Chive Pesto

Several years ago, I planted a small herb garden...with chives, thyme, basil, oregano, and rosemary. Each year since then, the chives and oregano have come back. This year, they are back with a vengeance. So. Many. Chives.

Last year, when the chives threatened to take over the back patio, I planned to make a fancy chive quiche...with the thin stalks and flowers placed artfully on top. That never happened. I let the herbs wither and die instead, only cutting off some here and there for salads and such. That quiche may happen this week, though.

Yesterday, I cut off half of the chives and made pesto. It's fairly easy....blitz 4 cups of chopped chives (the flowers are edible, too) with 1/4 cup almonds, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1 garlic clove, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup of olive oil (or more to reach desired consistency), salt & pepper (to taste).

This stuff is LIKE WHOA STRONG. Really potent onion flavor and bit of a spicy sting. Next time, I would add lemon zest with the juice and a handful or two of spinach to mellow it out.

Nevertheless, this pesto is quite tasty. I ate some spooned over seared cod for dinner.

Here's what I plan to do with the rest, because it made about 2 cups:

Mix it into softened butter for toast.

Scramble into eggs.

Blend with sour cream for dip.

Spread on sandwiches.

Whisk into salad dressing.

Toss with hot pasta.

Stir into hot rice.

Drizzle over grilled meat or fish.

Use as a pizza sauce.

Add to chicken or tuna salad.
Make ricotta-chive gnocchi.

Now, I just need to decide what to do with all that oregano...

Homemade Mayonnaise

Every year, during late summer when the tomatoes ripen, I make mayonnaise by hand. And when I say "by hand," I mean that I whisk oil into an egg yolk one drop at a time.

One. Drop. At. A. Time.

I don't use a food processor or blender. I use a hand-held whisk. I don't rush. I revel in the whisking. I get lost in the rhythmic sound of metal striking the side of a glass bowl. Why? Because it's worth it.

Mayfair Dressing

St. Louis is famous for inventing several foods. Ice cream cones & hot dogs in buns were first served at the 1904 World's Fair, which also introduced people to hamburgers, cotton candy, iced tea, & Dr. Pepper. Other St. Louis originals include toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, concretes, peanut butter, Provel cheese, slingers, & 7-Up. 


One of my favorite local recipes is Mayfair salad dressing. It was created at the Mayfair-Lennox Hotel in downtown St. Louis. This dressing is similar to Caesar dressing but has more of a "bite" to it. 

Pumpkin-Molasses Barbecue Sauce

I love Halloween. I mean, I LOVE it. When I was married, my husband and I had huge "tarts & vicars" parties for Halloween. We'd go all out for our costumes. Over the years, I went as a Hooters girl (with an official uniform), a Moulin Rouge dancer (with a custom made skirt that had layers of ruffles underneath), Dr. Frank N. Furter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show (I put together an outfit that looked identical to his in the movie), Princess Leia in the slave bikini, and Eve (as in "Adam and").

Our parties got so wild that they partially caused two divorces (including ours). So, I laid off on the Halloween parties for a few years. Last year, I went to an 80's prom party; my costume included a horrifically awesome dress complete with peach lame, black velvet, black lace, AND black beading, a banana clip, & a big neck hickey. Costumes are all about the accessories.

When I was invited to a dead celebrities party this year, I couldn't pass it up. Coming up with a creative costume was a bit more difficult than I expected. I figured there would be a ton of Michael Jacksons & Farrah Fawcetts (though, there were NONE of those!). I considered going as Sylvia Plath (but I'd have to buy an Easy-Bake Oven) or Jon Benet Ramsey. I finally decided to go as Joan Vollmer, the wife of William S. Burroughs. My costume consisted of a flowered 50's-ish dress, apple, and gunshot wound.


Here's the story: William S. Burroughs (famous author during the "beat" movement, he wrote Naked Lunch) & his wife Joan fled to Mexico in the early 50's to avoid drug charges in the U.S. At a party one night, while drunk and most likely drugged out (he was a morphine addict), William tried to shoot a glass (though, the story has since evolved into his using an apple) off of his wife's head to prove what a good shot he was. He missed. To avoid murder charges, he had to flee back to the U.S.

Of course, very few people at the party knew who I was. But, that was ok with me...I like obscure literary references. My favorite costumes at the party were Helen Keller (she wore two different shoes, a nice touch!) and Fred Sanford & his wife (they played the Sanford & Son theme song when they came in. I love costumes that come with soundtracks!).

Anyway, I also celebrated Halloween on Friday night by teaching a Girls' Night Out "zombies & 'wiches" class at Kitchen Conservatory. This was my favorite recipe of the night...we served it on a sandwich with grilled salmon.

Pumpkin-Molasses Barbecue Sauce

2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into large pieces
4 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3-inch-diameter slice white onion (1/2 inch thick), separated into rings
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 thick-sliced country white bread, crust trimmed
3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained
3 1/2 cups chicken (or veggie) stock
1/4 cup molasses
4 canned chipotle chiles
1 cup canned pure pumpkin

1. Heat a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add chile pieces; toast until aromatic and lighter in color around edges, pressing with potato masher or back of fork and turning pieces, about 2 minutes. Transfer pieces to medium bowl & cover with hot water; soak until soft, about 30 minutes.

2. In same large pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion rings and garlic. Sauté until brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to processor, leaving oil in pot.

3. Add bread slice to pot; cook until golden, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer bread to processor (reserve pot). Add tomatoes to processor. Puree mixture until smooth. Transfer tomato puree to small bowl (do not clean processor).

4. Drain ancho chiles and place in processor. Add 1/2 cup stock, molasses, & 2 chipotle chiles. Puree until smooth.

5. Add 1 tablespoon oil to reserved pot. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chile puree; cook until puree thickens and darkens, stirring often, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add tomato puree. Simmer until thick, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Whisk in pumpkin and 3 cups broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until sauce thickens and reduces to 3 1/3 cups, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt.