In This Menu:

• Spinach and Watermelon Salad
• Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
• Peach Bread Pudding

It is true. I like Mexican food. A lot. I just spent the weekend in St. Louis celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday. Happy Birthday Virginia, you’re the best! I was able to cook with my sister-in-law, Gloria, who is not too shabby when it comes to Mexican cooking (growing up there helps). Gloria is passionate about food, family, and entertaining and because of that, cooking with her is truly a joy! This is the long explanation as to why I did enchiladas this week.

I wanted to give you a recipe for enchiladas that is fairly quick and easy. The ground Smart Chicken is an amazing product and you should be able to get this dish in the oven in less than 45 minutes. It freezes well and if you are looking for a dish to take to a friend, this does very well in a foil pan. Salud!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 4 cups torn spinach
• 4 cups thinly sliced romaine
  lettuce

• 2 cups (1 inch) watermelon
  balls

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• ½ cup sliced cucumber
• ¼ cup thinly sliced onion, separated into rings

PREPARATION

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Set aside.
Combine spinach and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad, and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small white onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ears Olathe corn cut from cob
• 1 lb. ground Smart Chicken
• Salt and pepper
• 1, 12 oz. can black beans
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 lb. soft, Mexican cheese grated
• 12, 8 inch corn tortillas
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 can green enchilada sauce
• 8 oz. sour cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch cilantro, rough chop

PREPARATION

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, corn, and chicken and sauté, tossing frequently until chicken is cooked through. Drain meat, then place in bowl. Add black beans, ½ of the chopped cilantro, ½ of the cheese, and lime juice to chicken and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat vegetable oil on low heat. Dip tortillas one at a time in hot oil and set aside on paper towels to drain. Fill each tortilla with about ¼ cup of the filling, roll and place in a greased ovenproof pan, like a Pyrex.

Make sauce by mixing enchilada sauce with sour cream and salt. Pour sauce over enchiladas and bake for 45 minutes at 375°.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 fresh peaches, peeled and
  sliced thin

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 6 cage free eggs
• ½ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• Several slices of dense, white
  bread, crusts removed

PREPARATION

Slice peaches, place in bowl with brown sugar and set aside.

Beat eggs with next 5 ingredients and set aside. Butter a 8″x8″ Pyrex. Line bottom of Pyrex with peach slices, slightly overlapping. Top peach layer with a layer of bread to completely cover peaches. Repeat until pan is full. Pour custard over all and let the custard soak into the bread. Bake in water bath for about 90 minutes at 275° or until a toothpick comes out clean.

In This Menu:

• Greek Salad with Feta Turnover (Spanakopita)
• Souvlaki
• Greek Ice Cream with Peaches

Two weeks ago we journeyed to India in a culinary quest. I had so much fun researching and cooking the Indian food for you that I thought another journey was in order: this time to Greece! For those of you who are intimately familiar with Greek food, you’ll have to excuse me for not being completely authentic. Just so you know, this is not my intention. These recipes are my interpretations and variations of traditional Greek food. The Spanakopita, for instance, is not usually served on a salad but I like it served that way; if you give it a try, I think you might like it too! I think one becomes a better cook by pushing the boundaries of a recipe and coming up with new ways to present a classic dish. I put this version of a Greek salad on my previous restaurant’s menu way back in 2001. In the original recipe, I made the turnover with puff pastry and the filling was different. When considering my options for this week’s meal plan, I wondered why I had never done the turnover with phyllo dough (which is used extensively in Greece). The answer was probably that I didn’t want to do spanakopita, which is the classic Greek hors d’oeuvres made with feta cheese and spinach wrapped in phyllo. My next thought was, “Why not?” So here we are!

Serves 4

For the salad:

• 1 head red leaf lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 head bib lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved and sliced into crescent shapes ¼-inch thick
• 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in half. Seeded and sliced into strips ¼-inch thick
• ½ to ¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
• ½ cup roasted red peppers, cut into strips
• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted (toast on cookie sheet in oven at 350° for about 6 minutes)

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ cup olive oil

Place all ingredients (except oil) in a food processor. Turn machine to high and slowly drizzle in oil to make a vinaigrette.

For the spanakopita:

First, let me say that working with phyllo dough can be a bit challenging. If you are not up to it, there are some good frozen spanakopitas on the market. If you want to learn how, then here we go!

