I got the idea from Sunset magazine, January. I will list the ingredients and then after each will tell you what I changed. The original said serves 4-6, I doubt it. This was to be a skillet pizza. I did it totally in the oven. Jim really liked this pizza. I loved it, but I am a white pizza person.
Ingredients:
2 T EVOO, divided
1 ball (1#) whole-wheat pizza dough ( I bought the pizza dough from Wegmans, it was 1# 12 oz.)
4 oz broccoli rabe also called Rappen (You cannot buy 4oz, it was about a #. I went with it.)
Diced yellow pepper
½ t kosher salt and red chile flakes
1/1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Parmesan cheese, as needed
Directions: (The way I made it)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a pizza stone in the oven. Spray an 18” pizza pan with holes in the bottom with Pam. Spread the pizza dough on the pan. 1# covers 13”. 1# 12 oz. was generous on the 18” pan. Spread half the mozzarella on the dough.
2. Put half the EVOO in a hot skillet. Add the diced yellow pepper and broccoli rabe. Cook all the vegetables with the salt and red pepper flakes until the vegetables are soften and lightly brown.
3. Spread all the vegetables evenly over the pizza dough and cheese.
4. Top with the remaining mozzarella and cover the non-white spots with Parmesan cheese.
5. Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Take it out and let rest and then cut into wedges.
This was a great pizza. No, tomato yuck as Jim calls it. I think for years that I have been confusing broccoli rabe (Rappen) with Broccolini. This Rappen was wonderful.
We had a Montebuena Rioja with the pizza.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday Dinner
This was a delightful combination and we loved the salad. It was light and refreshing. You really need two ovens to fix these items together. The salad comes from the Washington Post and the Chicken is from Fine Cooking, Dec, and Jan. I divided the salad in half as it serves 6. The chicken was to serve 4, but was so delicious that it is gone.
Arugula and Roasted Squash Salad with Pears
This can be a side dish or an appetizer. You can dress it up with toasted nuts or make it a main course by adding chicken. I served it as a side to the chicken.
Ingredients:
1# butternut squash, cut into ¾” cubes
3T EVOO
2 medium (18 oz.) ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cut in half and cored. I did not peel. Plan ahead as the pears in the store are rarely ripe.
Salt
2T apple cider vinegar
2-3 t honey
Black pepper
5 oz. baby arugula
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.
2. Toss the butternut squash cubes with 1T EVOO and transfer to one side of the lined baking sheet. Place the pear halves, cut sides down on the other side. Sprinkle the pears and squash lightly with salt.
3. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until tender, stirring the squash pieces every 10-15 minutes. When pears and squash are tender, remove them from the oven. They may not be ready at the same time.
4. Transfer one of the roasted pear halves to a blender along with the remaining 2 T EVOO, vinegar, 2 t honey and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
5. Divide the arugula among individual plates. Top each portion with equal amounts of squash, and pears. Drizzle about 1 ½ T dressing over each dish. Top with a grind of pepper.
Yogurt-Marinated Roast Chicken
Again plan ahead as this has to be marinated over night. This marinade made the meat moist and flavorful. I often find the white meat dry; this wasn’t. The whole chicken was done at the same time. I often find that the breast is done and the thigh is not. Or the breast is done and the leg and wings are shoe leather.
Ingredients
1 – 4# chicken
2 C plain yogurt, I used Greek low fat
3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1/3 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
¼ C chopped fresh dill
1 T cracked black peppercorns
1 t finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Put the chicken on a cutting board breast side down. Use poultry she=hears to cut along both sides of the back bone; remove and save the backbone in the freezer for stock. I keep a plastic bag in the freezer and when it is full, I make stock. Flip the chicken over and flatten the breast slightly.
2. In a gallon-size resealable plastic bag items 2 through 8 plus 2 t salt. Add the chicken to the bag, seal and make sure the chicken is coated evenly. Set in a container and refrigerate overnight.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put it skin side up on a broiler pan or on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. I used a cooling rack and lined the pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the chicken uncovered until an instant read thermometer reads 170 degrees, 45-50 minutes.
5. Transfer to a carving board and loosely tent it with foil, let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
We enjoyed this meal very much. Jim is on pain medication and therefore not drinking. I had a Concannon Chardonnay. Toast ot an old neighbor when we lived in CA.
Arugula and Roasted Squash Salad with Pears
This can be a side dish or an appetizer. You can dress it up with toasted nuts or make it a main course by adding chicken. I served it as a side to the chicken.
Ingredients:
1# butternut squash, cut into ¾” cubes
3T EVOO
2 medium (18 oz.) ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cut in half and cored. I did not peel. Plan ahead as the pears in the store are rarely ripe.
Salt
2T apple cider vinegar
2-3 t honey
Black pepper
5 oz. baby arugula
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.
2. Toss the butternut squash cubes with 1T EVOO and transfer to one side of the lined baking sheet. Place the pear halves, cut sides down on the other side. Sprinkle the pears and squash lightly with salt.
3. Roast for 35-40 minutes or until tender, stirring the squash pieces every 10-15 minutes. When pears and squash are tender, remove them from the oven. They may not be ready at the same time.
4. Transfer one of the roasted pear halves to a blender along with the remaining 2 T EVOO, vinegar, 2 t honey and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
5. Divide the arugula among individual plates. Top each portion with equal amounts of squash, and pears. Drizzle about 1 ½ T dressing over each dish. Top with a grind of pepper.
Yogurt-Marinated Roast Chicken
Again plan ahead as this has to be marinated over night. This marinade made the meat moist and flavorful. I often find the white meat dry; this wasn’t. The whole chicken was done at the same time. I often find that the breast is done and the thigh is not. Or the breast is done and the leg and wings are shoe leather.
Ingredients
1 – 4# chicken
2 C plain yogurt, I used Greek low fat
3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1/3 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
¼ C chopped fresh dill
1 T cracked black peppercorns
1 t finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Put the chicken on a cutting board breast side down. Use poultry she=hears to cut along both sides of the back bone; remove and save the backbone in the freezer for stock. I keep a plastic bag in the freezer and when it is full, I make stock. Flip the chicken over and flatten the breast slightly.
2. In a gallon-size resealable plastic bag items 2 through 8 plus 2 t salt. Add the chicken to the bag, seal and make sure the chicken is coated evenly. Set in a container and refrigerate overnight.
3. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the chicken from the marinade and put it skin side up on a broiler pan or on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. I used a cooling rack and lined the pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the chicken uncovered until an instant read thermometer reads 170 degrees, 45-50 minutes.
5. Transfer to a carving board and loosely tent it with foil, let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
We enjoyed this meal very much. Jim is on pain medication and therefore not drinking. I had a Concannon Chardonnay. Toast ot an old neighbor when we lived in CA.
Tomato, Fennel and Crab Soup
This is the best tasting crab soup I think I have ever made. I was a little worried because of the quantity of onions and that Jim is unhappy with other than a fresh tomato sliced. But we both really liked it. Be sure and use the large white onions. Serves 4 as a main course, and is in January Bon Appetit.
