David Ross

Here is the recipe. I apologize in advance for the lengthy instructions, I'm finally cataloging, editing and revising a couple of decades of dishes and photos to put everything into a consistent and contemporary format. For passionate cooks like us, while the recipe takes some steps, it's all really easy and perfect for this time of year. Roasted Poblano Chicken Stew Serves 4 This creamy, fragrant stew is a blend of mild poblano chilies, charred onions, garlic and herbs and combined with poached chicken breast. Roasting poblanos and charring onions and garlic brings out their flavor and sweetness while adding a bit of smoky flavor. We add some minced jalapeno for a little heat, then top the stew with crisp radishes and cilantro. Serve the stew with corn tortillas or chips for a unique dish that is delicious any time of year. Ingredients- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 cups chicken stock 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano 1 tsp. dried chili powder 1 tsp. black pepper 2 large fresh poblano chilies 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half, skin left on 6 cloves garlic, unpeeled 1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup pepitas 1 tbsp. dried Mexican oregano Reserved chicken poaching liquid ½ cup reserved chicken meat 2 tbsp. Mexican crema ½ cup cilantro leaves 1/3 cup diced tomato 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/3 cup toasted pepitas 1/c cup thinly sliced red radish Preparation- 1). Prepare the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in the multi-pot, then add the chicken stock, bay leaves, oregano, chili powder and black pepper. Pressure cook the chicken for 8 minutes. Carefully release the pressure and remove the chicken breasts. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Drain the chicken stock and reserve for the stew. ! Recipe Note: We used the multi-pot cooker to poach the chicken breasts under pressure in just 8 minutes, but poaching the chicken breasts in liquid in a stockpot for 20 minutes works just as good. Make sure to cool the chicken breasts in the refrigerator and then pull the meat off in chunks before finishing the stew 2). Heat the oven on high broil. Cut the poblano peppers in half, then scoop out the seeds and stems. Flatten the peppers with you hand and place them on a rack over a cookie sheet. Broil the peppers until charred, about 3 minutes. Removed the peppers from the oven and place in a brown paper bag (or plastic bag), to cool. Peel off the blackened skin from the peppers. 3). Reduce the oven to 350 , and spread the pepitas on a cookie sheet. Toast the pepitas just until they start to brown, about 8 minutes. Reserve 2/3 cup of the toasted pepitas for the stew and 1/3 cup for garnish. 4). Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion halves and garlic cloves. Roast until charred, about 5 minutes. Remove the onions and garlic cloves and let cool, then remove the skins and roughly chop. (insert photo of roasted poblano and charred garlic and onions) 5). In a food processor, add the poblanos, onion, garlic. jalapeno and cilantro puree. With the processor running add the cream, pepitas and oregano and enough of the reserved chicken stock to make a stew consistency. Pour the stew into a stockpot over medium heat. 6). Pull the chilled chicken breast into small chunks, (you should have 2 cups of chicken meat). Add 1 ½ cups of the chicken meat to the stew in the stockpot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the stew is hot. 7). Ladle the stew into serving bowls, then garnish each bowl with some of the reserved chicken meat, a drizzle of Mexican crema, cilantro, tomato, feta, toasted pepitas and radish. I've added a few photos of the ingredients--I dry-roast the onions and garlic in a cast iron pan to get some char. A photo of the Mexican oregano which is dried whole leaves and dried flowers, the poblanos after they are roasted under the broiler and toasted pepitas.

Today I thought I'd try the roasted poblano chicken stew in a sandwich. Chilled, the texture was similar to a typical chicken salad sandwich but next time I think I'd add a bit of cream cheese to give some more flavor and body. Found a good 12-grain bread in the supermarket. While I suppose this is more "lunch" than "dinner," it's an easy thing to make during hot summer evenings. I'm in the process of typing my scribbles into recipe form.

I agree. I buy the Mexican oregano at a local Mexican market and it has the dried oregano flower buds along with the whole little dried leaves. Very fragrant and I happen to also use it in my Italian tomato sauce!

This is version two of a dish that is still in progress, but I think it's close. Roasted Poblano Stew with Chicken. I'll put together the recipe once I have it completed. I braised chicken breasts under pressure in the multi-pot with chicken stock, bay leaf, chili powder and Mexican oregano. Then chilled and shredded the meat in chunks. The poblanos were broiled then skins removed. I charred some yellow onions and garlic cloves in a hot, and dry, cast iron skillet then added those to the food processor along with the poblanos. Also added a little minced jalapeno for heat, cilantro, Mexican oregano, chili powder, toasted pepitas, salt, pepper and probably a few other spices I'm forgetting right now. Then that went into a heavy pot along with cream and the chicken braising liquid to get to a creamy yet not too thick consistency. Most of the chicken was stirred into the stew and I reserved some for the garnish. Along with the chicken for garnish I added thinly sliced red radish, cilantro, toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), diced tomato and feta. I'm starting to use feta in my Mexican dishes because it has a lot of flavor over traditional cheeses. Then a little drizzle of Mexican crema. It was delicious and just the right kind of dish for a hot summer evening. Not shown are the homemade corn tortilla chips I make. Just cut tortillas in quarters, deep-fry til crisp and golden, then salt, pepper and chili powder.

