Love a Nurse & Roasted Shrimp with Tarragon Aioli

It’s been a tough year for the Nye family. You know your parents are getting on in years when you’re on a first name basis with most, if not all, the EMT’s. At last count, between the two of them, my mom and dad had booked four trips to the emergency room, one in a blizzard. In addition, there have been four surgeries, three hospital stays and countless doctor visits and tests. At this point, the car can almost drive itself to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and New London Hospital. It’s too bad they don’t give frequent visitor points. I’m sure that we’d have more than enough for a trip to Disney World … for the entire family and maybe a neighbor or two. And then finally, we were forced to admit that it was past time for my mom to move into assisted living. She is now safely ensconced and holding court in the memory care unit at Woodcrest, the local nursing home.

Through it all, one group has been tireless in their support of my parents and our entire family. The nurses. Let’s face it; life is messy in the best of times. Add a nasty or degenerative illness or both and it only gets worse. Grace under constant pressure, nurses somehow manage to combine the utmost in professionalism with true human kindness. At every turn I have seen nothing but passion for their jobs and compassion for their patients.

No doubt about it, ya gotta love a nurse.

After all, only a nurse can and does …

Take care of your loved ones in a way you wish you could but know you can’t.

Have the patience of a saint, understanding and sorting out issues, large and small, simple and complex.

Understand the total patient includes the family, even though there must be times when they wish it didn’t.

Graciously put up with pushy daughters who insist on answers and information.

Talk with patients and their families, including that pushy daughter, following up and providing answers in plain speak instead of medical jargon.

Cheer up an old man and take the time to get to know him. Listen to his stories and share a few of their own; all with a smile.

Bump into you in the supermarket months later, ask about your dad, tell you how much they like him and enjoyed helping him.

Not just help a stranger with the paperwork but shed a tear with her when her mom moves into assisted living.

Hug your mom and treat her like she’s their own favorite granny while still providing top notch professional care.

Next Monday, May 6th, kicks off National Nurses Week. Give your favorite nurse, or any nurse for that matter, a hug and a thank you for everything they do.

Bon appétit!

P.S. While you are at it, don’t forget Lake Sunapee Visiting Nurse Association’s special Women Who Make a Difference luncheon on May 15th. visit their website for more information.

Roasted Shrimp with Tarragon Aioli
Toast your favorite nurses with champagne and pass around a platter of these delicious shrimp. Enjoy!
Serves 12 as an appetizer or 6 for dinner

Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 pounds extra-large (22-25 per pound) shrimp

Make the Tarragon Aioli: Put 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic and the paprika in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the garlic is fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Put the mayonnaise, mustard, oil and garlic in a small bowl, add the tarragon and half the lemon juice and zest and whisk to combine. Season the aioli with salt and pepper, whisk again and let sit for about 20 minutes to mix and meld the flavors. (Can be made ahead, covered and stored in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.)

Prepare the Shrimp: Put the shrimp in a large bowl, sprinkle with the remaining garlic and lemon zest and toss to combine. Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat and remaining lemon juice, toss again. Let the shrimp marinade for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with olive oil.

Place the shrimp on the baking sheets in a single layer and roast at 450 degrees for 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through and opaque. Don’t overcook.

Serve immediately or at room temperature with Tarragon Aioli.

On warm, sunny evenings, cook the shrimp on the barbie. Heat the grill to medium-high. Thread the shrimp onto wooden skewers which have been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes or toss them in a grill basket. Grill the shrimp, turning once, until opaque, 1-2 minutes per side.

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One Year Ago – Thai Curried Shrimp and Green Beans
Two Years Ago – Lemon Scones
Three Years Ago – Shrimp with Jicama Slaw
Four Years Ago – Pork MoleOr Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

Do you have a special story about a nurse? Feel free to share. Let’s get a conversation going.

Want more? I’ve got links to lots more to read, see & cook as well as a day in the life photoblog! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2013

In the Kitchen with Tarragon

So … (hopefully) this week’s Asparagus Crostini recipe caught your fancy.
Since you only need a couple of tablespoons, could be your hand is hesitating over that big bunch of tarragon at the farmer’s market or grocery store.

Maybe you are wondering … What the heck do I do with all the extra tarragon? Tarragon is wonderful with chicken, seafood and vegetables. Stir some into a traditional Beurre Blanc and serve it with Roasted Salmon or Grilled Swordfish or swap out the rosemary in one of my favorite marinades for grilled chicken.

Or whisk up a batch of Tarragon Aioli. You will quickly find 101 uses for this tasty sauce. It is delicious with cold lobster or chicken at an elegant picnic or ladies lunch. It makes a delicious potato salad. Drizzle a little on steamed asparagus or grilled carrots. And finally, it is a great dip for veggies or shrimp.

Tarragon Aioli
Makes about 1 cup

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2-3 drops or to taste hot pepper sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup or to taste extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Put the mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, hot pepper sauce and garlic in a small food processor* or blender and process to combine.

With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil until process until smooth and creamy.

Transfer the aioli to a small bowl and whisk in the tarragon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to combine the flavors. Whisk before serving with seafood, chicken or fresh, grilled or steamed vegetables.