Ingredients:
¼ C EVOO, plus more for drizzling
3 ½ C chopped onions
2 medium fennel bulbs with fronds: bulbs cored, thinly sliced. Fronds chopped and reserved
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 - 14.5 OZ cans diced tomatoes in juice
2 C or more of vegetable broth, I used Thai vegetable broth
8 oz fresh crabmeat
Directions:
1. Heat ¼ C EVOO in a large heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, fennel slices, and garlic, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until onions and fennel are tender, stirring often and adjusting the heat if browning too quickly about 15 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes with juice and 2 C broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until flavors blend and vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in crabmeat and add more broth by ¼ cupfuls to thin soup as desired. Heat an additional 3-4 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. On each serving sprinkle with the fronds and drizzle with EVOO.
We served with saltine crackers as they are Jim’s favorite. He had a hernia repaired of Friday and we were doing his favorite. It could also be served with a rustic baguette, toasted and rubbed with garlic.
Ingredients:
¼ C EVOO, plus more for drizzling
3 ½ C chopped onions
2 medium fennel bulbs with fronds: bulbs cored, thinly sliced. Fronds chopped and reserved
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 - 14.5 OZ cans diced tomatoes in juice
2 C or more of vegetable broth, I used Thai vegetable broth
8 oz fresh crabmeat
Directions:
1. Heat ¼ C EVOO in a large heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, fennel slices, and garlic, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until onions and fennel are tender, stirring often and adjusting the heat if browning too quickly about 15 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes with juice and 2 C broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until flavors blend and vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Stir in crabmeat and add more broth by ¼ cupfuls to thin soup as desired. Heat an additional 3-4 minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. On each serving sprinkle with the fronds and drizzle with EVOO.
We served with saltine crackers as they are Jim’s favorite. He had a hernia repaired of Friday and we were doing his favorite. It could also be served with a rustic baguette, toasted and rubbed with garlic.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Spicy Sweet Potato Burritos
I got this recipe out of Penzeys catalogue. Jim pronounced it very good, very surprising as there was no meat. Serving amounts are so off the wall. This said serves 3 and instead of 6 tortillas, I divided into the 4. We halved the 4 and had 1 ½ left, and there were only 2 of us. I served this with a salad topped with mustard vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, 1 ½ #
¾ t ground cumin
½ t ground coriander
½ t granulated garlic powder
¼ t black pepper
2T fresh lime juice
1 15 oz can black beans
1 C corn kernels
¼ t salt
6 whole wheat tortillas (I had 4 10” that I divided the mixture between and cut them in half after cooking,)
Optional fillings:
½ C chopped olives (did not use)
1 C chopped tomato
¼ C chopped fresh cilantro
1 C shredded sharp cheddar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork, place on a baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, depending on the size of the potato. When they are soft, pierced with a knife, remove from the oven and slice in half. Let cool. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the spices, beans, corn, and lime juice. I used all the optional except the olives, Jim does not like olives. Mix in the sweet potatoes.
3. All combined in a bowl, I divided between the 4 -10” whole wheat tortillas and wrapped.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
5. I cut in half and served with salad.
This was a very good meal. Max ate all the sweet potato skins and enjoyed it very much.
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, 1 ½ #
¾ t ground cumin
½ t ground coriander
½ t granulated garlic powder
¼ t black pepper
2T fresh lime juice
1 15 oz can black beans
1 C corn kernels
¼ t salt
6 whole wheat tortillas (I had 4 10” that I divided the mixture between and cut them in half after cooking,)
Optional fillings:
½ C chopped olives (did not use)
1 C chopped tomato
¼ C chopped fresh cilantro
1 C shredded sharp cheddar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork, place on a baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, depending on the size of the potato. When they are soft, pierced with a knife, remove from the oven and slice in half. Let cool. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the spices, beans, corn, and lime juice. I used all the optional except the olives, Jim does not like olives. Mix in the sweet potatoes.
3. All combined in a bowl, I divided between the 4 -10” whole wheat tortillas and wrapped.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
5. I cut in half and served with salad.
This was a very good meal. Max ate all the sweet potato skins and enjoyed it very much.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Chicken Tenderloin, Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
Tonight’s dinner is kind of like Grandma used to make. Some would call it comfort food, it was tastier than that which would have been produced in the 1950’s, but close. It was too bland in color for me but the lemon gave it some sparkle. This was in today’s Washington post and I had a lot of squash leftover from this weekend. I also had a part of a carrot and a part of a parsnip. It all went in as squash. Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 ½ # chicken tenderloins (Purdue frozen breasts at Costco are the thickness of tenderloins
1 ½ t ground cumin
Salt
Pepper
2 T EVOO, divided
1 small onion cut in very small dice
12 oz peeled squash, cut into ½” dice
1 can of chickpeas, drained
2C homemade chicken broth (I had this)
1 T cornstarch
1 lemon freshly squeezed
2 + T of parsley coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. I cut the chicken in squares and then sprinkled with 1 t of cumin and salt and pepper.
2. Put 1 T EVOO in a brazing pan that is large enough to hold all of the ingredients.
3. Workings in batches add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until lightly brown. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add 1 T EVOO to the same pan and add the onion and the remaining ½ t cumin. Cook, stirring 4-5 minutes until the onion softens. Add squash, chickpeas, and broth. Bring to a boil and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
5. Return the chick and all accumulated juices to the pan. Stir and return to slow simmer, cover and cook for an additional 8 minutes. 6. Whisk together the lemon juice and cornstarch. Add to the pan and stir in the mixture. Allow the liquid to boil, 1-2 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Bring additional parsley to the table to sprinkle on top.
Jim brought up a Rioja from the cellar called Bugo Viejo, from Spain. It added color to the meal.
Ingredients:
1 ½ # chicken tenderloins (Purdue frozen breasts at Costco are the thickness of tenderloins
1 ½ t ground cumin
Salt
Pepper
2 T EVOO, divided
1 small onion cut in very small dice
12 oz peeled squash, cut into ½” dice
1 can of chickpeas, drained
2C homemade chicken broth (I had this)
1 T cornstarch
1 lemon freshly squeezed
2 + T of parsley coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. I cut the chicken in squares and then sprinkled with 1 t of cumin and salt and pepper.
2. Put 1 T EVOO in a brazing pan that is large enough to hold all of the ingredients.
3. Workings in batches add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until lightly brown. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add 1 T EVOO to the same pan and add the onion and the remaining ½ t cumin. Cook, stirring 4-5 minutes until the onion softens. Add squash, chickpeas, and broth. Bring to a boil and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
5. Return the chick and all accumulated juices to the pan. Stir and return to slow simmer, cover and cook for an additional 8 minutes. 6. Whisk together the lemon juice and cornstarch. Add to the pan and stir in the mixture. Allow the liquid to boil, 1-2 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Bring additional parsley to the table to sprinkle on top.
Jim brought up a Rioja from the cellar called Bugo Viejo, from Spain. It added color to the meal.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Pork chops with Warm Cabbage Slaw
Unplanned, but created a dinner that Jim really liked. Jim had been at Costco last week and I asked him to buy boneless pork chops. I think they were on sale. I have lots of left over raw vegetables from the weekend meal. Do to packaging; you can never buy the exact amount, so sometimes I go on the hunt to find meals that fit my leftovers. I found this in Sunset magazine, December, 2010. I will add that this is the kind of meal that substitutes are acceptable.
