Roasted tomato soup

I've used this tomato soup recipe from Smitten Kitchen a few times and LOVE it. Here's why: you do NOT have to peel or seed the tomatoes! So easy!

I've done basil instead of thyme, which is also great. I also haven't ever tried her combined soup + grilled cheese top combination, which sounds amazing - just phoned it in with a bowl of soup and some regulation grilled cheese. It freezes very well, too. Yea!

Note that compared to recipes where you peel and seed the tomatoes, this has a bit more texture to it - as long as you puree it well, there are no actual chunks, but it is not super smooth. I like it this way.

salsa verde chicken enchiladas

I gave this recipe a try because I have a lot of tomatillos - with a little trepidation, since I've struggled with enchiladas in the past. It turned out great!! I made a few modifications, and will re-write the recipe here since you have to follow a handful of links in the original to see all the text.  Of note, the shredded chicken could be used for all kinds of other stuff - tacos, nachos. I did cut it in half, since this is the amount that was needed for the enchilada recipe, but could easily be scaled.

Slow cooker shredded chicken (see blog linked above for a stove-top version)

Put the following ingredients in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours on low (I did 6, which was perfect, though my slow cooker runs a little cool):

• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (organic ones surprisingly affordable at Whole Foods)
• small onion, peeled and sliced
   2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  1 small bay leaf
   1/2 tsp salt
  3/4t cumin
  1/4t black pepper
  chicken stock (or water) - enough to just barely cover chicken   

Once chicken is done cooking, remove it to a cutting board and allow it to cool. If you have a cat, put a collander or something over it (be prepared). Then, shred it using 2 forks. In the meantime, take the cover off the slow cooker and turn it up to high to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Depending on what recipe you are using the chicken for, you could boil some off on the stove. Extra moisture is good for enchiladas, so I did the slow cooker method.

Make salsa verde

Enchiladas verdes -serves 4
Preheat oven to 350
Warm up 1.5 cups salsa verde in a pan on the stove (don't boil) - reserve 1/2 cup (so, need a total of 2 cups salsa verde for this recipe)
Add 1/2 cup sour cream and stir (nb: left over sour-cream based dip works too)
Add 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (see above)  and stir
Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese (1.5 cups cheese total needed for recipe)
Remove from heat
Pour reserved 1/2 cup salsa into a pan - I used a routine-sized rectangular casserole dish (slightly smaller would be optimal)
Spoon 1/3 c chicken/salsa/sour cream mixture into a corn tortilla (taco sized) - need about 12 for this recipe (flour would work too)
place it, seam side down, in the pan.  Repeat until pan is full. You want the individual enchiladas to sort of hold each other up - they should be tucked in pretty snug. I had a little extra room, so I did some rolled but empty tortillas.
Pour remaining salsa over the top.
Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top - I used cheddar and mozzerella (I think jack would be better than mozz), but I didn't have it)
 Cover with foil and bake for 15-25 minutes (goal is to warm everything through - I did 25 bc mine had been in the fridge for a few hours after prep)
Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so to melt the cheese.

Yum!

Sick of summer squash

M is sick of summer squash. Not that he ever likes it, really just tolerates it. We wisely only planted 1 summer squash plant this year in our garden - patapan squash - because even between that 1 plant and the CSA we have had more than enough. It grows really well in Wisconsin (any many other places). Cucumbers grow similarly well, but we like cucumbers much more, so it's not really a problem. I digress.