Those sound really intriguing. I do a bloody mary aspic served alongside grilled chicken that is chilled. But I'm thinking of changing it up somehow to do a terrine of grilled summer vegetables and use the aspic to bind it together in a mold of some sort. I think I'll have to do a lot of experimenting.

I went back to refer to my 1913 edition of the Boston Cooking -School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer and was surprised that many of the salad recipes were similar to what we would prepare and eat this summer. There are 11 seafood salad recipes, including a sardine salad, 3 different lobster salads and an interesting oyster and grapefruit salad that I think could be quite refreshing on a hot day. It's very similar to a tomato aspic I make that has the flavors of a bloody mary cocktail. "parboil one and one-half pints oysters, drain, cool and remove tough muscles. Cut three grape fruits in halves, crosswise, remove pulp and drain. Mix oysters with pulp, and season with six tablespoons tomato catsup, four tablespoons grape fruit juice, one tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, eight drops Tabasco sauce and one-half teaspoon salt. Refill grape fruits skins with mixture and garnish with curled celery."

I've been looking through some of my summer salad photos for some ideas on putting together a new recipe for our Cook-Off and I came across one of my favorites that I came up with last year, green beans with egg salad. My Mother was always a stickler for bringing any mayonnaise based summer salad along on a picnic, but if it came right out of the kitchen onto the table on the deck, well then that was ok as long as the salad didn't sit in the sun too long. I blanch the beans for just a few minutes in salt water with a spoon of "Fruit-Fresh." It's mainly used in canning and preserving but I use it for blanching green vegetables to help retain a bright color. Then I chill the beans until ready to serve. For my version of egg salad I make my own mayonnaise using Greek olive oil, mustard, fresh oregano and a good amount of lemon juice. I like the strong flavor of Greek or Spanish olive oils. Then some finely diced celery, chives and dill relish, fresh dill and celery seeds. One thing that's not in the photo is a garnish of fried onions. Yep, the ones out of the can for some crunch and flavor. The salad is great for one serving or for a larger group, but take my Mother's advice and keep the egg salad chilled!

You've gotten me thinking about tuna and combining it with some white beans that I have from Rancho Gordo. We have one small shop in town that has a good selection of premium imported tuna so that will be just the ticket. Thanks.

I'm going to read that right now thank you. Jellied consommé has always been a favorite and I'm thinking I could work it into a salad somehow.

It can be gelatin or resurrecting one of those salads from back in the 50's to the 70's with your own twists on it for today's tastes. Or your take on how to rethink summer salads so we're not just doing the familiar standbys of potato, egg or pasta. I'll be doing my take on a tomato aspic salad that my Mother and Grandmother made every summer for years. But I'll be doing it by changing up the aspic and flavorings and using some different garnishes and adding seafood. I'm also going to do my take on a potato salad, but more than just the standard fare we're used to.

It's all inclusive so yes, updating some of those clunkers from the past, but the salads we are enjoying this summer too. I really like how you take broccoli and cucumber to a new level with your dressing, especially using fish sauce.

The summer salad is often regarded as summer food's unpopular kid. Sure, potato, pasta and egg salads are the standard bearers of summer salads, yet they seem stuck in a time warp in terms of creativity. When I was growing up in the 1960's, the only "exotic" summer salad Mother served was a gelatin mold studded with shredded carrots and surrounded by heaps of Miracle Whip dotted with green olives. We dreaded seeing Mother parade that salad out of the kitchen and put it on the picnic table yet we grudgingly ate it lest we disappoint her. Yet we should not ignore the basic elements of the summer salads of yesteryear. One can easily use the concept of gelatin, fruits, vegetables and seafood into a contemporary and delicious salad that is perfect for the hot days of summer. Summer salads are well-adapted to a variety of cooking and preparation techniques, from poaching, grilling and roasting, to chilling, preserving and deep-frying. And a summer salad benefits from a bevy of garnishes, cheese, spices and fresh herbs from the garden. Let's join in the fun and present our summer salad bowls in eG Cook-Off #79: Resurrecting and Rethinking Summer Salads, Summer Food's Unpopular Kid. (See the complete Cook-Off Index here, https://forums.egullet.org/topic/143994-egullet-recipe-cook-off-index/)

And one more nectarberry dish. This time a pound cake I baked in individual tart molds, then vanilla ice cream and the nectarberry compote. Probably would have been a good idea to add a sprig of mint of rosemary from the garden.

