Highfield Hall: Cooking in Twos

The kitchen at Highfield Hall is a fun place to cook. I blogged about this wonderful restored mansion back in November when it was all decked out for the holiday season. In addition to decorating a tree, I've also done cooking demonstrations over the past few years. While you have all the modern conveniences available  in the kitchen now, the old cast iron stove that was left in place draws me back to the days when the Beebe family entertained their summer guests in the 1870's. How wonderful those events must have been.

Highfield Hall, built in 1878 (photo courtesy of Historic Highfield Hall)

Today Gail Blakely, food writer for the Falmouth and Mashpee Enterprise, runs the culinary program and does a terrific job putting together an interesting schedule of demonstrations, cooking classes, and special events. She asked me if I would participate in a program she's called Cooking for Twos. She explained that the hands-on class would be limited to five twosomes (couples, best friends, any combination of two would do) and they would do most of the cooking. We'd develop the menus, do a minimal amount of prep work, and help as needed during the class. After the meal was complete we would sit down together and enjoy the meal.  Sounded like a great idea to me.

The Cooking for Twos Series:
March 3: English Pub Favorites
March 24: Chinese Take Out
March 31: Regional Italian Specialities

Our first class, English Pub Favorites, was a blast! We had four couples who enthusiastically dove into the tasks at hand.

Menu for English Pub Classics:

Rosemary Walnuts
Welsh Rabbit with Toast Dippers
Bubble and Squeak
Fish Cakes
Beef Guinness Pie
Roasted Asparagus
Banofee Pie 

Gingerbread w/ Whipped Cream

Gail prepared the walnuts ahead of time so we could nibble on them while cooking, and I prepared the gingerbread.

We set up stations for each  item on the menu, along with the ingredients and the recipes. Each couple took over a station and got to work on their contribution to the meal.

This hands-on format was a nice change from the cooking demonstrations that I've done in the past. While I've enjoyed sharing my love of food and cooking with others, this format allowed me to interact with the participants, and get to know them a bit.

The Welsh Rabbit was served as a dip with toast points:

The Bubble and Squeak was a new dish for me, and I loved it as I'm crazy for cabbage. It's kind of an English version of a potato pancake:

The fish cakes, made with cod, were dipped in panko breadcrumbs. They cooked up beautifully with a nice golden crust, and were simply delicious:

Our pastry team did a beautiful job on the Beef Guinness Pie with their own special tribute to Gail. They also prepared the Banofee pie for dessert which we all enjoyed.

Our wonderful volunteer, Joanne, prepared the roasted asparagus and set our lovely tables:

 

Cooking has a way of opening people up, and as we all sat down to enjoy the fruits of our collective labor it made for a warm, friendly and thoroughly enjoyable meal. It was Gail's idea to set up the tables in the kitchen which  was the perfect place to get to know some very nice people, a little bit better.

Take a look at the culinary schedule of events at Highfield Hall. Gail is always creating new classes, workshops and programs. The mansion is beautiful, and the kitchen is a great place to spend a little time while you're there.

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Ahead

Spring Ahead Vegetable and Bean Soup

This soup straddles two seasons. The addition of the turnip is so reminiscent of winter, and the summer squash and zucchini anticipates the flavors of the spring and summer months. It's really a minestrone, prepared with a chicken stock following my recycled chicken soup recipe. I used a chicken carcass that didn't have much meat left on it, but I knew I could get a tasty broth out of what remained. With the addition of yellow turnip to the chicken soup preparation, and then beans and a few more veggies, the result was a nice rich minestrone.

Follow the instructions here to make your chicken stock. I added 1/2 of a yellow turnip, or rutabaga (cut into two pieces). When you remove the carrots and celery leave the turnip in to cook for the duration. It adds great flavor. Remove it at the end and dice into 1/4 inch cubes which you can add back to the soup, with the carrots and celery, once you've strained it. NOTE: I didn't have much meat on the chicken carcass so I just strained the soup and added the veggies back into the broth. I made this on Friday and put the chicken soup in the fridge until today. Like most things I think it tastes better if it sits for a while, and it only took a short time to finish it off today.

Final steps: Warm the chicken soup over medium heat. Add a 12 oz can of diced tomatoes and one can of organic kidney beans. Allow to simmer for 1/2 hour.  Quarter one small zucchini and one summer squash lengthwise. Cut into 1/4 cubes. Saute them in olive oil until softened, then add them to your soup. Cook for another 15 minutes. Add 1/2 bag of baby spinach and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Serve your soup with a sprinkle of your favorite grated cheese. You can also add a little bit of pasta cooked al dente. Always keep the pasta separate from the soup until you're ready to serve. It will get overcooked and mushy if added to the pot, and it tastes so much better when added at the last minute. Enjoy!

Baked Haddock with Nepalese Dal

Once again I set out to buy one thing, but ended up with something else. Tonight I was looking for some nice wild Atlantic salmon to poach and serve over the lentils, but ended up with some very fresh haddock. So I baked it with a little tamari, mirin, sauteed red peppers and Victoria Taylor's Toasted Sesame Ginger Seasoning.

