Back To School Lunch: Buckwheat Salad with Kale Pesto and Sweet Potato Chips

I don't know about you but packing lunch everyday and trying to be creative about it and healthy at the same time is daunting.  We've teamed up with Purl Soho for some super cute lunch bag ideas (they made the outside) and we  at KR, are filling them up with some healthy choices.

Cuteness on the outside and tasty on the inside.  This sewing project from the Purl Bee is just the ticket to get you excited about making lunch.

Buckwheat Salad with Kale Pesto and Sweet Potato Chips

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 cups buckwheat groats
• Sea Salt
• 1 cup chickpeas (best if you cook your own but canned works just fine), rinsed and drained
• 2 cups yellow string beans, blanched and cut into 1 inch pieces
• Several tablespoons Kale Pesto, see recipe below
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Melt butter in a medium skillet over low heat.  Add buckwheat and toast, stirring, just until groats take on a little color and start to smell sweet and fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in a pinch of salt add 3 cups cold water.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer uncovered) until groats are tender but still retain nice toothsome quality, about 15 minutes. Do not allow them to turn to mush.  Stir in chickpeas, beans and kale pesto.  Adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice.  

Kale Pesto

• 1 bunch Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale, thick stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1 small clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh lemon juice, optional

Place kale, garlic, anchovies and capers in jar of bar blender.  Process just until kale begins to break down.  Add olive oil and blend until mixture is smooth.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  If using all your pesto right away stir in a bit of fresh lemon juice.  If you intend to keep batch on hand for awhile - add lemon juice as needed. 

Sweet Potato Chips

• 3 small Japanese (white fleshed) sweet potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sea salt

Heat oven to 425.  Arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lightly but thoroughly brushed with olive oil.  Brush tops of sweet potatoes with more oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Place in oven and roast until the sweet potatoes are golden brown, about 40 minutes.  The potato slices should easily lift from baking sheet and be golden brown on the bottom as well as top.  Turn off oven and leave potatoes in oven to cool completely and crisp up, about 4 hours.  Store in an airtight container. 

Metal lunch container from Lunchbots belgian linen paper napkin from Sur La Table Button Lunch Bags from the Purl Bee

Farm to Table: Mixed It Up Fruit Galette

We co-opted the Sand Dollar Sable recipe and used it to make a sweet buttery cookie like crust.  It works like a charm except when it comes to halving amounts.  The math gets tricky.  Freeze what you do not need and save it for another gorgeous day.  Same holds true of the almond filling. 

Cookie Crust

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.  In another bowl cream butter.  Add sugar and beat until light.  Whisk eggs and add to sugar.  Beat to combine.  Stir in vanilla.  Combine wet and dry ingredients.  The dough will be quite stiff - use hands to knead.  Wrap dough in plastic and chill 8 hours or overnight.  

Almond Filling

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups ground almonds
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons brandy

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in ground almonds and flour.  Mix well.  Add eggs and mix to combine.  Stir in salt and brandy.  Filling can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until needed.

Fruit

Use what looks the most beautiful to you - apricots, peaches, berries, currants, plums etc.  

To Assemble Galette

Heat oven to 425.  Butter a standard muffin tin and line bottom with parchment paper.  Divide dough in half.  Wrap and freeze one half.  Divide remaining half in half again and return to refrigerator.  Roll remaining quarter dough on a well floured surface and cut into 4 rounds - large enough to fit in muffin tins with some excess crust coming up sides.  Place lined muffin tin in refrigerator and remove reserved quarter dough.  Repeat process with this dough and return whole lot to refrigerator to chill, about 20 minutes.  Fill muffin tins with almond filling - enough to come just half way up.  Freeze remaining filling - so to go with your frozen crust.  Cut fruit into bite size pieces.  Toss with a smidgen of sugar and place on top of almond filling.  Gently fold in crust to partially enclose fruit.  If crust is feeling fragile return to refrigerator to chill.  Brush outside of crust with cold water and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 375 and continue baking until fruit is juicy and almond filling hot and set, about another 15 minutes.  Tent tarts with foil is the crust starts to go too brown.  Remove from oven and let stand several minutes before removing from muffin tins - run knife around the edges of the tart to loosen if needed.  Serve with whipped heavy cream as desired. 

Farm To Table: Mustard Roast Chicken

From farm to oven to table to carcass to stock pot.  Let me count the ways we love thee chicken.

Mustard Roast Chicken

• 1 fresh whole chicken, about 4 pounds
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced
• 6 shallots, halved
• 1 head garlic. cloves separated
• Several sprigs fresh herbs
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 425.  Rinse chicken under cold running water and pat dry with paper towel.  Strew roasting pan with lemon slices, shallots, garlic cloves and fresh herbs, creating a nice bed for chicken to rest and reserving some of each ingredient for chicken cavity.  Season inside of chicken with salt and pepper and stuff with reserved ingredients.  Nestle chicken in roast pan.  Combine mustard and olive oil in a small bowl.  Slather mixture over chicken, covering all exposed skin.  Truss legs. Season outside of bird with salt and pepper.  Roast until chicken is golden brown and thigh juices run clear, about 75 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand about 20 minutes before carving.  Serve with all the delicious roasted lemon slices etc and gorgeous pan juices. 

Farm to Table: Buratta with Tomato Garlic Bread

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Thinking we could eat  this absolutely everyday all summer long. 

Buratta with Tomato Garlic Bread

• 1 loaf toothsome rustic bread, such as ciabatta
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 ripe red tomato, halved
• Extra Virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 balls Buratta
• Mixed fresh basil leaves

Slice bread and toast until crisp and golden.  Rub toast with garlic cloves, leaving a nice thick garlic layer.  Rub toast with tomato.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place buratta in a serving bowl.  Douse cheese with a generous amount of olive oil.  Scatter fresh basil leaves over buratta and serve with prepared toast. 

Vintage Plate from Rural Residence in Hudson, NY.