Month: August 2017

Me and CT

Once upon a time, there were two girls in High School, in the Senior Class Play, and they were the Nurse and Juliet. They spent the whole summer together driving around in a Chevette, and doing “drive bys” of the houses of the boys they had crushes on.

Then came college, and careers, and marriages, and divorces, and children, and heartache, and high points, and celebrations, and family. Through it all they had each other. They still do today.

The Infamous Chevette

When I say she is one of the great loves of my life, its no small thing. If you are lucky enough to have a friend who kisses your head when life bottoms out, and brags about you when you do something well, and has your back when you get hurt, you are one lucky person. Hey, she’s seen me breastfeed two babies. She knows the dark ugly parts. That’s love.

SO, when this amazing person sends me texts of her homemade ricotta, I said, “You know, you could always be a guest blogger…” and boom, here we have our first guest blogger, even if this blog is brand-spanking new.

May I introduce, CT. Yes, CeeTee. Or Ceet, if you are asking Siri to call her on my phone…

Before I was born, my parents owned a small ranch on the other side of town.  When I was in high school I learned they sold that house to my friend, Chrissy’s, parents.

What I did not know then was that she would become my best friend in the world. You know, that person you can talk to about the most intimate details in your life, the one who never judges you when you’ve done something monumentally stupid, but will do her utmost to make sure you don’t do it again.

The one you can call at 2:00 in the morning when your world is falling apart.

And the one you can be your truest self with.  All the time.

And she grew up in my parents’ house.

My mother is one of the most artistic and creative people I know.  She knits, sews, crochets, paints, gardens, cooks and can do any pinterest project better than the original.  And with one exception, neither my sister nor I have inherited any of her talents.  I cannot sew on a button.  I paint outside the numbers, I kill plants routinely.  I once crocheted a snake… that’s as good as I got with that.  I was able to absorb some of her cooking skills, but truly only a fraction of her talent in the kitchen.

But you know who did inherit all of my mother’s creativity and talent, my friend, Chrissy.  We’ve joked for years that my mother left all of her creative genes in the house.  And as you can see from here, Chrissy has cultivated those talents and skills.  I’m just lucky to be blessed with two such amazing women in my life, especially when I need something creative done.  Thanks, Chrissy for letting me guest blog.  I’m not sure I’m worthy of such an honor, but homemade ricotta cheese is worth it….

Ricotta Ingredients

For the past two years, I’ve been obsessed with ricotta cheese.  I cannot get enough of it.  My favorite pizza place makes a Farmer’s pizza featuring roasted eggplant, spinach, caramelized onions and gorgeous creamy decadent globs of ricotta cheese.

I routinely make ricotta toast.  This can be either a savory or sweet treat.  My favorite savory preparation involves an Ezekiel grain or other whole grain, nutty bread, toast it, spread a generous amount of ricotta on it, sprinkle the ricotta with fresh ground pepper, and top with thick slices of tomato that have been salted.  I call that meal my lunch, snack, dinner or I just want to eat gobs of ricotta right now.

The Birth of Ricotta

On the sweet side, I toast a hearty bread, top with ricotta (a good ¼ — ½ inch – you cannot have too much!), drizzle with honey and top with whatever fresh berries or fruit you like and have in your house.  When I have an extra minute and a lemon in the house, I’ll squeeze a bit of lemon juice and a pinch of zest in my ricotta before I top my toast.

I haven’t mentioned it yet, because I think it does not need to be said, but you cannot use skim milk ricotta.  It is awful.  There’s no nice way to say it.  It is not even a close approximation of the real thing.  It is rubbery, has zero taste and is just BAD!  Do not use it.  Ever.  Walk the extra mile, spend a little more time at the gym, but for the love of all that is holy, use whole milk ricotta cheese.  Every time.  There are no exceptions to this rule.

Straining the Ricotta 

I’m passionate about my Italian cheese, what can I say?  So, when twice recently I was at restaurants that served house made ricotta cheese, you can imagine my delight.

And then I thought, wait, is this a thing?

Can I MAKE ricotta cheese?

My dear friends Google and Pinterest soon turned up lots and lots of recipes and lo and behold the answer was YES!!!!

With minimal ingredients and effort, you can make your own ricotta.  And, today I did.  And Holy Mother of God, it was fanfreakingtastic.

Finished Product…Ta-DA!

I used lemon juice as my acid which resulted in a slightly lemony ricotta and I’m not mad at that, at all!  But I’ll probably only use this batch for sweets (read: eat it straight out of the bowl with a spoon).  Next time I’ll try vinegar to see how that works.

Fresh Homemade Ricotta and Berries

The basic recipe I used was the one from Barefoot Contessa, because she’s my idol, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/homemade-ricotta-recipe-1923290

but most of the recipes I saw were very similar.  I’d love to tell you how my family and friends liked my first foray into cheese making, but I’m not entirely convinced that I’ll share any of it with anyone.

Thanks for being my person, Chrissy!  I love you enough that I’ll save you a bit of ricotta, but you better come over fast.

Back to Chrissy:

Since the recipe is originally from The Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network, I am pasting the original link above into the recipe, but I have not changed one thing, I don’t mess with Ina’s recipes. They are basically perfection.

