Monday, October 03, 2005

Fall Cleaning


We always talk about Spring Cleaning but Fall Cleaning is just as important, especially in our tiny kitchens. The cooler weather brings out the soup pans, the roaster, more cookie baking, the darker table linens and the heftier coffee mugs.

The delicate pink lemonade glasses, the white linen table clothes, the gigantic salad bowl and the blender (for smooties and dacquaries) all fade slowly away as the chill fills the air.

Take a little time and look at what pieces and utensils you are using less as the weather changes and what things you find yourself shuffling through the back of the closets to pull out. Space is limited but move things around so that the items you need most are easiest to get to.

Yes, you may need the margarita glasses sometimes in the next few months but you will definitely need the heavy earthen soup tureen frequently. An hour in the kitchen assessing and reorganizing will save you hours of time in the coming months, hunting, searching and reaching.

Happy cleaning!

And...let us know what your favorite autumn soup is....

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Back To School


Fall is in the air! Well, the thought of Fall is in the air. Time to pack lunches, have easy to make meals and tailgating.

Here is a recipe that Dana raves about and makes a great snack, appetizer or packs in a lunch box with celery sticks and carrots.

teriyaki chicken wings with sesame and cilantro

Teriyaki Sauce:
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
Red pepper flake, to taste
5 garlic cloves, halved
2-inch piece fresh ginger, whacked open with the flat side of a knife

Chicken Wings:
2 dozen chicken wings, about 31/4 pounds, rinsed and patted dry
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Prepare the teriyaki sauce by combining the soy sauce, grapefruit
juice, hoisin sauce, ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, chiles,
garlic, and ginger in a pot. Bring to a slow boil and cook, stirring,
until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the chicken wings generously with salt and pepper. Lay the
chicken wings in a single layer on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or
until the skin gets crispy. With tongs, dip the wings in the teriyaki
sauce and return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to glaze. An
impressive presentation is to serve these chicken wings family style;
arrange them on a large platter, pour the remaining sauce over them
and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. Don't forget the wet
naps!

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Dana Delish's Delightful Dips

From Dana's moderately cramped kitchen...

WOWZER....WHITE BEAN DIP

2 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
5 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons (or Olive Oil Pam Spray)
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cracked red pepper flakes
12 pitas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley
in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is
coarsely chopped. Season with salt and cracked red pepper flakes, to
taste. Transfer the bean puree to a medium bowl.

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges
on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss
and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the coarse salt, and
pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in
color. Pam spray with olive oil works the best.

Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

HOORAY for HUMMUS

4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the
garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. I have a
microplane, and I actually think that works better to get the garlic
tiny. If you don't have one, GET ONE! It's the best kitchen tool. Add
the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until
the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled
or at room temperature.

I make the baked pita chips to serve with this too. MMM mmm goood.

International Potluck Fare


Over the past few weeks as I have discussed both the upcoming Cramped Kitchen television show and the currently running Cramped Kitchen blog one theme recurs over and over again. The simplest solution to the constraints of a mini-kitchen is eat out, order in or eat at friends' houses. (Actually those are the easiest solutions to any dilemmas relating to spending time in one's kitchen no matter the size.)

I recently spent several months nestled away in a small resort town in the Southern California Mountains. I belonged to a writers group up there and we had monthly potlucks. Some people brought a bag of chips as their "dish," others a bakery-made cake or two two-liter bottles of soda. A few people though consistently brought their "signature dish" and other party goers complained if those dishes didn't show up.

While our goal is to actually demonstrate that it is not necessary to give up on great meals made and enjoyed at home, the reality is we don't all eat at home every day so, my question is to you, "What is your favorite potluck dish to bring?"

And to keep it interesting...how about those dishes with at least a moderately international flare? And next week we'll bring the dishes back home.

Happy Cooking!

~Chase

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

TaraMATTsalata



My friend, Matt, who I loving refer to as the Cynical Chef, brings this dish to all the potlucks and office parties he attends.

TARAMASALATA a la MATT

Just whipped up some delicious taramasalata from an improvised recipe:
1 10-ounce jar tarama (carp roe). Make sure not to buy already-made taramasalata sold in similar jars. You could substitute other fish roe that hasn't been given a caviar treatment.
1-2 cloves garlic
approximately 1/4 small onion, finely grated (I used a microplane)
dash salt
juice of one lemon
about 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
four slices cheap white bread and some stale pita, soaked in water
fresh-milled black pepper
Ingredients should be at room temperature. I used a large mortar and pestle, but a food processor or blender would also work.