Pork chops with Warm Cabbage Slaw, serves 4, 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
2T vegetable oil (I used EVOO)
4 bone-in pork chops (I used boneless)
1 t kosher salt, divided
2 T butter
4 C sliced red cabbage (I had leftover Napa cabbage)
½ C red bell pepper, thinly sliced (Jim hates red pepper and celery, I had celery and no red pepper, seemed equal to me)
½ C sliced red onion
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I never use green apples, I hate them. I used a Gala apple)
2 carrots, shredded (I used one carrot and the half of a parsnip left over)
2 t rice vinegar
2 t sugar
(Special Marion Seasoning, previously blogged about)
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. I seasoned my pork chops with the Marion’s Seasoning. Cook, turning until browned and registering about 140 on a meat thermometer. One was a little thicker and we microwaved it in the middle of cooking. The recipe says 5 minutes total. Ours were so thick they took about 20 minutes with a little microwaving of the really thick one. Actually I thought Jim got them a little overdone. Tent while you make the rest.
2. Melt the butter in the same pan. Cook all the remaining fruit and vegetables until softened, about 7 minutes. Mix in the vinegar, sugar and remaining ½ t salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops.
I served this with our leftover rice from Friday. Jim went on and on about how good it was and I was surprised as it had cabbage in it. I loved the cabbage, but as I said I like my pork less done. Jim served an A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir. We agreed that a Gewurztraminer would also work with this meal.
Pork chops with Warm Cabbage Slaw, serves 4, 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
2T vegetable oil (I used EVOO)
4 bone-in pork chops (I used boneless)
1 t kosher salt, divided
2 T butter
4 C sliced red cabbage (I had leftover Napa cabbage)
½ C red bell pepper, thinly sliced (Jim hates red pepper and celery, I had celery and no red pepper, seemed equal to me)
½ C sliced red onion
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I never use green apples, I hate them. I used a Gala apple)
2 carrots, shredded (I used one carrot and the half of a parsnip left over)
2 t rice vinegar
2 t sugar
(Special Marion Seasoning, previously blogged about)
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. I seasoned my pork chops with the Marion’s Seasoning. Cook, turning until browned and registering about 140 on a meat thermometer. One was a little thicker and we microwaved it in the middle of cooking. The recipe says 5 minutes total. Ours were so thick they took about 20 minutes with a little microwaving of the really thick one. Actually I thought Jim got them a little overdone. Tent while you make the rest.
2. Melt the butter in the same pan. Cook all the remaining fruit and vegetables until softened, about 7 minutes. Mix in the vinegar, sugar and remaining ½ t salt and pepper. Serve with the pork chops.
I served this with our leftover rice from Friday. Jim went on and on about how good it was and I was surprised as it had cabbage in it. I loved the cabbage, but as I said I like my pork less done. Jim served an A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir. We agreed that a Gewurztraminer would also work with this meal.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Easy Dinner of Vegtables and Pasta
Last time in the grocery store, I was in the frozen food section looking for frozen spinach. I saw this package called Special Blends, Artichokes & Asparagus in Lemon Butter Sauce. I thought that sounds good and bought it. After a weekend of cooking and getting behind in my blog, I decided that this was going to be an easy dinner on pasta tonight. Last night was all leftovers. One year for Christmas I gave my neighbor De Cecco Racchette pasta. She plays tennis every week and I had seen it on Martha. My neighbor plays tennis and I thought she would love the racket pasta and the recipe that had peas as the tennis balls. I had to order tons of it to give it to her. I wrapped it on a racket, really specially wrapped and thought she would really love it. Wrong and I have boxes left, so I used it tonight with the Special Blend. Very good, quick meal; that I really needed tonight. The special blend was by Wegmans, but I bet other chains are doing the same. Jim brought a Mussel Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand out of the wine cellar. Jim had to clean the dreaded pasta pot, other than that all was easy and fast.
Sunday Brunch, Green Eggs and Ham
Breakfast Sunday AM was more of a brunch. I made the ham loaf for this dish the day before. I did not bake it until the morning. I ground my own pork and I ground the ham at the same time. I am not trusting ground meat these days. This came from Better Homes and Gardens, March 2010.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/3C apple cider
2/3 C quick-cooking rolled oats
1/3 C chopped green onions
1T Dijon-style mustard
½ t Poultry seasoning
12oz. ground pork ( I used a small tenderloin)
12oz. ground cooked ham.
8 eggs (Recipe serves 8. (Each of my Jim’s wanted 2 eggs and I had one)
12 oz fresh baby spinach
Directions:
1. If not doing the day before, the oven for the loaf is to be set at 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs and cider with wire whisk to combine. Stir in oats, green onions, mustard, poultry seasoning, and ¼ t black pepper. Add pork and ham; mix well. Spray a 8x4x2 pan and lightly pat mixture in the loaf pan. Don’t obsess over the pan size, use what you have.
3. When ready to eat, bake for 1.25 hours. The loaf should read 160 F. Let stand 10 minutes. The recipe says spoon off fat, but I did not have any.
4. While the loaf was resting, I heated a skillet, added 1T EVOO and wilted the spinach. Meanwhile with EVOO, I cooked the eggs. I did not do over easy, but put a lid on the skillet
5. To serve put the spinach on the plate, top with a slice of ham loaf and top with the egg.
I’ve never had ham loaf. Jim2 said it was his brother’s favorite and that his mother made it for dinner. I felt it was a healthy breakfast. I loved the ham loaf. Toast up the muffins and it is a great brunch.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/3C apple cider
2/3 C quick-cooking rolled oats
1/3 C chopped green onions
1T Dijon-style mustard
½ t Poultry seasoning
12oz. ground pork ( I used a small tenderloin)
12oz. ground cooked ham.
8 eggs (Recipe serves 8. (Each of my Jim’s wanted 2 eggs and I had one)
12 oz fresh baby spinach
Directions:
1. If not doing the day before, the oven for the loaf is to be set at 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs and cider with wire whisk to combine. Stir in oats, green onions, mustard, poultry seasoning, and ¼ t black pepper. Add pork and ham; mix well. Spray a 8x4x2 pan and lightly pat mixture in the loaf pan. Don’t obsess over the pan size, use what you have.
3. When ready to eat, bake for 1.25 hours. The loaf should read 160 F. Let stand 10 minutes. The recipe says spoon off fat, but I did not have any.
4. While the loaf was resting, I heated a skillet, added 1T EVOO and wilted the spinach. Meanwhile with EVOO, I cooked the eggs. I did not do over easy, but put a lid on the skillet
5. To serve put the spinach on the plate, top with a slice of ham loaf and top with the egg.
I’ve never had ham loaf. Jim2 said it was his brother’s favorite and that his mother made it for dinner. I felt it was a healthy breakfast. I loved the ham loaf. Toast up the muffins and it is a great brunch.
Saturday Night Dinner with Company
On Saturday night we started with soup, followed with healthy steak and finished with Crème Brulee. Jim served an outstanding 1996 Chateau Trottl Vielle. This, is a Premier Grand Cru Classe, Saint Emilion. With the soup we had a Viansa Chardonnay
Butternut Squash Bisque with Crab comes from Private Club’s magazine. This recipe is the creation of Chef Michael Pivoney, Mid-America Club, Chicago.
