Recently I asked my Instagram followers (@awomancooks) what they would make with a big tomato harvest, and I got a resounding chorus of “Tomato Pie!”. Tomato pie is not something I am very familiar with. I am purist when it comes to home grown tomatoes. I eat them sliced with a little salt, in a Caprese salad, or in a sandwich (tomato or BLT only!). The idea of layering them in a pie crust and cooking them with a mixture of cheese, mayonnaise and fresh herbs seemed a sure way to hide the flavor of the tomatoes. But I was wrong. After a lot of research I made some tweaks ...
Main Courses
PEAS AND PASTA or PASTA AND PEAS?
When I told my daughter about this dish, I called it a Pea Dish. She laughed and said, “Mom, that’s a pasta dish.” Peas and Pasta or Pasta and Peas, it is delicious. Tender fresh peas are tossed with pasta, cheese and basil then topped with crispy bits of bacon for a light meal or side dish. It’s easy, quick and delicious—the trifecta of recipes. I was gifted with a bumper crop of peas this year, but you can use frozen ones if fresh peas are unavailable. The pasta is similarly a matter of choice. The only requirement is that it be a small pasta, close to the size of the ...
SAUTEED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH FRESH BLUEBERRY SAUCE
About halfway through my 2 quart basket of blueberries I decided that any true exploration of the ingredient required exploring its use in savory dishes as well as sweet baked ones. I looked to chicken for this. Americans have been pairing poultry with berries since the Civil War when General Grant served cranberry sauce to his soldiers along with turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. Like the cranberry, blueberries are native to North America, making Chicken and Blueberry Sauce a close cousin of our Thanksgiving favorite. The blueberries bring a subtle sweetness to the dish which is ...
CILANTRO AND LIME AVOCADO SLAW
Replacing mayonnaise with avocado in the Cilantro Lime Sauce for this creamy slaw results in a rich and healthy Asian style slaw, perfect for using with fish dishes, in sandwiches or by itself! The seeds for this recipe were planting in Hong Kong in 1986. On one of my first forays into the local cuisine, I took a boat to the island of Lantau where I sat in a plastic chair at a rickety table on the waterside of the South China Sea. I was served a dish of fried rice with the freshest possible shrimp. It was delicious. But there was something in it I had never experienced before, a green ...
CHICKEN POT PIE
What do you think of when you think of when you think of chicken pot pie? I think of my childhood. Swanson's Frozen Chicken pot pie was what my mother left for us when she couldn’t be there to make dinner. My older sister would take them out of the freezer, one for each of us, and bake them in the oven. Sometimes, rarely, when they were ready, she let us take them downstairs to the playroom to eat in front of the TV. The thick white gravy would be bubbling up through the crust as I used my fork to break through to the pieces of chicken, peas and carrots inside. The salty ...
CARROT BEURRE MONTE SAUCE WITH PASTA AND SEAFOOD
Was it two years ago I went to Alaska? Yes. Two years since I rode with my family on a bus headed to Denali National Park and a cooking class with Chef Laura Cole of Top Chef fame. Two years since I dined on homemade pasta topped with fresh (never frozen) Alaskan King Crab and the most unlikely and scrumptious carrot sauce I have ever had. Two years and and then the world transformed, making that trip seem like a life time ago. After our lesson and meal, Chef Cole gave us the recipe and I put it in a file and then misplaced the file. But things have a way of ...
SHEET PAN DINNER POT LUCK: BUTTERNUT SQUASH, APPLES AND BRATWURST
Half pieces of vegetables in the refrigerator and partial packages of frozen meat are an inevitable part of living by yourself. Things just don’t come in single person sizes. You may very good at planning out menus and using everything up or you may be like me and save the unneeded portions until it is a question of toss it or use it. Today is a use-it day. I really didn’t feel like going to the store so I went to my fridge instead. And I found half a butternut squash, half an onion, some apples, and some frozen bratwurst. And carrots. (I always have carrots). This calls for a ...
LEARNING FROM THE BEST: BBQ COUNTRY STYLE RIBS
I am obsessed with the American BBQ Showdown on Netflix. It’s weird, I know. I don’t do a lot of bbq, mostly leaving that to my skilled and capable son-in-law. I love BBQ but it’s always seemed a little one note to me. However, there’s not a lot that’s new on TV these days and this show caught my eye. I’m so glad it did. I have learned a lot about meat and Southern sides and the vast array of people who love to make it. Kevin Bludso and Melissa Cookston are the judges and they are good. Melissa in particular knows how to cook the meat and sides. She can spot a mistake from a ...
AUTUMN FIGS AND PORK TENDERLOIN
Summer's end is approaching and the arrival of fresh figs in the market is the inspiration for this dish of Roasted Figs and Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary. Have you ever noticed how the light changes two or three hours before sunset? The shadows have not yet begun to length but the sun has passed the meridian and its position lower in the sky alters the way the light hits objects in the distance. A golden glow, softer than the harsh rays of midday, is imparted to the world around us. It is my favorite time of day. A brief hour of peace before the activity of the evening. I often ...
WATERMELON CHICKEN AND SPICED GRILLED WATERMELON
A visit to Glen Falls in Highlands, NC is the inspiration for this Watermelon Glazed Chicken with Spiced Grilled Watermelon Slices I went to Highlands in the mountains of North Carolina this weekend where, due a fortunate accident (a tree fell across the road about a mile from the parking area), we were able to see Glen Falls in relative seclusion. It’s a spectacular three-tiered waterfall which drops about 700 feet in total and is, understandably, very popular. The tree had fallen the night before after a torrential rainfall. We were there early, before it was cleared, and few people ...
