rosemary Archives -

September 20, 2016

Caponata with Grilled Rosemary Chicken

Our last of summer CSA shares have been brimming with tomatoes, eggplants, and onions, and I thought a sicilian caponata would be perfect for this time of year when such produce is still in abundance. Today I’m over at Bethany Douglass’ Cloistered Away sharing the recipe for this flavorful caponata to go along with a simple grilled rosemary chicken. Bethany’s inspiring blog focuses on simple, purposeful living, and she has a gift of being able to capture beauty in the everyday. She has just started a new series “In the Kitchen” to introduce a variety of perspectives on how families connect around food and life in the kitchen. For those of you wondering about some of the behind the scenes of the recipes you find here, I offer a glimpse into our kitchen and how I approach working with my children to prepare meals as part of her new series. I hope you will join me there.

November 24, 2014

Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs

A few weeks ago when I had wanted to make these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I went for buying an entire rosemary plant, rather than a small bunch of rosemary that cost almost as much as a whole plant. The lady at the store promised that as long as I was careful to soak the roots with water everyday, the plant would last for at least several months. It did not. (sad face) There are now only a couple branches that are still alive and green and I am getting ready to toss it and move on. This is why I am not a gardener.

In my determination to get one last use out of my quickly fading rosemary plant, I decided to make these Chicken Rosemary Parmesan Meatballs. So perfect for dinner on a snowy day! I used this recipe from Annie’s Eats, except I swapped out the dried basil for fresh rosemary. It made a delicious substitute and I am so glad that I could find one last use for my rosemary plant. We enjoyed this served over polenta along with a crusty baguette, but it would also go well with pasta. Now that the snowy weather is here, it’s time for comfort recipes like this!

Baked Chicken Rosemary Meatballs

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the sauce:

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, liquid reserved
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1½ tablespoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
⅓ cup heavy cream

For the Meatballs:

1½ pounds ground chicken
½ cup whole wheat panko crumbs
⅓ cup finely minced onion
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg lightly beaten
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

To Finish:

4 ounces shredded mozzarella, about 1 cup
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2-3 tablespoons minced fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

For the sauce:

Place the whole tomatoes in a blender or food processor, reserving most of the liquid. Puree tomatoes until smooth, adding some of the reserved liquid if necessary.
In a cast iron skillet or large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until onions are softened and begin to become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and red pepper flakes and mix together until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the pureed tomatoes and cook over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.

For the meatballs:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, panko, onion, parsley, rosemary, parmesan, garlic, eggs, salt, and pepper. Use hands to mix ingredients together until well combined. Form meatballs about 1½-inches in diameter.
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs in one or two batches, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Add meatballs to tomato mixture.

To finish:

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and parmesan on top and bake until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley or basil. Serve warm.

Notes

To make this ahead of time, I assembled the meatballs and sauce together and left off the cheese. About 30 minutes before I was ready to serve, I reheated the meatballs and sauce over the stove before adding the cheese and baking.

slightly adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Dinner, a Love Story

November 3, 2014

Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

There is a certain reward that comes from baking your own bread at home. Unlike other forms of cooking or baking, working with bread dough forces me to slow down and it calms my soul. The process is beautiful and there is no substitute for warm crusty bread fresh out of the oven. Over the past few years I’ve experimented with various bread baking techniques in trying to achieve the crust found on most artisan breads. For these Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists, I used a steaming method that I once learned from a Zingerman’s bread baking class. In addition to making a fairly wet dough, a steam tray is placed in the bottom of the oven, helping the bread to develop a golden, crisp, and chewy crust.

With the abundance of rosemary plants at Whole Foods last week, I was reminded of a whole -grain rosemary loaf that I once tried at the farmer’s market. In these breadsticks, I added kalamata olives with the rosemary and found that those pair quite well in this savory bread. I used a combination of all-purpose, whole wheat, and rye flours for character and flavor. This bread does require some planning ahead as it needs to be started the night before, but the dough comes together quickly and no kneading is necessary. During the overnight resting period, the bread develops an incredibly deep flavor and a great chewy texture. Lastly, in the recipe I’ve included measurements by weight and by volume, but using weighted measurements will most accurately help you to achieve the correct flour to water ratio. It’s hard to believe that such a simple method can lead to such great results, but I hope you will give this a try!

Olive and Rosemary Breadstick Twists

Ingredients

10 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
3½ ounces whole wheat flour (about ¾ cup)
1½ ounces rye flour (about ¼ cup)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon yeast
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
⅓ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
7 ounces water (about ⅞ cup)
3 ounces beer (about ⅓ cup)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
coarse finishing salt for sprinkling on top
special equipment: pizza stone

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and yeast. Stir in the rosemary and kalamata olives. In a small mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix together the water, beer, and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Cover and let rest for 8-18 hours.
Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 425.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead 10-15 times. Divide dough to make 10 smaller pieces. Roll each piece to make a 10-inch rope. Twist 2 pieces together and pinch the ends. Repeat with the remaining 8 pieces. Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes, until the indentation springs back when a finger lightly presses the dough. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
Quickly sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal and gently transfer the breadstick twists to the pizza stone. Pour 2 cups of water in the rimmed baking sheet and quickly close the oven door.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until bread is golden brown.