By Jeanne Foels, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
Nothing beats pulling a pan of crispy, fragrant, golden-brown granola from the oven. Whether you pair it with yogurt for breakfast or munch on it for a snack, granola is tasty, convenient and nutritious. Sous chef and baker Cassie Mead created the following recipe for the Open Arms kitchen, and we think it's a winner.
Customize this granola with your favorite combination of nuts and dried fruit. When Cassie made a batch for our clients last week, she used dried papayas and bananas, cashews and delightful chunks of dark chocolate. Mmm! The dried ingredients she used, including the grains and seeds, were donated by Second Harvest Heartland -- our thanks to them for their help in getting nutritious food to our clients!
Cassie's Granola
(Makes about 18 cups)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup oil
1/4 tbsp. salt
1/4 tbsp. cinnamon
8 1/2 cups oats
2 cups oat bran
2 cups flax seed
3 cups nuts
Dried fruit and chocolate to taste
1. In a sauce pan, mix brown sugar, molasses, honey, oil and spices together. Heat on stove until the mixture comes to a slow boil and the sugar is all dissolved.
2. Combine oats, bran, flax seed and nuts in a large bowl. When sugar mixture is ready, carefully pour over the oats. Mix together until everything is coated and divide amongst two or three baking sheets lined with parchment.
3. Bake at 300 degrees for 5 minutes. Rotate pans and mix granola. Return to oven for another 5 minutes and check for doneness. The granola should be toasted and crispy.
4. When granola is cool, mix in dried fruit and chocolate.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Weekly Recipe #49: Broccoli Gribiche
This dish is ideal for January -- it's warm and comforting, and full of healthy ingredients to help you keep plugging away at those resolutions. Plus, it practically cooks itself!
Roasted Potatoes & Broccoli Gribiche
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day
(Serves 2-4)
1 1/2 lb. of small potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 lb. broccoli, cut up into florets
kosher salt & olive oil for roasting the vegetables
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking pan with parchment.
2. Spread the potatoes out on the pan, drizzle with olive oil and salt and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the pan and add the broccoli. Roast until veggies are browned (about 15-20 minutes more).
4. While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce below.
5. Transfer the warm potatoes and broccoli to a large bowl and toss with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Chop the three hard-boiled eggs and one white into rough pieces and add to the veggies and sauce.
Gribiche Sauce:
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
handful of chopped parsley
1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
2 small shallots, minced
salt & pepper
1. Start by taking one egg yolk and mashing it with a fork in a medium size bowl.
2. Slowly add the mustard, vinegar and olive oil to the egg yolk and whisk until glossy and the sauce is emulsified.
3. Add the herbs to the sauce.
Roasted Potatoes & Broccoli Gribiche
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day
(Serves 2-4)
1 1/2 lb. of small potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 lb. broccoli, cut up into florets
kosher salt & olive oil for roasting the vegetables
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking pan with parchment.
2. Spread the potatoes out on the pan, drizzle with olive oil and salt and roast for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the pan and add the broccoli. Roast until veggies are browned (about 15-20 minutes more).
4. While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce below.
5. Transfer the warm potatoes and broccoli to a large bowl and toss with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Chop the three hard-boiled eggs and one white into rough pieces and add to the veggies and sauce.
Gribiche Sauce:
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
handful of chopped parsley
1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
2 small shallots, minced
salt & pepper
1. Start by taking one egg yolk and mashing it with a fork in a medium size bowl.
2. Slowly add the mustard, vinegar and olive oil to the egg yolk and whisk until glossy and the sauce is emulsified.
3. Add the herbs to the sauce.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Weekly Recipe #48: Dreamy Hot Chocolate
By Jeanne Foels, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
This week, I made myself forget about the teasing, spring-like interludes we've been having and instead focused on hunkering down for actual chilly temperatures. My winter nesting habits involve lots of warm beverages, so I decided to try making some great hot chocolate. This recipe is made up of ingredients that are probably already in your pantry, and it's easy to make -- just warm the ingredients in a saucepan and whip them up. Ta da! Coffeehouse-quality hot chocolate in your kitchen.