Place the fillets in a baking dish, or on a cast iron skillet. I used my new Mario Batali pizza pan, which worked well. Sprinkle the fillets with tamari, mirin, red peppers (I sauteed them quickly in just a little canola oil and tamari to soften), and a sprinkle of the sesame ginger seasoning:

 

Chop 1/2 bag of baby carrots. Saute in a little canola oil and about 1 tbsp of butter. Cook in a cast iron skillet over high heat until just golden. Add the juice of 1/2 small lemon, a tsp of mirin, and some fresh chopped dill and saute for another 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.

Bake the fish in a 425 degree oven for 5 minutes. Then turn on the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Place the fillets over lentils, and serve with a side of carrots. The mix of flavors was really tasty, and this one definitely falls into the category of a healthful meal.

Nepalese Dal made with French Lentils

This recipe came to me from my sister, whose family hosted an elite climbing Sherpa from the Kumbu region of the Himalaya in their home for many years. Nima Tashi has reached the summit of Mt. Everest at least 12 times, and that in itself is a feat that I can barely comprehend. Oh, and because Nima lives in the village of Pangboche, which sits at an elevation of 13k feet (3785M), he can stand on the summit of Everest sans oxygen. Truly amazing!

He shared much of his Nepalese culture with our family, a culture that revolves around the principals of kindness, compassion, and community as it's rooted in Buddism. Nima personified those qualities in all that he did. From his incredible skill and endurance as a climber who helped so many survive the grueling conditions in the Himalaya, to his gentle touch at landscaping a yard here on Cape Cod. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does, and his presence was a joyful addition to our family.

Nima Tashi on top of the world, photo from Joseph Acero

Part of Nima's job as a climbing Sherpa is to cook for his clients, and he's very good at it. He shared several of the traditional Nepalese dishes with us, and one of my favorites is momos and dal baat. The momos, or steamed dumplings, will have to wait for another post, as I still need a lesson from my sister for those. Today we'll tackle the dal, or lentils.

Nima's Dal

1 lb of dried lentils (I used small french lentils which are superb, but regular lentils are fine)

1/2 sweet onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

2 tsp of ground ginger

2 tsp of curry powder (yellow)
1 tsp tumeric

1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro

salt

Wash the lentils and allow to drain:

Chop the onion and garlic:

Add about a tbsp of olive oil to a sauce pan, heat, then add 1/2 of the chopped onion and garlic, 1 tsp of curry, 1 tsp of ground ginger, 1 tsp tumeric and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 3 minutes, then add the lentils and saute for another 3 minutes:

Cover the lentils with water (about 1/2 inch above the lentils):

Cook over medium heat (gentle boil), covered, for about 20 minutes. Now add the remaining onions, garlic, ginger, curry, another pinch of salt, and a little more water so the lentils are covered by about a 1/4 inch of water. Continue cooking, covered, over medium heat for another 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender.

Remove the cover and cook until the water is mostly absorbed. There will still be some water when you dig into the lentils. Add the chopped cilantro and combine well:

These are great served with rice, that's the baat part of dal baat. I'm off to purchase some fish that I'll poach and serve over mine. Enjoy!

Lemon Scallion Chicken

Last night's dinner was supposed to be chicken picatta, but I didn't have capers so it transformed into this:

 

Flexibility is a useful trait, especially in the kitchen. I try to keep the pantry stocked with essential ingredients, but occasionally I overlook a few. So when that happens I substitute, and in this case I had a bunch of slightly wilted scallions that needed to be used, so lemon scallion chicken it would be. I was also eager to try out my new mallet (purchased through  Michael Ruhlman's Open Sky shop) and pounding chicken breasts is step one in this recipe. 

Just a quick aside on OpenSky. This new e-commerce site allows talented food folks like Michael to recommend products that they personally love, and use in their own kitchen. OpenSky sources the products Michael recommends and then they're offered through his "virtual shop" at competitive prices. It's a personal recommendation from a person you trust. So far I'm a satisfied customer.

Now back to making Lemon Scallion Chicken:

4 boneless chicken breasts (organic)

1/3 cup of whole wheat flour

1 lemon

1 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup chicken stock (packaged is fine)

1 bunch of scallions

Cover the the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound until they are about 1/4 inch thick. This mallet has a flat side, the two sides you can see here, and a side with smaller bumps. I pounded the breasts with the smaller bump side and then the flat side:

Add about 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to your saute pan, then heat the oil. Dredge the breasts in some whole wheat pastry flour, then place in the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and cook for about 4 minutes on each side:

Place the cooked breast on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Now add 1 bunch of sliced scallions to the pan and saute for a few minutes:

Add a tablespoon of fresh parsley, chicken stock, and the juice of one lemon. Sprinkle with a little of the leftover flour to thicken. Place the breasts on a platter and pour the sauce over them. These chicken breasts were juicy and oh, so tender! Michael's magic mallet did the trick.

Wordless Wednesday: Croatian Olive Oil