Coconut Rice

Serves 4-6.

From Steamykitchen.com

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups jasmine rice, washed and drained well
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (shake can to mix well before opening)
1  1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Heat butter a medium saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, add brown sugar and salt, stir until dissolved. Turn heat to high, add rice, and stir until the grains are coated evenly. Add coconut milk and water. Stir. Once boiling, cover with tight fitting lid, turn heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat but do not open lid. Let sit for 10 minutes.

While rice is cooking, toast coconut flakes on a dry skillet over medium high heat. Stir frequently to avoid burning, remove from pan as soon as coconut is golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Fluff rice with fork and serve topped with toasted coconut flakes.

Zucchini Bread

Makes 2 loaves.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

3 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup applesauce

1 scant cup white sugar

1 scant cup brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 ½ cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Spray two 8x4 inch pans with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and cool completely.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Good to the Grain, Kim Boyce.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

3 cups whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour)
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. chocolate, roughly chopped into ¼-inch pieces, or chocolate chips

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to blend.

Put the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, mix just until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate, and mix on low speed until evenly combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then use your hands to turn and gently massage the dough, making sure all the flour is absorbed.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, one dozen cookies per sheet. Refrigerate remaining dough.

Bake for 11-14 minutes, until cookies just begin to turn a golden brown. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Rich and Creamy Homemade Ricotta

From smittenkitchen.com

Makes 1-1½ cups  ricotta.  

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon coarse sea salt

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour the milk, cream, and salt into a large nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat mixture to 190 degrees F, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from scorching. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, stirring gently once or twice to combine. Let sit undisturbed for five minutes.

Line a colander with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the colander and let the curds strain for 1-2 hours, depending on desired firmness. It will continue to firm up as it cools. Discard the whey and transfer the ricotta into an airtight container. Refrigerate and use within 3-4 days.

Candied Cherry Tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons butter

3 sprigs thyme

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Salt to taste

Heat olive oil over medium to medium-high heat in a medium skillet.  Add cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes begin to soften and the skins start to split. This should take about 5 minutes. Add butter and let melt. Add sprigs of thyme and brown sugar, and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Season generously with salt. Lower heat so mixture doesn't boil, and gently cook until sauce is thick and syrupy, and the tomatoes are soft and beginning to collapse, about 5 more minutes.

Serving suggestion:

Serve warm atop baguette slices spread with homemade ricotta.

Chicken Under a Brick

Serves 4.

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 whole chicken, butterflied (or cut up)

1 tablespoons butter

In a small bowl, mix together garlic, thyme, lemon zest, 1/3 cup olive oil, and some salt and pepper to taste.

Place whole, butterflied chicken or chicken pieces in a Ziploc bag or a shallow dish. Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours to overnight, the longer the better.

After the chicken has marinated, remove from fridge. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wrap two large bricks in foil for weighing down the chicken. You can also use a heavy cast iron pot and wrap the bottom in foil. A skillet weighed down with cans also works.

Preheat a large, heavy, oven-proof pan on the stove top on high heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and the tablespoon of butter. Heat until hot but not smoking or burning.

Remove chicken from marinade. Season with salt and pepper and pour lemon juice on top. Add to pan skin side down. Place bricks (or heavy pan) on top of chicken to weigh down. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the skin has a nice golden brown sear. Transfer chicken, with bricks still on it, into oven and roast another 15 minutes. Remove weights, flip over chicken so it is skin side up, and roast until cooked through, about another 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Pesto Sauce

Serves 6.

1 pint cherry tomatoes, preferably heirloom

1 clove garlic, smashed, but still in skin

2-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

½ cup walnuts

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

½ cup basil leaves

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread out tomatoes on a small baking sheet. Add clove of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons, to lightly coat tomatoes and garlic. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until tomatoes are soft and skins begin to wrinkle, about 15-20 minutes.

While tomatoes roast, toast walnuts in oven until beginning to turn golden brown and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes.

Add roasted tomatoes, any juices from the baking sheet, and toasted walnuts to a food processor. Remove skin from garlic, and add clove to food processor. Add in Parmesan, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and about a tablespoon olive oil. Pulse until sauce begins to look smooth. If necessary, add another tablespoon or so of olive oil while pulsing until the sauce is smooth and not too thick.

To serve with pasta:

Cook 1 lb. of pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving about ½ cup of pasta water. Toss the pesto sauce with the hot, cooked pasta, adding a little pasta water to thin the sauce and coat the pasta. Serve warm.