My Go-To Tzatziki

I’ve recently fallen head over heels for Greek yogurt. Cabot Creamery’s triple thick vanilla yogurt (no sponsorship here, just pure love) has become my nightly obsession, piled high on fresh berries. I’m plowing through two big tubs a week—yes, I’m mildly mortified to confess that—and I’m pretty sure the dairy guy at the market is starting to side-eye me. Lately, I’ve ventured into savory territory with their plain Greek yogurt, whipping up some tzatziki that’s honestly unreal. I’ve been slathering it on sandwiches, smearing it on my morning croissant, pairing it with crackers for snack attacks, and dunking veggies in it like it’s my job. Confession? I could eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon. I’ve tinkered with a bunch of recipes, and this one’s my winner. Some folks swear by fresh mint in theirs, but I’m not sold on it here—your call, though. Give this a whirl and tell me what you think.

My Go-To Tzatziki

½ c. finely grated Melissa’s organic cucumber
1 c. whole milk Greek yogurt
¼ t. fresh lemon zest
1 T. fresh lemon juice
½ T. extra-virgin olive oil 
1 large garlic clove, grated
¼ t. (heaping) sea salt 
2 T. chopped Melissa’s fresh baby dill

Lay the grated cucumber on a towel and gently press out some of the extra moisture. Toss everything else into a medium bowl and mix it up.

Pro tip: give your lemon a quick grate before juicing it. Fold in t he drained grated cucumber. Pop it in the fridge to chill until you’re ready to dig in.

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Hearts of Palm Salad

I have gone palm crazy.  No, that is not a misprint.  I haven’t gone plumb crazy (despite what you may have heard), though when the season hits, I just may!  No, I have gone palm crazy, i.e. absolutely crazy for hearts of palm.  I hosted a small dinner over the weekend, and lacking enough ingredients to put into a satisfying side salad, went out on a limb (there were some picky eaters on hand), opened up a jar of Melissa’s Hearts of Palm, rinsed them and sliced coins directly into the salad.  Getting such a positive response, I decided to hunt for a recipe or two, or three…now FIVE that I wanted to try using this delicious ingredient.  The name alone brings to mind exotic locales, island breezes, and palm fronds swaying beneath a setting sun, so why not use them in as many dishes as possible?

Last night’s choice was a simple salad that I sprung on the mister to see what sort of a reaction I’d get.  He loved it!  Success!

Hearts of Palm Salad

1 14.8-ounce jar Melissa’s Hearts of Palm, drained and rinsed

1 large tomato (as it happens, from my garden!), seeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, finely diced

1 scallion, white and green parts, sliced on an angle into ¼” slices

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, julienned

1-2 tablespoons Light Italian Dressing (I use Kraft Light Zesty Italian)

4 leaves of green leaf lettuce

Fresh Parmesan cheese, widely grated

Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Slice the hearts of palm into ½” wide slices, and place in a medium bowl.  Add the tomato, garlic, scallion, basil, and dressing, and toss lightly until well coated.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend.  Arrange leaf lettuce on four salad plates, top with salad mixture, and garnish with fresh shavings of Parmesan cheese and a sprig of fresh basil.

For more great salad ideas, I recommend this book:

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Sunday's Best Party

Growing Garlic

In the past I've written about the benefit of growing herbs, the experience of growing horseradish, and the thrill of growing vegetables and savoring that first, amazingly fresh bite, not to mention the various uses such as turning cucumbers into pickles and chilled soups.  Now I want to talk to you about garlic.  My guess is this is something you've never considered.  I hadn't thought about it much in the past either, until one day one of the garlic pods in the kitchen basket sprouted -- a very healthy sprout -- and I just couldn't bear to cut it up or throw it away.  So I marched it outside that fall afternoon and shoved it into the ground.  After that initial shoving, that is seriously all of the time I spent on it, and the last time I thought about it until shoots started coming up in the spring.  The heat killed them off and I thought that was that, until they returned with a vengeance.  Okay, I'll water them, I said to myself, and I did.  The other day the tops died back, so I thought I'd dig them up and see what was underneath. These are pretty small, but the aroma is just intoxicating. Not only that, but when I cut them, juices ran.  Juices! That's when I realized just how desiccated the pods I've been buying in the store really are. I left some pods in the ground for next year when they should gain a bit of size, and the next pod to sprout in the kitchen basket will join them. This was so easy that I just cannot  encourage you enough to give it a try.  A bit of empty space or an empty plant pot is all you need.  You have nothing to lose, and every aromatic thing to gain.

