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Cooking Trips with Annie
Chef Annie is not only the chef on the J&E
Riggin, but
she is also a food columnist and cooking instructor.
She writes a weekly food column for the largest
newspaper in Maine and has been seen on the Today
show cooking alongside Al Roker. Come and learn
from Annie's 25 years in the kitchen. You will make
creative, old world meals with fresh seasonal
ingredients. Help to prepare tasty breads in the early
morning sea air or prepare the days delicious hearty
meals all while enjoying the rugged scenery of the
Maine coast.
Come join us for a cooking adventure in 2007.
June 7-9, 3 days, $610
June 10-13, 4 days, $717
Cooking Cruise Information
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You’ll notice that I haven’t included a starch with this
menu. When I tested these recipes, we found that a
potato or rice dish were too much. The cauliflower au
gratin, while a vegetable, ended up feeling and acting
like a starch on our palates. You could maybe include
a nice loaf of bread if you’re needing it, but other than
that, these flavors are wonderful together without
requiring any additions.
We serve Swiss chard to our guests all summer long
because it’s one of the staple vegetables that our CSA
offers as it grows well in cold climates. We’ve served
it with lemon, balsamic vinegar, garlic, roasted garlic,
roasted pine nuts and crumble feta cheese (not
necessarily all at once!). This is my favorite way of
preparing it so far. My husband, who eats green
things mostly because they are good for him and not
because he really has a love for them, had a third
helping of this Swiss chard.
Last summer the CSA gave us several orange
cauliflowers and I’d never seen them before. I loved
them. One, they were beautiful. Two, they were tasty!
Sweeter, less bitter and just pretty to look at. It could
have been because they were organic that I liked them
so much, I’m not sure. I've seen them this winter at
the local grocery store and of course I snatched a few
heads right up. I wish I’d
have the forethought to get both a white and an orange
cauliflower at the same time to test them side by side
for taste and any other differences. You can bet that I’ll
do it next time. In any event, it’s perfectly fine to use
the more available white cauliflower for this recipe; the
orange ones were just what inspired it.
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| Braised Chicken Breast with Bacon and Swiss Chard |
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Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts, bone in
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bunch of Swiss chard, chopped and cleaned,
stems
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 3 strips bacon, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º. Heat a
large
skillet (one with a lid), over medium-high heat. Salt
and pepper both sides of the chicken. Heat the oil
and carefully add the chicken breasts, skin side
down. Sear for 8 minutes or until the skin is a deep
golden brown. Turn and sear for another 8 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking on the second side, clear
a space and add the bacon keeping it in one spot in
the pan. When it is done, transfer it out of the pan with
a slotted spoon. When the chicken is a golden brown
on the second side, remove it from the pan. Drain the
pan of all the fat and return it to the heat. Cook the
garlic for 30 seconds to a minutes being careful not to
burn it. As soon as it’s done, add the Swiss chard
stems to the pan to stop the garlic from cooking
further. Sauté for 3-4 minutes and then add the rest of
the Swiss chard and the bacon. Stir all together and
return the chicken breasts to the pan. Cover and bake
in the oven for 10 minutes or until the chicken breasts
are opaque throughout.
Serves 4
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Print Recipe |
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| Cauliflower Gratin |
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Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite sized
pieces
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º. Bring a
medium pot of salted water to a boil. Place all of the
cauliflower into the pot and cook for 2 minutes or until
the water boils again, which ever comes first. Pour
into a strainer.
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-
high heat. Add the flour and whisk well. Cook for 1-2
minutes. Add the milk, cream, garlic, salt and nutmeg
bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 3-
4 minutes. Place the cauliflower in a 9 x 13 casserole
dish. Pour the milk and cream sauce over the
cauliflower. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and combine
it with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over top of the
cauliflower and bake for 20 minutes or until the sides
are bubbling and the top is golden brown.
Serves 6-8
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Print Recipe |
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| Two-for-one: Chicken Noodle Soup with Swiss Chard |
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If you find that you’ve leftovers from the above recipe,
one way to use them is to create another satisfying
meal by turning them into soup. If you’ve got big
eaters in your family and you are sure that the four
chicken breasts in the recipe above will vanish, buy
two extra and save them for the soup.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 4 cups chicken breast meat, diced
- 1 cup cooked Swiss chard, or three cups
uncooked
- 9 cups chicken stock
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup ditalini pasta or other small pasta like
orzo
Garnish:
- Croutons
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a large stockpot, melt the
butter over
medium-high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes or
until they are soft and translucent. If you need to cook
the Swiss chard, do that here. Then add the chicken
meat, Swiss chard, stock and the black pepper. Bring
to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for the required
amount of time on the pasta box and serve. Garnish
with croutons or Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4-6
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Print Recipe |
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Photo Credits:
Chef Annie By: Frank M.
Chillemi
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