Ingredients:
I butternut squash, about 2#
Salt and pepper
1T EVOO
1 t garlic, chopped
1C white onion, diced
1C parsnips, diced
1 T fresh ginger, grated
1C chelery, diced
1 C carrots, diced
1 QT. clam juice or fish stock
1 T curry powder
½ t fresh thyme, chopped
½ t tarragon, chopped
1 C heavy cream
1 C lump crabmeat plus more for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half from stem to end and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled sheet pan, skin side up and roast until tender about 45 minutes. Cool, and scoop out the flesh (should be 4 cubs), and discard the skin. (I bought pre cut skinned squash and microwaved it.)
2. In and 8C soup pot, heat oil on medium and sauté the garlic until lightly brown. Do not burn. Add onion, parsnip, ginger, celery and carrots, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add stock and curry and cook for 1 hour
3. Add the cooked squash and herbs. Simmer 1 hour more.
4. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, season with salt and pepper.
5. When ready to serve, add cream and crabmeat. Warm and serve immediately with a garnish of crab meat.
Everyone agreed that this soup was a winner.
New York strip steaks with Brussels sprouts hash came from January Sunset magazine. Serves 4 and takes less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1# small thin-skinned potatoes cut into chunks
8 oz Brussels sprouts, quartered
2 New York strip steaks, total of 24 oz.
1T balsamic vinegar
¼ C EVOO, divided
2t pepper, divided
2 C slivered red onion
¼ C dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc (I used the Chardonnay we were drinking)
2 garlic cloved, chopped
2 t fresh rosemary leaves
Directions:
1. Simmer potatoes in large saucepan of water until tender when pierced, 8-10 minutes, in last minute, add Brussels sprouts, cooking just until the turn bright green. Drain
2. Preheat grill or broiler. Rub steaks with vinegar, 1TEVOO and 1t each of salt and pepper. Cook about 8 minutes for medium-rare.
3. Heat remaining 3 T EVOO in a 12” frying pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring as little as possible, until well browned, 4-5 minutes. Add potatoes and sprouts and cook until browned slightly, about 4 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any caramelized bits from bottom of pan. Stir in garlic, rosemary and remaining tsp of salt and ¼ t pepper. Serve with sliced meat.
Jim cooked the steaks on the grill while I finished up the hash. This was easy to finish up after serving the soup. I did the prep on the potatoes and sprouts earlier in the day.
Dessert, Lemon-Ginger Crème Brulee, makes 6, 4 oz. servings, came from Cuisine at Home magazine. I have never made Crème Brulee before and should have had a day with nothing to so I could have more carefully waded through the steps. I as making this whole dinner and tomorrow am breakfast at the same time and ended up making a mistake that ruined this dessert.
Lemon-Ginger Crème Brulee
Ingredients:
¼ C chopped fresh ginger
2T sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1C heavy cream
1C half-and-half
3 egg yolks
1 egg
¼ C sugar
½ t ground ginger
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You are going to be putting your individual brulee cups in a water bath. Take time before going on to test your containers fit in the pan and do not touch. I had to use two containers for my size cups. The pan should be no taller than 2”. I found my Pyrex to be perfect.
2. Blanch ginger in boiling water for 1 minute; drain well.
3. Pulverize 2T sugar and lemon zest in a small grinder until zest is finely minced.
4. Warm cream, half-and-half, blanched ginger, and lemon sugar in a saucepan over medium heat just until steam rises. Remove from heat; let steep 15 minutes.
5. Wish egg yolks, egg, ¼ C sugar, ground ginger, lemon juice, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
6. S-l-o-w-l-y whisk warm cream mixture into eggs to temper. I then strained the mixture into a measuring cup to make it easier to poor into my ramekins.
7. Place the ramekins in the bath containers and fill half way with boiling water. I have a instant hot water on my sink, so I use that and transfer to the oven. Bake 35-45 minutes, don’t overcook. Mine took the full 45 minutes. Test by gently tapping them in the center with your finger. If runny, bake 3-5 minutes more.
8. Remove ramekins and cool on a rack covered loosely with wax paper. Chill until completely cold, preferably overnight.
9. Caramelize each custard just before serving.
Crème Brulee Sugar
This makes or breaks your dessert and unfortunately it broke mine. I missed the baking part and my sugar did not caramelize.
Ingredients:
½ C packed brown sugar
¼ C sugar
Directions:
1. Combine both sugars
2. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet. After baking the brulees, turn off the oven and place the sugar pan inside the oven for an hour to dry out the sugars.
3. Transfer sugar to a food processor and pulverize until fine.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to cartelize.
We have 3 left. I am going to try drying it out the sugar and hopefully will have a topping that is good as the custard is simply wonderful.
Butternut Squash Bisque with Crab comes from Private Club’s magazine. This recipe is the creation of Chef Michael Pivoney, Mid-America Club, Chicago.
Ingredients:
I butternut squash, about 2#
Salt and pepper
1T EVOO
1 t garlic, chopped
1C white onion, diced
1C parsnips, diced
1 T fresh ginger, grated
1C chelery, diced
1 C carrots, diced
1 QT. clam juice or fish stock
1 T curry powder
½ t fresh thyme, chopped
½ t tarragon, chopped
1 C heavy cream
1 C lump crabmeat plus more for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half from stem to end and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place on an oiled sheet pan, skin side up and roast until tender about 45 minutes. Cool, and scoop out the flesh (should be 4 cubs), and discard the skin. (I bought pre cut skinned squash and microwaved it.)
2. In and 8C soup pot, heat oil on medium and sauté the garlic until lightly brown. Do not burn. Add onion, parsnip, ginger, celery and carrots, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add stock and curry and cook for 1 hour
3. Add the cooked squash and herbs. Simmer 1 hour more.
4. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, season with salt and pepper.
5. When ready to serve, add cream and crabmeat. Warm and serve immediately with a garnish of crab meat.
Everyone agreed that this soup was a winner.
New York strip steaks with Brussels sprouts hash came from January Sunset magazine. Serves 4 and takes less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1# small thin-skinned potatoes cut into chunks
8 oz Brussels sprouts, quartered
2 New York strip steaks, total of 24 oz.
1T balsamic vinegar
¼ C EVOO, divided
2t pepper, divided
2 C slivered red onion
¼ C dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc (I used the Chardonnay we were drinking)
2 garlic cloved, chopped
2 t fresh rosemary leaves
Directions:
1. Simmer potatoes in large saucepan of water until tender when pierced, 8-10 minutes, in last minute, add Brussels sprouts, cooking just until the turn bright green. Drain
2. Preheat grill or broiler. Rub steaks with vinegar, 1TEVOO and 1t each of salt and pepper. Cook about 8 minutes for medium-rare.
3. Heat remaining 3 T EVOO in a 12” frying pan over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring as little as possible, until well browned, 4-5 minutes. Add potatoes and sprouts and cook until browned slightly, about 4 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any caramelized bits from bottom of pan. Stir in garlic, rosemary and remaining tsp of salt and ¼ t pepper. Serve with sliced meat.
Jim cooked the steaks on the grill while I finished up the hash. This was easy to finish up after serving the soup. I did the prep on the potatoes and sprouts earlier in the day.
Dessert, Lemon-Ginger Crème Brulee, makes 6, 4 oz. servings, came from Cuisine at Home magazine. I have never made Crème Brulee before and should have had a day with nothing to so I could have more carefully waded through the steps. I as making this whole dinner and tomorrow am breakfast at the same time and ended up making a mistake that ruined this dessert.
