Scottish oatmeal with Cranberry-orange compote for a *snowy* day

A thrilling and arousing event took place on Friday, my friends: it snowed in Houston!   A rare sight in our subtropical part of the world, it caused squeals of excitement that could be heard all the way from the end of the street!  The earliest snowfall in any year on record, some areas near Galveston received as much as one to three inches.  Quite an experience for some kids who have only seen the white powder in pictures.

The following (cold and icy) morning our droopy roses looking like they were made of crystallized sugar.

And the clouds gave way to beautiful crystal clear skies.

With all the Holiday parties, cookie exchanges and baking, it’s a good idea to make sure that one’s system is moving, if you know what I mean!  Oatmeal is a heartwarming way to start the day, especially when you’ve braved a snow storm and sub zero temperatures, such as we have! 

I like to use Scottish oats because they are ‘steel-cut’ and minimally processed . The oat groats are ground into a coarse meal, resulting in a chewy, yet creamy oatmeal.  Irish oats (also steel-cut) are coarser, and must be cooked longer.  Steel cut oats differ from rolled (old-fashioned) oats because rolled oats are groats that have been flattened and softened into flakes which are then steamed, thus allowing them to cook quicker.  High in iron, protein and fiber, it is best to cook steel-cut oats al dente to maintain their nutritional benefits.  Instant oats are precooked, prefabricated and dried and provide far fewer nutritional benefits.  The faster the oats cook, the quicker they will cause a spike in insulin - so don’t bother with Instant oats at all, plus the packets are loaded with way too much sugar. 

Fresh cranberries are a staple in my refrigerator at this time of year, but they can and should be eaten year round - they freeze well and maintain their juices and flavor.  I must be one of the few crazy people who can tolerate their tartness and eat them raw…pucker!   I’m always looking for new and inventive ways to incorporate them into our meals and desserts, other than with the standard turkey or ham stay tuned for more recipes.  They are loaded with Vitamin C and are high in fiber and when made into a tangy compote, they will perk up your everyday oatmeal!      

Scottish oatmeal for two

½ cup Scottish oatmeal (I like Bob’s Red Mill, available in many grocery stores)

pinch of salt

1½ cups cold water

pinch of ground cinnamon

milk, optional

Whisk oatmeal, salt and water in a small pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low and allow oatmeal to cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and serve with cinnamon, Cranberry-orange compote and a little milk, if you so wish.

Cranberry-orange compote for two

½ cup fresh cranberries

1- 2 tablespoons white or brown sugar

zest from about  half an orange

¼ cup water

Place all ingredients in a small pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 8 minutes or until the cranberries are soft and the compote has thickened.

Serve hot with Scottish oatmeal.

I couldn’t resist grating some extra orange zest on top of it all!

Prijatno!

Chicken Marbella - in honor of Sheila Lukins

Last Sunday, a pioneer in the American culinary world died.  Sheila Lukins, the creative master behind The Silver Palate cookbooks and The Silver Palate gourmet store in New York City, introduced me to pine nuts, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and pasta primavera when I first became interested in cooking. 

Sheila graduated from the Cordon Bleu School in London.  Back in New York, she began a catering business aimed primarily at bachelors.  She was their ‘little woman in the kitchen’ and her motto was “So discreet, so delicious and I deliver!”  She later met Julee Russo, an accomplished cook herself, who was ready to leave the corporate life and start her own business.  The two opened a tiny shop called The Silver Palate that produced simply prepared but delicious food ready for entertaining or an impromptu picnic.  Using only high quality ingredients, their food was an artful balance of color, texture and flavor, and also a feast for the eyes!    

 Through her unique cookbooks, Lukins (with Russo) helped me understand gourmet cooking.  The Silver Palate Cookbook and The New Basics Cookbook include easy-to-follow recipes based on authentic European cuisine.  Every page is peppered with a menu suggestion, a quote, historical fact or a valuable tip on how to entertain like a pro.  Sheila’s whimsical illustrations complement the clear-cut recipes.   Some of my favorites include Roast Lamb with Peppercorn Crust (my friend Chantal still talks about the time I served her that one!), Chicken Liver Pate with Green Peppercorns, Wild Mushroom Soup, Carrot Cake and a fabulous Bread Pudding accompanied by a very ‘adult’ sauce (think whiskey!).