The addition of vanilla extract comes from my days slinging sweet drinks at a Northfield coffee shop. Vanilla was the top-secret ingredient in our mochas and hot chocolates. (Shh, don't tell!)
Use the best bittersweet chocolate you have, as its flavor carries the show. In my book, the darker the chocolate, the better, so I used a 72% cacao bar.
I am spoiled by my roommate's little automatic milk frother, but an immersion blender or regular blender will work just fine.
The perfect accompaniment to a cozy chair and a novel.
Dreamy Hot Chocolate
Adapted from Orangette
(Serves 2)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water and sugar. Place over medium heat and whisk occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture just to a boil.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate.
3. Blend the mixture. If you have an immersion blender, do this directly in the saucepan; if not, transfer it to a traditional blender. Either way, blend for 1 minute (on high speed, if using a traditional blender -- and be careful, as hot liquids expand when blended). The finished mixture should be very smooth and frothy. Don’t be tempted to forgo the blending step -- the texture that it creates is key.
4. Serve immediately.
This week, I made myself forget about the teasing, spring-like interludes we've been having and instead focused on hunkering down for actual chilly temperatures. My winter nesting habits involve lots of warm beverages, so I decided to try making some great hot chocolate. This recipe is made up of ingredients that are probably already in your pantry, and it's easy to make -- just warm the ingredients in a saucepan and whip them up. Ta da! Coffeehouse-quality hot chocolate in your kitchen.
The addition of vanilla extract comes from my days slinging sweet drinks at a Northfield coffee shop. Vanilla was the top-secret ingredient in our mochas and hot chocolates. (Shh, don't tell!)
Use the best bittersweet chocolate you have, as its flavor carries the show. In my book, the darker the chocolate, the better, so I used a 72% cacao bar.
I am spoiled by my roommate's little automatic milk frother, but an immersion blender or regular blender will work just fine.
The perfect accompaniment to a cozy chair and a novel.
Dreamy Hot Chocolate
Adapted from Orangette
(Serves 2)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water and sugar. Place over medium heat and whisk occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture just to a boil.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate.
3. Blend the mixture. If you have an immersion blender, do this directly in the saucepan; if not, transfer it to a traditional blender. Either way, blend for 1 minute (on high speed, if using a traditional blender -- and be careful, as hot liquids expand when blended). The finished mixture should be very smooth and frothy. Don’t be tempted to forgo the blending step -- the texture that it creates is key.
4. Serve immediately.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Weekly Recipe #47: Panettone Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
By Susan Pagani, Communications Director
On the historic side, this rather boozy dessert famously kept Sir Ernest Shackleton's crew toasty warm and content as they drifted on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, waiting out the interminable winter aboard the Endurance in 1915.
Okay, that story is simply not true. However, I am very fond of this particular bread pudding because it combines two of my favorite foods with my drink of choice: Panettone, toast and bourbon. If I had to spend a very dark winter stuck in an iceberg on a wooden boat, it is exactly the kind of food I would want to eat every night before tucking into my bunk.
Panettone Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
(Serves 6-8)
Bread Pudding:
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup brandy, heated
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 lb panettone, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 with rack in the middle.
2. Soak raisins in hot brandy for 15 minutes, then strain the brandy off.
3. Meanwhile, butter panettone on both sides and toast it in batches in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until golden on both sides.
4. Whisk together remaining ingredients and set aside.
5. Tear panettone into bite-size pieces and spread evenly in a shallow buttered 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Scatter raisins over top, then pour in egg mixture. Let stand 30 minutes.
6. Bake until pudding is golden and just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful or two of bourbon sauce.
Bourbon sauce:
2 egg yolks
1 stick salted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup bourbon
1. Beat egg yolks, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup bourbon.
3. In the top of a double boiler, cook the sauce until temperature reads 165 on a thermometer, beating constantly.
4. Remove sauce from the stove and strain.
5. In a mixing bowl, beat sauce until it is slightly cool, adding the remaining bourbon in batches. Spoon onto bread pudding.
