Plum Harvest: Peruvian Chicken with Plums & a Tasty Tart

We've been living in our rental house in Southeast Portland since the end of October last year, and realized just a couple of weeks ago that there are two plum trees in our front yard.  To our delight, we found out right in the middle of the sweet sweet ripening season.  Day after day I've been sending the kids out to pick the juicy little treasures.  First, my youngest to gather from the lower branches, then my boy to get whatever he could reach, and finally, my 10 year old (who is almost taller than me) to reap the fruits from as high as she could reach.

With such an abundance of plums, I figured I'd better find some interesting things to do with some of them.  First off, I tried to figure out what variety they are, but had no luck.  The fruit is oblong, dark purplish-burgundy in color on the outside and golden yellow on the inside.  The pit is easily removed when the plum is halved.  Maybe somebody can comment and advise on the type?

Anyhow, I started by making plum jam, which was pretty easy and tasty on toast and pancakes.  This was a no-brainer, and I made enough that I could use some in other recipes.  What I really wanted to find, however, was a way to incorporate plums into a savory dish. I searched high and low for recipes containing "chicken and plums" and found Peruvian Chicken with Plums to be the most interesting.  Of course, I made some substitutions and modified the recipe to my own taste/pantry but you can Google it if you want the popular version (it's pretty much the same on all sites that feature it).

Peruvian Chicken with Plums


1 tbsp olive oil
6-8 chicken thighs - skin removed
salt & garlic pepper to taste
1 small diced onion
2 Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 tsp turmeric (original recipe calls for saffron)
2 cups of chicken broth
1 bay leaf
8 small plums, halved and pitted
4 cups of cooked rice (recipe calls for brown, I used Jasmine)

First I sprinkled the chicken with sea salt and garlic pepper.  I heated the oil over medium-high heat and then browned the chicken pieces on both sides (about 4 minutes per side). Next I added the onion and sauteed for about two minutes before adding the peppers and garlic.  I sauteed everything for another two minutes, and then added the tomato, turmeric, chicken broth and bay leaf. This is where you turn the heat up and bring the whole pot to a boil. Next, I covered the pot, turned the heat down to medium and simmered for about 10 minutes.  Next, I added the plums and cooked for about 5 minutes before stirring in the rice.

The end result was divine.  It was reminiscent of a Cuban Arroz-con-Pollo but with a unique flavor and that sweet plum flavor to provide a surprising contrast.  Divine.  Seriously.

Then, on to dessert.


Simple Plum Tart

1 stick of butter, softened to room temp
1/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
6-8 small plums sliced into thin wedges
3 tbsp plum jam

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then cream butter and sugar together with a whisk.  Slowly add in the flour and continue to whisk together until only your hands will do to integrate the mixture.  Roll the dough out with your hands onto the counter (or on a cutting board) and form the shape of a large cookie.  Carefully peel the "cookie" off the counter and place onto a greased (or sprayed with cooking spray) pie tin or cookie sheet.  Next, arrange the plum slices in a spiral shape starting in the center of the dough and outward, leaving about an in to an inch and a half of dough uncovered.  Fold in the inch of uncovered dough over the outer edge of plum slices.  Then spoon plum jam over the slices of plums to cover them evenly.  Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, keeping an eye on the color of the crust.

How to Cook Black (Dry) Beans

First of all, let me apologize to Kami, whom I owe this recipe to.  A few weeks ago we were at Happy Hour and I was talking about how much more authentic (not sure if I mentioned ECONOMICAL) it feels to cook beans from scratch (dry).  She asked me to send/give her a recipe, and I've owed it to her ever since.  It's a good thing she reminded me today, or I may never have gotten around to it!  Before getting to that recipe, however, let me tell you about a few things coming up (partly to get you excited, but mostly to keep track of what I've been cooking/eating and not forget to post about it).

1. Lunch at a Thai restaurant near PCC Cascade.
2. Learning Garden Harvest Party 
3. Today's Organics to You bin contents
4. LAVENDER RICOTTA ICE CREAM - seriously

So......without further ado:

Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)

1 lb package of dry black beans

1 small onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

Salt (or Adobo seasoning from Goya) to taste

1/3 of a bunch of cilantro

Instructions;

First, you'll need to presoak the beans.  The overnight method requires that you soak the beans in a pot for 8-10 hours (make sure there's lots more water in the pot than beans - they should be covered by at least 2-3 inches of water as it will be soaked up by the beans.)  The quick-soak method  requires that you cover the beans by as much water, but then bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat source, cover, and let sit/soak for 1 hour before moving on.

