It is really quite amazing what you can do with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and an extremely hot oven. Recently, I stopped in at my neighbor’s house to pick something up. I followed her in the kitchen as she said, “I just need to quickly throw dinner in the oven.” In minutes, she had tossed carrots, potatoes and a whole chicken in a roasting pan and dinner was prepped.

I love it when someone else’s quick, mindless dinner becomes your exciting discovery. It has been ages since I roasted a chicken! My talented, designerofficemate gave me a simple recipe for Lemon, Thyme and Garlic chicken, I rustled up the both the red potatoes and kale from my new organic,weekly delivery box, clipped a few fresh herbs and, “Voila!” … one of the fanciest, tastiest Tuesday night dinners I had served in ages.

p.s. I have always really wanted to like kale but only try to eat it for the health benefits. However, this is the first time I have tried it roasted and both my husband and I really, truly liked it! It becomes crunchy and breaks apart in your mouth. Fun texture, yummy and uber healthy.

Lemon, Thyme and Garlic Chicken
Whole Chicken
Bunch of fresh thyme
6-8 garlic cloves or crushed garlic
1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper

Remove anything that may have come inside your chicken. Cut lemon in a few large slices and put it inside the chicken. If you have whole garlic, peel and sprinkle the whole cloves around the pan. (these will taste great spread on bread after roasting) Otherwise, rub crushed garlic on the chicken. Sneak the thyme under the skin of the chicken. Rub whole chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees with the lid of the roasting pan on for 30-40 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Remove lid for 10 minutes or so until skin is crispy.

Roasted Rosemary Red Potatoes
Red Potatoes
Olive Oil
Fresh chopped rosemary
salt and pepper

Cut potatoes in cubes. Put in a pan for roasting. Sprinkle with olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in oven with chicken until browned on the outside and soft inside.

Roasted Kale
Kale
Olive Oil
Sea salt
Wash leaves and discard stems. Fold leaves in half to remove the tough stem all the way up the leaf. Spray or sprinkle with olive oil and toss to lightly coat. Lay on baking sheet and put in 450 degree oven. Roast for 5-7 minutes then remove and turn all the leaves. Roast for another 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with salt right as you remove the leaves from the oven. Kale will be crispy.

I have been a lazy cook lately. And, due to preparations for an impending overseas trip, ’simple simon’ has remained my credo this month. I was starting to feel a bit bad about the regular trips to the nearby taqueria and repeated pasta dinners, so I flipped through my recent Everyday Food and found a recipe similar to the variation below.

As you can see, I didn’t go over-the-top with presentation. But, tonight we ate a homemade, protein filled meal with simple but delicious flavors. And, some fresh, healthy,green beans to boot!

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a culinary tour of my favorite treats from the Netherlands… mmm… I am dreaming of the pannenkoek, poffertjes, stroop wafels, patat met and kroketten. If this is all jibberish to you, just wait for the upcoming photos and you’ll see what you are missing!

Steak with Ginger Peanut Sauce
This recipe in Everyday Food called for flank steak broiled. I used sirloin which I marinated in strips and then sauted in a hot skillet which was also good.

Put all ingredients through red pepper flakes in a blender and blend until smooth. Please in a plastic bag with the steak to marinate for an hour or overnight. Heat broiler with rack set 4 inches from heat. Lift steak from marinade, place on pan and broil until medium rare (8-10 minutes). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
If you like, cook down the marinade in a sauce pan to make additional sauce.

I have found that good dried Greek oregano is the key to successfully making many Greek dishes taste authentic. Store bought dried oregano and Italian oregano just do not taste the same. We are lucky enough to get a fresh harvest each year from my father-in-law’s childhood friend. He plucks it from the hills near his home.

The oregano is already quite dry from the Greek summer sun. After bringing home our fragrant bundles, we take turns rubbing our hands together over the small branches detaching the harvest which sprinkles down into a large pan. Next, we portion it and bag it and take it home. Sounds like an illegal activity! More than once, I have been worried about a suspicious suitcase search to reveal my ziplock baggies of the fresh, pungent herb.

