Day Thirty-Two

She Said:

Continuing on with our own Julie/Julia Project, here's what we made from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman.

Chicken Curry with Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch strips
1½ cups fresh or canned diced tomatoes (we used fresh)
1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (we used flat-leaf parsley - my life will be much better if I just skip cilantro for the most part)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne
Hot cooked basmati rice, to serve

1. Blanch the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the onion and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, jalapeño, ginger, and curry powder. Sauté until the onion is tender and the spices are fragrant, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

3. Add the chicken and sauté, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, and green beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the cilantro and basil. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Add the cayenne to taste, starting with just a pinch and adding more, depending on how hot you enjoy your curries. Simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Serve hot over a bed of rice.

I don't know what it is about the flavor of curry powder and we've only made four or five curry dishes in our lives but the flavor just gets into my head to where I start to crave it. I was so happy to have this last night. It was really delicious, healthy, and had a really nice heat. We do like things hot so we went a little heavy on the cayenne and I think it was just right.

Normally, I like this kind of spicy food with a good dry Riesling. So we opened a good dry Riesling. Before taking a bite of dinner, the wine was just wonderful - fruity, slightly sweet, perfect for a warm day. But then it just did not pair well with the food. It wasn't horrible but we did it no favors by pairing it with this dish. Maybe we needed a Riesling that wasn't quite so dry, who knows. But after dinner, we finished the bottle and it was quite good again. Weird.

Day 32/365:Recipe 22/175

Day Twenty-Five

She Said:

We made a side dish with our dinner with friends on Friday and it counts toward our own Julie/Julia Project. This is from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman.

Scalloped Green Beans

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ cups milke
1½ cups grated sharp Cheddar
2 pounds green or wax beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (7 to 8 cups)
1 onion, halved and sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dried bread crumbs, or ½ cup fresh (we used fresh)

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with butter.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste. Stir in the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

3. Layer the beans and onion in the baking dish, generously sprinkling with the salt and pepper as you layer. Cover with the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the dish.

4. Bake for 60 minutes.

5. Serve hot.

This was a pretty easy and tasty side dish. However, given the choice, I think I'd just go with plain old oven-roasted green beans. You just can't go wrong with that.

Oh, and in the course of looking through the cookbook, we discovered that we had inadvertently made another recipe back on Day Nineteen. It is this:

Herbed New Potatoes

2 pounds new potatoes, scrubbed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (dill, oregano, chives, savory, chervil, tarragon, parsley, marjoram, alone or in any combination)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring about an inch of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the potatoes in a steaming basket, cover, and steam for 25 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.

2. Transfer the potatoes to a warmed serving bowl. Pour in the butter, and sprinkle the herbs and salt and pepper over the butter. Toss gently. Serve immediately.

The only difference between this recipe and what we did on Day Nineteen was that we didn't melt the butter. Pretty good for making it up on the fly! Anyway, this way of making new potatoes is divine. I heartily recommend it!

Day 25:365/Recipes 17 and 18:175

Day Nineteen

She Said:

Much cooking and prep work was done today. Mostly by He. I was sort of a slug. I did the shopping this morning and then I had to run around to a few other places (including a butcher) to get the things I couldn't find at Wegman's.

Did you know that beef shoulder is bolar roast? I didn't but I learnt that at the butcher today. Interesting!

So, Day Nineteen of our own Julie/Julia Project consisted of two recipes from Serving Up the Harvest by Andrea Chesman and one from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten. All were delicious!

First, the ones that count toward our project.

Tzatziki

6 cups quartered and thinly sliced cucumbers (peeled and seeded if desired) - we actually diced them, as we expect for tzatziki
1 teaspoon salt, or more as needed
2 cups Greek yogurt or sour cream (we went with the Greek yogurt)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine the cucumbers and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a colander and toss to mix. Let drain for 30 to 60 minutes. Transfer the cucumbers to a clean kitchen towel and pat dry.

2. Combine the cucumbers, yogurt, and garlic in a large bowl. Season generously with the pepper and more salt, if desired.

3. Set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to develop for at least 30 minutes before serving.

That last step is essential. You truly need to marry these flavors to get the full enjoyment of this dish. We sampled it today but plan on snacking on it tomorrow with some fresh naan. We LOVE naan!!

And now the second recipe from Serving Up the Harvest.

Roasted Green Beans

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse-grained sea salt or kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450℉. Lightly grease a large sheet pan or shallow roasting pan with oil.

2. Arrange the green beans in a single, uncrowded layer on the prepared pan. Drizzle the oil over the beans and roll the beans until they are evenly coated.

3. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until the beans are well browned, shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking.

4. Transfer the beans to a shallow serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the salt. Serve immediately.

These beans were a side dish to the recipe that we made from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, which was this recipe.

Mustard-Roasted Fish

4 8-ounce fish fillets such as red snapper (we halved this recipe and used the two halibut fillets we had in the freezer)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces crème fraîche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with the salt and pepper.
Combine the crème fraîche, two mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoons pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.

This was delicious! A wonderful sauce for any kind of fish or even chicken. And, following Ina's suggestion, we served the fish with steamed new potatoes and the above green beans. We tossed the potatoes with a little butter, kosher salt, and chopped fresh chives. Excellent meal!

Day 19/365:Recipes 14 and 15/175