Lemon-Ginger Crème Brulee
Ingredients:
¼ C chopped fresh ginger
2T sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1C heavy cream
1C half-and-half
3 egg yolks
1 egg
¼ C sugar
½ t ground ginger
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You are going to be putting your individual brulee cups in a water bath. Take time before going on to test your containers fit in the pan and do not touch. I had to use two containers for my size cups. The pan should be no taller than 2”. I found my Pyrex to be perfect.
2. Blanch ginger in boiling water for 1 minute; drain well.
3. Pulverize 2T sugar and lemon zest in a small grinder until zest is finely minced.
4. Warm cream, half-and-half, blanched ginger, and lemon sugar in a saucepan over medium heat just until steam rises. Remove from heat; let steep 15 minutes.
5. Wish egg yolks, egg, ¼ C sugar, ground ginger, lemon juice, and salt together in a mixing bowl.
6. S-l-o-w-l-y whisk warm cream mixture into eggs to temper. I then strained the mixture into a measuring cup to make it easier to poor into my ramekins.
7. Place the ramekins in the bath containers and fill half way with boiling water. I have a instant hot water on my sink, so I use that and transfer to the oven. Bake 35-45 minutes, don’t overcook. Mine took the full 45 minutes. Test by gently tapping them in the center with your finger. If runny, bake 3-5 minutes more.
8. Remove ramekins and cool on a rack covered loosely with wax paper. Chill until completely cold, preferably overnight.
9. Caramelize each custard just before serving.
Crème Brulee Sugar
This makes or breaks your dessert and unfortunately it broke mine. I missed the baking part and my sugar did not caramelize.
Ingredients:
½ C packed brown sugar
¼ C sugar
Directions:
1. Combine both sugars
2. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet. After baking the brulees, turn off the oven and place the sugar pan inside the oven for an hour to dry out the sugars.
3. Transfer sugar to a food processor and pulverize until fine.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to cartelize.
We have 3 left. I am going to try drying it out the sugar and hopefully will have a topping that is good as the custard is simply wonderful.
Company Breakfast
I found this recipe in the November Costco Connection magazine. It was created by Nadine Mesch of Ohio. I changed it a little. She used ½ C English toffee bits in it. I did not think I would like it, so I left them out. She also made apple syrup; I did not as we have maple syrup. Jim 2 and I thought it was sweet without the syrup. Jim 1 added syrup. I served this with the duck bacon. I really like the duck bacon. I like this as you can make it the day before and then just bake it in the morning. I don’t do mornings well.
Apple French Toast
Ingredients:
8C French bread, cut into 1” cubes (I used a Baggett and cut 1” slices and cut each slice in quarters)
3 tart apples, peeled and chopped (I used sweet yellow apples)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¾ C brown sugar
¼ C sugar
¼ C apple juice
2 t vanilla, divided
5 eggs
¾ C milk
Directions:
1. Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 13x9” baking pan; top with apples. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugars, juice and 1 t vanilla until smooth. Spread over apples. Top with remaining bread cubes.
2. Use the same bowl and beat the eggs, milk and remaining t of vanilla until well blended; pour over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Apple French Toast
Ingredients:
8C French bread, cut into 1” cubes (I used a Baggett and cut 1” slices and cut each slice in quarters)
3 tart apples, peeled and chopped (I used sweet yellow apples)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¾ C brown sugar
¼ C sugar
¼ C apple juice
2 t vanilla, divided
5 eggs
¾ C milk
Directions:
1. Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 13x9” baking pan; top with apples. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugars, juice and 1 t vanilla until smooth. Spread over apples. Top with remaining bread cubes.
2. Use the same bowl and beat the eggs, milk and remaining t of vanilla until well blended; pour over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Friday Dinner with Company
Friday night’s dinner was a knock out, very intense to make and worth every minute. For munchies I had my cheese ball with the magic ingredient that I buy in TN and the Guacamole that I did earlier this month with the POM juice and seeds in it. For our first course I selected Gorgonzola and Hazelnut Stuffed Pears and Pancetta Crisps and Mache. Serves 4 from Fine Cooking, Dec, Jan, 2011.
Ingredients:
1T unsalted butter, melted
2 t mild honey (divided)
2 medium firm-ripe red pears, preferably red Anjou, halved lengthwise and cored
Kosher Salt
8 thin slices of pancetta
¼ cup plus 1T chopped, toasted hazelnuts (I used Pecans)
2 oz. Gorgonzola dolce
½ t chopped fresh thyme
1 ½ T Champagne vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
3 T EVOO
2 oz mache (about 4 cups) in our grocery store they call it spring mix.
Directions:
1. Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and 1 t honey. Brush the mixture over the cut sides of the pears and season with salt. Arrange the pears cut sides up on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the upper rack until just tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, arrange the pancetta on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the lower rack until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
4. In a small bowl, mix ¼ C of the nuts, the Gorgonzola, thyme and the remaining 1 t honey with a fork. They say wooden spoon, fork works better. Also get the cheese out of the refrigerator early to soften.
5. Remove pears from the oven and divide the cheese filling evenly among the pear cavities. Sprinkle with remaining nuts and bake on the upper rack until the cheese starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Turn the broiler on high and broil until the nuts brown slightly, 1-2 minutes.
6. I a small bowl, mix the vinegar, mustard, ¼ t salt and a few grinds of pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. I learned a new trick. I had a Dijon bottle with little left in the jar as far as a knife spreading on a sand wish. I put all the ingredients in the mustard jar and shook. The dressing was fine. I then added to the greens as much dressing as I felt needed.
7. Place the greens on each of 4 plates. Place a pear and 2 cooked pancetta rounds on each plate and serve.
In reading the Post, I learned that this was the first course that was served at the White House dinner honoring the President of China. This recipe got rave reviews here.
The main course was Salmon and Rice. I make rice in the following foolproof way. I use Rose’s rice which is Japanese rice. I measure out 1 C and add 1 C plus 1T water. I soak for 1 hour. With the cover off I bring to a boil. Place on the cover, turn to low and set your timer for 10 minutes, perfect rice every time. The main course was Steamed Salmon. This comes from a Cookbook called The Chinese Way by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. Best Chinese Cookbook I have.
Serves 4
Steaming any kind of fish enhances its true flavor
Ingredients:
1 # of Salmon (I use individual fillets)
2 t white vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 ½ T Sherry
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
1 ½ T shredded ginger
1 scallion, cut into 2” pieces, white portions quartered lengthwise.
1 t sesame oil
2 T cilantro (I use Italian Parsley as I do not like cilantro)
Fancy cabbage leaves (My version)
Directions:
1. I have a Bamboo steamer that I use with my wok. You can use just a plate on a wire steamer rack. Mix the first 7 ingredients and pour over the salmon coating it well on all sides.
2. I look for the fanciest oriental cabbage leaves in the market. I place each leaf on the bamboo steamer and then a fillet on each cabbage leaf and pour any remaining mixture on each fillet.
3. Steam 10 to 12 minutes, until fish is firm. It should be just slightly undercooked. Turn off heat. Drizzle sesame oil over the fish, sprinkle it with coriander and serve.
Our friend Jim said it was the best Salmon he has ever tasted. My friend Marrilyn in CA raves about this dish and she had it in 1998, May 10th to be exact.
For dessert we had raspberry and vanilla low fat ice cream with the special Chocolate Sauce that my brother bought me again after hinting in my blog that I had finished all we had.
