meat, doesn’t mean my family doesn’t love it and ask for it.  So I will make it on occasion, but my rule is that it has to be grass-fed.  Read my other brisket post about why.  I make beef more in the winter than in the summer because it has a very warming thermal nature, and becomes even more warming when cooked with onions, which means it can actually raise the thermostat in your body and heat you up a little.  Perfect these chilly nights, and I know so many of you have been suffering through the worst winter ever!  It’s almost over! (I hope!)

pat meat dry, season and sear

chop veggies

I’ve been making a version of this recipe for about 15 years, and my grandmother made something similar which everyone loved.  Of course grandmothers never write recipes down because they don’t measure anything (a pinch of this, a sprinkle of that.)  Thank goodness for google which helped me come up with a great roadmap for one of my family’s favorites.  In fact, my older daughter has requested this dish many times for her birthday in past years!

dry red wine and organic diced tomatoes in a glass jar

brisket and sauce before and after

This is different from the brisket I learned how to make for Jewish holidays.  That brisket is braised in an oniony sauce as well, but it’s sliced whereas this one is shredded and the sauce is more tomato-veggie, much more Italian.  We used to eat this over wide pasta, like pappardelle or fettuccine or egg noodles.  But spaghetti and even orecchiette are great.  Since I don’t make as much pasta as I used to, we have been enjoying this more over cauliflower mashed potatoes or polenta.  For those of you who are hooked on spaghetti squash, I think this would be great on it!

cut and shred

Brisket is one of those very tough cuts of meat that can only be made meltingly tender by cooking it low and slow for a long period of time with lots of moisture.  Don’t try and grill, sear or stir-fry brisket.  You’ll end up with the toughest, chewiest meat ever.  Yuck!  You can also use chuck roast in this recipe since that cut also needs a long, low and slow preparation.  Since it takes three hours minimum to cook, you’ll need to get this going early in the day or do it in a slow cooker, or make it the day before and reheat it.  All methods will result in a super soft, very flavorful brisket and sauce.  Although I personally think the flavor is a little better the next day.  And, this will freeze beautifully!  I think this sounds like a good weekend project for those of us who will be stuck inside from monsoon rains (not complaining, just saying) or the bitter cold.  Hoping this can help you find a way to stay cozy this weekend!

pasta with shredded grass-fed beef brisket | pamela salzman

Pasta with Shredded Grass-Fed Brisket

Pamela, adapted from epicurious.com
5 from 1 vote
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½-3 pound piece of brisket preferably grass-fed
  • sea salt or kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil divided
  • 2 large onions chopped
  • 2 medium carrots chopped
  • 2 medium stalks of celery chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 2 cups rich chicken stock or beef broth use whichever you have that’s homemade
  • 1 14- to 15- ounce can diced tomatoes or 18-ounce glass jar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 pound pasta cooked and drained

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pat brisket dry and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large oven-proof pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the meat on both sides until nicely browned, about 12 minutes total.
  • Transfer meat to a platter. Add 2 Tablespoons oil to the pot and then add the chopped vegetables and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté over medium heat until tender and golden.
  • Stir in the wine, stock, tomatoes and bay leaves and deglaze the bottom of the pan by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and place brisket back in the pot. Cover and transfer pot to the oven. Braise the meat for 3-4 hours or until tender enough to shred with a fork.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer meat to a cutting board. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Remove excess fat from the meat, cut into 2-inch chunks, and shred with two forks.
  • If you would like a smoother sauce, pureé the vegetable mixture either directly in the pot with an immersion blender or in a food processor or blender. Otherwise you can leave it chunky. This can be done a day before and reheated in the same Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove.
  • Add the shredded meat back into the sauce and stir together. Serve over cooked pasta or polenta, millet-cauliflower mash, mashed potatoes or cauliflower-mashed potatoes.

