Turkey Joes and more

I'm so behind on posting that I think I'll do just a short recap of some of the recipes I've tried recently. First off, here's another new cookbook that I've really been enjoying. And NOT because Rick Bayless does the intro, but that is a plus. Molly Stevens is one of the editors and Fran McCollough, the other. Stevens is an acclaimed chef and cookbook author in her own right and McCollough too has authored cookbooks, though many seem to have to do with low-carb eating. (not my thing.)



The book is a diverse collection of recipes tried and hand selected from 2006. It's fun because the recipes are an interesting mix from magazines, cookbooks, newsletters and the internet. Many of the recipes from this book have gotten good reviews at CooksTalk . And I found it new on ebay for $10 and couldn't pass it up. I'm enjoying it so much, I think I will watch for the earlier editions of "Best Recipes" and pick them up if they're cheap

One recipe we've enjoyed is what we've called Turkey Joes, aka Sloppy Joes made with ground turkey. These were delicious and with a whole wheat bun, a savory, healthy weeknight dinner.


I also made a nice blueberry cobbler from the book. This time I played around a little with proportions because I wanted to make a small one in my 6 inch cast iron skillet. It turned out good to eat but not quite what I expected it to be (i.e. not cobbler-esque enough for me.) This was more like a blueberry clafouti. But I'm blaming myself and not the recipe for this. I will give it another try. I also made some TDF banana muffins from this book but failed to take pictures. But I promise I'll make them again soon and post picts and the recipe.

From Fine Cooking, I finally got around to making the Seared Scallops on Pea Puree from a few issues back (92). I wanted to wait until I could get some nice young fresh peas at the Farmers Market and that didn't happen until late June. This dish turned out really good. The seared scallops are delicious with the creamy sweet puree and there is some crispy pancetta and a gremolata to top it off. The pink pancetta pops on the green puree for a gorgeous plate. I won't wait for fresh peas to make this again. I think frozen would be fine.


I've also been doing a lot of beet salads because we really love them. Chioggia Beets are the ones with the candy stripes on the inside and they are really sweet. I love them next to a bitter green, some goat cheese and a tart vinaigrette, particularly one made with a white balsamic or champagne vinegar.

Finally, James Peterson, in his book, Fish and Shellfish, taught me that sometimes the simplest approach can be very rewarding indeed. Here I did his fish Bercy, which is basically a classic preparation of fish cooked gently with butter, white wine, lemon and herbs. It really brought out the best in these grouper fillets.




I'm done for now, but not caught up. We haven't yet talked about grilled pizza on the Fourth of July . . .