I am always proud of my friends and their kitchen achievements, so be on the look out for more guest bloggers!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Ina Garten’s Ricotta Recipe

Print Recipe

• Author: Ina Garten

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 Cups Whole Milk
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 3 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

Instructions

1. Set a large sieve over a deep bowl. Dampen 2 layers of cheesecloth with water and line the sieve with the cheesecloth.
2. Pour the milk and cream into a stainless-steel or enameled pot such as Le Creuset. Stir in the salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute until it curdles. It will separate into thick parts (the curds) and milky parts (the whey).
3. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes, occasionally discarding the liquid that collects in the bowl. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker the ricotta. (I tend to like mine on the thicker side, but some prefer it moister.) Transfer the ricotta to a bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining whey. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The ricotta will keep refrigerated for 4 to 5 days.

2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?, All Rights Reserved

Fresh Summer Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder is on the regular rotation during the cooler months, when the world is dark and cold and gray.

In New England, once it turns cold…it stays cold for a long time. So a warm sunny yellow bowl of chowder is a welcome friend (you can be friends with your food, right)? It wasn’t until this summer when local corn is everywhere and on sale that my daughter said, “you haven’t made corn chowder in a long time.” Well yeah, because its something I make in the winter to bring back fond memories of summer.

Of course, traditionally I make it with frozen corn and in the crock pot. So, I got to thinking, could I make this recipe using fresh corn instead? Wouldn’t the best time to make corn chowder be when you can buy the ears down the road at the farm? The result? Best Corn Chowder I have ever made.

I’m not going to lie, in the realm of recipes this is a moderate level. It requires chopping and sauté-ing, and a run in with a blender. But, I have faith in you. You can do this. It’s not nearly as difficult as any of the other things you do in your day. I promise.

One dozen ear of corn, seven raw, five cooked. I cut the corn off of the uncooked cobs and set it aside. Cooked the remainder of the corn like you would for a barbecue, boiled it in water with salt and a little sugar. Set aside. When cool enough, slice the corn kernels off of the cooked cobs and keep them separate.

This soup has potential to be very healthy, vegetarian, and nutritious (the nice version).  By NOT using the bacon (naughty edition) and sautéing the vegetables in olive oil, you will get a tender, flavorful base for this recipe. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and to thicken, take 1 and 1/2 C of the cooked kernels and pulse in a blender with milk or almond milk. Add this to the soup and you are done. It is delicious. 

However, in my house, chowder means a certain creamy expectation. With most likely some shredded cheese, and a dash of hot sauce, and then there is the bacon. SO naughty. So so good.

I started with thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch dice, and browned it until cooked but not crispy. Add the onion, diced red pepper, carrots, and celery. When the vegetables are tender, toss in the uncooked corn and move those babies around in the pan until they are a bright yellow. Place all of the vegetables into a stock pot. Add 64 oz of chicken broth, and most of the cooked corn from the cobs that were boiled.

Would you need to do two types of cooking of the corn for this? I don’t know. I liked the ideas of layering the flavor. When you slice fresh corn off of the cob verses cooked corn, there is a definite difference. The two types  also gave different corn consistencies, if there is such a thing. Have ever had a child with braces or who didn’t like to hold the ear of corn? You know exactly what I am talking about, those little slabs of cooked corn that come off in chunks add something to the finished product (note this doesn’t have any potatoes in it at all – so we need to have variety in flavor and color).  Anyway, if you wanted to skip this step, it’s your chowder.

I saved 1 1/2 cups of cooked corn kernels and blended them with skim milk in an attempt to thicken the chowder without adding heavy cream or cheese.  I then added this mixture to the chowder and gave it a good stir.

When my daughter tried it she said, “Are you adding cream? This needs something.”

It didn’t need anything. It was delicious. As will yours be.

I was once voted class angel in my high school senior year. I think I even had the nickname Sister Christine for a while. Truth be told, I’m always going to be that girl.

BUT NOT WHEN IT COMES TO CHOWDER! 

I added heavy cream, shredded sharp Vermont cheddar, hot sauce, and boom. Naughty edition was served.

I’d like to tell you my tasters thought, “Meh, the first one was better.” They didn’t. Naughty edition won out.

Life lesson learned, Corn Chowder is not only for the winter. In fact, summer Corn Chowder, be it naughty or nice, is lovely indeed.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Printable Recipe

Nice or Naughty Summer Corn Chowder

Nice or Naughty Fresh Summer Corn Chowder

chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients:

3 slices thick sliced bacon

½ Celery stalk

12 fresh ears of corn

5 Cooked – sliced from the cob

7 Raw – and sliced from the cob (reserve 1 ½ C

Corn for food processor/blender)

¾ C Milk

64 ounces (2 containers approx.) chicken or vegetable broth

1 Red Pepper diced

¾ C Carrot diced

½ Yellow Onion, Diced

1 C Cream

1 C Shredded Sharp Cheddar

1-2 dashes of hot sauce

Instructions:

Dice thick sliced bacon into ½ inch slices, place in pan over medium heat and cook. Add diced onion and red pepper and carrots to pan, saute until vegetables are soft and onions are translucent. Add raw corn kernels to hot pan and stir until bright yellow.

Move all vegetables and bacon to stock pot and add stock over medium heat. Add cooked corn, reserving 1 and ½ C. Place reserved corn into blender with milk, and puree. Add puree to soup to thicken.

Allow soup to warm through, Add cream, cheese, and hot sauce. Stir and continue to heat until cheese is melted through.

Serve and enjoy!