we went to spain!

Hi, friends! Since the last time I checked in here at Bella Eats, Brian and I traveled to Spain. It was the most amazing trip, our honeymoon 6.5 years post-wedding, and we still can't quite believe that it's over. I have so much to share, and was so inspired while there, that I can barely contain myself! Once I parse through the thousands of images we captured I will share more, here, along with the recipes sure to emerge from our kitchen. We're already craving tortilla and albondigas like you wouldn't believe.

Also, if you're on Instagram, you can follow me there @andreahubbell. Brian (@brianmhubbell) and I made a special hashtag while abroad, #hubbellsinspain, which I still visit multiple times a day to relive small pieces of our time in Spain. Oh, how we miss it!

Also, have you met Sarah and Megan, the lovely ladies that I work with every week on Beyond the Flavor?

Together, at the beginning of November, we hosted the first annual Beyond the Flavor Friendsgiving. It was the best evening, filled with contributors, supporters, and friends of our project, without whom Beyond the Flavor wouldn't exist. You really should hop over to see our recap of the event, even if only for food inspiration. While the recipes shared were originally intended for the Thanksgiving table, several have made it to our regular menu and would be wonderful for other holiday meals as well. My favorites so far: Autumn Israeli Couscous, Crispy Kale Salad, and Pecan Corn Bread Pudding.

[photo by Sarah]

Coming home from 12 days of travel makes one crave cooking in one's own kitchen, and I am no exception. While I won't make any promises, I do have the best of intentions for Bella Eats. I hope to see more happening here, soon. We made the best, simplest roast chicken on Sunday, and it deserves an audience. Until then...happy December!

a meal for summer's end

The final days of summer are upon us.  Already I've worn a scarf, contemplated tights, and polished my boots. The weather this Sunday past was Perfect (yes, with a capital 'P')...temperature in the upper sixties, sunny skies, a crisp breeze. Our windows have been flung wide open, the air conditioner *hopefully* retired until next June.  Brian happily gave our lawn what he wishes to be its last cut, and I've planted the garden beds full with beets, carrots, collards, and lettuce.  We're ready...for Fall festivals, warm jackets, rosy cheeks, mulled cider, creamy soups, firey leaves, golden light, and crisp air.

As a send-off to Summer we're embracing her end-of-season bounty.  There are still local peppers and corn to be had and I, ever the fan of fresh, local corn, am consuming as much as I possibly can until it is gone.  We've had corn chowder, corn pancakes, cornmeal cake.  And now, perhaps my favorite thus far, corn bread stuffing laced with green chilies. And alongside that, a roast chicken stuffed with local plums and nectarines.  The perfect meal for these last Summer days, when cooler temperatures have us craving warm and comforting fare at their end.

I expected the stuffing to be very, very spicy, but was pleasantly surprised by the mild heat the chilies provide. Still, if you have an aversion to spice, consider substituting anaheim peppers for the jalapenos.

Roast Chicken with Summer or Fall Fruit

serves 2-4, depending on the size of the bird

Ingredients

• one fresh, organic, whole chicken (this bird was about 2.5 lbs)
• a few tablespoons of canola oil
• salt + pepper
• 12 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2-4 nectarines, peachs, or plums (or a mix of all three) cut into wedges (and, when Fall hits full-force, this would be delicious with apples, too)

Method

1. The morning you are planning to cook the bird for dinner, rub him down with oil. Work your fingers between the skin and meat of the bird's thighs and breast, separating the two to form pockets for the herbs. Stuff the thyme underneath the skin in as many places as you can, reserving a few sprigs. Finally, rub the bird thoroughly with salt and pepper, over top and underneath the skin. Refrigerate the bird until you're ready to cook him.
2. Preheat your oven to 325° and place a rack in the middle. Lay the remaining thyme sprigs in the center of a medium cast iron pan. Place the bird, breast-side up, on top of the thyme. Stuff as many fruit wedges as you can inside of the cavity, and lay the rest in the pan around the bird.
3. Cook the chicken for 45 minutes, then remove from oven and turn him over. Cook for another 45 minutes, remove from oven, and turn him again. Make a small incision in the breast to see if the meat is cooked through, white and not pink. For a small bird, 90 minutes is about all you need. If you're cooking a larger bird, he will take longer. Just keep turning him every 45 minutes until the meat is white and the interior juices run clear.
4. When the chicken is done, turn the oven to broil. Place the chicken, breast side up, back in the oven on the middle rack.  Broil until the skin browns and crisps, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken from the pan, retaining the juices and fruit in the pan. Let the chicken rest for about 15 minutes before carving him.
6. Bring the juices and fruit to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until the juice is reduced to a thicker glaze. Spoon the glaze and fruit over top of the carved chicken, on individual plates.

