Cream of Leek and Arugula

There is something about a Sunday. It has this relaxed, lazy, I-don’t-have-to-do-anything-and-I’m-ok-with-that feel to it. More often than not I don’t know what day of the week it is out here, and am constantly having to remind myself what month it is (November? Is it cold somewhere in the world?), but I always know when it’s Sunday. On Sunday morning, I find myself casually browsing through the refrigerator or freezer, trying to mentally put together what I will prepare for my Sunday evening feast. I attempt to find further inspiration as I flip through cookbooks while leisurely sipping coffee, allowing the books to sprawl out across the ottoman, giving way to colorful pages and inklings of fabulous meals yet to be had.

On this particular Sunday, I rummaged through the contents of my refrigerator and found an unlikely ingredient; leeks. In all of my cooking years, I have yet to prepare anything incorporating a leek. I suppose I haven’t known where to go with it. Mellower than onion but with a certain kick that would surely overpower if used in excess. I skipped to the back of my Junior League of Palo Alto Private Collection Volume 1, hoping to find something that would make use of the leeks, as well as the chicken carcass I had left over from the other evening. I was in luck. On page 10 was a Cream of Leek and Chard. However, as it goes out here I certainly didn’t have all of the ingredients. Namely the featured title ingredient, chard. But I did have plenty of arugula. I scanned through the list of ingredients and was instantly able to deduct that it was do-able. Instead of the yogurt it called for, I would substitute a mixture of sour cream and milk and since I was cooking the chicken carcass anyways, it would be a nice trade out for the ham. If you don't have a chicken carcass handy, regular canned chicken broth will suffice.

Cream of Leek and Arugula Soup

1/2 lb arugula, roughly chopped

3 large leeks

2 1/2 tbsp butter

7 tbsp flour

7 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 lb cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup milk

4 egg yolks

2 cups chicken

Whole chicken carcass

3 cubes chicken bullion

4 medium russet potatoes

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped chives

For the Broth

In a large stock pot, immerse chicken in water. Add bullion cubes and boil for 45 minutes until meat is falling off the bone. Strain broth through a colander into another pot. Let chicken cool and then remove meat from the carcass.

For the Soup

Remove roots and green stems from leeks. Rinse and chop.

Melt the butter in a stock pot and add leeks and arugula. Cook on medium low heat until soft. Sprinkle in flour and cook for two minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Turn heat to low and add chicken broth, water and salt. Continue to stir. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash the cream cheese in a bowl and beat in sour cream, milk and egg yolks until smooth. Peel potatoes and chop into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large sauce pan and cover with water. Add salt and boil for 10-15 minutes, until soft but not soggy.

Slowly add the cheese mixture to the soup and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken and potatoes. Garnish with chopped chives.

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken

There is nothing more lovely than a whole roasted chicken in the fall. As the seasons change, so do the menus. Lightly grilled fish makes way for hearty beef stews, BBQ-ed shrimp skewers take a back seat to pork tenderloin with loads of mushrooms.

One of the first things my mom taught me how to cook was a whole roasted chicken. It is versatile and pocketbook friendly. One small 5 lb chicken will last me days. The first night served up with potatoes and vegetables, chicken sandwiches for lunch with plenty of mayonnaise and cranberries if you are feeling festive, sliced chicken on mixed greens the next night, and by the third day I am ready for a chicken soup that will feed the whole neighborhood (or at least several freezer batches-worth).

The other delightful think about a whole chicken is the fact that you can dress them up in any way and they are usually bursting with delicious flavorful juices. If you take care and do it right, the skin will crisp up and keep the breast and thigh meat tender and moist.

But the best part of all... is the gravy. Now, I am a complete glutton for this sinful condiment. When I think no one is looking, I scandalously sneak spoonfuls of gravy and simply marinate my senses in this guilty pleasure. There is just something about the combination of its rich silky texture and the fact that I am knowingly inputting into my system thousands more milligrams of sodium than should ever be deemed appropriate. But gravy isn't trying to be appropriate. Gravy is a rebel, out to seduce your waistline.

I know there are two sides to the gravy war. Flour or cornstarch? I choose not to be critical of those who believe cornstarch is the end-all-be-all, but I simply have to say that flour is superior in all aspects of gravy making. So if you must, those supporters of corn-based products out there, substitute your cornstarch for flour, then do so, but my disclaimer is that flour is mo-betta.