* I love my mini food processor but if you don’t have one or don’t want to get out the blender you can use a hand whisk to combine the ingredients.

Happy fun cooking with fresh herbs and bon appétit!

More Tips, Tricks & Tools

What’s your favorite herb? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2012

Artichoke Season & Steamed Artichokes with Bagna Cauda or Warm Lemon-Garlic Sauce

The first time I nibbled a freshly steamed, beautiful green artichoke, I was hooked. My sister Brenda made the introduction. She returned east after her first year away at college and brought artichokes and brown rice into our house. I’m sure she brought other exotic and intellectual gems but only the artichokes and rice come to mind. Anyway, I am forever grateful.

Of course I’d had artichokes from a can. My mother added them to our salads when she wanted to be fancy or the tomatoes in the grocery store looked tired or inedible or both. We thought we were quite squi-tish when Mom added a liberal sprinkle of chopped artichoke hearts to the iceberg lettuce. Squi-tish was one of my mother’s favorite words. She use it to describe anything trendy or stylish.

Anyway, the artichoke hearts from the can paled in comparison to the real thing. And of course, the warm lemony-butter sauce Brenda made to go with the artichokes was nothing to sneeze at.

While artichokes are available year round, they peak in the spring. That’s when I find myself feasting on them at least once a week. Here are a few fun artichoke facts to get you in the mood!

1. A member of the daisy family, an artichoke is neither a vegetable nor a fruit but a flower bud waiting to bloom.

2. Individual artichoke plants can grow five feet tall and produce more than twenty artichokes.

3. Baby artichokes aren’t babies but the small buds that grow on the bottom of an artichoke stalk. I guess baby artichoke sounds better than runt-of-the-litter artichoke.

4. Artichokes are a good source of vitamin C, folic acid and magnesium and are low in sodium. If it wasn’t for the devilish dips we love, they would be virtually fat-free. An average artichoke has about seventy calories.

5. Artichokes are one of the world’s oldest foods and were cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The Greeks and the Romans considered them aphrodisiacs. Myth or truth, the belief that artichokes were a love potion carried over to Europe’s Middle Ages when women were not allowed to eat artichokes. The Middle Aged patriarchal powers-that-be could have been misinformed but, more likely, were just saving the tasty treats for themselves.

6. To keep artichokes fresher longer, treat them like the flowers they are. Cut about one-quarter inch from the bottom of the stem and set in a glass of water in the refrigerator.

7. Speaking of stems, they are edible. Just use a vegetable peeler to remove the fibrous outer part before steaming or braising.

8. When buying artichokes, look for plump buds with tight, green leaves. Pick them up and choose the ones which feel heavy for their size.

9. Unless you there’s a hunky plumber you want to meet, don’t put artichoke leaves in the disposer. They are very springy and fibrous will clog your pipes. And yes, I speak from experience!

10. And finally, my favorite … Norma Jean Baker (who later became Marilyn Monroe) was California’s first Artichoke Queen. She was crowned in 1948.

For an elegant start to your next dinner party, skip the salad and serve steamed artichokes with a delicious dip for a yummy first course.

Bon appétit!

Steamed Artichokes with Bagna Cauda or Warm Lemon-Garlic Sauce
Enjoy yummy steamed artichokes with a garlicky sauce. Bagna Cauda (warm bath) has its origins in Sicily and the Lemon-Garlic Sauce has a bit of a French accent. Enjoy!
Serves 4

2 lemons, cut in quarters
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup dry white wine
About 1 tablespoon sea salt
4 whole artichokes

Put 1-2 quarts of water in a large pot with 1 of the quartered lemons, squeezing the juice into the water. Add the bay leaf, wine and salt to the pot. Insert a steamer basket and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. The water should just touch the bottom of the basket.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and add the remaining lemon, squeezing the juice into the water.

Rinse the artichokes under cold water. Cut off the top inch of each artichoke with a heavy knife, peel the stems or cut them off close to the base. Pull off the small and tough lower leaves and trim the leaves with kitchen shears. Drop the artichokes into the lemon-water bath to prevent them from turning brown.

Put the artichokes in the steamer basket. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and steam for about 45 minutes or until you can pull the leaves off easily and the flesh is tender. (You may need to add more water to the pot before the artichokes are cooked through.)

To eat, pull leaves from the artichoke, dip in Bagna Cauda or Warm Lemon-Garlic Sauce and scrape the tender meat off with your teeth. When you reach the prickly purple leaves, use a knife or spoon to remove both the leaves and the fuzzy choke covering the artichoke heart. Enjoy the artichoke heart with a little sauce.

Artichokes can be served hot or cold. If making ahead, cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.

Bagna Cauda
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature*
8 anchovy fillets
4 garlic cloves, smashed
Pinch or to taste hot pepper flakes
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Put the oil, butter, anchovies, garlic and pepper flakes into a small food processor and process until smooth.

Transfer the oil mixture to a small heavy saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, over very low heat for 15 minutes. Whisk in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce into individual cups and serve with the artichokes.

