Tangy Fresh Tomato Salad Dressing Recipe

We are being optimistic here- hopefully we will have early tomatoes. All these unseasonable storms keep knocking the fruit off our plants, but things are changing weather wise around here anyways- fresh tomatoes arriving soon!

We keep little baggies of poached chicken in the freezer for quick meals. During hot weather we love garden fresh salads, and a vegetable salad topped with tender moist chicken is a favorite.

Making your own salad dressings can be quick, economical and very healthy as well. This one takes a few more minutes to pan roast some garlic cloves but is so worth it in terms of fresh flavor.

You can zip this dressing up with some horseradish or even dijon mustard for a delightful seafood salad if you like:

• 6 cloves garlic, roasted then peeled ( I throw them in a frying pan with a cover on low heat while I prepare the other ingredients)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 medium Clerici Ranch tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons Clerici Ranch Lemon Vinegar
• 1/3 cup Clerici Ranch basil, finely chopped

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Keep refrigerated if not using right away.

Enjoy!

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Clerici Chicken Ranch’s Lemon Rosemary Polenta Cakes (With Lavender Finishing Syrup)

We grind our own polenta here on the ranch and lucky for us the byproduct of coarse polenta is fine polenta (aka cornmeal). The difference in taste is immediate: it still tastes like fresh corn and has a softer texture than the stuff you find in the store. Because we use the whole kernel, it does still have the oils in the meal, so it is best frozen or used in a reasonably short period of time.

There are so many uses for this delicious grain, but here is our all time favorite polenta cake!

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup leftover white wine
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup polenta
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 lemon, zest of, finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary (fresh and finely chopped)

Lavender Finishing Syrup

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lavender flowers (crushed-may use lemon zest instead for a lemony syrup!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare an 8? cake pan for baking by cutting a parchment circle for the bottom. Next spray the inside of the pan with cooking spray, add the circle and spray the top of the circle so that all parts that the cake will touch are covered with a thin layer of cooking spray.

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, 1 cup sugar, and wine until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, polenta, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and rosemary until well combined. Pour in the liquid mixture and stir until just combined.
3. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
4. While the cake is cooking, make the lavender syrup. Heat the sugar and the water together in a small saucepan. Let this come to a low boil with a minimum of stirring and cook for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Set aside.
5. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; place a cake plate on the top of the cake pan. Holding both securely, turn both over at once so that the cake is now lying on the cake plate on your counter. Remove the pan & the parchment paper.
6. Take a toothpick & poke little holes all over the top of  cake. Slowly pour the syrup into these holes so that it seeps into the cake.
7. Serve and enjoy!

No Flu Soup! Great idea if you’re under the weather- and tastes so good on a cold day

Image by Ewan McIntosh via Flickr

Thyme, onions, garlic and ginger are all supposed to have anti bacterial properties and have been used for centuries to bolster the family immune system during winter. If you sprinkle a layer of cheese on top before serving it can become a special version of French Onion Soup. At the very least it should help keep the vampires away!

No Flu Soup (Serves 4):

2 tbsp olive oil
6 medium-sized onions, sliced thin
1 Tablespoon Clerici Ranch Fresh Thyme, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
6 cups chicken broth made from bones of Clerici Ranch chickens
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of hot sauce if desired
White cheese such as gruyere if desired

Thick slices of toasted bread to serve

Heat the olive oil in a stock pot and saute the onions slowly until lightly browned.
Add in the thyme, garlic and ginger and stir for a few minutes to release their aromas.
Add the broth and salt and pepper then splash in some hot sauce if desired.
Simmer for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Place a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of your soup bowl, cover with soup.
Top with some of your favorite cheese if you like to round out the meal and enjoy!

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Got flu? Thyme Spray Cleaner is great for disinfecting the kitchen and bathroom

Image via Wikipedia

I love learning about the way our elders used herbs around the house- especially if it helps keep the chemicals away! Thyme has a reputation as a natural disinfectant. This solution is great for wiping down rooms when family members are sick:

Thyme Spray Cleaner:

About 2 cups fresh thyme (From Clerici Ranch, of course!)
4 cups water (if you have water without chlorine, use that- if not, tap water is fine)

Boil the water then take the pan off the heat.
Add the thyme (no need to chop) and steep until cool.
Remove the thyme from the water.
Add 1/2 teaspoon non-detergent soap like Dr. Bronners Peppermint Soap and stir gently until mixed.

Pour the mixture into a good quality spray bottle (we get ours in the gardening section of home depot).
Spray on surfaces to clean- rinse off with a wet sponge.

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Roasted Ranch Chicken (AKA how do I cook these birds?)

Image via Wikipedia

One of the first things that people notice is that the chicken meat we sell on the ranch is denser and richer. This helps add a layer of flavor you just can’t get from a factory chicken. Because the meat is different, most people need to make adjustments to the way they cook these birds.

Don’t worry- it isn’t hard at all. Just turn down the heat and count on cooking a little longer. Some recipes may require a little more moisture to make up for the longer cooking time.

We often work outside for most of the day and the last thing I want to do is cook an elaborate meal when I am soooooo tired. On those days I will either poach a whole chicken by throwing it in a liquid bath with vegetables and herbs over low heat or if I want something really special I will put a bird in the oven to roast:

Clerici Ranch Citrus Roasted Chicken:

1 roasting chicken (usually between 5-7 pounds)
2 lemons, oranges or other citrus fruit sliced
Fresh herbs or dried herbs such as oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary
Olive Oil to coat chicken
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Wash the chicken under running water and pat the chicken dry.
2. Select a sturdy baking dish that the chicken will fit into- one that has a tight fitting lid is best as it will seal in the moisture. Otherwise cover with heavy foil and seal the edges well- no need to peek or baste!
3. Rub the surface of the chicken with some oilve oil.
4. Sprinkle the cavity (inside of bird) with salt and pepper to taste). Stuff the cavity of the bird with the herbs and citrus fruits.
5. Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken and place more herbs on the top of the chicken if desired.