Notes

Use less liquid if you want less of a sauce.
SLOW COOKER VERSION
-Sear meat on both sides in a skillet or Dutch oven.  Transfer to slow cooker.
-Saute vegetables until tender.  Season with salt.
-Deglaze pan with 2/3 cup wine, 1 ½ cups stock and same amount of tomatoes as stove-top recipe, making sure to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.  Transfer contents plus bay leaves to slow cooker.
-Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours or HIGH 4-5 hours.  Proceed with remaining steps 4-6 above.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Chicken tikka masala recipe

chicken tikka masala | pamela salzman

Did you know that Chicken Tikka Masala is the most popular dish in Indian restaurants in the US and it’s not even Indian?  Nope, you won’t find families in India sharing Tikka Masala recipes because as the story goes, this dish was created in a London curry house.  Interesting, no?  Did you know I had the most difficult time trying to make this dish look appetizing in these photographs?  Just needed to get that off my chest.

marinate the chicken in yogurt

Regardless of what it looks like, I love this recipe and so does my family.  It is so full of flavor and very easy to make.  Chunks of chicken are smothered in a rich sauce of tomatoes, spices and some coconut milk to balance it all out.  Normally heavy cream is used in tikka masala, but coconut milk is the perfect substitute and I actually like it here better than cream.  Yum.  For you do-aheaders, you can make the masala sauce the night before and then cook the chicken right before dinner, heat up the sauce and you’re done!  Prepping in advance like that is my ace in the hole, allowing me to pull together a delicious and healthful dinner on a busy weeknight with no stress.  It’s like having a jar of tikka masala sauce from Trader Joe’s in the pantry.  But before you think about doing that, as much as I like Trader Joe’s, this sauce blows theirs away.   Fact.

garam masala and jarred tomatoes

We eat this with my Indian Basmati Rice and Peas recipe and a green vegetable, either green beans, spinach or even a green salad.  You can go even simpler by making some plain steamed rice and that is perfect here too.  The only ingredient you’ll need for this recipe that you might not have is garam masala, which is a sweet and spicy (not hot-spicy) spice blend that contains coriander, green and black cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, and cumin.  All awesome anti-inflammatory and warming spices which are great for your health and perfect for this time of year as the weather starts to cool off a bit.  Of course you can make your own by toasting the whole spices and grinding them up and I am sure that would make a world of difference in your cooking, BUT…I kind of don’t have time for that so I think store-bought garam masala is perfectly fantastic.  All the markets in my area carry garam masala, but you can order it here if you can’t find it.

garlic and ginger

 

stir coconut milk into the tomato-spice mixture

I am also very excited that my Whole Foods started carrying organic tomatoes in a glass jar by Jovial Foods.   Very excited!  Remember, canned tomatoes contain tons of BPA which is toxic, especially in large doses for kids.  You already consume BPA in places you can’t control (water, eating in restaurants), so try and avoid it when you can.  Unfortunately, I have yet to find a company that doesn’t use BPA in their canned tomatoes.  Pomi is what I normally use since the tomatoes are boxed in BPA-free tetra-paks, but the tomatoes are not organic.  Not ideal, but Pomi says they don’t use pesticides.  Anyhow, now my tomato dreams have come true with Jovial Foods and you can also find them on amazon.  Is there anything you can’t find on amazon?  Just a random thought.

broil the chicken, turning after 6 minutes

While we’re talking about making our lives easier, the classic way to make the chicken in tikka masala is to marinate it in yogurt, which tenderizes it, and then broil or grill it.  I know some of you are not going to want to use yogurt on chicken and I know others will not want to grill.  No problem.  If you want this to be authentic, you’ll follow the recipe.  If you’ve never had this before and won’t know the difference, by all means grill or roast plain chicken seasoned with salt and pepper or roast a whole chicken and cube up the meat.  The tikka masala police are not going to get you in trouble.  Can you tell I am giving you every excuse to make this??  Let me know if you do!

chicken tikka masala | pamela salzmam

chicken tikka masala | pamela salzman

 

Chicken Tikka Masala

Pamela, adapted from The Pioneer Woman
5 from 1 vote
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 Tablespoon sea salt divided
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ cup plain whole yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons ghee clarified butter or unrefined coconut oil
  • 1 large onion finely diced (you can do this in a food processor)
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 2- inch piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons garam masala
  • 2 pounds fresh peeled and seeded tomatoes, diced (or the equivalent of boxed or jarred tomatoes, about 28 ounces)
  • 1 Tablespoon maple sugar coconut sugar or natural cane sugar
  • 1 cup coconut milk preferably full-fat (you can use the whole can if you want the sauce to be creamier)