* If you prefer, you can make the Bagna Cauda without butter. Increase the olive oil from 1/2 to 3/4 cup.

Warm Lemon-Garlic Sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon minced shallot
Pinch or to taste hot pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Put the wine to a small heavy saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat and reduce by three- quarters. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter, garlic, shallot and pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, over very low heat until the shallot is translucent.

Remove from the heat and add the mayonnaise and lemon juice and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and whisk again.

Pour the sauce into individual cups and serve with the artichokes.

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One Year Ago – Death by Chocolate Cake
Two Year Ago – Filet de Perche Meunière
Three Years Ago – Chicken Provençal
Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

What’s your favorite way to prepare an artichoke? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. © Susan W. Nye, 2012

G’Day All & Piri Piri Prawns

This Thursday, January 26th, is a root-tootin’ holiday in Australia.

It celebrates the arrival of the first fleet of British convict ships in Sydney Harbor in 1788, the first of many. Farms flourished, gold was discovered and Australia became a land of milk, honey and lots of opportunity.

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To help you celebrate Australia Day, here are some fun facts from the land down under:

Before the colonists ousted mad King George, North America was Britain’s favorite dumping ground for convicts. Australia was forced to take over after the Yanks won their independence

Today almost twenty-five percent of Australia’s residents were born overseas (compared to ten percent in the US). You must be a permanent resident for at least two years before applying for citizenship (in the US, it’s five).

Kangaroos, those hippity-hoppity marsupials are unique to Australia. There are almost twice as many roos as people. But that’s nothing. There are even more sheep, eighty-five million compared to a mere twenty-two million people.

The Tasmanian Devil is not just another arch nemesis for Bugs Bunny. This carnivorous marsupial haunted early European settlers with its nocturnal screeches and demonic growls. They are now a protected species.

Growing up to twenty feet in length, the world’s largest crocodile calls Australia’s tropical north home. In case you’ve forgotten, never smile at a crocodile. Each year, one or two people end up as dinner.

The world’s largest oyster lives in Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. There is no known record of Casanova ever visiting Australia.

Australia is the only country which is also a continent. Slightly smaller than the US mainland, Australia is the world’s sixth largest country, smallest continent and largest island. It has the world’s third lowest population density, with about seven and a half people per square mile.

A land of sea and sand, most Australians, about eighty-five percent, live within thirty miles of the nearest beach. With more than 35,000 miles of coastline, there are lots of beaches.

Central Queensland and South Australia has the world’s longest continuous fence. More than 3,000 miles long, the dingo fence was built to separate the wild dogs from the sheep.

And I bet you didn’t know that the following notable inventions come from down under: notepads (1902), the pacemaker (1926), the Speedo (1928), the Hills Hoist clothesline (1946), bag-in-a-box wine (1965), Pop Top Cans (1973), the bionic ear (1978), the dual-flush toilet (1980) and long-wearing contact lenses (1999).

And finally, for anyone who’s already tired of winter, it’s now summer in Australia.

Have a Happy Australia Day, fire up the barbie and bon appétit!

Piri Piri Prawns on the Barbie
We call them shrimp, the Australians call them prawns. Also great on chicken, Piri piri is delicious but not for the faint of heart. It will warm you up on a chilly evening! Enjoy!
Serves 4

Wooden skewers
About 1 1/2 pounds extra large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
Kosher salt
Piri Piri (recipe follows)
Bibb or romaine lettuce leaves
Bell pepper, cut in julienne
English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut in julienne
Bean sprouts
1 lime, quartered

Soak the wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes

Put the shrimp in a large bowl and add enough piri piri to lightly coat, about 1/2 cup. Toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to about 45 minutes.

Heat a gas grill to medium-high. Thread the shrimp onto the soaked skewers. (If the shrimp are large enough, you can cook them directly on the grill.)

Grill the shrimp, turning once, until just opaque, about 3-4 minutes. (If you don’t want to venture out into the cold, you can arrange the shrimp on a lightly oiled sheet pan and roast at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.)

To eat: arrange some bean sprouts, pepper and cucumber on a lettuce leaf, top with a shrimp, drizzle with a little piri piri and add a squeeze of lime. Fold the lettuce leaf around the shrimp and enjoy.

Piri piri
Makes 1 cup

8-10 red bird’s-eye*chilies, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley
5-6 garlic cloves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine the chilies, lime juice, vinegar, cilantro, parsley and garlic in a small food processor or blender and puree until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until well combined.

* If you can’t find birds-eye chilies, substitute with serrano or jalapeno peppers.

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One Year Ago – French Lentil Soup
Two Years Ago – Spicy Chicken (or Turkey) Noodle Soup
Three Years Ago – My Favorite Chili

Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

Will you celebrate Australia Day? What are you cooking? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2012

Discovering Joy in Cooking & Spanakopita Triangles

It happens all the time. People ask me when, why, how I took up cooking.

It all started in a teeny, tiny Vermont town. Just out of college , I was in Vermont for my first real job. A budding foodie, I soon discovered that restaurants were few and far between. Interesting restaurants were even fewer and farther between. Not to mention that my starting salary was best described as piddling. It didn’t take long to realize that somehow or other I had to figure out the whole cooking thing.