Crush the garic, onion and salt into a paste. Add the lemon juice and tarama and pound for a while to break up some of the eggs. Whisk in olive oil in a thin stream as if making a mayonaise (which, indeed, you are). Squeeze out excess water from the soaked bread and pita; break up and whisk into the mixture and season with fresh-milled pepper. Adjust seasonings (if too salty, add more lemon juice).

Serve with wedges of pita, veggies and a side dish of olives.

NOTE: Our friends at www.cellartastings.com recommend this greek wine with taramasalata.

Try this dish with: Amethystos dry white wine, Constantin Lazaridis
From the wine region of Drama, located in Greece’s mountainous beautiful Macedonia wine producing area, in the community of Adriani, lies one of our favorite wineries in Greece- Constantin Lazaridis. Leaders in top Greek wine production and also in wine tourism in Greece, Lazaridis makes a range of wines from the Amethystos brand, to Chateau Julia, the flagship range. They also have an interesting distillery where they produce Eau-de-Vie.

The white Amethystos wine is made with principally Sauvignon Blanc, in an ultra dry, very zippy style. It tastes quite similar to how you would imagine a Bordeaux “Entre-deux-Mers”, as indeed it is blended with Semillon blanc and also the Greek varietal, Aegean Assyrtiko. The color is pale straw with hints of green and the bouquet is pure peaches! The flavours and aromas are intense and there is a lovely, long finish. Highly recommended.

Ensalada Española Magnífica De Guillermo Cornett

In keeping with our theme of what works in a small kitchen and staying seasonal...any meal that ends up in one big serving dish certainly fits the bill. Ah, speaking of Bill...

Bill Cornett's Superb Spanish Salad
aka Ensalada Española Magnífica De Guillermo Cornett

Culinary change of pace for you: Make the following
spanish salad.... three or so juicy valenica or blood
oranges (more if you use the latter, which tend to be
smaller), cut into 1-2 inch chunks. Chop, not too
fine, but smaller than the oranges, a spanish
onion--any white onion will do if you lack the latter,
and they need not be sweet, even though that may seem
necessary. Add a dozen or so pitted olives--kalamata
are a bit briney, but something along that line only
perhaps a bit milder will do nicely--if you do use
kalamata, go lightly until you've developed a taste
for what ratios work for you. Also, a few spoons of
sun dried tomatoes, but less is more with them. Stir
lightly and let sit (chilled if you wish) for a bit to
let the flavors blend.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Dog Days of Summer Picnic


It’s hot out, its hot in, you really don’t want to cook. How about making a great picnic, packing it up and taking it to your favorite spot – the beach, the lake, the backyard. Relax, soak up that sunshine – watch the sailboats, clouds or just the kids on the swings, remember how it used to feel when it was almost time to go back to school and you treasured every single moment of the last few weeks of summer.

A few notes: You need to be careful in this heat not to pack food that spoils easily or needs to be temperature specific to be enjoyed. We have proposed a mayonnaise free menu here and only one thing needs to be cooked – the cobbler – and it’s better to make the night before anyway.

Packing checklist – plates (enough for separate cobbler serving), fork-knife-spoon sets (put each setting plus a napkin and a packaged handi-wipe in a ziplock baggie), a roll of papertowels, a corkscrew, bottled water (stick it in the freezer for twenty minutes before you go), glasses (ceramic mugs are better if you don’t mind the weight – the wine will taste better and the water stay cooler), a blanket, hats, mosquito repellant, and sunscreen.

DOG DAYS PICNIC MENU
• Herb Roasted Chicken – purchased at the deli of your grocery, carved while warm and packed in a pretty casserole dish.
• French Bread with Herbed Cheese – from the deli, too (we like Rondele)
• Cold Corn Salad
Chase’s Farmer’s Market Peach & Blueberry Cobbler
• A bottle of Spanish Rose or Beaujolais (chill it ahead of time and take it in an insulated sleeve) – see the sidebar for more suggestions

Cold Corn Salad

Package of frozen whole kernel corn, nearly thawed
8 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 chopped fresh jalepeno peppers, seeds & such removed
1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped
1 cup grated jack cheese
1 cup ranch dressing

Mix veggies together, then stir in enough dressing to coat them. Stir in grated cheese and bacon. The corn will keep thawing but its chill will help keep the salad cool on the way to the picnic.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Dana Delish's Easy Blender Peanut Sauce


(good for your tiny kitchen! one appliance!)

4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp peanut or veg oil
4 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Chop the garlic in the blender first, then add all of the rest of the ingredients, pulsing until combined.

Obviously this makes a TON. But take your grill pan and make some chicken skewers on it (chicken breasts and thighs in bite size chucks and veggies--remember to soak the wooden skewers first or they'll catch on fire!)