For the dough:

• 6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed and covered with a towel
• ½ cup of olive oil in a small bowl and a pastry brush

For the filling:

• ½ cup chopped spinach frozen or fresh, drained off as much water as you can remove
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 oz. feta cheese broken into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Making the dough:

Place one sheet of the phyllo on a large cutting board and being careful not to tear it. Lightly brush with olive oil. Place another sheet on top of the first and brush the second sheet with oil. Repeat process until all 6 sheets are stacked on top of each other with a layer of olive oil on each one. Make sure and brush the last sheet with the oil as well. Mix all of the ingredients for the filling in a small bowl and set aside. Cut the dough in half horizontally, then cut each piece in half again. You should now have 4 long strips of oil treated dough. Place a tablespoon on the bottom of the first phyllo strip. Grab the left bottom corner of the strip and fold over filling to make a triangle. Now fold upwards. Continue folding in triangles until you have used all of the dough. Remember making those paper footballs as a kid? This is the same idea! Repeat with other dough pieces and filling. Bake the spanakopita at 375° until light brown. Remove from oven. Serve warm on top of salad.

Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Divide onto four plates and top each salad with the warm spanakopita.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lemon, grated and juiced
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dry oregano
• 4 to 6 fresh basil leaves
• 4 to 6 sprigs parsley
• 1 large or 2 small shallots
• 6 cloves
• 1½ teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound strip sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound lamb (chops or leg), boned cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 Roma tomatoes, quartered
• 2 red onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound Smart Chicken thighs, boned cut into 1-inch cubes skewers

PREPARATION

Place first 12 ingredients (everything down to the meat) in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Place the sirloin, lamb, tomatoes, onions, and peppers into a large bowl. Pour all of the marinade (except ½ cup) over the meats and vegetables. Place the chicken in a small bowl and pour half of the remaining marinade (¼ cup) over it. Reserve the remaining marinade for basting. Toss the contents of both bowls to coat evenly. Cover and let marinate for at least 3 hours; overnight is better.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat (400°). Remove chicken from bowl and grill for 3 minutes, turn over and grill for another 3 minutes. The reason the chicken is marinated and cooked separately is that chicken MUST be cooked through to avoid food borne illness. The beef and lamb, on the other hand, are much better cooked medium rare to medium. If you intend to cook all of the meat well done, you can just add the chicken to the other ingredients when marinating.

Remember, eating undercooked chicken can lead to serious illness! Always wash utensils, hands, counters, etc. when handling raw chicken and do not let other foods that will be eaten raw (salads, etc.) touch any area that has been contaminated by raw chicken.

Thread skewers in this order: lamb, tomato, chicken, pepper, beef, onion. Lightly oil grate. Grill over hot coals, basting with the remaining marinade every couple of minutes. Cook 4 to 8 minutes per side depending on desired doneness. Turn skewers frequently for even cooking. Serve on a bed of Greek rice pilaf.

I found this ice cream recipe on the internet and I have to say, it is AWESOME! I came up with the peaches in caramel cream. You are going to like this one!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of 2% milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1¼ cup of whipping cream

PREPARATION
In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and fully blended. In a saucepan, heat the milk (do not boil). When hot (steaming), add the egg mixture slowly, whisking continuously. Reduce heat to low, and cook until it becomes a smooth custard, stirring to keep from boiling.

Note: Alternatively, use a double boiler.

Remove custard from the heat and set aside to cool. When completely cooled, whip the cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the custard mixture with a spatula. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Serve with warm peaches in sauce.

For the peaches:

• 3 large, fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¾ cup heavy cream

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add peaches, sugar, and cloves. Cook stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add cream, bring to a boil and reduce for 4 minutes until thick, but pourable.

Yield: approximately 1 quart

In This Menu:

• Chicken Gumbo
• James’ Shrimp Creole
• Banana Pudding Cake

I, like most people, love Cajun food. My only trip to New Orleans really opened my eyes to the complexities of Cajun cooking as well as the myriad of subtle differences from other similar cuisines. My dad and I made the shrimp Creole, one of our favorite dishes, a million times which was inspired originally by a recipe called “Major Hollander’s Shrimp Creole”. I no longer know what cookbook it came out of or who Major Hollander was. I have recreated the dish from memory and I doubt it is exactly the same, but it certainly is tasty! The main thing I remembered about the original recipe is that it called for the zest and juice of one whole lemon. The lemon zest gives this version the signature taste I have come to love.