At the start, I was pretty timid in the kitchen. I recreated my mother’s special mushroom soup chicken. It combined chicken breasts with cream of mushroom soup, a dollop of sour cream and a splash of sherry. If I was feeling extravagant and could find them, I threw in some fresh mushrooms and a few pearl onions. I proudly imitated Nana Nye’s baked scrod and figured out sauce Bolognese.

And then one Sunday the Boston Globe did a special feature on then-Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. Most politicians get roped into a fluff piece or two and the Duke was no exception. The Globe wangled an afternoon in the Governor’s kitchen to learn about his Greek heritage and make spanakopita.

I was and still am a fan of spanakopita. I discovered this cheesy spinach pie on an afternoon theater outing in Boston with my mother. Before the matinee, we joined the ladies-who-lunch at the old Athens Olympia restaurant on the corner of Tremont Street. I was hooked. I decided to give it a try. The Governor could do it, why not me?

I was way over my head. My ill-equipped kitchen was the size of a postage stamp and outfitted with cast-offs, thrift store finds and a few cheap pots and pans from Kmart. I owned one cookbook, Joy of Cooking, but had barely cracked the spine.

My guests’ were invited for 6:30. Dinner would be served after a leisurely hour of wine and nibblies. According to the Governor’s recipe, the spanakopita took 45 minutes to prep and an hour to bake. Either the Governor lied or enlisted the helping hands of several staffers. Convinced I had time to spare, it was more or less 5:30 when I wandered into the kitchen to make my spinach pie.

My guests arrived fashionably late but the spanakopita wasn’t in the oven or anywhere near the oven. While my friends enjoyed an extra glass or two, I enjoyed more than a few Lucy moments and shouted updates from the kitchen. They waited and waited and waited some more. Dinner was served sometime after 9:00, early for Greece, but decidedly late for Vermont.

Thank goodness my friends were forgiving. They proclaimed the spanakopita worth the wait and raved about the dinner for weeks. It was a wonderful evening. Our conversation sparkled with wit and laughter. (Of course all that extra wine might have helped.)

Instead of being daunted by the experience, I was energized. I was struck by how easy (okay relatively easy) it was to create a memorable evening and make people happy. Even now when asked why I love to cook, I think of that cold winter night in Vermont. It was the first of many special evenings and many more to come!

Happy cooking and bon appétit!

Spanakopita Triangles
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I lost the Governor’s recipe a long time ago but through trial and error created this bite-sized version for a yummy cocktail party treat. Enjoy!

Makes 2-3 dozen triangles
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Olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces feta, crumbled
8 ounces ricotta
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 pound phyllo, defrosted and at room temperature
6 tablespoons or more butter, melted

Heat a little olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until almost translucent, add the garlic and sauté for a minute more.

Put the spinach in a clean dish towel and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Put the spinach, herbs, onion, garlic, cheeses and nutmeg in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add the eggs and toss again.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the phyllo vertically on your work surface. Depending on how large you want your triangles, cut the phyllo lengthwise into 2 or 3 equal columns. Stack the phyllo leaves, cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and set aside.

Remove the first leaf and place it vertically on your work surface. Brush lightly with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush again with butter if using regular phyllo. If you are using thick country-style phyllo, one layer is plenty. Place a scant tablespoon of filling (1-2 tablespoons for larger triangles) on the bottom right-hand corner of the phyllo. Fold the phyllo like a flag to create a triangle. Place the triangle on a baking sheet seam side down. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and continue with the remaining filling and phyllo.

Brush all the triangles with butter. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until the triangles are puffed and golden. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
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One Year Ago – Braised Red Cabbage
Two Years Ago – Apple Bread Pudding
Three Years Ago – Root ‘n’ Tooty Good ‘n’ Fruity Oatmeal Cookies

Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

Why do you cook? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2012

Pasta from the Pantry

Whether we like it or not (and I can’t think of anyone who does), winter in New Hampshire usually means a power outage, often two and sometimes more. Too much snow, ice or wind can put us in the dark for a few hours or a few days. That’s when, among other things, having a decent kitchen pantry comes in handy. Your pantry doesn’t have to be filled to overflowing, just tasty and interesting.

Forget the cans of spaghetti with soggy noodles and sugary sauce. With a little of this and a little of that you can create beautiful pasta dishes straight from the pantry in minutes. Of course I’m assuming you have a gas stove … or one of those clever little camp stoves (and know how to use it).
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Whether the power is out or not, here are a few things that you can almost always find in my pantry …

Extra virgin olive oil

A few good vinegars and lemons

Boxes of dried pasta

Jars of olives – something interesting, maybe imported, like Sicilian, Niçoise and Black Oil-Cured

A jar of capers

A tin of anchovies in oil or a tube of anchovy paste

Cans of whole or crushed tomatoes

A jar of oil-packed sundried tomatoes

A jar of oil-packed artichokes

Pine nuts

Onions and garlic

Dried herbs and chili peppers

Decent bottles of red and white wine (To cook with and for a glass in front of the fire during the long, dark night!)

