This One's for Tony, as Promised

I keep promising my pal Tony I will either email or post this recipe, so here we goooo . . .

I was introduced to a similar recipe by a close friend nearly thirty years ago. This is my standard go-to rice recipe. It's great on a buffet because it goes with anything, so it makes the perfect background for multiple dishes. It also makes a terrific base for just about any meat and vegetable mix-ins. I use the leftovers to make fried rice and I've served it every which way you can imagine.

Enough gushing, get ready to get your rice on.

Go With Everything Brown Rice Pilaf

2 c brown rice

4 c stock (vegetable, beef, chicken, whichever type suits your meal)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 T butter, the real thing

1/2 to 1 c whole wheat pasta, see note below

1/4 t salt, optional

In a deep-walled saute pan, saute onions in butter until translucent, but not brown

Add garlic, rice, and pasta and heat just until they pick up a little color

Pour in stock, stir, bring to boil

Lower heat to a simmer and cover tightly

Allow to simmer, undisturbed, for about 35 minutes

Rice is cooked when all liquid is absorbed, about 35 to 45 minutes

This will yield about 6-7 cups of cooked rice pilaf.

A note about ingredients: If you don't have enough stock for the recipe, make up the rest with water, or you can cut the recipe in half since this actually makes about 6 cups of rice. You CAN use white rice and white pasta if you prefer, but you have to shorten your cook time. Take a look at the package directions for the rice and use those times as a guide.

A note about the pasta: If you're using a shaped pasta like a rotini or farfalle, you'll want a full cup. If you use a small, grain-shaped pasta like orzo, cut amount to a half cup. Don't use a long noodle like spaghetti or linguine. If you can't have wheat, just leave it out completely since the cook time on wheat-free varieties varies so widely.

Happy Cooking!

Farmer in the Queen City (recipe)

Babcie's Summer Salad
(scroll down for recipe)

Manchester, NH had a population of about 90,000 when I was growing up there. It's not a huge city, but I'm sure it was a bit of a culture shock for my grandfather who moved there from a farm in Poland shortly after the end of World War II.

If I were to walk onto my grandfather's property now, dressed the way I remember it from my youth, I'm sure I'd be the one in shock. You see, I currently live in a suburb of Boston, MA whose metropolitan area has a population about three times that of the entire state of New Hampshire and I'm horrified that my neighbors have a pair of chickens in their yard. When I was a kid however, Dziadzio's (pronounced Juh-joo, Polish for Grandpa) mini farm in the city didn't even phase me. It was a great place to visit and I was there almost every day. At one time or another, Dziadzio had three chickens, two ducks, a dog, countless rabbits (they really do multiply quickly), and a flock of pigeons.

But his menagerie was not my grandfather's claim to fame; THAT was his garden. My grandparents' home sat on a double lot which afforded the space for the animals and a huge vegetable garden along with (concord) grape vines, and fruit trees that bore peaches, plums, pears and crab apples. Needless to say, with all those pigeons, Dziadzio never needed to buy fertilizer. Our family was eating organic WAY before it was cool. I know this had at least some influence on his son-in-law (my dad) whose own yard boasted a good sized garden and a peach tree. I was raised to love raw vegetables and taught to use them in ways that emphasized, rather than masked, their natural flavors.

Babcie (Polish for Grandma and pronounced Bahb-chee) was an amazing cook and she had the best resources at her fingertips. Most plentiful were the tomatoes and cucumbers used in the recipe I share with you today. This is one of those family recipes that never really had a name. It's been handed down, one generation at a time, with instructions like, "Throw in a dollop of sour cream. I don't know how much; until it looks good." That's how my family cooks. I assume that's how most families cook. My Aunt always called it "Polish Salad" or "Babcie's Salad." Call it whatever you want, but try it. I love this stuff.

Babcie's Summer Salad

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

two good sized cucumbers or one English cucumber, sliced a little thinner than 1/4"

two medium tomatoes, sliced in chunks or one pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

one half of a medium onion, sliced paper thin (optional)

In a non-metal bowl combine vegetables.

Add sour cream and toss to coat veggies.

Add vinegar and stir lightly. (Do not give into temptation to add more vinegar.)

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, but 4 hours or more is ideal.

Stir again and serve cold.

(Quite) A Few Notes about Ingredients:

I rarely peel an English cuke, but I always peel the traditional cucumbers (if they're from the grocery store) as they are usually heavily waxed to keep them fresh in transit.