Instructions
 

  • Place chicken in a dish.  Mix 1 teaspoon salt, coriander and cumin together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with spice mixture and pour the yogurt over the spiced chicken breasts.  Turn to coat well.  You can do this several hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to cook.
  • Preheat broiler to high and set the oven rack on the second level.  Line a baking sheet with foil.
  • Place a metal cooling rack on top of the foil-lined baking sheet and arrange the chicken on top of the rack. Broil for 5-7 minutes on each side until charred but not burned. Chicken should be cooked through.  Remove from oven and set aside.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Add onions and cook until tender and slightly browned. Stir in garlic, ginger, 2 teaspoons salt and garam masala.
  • Add diced tomatoes and continue cooking and while scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  • Add sugar, lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened.  Pour in coconut milk.
  • Cut chicken into chunks (remember, it should be cooked through) and stir into sauce until heated through.  Taste for seasoning.  Serve with basmati rice.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

Butternut squash and chickpea stew recipe

butternut squash and chickpea stew | pamela salzman

I have been consistently making Monday our meatless night, although I often have another vegetarian dinner during the week as well.  This week I was excited to cook something with one of the many winter squashes I have bought recently.  I taught this vegan butternut squash and chickpea stew last February and I was waiting for the change in seasons to make it again.  As opposed to most stews, this one doesn’t take hours to cook and was perfect for a busy weeknight.  Actually, I was so busy on Monday that I had to serve it with white basmati rice instead of brown rice (nobody’s perfect!)  I also made a delicious kale salad with avocados, pomegranates and sliced almonds.  It was the perfect meal for me.  I also love this stew because it can be made the day before and reheated, or made earlier in the afternoon and left on the stove, off the heat, until dinner time.

brown onions

coconut oil and onions

 

spices

I was really delighted that my son, also known as, but soon to be formerly known as, Mr. Picky, ate everything on his plate (kale, chickpeas, carrots, onions, rice) except the butternut squash.  This is major progress and I am very encouraged by how far he has come since the days not too long ago when he wouldn’t have eaten a single bite of this stew.  Small steps, but they all get there eventually.

butternut squash

stew in the making

This stew has a little bit of a Moroccan kick to it.  I used really flavorful (and anti-inflammatory) spices like turmeric, ginger, coriander and a little cayenne.  The cayenne gives it just enough heat, but not too much that you would think this is spicy.  I think this would be delicious for a Halloween dinner, whether you are entertaining or just filling everyone up before trick-or-treating.  That’s my strategy, you know.  I don’t prohibit the kids from eating a little candy on Halloween night, but I give them a nice hearty, substantial dinner so they’re not hungry when they leave the house.  Pretty tricky, Mom!

butternut squash and chickpea stew | pamela salzman

Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

Pamela, inspired by epicurious.com
5 from 4 votes
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Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil or olive oil I use coconut oil and I really like Barlean’s
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt + extra for seasoning at the end
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric feel free to add more if you like it
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
  • 3 cups 1-inch cubes of peeled butternut squash about 1 ½ pounds
  • 2 large carrots peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • 1 pound fresh tomatoes peeled, seeded and diced or 14 ounces boxed, drained
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15-ounce can drained and rinsed
  • a handful of golden raisins or currants
  • 1 cup chicken stock vegetable stock or water

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute or until fragrant.
  • Add salt, pepper and all spices to the onions. Sauté for a minute.
  • Add the squash and carrots and toss to coat with the spices.
  • Add tomatoes, lemon juice, chickpeas, raisins and stock/water. Bring to a boil and cover. Lower the heat and simmer over low or medium/low heat until squash is tender and flavors have melded, about 40 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add extra salt and pepper as desired.

Notes

Feel free to stir some spinach or chopped chard leaves in at the end.  Delicious served over quinoa, millet, rice, spaghetti squash or couscous.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

How to make slow roasted tomatoes

slow roasted tomatoes | pamela salzman

Someone leaked to Mr. Picky that in one of my recent posts I was guessing that he wouldn’t be showering regularly at camp.  It wasn’t a judgment on my part, just an observation from past history.  However, it seems as though Mr. Picky interpreted that as a challenge.  What you might not know about Mr. Picky is that he is competitive to a fault.  He also loves statistics and keeps track of everything, especially when he’s first in something.  But believe me, his “firsts” are not what you might expect.  “Hey, Mom.  Did you know I was the first one down for breakfast 8 days in a row?”  Or not firsts.  “Mom, guess what?  Guess what, Mom?  I was the second youngest at camp.  By 20 days.”  So I wasn’t entirely shocked when Mr. Picky said to me the other day that he’s on a showering streak.  Huh?  “Mom, guess what?  I have showered 37 days in a row!  For real.  I’m not even joking.”  I need to blog more about him not eating cooked vegetables. slow roasting tomatoes

