Ham, Asparagus, and Swiss Cheese Crepes

Crepes are so fun, why don't I make them more often?! The filling options are endless - these have a savory filling and are great for brunch or dinner and make use of fresh asparagus which is at it's peak right now.

I served these crepes with their recommended side - "fresh fruit with lime gastrique". Ignore the pretentious title of the recipe. Basically, it's chopped fruit that has been tossed with a lime juice and sugar slurry and allowed to soak for 15 minutes. I used bananas, mango, strawberries, and kiwi fruit. If you have about 4 cups of fruit total, you'll want to mix 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1 tablespoon sugar for your sauce. Or skip the sauce altogether and just eat plain fresh fruit with your crepes. Either way, it's more fun to serve it in a fancy glass.

Not related to crepes at all, but I discovered a great make-ahead lunch idea that I wanted to share. One Sunday, I bought a bunch of veggies: broccoli, red bell peppers, a head of red cabbage, and a bunch of carrots. I chopped them all up into bite sized pieces, stored them in the biggest tupperware container I could find, and they sat there in the fridge for two weeks, ready for lunches or whatever I wanted to use them for.

For weekday lunches, I packed a container with about two cups of these raw veggies to work with me, steamed them in the microwave, then either topped them with various things or stirred them into something else. Most days, I had a low carb lunch by topping them with edamame, sunflower seeds, a little shredded cheddar, and a heaping dollop of Yumm sauce. For variety, one day I topped them with leftover homemade nacho cheese sauce (blog post next week!). Another day, I brought a frozen meal (a rare occurrence), a four cheese penne with spinach, with a very creamy sauce. I knew it wouldn't make me feel full on its own (frozen meals never do), so I stirred in some of the steamed veggies to bulk it up. Besides lunches, I also used some of the broccoli and red bell pepper for a weekend omelet.

How else can I use steamed veggies in my lunches? I'd love to get your suggestions!

Basic Crepe Recipe
adapted from Cuisine at Home - April 2009
makes about 10 crepes

Notes: If you are planning on chilling the batter overnight, it's probably better to use the oil rather than the butter because it won't solidify. Remember, the first crepe of the batch is usually total crap, so just know that and don't get discouraged, the other ones will be much better. If nothing else, it's something to munch on while you make the rest.

2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl using a hand mixer on low speed. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix on high for about 10 seconds, or until ingredients are thoroughly combined. It should be about the consistency of heavy cream. Cover and chill for at least one hour or up to 24 hours. This resting time helps relax the gluten in the flour, making the finished product more tender. This also means you don't have to worry as much about over-mixing in the first step like you do with pancakes and other baked goods.

Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. When hot, spray bottom and sides of pan with nonstick cooking spray. Measure out 1/4 cup of the batter, pour into one corner of the skillet, then immediately swirl the pan, tilting it so that the batter covers the bottom as much as possible. You can fill in any holes with more batter. Cook for about 1 minute, until the edges start to turn brown. You will know it's ready to be flipped when you can gently shake the skillet and the whole crepe shifts side-to-side in one piece. To flip, gently lift the crepe using a spatula and your fingers, and flip it. Cook on the other side for about 20-30 seconds. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Continue to cook the remaining crepes, coating the pan with nonstick spray between each one. It also helps to give the batter a quick stir with a whisk before measuring it out when making each crepe.

Ham, Asparagus, and Swiss Cheese Crepes
adapted from Cuisine at Home - April 2009
Makes about 10 crepes and 2 cups of sauce

Notes: These can be made ahead of time - just assemble the crepes but do not bake, cover them in plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours. When ready to serve, make the sauce while the crepes bake.

For the crepes:
8 ounce cooked ham, chopped (I bought some ham from the deli and asked them for thick slices, but thin sliced ham would be just fine too)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
Ground black pepper to taste
1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed, cut in half (thin spears are best for this recipe)
10 prepared crepes

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
Kosher salt and pepper
Chopped fresh chives

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, add the ham, cheese, and pepper and toss to combine. Place 1/4 cup of this mixture plus 4 asparagus halves down the center of each crepe. Roll them up and place them seam side down on the prepared baking sheet (at this point you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake). Bake crepes for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and milk, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, salt, and pepper and simmer until heated through.

