Catfish with farro and kale salad

A Blue Apron recipe. The original calls for another element - a grape relish - but the combination of grapes, almonds, and fried rosemary just ended up producing a "peanut butter and jelly" like topping that didn't harmonize with the rest of the dish.

Catfish with farro and kale salad
serves 2

Add 1/2 cup semi-pearled farro to a pot of boiling salted water.  Cook uncovered 16-18 minutes, until tender. Drain and return to the pot.

Season 2 catfish fillets with salt and pepper, then coat in flour. In a non-stick skillet, pan fry in 2 tbsp. butter, 5-6 minutes on the first side, 1-2 minutes on the second.

In a second pan, saute for 2-3 minutes:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 bunch kale, destemmed and rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Add and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally:
1/2 c. water

Stir to combine:
cooked faro
cooked kale mixture
2 tsp. lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Five-spice chicken over noodles

Via Blue Apron. The original recipe calls for the chicken to be cooked first, then the same pan used to create the sauce. This makes a tedious sauce prep even longer, so here I've swapped that for cooking the collard greens in chicken stock. I also excised the mushrooms that were to be cooked along side the collard greens, but feel free to toss 3 oz. back in.

Five-spice chicken over noodles
serves 2

In a saute pan, cook for 8-10 minutes:
1/2 bunch collard greens, destemmed and sliced into ribbons
3/4 c. chicken stock

Add and cook 2-4 minutes more until softened: 
4 cloves garlic, minced
1" fresh ginger, minced
1 green onion, sliced
1 baby fennel bulb, diced small (discard stems and root end)

Add and cook 6-8 minutes, until liquid volume has reduced by half:
1.5 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1.5 cups water

Meanwhile, prepare chicken and noodles.

Season two chicken breasts with 1 tsp. five spice powder each, plus salt and pepper. Cook ~4-6 minutes per side.

Boil 4 oz. linguine until al dente. After draining, toss with 1 tbsp. sesame oil.

Serve in bowls, with linguine on the bottom. Divide vegetables and broth between the bowls. Top with a sliced chicken breast.

Shopping list
collard greens, 1 bunch
fresh ginger, 1"
green onions
baby fennel bulb

Check the pantry
five spice powder
linguine
garlic
hoisin sauce
soy sauce
chicken broth

Salmon with Three-Lemon Creme Fraiche

This recipe takes a lot less time and effort than its fancy name implies. Impress your guests! It comes courtesy of Serious Eats, with the "quick" preserved lemon cheat recipe from Mark Bittman.

Creme fraiche can be easily swapped with Mexican crema or in a pinch with sour cream, although you might want to water down sour cream to loosen it up a bit.

Salmon with Three-Lemon Creme Fraiche
Serves 6

Create preserved lemon in an acid-proof vessel and let rest at least 30 minutes:
1 whole lemon, diced small
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

To create sauce, stir together:
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. preserved lemon
1/2 cup crème fraîche
salt and pepper to taste

Place on a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil:
1 bunch fresh thyme leaves
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 whole salmon filet, covered in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper

Roast at 350 until the internal temperature registers 130, about 15-25 minutes.

Shrimp in Green Sauce

Shrimp in Green Sauce
serves 6

Boil in salted water:
1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini (e.g. Buitoni)

Meanwhile, combine in the food processor:
1 bunch of green onions, tops only
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, rough chopped
1 bunch cilantro, rough chopped
3 tbsp. garlic olive oil
1/8 c. lemon juice
1/8 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Add to pan and saute for ~5 minutes, until shrimp are just cooked:
the pureed green sauce
1/4 c. white wine
1 pound of shrimp, peeled

Springerle with Fiori di Sicilia

My husband's family has German roots, and makes traditional Springerle cookies every Christmas. We've collectively worked our way through several variations of the recipe: we started with his grandmother's, moved on to the Joy of Cooking, and then stumbled across this gem from King Arthur Flour.

The King Arthur version steers clear of the traditional anise flavor and instead uses a floral and citrus extract called Fiori di Sicilia. We didn't want to invest in a bottle of fancy extract just for one recipe, so I whipped up a close approximation from extracts we already had on hand. The rose water adds a nice floral note, but is optional.

Springerle with Fiori di Sicilia
makes 2-3 dozen cookies

Combine to create home-made Fiori di Sicilia:
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1/4 tsp. lemon extract
1/8 tsp. rose water

Beat together for 5-6 minutes, until the mixture falls in thick ribbons from the beater:
3 large eggs
3 cups (12 oz.) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon or orange zest
1/4 tsp. Fiori di Sicilia flavoring

Slowly add in 3 cups (12 oz.) of cake flour to form a stiff dough. (AP flour is an okay substitute, but results in a denser cookie.)

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Flour your rolling surface and Springerle molds. Working with half the dough at a time, roll it out 1/4" thick. Press the mold firmly into the dough, then remove. Cut around the design and transfer the cookies to a greased baking sheet.

Allow the unbaked cookies to dry at room temperature, uncovered, for 24 hours. Turn them over once after 12 hours.

Bake at 250 for 35-40 minutes, until firm but not browned. Transfer them to a cooling rack.

Shopping list
3 large eggs
1 lemon or orange for zest

Check the pantry
3 cups powdered sugar
3 cups cake (or AP) flour
vanilla extract
orange extract
lemon extract
rose water

Southern Green Beans

This is a classic "low and slow" Southern dish. The beans are cooked over a low simmer, not boiled. This recipe is a great to make in advance, since these beans are far better on the second day. This is thanks to the magic of pot liquor (aka pot likker), the broth produced during the stewing process.

DO NOT substitute canned or frozen green beans - they'll just turn to mush.

Southern Green Beans
serves 4-6

Combine in a large stock pot:
2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into thirds
1/3 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into roughly 2" squares
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
enough cold water to float the beans

Cover the pot. Bring it to a boil, then immediately reduce to a very low simmer. Simmer covered for 1 hour, then adjust the salt level and simmer for about another 30 minutes.

Partially drain the beans, retaining 1-2 cups of liquid.

Finish with 1 tbsp. of butter (or rendered bacon fat if you have it).

Shopping list:
2 pounds fresh green beans
1/3 pound bacon
1 yellow onion

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon

Adapted from Food & Wine. I tried this out for Thanksgiving this year. I made the olive oil and lemon dressing as instructed, but found it very bitter. I added apple cider vinegar to offset those flavors and was pleased with the result. Rather than using fresh basil so far out of season, I incorporated dried basil in the dressing.

The pine nuts are an expensive ingredient and require the extra step of toasting. While they add a nice texture to the dish, it would be just fine without them.

Roasted Broccoli with Lemon
serves 4-6

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Cut 4 heads of broccoli into florets. In a large bowl, toss florets with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Transfer broccoli to a baking sheet.

Roast the broccoli in the oven at 400° for 20 minutes on a baking sheet, until browned and tender. Toss half way through.

If including pine nuts: Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast 1/4 cup pine nuts over medium heat for 5 minutes, until golden all over.

Whisk together the dressing:
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic-infused olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Scrape the broccoli into a serving bowl. Just before serving, add the dressing and pine nuts. Toss to coat.

Shopping list:
4 heads of broccoli
1-2 lemons (for 2 tbsp. juice)
optional: 1/4 cup pine nuts

Check the pantry:
apple cider vinegar
garlic olive oil
dried basil