I love tabbouleh. Especially during blisteringly hot, oppressive, lava-esque summer days where you barely have any appetite to start with and the only thing that sounds good is something cool, refreshing, and easy on the stomach.

Barley is one of those wonderful hearty grains that cooks quick (the less time the stove is on the better, I say) and has tons of flavor on its own. Tossed with hunks of perfect summer watermelon and sprinkled with salty parmesan shavings, this is a wonderful side dish that could easily be your next summer dinner.

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Barley and Watermelon Salad 

Serves 4.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup uncooked barley
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice plus more to taste
• ½ cup finely chopped mint
• ½ cup finely chopped parsley
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 cups watermelon cubes
• Shaved parmesan

Directions

1.) Bring barley and 2 cups cold water to boil in a small saucepan. Cover, turn heat down to medium, and cook 12-14 minutes or until done. Drain and add to a large mixing bowl.

2.) While hot, toss barley with olive oil, lemon juice, mint, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

3.) Toss barley with peas and watermelon. Chill a few hours or overnight until cold. Season to taste with salt and pepper once more before serving. Garnish with shaved parmesan.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: sidedish, summer, vegetarian

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I’ve been home in KC for a few days for a quick visit in order to see the last Harry Potter film with my sisters. Naturally I was asked to cook while home and since my papa requested blue cheese burgers on the grill, I wanted to jazz it up a bit by making a few fun sides.

I love slaw of any kind. What I don’t love is overly mayonnaised, limp, room temperature slaw. I want it ice-cold, crisp, and refreshing. Even if the dressing is a little on the spicy side.

This slaw is spicy, sweet, and has that perfect sinus-clearing heat to it. I like to keep everything super chilled and separate until just before serving so the cabbage is crisp and the dressing is cold. Even if it sits awhile it will be delicious but try it extra-crispy for fun.

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Whole-Grain Mustard Slaw 

Makes 6 servings.

Based on the recipe from Cuisine at home magazine.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup whole-grain mustard
• 3 Tbsp. sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
• 8 cups coleslaw mix
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions
• Salt and black pepper

Directions

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: sidedish, summer, vegetables, vegetarian

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Man, I didn’t even realize it until recently but I have been in a serious cooking rut this summer. I know I’ve complained about the heat and not being hungry due to work and blah blah blah on here, but it was only this past weekend that I realized I had kind of lost my excitement and joy for cooking at home. I used to get a little jolt of glee in my stomach every time I found a new recipe to try or idea that would come up. That just hasn’t been happening the past 2 months. I blame it on spending all my creative juices at work coming up with recipes on demand and focusing so much on that. The home cook in me was exhausted. Cold cereal, yogurt, take-out… it was a lot of assembling – not cooking. But last week something changed.

I was making scrambled eggs for breakfast because I had a few extra minutes before work and realized I hadn’t done it in months. I used to love actually making breakfast every day before work when I lived in Colorado, and I just stopped doing it when I moved. So all week I made breakfast. Egg sandwiches, waffles, bagels w/cream cheese and lox. No yogurt. Cooking – not assembling. It felt so good.

And suddenly, the jolt was back. The yearning to cook and bake everything I was going to eat instead of gorging at panel at work and then snacking for dinner. I wanted to save space and make dinner. Screw my kitchen being boiling and being exhausted at the end of the day. It’ll be worth it. And this dish is worth it.

When I saw this recipe my stomach did the familiar little somersault. Perfect summer tomatoes, perfect summer herbs, all nestled in a flaky pastry dough and topped with creamy goat cheese. Pure summer and dead simple to boot. I knew I would make this and love it. And I did. I hope you do too.

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Summer Tomato Tart

Serves 8

Based on the recipe from the fabulous David Lebovitz.

If you don’t want to make the dough from scratch, feel free to get some help from the Pillsbury Doughboy. I won’t judge you.

Ingredients:

For the tart shell:

• 1½ cups flour
• 4½ ounces unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

• Dijon mustard
• 2-3 large ripe tomatoes (or a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes), sliced
• 1 teaspoon really good extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• two generous tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, basil, and tarragon
• 8 oz. soft goat cheese (herb or plain), sliced thin (dental floss is great for this) or crumbled

Directions:

1. Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands, or a pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.

2. Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the beaten egg mixture, stirring the mixture until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add the additional tablespoon of ice water.

3. Preheat the oven to 425º F.

4. Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, adding additional flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.

5. Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. “Dock” the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations.