Bake at a low temperature (no more than 325 degrees) for about 35 minutes per pound. If you pull on a leg it should be very loose and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken should read at least 180 degrees.

Sometimes I will add root vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes, etc. during the last two hours of cooking. I just chop them into quarters, toss them with olive oil and salt and throw them into the pan- magic!

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Lemon Balm Pesto Pasta (Use for our herbs #5)

Lemon balm is a delightful mint herb that has a lemony fragrance and taste. In fact, it is often used in recipes in place of citrus zest.

I started growing lemon balm when it was listed in an AARP magazine article on how certain herbs can help you stay sharp as you get older. It seems that some herbs such as lemon balm have been proven to help improve mood and mental performance in older persons.

According to Wikipedia, it also has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. I think I am going to add this to my citrus sage tea for yet another tasty boost of flu prevention!

BTW- if you don’t have lemon balm handy, use basil- it will still be great!

If you love pesto, you will love Lemon Balm Pesto Pasta for 2:

• 1/3 cup Napa olive oil
• 1 cup freshly picked lemon balm leaves (discard the stems)
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 2 T fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 t lemon zest
• 4 T Walnuts (about 2 whole walnuts will do)
• salt and pepper to taste

Place the olive oil in the bottom of your food processor.
Add all ingredients except salt and pepper.
Add the salt and pepper a little at a time until it tastes right to you!

If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the above ingredients and blend well.
Toss with your favorite pasta.

More Great Uses:

Poach some tilapia fillets and serve them over a bed of sauted spinach.
Top the fish with the pesto and serve.

Make Pesto BLTs using: crispy bacon, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, whole barley bread.
Butter the bread well with the pesto and layer on the goodies- guaranteed to be a favorite!

Wine Suggestion: Try a Sauvignon Blanc with this one.

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Basil Blue Cheese & Pear Mini Phyllo Tarts (Use for our herbs #4)

Image via Wikipedia

It isn’t like we sit around and eat appetizers while sipping the finest wine the region has to offer- at least not every day that is. But, we do have a lot of company from out of town and we like to give them the Napa experience.

We love our appetizers. Our guests enjoy sitting on the full length porch overlooking the vineyard while sipping wine. These little tarts taste like a million dollars, but are easy to make:

Basil Blue Cheese & Pear Mini Phyllo tarts

• 30 frozen miniature phyllo cups
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 fresh Napa Valley Pears, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons Napa Ranch Basil, finely shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place the frozen phyllo shells on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Place the pears in the skillet and cook, stirring for 1 minute to soften slightly.
5. Sprinkle the sugar over the pears and let cook, stirring until they are completely soft, 2 minutes longer.
6. Remove skillet from heat.
7. Place 1 teaspoon of the pears and their juice in each phyllo shell.
8. Sprinkle each tart generously with blue cheese and sprinkle with basil.
9. Bake until the cheese melts and the shells are crisp and golden brown 7 to 8 minutes.
10. This recipe can be made the day before and reheated in an oven at 350 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes.

Our favorite wine choice: Riesling

 

Quick Marinated Feta Cheese (Use for our herbs #3)

Image via Wikipedia

If you want a quick but elegant appetizer try some oregano scented feta cheese:

1. Slice off about /12 inch of a good feta cheese.

2. Drizzle with that great olive oil you picked up in Napa while wine tasting.

3. Sprinkle some finely chopped fresh Napa oregano (from our ranch of course) on top.

This being Napa, we have to give you a couple of wine pairings for this dish (I always make my final choice depending on the menu that follows).

Our favorite wine to compliment the salty cheese would be a Pinot Grigio for white wine but surprisingly enough, a Pinot Noir is also a great choice.

Enjoy!

Add a little elegance to your meal with herb butter (Use for our herbs #2)

Image via Wikipedia

I love to serve hot, fresh from the oven rolls with our holiday meals. One way to make them even more special is to prepare an herb butter to slather on top.

Another use for the leftover herb butter is to top the breakfast muffins right out of the oven to go with a cup o’earl (earl grey tea that is!).

One of my favorite recipes uses lemon balm and thyme:

Relax-after-a-hard-day Herb Butter

2 tablespoons lemon balm (or basil), chopped fine
2 tablespoons thyme, chopped fine
1 cup room temperature butter

In a small mixing bowl,cream the butter and stir in herbs.
Chill for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to blend.
Also great served on seafood or in vegetable dishes.

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Uses for our herbs: #1. Citrus Sage Tea

Image by jspatchwork via Flickr

I have grown sage for many years mostly because it is such a beautiful plant once established. I admit that I usually only cut into it for foliage in my herbal bouquets or for cooking chicken or turkey.

AARP magazine had an article a couple of months ago that talked about the herbs anti bacterial properties and recommend using it for sore throat pain.

I have also heard that it is great for upset stomachs so I am going to keep it on hand in case I get a cold or  flu this year- it couldn’t hurt, right?

This tea recipe combines sage with fresh lemon so you can get some extra vitamin C in as well.

Citrus Sage Tea

Boil 4 cups of water, turn down the heat to low and add:

• 1/2 oz fresh Chicken Ranch Organic sage leaves
• 1 oz fine sugar
• 1/4 oz grated lemon rind
• Juice from one Chicken Ranch Organic lemon

Keep water at a simmer, and add the rest of the ingredients.
Steep for 30 minutes.
Strain out the herbs and serve hot or iced.