I really appreciated this dish. It was easy to prepare - I find that many of my favorite vegetable recipes require a lot of peeling, slicing, etc that eats up a lot of time, this one doesn't. It is (almost) a 1 pot meal. M liked it ("well, if you have to eat squash, this tastes OK" "I can't really tell what's squash"). It's also a casserole, but not all stuck together and fatty like a casserole. So, here it is:

Here is the original link:
https://easyfamilyrecipes.com/chicken-zucchini-casserole/

Here is my version:
Preheat oven to 375
Use a medium to large sized casserole dish
Rinse and pat dry 1 package of chicken breast or tenders (about 1.25-1.5 lbs)
 Line bottom of dish with chicken - try to spread out evenly and as flat as possible
Season chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper
Coarsely chop 1 medium yellow onion and 1.5 or so summer squash (I used patapan)
Spread the vegetables out over top of the chicken
Top with a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
Top with dollops of pesto (about 1/4 cup total), torn basil, additional black pepper and garlic powder
Top THAT with about 1/4 lb crumbled feta and about 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bake 40 minutes or so - until thermometer stuck into chicken measures 165 degrees (nb: may have to move it around a little - if it's not in the chicken, but between, it may measure way lower)

Serve over brown rice

Variations: you could truly do a lot with this recipe!
Omit tomatoes
Use different cheese (blue?)
More pesto
No pesto, just fresh herbs
Mix different kinds of summer squash

Serves 3-4

Penne Rigate salad

Adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4767-penne-pasta-with-ginger-and-basil

Serves 4

Add 8 oz. penne and 1/4 t. salt to boiling water.  Bring to a boil again and cook to al dente, 10 - 12 min.  Drain and reserve 1/4 c. liquid.  If you forget to save the liquid, use 1/4 c. vermouth instead.  I used red.

In the same pan (now emptied), melt 1 T butter, add 2 T shallots and 2 t garlic, both chopt.  The NYT includes 1T minced ginger.  Cook til wilted.

Add pasta back to the pan, the liquid, 1 T. butter, 1/4 c. grated parmesan, and 4 T. chopt basil.  NYT adds 1/8 t. pepper flakes.  Mix then serve.

Rhubarb/Raspberry sauce

Yet another use for that rhubarb sour syrup, if you are not making those whiskey sours . . .

In a saucepan combine 2 c. raspberries and 1 3/4 c of the syrup.  Cook for 30 min, then strain.  Meanwhile, mix 2 T cornstarch and 1 T water.  After straining the fruit mix, add this thickener, bring to a boil, and cook 1 min.

Rhubarb pudding

This is based on the recipes for almond milk chocolate pudding and rhubarb sour from this blog, and the one for lemon almond pudding, from this blog:  http://gustia-food-finds-feasts.blogspot.com/2013/03/lemon-pudding-with-fresh-almond-milk.html

In a 2 qt. saucepan, mix

• 1/3 c. cornstarch
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 T. + 1/2 t. lemon zest (one big lemon should suffice), which you first rub with about 1 t. sugar 
• 1 t. cinnamon

Then separately stir together

• 3/4 c. of the rhubarb/lemon syrup from the cocktail recipe 
• 1 egg yolk
• juice of 1 lemon

and whisk this into the cornstarch mixture, over low heat.  Begin adding a total of 3 c. almond milk.  It took a lot longer for this to congeal than happens with the chocolate recipe, so, concerned about the effects of the lemon and rhubarb, I abstained from adding more of these. 

When your whisk leaves marks in the mixture, remove it from the heat, let it cool a bit, add 1 t. vanilla, and pour it into 6 teacups/pinot glasses/ramekins.

It's not a dazzlingly strong taste.  I will serve it with some raspberry sauce cooked with the rhubarb sour syrup.  I am taking it to Suzanne's for a dinner with her and Michael and Meg and Dave Tenenbaum, inaugurating their new dining table.

Rhubarb pie

• 5 cups sliced rhubarb
• 2/3 cup sugar (save 1/4 c for bottom to prevent soggy crust)
• 5 tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom?
• 1/2 t. orange zest or campari?
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter

Try marinating the rhubarb in the sugar mix.  Not having done that, my one venture with this pie suffered from too big a contrast between tart fruit and sweet filling. 

Sprinkle sugar on to purchased crust; add mix; sprinkle chopt butter on top.  Bake 425 for 15 minutes; reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 30 min