Well, Mr. Picky had to come from somewhere.  Guess what, friends?  I’ve eaten a tomato in some way, shape or form every day for the last 24 days and I’m not even joking.  Whereas I fear Mr. Picky is on a quest to find his way into some imaginary record book for showering, my daily tomato indulgence is for pure pleasure.  Furthermore, I know my streak will come to a sad end in a few months when tomato season is over. raw tomatoes prepped for roasting

I have a total obsession with summer tomatoes.  I always have.  When I was little, I would take a salt shaker into my father’s garden and have a tomato party.  First, I would pluck a nice ripe tomato off the vine.  For the first bite, I always had to shake a tiny bit of salt in my mouth and then take a bite of tomato.  Salt doesn’t stick to a whole tomato.  After that bite, I would shake the salt on the cut part of the tomato and eat away.  My mother told me a few times I even ate several green (underripe) tomatoes and made myself a bit sick to my stomach.

slow roasted tomatoes | pamela salzman

But I am only interested in local, summer tomatoes.  Nothing else compares and I wouldn’t even waste your time on tomatoes before June or after October, and even that is pushing it.  So right now, I’m in my glory and I am snatching up different varieties every week.   So happy!  And tomatoes are amazing for you – I just posted something on my facebook page yesterday about all their health benefits.

grilled veggie and hummus sandwich with slow roasted tomatoes

Something I just started making the last few years are slow roasted tomatoes in the oven.  Damn!  Have you ever tried these?  I’m not talking about sundried tomatoes, which for some reason I don’t like.  Slow roasted tomatoes are super-sweet and moist.  You can cook them as long or as little as you like, but I prefer to bake them until their texture is like moist, dried apricots.   So darn good and soooooooo easy!  It’s barely cooking, people.  And you can use them in a million ways.  Delicious on an antipasto platter, with crusty bread, eggs/frittatas, sandwiches, salads, in pasta, etc.  How could I forget straight-off-the-pan?  Such deliciousness if you have patience to slow cook them.  I figure since I waited all winter and spring for tomatoes, what’s a few hours?

slow roasted tomatoes | pamela salzman

 

 

 
 
 

 
 
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A post shared by Pamela Salzman (@pamelasalzman)

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Pamela
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Ingredients
  

  • 12 plum tomatoes* halved lengthwise
  • 2 cloves garlic thinly slices
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • unrefined olive oil for drizzling
  • sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 275 F degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper or use a 13 x 9 baking dish. If you want to make more tomatoes, use a large baking sheet.
  • Arrange the tomato halves, cut side up, in one layer on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Place a sliver of garlic on top of each tomato and scatter the thyme sprigs over. Drizzle a little oil over the tomatoes and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake until desired texture is reached. I like to go 3 hours. More time will result in drier tomatoes. Less time will result in juicier tomatoes. Ovens also vary, so check tomatoes periodically.
  • Store in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to a week. Covered in oil, the tomatoes will last a few weeks. You can also freeze them right on the sheet pan and when the tomatoes are frozen, transfer them to a covered container to freeze (ideally a freezer bag that is as small as will fit the tomatoes.)

Notes

*You can also use halved cherry or grape tomatoes and cook for less time.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

Baked Parmesan Chicken Caprese Recipe

baked parmesan chicken caprese | pamela salzman

I hope you all had a lovely Fourth of July and that you had a day off of work at the very least.  If there’s one thing I think many of us need more of it’s a little rest and relaxation.  We had a nice mellow day with friends and no work all day at all.  Nice.  In fact, I even watched a little tv while I was putzing around the house before going out.  Computer time has wiped out my tv time in the last few years, so watching tv is a real treat for me.  Although it’s funny that when I have time off from work (i.e. cooking), I choose to watch the Food Network or the Cooking Channel.  I have my favorites to be sure, but some of the really popular shows I just don’t get.

Can anyone explain the appeal of “Chopped?”  I’ll tell you one thing — it’s not “reality” tv.  What’s reality about being given a bunch of ingredients not normally found in a regular person’s pantry and being forced to have to make something tasty out of it given the resources of an unbelievably stocked pantry?  I have learned so much from watching Ina and Giada and Tyler, but there isn’t much I get out of seeing what three chefs can do with graham crackers and squid in 30 minutes.  Does that show talent?  What do you think?