Horiatiki is a common fixture on the Greek table. In the neighborhood gardens in Corfu, you find a majority of tomatoes, some peppers, zucchini, eggplant. Fresh plucked tomatoes and green peppers are tossed with red onion, feta and olives. Tossed with oil, vinegar and oregano, the result is one of hte most healthy, refreshing summer side dishes to be found.

Horiatiki - Greek Peasant Salad
I like to eyeball the portions to my liking. Below is a basic guide.

Put all ingredients through red onion in a bowl. Sprinkle with oregano and toss with olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Usually, we visit Corfu, Greece every August, my father-in-law’s native island. This summer, we are going to the Netherlands instead for a wedding so we will miss the blue seas, hot sun and the food…. oh the food!

Just this week I started feeling sad and forlorn about all the things I would not eat this summer. Instead of wallowing in self pity, I decided to start making some of my favorite dishes. I turned to my trusty, dog-eared, Greek cooking handbook. This little book is so dated it is hilarious but has all you need inside to prepare the best Greek feasts. In Corfu, the bookstore carries it in about 15 languages. I often like to image others in Japan or Norway paging through their little blue manual recreating Greek vacation flavors.

Pasticcio is similar to lasagna with less cheese, a thick layer of bechamel sauce on top and special long, hollow-shaped noodles. Do the shape of the noodles really matter? YES! (But, that is a long debate for another blog discussion.) The pasticcio noodels are basically uncut macaroni. You can perhaps find them at a local ethnic grocer. If not, look for bucatini or as a last resort, use regular macaroni. Although, the idea of someone making this with regular macaroni so upsets me that I am almost willing to mail someone a package of noodles if you are seriously considering this recipe and have made every attempt to find the noodles and failed.

The recipe is a bit time consuming as you have to boil noodles, prepare the meat sauce and the bechamel before assembling and baking. But, when you are finished, you will have a huge pan of deliciousness that just tastes betters as the days go on. Pasticcio is leftover heaven.

For an even more authentic experience, serve Pasticcio with Greek Salad and Retsina wine. Follow it with some baklava or Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts.

Like many Greek dishes I have learned to prepare, I have learned to adjust a little of this and a little of that over time to get it just right. Throughout the recipe, I have added my own tips. But, be sure you are tasting regularly and adjusting as needed along the way.

Pasticcio

Put half the noodles in the pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Top the noodles with the meat sauce. Place the rest of the noodles on the meat sauce. Pour the bechamel over the top. Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Some of the noodles will be sticking through the top which is good because they get brown and crunchy in the oven. Bake for approximatley 1 hour or until top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

I once stood a few feet away from Jacques Pepin at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival. He was talking with a few other chefs and I never had a chance to meet him. The truth is, I am not much of a celebrity worshipper (contradictorily, I love a People magazine now and then) and would not have approached Monsieur Pepin as a stranger just to say hello, get an autograph or say that I admired him. Actually, I did not own any of his cookbooks nor had I watched his shows. But, for some reason, that close encounter made my conscience became friendly with him and when I see him on TV, I muse, “Why, hello again Jacques. You are looking well.” After making this recipe from his Fast Food My Way cookbook last week, I found myself chuckling amiably, ” Oh Jacques… you have done it again.”

There are not many ingredients in this recipe so you must use the best of everything! Each ingredient is delicious and familiar but they seemed a bit of an unusual combination. After tasting the finished recipe, I learned that each item plays an important role in pulling this dish together. The asparagus adds beautiful color and freshness . The almonds surprise with a welcome crunch. There is no doubt that the chorizo is the star of the show - I used a wonderful Spanish chorizo - oh that flavor! And the bread… well, it basically becomes a chorizo sponge. Each little baguette cube was a scrumptious, crunchy, chorizo-flavored morsel.