Sheila’s All Around the World Cookbook includes recipes from her travels to 33 countries.  I continued to learn from her for 23 years through her Simply Delicious column in Parade magazine (the one that comes in the Sunday paper) where she succeeded Julia Child as food editor in 1986. 

Chicken Marbella is a recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook that became the signature dish at the Manhattan store.  I imagine it’s being made in many kitchens this week.  I recently left a batch marinating for Favorite Son and his roommate, Sam.  The evening they roasted it, he texted me that “The chicken was delicious.  I was just ripping it apart then eating it from the bone!” 

From The Silver Palate Cookbook: 

This was the first main-course dish to be offered at The Silver Palate, and the distinctive colors and flavors of the prunes, olives and capers have kept it a favorite for years.  It’s good hot or at room temperature.  When prepared with small drumsticks and wings, it makes a delicious hors d’oeuvre. 

The overnight marination is essential to the moistness of the finished product:  the chicken keeps and even improves over several days of refrigeration;  it travels well and makes excellent picnic fare.

Since Chicken Marbella is such a spectacular party dish, we give quantities to serve 10 to 12, but the recipe can successfully be divided to make a smaller amount if you wish.

Chicken Marbella

Yields 16 pieces, 10 or more portions

4 chickens, 2 ½ pounds each, quartered

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed

¼ cup dried oregano

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes (I also like to add dates, dried cherries and dried figs)

½ cup pitted Spanish green olives (I add a few Kalamatas as well)

½ cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white wine

¼ cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper, coarse salt, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over chicken.

Following the advice from Sheila’s Silver Palate Notebook: 

Successful flavoring depends on many things.  To appreciate this fully you must experiment…..Next time combine meat with fresh fruit.  You may feel the need to experiment with small batches at first; as your confidence and your palate develop, you will learn to create boldly, trusting in the results.  You will be a cook. 

To my Chicken Marbella I added some dried cherries, kalamata olives, fresh oregano from the garden, and peeled and cubed potatoes 20 minutes before the end of the roasting period. 

Thanks, Sheila, for teaching me how to entertain, for expanding my horizons, and for giving me confidence in the kitchen.  I cherish your recipes and thank you for sharing them with us.  You will be missed!

Prijatno!

The St. Patrick’s Day post, a week late!

Update: Please click on the 'comments' section at the end of this post for the recipe for Irish Whiskey Pound Cake.

Due to technical difficulties (ok, it’s blogger incompetence!), I was unable to post during our ski trip in Crested Butte. So here it is, a week late! The Irish Whiskey Pound Cake I made to celebrate the occasion is at the very end.

Top of the morning to you on St. Patrick’s Day! We are enjoying the beautiful slopes of Mount Crested Butte, Colorado. Because our blood is sub-tropic thin, we are fair weather skiers and March is the perfect time of year for us Texans to invade the quaint mountain villages of this awesome state!

Since this trip was very last minute in planning, and by then the price of plane tickets was way out of our reach, we did the second best thing: we chose to drive the 1,100 miles from Houston to Crested Butte, with an overnight stop in Trinidad, CO. Ten people, 2 SUV’s – believe it or not, it was a breeze!

Taking a break along the Arkansas River in Colorado

Delicate aspens grace the snow

We are very thankful and fortunate to be staying in the private home of Lois and Gerry Pate. The house is a short walk from the ski lifts and includes two large balconies with mountain views.

Teague and Mark enjoying a Linne Calodo 2006 Leona’s

The spacious dining area

And cozy fireplace

The kitchen is very well equipped – it even has a pastry cutter! We are cooking most of our meals with pleasure and ease: spaghetti Bolognese, migas, chili, fresh apple crumble, buttermilk pancakes, fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken, banana pudding, and pork chops with applesauce and succotash.