Jim served a Gruet Champagane with the first course. I loved it. Jim and Jim are both wineist. My word for people who can talk for haours about wine. So for the main course we had the 2nd of 3 Domaine Dublere Chassagne-Montrachet, 2006, Grand Vin De Bourgogne. It is a white Burgandy and after Chateau Gloria, it is my favorite.
Ingredients:
1T unsalted butter, melted
2 t mild honey (divided)
2 medium firm-ripe red pears, preferably red Anjou, halved lengthwise and cored
Kosher Salt
8 thin slices of pancetta
¼ cup plus 1T chopped, toasted hazelnuts (I used Pecans)
2 oz. Gorgonzola dolce
½ t chopped fresh thyme
1 ½ T Champagne vinegar
1 t Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
3 T EVOO
2 oz mache (about 4 cups) in our grocery store they call it spring mix.
Directions:
1. Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and 1 t honey. Brush the mixture over the cut sides of the pears and season with salt. Arrange the pears cut sides up on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the upper rack until just tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, arrange the pancetta on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the lower rack until crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
4. In a small bowl, mix ¼ C of the nuts, the Gorgonzola, thyme and the remaining 1 t honey with a fork. They say wooden spoon, fork works better. Also get the cheese out of the refrigerator early to soften.
5. Remove pears from the oven and divide the cheese filling evenly among the pear cavities. Sprinkle with remaining nuts and bake on the upper rack until the cheese starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Turn the broiler on high and broil until the nuts brown slightly, 1-2 minutes.
6. I a small bowl, mix the vinegar, mustard, ¼ t salt and a few grinds of pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. I learned a new trick. I had a Dijon bottle with little left in the jar as far as a knife spreading on a sand wish. I put all the ingredients in the mustard jar and shook. The dressing was fine. I then added to the greens as much dressing as I felt needed.
7. Place the greens on each of 4 plates. Place a pear and 2 cooked pancetta rounds on each plate and serve.
In reading the Post, I learned that this was the first course that was served at the White House dinner honoring the President of China. This recipe got rave reviews here.
The main course was Salmon and Rice. I make rice in the following foolproof way. I use Rose’s rice which is Japanese rice. I measure out 1 C and add 1 C plus 1T water. I soak for 1 hour. With the cover off I bring to a boil. Place on the cover, turn to low and set your timer for 10 minutes, perfect rice every time. The main course was Steamed Salmon. This comes from a Cookbook called The Chinese Way by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. Best Chinese Cookbook I have.
Serves 4
Steaming any kind of fish enhances its true flavor
Ingredients:
1 # of Salmon (I use individual fillets)
2 t white vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 ½ T Sherry
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
1 ½ T shredded ginger
1 scallion, cut into 2” pieces, white portions quartered lengthwise.
1 t sesame oil
2 T cilantro (I use Italian Parsley as I do not like cilantro)
Fancy cabbage leaves (My version)
Directions:
1. I have a Bamboo steamer that I use with my wok. You can use just a plate on a wire steamer rack. Mix the first 7 ingredients and pour over the salmon coating it well on all sides.
2. I look for the fanciest oriental cabbage leaves in the market. I place each leaf on the bamboo steamer and then a fillet on each cabbage leaf and pour any remaining mixture on each fillet.
3. Steam 10 to 12 minutes, until fish is firm. It should be just slightly undercooked. Turn off heat. Drizzle sesame oil over the fish, sprinkle it with coriander and serve.
Our friend Jim said it was the best Salmon he has ever tasted. My friend Marrilyn in CA raves about this dish and she had it in 1998, May 10th to be exact.
For dessert we had raspberry and vanilla low fat ice cream with the special Chocolate Sauce that my brother bought me again after hinting in my blog that I had finished all we had.
Jim served a Gruet Champagane with the first course. I loved it. Jim and Jim are both wineist. My word for people who can talk for haours about wine. So for the main course we had the 2nd of 3 Domaine Dublere Chassagne-Montrachet, 2006, Grand Vin De Bourgogne. It is a white Burgandy and after Chateau Gloria, it is my favorite.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Orange Chicken Breasts with Baby Spinach
Michelle Obama would love this meal. It has fruit, veggies and low fat protein. It is also quick and easy. I made it on a school day so you know it is easy. I got this from the Washington Post. I marinated the chicken before I left for class. Serves 4
Vinaigrette (divided after making)
Ingredients:
Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange. You should have approximately ¼ C of juice and 2 t zest
¼ C white wine vinegar
1 T Dijon-style mustard
¼ t salt
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
½ t sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
½ c EVOO
Directions:
1. Combine all except the EVOO in your blender. With the motor running, gradually add the oil to form and emulsified vinaigrette.
2. Add 1/3 C to a bag to marinate the chicken.
For the Chicken and Spinach
Ingredients:
1# chicken breast cutlets (If you have boneless chicken breasts, just cut them in half horizontally)
6 oz of baby spinach (Not nearly enough for 4. Jim and I thought it was skimpy for 2.)
2 medium oranges (Peel removed and sectioned.)
Directions:
1. In the morning I added 1/3 C of the vinaigrette to the chicken in a bag and placed it in the refrigerator. My chicken breasts were barely thawed. The recipe says i-4 hours. Mine was in longer.
2. Position the top oven rack 4-6” from the top broiler element. Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. I use the non-stick kind.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and toss the marinade. Arrange the cutlets on a foil lined baking sheet. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes each side.
4. I washed and drained the spinach and put in a microwaveable bowl. My microwave cuts fresh vegetables by weight. It was done quickly.
5. Arrange the spinach on each plate. Top each plate with a cutlet. Scatter over the orange segments and drizzle with 1 T vinaigrette.
This was delicious and only 200 calories per serving. I don’t think adding more spinach would raise the calorie count substantially. There will be plenty of vinaigrette, save for salads. It is very good. We had a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. It was great with the citrus.
Vinaigrette (divided after making)
Ingredients:
Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange. You should have approximately ¼ C of juice and 2 t zest
¼ C white wine vinegar
1 T Dijon-style mustard
¼ t salt
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
½ t sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
½ c EVOO
Directions:
1. Combine all except the EVOO in your blender. With the motor running, gradually add the oil to form and emulsified vinaigrette.
2. Add 1/3 C to a bag to marinate the chicken.
For the Chicken and Spinach
Ingredients:
1# chicken breast cutlets (If you have boneless chicken breasts, just cut them in half horizontally)
6 oz of baby spinach (Not nearly enough for 4. Jim and I thought it was skimpy for 2.)
2 medium oranges (Peel removed and sectioned.)
Directions:
1. In the morning I added 1/3 C of the vinaigrette to the chicken in a bag and placed it in the refrigerator. My chicken breasts were barely thawed. The recipe says i-4 hours. Mine was in longer.
2. Position the top oven rack 4-6” from the top broiler element. Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. I use the non-stick kind.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and toss the marinade. Arrange the cutlets on a foil lined baking sheet. Place under the broiler for 5 minutes each side.
4. I washed and drained the spinach and put in a microwaveable bowl. My microwave cuts fresh vegetables by weight. It was done quickly.
5. Arrange the spinach on each plate. Top each plate with a cutlet. Scatter over the orange segments and drizzle with 1 T vinaigrette.
