Watch this series.  That is all I can say.  You will be amazed by the food you see.  You will be delighted by the stories the chef's share.  I will watch each episode at least twice...then I will cook.

Recipe inspired by Food & Wine
This truffle recipe offers an less fussy way to create a delicious, delightful, creamy bite of heaven.  You will note that these truffles are finished without the classic chocolate shell on the outside.  Simply prepare your ganache, cool, scoop and roll in a topping.  Done!
PS.  Having fun with the camera for this post!

There is nothing better than a recipe that does double or triple duty.  To find a recipe that starts as one recipe and then becomes something very different by adding or subtracting just a few ingredients makes meal planning so much easier.  

In its original form it is a sauce for salmon, chicken, beef, or pork.  You can put it over rice, spaghetti squash, or steamed broccoli.  Add chicken or vegetable stock to it and it becomes a soup.  Take that soup and puree it, add some left over chicken and it becomes an Asian chili.  To take this recipe and turn it into a Mexican or Latin dish, leave out the ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil and add in chipotle!  The possibilities are endless. My Asian Black Bean Sauce is one of my favorite multi-use recipes.  The ingredients are always part of my pantry supplies.  And, this recipe freezes well for later use.   I recently featured this recipe at a program I did for the North Reading Garden Club and it received great reviews!

Makes about 2 cups

2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs of fresh ginger, minced
1 can of black beans (15 ounces), drained and rinsed (red kidney beans can be added or substituted)
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock or water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
Pinch crushed red pepper
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
2 pieces of scallion, sliced thin on the diagonal.

1. Heat canola oil, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring for 2 minutes (do not brown).  
   
2. Add the rinsed black beans, stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.  Add more stock if you would like a saucier consistency.
   
3. Finish with fresh cilantro and sliced scallions.
   

Every year the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts (GCFM) holds a forum that invites professional speakers to present themselves to garden club program committee members.  As a speaker and presenter this is a wonderful opportunity for  me to introduce myself and my cooking and gardening programs to more than 200 Massachusetts garden clubs.  
My goal is to make myself memorable as I entice the club members to my table so I can give my 30 second "elevator speech" sales pitch and get each visitor to remember me.  How do I do that?  First, I try to dress up my little 3 foot table space with pretty fabric and a laptop slide show of my gardens. 
 Second, I smile...a lot!  
Third, I bring out my secret weapon...food.  Each year I bring a tasty dish for visitors to sample.  Each recipe needs to be quick to hand-out, not too fussy or messy to eat, and include ingredients that relate to my cooking demonstration topics.  This year I offered my favorite herbal treat.  My rosemary shortbread cookies are always a winner and are so easy to make.  The best thing about this recipe is that I can make the dough ahead, freeze it, and then thaw out the dough just before I'm ready to bake.  The dough will hold well in the freezer for 3 months.  Enjoy!
 

Cookies:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp fresh rosemary 
½ cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
Optional Herbs: lavender, thyme, basil 

Icing:
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tsp lime juice and ½ tsp lime zest or 1/8 tsp lime oil
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk

 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

1. Combine the rosemary and sugar in a  food processor turn on for 30 seconds to allow the herb oils to flavor the sugar.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together with a paddle in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth but not fluffy.
3. Add the flour all at once and mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated and begins to form the dough.
4. Roll the dough out on a floured board into two 8-inch logs that are 1 ½ round.
5. Wrap the logs in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes...wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 3 months if desired.
6. Cut the logs into ¼-inch slices and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake the cookies for 22 to 25 minutes.  Do not let the cookies brown or they will be over baked.
8. Allow the shortbread to cool on the pan for 5 minutes.  Remove to a cookie rack and cool completely before icing.
9. While the cookies are cooling make the icing.  Combine the icing ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.  Drizzle the icing in streaks over the cooled cookies (I use a fork).  If the icing is too thick add more milk 1 tsp at a time.  Be careful not to make the icing too runny.  Allow the icing to harden before serving and storing for later use.  

