Chicken, Green Bean, Corn, and Farro Salad with Goat Cheese

Mmmmm....yummers! Great fresh salad. Keeps well for a day or two then goes south. Very healthy and very tasty. 3 for 3!


1/2 cup semi-pearled farro* or spelt berries
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast halves
12 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups fresh yellow corn kernels (cut from 2 to 3 ears of corn)
3 green onions, thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 1/4 cups)

preparation

Cook farro in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain; cool.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet; cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes per side. Cool, then cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes. Cook green beans in large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water to cool; drain. Transfer beans to kitchen towel; pat dry.

Mix farro, chicken, and green beans in large bowl; add corn and green onions.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons oil, marjoram, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt in small bowl. Press with back of spoon to release flavor. Whisk in vinegar, shallot, and mustard. Pour over salad in bowl; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Salad can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Divide chilled or room-temperature salad among plates. Sprinkle with goat cheese.

* Available at specialty foods stores, natural foods stores, and Italian markets.

Grilled Scallops with Tomato Onion Relish

Personal reaction: also fantastic. lighter than the burgers. loved the onion and tomato. always like scallops. And thanks to the fish place on Washington we can walk 1.5 blocks and get fresh fish whenever we want it. They are helpful with advise. Also good as leftovers.


1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
24 sea scallops (1 1/2 lb), tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary
Vegetable oil for brushing grill

preparation

Prepare grill for cooking.

Make relish:
Soak onion in 1 cup water with 1/2 teaspoon salt 15 minutes, then drain. Stir together onion, tomato, vinegar, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and let stand 20 minutes. Drain relish in a sieve, discarding liquid, then stir in dill.

Cook scallops while relish is standing:
Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Grill scallops in 2 batches on lightly oiled grill rack, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve scallops with relish.

Cooks' notes:
Scallops can be grilled in a hot lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over high heat. To serve as an hors d'oeuvre, top each scallop with 1 teaspoon relish.

Andouille and Beef Burgers with Spicy Mayo and Caramelized Onions

Personal reaction: Awesome! The seasoning, mayo, meat mix, and onions were all awesome. So was the cheese and jalapenos. Lots of great toppings! I would definitely make this again. (the crowd loved it too. crowd = sheryl)

Spicy mayonnaise
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Burgers
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into scant 1/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck or ground beef (20 percent fat)

Caramelized onions
1 1/2 pounds onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for brushing grill rack
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar

6 large hamburger buns, split
8 ounces crumbled blue cheese

12 pickled okra pods, halved lengthwise*
3 cups watercress tops

preparation

For mayonnaise:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and chill.

Do ahead: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

For burgers:
Toss first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add beef; blend gently. Shape mixture into six 1/2-inch-thick patties. Transfer patties to small baking sheet.

Do ahead: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

For onions:
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Toss onions and next 3 ingredients in large skillet. Place skillet on grill; cook until onions are golden, stirring often, about 25 minutes. Remove from grill; season with salt and pepper.

Brush grill rack with olive oil. Grill buns, cut side down, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer buns to work surface. Grill burgers until brown on bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn over; sprinkle with cheese. Grill until burgers are cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium. Place some onions, then burger, on each bun bottom. Top each with okra and watercress. Spread mayonnaise on cut side of bun tops; place on burgers. Serve with remaining mayonnaise.

*Shopping tip: Look for pickled okra where the pickles and relishes are displayed.

In the beginning...

I lost my job and found cooking. Epicurious is owed a great deal for this metamorphosis. It is an iphone app that has recipes, which are well-organized, and converts them into shopping lists all using the power of Apple and the internet. Incredible!

I also owe Sheryl a great deal for introducing me to cooking and assembling so many of the necessary implements for making magic in the kitchen.

Welcome!

This is the new blog for getting updates on all the latest and greatest in the kitchen at 24 upton #1. It will be effectively known to its authors and readers as Chez 24 Upton #1.