This was delicious and only 200 calories per serving. I don’t think adding more spinach would raise the calorie count substantially. There will be plenty of vinaigrette, save for salads. It is very good. We had a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. It was great with the citrus.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Swiss Chard Lasagna with Ricotta and Mushrooms
This was an excellent meal. I found this in Bon Appétit, January. We have enough left over so that we can go see the King’s Speech after we take Max for his annual checkup. I did not exactly follow the directions. If you want to see their directions, go on line.
Béchamel Sauce
Ingredients:
2 ½ C whole milk
1 bay leaf
6 T unsalted butter
¼ C all purpose flour
½ t coarse kosher salt
½ t ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Instructions:
1. Bring mill and bay leaf to a boil. Actually I put the milk and bay leaf in a 4 C measuring cup and microwaved it on high for 5 ½ minutes.
2. In a pan I melted the butter and added the flour. I cooked for 2 minutes to make surd the flour taste was gone.
3. Gradually I added the milk and cooked until the sauce was thick. I did it slow and it took about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and keep warm.
Swiss chard and Mushroom layers
Ingredients:
1 # Swiss chard, center rib removed and chopped. (Recipe does not use the ribs. They are my favorite part. I use the red and green chard. ) Chop the leaves very fine also.
4 T EVOO divided
1 1/3 C chopped onion
4 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided
¼ t dried crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
1 # cremini mushrooms, sliced
¼ t ground nutmeg
Directions:
1. I truly depart from the directions in the magazine. First I always use red stemmed chard. I love the taste of the red stems. (I see no reason to blanch the chard, chop and squeeze out the water.) Rinse and drain and then chop really fine. I pulled out the stems and chopped fine. Then I acted like a chef at Beni Hanna and chopped the leaves very fine.
2. Heat 2 T of EVOO in a large wok. Add the stems and the onion, red pepper and garlic. Cook while you are chopping the leaves. Add the leaves. Mix in the salt and pepper and keep on low until the moisture evaporates.
3. Heat another skillet on medium and add the remaining 2 T EVOO
4. Add the mushrooms and the remaining garlic. Sauté until mushrooms are brown and tender. Mix in nutmeg, salt and pepper
Lasagna Composition
Ingredients:
9 7x3 lasagna noodles (I used precooked)
EVOO
1 15 oz. container whole-milk ricotta cheese
6 oz. Italian Fontina cheese, coarsely grated, divided
8 T finely grated Parmesan cheese divided
Directions:
1. I did not have to cook the noodles. If you choose not to use precooked noodles, use 9 and cook according to package directions.
2. Brush your 9 x 12 pan with oil.
3. Spread about 3 T of béchamel sauce thinly over the bottom of the dish. Arrange noodles to cover the bottom. Spread half of the chard and then half of the mushrooms. Drop half of ricotta over in dollops and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle with half of Fontina, and then 4T of Parmesan.
4. Repeat layering using the remaining chard, mushrooms, Ricotta, Fontina, Parmesan and ¾ C béchamel.
5. Cover with noodles and the remaining béchamel sauce. I sprinkled the top with more Parmesan cheese.
You can do this all ahead. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes. Rest for 15 minutes and enjoy. Jim served a Rosso di Montalcino, 2007. Obviously Italian and good.
Béchamel Sauce
Ingredients:
2 ½ C whole milk
1 bay leaf
6 T unsalted butter
¼ C all purpose flour
½ t coarse kosher salt
½ t ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Instructions:
1. Bring mill and bay leaf to a boil. Actually I put the milk and bay leaf in a 4 C measuring cup and microwaved it on high for 5 ½ minutes.
2. In a pan I melted the butter and added the flour. I cooked for 2 minutes to make surd the flour taste was gone.
3. Gradually I added the milk and cooked until the sauce was thick. I did it slow and it took about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and keep warm.
Swiss chard and Mushroom layers
Ingredients:
1 # Swiss chard, center rib removed and chopped. (Recipe does not use the ribs. They are my favorite part. I use the red and green chard. ) Chop the leaves very fine also.
4 T EVOO divided
1 1/3 C chopped onion
4 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided
¼ t dried crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
1 # cremini mushrooms, sliced
¼ t ground nutmeg
Directions:
1. I truly depart from the directions in the magazine. First I always use red stemmed chard. I love the taste of the red stems. (I see no reason to blanch the chard, chop and squeeze out the water.) Rinse and drain and then chop really fine. I pulled out the stems and chopped fine. Then I acted like a chef at Beni Hanna and chopped the leaves very fine.
2. Heat 2 T of EVOO in a large wok. Add the stems and the onion, red pepper and garlic. Cook while you are chopping the leaves. Add the leaves. Mix in the salt and pepper and keep on low until the moisture evaporates.
3. Heat another skillet on medium and add the remaining 2 T EVOO
4. Add the mushrooms and the remaining garlic. Sauté until mushrooms are brown and tender. Mix in nutmeg, salt and pepper
Lasagna Composition
Ingredients:
9 7x3 lasagna noodles (I used precooked)
EVOO
1 15 oz. container whole-milk ricotta cheese
6 oz. Italian Fontina cheese, coarsely grated, divided
8 T finely grated Parmesan cheese divided
Directions:
1. I did not have to cook the noodles. If you choose not to use precooked noodles, use 9 and cook according to package directions.
2. Brush your 9 x 12 pan with oil.
3. Spread about 3 T of béchamel sauce thinly over the bottom of the dish. Arrange noodles to cover the bottom. Spread half of the chard and then half of the mushrooms. Drop half of ricotta over in dollops and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle with half of Fontina, and then 4T of Parmesan.
4. Repeat layering using the remaining chard, mushrooms, Ricotta, Fontina, Parmesan and ¾ C béchamel.
5. Cover with noodles and the remaining béchamel sauce. I sprinkled the top with more Parmesan cheese.
You can do this all ahead. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes. Rest for 15 minutes and enjoy. Jim served a Rosso di Montalcino, 2007. Obviously Italian and good.
Shrimp Risotto
There is a new cooking magazine called Cuisine at home. I made this Shrimp Risotto from it. Jim liked it. I thought it was way too salty.
For the Stock
Ingredients:
1# medium shrimp with shells
2 C water
1 ½ C low sodium chicken broth
1 C chopped leek greens
9 black pepper corns
4 fresh parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
Directions:
1. Peel and devein shrimp; set shrimp aside.
2. Place shrimp shells and remaining stock ingredients in a saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Strain through a colander into a small pan, discarding solids and keep warm.
For the Risotto
Ingredients:
4 T unsalted butter, divided
1 C chopped leek whites
1 C Arborio rice
¾ C dry sherry
1 C frozen green peas
1 t kosher salt
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t ground nutmeg
2 T grated Parmesan
Directions:
1. Melt 2 T of butter in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add leek whites, sauté 2 minutes, then stir in rice and sauté 2 minutes more. Do not allow rice or leeks to brown.
3. Deglaze pan with sherry, stirring until all liquid evaporates. Add ½ C of warm stock; stir until absorbed. Continue adding stock ½ cup at a time until all stock is used and rice is tender.
4. Stir in the peas and shrimp; cook until shrimp are fink and firm about 5 minutes. Season with salt, cayenne and nutmeg.
5. Off heat add 2 T butter and Parmesan.
Chive Gremolata
Ingredients:
3 strips of thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 T minced fresh chives
2 T minced lemon zest
½ t minced garlic
Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain and cool.