This winter was a long one, cold, and snowy...lots of snow.  Right after Christmas I took my two enamel cast iron dutch ovens and placed them on my stove.  My plan was to leave them there all winter in the hopes that they would regularly inspire me to explore their cooking magic by creating a variety of soups and stews.  It worked!  
The idea for this recipe, my "progressive" soup came to me as I was looking in the refrigerator with desperation trying to come up with a last minute dinner plan.  Last minute because I'd given a cooking  class that day, driven 2 hours there and back and I was really not feeling like cooking a meal; and now it was 7:00pm.  Sound familiar?  
Looking around in the refrigerator I pulled out the leftovers of the herb soup I had made two days before. That would be my start.  Seeing no leftover vegetables, I went into the freezer.  Frozen peas, broccoli florets, and pearl onions came to my rescue.  Next I needed a protein.  I headed back into the refrigerator and found a container of cooked chicken I had pulled from a roast chicken we had the night before.  I put all these things together in my dutch oven with some chicken stock, placed it over a low flame and in half and hour dinner was ready!  The next day I did the same thing.   This time I took the leftover soup and added coconut milk, curry powder, and cilantro.  Now I'd taken last night's dinner and created a soup with a completely different flavor profile.  Served with a salad of greens, sliced apples, and dressed with oil and vinegar and we were set for another delicious soup!  

Soup #1…Herb Soup
Double this recipe if you are planning to create additional soups from this.

2 Tbs unsalted butter
½ cup onion, diced
½  cup celery (about 1),chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups whole milk
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Tbs fresh herbs, chopped (flat leafed parsley, rosemary, tarragon, thyme)
4 cups chopped fresh greens (baby spinach, arugula, sorrel, watercress, ramps, or dandelion leaves)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-low heat. When it foams, add onion and celery.  Cover with a lid and cook gently 5-8 minutes, until soft. 
   
2. Add the diced potato, stock, and milk.  Raise the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked, about 10-15 minutes more. 
   
3. Add greens and herbs and simmer uncovered 5 minutes until greens are just cooked through and the soup is fragrant.   Puree half or all of the soup in a blender or with an emersion blender, until smooth.   Season with salt and pepper to taste.    Serve.  This soup can be refrigerated for 3-5 days.
   

Additions: 

• Raw shrimp…add with greens and herbs.
  
• Cooked, shredded chicken…add with greens and herbs.
  
• Sliced cherry tomatoes…add with greens and herbs.
  
• Bacon…dice, cook first to render fat.  Remove the bacon (drain on paper towel) and all but 1 Tbs of the fat.  Add 1 Tbs of butter to the bacon fat and prepare recipe as written.  Add bacon back in with herbs and greens.
  
• Corn…add with greens and herbs.
  

Soup #3…Curried Chicken with Coconut Milk

1 Tbs olive oil
2-3 Tbs curry powder
1-2 cans coconut milk
½ pound frozen or fresh cauliflower
½ pound frozen or fresh corn
½ cup cilantro, fresh
stock as needed

1. In a separate sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium low heat.  When hot but not smoking, add the curry powder.  Heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  The curry should become fragrant.  Add one can of the coconut milk to the cooked curry powder and whisk.  Add the curry coconut milk to the soup.  
   
2. Add remaining ingredients (but not the cilantro) and additional stock as needed.   
   
3. Heat the soup and simmer for 15-20 minutes to blend the flavors.  Add the cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.
   

Don't be afraid that this recipe makes too much.  You will love this recipe so much that you will be eating it morning, noon, and night!  The beauty of marinating your kale is that it will taste better as time passes.  Keep your kale salad refrigerated for up to 5 days!  Each day add something different to your salad...diced tofu, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, cold shrimp, cold chicken...anything you like!

Makes 12 servings
8 Cups of de-veined and chopped Kale 
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 glove of garlic
½-inch piece of ginger root
1/3 cup olive oil
1 -2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 cup of water
¼ cup lemon juice
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
Pinch or two of cayenne 

1.  Place the chopped kale and red onion in a large bowl.
2.  Using a blender, combine the remaining ingredients to create a marinade.  Toss the kale with the marinade.  You can eat your dressed kale immediately, but this is best when refrigerated for 4-5 hours before eating. 
This salad can be stored in the refrigerator and eaten for up to 5 days.
Additions: Shredded zucchini or carrots, and/or diced tofu.   Cooked shrimp, shredded chicken, pork, or beef can also be added.  