It took a few different twists and turns with the Nectarberries. I had found the Raspberry Jam with Bitters recipe at Bon Appetit, but my nectarberry jam project really turned into more of a nectarberry compote, which turned out to be a good thing. Then the idea morphed from serving it on an English muffin to a topping for a waffle. I use the old-fashioned Carbon Golden Malted Waffle Mix that they've been making for nearly 90 years. Then simply topped with some of the nectarberry compote. I thought it might need some whipped cream, but I didn't have any and the waffle didn't suffer because of it. Sure beats the gloppy strawberry out-of-a-can and whipped topping that chain restaurants serve.

The recipe comes from the May 2018 issue of Bon Appetit. They named it "Raspberry Jam with Bitters." The basic ingredients are 5 cups raspberries, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1 tbsp. orange zest, 2 tbsp. orange juice, 2 tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tbsp. Angostura bitters. I used the nectarberries, and only 3/4 cup sugar. I didn't have any oranges or lemons, and didn't put it on the shopping list! But I substituted orange-guava juice I had. I used 1 tsp. on Angostura bitters, but then realized I also had Orange Bitters from Scrappy's Bitters in Seattle so added 2 tsp. of that. It tastes a little sweeter than I like, but you can detect the bitters which I think are perfect for this unique caneberry. I don't think the lack of orange or lemon zest made a difference and I almost think it would have drawn away from the berry taste. It was a little runny in consistency, so I added another cup of mashed berries to add some texture. It's more of a sauce than a jam I think. It would be perfect on grilled pork chops or grilled duck breast. And I have to make an early trip to the market tomorrow morning because this is going to be delicious on an English muffin.

Well this one was far off what I would normally do. It was a recipe out of Bon Appetit for fresh raspberry jam and they add bitters. I added Angostura bitters but also an orange bitters from a artisanal craft place over in Seattle. I'll take the photo, and taste my nectarberry jam today. You got me to thinking a little more though. I think my fresh rosemary might work, maybe not with this fruit but I might try it. I find the traditional sugar amounts for jams to be way too high for my tastes so I cut it down about 30% or so.

It seems like here in the Pacific Northwest things are early both on the west side and the east side where I live. The asparagus was about on time this year and it was a good crop but didn't last long. The raspberries, big and juicy from the west side, seemed to have started big but are pretty much done now. We're edging into our really hot weeks so I think things are going to slow down some.

I scored a very rare find at a local market yesterday, these Nectarberry's from Sterino Farms on the west side of the State. Same folks who produced the blackberries I bought last week. The Nectarberry is a cross between the blackberry, raspberry and loganberry. I'd never seen nor heard of them until I spotted them in the market. They have sweet, yet tart flavor and a strong perfume of rose and a little citrus. I'm making them into a jam so we'll see how it goes.

Anyone ever made a Summer Pudding? I've never thought it looked very attractive, but now I'm tempted since we've been talking about cane berries.

One of my favorite cookbooks is Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers by Janie Hibler. It's a testament to cooking of the Pacific Northwest. There are recipes for blackberries boysenberries, loganberries and raspberries. I took a look for some ideas for our cook-off and found these wonderful recipes- -Smoked Quail with Raspberry Mustard Sauce -Raspberry Tea Bread -Raspberry Vinegar with Fresh Rosemary -Boyseberry Swirl Cheesecake with Hazelnut Crust

Sounds delicious over a pork tenderloin. I had my eye on a turkey tenderloin the other day and was thinking along those same lines.

Two summers ago I created this recipe for a strawberry and watermelon summer salad for a class I was teaching on how to incorporate fresh herbs and spices into dishes. A few days ago I remember this salad and thought it would work really well by using those big blackberries rather than strawberries. The strawberry salad includes berries, cucumber, watermelon, feta cheese that I marinate in olive oil and dried herbs, and Italian green olives. The dressing was olive oil with a bit of sherry vinegar and shallot then fresh basil and mint. For this recipe I used the blackberries rather than strawberries, cucumber, watermelon and simply feta without marinating it in olive oil and herbs. I omitted the olives because I didn't want that strong flavor with these juicy sweet blackberries. I just drizzled a little olive oil over the salad and didn't use the sherry vinegar because again I thought it would be too strong. Then a little basil, along with fresh mint and fresh oregano from pots on my back steps. Pretty delicious for a light and crisp summer salad. Here's a picture of the strawberry version of the salad-

These blackberries are so big and juicy I just couldn't put them in a baked cobbler at this point. So I just had them with vanilla bean ice cream.

I found these beauties in the market this morning. They're from Sterino Farms in Puyallup, WA, over on the west side of the state. They were $9.00 for the 4 1/2 pint boxes. And they had both red and orange raspberries that were nearly as big as the blackberries. The raspberries were literally 3 times bigger than the small boxes you usually find in the supermarket. I tasted a few and they are incredibly sweet and juicy.

Has any one ever made a blackberry ketchup? I'm thinking it might be a nice sauce for grilled pork or chicken, or maybe as an addition to a BBQ sauce.