Now some people choose to use the gizzards, heart and neck for their gravy, but I choose not, because honestly, they gross me out. In our meat-eating society, I do find it odd that certain parts of an animal causes squirminess, but I won’t get into all that right now. Put the gizzards in if you want, but my recipe omits the guts.

I am giving you guidance for the gravy, I haven’t found an exact ratio for gravy since sometimes I end up with a lot of juices, other times minimal. So you will have to feel it out a bit to get the consistency you want. In the spirit of “rustic cooking,” this version calls for sour cream. I was out of milk and cream, so I went for the gusto and used regular sour cream. It turned out amazing. Use milk or cream if you want to go a bit lighter or if you aren’t super into sour cream (I am).

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Chicken

5-6lb whole chicken

10 whole cloves garlic

1 medium onion, sliced

1 small lemon or lime

2 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped

1 cup chicken broth

For the paste

3 tbsp salted butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp rosemary, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry and place in a roasting pan. Squeeze citrus over the top of the chicken and stuff innards with the citrus remains as well as 1/4 of the sliced onion and 5 of the garlic cloves. Scatter remaining onion, garlic and rosemary in the pan around the chicken. Pour the chicken broth in the pan.

Make the paste. Place butter, garlic and rosemary in a small bowl and use a spoon to mash it together to make a paste. Make several slices in the skin at the top of the chicken and on the thighs, use 3/4 of the paste to stuff under the skin of the chicken and smear the remaining 1/4 all over the top.

Place chicken in the oven and roast for 30 minutes uncovered. Make a foil tent and cover the chicken. Juices will start to form in the bottom of the pan. Baste chicken in juices often. Cook chicken for another hour or until thermometer reads 165 degrees at the thickest spot between the breast and the thigh. Chicken should be nicely browned and thighs will pull off easily.

For the gravy

When the chicken is done, remove from roasting pan and place on a cutting board with routed edges to catch the juices. Place roasting pan on two burners set on very low heat. Skim off excess fat with a spoon. Mix 3 tbsp flour with cold water until consistency is slightly runny and mixture is smooth. Slowly pour about half of the mixture into the pan, constantly whisking as you pour. Continue whisking for another five minutes and mixture will begin to thicken. Add about a cup of chicken broth and ¼ cup sour cream and continue whisking. Add more chicken broth, sour cream or flour mixture to your discretion until you get the consistency you want.

Serve with a hearty portion of mashed potatoes.

Beer Cheese

Hello again, virtual audience. Without going into too much detail about my lack of motivation and plain blog avoidance, lets just say I am moving on to the next chapter, turning over a new leaf, if you will. I am going to revamp my focus a bit and steer towards "rustic and remote island-style cooking." Where previously I was able to pop to the gourmet market on a whim, I've since relocated to a small island in which supplies are limited, ingredients are not readily available and creativity is a necessity. I have learned to use food items that I may normally throw away and find a use for things like canned pumpkin or an over abundance of red peppers.

This may be a helpful style of cooking for those of you who stare blankly into the cupboard on more evenings than not, wondering what combination of ingredients will jump out and present themselves as a worthy suppertime meal. It has become kind of a "glass is half full" style of cooking. I could dwell on what I don't have, but that would not get me anywhere. Instead - what do I have and how can I create something delicious out of it?

This recipe came from the guilt I felt from an undrunken beer. Out here, beer and wine are prized commodities. They are expensive and, speaking personally, consumed well before rum. When I woke up one morning and realized with grave despair that I had only taken two sips out of my late night beer, I knew something must be made out of my flat lager.

A friend from Kentucky had visited the island several years ago and brought a Kentuckian recipe with her: Beer Cheese. When she made the appetizer for us, she hadn't the patience to wait for her beer to flatten, so it still had a sparkling effervescence when we devoured it. I had a tinge of satisfaction knowing that I had subconsciously flattened my beer without having to "plan ahead."

So if you find yourself in the sad predicament of a wounded soldier on your hands, cheer up and make yourself some beer cheese.

Beer Cheese

3/4 bottle or can of a light lager

16 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

pinch smoked paprika

Take two sips out of your beer and let it sit out on the counter overnight or for several hours until sufficiently flat.

Combine all ingredients except for the beer in the food processor and pulse until slightly blended. Then turn the food processor on and slowly pour the beer through the top. Mixture will be soft. Place in refrigerator and let firm up for several hours.

Serve with crackers or an assortment of vegetables.