Let me tell you what I think takes some skill — making dinner for my family on a typically insane weeknight.  You think the judges on Chopped are tough.  Ha!  They eat everything, even cheese, unlike Mr. Picky.    Try making dinner for Daughters #1 and 2 and Mr. Picky under a time constraint.  During the girls’ finals week earlier last month, I had a day that did not go as planned and I found myself in a dinner prep predicament.  We always eat dinner together every night around 6:30/6:45 and I thought this was one of those nights, but no.  Daughter #1 had a study group at 6:30 and Daughter #2 switched her music lesson without telling me and she would be coming home at 6:15.  I found all of this out at 4:30 and I had soccer carpool to do.  Oh sure, easy, right?

Do the contestants on Chopped have two teenage girls yelling at each other about the last ugly photo one posted of the other on Instagram?  They do not.  And Mr. Picky is not bouncing a basketball in the kitchen while the chefs are trying to figure out what to make for dinner very quickly with the contents of a very basic pantry.  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  Ok, think.  Do some prep now, then you have 15 minutes when you get back from soccer drop-off before driving to music.  “But the picture you posted of me was much worse than the one I posted of you!”  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  I have chicken, tomatoes, white rice is fast, thank goodness I washed lettuce yesterday.   “Mommmmmmm, did you see what she’s getting away with?  So many people liked that picture already!”  “Really?  They liked it?  That’s good, right?”  “OMG, Mom!  No they didn’t like it!  Make her delete it!”  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  I can bread the chicken now and bake later.  “I am NOT letting her drive me to school anymore.”  Whoa there, missy.  Now you’ve got my attention.  “Delete it this minute!”  Bounce, bounce, bouncety-bounce!  “STOP PLAYING BALL IN THE HO– USE, MR. PICKY!!!!”  Can you imagine doing this sober?  Why don’t I drink?  I need to rethink that.

I know this isn’t just my house, or maybe it is and I am deluding myself.  But I think a lot of home cooks have skills that you just can’t learn in culinary school or by watching some pros on tv.  I managed to pull something together that night that we ate at exactly 6:15 and we all liked it!  I would have likely gotten “chopped” on tv for something so unoriginal, but this is the kind of food we like to eat and it’s reasonably healthful.  One of the reasons this worked for me that night is because I was able to bake the chicken instead of sautéing/frying it.  I didn’t know if it would work, but I learned the technique of getting crispy breading by greasing up the chicken with some fat before dredging it from an old Gourmet magazine recipe.  That way, I didn’t have to babysit it on the stovetop, plus baking is more healthful than frying and MUCH less messy!  This would also be a great method to use when cooking for a crowd.

Speaking of cooking for a crowd, for the next episode of “Chopped,” I’d like to see a challenge where the chefs have to prepare a dinner party for 12 guests in Los Angeles.  “Oh, sorry, no gluten for me.”  “If you don’t mind, I don’t eat dairy.  Or meat.  Or eggs.”  “I’m easy.  I eat everything except nuts.  I am deathly allergic to all tree nuts.  Deathly!”  Now that’s something I would watch!

 

Baked Parmesan Chicken Caprese

Pamela
5 from 2 votes
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Servings 4 -5

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 ball fresh mozzarella cubed (about 4 ounces), optional
  • 2 -3 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil plus more for coating chicken and pan
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 large leaves of fresh basil chopped
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt divided
  • 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup grated Pecorino-romano or Parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a baking sheet generously with olive oil. You can line your baking sheet with parchment paper if you want and then brush the parchment with oil.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, basil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  • In a shallow dish (such as a pie plate), combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and paprika. In another shallow dish, pour a few tablespoons of olive oil.
  • Slice the chicken crosswise in half so that you have two thin cutlets. Check out this post for a visual on what I'm referring to. You can remove the tenders if you wish and coat those separately. Sprinkle one side of the chicken pieces with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. This is the total amount of salt and pepper for all the chicken.
  • Dip the seasoned chicken first into the olive oil and turn to coat. Then dip chicken into the breadcrumb mixture and press to coat both sides completely.
  • Place the breaded chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn chicken with a spatula, not tongs which might break the breading, and bake another 3-5 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
  • Remove garlic cloves from tomato mixture and discard. Spoon tomato mixture on top of chicken.

Notes

This serves our family perfectly with no leftovers, but we're not big meat-eaters.  If one chicken cutlet is not enough per person, then increase the chicken and breading ingredients.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Slow cooker vegetarian chili with sweet potatoes (stovetop version, too!)