Corn Bread Stuffing with Green Chilies

adapted from bon appétit

serves 10

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 cups fresh poblano chilies, seeded, chopped
• 6 small jalapeño chilies, seeded, chopped
• 6 ears corn, kernels removed from cobs
• 1-1/4 cups chopped green onions
• Buttermilk Corn Bread, 1 day old (recipe below)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all of the chilies and saute until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in half of the corn and all of the green onions. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Coarsely crumble the day-old cornbread into the bowl and mix together.
2. Blend the rest of the corn, the eggs, sugar, salt, and pepper in a food processor until you have a course puree. Stir the puree into the stuffing mixture.
3. Preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter a 13x9x2 or a 10x10x2 baking dish. Transfer the stuffing mixture to the baking dish and pat down into dish. Butter a piece of aluminum foil and place the foil, butter side down, over the stuffing. Bake until heated through, about 40 minutes.  Uncover the dish and bake until the stuffing is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 minutes.

Buttermilk Corn Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Butter a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. 
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the buttermilk, and then whisk in the eggs.
3. Mix all of the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk mixture.  Transfer batter to the buttered baking pan.
4. Bake corn bread until edges are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Cover the pan tightly and store at room temperature for at least one day, and up to two days.

Those of you local to Charlottesville or Richmond: I've been providing Relay Foods with recipes and photography for some time now.  I typically try to post recipes here, on Bella Eats, prior to their appearance on Relay, but have been a little swamped lately.  So, this means that if you're interested in adding the ingredients for the Corn Bread Stuffing with Green Chilies to your Relay order with just one click, you can do so here.

blueberry scones with lime glaze

I hold a firm belief that berries + citrus are one of the best combinations ever. Right up there with caramel + sea salt, peanut butter + banana, tomatoes + pasta. It's a shame that their seasons are opposite each other, with citrus at its height mid-winter and berries abundant mid-summer. That won't stop me, though. Be it berry jam, cobbler, tart, or muffin...it will involve lemons, limes, or oranges.

Also, I am a big fan of scones. If they are the right scones, that is. No dry, crumbly, lumps that turn to paste in the mouth for me. I like them softer; closer to the product of a marriage between scone and muffin. Easy to grab and eat in the car on the way to work, without the spray of crumbs across the lap when you arrive. 

These particular scones, made moist with buttermilk and bright bursts of blueberry, still hold a hearty texture thanks to the white whole wheat flour. I like to think that makes them a healthy breakfast treat, even if all that whole grain goodness does is cancel out the sugary glaze drizzled over top (shhh...just let me have that...please?). If you'd like an even fluffier texture, substitute all-purpose flour for the white whole wheat. And be careful not to overmix your dough, keeping in mind the same principles applied in biscuit-making...work fast and keep your ingredients cold. 

Happy Monday, friends! Have a lovely week.

Although they are best day-of, these scones can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

Blueberry Scones with Lime Glaze

makes 8 scones

Scone Ingredients

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups white whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour for a fluffier texture
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 8 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar (I used turbinado), plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Glaze Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2-3 tsp lime juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375*.  Spray a baking sheet with oil or cover with parchment paper.
2. Mix buttermilk with egg and extract in a large bowl.
3. Add flour, baking powder, lime zest and salt to a large food processor. Pulse until blended.  Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles course bread crumbs.  Add sugar and pulse again until blended.
4. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix. Add blueberries and carefully fold them into dough.
5. Turn out dough on a floured board and give 5-6 careful kneads, just until well mixed and cohesive, trying not to crush too many of the berries.  Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls before flattening into disks about 4 inches wide.
6. Bake on prepared baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until medium brown.  Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.
7. To make the glaze, mix the confectioner's sugar with 2 tsp of lime juice. Use a spoon to blend together into a paste, adding more lime juice a bit at a time until the glaze is spreadable.