Ask Chef Nicole: Thanksgiving Side Dishes Features Ask Chef Nicole Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Nicole Straight November 22, 2009 Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday, there’s no pressure to give gifts, and the whole day is about being together with people you love (or at least like very much) and think about all of the things I am grateful for. And of course, there’s the meal… When it comes to Thanksgiving, I must admit I am a bit of a purist. I want to know that this annual meal will taste exactly as it did last year and the year before that. The recipes I use are the ones my mother used and the ones her mother used. While I have made some small changes over the years (mostly to make life easier) the flavors are exactly the same as I remember them when I was young. My other favorite thing about Thanksgiving is the day after Thanksgiving sandwich, which is basically a little bit of everything (warmed just a little) stuffed between 2 soft pieces of white bread. When you make these recipes, be sure to make a little extra so you have enough for those yummy “day after sandwiches." Here are three of my favorites: Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Prosciutto, Chestnuts and Apple; Mapled Sweet Potatoes; Classic Cranberry Sauce. Read More
Cooking at Home: Radish Greens Features healthy Recipe Farm Fresh Elizabeth Keyser November 18, 2009 Elizabeth Keyser is a local writer living in Fairfield. Her work has been published in The New York Times, GQ, American Photo, The New York Post, Connecticut Magazine, as well as CT newspapers. She writes restaurant reviews and a food column for the Fairfield County Weekly. Radishes and chard were the last things growing in the garden. A creature had gnawed on one of the radishes, so it was time to pull them up. But I wasn’t just harvesting the root. I was eying their bright healthy-looking greens. Yes, you can eat radish greens. They contain more vitamin C, calcium, potassium and folate than the root, and while peppery, they’re mellower than the root. They say you can eat them raw, but I’m turned off by the fury-prickly texture. I make soup with them. Radish leaf soup is an old French recipe. You can find it in Larousse Gastronomique, but it’s easy enough to wing it. This is a quick soup. You’ll be eating in this mildly piquant green elixir in 30 minutes. Radish Greens Soup Read More
It's Breakfast Time: Eggs in Phyllo, Pita or Tortilla Cups Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Breakfast Kid Friendly Nicole Straight November 12, 2009 You wake up on Saturday morning. You're feeling guilty about feeding your kids frozen waffles every day this week. It's time to break out of the mould and try out a new recipe...something with a little pizazz. How about eggs? Boring you may say, but these are not just any eggs. This is an egg breakfast that comes wrapped in its own carb (in the form of phyllo, tortilla, or pita cups). With the addition of veggies, cheese, or meat you've got a whole meal in one tasty little package. They look complicated but they only take about 20 minutes, and your family will love the results. Eggs in phyllo, pita bread, or tortilla cups Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Chicken Pot Pie...Easy Comfort Food Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Comfort Food Kid Friendly Nicole Straight November 05, 2009 A few days ago I had some puff pastry left over from one of my cooking classes, and given the autumn chill, I decided to make a chicken pot pie. I used to love these growing up, and my mother loved making them-- remove from freezer, open box and bake 40 minutes. My recipe is not quite that simple as it is made from scratch, but short of a frozen entree, this chicken pot pie is as easy as it gets. Don't be intimidated by the ingredients. The foundation for this savory baked pie is the mirepoix (diced onion, celery and carrot) which you can purchase from Trader Joe's. Now how's that for convenient? Feel free to leave out whatever veggies you don't have on hand, and don't be afraid of frozen vegetables. If you're tight on time, they can be a great shortcut. Enjoy, and watch my step-by-step video for additional cooking tips. Easy Chicken Pot Pie Read More
Halloween Recipes: Screamin’ Meanie Pulled Pork Bites Kids Bites Features Ask Chef Nicole Holiday Recipe Kid Friendly Nicole Straight October 24, 2009 Here is yet another fun and tasty party pleaser. We have listed two techniques for the creation of this delicious dish. Your selected preparation will depend on your expendable time, and your desire for home made fare vs. store bought ingredient assembly. We made these both ways over the weekend, and you will be happy with the results either way. If you are not a regular pulled pork eater, try it. The sweetness of the BBQ sauce, and the tenderness of the slow cooked pork makes this a real treat. Technique #1 I'm short on time: Screamin’ Meanie Pulled Pork Bites (Mini corn bread and pulled pork sandwiches) Read More
Easy Halloween Party Recipes Part 1: Bloody Fingers Kids Bites Features Ask Chef Nicole Holiday Recipe Kid Friendly Nicole Straight October 24, 2009 Halloween is around the corner, and this week, in honor of this ghoulish holiday, CT Bites will feature a daily recipe to help you plan the perfect Halloween party. These dishes are both adult and kid-friendly, and are simple time-saving delicious meals that will leave you plenty of time for dress-up. This is the first in our series, and really... what defines the real joy of Halloween more perfectly than eatable severed body parts? These "Bloody Fingers" are an updated version of a perennial favorite, pigs in a blanket. I like to use chorizo, but you could substitute chicken apple sausage or Portuguese linguica. Bloody Fingers in a Blanket (AKA chorizo in puff pastry) Read More
Soup's On!! 17 Bean & Barley Soup Mix from Trader Joe's Features Ask Chef Nicole Soups Recipe Kid Friendly Nicole Straight October 21, 2009 Soup season is upon us bringing to the table a plethora of wonderful Fall dinner options. I am always on the hunt for interesting new contenders for my weekly line-up, so I jumped on a tip from a friend who recommended that I check out the 17 Bean & Barley Mix from Trader Joe’s. The bag's ingredient list has an interesting assortment of, you guessed it, 17 types of barley and dried beans, including black eyed peas, pinto, lentils and navy. You would certainly enjoy this bean mix up straight, but I decided to throw in some added protein and a little varied flavor with the help of some smoked turkey wings, (although you could use a ham hock or bacon as well). Here’s my recipe for Hearty Bean & Smoked Turkey Soup. This soup can also be made vegetarian by omitting the turkey and using vegetable stock. It is a simple weeknight entree everyone will enjoy. Read More
An IKEA Smorgasbord...No Assembly Required Ingredients Features Specialty Market Swedish New Haven Sarah Green October 20, 2009 "IKEA, Swedish for common sense," is how the commercial goes. Yet my common sense seems to escape me while shopping there. Although the products are nifty and super cheap, it is NOT my greatest talent to build beautiful furniture from planks of wood, a package of bolts, and a direction sheet that has only arrows as its vocabulary. Yet back I go, trip after trip, filling my cart with baskets of every size, shape, and dimension and spectacular flower-shaped light bulbs that may or not fit in American lamps. "What’s the sense?" I have asked many times. Now I know. It’s all about the sense of TASTE- The IKEA food mart rocks! Tack sa mycket, (thank you) Bjorn! Now I must confess, I lived in Stockholm for years so my taste for things Swedish is admittedly subjective. So, to be fair and unbiased in writing about the food, I decided to have a Smorgasbord with my Westport peeps so they could tell me their unadulterated opinions. Here's how it went down: Read More
Wine Chat: Wine Pairings for Fall Flavors Ingredients Features Darien Fairfield Ridgefield Specialty Market Westport Wine Chat CTbites Team October 19, 2009 Fall is here. And beyond the obvious weather changes: frost alerts, foliage color and the end to most farmers’ markets, there are other exciting changes in the lives of wine enthusiasts: Fall marks the start of the red wine drinking season! Sure we drink red wine in the Summer, but enthusiasm for the darker reds is tempered by the weather, and the kind of red wine experiences that appear easily from a slight chill in the air can at best be forced in the heat of outdoor dining. But as the leaves start falling and people begin to spend more time indoors, out comes the Le Creuset for stews, Emile Henry for roasts, the cast iron skillets for, well, that restaurant style pan seared rib eye. We all know that wine is made for food – and Fall food is made for red wine. So, here, in an inaugural ditty on wine in CT Bites, we wanted to share with you not only our unfettered enthusiasm (break out the mandolines – we’re talking the kitchen variety not featured instrument in Rod Stewart’s Maggie) for the high season of food and wine with some recommendations about what to try and buy across the next few months leading up to Winter. (See our local resource guide with recommendations below.) Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Quick & Easy Mini Meatloaves Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Comfort Food Kid Friendly Nicole Straight October 16, 2009 Sometimes the meatloaf can be a daunting dinner entree...not because it is difficult to prepare, but because it is lacking visual appeal when sliced table-side. In thinking about how to make the meatloaf a more attractive kid-friendly entree, I decided to pull from my arsenal the kitchen pan most pleasing to the under 12 set...the muffin tin. Recreated in smaller, (and dare I say cuter) rounds, this classic comfort food is both delicious and healthy, especially with the added vegetables sneaked in the mirepoix base. (Hey, if Reagan was able to count catsup as a vegetable, I'm counting carrots, celery and onion.) If you are somebody who purchased those ridiculous brownie pans to maximize the crispy edges, you will love these. Enjoy! Watch Chef Nicole's step-by-step video for proper mini meatloaves preparation. Read More
Halloween Party Recipes Part 2: Caramel Popcorn Balls Kids Bites Features Ask Chef Nicole Holiday kids activity Kid Friendly Dessert Nicole Straight October 14, 2009 What's a party without the popcorn? These sweet and salty treats are always a favorite (remove spiders before eating). This recipe lends itself nicely to child participation...as long as they don't mind getting a little sticky. To amp up the gruesomeness, melt some white chocolate in the microwave or over a double broiler and add 2-3 drops of red food coloring. Then drip the "blood" over the finished popcorn balls. For a more savory snack, try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to the caramel. Caramel Popcorn Balls Read More
This Meal's on Wheels: Big Green Truck Pizza Features Catering Pizza Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster September 30, 2009 It was a sunny September morning, and I was headed to Orange CT for a hot date at a golf tournament. No, this was no golf pro - I was meeting up with the cooking team of The Big Green Truck Pizza. For those unfamiliar with this meal on wheels, The Big Green Truck is a stroke of catering brilliance…a vintage truck outfitted with a wood fire brick oven that goes where the party is. Not only do they serve up a meal that pleases every age, but the food prep stays out of your house - no fuss; no muss. And if this is not enough, there is the entertainment factor of watching a team of three construct up to 60 pizzas an hour and toss them into a fiery furnace. Pizza, salad, gelato from Gelateria Giuliana (a local fave)…perfect party pleaser. On the day I visited, they were serving up some of their renown New Haven-style brick oven pizza near hole #5 at the Orange Hills Country Club. Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Healthy Mac n' Cheese with Prosciutto Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Comfort Food Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster September 30, 2009 Last week I dragged my kids over to Chef Nicole's house on a quick errand, and this dish was cooling on the kitchen counter. It looked decadently delicious. She claimed it was healthy. I grabbed a fork and dug in with my kids close behind with utensils of their own. Everybody agreed this was a keeper in the weekly repertoire. Now, when the kids beg for mac n' cheese, I whip out this recipe. The skim mozzarella and low-fat milk take the guilt out of an ordinarily heavy dish, and you'd never know the fat was missing. And doesn't Proscuitto make everything taste better? No more boxes...or pretty much. Try it with your family. Let us know what you think. (Healthy, but don’t tell the kids) Macaroni and Cheese with Proscuitto Read More
Chef Nicole: Asian Pear Caramelized Onion Flatbread Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Farm Fresh Nicole Straight September 23, 2009 You know what happens when you go fruit picking. You come home with 10 pounds of fruit hoping your neighbors will want to go halfsies. What is one to do with all those pears and apples? Here is one idea from Chef Nicole: We went fall picking last week and had a lot of Asian pears. These happen to be one of our family's favorite fruits and they can be hard to come by in the market, not to mention extremely costly. Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, has rows and rows of these delicious fruits available for picking now. It is worth the drive to this lovely orchard to pick these uniquely sweet, crunchy, delicious pears. They will quickly become one of your favorite snacks. Pick some extras to make these flatbreads. I made them for some friends and we devoured them with some nice cold white wine. It's a delicious and beautiful dish that can be made in a snap with a few little grocery shortcuts. Asian pear, Caramelized Onion and Blue Cheese (or Goat Cheese) Flatbread Read More
Learn While You Lunch @ Sport Hill Farm Features Restaurant Cooking Classes Education Organic healthy Farm Fresh Lunch Stephanie Webster September 19, 2009 Sometimes as Fairfield County residents, it is easy to get wrapped up in the daily suburban grind, a world of strip malls and meals on the go. Given all the white noise of routine life, it is nice to occasionally escape from the carpools and commuting…and head to the farm. With its open space, beauty, and serenity, you can be transported...nourished. Many of us journey to the fields as an annual Fall ritual to pick pumpkins and apples, drink cider, or get lost in a hay maze, but the beautiful farms of rural CT can offer much more than just kid-friendly fun. Last week I attended a "Meet Me at the Farm" lunch on the Sport Hill Farm in Easton. Read More
Chef Nicole: Sweet Potato, Yukon Gold & Carrot “Chips” Features Ask Chef Nicole healthy Recipe Kid Friendly Nicole Straight September 17, 2009 These ingenious little 'chips" double as a healthy side dish and a kid-friendly guilty pleasure. Because they are baked, not fried, and include a trifecta of delicious root vegetables, they are a healthy alternative to their traditional greasy cousins. If your kids are begging for French fries (as mine often do), why not just give them what they want. Try Chef Nicole's recipe for Sweet Potato, Yukon Gold, & Carrot Chips. Watch Chef Nicole's step-by-step video for this great recipe. Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Tortillas = Quick Kid Friendly Dinners Features Asian Ask Chef Nicole Mexican Kid Friendly Nicole Straight September 08, 2009 There is something about serving dinner in a tortilla that instantly turns an everyday meal into an event. Children everywhere enjoy wrapping up and assembling their own entree without an assist from Mom or Dad. It is empowering and fun, and these multi-tasking flour or corn shells have many healthy and delicious possibilities. Chef Nicole Straight of Time to Eat! has two great 15 minute recipes your kids will love; Moo Shu Pork and Baja Fish Tacos. I've sampled both. Your kids will love them...and you will too. Watch Chef Nicole's step-by-step video for Moo Shu Pork Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Easy Back to School Breakfast Features Ask Chef Nicole Recipe Breakfast Kid Friendly Nicole Straight August 31, 2009 As a kid I viewed back to school with both excitement and trepidation. As a parent, I can relate to the Staples commercial where the father gleefully skips down the "back to school" aisle while the kids trudge forlornly behind. I both welcome the structure of the school year and feel overwhelmed by its rigidity. I have, however, come to find that the more organized I am with my kids' lives, the less stressed out my life is. Breakfast has historically been the most difficult meal in our household, because my children are not early risers (nor am I) and I feel perpetually rushed to provide a wholesome, nutritious meal, while ensuring hair is brushed, shoes are ties and lunches are packed, all before 8 a.m. Here are some delicious recipes we make in our house to both de-stress mom and ensure the kids start their day on the right foot. Read More
Fabulous Fish Finds @ Fjord Fisheries Ingredients Features Cos Cob Seafood Specialty Market Westport Deanna Foster August 25, 2009 I can deal with tomatoes that aren’t as good as I had hoped - there’s always tomato sauce; an inferior cut of meat can lead to a great stew. But fish that isn’t the highest quality or supremely fresh? That is just unacceptable in my book. Fortunately, we have a number of fish market options in Fairfield County, many of which are very good. Markets like Pagano’s in Norwalk, and Superior Fish in Westport certainly have their followings, but after doing a thorough sampling, I have found that one stands apart from its peers: Fjord Fisheries. Fjord gets my vote on two counts: quality and selection. I recently spoke with Jardar Nygaard, Fjord’s owner, who shared the secret to his outstanding product. Read More
Ask Chef Nicole: Perfectly Grilled Fish Features Ask Chef Nicole Chef Talk Recipe Video Seafood Recipe Nicole Straight August 10, 2009 Chef Nicole Straight of Time to Eat! has all the answers when it comes to simple preparations for healthy delicious meals. This week she brings us a great recipe for Grilled Fish with Herbed Sauce. We used Branzino, but any white fish fillet will work just fine. The key to enhancing the fresh taste of this beautiful dish is the use of herbs. Sure, if you have a garden, you can pick your own, but if herbs are out of season, you can still capture the summer fresh taste with frozen processed herbs (Here's Nicole's recipe). Of course, you can also swing by Trader Joes and grab their frozen herb cubes in a pinch. Enjoy Chef Nicole's "How to make perfectly grilled fish". Watch chef Nicole's step-by-step video below for additional tips and tricks. Read More