Serve crepes with the sauce, garnish with chives.

Grilled Chicken with Tangy Yucatecan Spices, Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa, and Asparagus

We've had some great weather lately, so we've been doing a lot of grilling. Joe was craving a Rick Bayless recipe, so he chose this one. At it's core, it's just grilled chicken and vegetables, except it becomes special because of the spicy garlic marinade you make for the chicken, and the use of seasonal vegetables which have the most flavor and nutrients.

The marinade reminded me of jerk spices. It had lots of garlic, along with sweet flavors from cloves and Mexican canela, which is a lot like regular cinnamon. You could just use cinnamon, but as we found out, you can get ground canela for like $1 at a well-stocked grocery store, so why not pick some up?

We also made a fresh salsa to go along with it. Joe really liked it, but it was way too spicy for me; I preferred the chicken just by itself. I might have liked the salsa better if I'd seeded the peppers, since I'm kind of a wuss like that.

We chose to use bone-in chicken thighs because humanely-raised, vegetarian-fed chicken was not on sale that week and thighs are one of the cheapest cuts. Boneless chicken breasts or thighs will work too but they will not have as much flavor as bone-in.

For the vegetable, you could use whatever is in season at the time. In the winter, try sliced potatoes (red-skinned or Yukon Gold) or beets. In the fall, use sliced zucchini or other summer squash. In the summer, sliced tomatoes would be excellent. Since it still feels like spring around here, I went with asparagus.

I've read that the best way to store asparagus is upright in a container with a bit of water, as if they were cut flowers. So I searched my kitchen and found what I think is the perfect vessel for a bunch of asparagus, though I am aware that it's probably a travesty to use an Okoberfest mug for anything but beer.

Grilled chicken with Tangy Yucatecan Spices, Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa, and Asparagus
adapted from Rick Bayless - Mexican Everyday
serves 4

For the Yucatecan Garlic-Spice Marinade
1 head garlic, broken into individual cloves (you want about 12 cloves)
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt, to taste

4 chicken breast halves or 8 thighs (about 2 pounds total), skin and bones intact
1 cup chicken broth

1 pound asparagus, thick lower stems trimmed and peeled (or cut off)

About 1/2 cup Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa, for serving (recipe follows)

Cut a small slit in the side of each garlic clove, and place them all into a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 30 seconds. When cool enough to handle, slip off the papery husks. Put them into a running food processor one at a time, letting each one get fully chopped before adding the next. Stop the food processor, and add the remaining marinade ingredients, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process until smooth.

Scrape half the marinade into a medium bowl, and the other half into a small saucepan. To the saucepan, add the broth and 1/4 teaspoon salt (or more, depending on how salty the broth is to begin with). To the bowl, add the chicken pieces and toss to coat evenly with the marinade.

Get your grill ready. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium. Or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the charcoal is covered with white ash and about medium-hot, then move the coals to one side.

Lay the chicken pieces skin side down on the grill over the medium-hot fire. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until nice and brown. Flip them over with tongs, moving them to the cooler side of the grill. Cook until completely tender (the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced with a fork), about 10 more minutes, maybe longer if the pieces are very large.

Meanwhile, get the asparagus ready. Put the stalks into a microwave-safe bowl with about a tablespoon of water. Cover with plastic wrap, poking a few holes in the top. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes, or until the stalks are crisp-tender. Drain the water and season with salt.

Return to the broth mixture in the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Arrange the chicken and asparagus on a platter or individual plates, and drizzle with the sauce. Pass the salsa at the table (see recipe below).

Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa
adapted from Rick Bayless - Mexican Everyday
makes about 1/2 cup

Notes: We used jalepenos, but you can use any small hot chiles. You want about 4 ounces of chiles total.