Parmigiano-Reggiano (Keep the refrigerator closed and the cheese should keep for a day or two. After that, move the cheese and everything else in your refrigerator into a cooler and out onto your deck or porch. The only good thing about a power outage in the wintertime is the huge, natural refrigerator just outside your door.)

3-4 gallons of water (You know you live in New Hampshire when you stockpile water!)

And now, here goes! Ready in minutes … Pasta from the Pantry

Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic and Anchovies
Whether the lights are out or not, this is one of those super fast, super delicious suppers!
Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Pinch (or to taste) chili pepper flakes
Pinch mixed Italian herbs or herbs de Provence
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ounce oil-packed anchovies, drained and chopped or anchovy paste
8 ounces spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

To make the sauce: Put the olive oil, wine, garlic, chili and herbs in a heavy skillet. Turn the heat on low and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the anchovies and continue cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is pale golden brown. Do not overcook or the garlic will get bitter.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water according to package directions or until al dente. Drain well and return the spaghetti to the pot. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. If you have some fresh parsley in your refrigerator or growing on your window sill, generously sprinkle the pasta with parsley and serve, passing freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Variations on the theme:

Add 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to the sauce. If you have it, swap the dried herbs with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves. Add the grated zest of 1/2-1 lemon to the pasta when you toss with the sauce.
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Stir a handful of pitted and chopped Sicilian olives, 1-2 tablespoons capers and 1 tablespoon lemon juice into the sauce. Swap the dried herbs with fresh thyme if you have it.
or
Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and about 1/4 cup drained and chopped sundried tomatoes to the sauce. Garnish with a few toasted pine nuts.
or
Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, about 1/4 cup drained and chopped sundried tomatoes and 6 pitted and chopped black oil-cured olives to the sauce.

And if you’ve got a little more time …

Traditional Marinara Sauce
So quick, easy and delicious, you’ll never buy jar sauce again!
Makes about 1 quart

Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
Pinch or to taste dried chili pepper flakes (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 cups (28 ounce can) crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf

Heat the olive oil in a heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot and garlic, sprinkle with herbs, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are tender.

Add the wine, crushed tomatoes and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with your favorite pasta and a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Variations on the Marinara theme:
Add 1-2 teaspoons anchovy paste to the pan when sautéing the vegetables and substitute the red wine with white. After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, add a cup or so of drained and chopped artichokes, 10-12 pitted and chopped olives and 1-2 tablespoons capers. Simmer for 10-15 minutes more and serve.

Knock wood that we are not left in the dark again this winter and bon appétit!

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One Year Ago – Tartiflette – An Alpine Casserole with Cheese & Potatoes
Two Years Ago – Four Cheese Lasagna Bolognese with Spinach
Three Years Ago – Curried Chicken and Lentil Soup

Or Click Here! for a complete list of and links to all the recipes on this blog!

What’s in your pantry? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Want more? Click here for lots more to read, see & cook! In addition, I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2012

Pesto Time! & Ravioli with Sage Pesto

September means it’s time for the harvest. The big cornfield down the street has been plowed over and under. Within a few days the field will be filled with geese, making a pit stop to munch stray kernels before continuing their flight south. I still have a few tomatoes to pick and greens to clip for a salad but they’ll be eaten up soon. The nights are getting cooler and will soon threaten my herb pots, so it’s time to get to work and make pesto.

Basil is the key ingredient in Pesto alla Genovese and most years I am overwhelmed with basil, not so this year. Between the rain and cool weather in June and July, I have but a paltry pot of pewny and puny plants. So I need to bite the bullet and go out and buy some basil or miss out on this fabulous treat.

Making pesto is easy. Historically, people used a mortar and pestle to crush garlic, salt, basil and pine nuts into a thick, creamy paste. Next olive oil and Parmesan cheese were added. If you want to stay true to tradition pull out your mortar and your pestle and have a wonderful afternoon.

However, making pesto is a chance for me to get out one of my favorite gadgets, my handy-dandy mini food processor. I love kitchen tools, gadgets and gizmos and have collected a fair number of them. From mandolins to colorful citrus squeezers to old fashion apple peelers, I may not have it all but I’ve got a lot! Now when I make pesto, I don’t worry too much about tradition. Of all the many kitchen tools I own, surprisingly there is no mortar or pestle. I eye them periodically at the kitchen store but so far … I just eye them.

But getting back to business, my first step to making pesto is roasting the garlic. Like I said I don’t worry about tradition. Roasted garlic is delicious in and of itself but it is also wonderful in pesto. Particularly if you or someone you know has trouble with raw garlic. It’s not that I don’t love raw garlic but it has a tendency to stick around for awhile; making intimate conversation difficult for a day or three. So I frequently roast my garlic before throwing it in the pesto.

Here’s how:

I start by peeling a few or several garlic cloves and put them in a small oven-proof custard cup. Sometimes I smash them or roughly chop them first. Then I cover the cloves with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (or chili peppers). Next I pop the cup in the toaster oven and bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour or until I remember to take it out. I let the garlic and the oil cool completely.

