Cooking Method: Chop Mince
Honeydew Melon wrapped with Smoked Salmon by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
It’s almost mid-September and the melons are still tasty, so make this quick ‘riff’ on melonwrapped-prosciutto. I’ve included toasted slices of ‘Everything Bagel’ and scattered ‘Everything Spice’ blend over the top.
Coronation Chicken Salad by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
I realize that the coronation moment has passed, but this chicken salad is so delicious that it deserves to be in your spring/summer repertoire. Maybe you have a Bridal or Baby Shower on your horizon? It’s a curried chicken salad with a few added ‘bells and whistles.’ It starts with the technique of ‘oven poaching’ the chicken breasts; that is, cooking the seasoned chicken breasts, wrapped in parchment paper
in a low (325-degree F) oven. This will yield a moist and tender result. And the rest of the recipe involves some attention to dicing, slicing and incorporating the yummy ingredients. Take heart, it’s worth it!
An Easy-Peasy Middle Eastern Wrap by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
Becoming a confident cook includes developing the ability to choose excellent store-bought ingredients and using them with creativity and finesse. For example, to make this sandwich a bit more substantial and delicious, and of course quicker & easier to prepare, I added diced fresh plum tomatoes, diced cucumbers, feta cheese, chickpeas, olive oil and a touch of lemon to a
pint container of our Bay Sweets Market Tabouli Salad. I also chose our Bay Sweets black olive flavored hummus as a spread and then marched over to our deli and grabbed ready-grilled chicken skewers. I added a few chopped dill pickles (or use sliced pepperoncini peppers), wrapped it up tightly in a 10-inch flour tortilla wrap and sliced it in half. The tortilla flour wrap is sturdy, and this sandwich will hold together if you are thinking of taking it on the road. (Yes...beach food!)
Maître D’hôtel Butter – a flavored finishing butter by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
‘Tis the season for roasted beef tenderloins, sirloin steaks and juicy prime ribs. And if you don’t have a French chef at your disposal to make a classic Bordelaise sauce for you, don’t despair! Make this easy, flavorful (‘compound’) butter, roll it into a log, chill and slice it into disks to melt on your meats.
Autumn Kale Salad by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
A kale salad with thin slivers of bosc pear, celery and toasted pumpkin seeds spells fall to me! I have taken the kale-prep a step further and cut stacks of washed & dried kale leaves across into thin strips. This technique is called ‘chiffonade’ in French. The result is a salad with a more slaw-like texture. Peeling the celery lends more finesse and mixing two vinaigrettes/dressings will give you the right coating-texture. And don’t forget the toasted pumpkin seeds for crunch!
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
A famous, uncooked green-herbal piquant sauce most-often served with grilled meats. It hails from South America (Argentina and Uruguay) and has many variations. All variations include parsley and oregano and beyond that the ingredients used are somewhat open to personal interpretation. I love the brightness of cilantro, so I always include it. Sometimes I substitute fresh mint for the oregano and I always use red wine vinegar.
But… what I never, ever do is make the sauce in the blender or food processor! Chopping the herbs by hand yields a thicker, greener, lush and in my opinion, better sauce.