Yes, you must halve your cherry or grape tomatoes. The juice of the tomato is necessary for the dressing.

I leave out the onions when I make this for the kids, but it's so much better with them in it.

Keep it simple. You may assume cider or champagne vinegar would improve this dish, but the whole point is to use simple, easy to find ingredients that really play up the natural flavors of the vegetables. The vinegar draws some of the moisture out of the veggies and makes a simple dressing that's wonderful.

Yes, you may use reduced fat or fat free sour cream and it will taste exactly the same.

And Here's Another Use:

After your veggies have set in the fridge for a few hours, toss them with about 8 oz. (dry weight) cooked, chilled pasta. (Yes, I love pasta salad.)

Or you could do what I did last week and drop a scoop on a bed of lettuce and have a terrific salad for lunch.

Kocham cie Babcie i Dziadzio.

Yes, I Am a Domestic Goddess (Recipe)

My Mom is a very good cook. She's not a gourmet, certainly not a culinary snob, but she can follow a recipe and make the most of it. She can also walk into the kitchen, raid the pantry, and make a delicious meal from whatever's on hand. Most impressive is her ability to duplicate, or even improve upon, a (simple) restaurant recipe just by taste.

I was fortunate enough to inherit her skills and the good sense to pay attention when I helped Mom and Babcie (that's Polish for Grandma) in the kitchen. They taught me the basic techniques I needed to survive on my own and be able to cook for myself and others. Just about everything else I know about cooking and cuisine came from watching the Food Network, and before that, various cooking shows like the Great Chefs series and, of course, Julia Child. So when I throw together a recipe I really love I try to write it down immediately. Why? Because if I'm asked to share a recipe I tend to get blank stares when I say things like, ". . .then throw in a little tomato paste and a ton of garlic." How much is "a little?". . .What do you mean by "a ton?" I get it. Some people can cook by feel and some need a real, honest to goodness recipe to follow. With that, I give you a recipe that was a big hit a couple of weeks ago along with a way to use the leftovers AND a variation that tastes completely different.

I didn't have the presence of mind to take any pictures of the original recipe and the leftovers were gone by the time I thought of it, so the photos you see are of the variation that uses sausage.

Auntie's Pasta

2 Tbsp canola or olive oil

2 tsp butter (real butter, not margarine!)

1/2 c onion, chopped

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, chopped (or substitute 1/2 t garlic powder)

1 (12 oz.) box of penne or ziti, cooked until it's almost done, then drained

1-1 1/2 lbs chicken, cut into bite sized cubes

1 c frozen green beans

grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Heat oil and butter in a deep, nonstick pan on medium heat until butter is completely melted

Add onion and sautee until translucent

Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and chicken and sautee until chicken is almost cooked through

Stir in pasta and vegetables

Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are heated through and the chicken is done (about 7-10 minutes)

Dish up and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and serve with a side of garlic bread

Total time in the kitchen: about 45 minutes

Serves 8 generous portions

A Few Notes about Ingredients:

That little bit of butter will add a ton of flavor without adding a lot of saturated fat, so please don't leave it out. If you want to reduce the fat content then reduce the amount of oil slightly.

The pasta I prefer is a tri-color made with actual vegetables to sneak some veggies into the kids' diets or a whole grain pasta. Either is better tasting and more nutritious than that plain old white stuff. The reason you slightly undercook your pasta is that the steam released from your veggies will cook the pasta the rest of the way. If you add fully cooked pasta, it will get mushy. I add quite a bit of salt to my pasta water because I don't add salt to my recipes.

If you aren't crazy about green beans use frozen peas, carrots, or corn. Just make sure your veggies are frozen and not canned.

What to Do with the Leftovers:

The next day, once everything is sufficiently chilled, toss the whole deal with your favorite Italian dressing (about 2 Tbsp per serving) and serve cold. This makes an awesome pasta salad.

Variations:

Auntie's Pasta made with turkey sausage

Instead of chicken and Italian seasoning, use a good quality sausage (I used a turkey and cheddar sausage we all love) and oregano. (Credit for this variation has to go to my BFF who grabbed a package of sausage out of the freezer and asked, "Do you think you can turn this into that thing you made last week with the chicken and the pasta?")

You could also go with sliced steak and summer savory, but I'd leave off the parmesan cheese.

I welcome any other ideas you might have for variations. Please leave them in the comments section.

Happy Cooking!