On the historic side, this rather boozy dessert famously kept Sir Ernest Shackleton's crew toasty warm and content as they drifted on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, waiting out the interminable winter aboard the Endurance in 1915.
Okay, that story is simply not true. However, I am very fond of this particular bread pudding because it combines two of my favorite foods with my drink of choice: Panettone, toast and bourbon. If I had to spend a very dark winter stuck in an iceberg on a wooden boat, it is exactly the kind of food I would want to eat every night before tucking into my bunk.
Panettone Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
(Serves 6-8)
Bread Pudding:
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup brandy, heated
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 lb panettone, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 with rack in the middle.
2. Soak raisins in hot brandy for 15 minutes, then strain the brandy off.
3. Meanwhile, butter panettone on both sides and toast it in batches in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until golden on both sides.
4. Whisk together remaining ingredients and set aside.
5. Tear panettone into bite-size pieces and spread evenly in a shallow buttered 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Scatter raisins over top, then pour in egg mixture. Let stand 30 minutes.
6. Bake until pudding is golden and just set, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful or two of bourbon sauce.
Bourbon sauce:
2 egg yolks
1 stick salted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup bourbon
1. Beat egg yolks, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and 1/2 cup bourbon.
3. In the top of a double boiler, cook the sauce until temperature reads 165 on a thermometer, beating constantly.
4. Remove sauce from the stove and strain.
5. In a mixing bowl, beat sauce until it is slightly cool, adding the remaining bourbon in batches. Spoon onto bread pudding.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Weekly Recipe #46: Roasted Chicken with Pancetta and Olives
By Susan Pagani, Communications Director
As the real winter weather sets in, warm dishes become essential. In this recipe, chicken is roasted with a savory trio of garlic, pancetta and olives, along with a dose of spice. A shallow bath of white wine keeps the chicken moist.
Although we do not like to boast, friends have told us this chicken recipe elevates the fowl in their estimation -- a worthy contender in the battle of cow vs. all for center of the meat-eater's plate.
Roasted Chicken with Pancetta and Olives
Adapted from a recipe from Gourmet
(Serves 4)
1 chicken (about 3 1/2 lb), backbones cut out and cut into 12 pieces*
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tbsp. chopped thyme
1/2 tbsp. chopped rosemary
1/2 tbsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 (1/4-inch-thick) slice pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
12 oil-cured black olives
1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
2. Toss chicken with oil, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, red-pepper flakes and paprika, rubbing mixture into chicken.
3. Arrange chicken, skin side up, in one layer in a sheet pan. Scatter garlic and pancetta on top and roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Drizzle wine over chicken and roast 8 minutes more. Scatter olives over chicken and roast until skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.
*To cut a chicken into 12 pieces, remove wings and cut each breast half into 3 pieces, then separate drumsticks and thighs. Backbones can be used to make chicken stock.
As the real winter weather sets in, warm dishes become essential. In this recipe, chicken is roasted with a savory trio of garlic, pancetta and olives, along with a dose of spice. A shallow bath of white wine keeps the chicken moist.
Although we do not like to boast, friends have told us this chicken recipe elevates the fowl in their estimation -- a worthy contender in the battle of cow vs. all for center of the meat-eater's plate.
Roasted Chicken with Pancetta and Olives
Adapted from a recipe from Gourmet
(Serves 4)
1 chicken (about 3 1/2 lb), backbones cut out and cut into 12 pieces*
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tbsp. chopped thyme
1/2 tbsp. chopped rosemary
1/2 tbsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 (1/4-inch-thick) slice pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
12 oil-cured black olives
1. Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.
2. Toss chicken with oil, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, red-pepper flakes and paprika, rubbing mixture into chicken.
3. Arrange chicken, skin side up, in one layer in a sheet pan. Scatter garlic and pancetta on top and roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Drizzle wine over chicken and roast 8 minutes more. Scatter olives over chicken and roast until skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.
*To cut a chicken into 12 pieces, remove wings and cut each breast half into 3 pieces, then separate drumsticks and thighs. Backbones can be used to make chicken stock.
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