As I type this, my slow cooker has been on for 36 hours straight.  Is that allowed?  I am officially obsessed and I completely understand why you all have been too while I was under a little rock.  Wow!  I made this awesome sweet potato chili the other night, then washed out the insert and put in some beef bones to make beef stock while I slept.  Then the next morning strained the beef stock and made a grass-fed beef brisket with veggies that I turned into a delicious sauce for pasta.  I’m on fire!

Are you gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday?  I love football, so I am always excited for the big day.  What I’d really like to know though, is why does everyone make chili for the Super Bowl?  Or a lot of Tex-Mex food?  I take that back.  My family in NY will be eating sausage and peppers and a baked pasta of some sort.  Maybe it’s just Southern California, but everyone I know is ripening their avocados for guacamole to go on top of their tacos or nachos or what have you.   Just curious since I am one of these people too and I’m not quite sure how I got to be.

I do try and mix it up a little every year, but somehow chili makes it onto the menu in some way.  I have been alternating between Vegetable Chili (my favorite) and Deer Valley Turkey and Black Bean Chili, which I serve alongside a baked potato bar, corn bread and Mexican Chopped Salad which I have a feeling doesn’t resemble anything you’d get in Mexico but sure is the perfect salad to go along with everything else Tex-Mex-y.  I’m in a bit of a conundrum this year with only two days to go until Super Bowl Sunday because I have no menu yet!  There are too many things I would love to make, including this fabulous chili as well as Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos or even this terrific-looking vegetarian tortilla soup recipe I spotted on Foodily.  Alas, I have a mere one slow cooker.

Fear not, good people.  I will share with you how to make this recipe on the stove in case you either do not have a slow cooker (yet) or you only have one slow cooker and you are planning on making my slow cooker chicken tacos.  I like to have a good balance of different food groups even on Super Bowl Sunday so that it’s not just chips and animal protein all day long.  Personally, I think chili is an easy dish to do vegetarian.  All those beans are super high in fiber and protein so they’re really filling and it’s the spices that make everything taste delicious, not the meat.  This chili is really interesting because it includes a bit of sweet potato, one of my most favorite foods.  There’s a touch of cinnamon and cocoa powder which you can’t really taste, but pairs great with the chili powder.  I didn’t add any leafy greens, but in retrospect I think a few chopped leaves of chard, spinach or kale would have been a nice addition at the end.  This Super Bowl I’m rooting for you to eat something healthful!

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes

Pamela, adapted from CookieandKate.com who adapted it from Real Simple, both via Foodily
5 from 4 votes
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined olive oil or skip this if you don’t want to pre-saute vegetables
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 sweet red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 jalapeno diced (remove seeds to make it less hot or use half or omit altogether)
  • 4 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika optional
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1-2 teaspoons sea salt depending on salt in tomatoes
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 28- ounce container chopped or diced tomatoes with the juice I prefer to use Pomi from a box or tomatoes in glass jars to avoid the inevitable BPA in canned tomatoes.
  • 1 ½ cups cooked black beans or 1 15-ounce can drained and rinsed (click here to learn how to cook beans from scratch, otherwise Eden Organics doesn't use BPA in their cans)
  • 1 ½ cups cooked kidney beans or 1 15-ounce can drained and rinsed
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes about 1 pound total, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 cup water use 2 cups water if cooking this on the stove

Instructions
 

  • Omit this step if you cannot bear to pre-cook anything when using a slow cooker. I like to sauté my vegetables because I think it adds more flavor, but feel free to dump everything (omit the oil) into the slow cooker and press “start.” Otherwise, heat oil in a large skillet (if not using a slow cooker, sauté in a large pot) over medium heat. Add onion, peppers and garlic and sauté until onions are tender and translucent, about 6 minutes.
  • Add spices, salt and pepper and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. If your tomatoes are unsalted, use 2 teaspoons salt.
  • Add tomatoes and their liquid and cook for another minute or two.
  • Pour the onion and pepper mixture into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Stir in beans, sweet potato and 1 cup water. (If cooking on the stove, add remaining ingredients to the pot plus 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook until sweet potatoes are tender and everything is nice and thick, about 1 hour.)
  • Cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
  • Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with desired toppings such as tortilla chips, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and sour cream.

Notes

I have also served this with cooked quinoa and millet, which was delicious. Also, I think adding some chopped fresh leafy greens about 10 minutes before serving would be very nice, too. Swiss chard, spinach and kale would all work well.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!