4 medium jalepenos
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt

Turn on the broiler and adjust the rack to the highest level. Break the stems off the peppers, cut in half lengthwise (you can seed them at this point if you want your salsa less spicy) and place them cut side down on a small baking sheet. Scatter the garlic cloves around the peppers.

Broil the peppers and garlic cloves until the peppers are soft and getting black in places. This should take a couple of minutes.

Scrape the contents of the baking sheet into a food processor or blender. Add the lime juice, plus 1/4 cup of water. Process until very smooth.

Pour into a small dish and thin with additional water if necessary. You want it to be "easily spoonable". Taste cautiously and season with salt as needed.

This salsa will keep refrigerated for about 5 days.

Risotto with Spring Vegetables and Smoked Ham

It seems like we barely had a spring this year.  The weather was so cold and rainy for so many months.  Then all of a sudden there was a heat wave and we were thrown headfirst into summer.  Or so it felt like to me.  

Anyway, I guess I'm just looking for something to blame, because I nearly missed my chance to make this recipe.  The weather seems like an appropriate scapegoat.  I was waiting for fava beans in the CSA, then I was waiting to harvest my peas, then the weeks got away from me and I almost missed my chance to buy asparagus.  Luckily everything came together for me last week and I was able to cook this fabulous risotto.  

I don't know why I was being so picky, you can make risotto with just about any mix of vegetables.  It calls for ham too, but only 3 ounces worth, and since you can't buy ham in that amount at the store (at least I couldn't), I honestly wouldn't bother unless you have plans for using the rest of what you'll ultimately buy for other meals.  It was good with ham, don't get me wrong, but that creamy blend of rice, broth, and heavy cream would be good with just about anything.  By the way, this is a recipe where you definitely want the heavy cream; it's only 1/4 cup for the whole recipe, and it really adds so much to the dish.  

Note: Fava beans require a little work.  First, you have to remove them from the pod.  Then you have to boil them for one minute, then plunge into ice water.  Once cooled, you have to use your fingernail and peel off the outer skin to finally reveal the bright green bean.  From this point they only have to be lightly cooked before you are ready to enjoy their buttery texture and nutty flavor.  

The Fava Bean: deconstructed:

Risotto with Spring Vegetables and Smoked Ham
adapted from Cooking Light - April 2008
serves 6 (serving size = 1 cup)

3/4 cup shelled fava beans (about 1 1/2 pounds unshelled)  
2 cups water
2 cups (1-inch slices) asparagus (about 1/2 pound)
4 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 small)
1/2 cup finely chopped smoked ham (about 3 ounces)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or other medium-grain rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup shelled green peas (about 1 pound unshelled)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 whipping (heavy) cream
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook fava beans in boiling water for one minute.  Drain, then plunge into a bowl of ice water, then drain again.  Remove the tough outer skins to reveal the bright green beans, and set aside.  Discard skins.

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add asparagus.  Cook for about 4 minutes of until crisp-tender.  Remove asparagus with a slotted spoon; do not discard the water.  Rinse asparagus in a colander under cold water; set aside.  Add the broth to the water and reduce heat.  Keep warm over low heat.  Reserve 3/4 cup of this broth mixture in a small saucepan, and keep this warm also.   

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  When hot, add the onion and ham to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally.  Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Turn up the heat to medium-high.  Stir in the wine and cook for another 2 minutes or until all the liquid has nearly absorbed into the rice, still stirring constantly.  

Basically from here on out you are stirring constantly until told otherwise.

Add the remaining broth mixture slowly, just 1/2 cup at a time, each time stirring until the liquid has absorbed before adding more.  This will take about 25 minutes.  Have a glass of wine handy and some good music on and the time will fly by.  

Stir in the peas, beans, and asparagus.  Add that reserved 3/4 cup broth mixture, stirring for about 4 minutes or until the liquid has absorbed.  

Now you can be done stirring constantly.  Remove pan from heat.  Stir in about 1/2 cup of the cheese, along with the cream, butter, salt, and pepper.  

To serve, spoon about 1 cup risotto into a shallow bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the remaining cheese.