When the garlic cools, I’m ready to make my pesto. I take a big bunch of basil, remove the leaves from the stems, wash them and dry them. Then I do the same with a small handful of parsley leaves. Adding parsley may be considered heresy in some kitchens but I think it makes a nice addition. In any case, I throw the herbs, roasted garlic and some olive oil in my little food processor and buzz away until everything is smooth. Sometimes I use the roasted garlic-y oil, sometime not. Sometimes I add a little vinegar or a shot of lemon juice. The lemon juice is a really nice addition to my shrimp and linguine di pesto alla Genovese.

As you can see the measurements are very exact and the directions exacting! I usually add the herbs in batches because they don’t all fit in at once. If you are making a big batch of pesto, you can use a big food processor. I like the little one because it chops everything, including the garlic, very fine. Plus it’s easy to clean.

You may be wondering about the pine nuts and Parmesan. If you want to get technical, I actually make what the French call pistou and not pesto. I rarely throw pine nuts or grated Parmesan into the mix ahead of time. Instead, I put a dollop of pesto on my pasta and then add freshly toasted pine nuts and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan.

So pull out those mortars and pestles or handy-dandy food processors and make some pesto. But don’t stop at basil, I make lots of different kinds of pesto from sun-dried tomato to artichoke to roasted peppers. Why not treat friends and family to a wonderful fall dinner of raviolis with sage pesto? Enjoy!

Bon appétit!

Raviolis with Sage Pesto
Again, the recipe is as exacting as the measurements are exact! Enjoy!

Fresh or Frozen Raviolis
A handful of fresh sage leaves, washed and dried
A tablespoon or two of fresh thyme leaves, washed and dried
Roasted garlic to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Chopped and toasted walnuts
Grated Parmesan cheese

Put the sage, thyme and garlic in a small food processor and process until chopped and blended. Season with salt and pepper and add a little extra virgin olive oil and process until smooth. Slowly add more olive oil until it reaches the desired consistency.

Cook the raviolis according to your recipe’s or package directions. Drain the raviolis, reserving a little pasta water. Return the raviolis to the pot and gentle toss with enough sage pesto to coat. If the raviolis seems dry, add a little pasta water or extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Whether you make it with basil or sage, make pesto or pistou, it freezes beautifully. Spoon any extra pesto into ice cube trays, freeze it and then store the pesto cubes in a re-sealable bag. (I figure without the cheese and pine nuts, I save a few inches of space in my already packed freezer.) You’ll have fettuccine di pesto in minutes or a great no-fuss garnish for soups throughout the winter.

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One Year Ago – Brie & Sun-dried Tomato Omelet  

What’s your favorite pesto? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below. I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my photoblog, Susan Nye 365 or my cleverly named other blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Spring Has Sprung? & Pork Mole

It’s that time of year when from one day to the next you never know if spring has sprung or spwrong. Just a day or two ago it looked like spring was well and truly here. The ice was out of the lake. The snow was more or less gone. The mountain had closed down for the season. Skis were put away. Kids were out in fields playing soccer and lacrosse.The first pitch had been thrown at Fenway. The Boston Marathon had wound its way from Hopkinton to the Hub of the Universe.

Yes, indeed, it looked like spring had sprung. The sun was shining. Easter had come and gone. Hallmark was pitching its Mothers’ Day cards. Fuzzy little buds had sprouted on the pussy willow trees. Cheery little crocuses were giving the garden a bit of color. The deer had nibbled the tops off all my tulips but the daffodils were thinking about bursting into bloom.

Looking around it was like something out of a Victorian novel. All that was needed to complete the picture was a damsel in distress and a hulking but handsome hero. I was so excited I ran out and bought pansies, lily of the valley, packet upon packet of seeds and iris bulbs. I tried to get a hulking but handsome hero but the garden center was out.

Then, before I could get myself out into the garden, a cruel wind turned my newly purchased blooms into pansicles and the spring sunshine was cut short by April’s inevitable showers. Not a warm gentle summer rain mind you, but a bone-chilling downpour. Let’s face it, when you live in New Hampshire, there are some days when you have no choice but to ignore the weather and curl up with a good book. (Unless of course you have a job to do, kids to get off to school, a dog to walk, a vacuum cleaner to waltz around with, dinner to cook and dishes to pile in the dishwasher. I would add lawn to mow but it’s too early.)

All the while, friends, family and total strangers to the south are tracking down favorite recipes and whetting their appetites for strawberry season. And in the far west, everyone has been complaining about the heat. I lived near San Francisco for a short time and found the climate, in a word, disconcerting. My friend Julie, a native Californian, says I oversimplify, but I swear that each and every day was the same. Like a perfect day in May or June. There was constant sunshine and very little change in temperature. There was no snow; it only rained in winter and then hardly ever. There were no dazzling leaves in fall. Except for a very short heat wave or two, it was one, long perpetual spring. In a word, boring.

The weather in New England is never boring. Especially when Mother Nature wrestles with the Snow Gods to break free us from winter. It is an epic battle, hard fought every April. From one day to the next, we are dressed in shorts and reveling in the sunshine … or bundled in coats, caps and gloves. Mark Twain said it best when he remarked, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.”