Now to find just the right recipe to do these cloves justice.

An excellent book on growing vegetables in containers (for those of you who don't have a lot of space) is this one:

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, This Week in My Garden, Outdoor Wednesdays and Tuesday Garden Party

Homemade Dill Pickles

See the little dill head at the bottom of the jar?  I grew that too (she said proudly).  The cute little canning jars are Italian and on sale at Tuesday Morning.

Cucumbers abound at our house and it has been a lot of fun trying all sorts of new recipes.  The cucumber recipe du jour was dill pickles.  I love making these because they are so easy, and allow for a bit of creativity when it comes to additional flavor-making ingredients.

EASY DILL PICKLES

8-10 small pickling cucumbers (about 3 pounds)
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
2 tablespoons pickling salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
4 heads fresh dill or 4 teaspoons dill seeds
4 small cloves garlic

Place your sterilized jars into the canner and bring the water to a simmer.  Keep them warm while you slice the cucumbers and prepare the pickling solution.

Cut a thin slice from the ends of each cucumber.  Slice into chips about 1/8 inch thick.  A mandolin works great for this as long as your cucumbers are crisp and fresh.  Set aside.

Combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  If you prefer a pickle more to the sour side, eliminate the sugar.

Carefully remove hot jars from canner. Place them open side up on a towel on the counter to keep them steady.  Here's where the fun comes in.  You can get very creative with the pickles.  For a basic garlic dill, place 1 head fresh dill or 1 tsp dill seeds and 1 clove garlic into each jar; pack in cucumbers.

You can also try the following additions (when I make pickles, each jar is different):

1-3 slices of Jalapeno peppers
1-2 pearl onions
1/4 teaspoon pickling spice
Sprig of dill weed
2-3 peppercorns

Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers to within 1/2 inch of the rim of the jar. Screw on cap and lid.  Process 10 minutes for pint jars and 15 minutes for quart jars.  Allow to cool on the counter and be sure to listen for the popping noise that indicates that you've gotten a good seal.  Store for 2 weeks to allow for the infusion of flavors.

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday, Metamorphosis Monday, Made by You Monday, On the Menu Monday, This Week in My Garden, Outdoor Wednesdays and Tuesday Garden Party

HERBED MUSHROOM CUSTARDS FOR TWO

On a chilly night (Spring, where are you?!) I love something creamy and delicious to warm me from the inside out. I recently came across a mushroom custard recipe that sounded like it just might fill the bill for a winter evening, but it served 8.  I reduced the amounts, added some ingredients, and we had it as a side dish for dinner. Delicious!  It's also incredibly easy and can be made ahead making it the perfect "wow" recipe for a dinner party in addition to a special side dish for a romantic dinner for two.  Don't tell anyone how easy this is!

Herbed Mushroom Custards for Two

1 T. butter

1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms, such as

 button, crimini and shitake, trimmed and sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 large egg

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. instant minced onion

Coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms begin to brown; cool slightly. In medium bowl, whisk together cream, egg, parsley, pinch salt and a few twists of freshly ground pepper. Stir in mushrooms, and divide between two 6 oz. ramekins. Line a 9" x 9" square pan with a dish towel; place ramekins on towel. Transfer to oven and pour enough boiling water in pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until custards are just set, about 30 minutes. Carefully remove ramekins from water.