Asparagus with Croutons and Chorizo
1 lb. asparagus, tough ends removed, bottom 1/2 peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup 3/4inch slices chorizo (4oz.)
1 1/2 cups 3/4 inch bread cubes (baguette or italian)
1/4 cup whole almonds with skins
1/4 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Cut asparagus stalk into 3 or 4 pieces. heat olive oil until very hot. Add asparagus, chorizo, bread, almonds & saute, covered 5-6 minutes tossing the mixture a few times so it browns and cooks all over. Add salt and pepper. Toss again and serve on four warmed plates.

This recipe happened by unlucky chance. Last week, while first emerging from the bedroom, still groggy with sleep, I heard a loud voice from the kitchen exclaim, ” Oh no! The freezer was open all night!”

It was my fault. I put something in the freezer right before bed and apparently had not closed the door all the way. I stumbled into the kitchen to assess the damage. The majority of the freezer contents were mostly thawed. Amongst the previously frozen packages of meat was a huge rack of beef short ribs - not exactly something I would think about serving for dinner on 80 degree, humid days. Not wanting to waste them, I threw the beef into the crock pot before leaving for work.

During the day, I remembered a dish we ate on our vacation to Mexico called Salpicon. It was shredded beef, served cold with a distinct spicy, lime flavor. Thrilled with the possibility of salvaging my short ribs and concocting an appropriate summer meal, I researched online and found a number of recipes. I changed a few things here and there and was thrilled with the result. This would be a perfect recipe for a summer gathering because everything can be made ahead of time.

(Note: Do not touch chipotle chilies then cut onions and rub your runny, onion eyes. Doing this may delay your cooking about 10 minutes while you repeatedly flush your eyes with water while mumbling profanities.)

Salpicon
Beef:
3-4 lbs. beef brisket (or short ribs)
4-6 cups beef stock
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

To Serve:
Put enough dressing over meat so it is moist but not dripping. Mix together with a fork coating all meat. Serve warm or cold on top of lettuce leaves and with tomatoes, radishes and avocado.

My first herb exploration brought me to two local Asian grocers where I picked up Thai Basil, cilantro and mint as well as all the other necessary ingredients to make spring rolls. Inspired by a cocktail I usually order at a local restaurant, I also bought a can of lychee fruit in heavy syrup to concoct a Lychee Martini recipe.

As soon as my girlfriend came over, we shook up some of those martinis and I proceeded to show her how to make spring rolls… which brings us to the above photograph. She became a spring roll machine! I couldn’t get her to stop making them even once the rest of the meal was on the table and we were ready to eat. My last attempt to thwart her spring roll wrapping resulted in a slight tussle, a broken martini glass and a nervous barefoot dance by both of us to avoid cutting our feet.

My unfocused spring roll photo is a result of potentially blurred vision from our delectable Lychee Martinis, the mere speed of her quick and agile spring roll wrapping hands or a combination of both. I can promise you that although it is not pictured well, the spring rolls were delicous and a refreshing use of the fragrant herbs.

Lychee Martinis
1 can lychee fruit in syrup
vodka

Drain the fruit reserving the syrup. Pour 1/3 cup syrup and 1 cup vodka into a martini shaker with ice. Shake it up until is nice and cold then pour over a few lychee fruits in a martini glass.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce
adapted from Cooking Light

These also taste great with a peanut sate sauce.

Tonight we enjoyed our inaugural outdoor meal. It was 85 degrees, sunny and glorious in Chicago today. It is that odd time of year in the windy city when my winter boots are still perched outside our front door while I was in flip-flops grilling on the back porch. Everyone rushed to enjoy the brilliant weather. Tom & Wendee’s, our favorite Italian ice shop, was out of half of their flavors and many Chicagoans were lobster red, shocked into remembering that one can get sunburned in this city. No, we don’t have much of a Spring around these parts.

