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FRESH FIELDS: A Celebration of Good Food By Sheilah Kaufman
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Every now and then you find a cookbook that makes you want to prepare every recipe. FRESH FIELDS: A Celebration of Good Food by Sherron Goldstein is that kind of book. Sherron (a well known cooking instructor) has done a terrific job of choosing recipes from a wide variety of categories. Mrs. Goldstein describes her book as "a collection of freshly prepared food to create exciting meals for family and elegant entertaining with friends....My hope is that this cookbook will be an inspiration to the home cook: the one who values freshly prepared foods and recipes that have honest and satisfying flavors." Even the most amateur of cooks will be able to prepare her recipes even though some have complex flavors. Filled with 185 pages of Sherron's favorite recipes I could not decide what to do first. Here are some of my favorites. The book can be ordered by fax at 205-967-8073 at $19.95 plus tax and shipping.

ONION STRUDEL

  • 4 medium red onions, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • pepper to taste
  • 3/ 4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/ 4 cup white wine
  • 1 1/ 2 cup toasted bread crumbs
  • 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 box phyllo pastry
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • 1/ 4 cup yellow cornmeal
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Cover baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. Sauté onions in 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet until tender. Stir in the flour and pepper and mix in the broth and white wine. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly, whisking constantly.
  3. Let mixture stand until cool then stir in the bread crumbs, Swiss and Parmesan cheese.
  4. Place 6 sheets of phyllo on a work surface and cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out.
  5. Brush 1 sheet at a time with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, stacking after completion of each sheet.
  6. With long side of phyllo sheet facing you, at the bottom 1/3 of top sheet, spread 1/2 of onion mixture evenly across bottom leaving a 1 inch border on all sides.
  7. Fold the sides (ends) over onion mixture and then roll as a jellyroll.
  8. Place seam side down on baking sheet, brush roll with additional butter.

Repeat process with 6 more pieces of phyllo, onion mixture and melted butter to make another strudel. Bake at 350F for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6 to 8.

 

GOAT CHEESE AND MUSHROOM PIZZA

  • 1 1/ 2 cups thawed frozen spinach
  • 2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped shallots
  • 2 cups thinly sliced white mushrooms
  • 1 1/ 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/ 2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 Boboli (store bought bread-like pizza crust) - large size original or thin crust.
  • 6 ounces herbed goat cheese, crumbled
  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Squeeze the moisture from the spinach.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan until hot and stir in the shallots, mushrooms, and garlic.
  3. Cook just until golden brown, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with the sugar and mix lightly.
  4. Remove from the heat. Place the Boboli on a nonstick baking sheet.
  5. Spread the mushroom mixture over the Boboli. Top with spinach and sprinkle with the goat cheese.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until bubbly and serve hot. Serves 4.

 

GARLIC CHICKEN WITH SPINACH AND CILANTRO

  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  • 1/ 2 cup chopped scallions (white only)
  • 5 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 1/ 3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/ 2 cup chicken broth (about)
  • 1/ 3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/ 2 cup chopped whole scallions (white with a little green)
  • 1/ 4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 lb fresh spinach, trimmed, chopped
  • Bibb lettuce, radicchio or red cabbage cups
  1. Combine chicken, 1/ 2 cup chopped scallions, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and red pepper flakes in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet until hot but not smoking and add the chicken mixture. Stir fry over medium heat until the chicken is light brown. Increase heat to high.
  3. Stir in the remaining soy sauce, broth and red wine vinegar.
  4. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly.
  5. Remove from heat. Stir in the cilantro and /2 cup chopped whole scallions.
  6. Combine the rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil and pepper in a bowl and mix well.
  7. Pour over the spinach in a bowl, tossing to coat. Add to the chicken mixture and mix well.

Spoon into lettuce or red cabbage cups. Serves 6.
 
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