You can refridgerate the rest for up to a week...but it won't last that long...it's SO FLIPPIN GOOD!

THANKS TO DANA OSTERMAN FOR CONTRIBUTING THIS RECIPE!!

Small Space, Big Style

It stands to reason that your kitchen isn't the only tiny spot in your house. HGTV is finally addressing our concerns. Their new show, Small Space, Big Style, premieres on August 4th! We attached a link for you...

Love grows best in tiny houses!

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Farmers Market Report 7-23


The artichokes at this weekend's farmers market are HUGE. I bought one that is big enough to make a nice appetizer for a few friends who are coming by this evening before we all head out to dinner. I am planning to steam it and provide a few dipping sauces as well as the usual melted butter and dilled mayonnaise.

The California Artichoke Advisory Board (I did NOT make this up) has great recipes for dipping and serving your artichokes. I have added their link to this page, click on "Recipes & Such" and then click on the "Recipes" tab...it is an eye opening experience - Artichoke Benedict, Couscous Stuffed Artichokes, French Fried Artichoke Hearts...you know if I hurry I can probably make it back to the market for more artichokes...

...okay I am back, with a plan for tonight...along with the artichoke I am going to serve Kenwood Chardonnay and PARMESAN GARLIC TOAST which is delicious and incredibly easy to make.

Thinly slice a long narrow baquette (app. 18"), place slices on tin foil on a cookie sheet. In a small bowl mix 1/3 C olive oil and one tablespoon of pre-mixed garlic salt. With a basting brush, spread the oil mixture over the top of the bread slices, allow to sit at room temp for at least half an hour (you can loosely cover it with plastic wrap if you like). Heat the oven to 350 degrees, sprinkle the top of the bread with parmesan cheese and parsley, bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bread just starts to brown.

Happy Cooking!

Sometimes Lazy is More Efficient


The kitchen in my cottage is twice as big as the kitchen in my mountain cabin but still leaves a bit to be desired in terms of space. The stove and the refrigerator are on the wall across from the counters and sink so I had to come up with a way to have my cooking utensils and supplies close at hand.

I bought the lazy susan that you see on top of the fridge for about $20 at Costco, it holds my spice rack, basket of oils and seasonings, two buckets of spatulas and spoons, bowl of napkins and a few other odds and ends. I can turn it easily to get the items I need while at the stove. I don't have to use valueable counter space to house any of these cooking essentials and they are in easier reach than if I had them across the kitchen.

In my previous kitchen the lazy susan was also on the top of the fridge but in that case held all of my baking and cooking staples. Being able to turn it made it possible to reach everytthing convienently.

Having a tiny kitchen just means organization is even more important, it doesn't really limit what you can make. What organizational ideas have you incorporated in YOUR cramped kitchen?

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Chase’s Farmers Market Cobbler


Mid-July Version – Peaches & Blueberries

This recipe is one of our family favorites!
You can easily adapt it to the fruits you find at your farmers market on a given week and change the spices accordingly…the options are limited only by your imagination. The small baking pan fits in any oven and can go straight to the table.

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon spices: allspice
2/3 cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 cups total fruit: peaches & blueberries
1 stick of butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is heating, cut a stick of butter into four pieces and place in an 8 x 8 glass baking pan, put the pan in the oven to melt the butter.

While the butter is melting, mix the dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir in milk and then the vanilla.

Once the butter is JUST melted in the pan remove from the oven and pour the batter directly in on top of it. Spread the batter out gently, not touching the bottom of the pan with the spoon.

Sprinkle the fruit evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for one hour, until the cobbler is golden brown and coming away slightly from the edge of the pan. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves six.

I don’t recommend using a metal or ceramic pan but if you do, lower the temperature to 350 and cook it a little longer, otherwise the center tends to be mush and the edges chewy.

For other variations – mixed berries + cloves, apples + cinnamon, plums + 1 TBS crystallized ginger chopped.

Monday, July 18, 2005

Farmers Market Report 7-18

As I was walking through the Santa Monica Farmers Market yesterday chatting with my neighbor, Debbie I realized that I have been to a lot of different farmers markets. We talked about markets in Los Angeles, Portland, Virginia, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and all the great things you discover at these markets.

You may arrive at the market with a list - salad makings, flowers to fill your vases, freshly baked bread and eggs - but you nearly always discover something unexpected and perfect. Yesterday it was a huge, purply heirloom tomato - I almost bought it even though I had no use for it.

Debbie bought fennel for salmon that she was making...my brother called from Washington state, I told him what she was buying and soon from 800 miles away he was improving on her meal.

The Farmers Market is full of magic and promise.