Check out the breathtaking view towards the small historic town of Crested Butte from the window

The house if very tastefully decorated. I love the detail in the backsplash.

It takes a lot of guts for a woman in her forties to take up snowboarding! It’s been a challenge, and a lot of fun for my sister, Vesna, to keep up with her family of snowboarders. There is more ksh, ksh, ksh and fewer bruises every year!

You have always been athletic and determined – stick with it sistuh!

When Emilia was about 10 years old, she came home from her first snowboarding lesson, sat down and drew a pie graph to describe her day. It went something like this: 60% on bum, 20% trying to get up, 10% on lift, 6% waiting for lift, and 4% snowboarding!

You’re quite accomplished now, my little Longhorn!

Alex’s ‘Mental’ cap makes it’s appearance every year!

Even though I had just finished breakfast, I couldn’t refuse the offer of hot chocolate and home-made biscotti at the top of the Silver Queen Express. “You could have said ‘No Thank You’, “ piped Vesna, at the sight of me dunking!

Who am I to refuse these two charming CB hosts?

Teague and Emilia watching the activity on the slopes

Jovan ‘owns’ the snowboard – he’s swift and graceful and the sight of his goggles and helmet prompted me to call him

Astroboarder!

These four daring young men ventured where the rest of us dare not!

Clear blue skies all week

Happy at the end of an excellent day on the mountain

Oh yeah…the recipe! Before we left home, I made an Irish Whiskey Pound Cake. Dried cherries, blueberries, pineapple pieces, cranberries and apricots are soaked in Irish whiskey. The Irish meaning of whiskey is ‘water of life’. I guess it explains how the Irish earned their ‘spirited’ reputation!

The zest of a lemon and toasted chopped almonds round off the flavors. The icing includes a generous helping of Bailey’s Irish Cream!

A slice of this dense and hearty cake is the perfect accompaniment to a strong cup of coffee. And it’s tasting better every day!

Until next time, here’s an Irish blessing for you:

May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

Prijatno!

FBI Rukavice (Gloves) and Medena’s Moist Yogurt Cake!

When I first discovered food blogs last year, I was happy to see several wonderful blogs by my fellow Slavic sisters! These ladies can bake, shake, dice and shoot (pictures, of course!) with the best of them.

I am thrilled to be connected to the talents of Marija, Medena, Vera, Maslinka, Maxiene, and other great bakers and cooks at NikkiL, Nlo and Cuisine by Monsoon. Reading their posts brought back memories of food I ate as a child when my sweet Baba (grandmother) lived with us in South Africa. She was the primary cook in the family while my parents ran the family business.

FBI is an acronym for Food Blog Inspection. Rukavice (gloves) is the Slavic version started by Mamajac of Cooks and Bakes blog. This month, at Marija's recommendation, we inspected Medena's blog, Cafe Chocolada.

I have already made several of Medena’s recipes and none have disappointed! Her blog is colorful and informative and full of traditional desserts from the ‘old’ country. Fabulous!

When I first saw Medena’s: Moist Yogurt Cake with Tart Cherries, I immediately thought of my friend Beth. Beth is a lover of anything tart – green apples, green bananas, lemon filled desserts and anything with cranberries. Beth loves cranberries - I’ve even taught her to enjoy them raw! Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C. I guess that’s where she gets the energy to run her diminutive body all over the tennis court and chase all the balls down, even when she’s playing a doubles match! A real go-getter, you’ve got to love her!

So, with Beth in mind, I substituted cranberries for the tart cherries. I decided to make a small 6” cake for her and 12 muffins for the rest of the tennis team. The muffins and cake were moist and fluffy when baked, thanks to the addition of yogurt.

Here are my additions to the original recipe: I added 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (to get an extra ‘rise’), 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind and1 teaspoon lemon juice to the batter. Instead of the vanilla sugar, I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.

I topped the cake and muffins with my Cream Cheese Icing:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy and combined. Add sugar, essence, lemon rind and juice. On low speed, beat until just combined. Raise speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Ice cakes or pipe on muffins.

Prijatno!