In the end, regardless of the meteorologists’ hocus pocus and guesswork, it is close to impossible to predict what any spring day will bring to New England. When in doubt carry an umbrella and always think positive. Rain or shine, enjoy the changing seasons and time with family and friends.

Bon appétit! 

Pork Mole
Cinco de Mayo is coming soon. You don’t have to be Mexican to celebrate. Why not invite friends and family in for a fiesta. Cold or hot, sunny or rainy, make merry with a little Mexican food, fun and frivolity. Enjoy!
Serves about 14-16
 
Mole Sauce (recipe follows)
6 pounds pork, cut into 2” pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 – 2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

1. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat a little olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet and brown the pork on all sides. Cook in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan.
2. Return all the pork to the skillet. Add 2 cups of the mole sauce, dry white wine and chicken stock to the pork, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat and cover. Gently simmer until the pork is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Add the sour cream and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve with steamed white rice or tortillas; garnished with chopped cilantro leaves.

Mole Sauce
Makes about 4 cups, enough for 2 batches. Freeze the extra mole sauce.

3/4 teaspoon mix of dried chili flakes;  ancho, Anaheim and chipotle
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon  
2 onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, stemmed and seeded
1 cup canned crushed plum tomatoes
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2  – 1 cup chicken stock
Olive oil

1. In a medium skillet, toast the chilies, almonds, sesame seeds, pepper and cinnamon, over medium heat for 2 minutes. Cool the mixture and put it in a mini food processor, blender or spice grinder. Pulse the spice-nut mix to combine and finely grind.
2. Cook the onions and serrano peppers in a little olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned; add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
3. Put the spice-nut mix, vegetables, chocolate, raisins, oregano and thyme in a food processor or blender. Puree, adding chicken stock as needed, to make a smooth sauce. 

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Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or browse around my website at www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Spring Skiing & Fettuccine with Classic Bolognese Sauce

There is a black cloud hanging overhead, literally and figuratively. It’s raining today. It might not qualify as pouring and no one is snoring but it is cold, just teetering above freezing and the rain is slow and steady. It is in fact relentless and I don’t want to imagine the damage the rain is doing to the ski slopes. And spring skiing.

After freezing cold and biting winds, New England skiers deserve a little spring skiing. It’s time to stop looking like the Michelin man, put away big, bulky parkas and heavy fleece. It’s time to dig out a comfortable, old sweatshirt or windbreaker, trade in goggles for sunglasses and bare our heads to the sun. The air is not just warmer; it is more festive. Up and down the mountain, there is a general feeling of; well there is no easy way to express it, except to yell Yahooooo!

Warmer weather brings out a whole new crop of skiers. We used to call them the snow bunnies. They are dressed to the nines. No, you won’t find them in old sweatshirts or ancient windbreakers from LL Bean. Their outfits are perfect, never outdated or faded by years of winter sun, and color coordinated to match their skis, boots and poles. They bask in the sunshine, holding court on the terrace in front of the lodge. Some days these beauties even take a run, maybe two.

When we were little we were always under pressure to make sure our season pass paid for itself. I think the fathers in the neighborhood had a little competition going; who could get the most runs out of their season pass. We skied at King Ridge. If we bought the pass before Thanksgiving, our family skied for $108. That’s all five of us for the entire season. In a good year, between weekends and Christmas and February vacations, we got about thirty days of skiing.

We were expected to ski hard, no matter how cold or icy, from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon. Breaks were to be kept at a minimum and runs to a maximum. The dads would quiz us at lunch time and again on the way home, “how many runs had we taken?” An on-going tally was kept throughout the winter. I think their goal was to bring the cost per run down to a penny. A goal I’m sure we never met, although our friends, the Pevears, might have come close.

On freezing days in January, Dad or one of his friends often caught us huddled around the fireplace. No pity was taken. Frigid temperatures or not, we were invariably sent back out into the torturous cold. My Dad’s favorite trick was to put us in ski school on the coldest days. It was his way of ensuring that we stayed outside for at least an hour.

But in March the weather was warm, the sun high in the sky and no tricks were necessary. Spring skiing was the treat we could only dream of during the dark days of December and the arctic cold of January. Before snowmaking, spring skiing was a dream that didn’t always come true. Ski resorts didn’t boast of deep bases of fifty, sixty or more inches and had trouble recovering from early spring rain showers. King Ridge was usually washed out by St. Paddy’s Day.

Some habits not only die hard, they are passed on. With the first day of spring rapidly approaching, a friend (and a dad) recently asked me how many days I’d managed to ski this winter. A quick and dirty calculation and I figure I’m looking at about 800 runs, probably more. Enjoy the rest of the ski season,

Bon appétit!

Fettuccine with Classic Bolognese Sauce
Makes about 2 quarts of sauce (freeze the extra sauce)

4 cups crushed tomatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
Pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound Italian sausage; hot, sweet or a mix, casings removed
1/2 pound ground beef
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive Oil
About 2 ounces fettuccine per person
Garnish: Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and ground beef to the pot, breaking up the meat into bite-size pieces, cook until brown about 5 minutes.

