August 2010 | Black Girl Chef's Whites

Hooves Recipes Veggies

Warm Potato Salad with Bacon and Fennel

August 27, 2010 Published by: CherylDLee

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Warm Potato Salad with Bacon and Fennel

A few months ago I entered this potato salad recipe in the weekly contest on Food52. While this salad did not win, it did become an Editor’s pick, which is fabulous, since the editors of Food52 are Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs! Both are very well established food and cookbook writers. So I took a moment to pat my self on the back, then woke up and came back to reality. I think my daughter yelled in my ear to get my attention. . .

I am a potato lover, and could eat them everyday. I don’t, but I could. Same goes for bacon. So why not combine the two in a warm potato salad. This salad was inspired by a neighbor of mine when I was a child. The Baum family were immigrants from Germany, and Mrs. Baum made the best German potato salad. I took my food memories of the dish, and fashioned my own warm potato salad.

Warm Potato Salad with Bacon and Fennel

2 pounds waxy potatoes
4 pieces bacon
2 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, slightly chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

Boil the potatoes whole, with the skin on. When done, drain well and set aside until cool enough to handle.
At the same time you are cooking the potatoes, cook the bacon slices in a skillet, preferably not non-stick. Remove the bacon when done, drain on a paper towel, and cut into small pieces when cooled.
Place the sliced cucumbers into a large bowl.
Over medium flame, add the fennel, thyme, red pepper and dry mustard to the bacon fat. Stirring constantly, cook the spices for about a minute, or until fragrant.
Carefully add the vinegar to the pan. With a whisk, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the sugar, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing emulsifies slightly.
Pour the hot dressing over the cucumbers to pickle them slightly. Let the dressing and cucumbers sit while you slice the warm potatoes.
Slice the potatoes about a 1/4 inch thick. Add them to the bowl with the cucumbers, and sprinkle with salt. (If your bacon is very salty you may want to omit the salt) Add the reserved bacon pieces, and toss the salad gently.
Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

Feathers Recipes

Comfort Food Recipe: Black and White Chili

August 15, 2010 Published by: CherylDLee

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Black and White Chili

This is and has been my go-to comfort food for as long as I have been cooking. I have made many variations of this turkey chili, using different kinds of beans, spices and cooking techniques. I have made it hot with ancho chili, hotter with chipotle chili, and mild for my young daughter. In fact, I made a huge batch for her 1st birthday party. I don’t remember if she actually ate any that day, but I do know the adults enjoyed it.

I’m not going to enter the “Great Chili Debate” of whether chili should be meat (beef in particular) only, meat and beans, or beans only. Those crazy folks in Cincinnati even serve it over spaghetti and top it with cheese!

This is my chili. Or at least one variation of it. . .

Black and White Chili Ingredients

Black and White Chili

2 TB olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 TB dark chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 10 oz. cans Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis

2 15.5 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5 oz cans white kidney or cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups water

In a large deep skillet heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add the onion, cook for 3 -4 minutes, until softened. Stirring constantly so the spices do not burn, add the garlic, chili powder, oregano, salt and cumin to the skillet and cook an additional 1 – 2 minutes, until the spices are fragrant. This step is very important, because when the spices are cooked it allows the flavors to deepen and develop.

Cooking the Onions and Spices

Add the ground turkey and stir to blend the onion mixture with the meat. Brown the turkey, about 5-7 minutes.

Browning the Turkey with the Spiced Onions

Add the tomatoes, black and white beans and water. Stir to mix all the ingredients well.

Adding Black and White Beans and Tomatoes

Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the chili for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let all the flavors meld.

Black and White Chili Simmering

Serve with crusty bread, tortilla chips or crackers.

Black and White Chili

Recipes Veggies

Warm Caprese Salad

August 9, 2010 Published by: CherylDLee

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Warm Caprese Salad

“Summertime, and the living is easy.” Well I’m sure whoever wrote those lyrics meant to evoke a certain imagery, but they were not describing reality! But if you tell me it is summertime and the tomatoes and basil are growing abundantly, then you got me!

Though my house has a large yard, the only thing that grows really well is boulders. Really big boulders. Two ton and up boulders. That leaves the porch as the sole sunny spot to grow food. My organic front porch container garden consists of basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and two Topsy Turvy tomato planters. Yes, I saw those commercials for the Topsy Turvy planters and thought they were a bunch of crap. Then I actually bought some, and they are fantastic! Both planters are loaded with fruit, and as a bonus they lend some shade to the front of the house. Food and shade, what more can you ask for? Oh yeah, wine.

Fresh Picked Organic Basil and Tomatoes

I just picked some ripe tomatoes, and trimmed my basil plant to make a small batch of pesto. I didn’t want to make pasta, and was too lazy to make pizza. I rummaged through the refrigerator and found some frying cheese I bought at Trader Joe’s to try. Frying cheese, like Haloumi cheese from the island of Cyprus, is a firm cheese that does not turn into a gooey glob at high temperatures. It holds its shape, even though it does soften.

Trader Joe's Frying Cheese

Warmed cheese topped with fresh tomatoes and pesto sauce. Yes, that sounded very tasty indeed.

This recipe is not really a recipe because it is so simple and there are not specific quantities. Feel free to add other toppings as well, such as toasted pine nuts, chopped olives or roasted peppers.

Warm Caprese Salad

Frying cheese or Haloumi cheese

Fresh tomatoes

Pesto sauce, homemade or a good quality store bought

Cut the frying cheese into cubes, bite size or larger. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Saute the cubes on each side for a few minutes, until the cheese is softened.