We wanted a little something to bring down to a short meeting the other day. Something that we could bake up quickly in the morning and get it out the door. Something a bit breakfast-like, but more savory than sweet. We figured scones would be fine, especially since we have a flexible recipe that allows you to make and shape the scones ahead of time and just bake them when you need them. That way, if you want, you can have fresh, hot scones every day for a week.
Continue reading “Gruyere and Rosemary Scones”Swiss Chard in a Mustard Cream Sauce
Sure, you can steam or saute Swiss chard; it’s quick, and, let’s face it, it’s good, but rather pedestrian. What if we were able to tell you a way to amp up the flavor of your Swiss chard without any additional effort? Would you go for it? Of course you would, fellow scratchers. Who wouldn’t? We would, and did, and you can, too.
Continue reading “Swiss Chard in a Mustard Cream Sauce”Butternut Gratin
Originally, this recipe was for a pumpkin gratin that we got from a small book by Jacques Pépin, Poulets & Legumes. Not only does it contain recipes, it’s illustrated with artwork by the chef himself. The shape and size of the book might fool you into thinking it’s for children, but it’s not. It is, indeed, a cookbook.
Continue reading “Butternut Gratin”Turkish Rice Pilaf
Well, we have no idea if this is really a Turkish version of rice pilaf. We simply made that up. But, based on the ingredients, it seems as if it could be Turkish, so, we’ll go with it. We came up with this dish when we brought back our okra from the CSA. We knew we’d be making fried okra for dinner, but, let’s face it, fried okra does not a dinner make. We’d need a little more. So, we figured rice, then we thought about rice pilaf based on what we had in the house, and Turkish Rice Pilaf came about.
Fresh Corn Polenta
On Sundays, we like to have rather more special dinners than those we eat on other days. Perhaps something like risotto or homemade pizza, two of our favorite dishes. The dinners don’t have to be fancy, just something that we think is nice. This past Sunday, as we were thinking about what to have for dinner, and what we have in the house, we wondered, can you make polenta from fresh corn?
Sourdough Pizza Bianca alla Romana
When we first tried this bread, we made it using commercial yeast, and we said that we’d show you how to make the same bread using a sourdough starter. Today, we will. And, if you’re one of those people who bake with sourdough starters, you know that you need to feed and split your starter regularly, including those times when you don’t feel like baking a full batch of bread. Well, it turns out that this bread is perfect for just those occasions, as you can use the starter that you’d normally discard.
Sweet and Tangy Glazed Carrots with Cherries
Okay, we were gone for a short trip to the next state over, so don’t expect a really good post for a day or two. Instead, we have a couple of great recipes that are simply variations on some of our favorites. This is one of the great things about Scratchin’ out your meals: you learn a few recipes that are really good, and, with just a change or two, you can make up something just as good, but different enough that you won’t get bored.
Continue reading “Sweet and Tangy Glazed Carrots with Cherries”