One of my favorite, easy back porch meals is Grilled Pesto Chicken with fresh salad or pasta or both. Eating this tonight reminded me that I better start planting my basil for my own batches of pesto this summer. I think that this year I will grow basil, thyme, sage and chives. And, oh yes, for the first time… mint! Hello Mr. Mojito! Also, I have decided that this might be the year of the mint julep for me… mostly because I love those silver cups. I am just dying for slow, hot afternoons, clutching a silver mint julep cup moist with condensation. Ahh.. I digress. The warm weather has me in an excited tizzy.

Grilled Pesto Chicken
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Basil Pesto
Salt and pepper

Serve chicken sliced over pesto pasta or with a salad. For the salad pictured above toss spring greens, feta cheese, red onion and kalamata olives with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

We have had three different sets of houseguests over the past four weekends which means many big meals and frequent restaurant eating. It also means that during the week, my refrigerator has been in a happy place called Leftover Land. I am a leftover junkie. Whether it is a half piece of pizza or five bites of chili, I save it. My behavior stems from two serious catalysts: I absolutely hate wasting things, especially food, and I am hypoglycemic and eat a little something about every three hours. Two bites of a leftover steak have been known to push me from panicked delirium to placid clarity in minutes.

At the end of each weekend, I have come to love Sunday dinners when I take full stock of what is in the refrigerator and cupboards try to whip it all into something new fangled and delicious. With the furrowed brow and concentration of MacGyver trying to rig up a bomb with chewing gum, I chop, mix and garnish up those leftovers to create the most presentable and fresh meal possible. (did I just date myself with that MacGyver reference?)

Some of my best inventions come in the form of an Asian-inspired rice bowl. I realized that it is a formula that can be passed on, and so I will. Below are some basic guidelines but I encourage you to be creative. Leftovers live on!

Leftovers Rice Bowl
Gather up any or all of the below ingredients you may have.

Start by heating oil in a wok or hot pan. Sesame oil adds a great flavor but any oil will do. Add any of the Step 1 ingredients you may have and cook a few minutes. Add Step 2 ingredients and continue to cook. In general, add raw items first or things that need the most cooking before the leftovers. When all is heated through, add the rice and whatever sauce you have on hand and mix together. Serve in bowls and top with garnish(es).

This year, my in-laws came and visited us for Easter. My father-in-law is from the Greek island of Corfu where I hear they have the best Easter celebrations of all time including huge gatherings in the town square, processions, music, the throwing of colored pots out of windows and fireworks. It is pretty hard to top that in Chicago, in April, with below freezing temperatures.

A few years ago, they made the long trip here and I planned a large holiday meal, serving the traditional lamb. Again, there is no comparing the drama and pagaentry of the full lamb on a spit in the front yard but I thought it would be nice to stick to tradition. Over time, I think my memory of that meal has gotten worse. I recall a huge, stinky, greasy leg of lamb that I had to choke down bite by bite and felt embarrassed to serve. The true history is probably a bit more mild.

This year, I had a chance to redeem myself… and I did! A few months ago, a new friend (who I instantly knew was a kindred spirit when I learned she loved to cook, hates raw tomatoes except for in fresh salsa and adores corndogs) served us this amazing lamb dish. It is easy, fast, fancy and fabulously delicious. I served the lamb after a fresh spinach salad course and atop my new favorite starch, garlic polenta. For dessert, we enjoyed a cinnamon cake with French vanilla ice cream.

If you are not a lamb eater, this herb and olive paste would taste amazing coating just about anything. Matter-of-fact, I put it on a small skirt steak and pan fried it for my mother-in-law who doesn’t eat lamb and she loved it.

Rack of Lamb with Herb and Olive Crust
1/3 cup coarsely chopped olives - kalamata, picholine or Manzanilla
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 racks of lamb (7-8 ribs each, trimmed or frenched)
salt and pepper
3/6 cups breadcrumbs

From Fine Cooking Magazine