Remove from the pan. Drain the fat and reserve.

Add a little olive oil in the pot and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, pepper and garlic, sprinkle with Italian herbs, red pepper, salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are tender.

Return the meat to the pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in the chopped basil.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rigorous boil. Add the fettuccine and cook according to package directions.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add about 1/2 cup of sauce per person to the pasta, toss to combine and let sit over low heat for about a minute. Serve the pasta with a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010

Hip Hip Hooray It’s Hospital Day & Barbecue Chicken

My family built the house near Pleasant Lake when I was ten or eleven or maybe I was twelve. We weren’t year-round residents but part of the growing legion of flatlanders who spent their summers by the lake. Up until then we had rented cottages on Cape Cod. We switched to New Hampshire because my parents were convinced that my teenage sister was about to fall in with the wrong crowd. Plus we could ski in winter time. I’m not sure but I think my sister fell in with the wrong crowd anyway. Or maybe that was me. It doesn’t really matter because we both turned out alright in the end.

Hands down the best day of the summer, probably the whole year, was Hospital Day. It was held on a Tuesday because most of the town’s merchants closed down for part or all of the day. Closing on a Tuesday wouldn’t do too much damage to their bottom line. More or less everyone in town was involved. If you weren’t flipping flapjacks, you were flipping burgers. Or helping sort through the junk for the auction or white elephant table. Or making cookies for the bake sale. The only people to escape some chore or other were the tourists and most of the summer residents. They’re only responsibility was to spend and spend liberally.

New London’s town common was a beehive of activities. The Lions Club kicked off the festivities with a pancake breakfast. There was a White Elephant table overflowing with chipped tea cups and a collection of dust-collecting oddities. The auction helped furnished more than one first apartment and even more cottages and cabins. There were plant tables and home baked pies, cakes and cookies. There were pony rides and games for the kids and the high school principal took a turn in the dunking machine.

The highlight of the afternoon was the grand parade down Main Street. At two o’clock several antique cars, the high school band, a bunch of kids on bicycles and unicycles; a couple of homemade floats and a few fire engines slowly inched their way up Main Street. Somewhere in the middle, the Hospital Day Queen and her court smiled regally and waved to the crowd.

After the parade, most families took a break and headed off to the lake for a swim. But no one stayed away for long. A fair wouldn’t be a fair without a chicken barbeque and New London’s Hospital Day Fair was no exception. The day’s delicious finale was an old fashioned chicken barbeque.

No surprise, Hospital Day has grown and changed over the years. Somewhere along the line, it went from Day to Days and moved to the weekend. Carnies now come to town and set up an extravagant midway of rides and games. But there are still pancakes on Saturday morning and a chicken barbeque in the evening. There are no queens but the parade still rolls up Main Street. Last I knew the dunking machine was still in operation and both the school principal and the hospital president take a turn on the hot, or should I say wet, seat.

Enjoy summer! Visit a country fair, ride the merry-go-round and don’t miss out on the chicken barbeque and homemade pie! Bon appétit!

Red Hot Barbequed Chicken
Can’t make it to a country fair? Try my Red Hot Barbequed Chicken. The sauce has lots of ingredients, but really takes very little work. Just throw everything in a pan and let it roast. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6

1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless breasts of chicken
Red Hot Barbeque Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Put the chicken and about a cup of barbeque sauce in a large, heavy-duty plastic sealable bag. Seal the bag, pressing out excess air. If the marinade seems too thick add a little beer. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning every few hours, for at least 4 hours or overnight. Longer is better.

2. Preheat the grill to medium high.

3. Remove the chicken breasts from the plastic bag and arrange them on the grill. Grill the chicken over medium-heat for 5-7 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

Red Hot Barbeque Sauce
This barbeque sauce is good with chicken or pork. Use it as a marinade or basting sauce. Pass any extra.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves
1 small onion – cut into 8 chunks
1 quart grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon each ginger, all spice and cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon or to taste dried pepper flakes – Chipotle, Pasilla, Thai or red pepper
4-6 jalapeno slices or 1/2 fresh or to taste
12 ounces beer at room temperature

1. Throw everything except the beer into a large skillet, toss to combine. Roast in the oven at 350° for 45 minutes.
2. Add the beer. Roast for an additional 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Put in the blender and process until smooth.

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Do you have a question? An idea, a few thoughts or an opinion you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you! Let’s get a conversation going. To make a comment, just click on Comments below.

I’d be delighted to add you to the growing list of blog subscribers. To subscribe: just scroll back up, fill in your email address and click on the Sign Me Up button. You’ll get an email asking you to confirm your subscription … confirm and you will automatically receive a new story and recipe every week.

Feel free to visit my other, cleverly named blog, Susan Nye’s Other Blog, or website www.susannye.com. You can find more than 200 recipes, links to magazine articles and lots more. I hope that you will take a minute to learn about my philanthropic project Eat Well-Do Good. ©Susan W. Nye, 2010