After the beans are presoaked, you'll need to drain away the nasty soak-water and replace with fresh water.  For a 1lb bag of beans, I'd use about 6 cups of water.  (For extra extra flavor, use some sort of broth instead of plain jane water).  At this point I'd add the onion - either halved or quartered, and the cloves of garlic - lightly smashed to release the flavor.  

Bring the pot to a boil at high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for about an hour or hour and a half (do you like your beans al dente, tender, or straight-up mushy????) About 45 minutes into the process (when the liquid starts to thicken,) it's time to add the other seasonings.  If you can find Adobo, go for it!  Otherwise, salt is just fine.  Finally, add the cilantro, but not all chopped up....you don't want it in your teeth, you just want the flavor to infuse.  

Once your beans are done, you are ready to enjoy them atop a lovely mound of white rice, as a base for a black-bean soup, or mashed up in a pan as a "refried" version which goes super well with sweet plantains and sour cream. Mmmmmmm.   Makin' me hungry......

Variations:

People sometimes use these ingredients to flavor their beans.  I have used/tried all of them and do also throw them in if I have them in the house.  Any or all of them are good depending on your taste.

1. Chopped green bell pepper

2. Cumin

3. Ham hock, thick bacon, etc.

4. Bay leaf

5. Jalapeno (or juice from pickled jalapenos).

Carolina's Eggplant Parmigiana (and Sasha's Vinaigrette)

 

Now here's a dish that I've been making since I was 19.  I can't really take credit for creating it (obviously), nor can I feel very honest about calling it "eggplant parmigiana," but it's one of my signature dishes and a winner every time.  I learned how to make this one summer when I visited a friend who was staying in the NYU dorms as a part of a summer enrichment program.  My friend's friend had just returned from Italy where she learned how to make eggplant parmigiana and tiramisu.  It was my first time in New York, and I'll never forget scouring the markets for the freshest eggplants, basil and mascarpone cheese (for the tiramisu). Over the years I've modified and simplified the recipe to suit my needs, but I've never had a dissatisfied customer.

I hadn't made eggplant parm in a while, so when the familia found out what I was making it became a party.  My 7-year-old decided to make a salad dressing she'd learned to make earlier that day at the Learning Garden (on SE 60th), and let me tell you - it was FABULOUS.  Truly, this is a girl after my own heart.  So we accompanied the main dish with a simple green salad with Sasha's vinaigrette.  Here are the recipes:

Carolina's Eggplant Parmigiana

3 smaller (round) or 2 large eggplants

Flour for dredging

3 eggs

Salt

Olive oil

Vegetable oil

Good quality marinara sauce

2 cups of shredded mozzrella*

Start by cutting the ends off the eggplant and cutting lengthwise into slices 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick.  Sprinkle salt on both sides of each slice and layer in a colander.  Take a gallon-size ziploc bag and fill with water then zip shut.  Place the colander with eggplant in the sink and put the bag full of water right on top so that its weight can help squeeze out the extra water.  This process helps remove the bitter bite that eggplant can sometimes have.  Let sit for at least 1/2 an hour.

Next, get ready to prep the eggplant for frying by placing flour in a pie pan and beating eggs in a bowl large enough to dip eggplant slices in.  (This time I added some dried oregano from my "garden" and freshly ground pepper to the beaten eggs).  In the meantime, put about 1/4 cup of vegetable and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Take each slice of eggplant and dip first in flour, then in eggs until well-covered.  Put the prepared eggplant slices into the hot oil and fry about one minute on each side until just golden brown.  Repeat this process, (putting the fried slices between paper towels to absorb any excess oil) until all slices are fried.

Now it's time to assemble the dish!  First, preheat your oven to 350.  Take a 9x13 glass or ceramic pan and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of marinara sauce in the bottom, spreading it evenly.  Place some slices of eggplant right on top of the sauce, and spoon some more sauce on top of the slices.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over this layer, then place another layer of eggplant on top, trying to get as even coverage as you can.  Continue to layer sauce, cheese and eggplant until you're all out of eggplant slices, topping with extra mozzarella.  Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes or until cheese on top is melted, bubbly or golden.  When it comes out of the oven, you can cut into it just as you would a lasagne, and it is not only lovely but tastes divine!

*I have tried different variations of cheese in this dish and encourage you to do the same and find what you like: provolone is good, mixing in real shredded parmesan makes it feel more authentic, a nice salty Edam adds bite and originality......

Sasha's Learning Garden Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (we had basil, rosemary and oregano)

1/4 Tsp sea salt

Freshly ground garlic pepper

Whisk it all together!  Enjoy on your salad or use as a dip for crusty bread.