6. Brush an even layer of mustard over the bottom of the tart dough and let it sit a few minutes to dry out. The amount of mustard is at your discretion – use a little or a lot, depending on how much you love it.

7. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the mustard. Top with tomato slices in one even layer and get fancy with it if you like. Sprinkle the tomatoes generously with salt and pepper. Top tomatoes with goat cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

8. Bake the tart for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough is cooked, the tomatoes are tender, and the cheese on top is nicely browned. Depending on the heat of your oven, if the cheese doesn’t brown as much as you’d like it, you might want to pass it under the broiler until it’s just right.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fruit, summer, vegetables

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Pickles.

It’s borderline insane and almost bizarre that I have yet to write about pickles, considering they are my all-time favorite food. Dill cucumber pickles, to be exact. Sechler’s Polish-style dills to be even more exact. But alas, I’m not trying to better the best today. I’m all about pickling other things. Like carrots.

I think I made these pickled carrots at least 30 times last year. Addiction is such a… strong word, but sometimes it is fitting. They’re just so damn tasty. No other way to put it. Not only are these quick pickled carrots dead easy, they’re so unbelievably refreshing and crisp and my mouth is literally watering as I type this. Not even kidding.

For anyone who’s ever been afraid to pickle or even worse, preserve and jar things, these are for you. Since they’re refrigerator pickles they just sit in the brine in your fridge which means they’re quick – but also means they don’t last more than 5 weeks. Not that it matters because they’ll be eaten long before then.

Trust me.

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Quick Pickled Carrots

Based on the recipe from Gourmet.

Makes 2lbs pickled carrots (I did 2 recipes worth in the photos above).

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into sticks or slices (other good veggies: green beans, asparagus, snap peas, etc)
• 2 large sprigs fresh dill
• 3¾ cups water
• 3 cups white vinegar (I like my pickles strong, go for cider vinegar if you’re a weakling!)
• ½ cup sugar
• 5 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• ¼ cup dill seeds
• ¼ cup salt
• 1 large jar with screw-on lid (at least half-gallon)

Directions

1.) Add carrots and dill sprigs to jar.

2.) Bring water, vinegar, sugar, garlic, dill seeds, and salt to boil. Simmer 3 minutes and remove from heat. Pour brine over carrots in jar. If you have too much liquid, poor off the excess but keep the dill seeds and garlic and pour them into the jar with the carrots. Let cool to room temperature before screwing on the lid. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before devouring.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: side, summer, vegetables

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Sriracha is one of those running jokes amongst people in the food & beverage industry. You can walk into any kind of restaurant kitchen – Italian, French, Latin American, etc, – and more than likely, a bottle of the green-lidded fiery red sauce will be found somewhere. For some, it’s a substitute for everything from ketchup to mayonnaise, and will be poured on any and everything they eat. I always think of the episode of Top Chef when Casey put it into her Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. I’m not that hardcore, but it is delicious. It’s simply a paste of chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. Spicy, sweet, and commonly seen with Thai or Vietnamese food, it’s well-loved (and rightly so).

So when I saw a recipe for buttermilk sriracha salad dressing a few months ago I kept it in the back of my mind, waiting to use it until the right idea struck. And finally, it did.

I’m a big fan of indulging in spicy chicken wings dipped in ridiculously rich and cooling sauces, so the idea of chicken drumsticks dipped in this srirarcha buttermilk ‘ranch’ seemed perfect. Making a Vietnamese-themed marinade (I know I know srirarcha is Thai but it’s right there on the table at any Vietnamese restaurant, too!) and grilling the chicken makes this a fresh and fun summer dish and great to serve at parties. You can go with wings and legs (or even breasts), just use whatever chicken you like best. It’s all good.

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Vietnamese Chicken Drumsticks

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 chicken drumsticks (about 1½ lbs.)
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 2 tsp. cane sugar
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.) Combine all ingredients in a large plastic bag and shake to combine and coat. Set the bag in a dish and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours to marinate. Once marinated, discard sauce.

2.) Preheat a grill pan (or charcoal grill) and grill chicken until done, about 12-14 minutes. Serve with Sriracha ‘Ranch’ for dipping.

Sriracha ‘Ranch’ Dressing

Makes about 1 cup dressing.

If you’d like to make this more dip-like than dressing, just reverse the ratio of buttermilk-to-yogurt.

Based on the recipe from Lime Cake.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups buttermilk, shaken
• ¼ cup sriracha
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• Salt to taste

Directions

1.) Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste. Chill until ready to serve.

© Jessica J. for jonesing for..., 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: asian, chicken, dressing, spicy, summer

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