I want to thank Chef William Mauk from New Orleans for first making me true Gumbo and showing me how to make the best, dark, roux. I hope you like it. AAAIIIIEEEEEE!!!

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large chicken (young hen preferred), cut into pieces
• 1 pound andouille or smoked sausage, cut into ½” pieces
• ½ cup flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
• Filé powder to taste
• ½ bunch scallions (green onions), tops only, chopped

PREPARATION

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning and brown thoroughly on both sides. Make sure that the fat is cooked out of the skin on the chicken and that it is crispy. Remove chicken to baking dish and place in oven at 350° for 30 minutes. While chicken is cooking, brown the sausage then remove from pan and set aside. Pour all excess fat but 2 tablespoons from skillet into a small, heavy bottomed, saucepan. Set skillet aside.

Add the flour to the oil, blending with a whisk. Cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux is almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a Cajun-style roux. If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium, peanut-butter color, over lower heat if you’re nervous about burning it.

Add the vegetables to skillet and cook over medium heat, scraping bottom of skillet as vegetables cook to get all of the brown bits of flavor off pan. Remove chicken, let cool, and cut the meat off of the chicken into ½ inch pieces. Add the chicken along with the sausage to the pan.

Add the stock, seasonings, and parsley to pan. Bring to a boil, add the roux, then cook for about one hour, skimming fat off the top as needed.

Serve over rice in large shallow bowls. Top with chopped green onions. Accompany with a good beer and lots of hot, crispy French bread.

YIELD: About 12 appetizer-sized servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup diced green bell peppers
• ½ cup diced onions (reserve ends and skins)
• ½ cup diced celery (reserve ends, hearts, leaves)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning*
• 1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 8 oz. shrimp stock
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1½ pounds peeled and deveined shrimp (reserve shells)
• Green onions, for garnish

*Available in our spice aisle

PREPARATION

Place shrimp shells and reserved vegetable peelings on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400° oven until light brown. Place shells and veggies in a medium sauce pan, add 2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 4 cups of water to pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour stock into another saucepan through a fine, metal strainer. Place stock back on high heat, bring to a boil and continue to boil until the stock is reduced by 2/3.

In fry pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onions and celery and garlic. Cook until softened. Add Cajun spice and sauté until caramelized. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, shrimp stock, hot sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, and white sugar.

Cook for 3 hours. Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. Serve over rice. Top with chopped green onions.

I decided to do an easy dessert for you since cooking in this heat can be tiring! I created this recipe very recently and originally did it with a homemade custard and cake from scratch. I don’t think that using the pre-made mixes will hurt the integrity of the dish much. If you would rather use from scratch products, feel free!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bananas
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 box vanilla pudding mix
• Whipped cream
• Mint for garnish

PREPARATION

Slice bananas into ¼ inch slices. Prepare cake per package directions. Bake, let cool, and cut into pieces. Prepare pudding according to package directions and set aside. In several large ramekins or wine glasses layer the dessert in this order:

1. Pudding
2. Bananas
3. Cake
4. Whipped Cream
5. Bananas

The last and top layer should be whipped cream with banana slices around edge. Top with mint for garnish. Chill and serve.

In This Menu:

• Julia Child’s Coq au Vin
• Creamy Cantaloupe Soup
• Fried Strawberries

When I was growing up, Sunday evening at the Clary house meant one thing: Julia Childs. We watched her show religiously and my early attempts at cooking were certainly influenced by her. This is Julia Child’s recipe for her famous Coq Au Vin (Casserole of Chicken in Red Wine). I remember making this dish as a teenager and became enamored with the tangy flavor of the red wine. Most of Julia’s cookbooks included this recipe. Coq au Vin (literally “rooster in red wine”) is probably the most famous of all French chicken dishes and certainly one of the most delicious, with its rich red wine sauce, tender onions and mushroom garniture, and its browned pieces of chicken with their wonderful flavor. Coq au Vin seems to be even better when done ahead so all its elements have time to steep together.

History: Coq Au Vin is a Burgundian dish, and is considered a French comfort food. The traditional recipe for Coq au Vin did not include chicken, but rather a “coq,” which is a rooster. For this dish, I chose to use chicken legs and thighs; you can add breasts if you like, but I feel that breast meat dries out and is not nearly as flavorful as the dark meat.