Serves 4-6
1 lb of cooked farfalle pasta*
2 Tbs olive oil or 2 Tbs butter
10 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
2 ½ -3 cups of half & half
1 cup fresh flat leafed parsley, chopped
2 cups Arugula, chopped
2 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped, fine
1  cup of Parmegiano Reggiano, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat a large sauté pan over low heat with olive oil the sliced garlic.  Cook the garlic until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
2.  Add the half & half to the garlic and bring to simmer over medium-high heat.  Simmer for 3 minutes. 
3.  Add the chopped herbs and simmer for 2 minutes. 
4.  Add the cooked pasta and cheese and gently toss to combine.  Heat for 1- 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce and enhance the flavor of the pasta.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking Pasta Ahead of time:
Cook your pasta aldante (until there is a slight bite to it).
Strain the pasta and run cold water through it until it is cooled.  Strain well.
Put the cold pasta in a plastic bag and add 2 Tbs of olive oil.  Seal the bag and squish to coat the pasta with the oil.  Refrigerate.

Heating Cooked Pasta:
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
Just before serving drop the cooked pasta into the boiling water and immediately pour the pasta into a strainer.  Serve with sauce.

1 pound frozen petite peas, thawed
3 Tbs cider or red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
½ tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbs flat leafed parsley, chopped
1 egg hard cooked, chopped
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs  capers, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1.    Place the thawed petite peas in a medium serving bowl. 
2.    In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, oil, thyme, parsley, egg, onion, and capers, and salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle half of the vinaigrette over the peas and toss.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.  Keep remaining vinaigrette refrigerated for up to 5 days.  Use on salads, boiled potatoes, or on top of cooked chicken or fish.

Optional vegetables:
Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and sugar snap peas make wonderful additions or substitutions.  Steam until just cooked but still crisp and cool before adding marinade.

Zucchini "Pasta"
Serves 4
3 medium zucchini
Use the attachment with the smaller holes to produce a thin spaghetti like result.  The machine will produce one long, long, long strand.  Be sure to cut the zucchini strand in a few places to make them easier to serve.
Dress with herb pesto.

Herb Pesto
Makes about 1 ½ cups
½ cup olive oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh flat leafed parsley, stems removed, roughly chopped
6 Tbs mayonnaise
1 Tbs fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
3 Tbs fresh mint, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup cold water
Optional:  Add 1/3 cup toasted almonds, pine nuts, or roasted sunflower seeds w/oil, spinach

1.  Place the oil into the blender or food processor.  

2.  Add the spinach or arugula, parsley, mayonnaise, rosemary, mint, garlic, and Parmesan cheese (nuts too if using).  Process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.  Continue to process until smooth adding the water if a smoother consistency is desired.  

3. Toss with hot or room temperature pasta and serve hot or cold.
Tip:  If using spiralized summer squash or zucchini instead of pasta…no need to cook the squash.  The raw squash will stay firm and hold up to the pesto better if left uncooked.  Heat dressed squash in microwave for 2 ½ minutes if you’d like to serve it warm or hot.

 

 

Serves 6 as a side dish  

1 pound bag frozen Petite Peas (these are the sweetest), thawed
2 Tbs unsalted butter
¼ cup red onion, chopped
3 Tbs fresh mint, chopped
2 Tbs fresh flat leafed parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and Pepper

1.  Heat a small sauté pan with the butter over low heat.  Add the chopped onion and cook until just soft, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the thawed peas and fresh herbs to the cooked onions.  Heat just until the peas are warmed through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to tastes.  Serve hot or room temperature.

 
Additions:
Add ½ pound thin asparagus, cut into 1”pieces and lightly steamed.
Add ½ pound sugar snap peas, steamed for 3 minutes.  


To make minted sweet pea puree:  Place the completed pea recipe into a food processor and process until smooth.  Serve warm or room temperature on a cracker or crostini.  Top with shaved parmesan.


To make minted sweet pea soup:  Heat 4 cups of chicken stock.  Add the completed pea recipe.  Process in a blender in 2 batches until smooth.  Add heavy cream to taste if you like a creamier soup.  Season with kosher salt and pepper.