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ to 3 pounds of chicken thighs and legs
• 4 ounces lean thick-cut bacon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup cognac (or brandy)
• 2 cups red wine (Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Beaujolais or Chianti)
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• Brown-Braised Onions (see recipe below)
• Mushrooms (see recipe below)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• Parsley sprigs

PREPARATION

Dry chicken thoroughly in a towel. Season chicken with salt and pepper; set aside.

Remove any rind off the bacon and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles ¼-inch across and 1-inch long). In a saucepan, simmer the bacon sticks in 2 quarts of water for 10 minutes; remove from heat, drain, rinse in cold water, and pat dry.

In a large heavy frying pan, casserole dish, or electric skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil until moderately hot. Add the bacon and sauté slowly until they are lightly browned. Remove bacon to a side dish. Place chicken pieces into the hot oil (not crowding pan), and brown on all sides. Return bacon to the pan, cover pan, and cook slowly for 10 minutes, turning chicken once.

After browning the chicken, uncover pan, pour in the cognac. Cook for a couple of minutes to burn off alcohol. Pour the red wine into the pan and add just enough chicken broth to completely cover the chicken pieces. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover pan, and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes or until the chicken meat is tender when pierced with a fork.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Brown-Braised Onions and the Mushrooms (recipes below).

When the chicken is done cooking, remove from the pan to a platter, leaving the cooking liquid in the pan. Increase heat to high and boil the cooking liquid rapidly until approximately 2 cups of liquid remains.

While the liquid is boiling, in a small bowl, blend the 3 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons softened butter into a smooth paste; beat the flour/butter mixture into the approximately 2 cups hot cooking liquid with a whisk. Simmer and stir for a minute or two until the sauce has thickened (the result will be a sauce thick enough to lightly coat a spoon – just thick enough to coat the chicken and vegetables lightly). If sauce is too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate; if sauce is too thick, thin out with additional spoonfuls of chicken stock. Taste the final sauce, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.

To serve: Either serve from the casserole dish or arrange the chicken on a large platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Arrange the Brown-Braised Onions on one side of the chicken and the Mushrooms on the other side. Decorate with sprigs of parsley. Accompany with parsley potatoes, rice, or noodles; buttered green peas or a green salad; hot French bread; and the same red wine you used for cooking the chicken. This dish is traditionally served with wide egg noodles.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 12 to 24 small white onions, peeled (or double the amount if you want to use tiny frozen peeled raw onions)*
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste

* If neither frozen nor fresh pearl onions are available, substitute one large onion cut into ½-inch pieces. (Do not use jarred pearl onions, they will turn mushy and disintegrate into the sauce.)

PREPARATION

While chicken is cooking, drop onions into boiling water, bring water back to the boil, and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain. Cool onions in ice water. Shave off the two ends (root and stem ends) of each onion, peel carefully, and pierce a deep cross in the root end with a small knife (to keep onions whole during cooking).

In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, add parboiled onions, and toss for several minutes until lightly browned (this will be a patchy brown). Add water to halfway up onions and add ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt. Cover pan and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes or until onions are tender when pierced with a knife.

NOTE: Onions may be cooked in advance, set aside, and then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound fresh mushrooms, washed and well dried; left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ tablespoon olive oil

PREPARATION

In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil; when bubbling hot, toss in mushrooms and sauté over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.

NOTE: Mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, and then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

I love soups and in the summer (as you know if you read this blog with any regularity) I like cold soups. Here is one using cantaloupes that is perfect for a warm summer evening.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium size cantaloupe,
  peeled and cut up

• 1 pint half and half
• ½ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash orange juice
• Dash champagne
• Sour cream

PREPARATION

Blend cantaloupe, half and half, honey, and cinnamon in blender. Orange juice and/or champagne may be added for zest. Serve chilled with a dollop of sour cream in each bowl.

When I first opened Clary’s, I was looking for a different kind of dessert and a friend had just returned from the West Coast and had fried strawberries at a restaurant. I was intrigued and began to play with the idea. The recipe below is the final result.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Granulated sugar
• Oil (for frying)
• Whipped cream
• Mint sprig (optional)

PREPARATION

Wash strawberries and pat dry with paper towels. Put flour in a shallow bowl. Beat egg and milk together in a bowl. Mix cinnamon and graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge strawberries in flour, then in egg/milk and then roll in graham cracker mixture. Have enough oil heated for deep frying. Deep fry strawberries for 1 to 2 minutes or until coating is crisped. Drain on paper towels and roll in sugar. Place strawberries (about 4 per serving depending on size of berries) on a plate with whipped cream and garnish with mint.