2. Combine bacon with remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the Risotto.
I did not want the bacon. I added all the rest of the ingredients to the risotto in step 4.
We picked up an Australian Chardonnay, 2008 in Wegmans today, priced at $10. It was very good. My guess is you can probably gait for less else ware.
For the Stock
Ingredients:
1# medium shrimp with shells
2 C water
1 ½ C low sodium chicken broth
1 C chopped leek greens
9 black pepper corns
4 fresh parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
Directions:
1. Peel and devein shrimp; set shrimp aside.
2. Place shrimp shells and remaining stock ingredients in a saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Strain through a colander into a small pan, discarding solids and keep warm.
For the Risotto
Ingredients:
4 T unsalted butter, divided
1 C chopped leek whites
1 C Arborio rice
¾ C dry sherry
1 C frozen green peas
1 t kosher salt
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t ground nutmeg
2 T grated Parmesan
Directions:
1. Melt 2 T of butter in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add leek whites, sauté 2 minutes, then stir in rice and sauté 2 minutes more. Do not allow rice or leeks to brown.
3. Deglaze pan with sherry, stirring until all liquid evaporates. Add ½ C of warm stock; stir until absorbed. Continue adding stock ½ cup at a time until all stock is used and rice is tender.
4. Stir in the peas and shrimp; cook until shrimp are fink and firm about 5 minutes. Season with salt, cayenne and nutmeg.
5. Off heat add 2 T butter and Parmesan.
Chive Gremolata
Ingredients:
3 strips of thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 T minced fresh chives
2 T minced lemon zest
½ t minced garlic
Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain and cool.
2. Combine bacon with remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the Risotto.
I did not want the bacon. I added all the rest of the ingredients to the risotto in step 4.
We picked up an Australian Chardonnay, 2008 in Wegmans today, priced at $10. It was very good. My guess is you can probably gait for less else ware.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Pork Chops and Pierogi
Yesterday I made my friend Marion’s Blackened Spice Mix. She first gave me this for Christmas when we still lived in PA. She would not part with the recipe until I moved to CA and ran out. I ran out again in VA and could not find Szechuan pepper anywhere. Our friend Roger worked for the Agriculture Department at the time and he said we were arguing with China about something so we were not allowing them to export their pepper to us. My friend Jane found some in PA. Then I lost the recipe and recently Marion sent it to me again. She thinks this was a Paul Prudhomme recipe that she got out of the Inquirer long ago. So you see it took a village for me to make dinner last night. The recipe calls for it to be used on swordfish, but we have always liked it on pork chops. I use about a tablespoon for 3 chops. The heat is intense so be careful if you are sensitive to heat in food.
Ingredients:
1T coarse salt
5t ground Szechuan pepper
2T ground black pepper
2 t fennel seeds
2 t thyme leaves
1 T sweet Paprika
1T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
2 ½ t. cayenne pepper
Directions:
Put all in a small spice blender and blend until all is finely chopped.
If you’ve been reading, we had sauerkraut left over from New Year’s Day that I froze. I thawed it to make sauerkraut and mushroom filling for Pierogi. Drain and squeeze it dry before filling the dough as follows. I used a Frugal Gourmet recipe from his Immigrant Cookbook.
Ingredients:
2C sour cream
4 ½ C All-purpose flour (I used King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour)
2 T melted butter
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
2 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
Directions:
Ingredients:
1T coarse salt
5t ground Szechuan pepper
2T ground black pepper
2 t fennel seeds
2 t thyme leaves
1 T sweet Paprika
1T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
2 ½ t. cayenne pepper
Directions:
Put all in a small spice blender and blend until all is finely chopped.
If you’ve been reading, we had sauerkraut left over from New Year’s Day that I froze. I thawed it to make sauerkraut and mushroom filling for Pierogi. Drain and squeeze it dry before filling the dough as follows. I used a Frugal Gourmet recipe from his Immigrant Cookbook.
Ingredients:
2C sour cream
4 ½ C All-purpose flour (I used King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour)
2 T melted butter
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
2 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
Directions:
- I put all the above in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the bread hook and had dough in minutes.
- Divide the dough in half and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll out half the dough and if you do not have a Pocket Gourmet Kitchen Tool , use a water glass to cut all the dough in circles.
- My kitchen tool then turns over and you place the circle on top, fill and press in half to seal.
- The recipe says serves 10-12, but I ran out of filling before I ran out of dough. I probably should have made some potato and cheese filling for the remaining, but I already had more than we could eat.
- Continuing with the village them of this meal I then called my brother-in-law for cooking and freezing advice.
- He said to cook all you have in batches in boiling salted water at 10 minutes a batch. Drain on towels. Those you are not immediately eating, when dry, place on a cookie sheet and freeze individually before packing in plastic freezer bags. I left mine overnight.
- The Frugal Gourmet than says to pa-fry in butter after they have boiled. This I doubted, as that is the same directions that they give for Chinese pot stickers and they always stick. (I put water and oil in the pan, by the time the water evaporates they are cooked and it brown nicely.) Vince said to melt a stick of butter and using a brush coat an over proof dish well. Butter the Pierogi individually and then top with the remaining butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Well, I did not follow the instructions with all the butter and ours were a little crispy. With the remaining 4 bags of Pierogi, I will maybe use 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
What to do with Leftovers and Duck Bacon
Stephanie O’Dea of Crockpot fame had a recommendation for the leftover chicken from yesterday, Fried Rice. I love friend rice when it is done correctly. No the icky brown stuff in most Chinese restaurants is not done correctly. I decided to give her Crockpot Fried Rice a try.
Ingredients:
2 C leftover rice (do any of you really ever have 2 C of left over rice?)
3T butter
2 T soy sauce
2 t Worcestershire sauce
½ t black pepper
¼ t kosher salt
½ yellow onion, diced
1 C fresh or frozen vegetables ( I used peas)
1 C cooked meat, diced (I did not have enough chicken so I cooked up 2 leftover Italian sausages)
1 large egg, whisked
1 t sesame seeds for garnish (optional) I forgot all about them, and I have tons.
Directions:
1. She always starts out with what size Crockpot to use. I only have one and that is what I use. For this recipe she says to use a 4-qt. slow cooker.
2. Put all ingredients in and stir well.
3. Cook on high for 2 – 3 hours or low for 3-4 hours.
This is a great use up whatever is in the fridge recipe. It was crisp and not brown. The meat gave it great flavor. You could do the same in your stove top wok, but you’d be standing there and adding ingredients in a systematic order. I turned on the pot and read for 2 hours. The bell rang and I called Jim to dinner.
This morning we had an interesting accompaniment to our soft cooked eggs, uncured duck bacon. It was very good. Not as messy to cook as regular bacon and intensely flavorful. I also mixed blueberries and pomegranate seeds, very tasty. The eggs were perfectly done and were like comfort food on my new elegant soft boiled egg servers that a friend brought me from Germany.
Ingredients:
2 C leftover rice (do any of you really ever have 2 C of left over rice?)
3T butter
2 T soy sauce
2 t Worcestershire sauce
½ t black pepper
¼ t kosher salt
½ yellow onion, diced
1 C fresh or frozen vegetables ( I used peas)
1 C cooked meat, diced (I did not have enough chicken so I cooked up 2 leftover Italian sausages)
1 large egg, whisked
1 t sesame seeds for garnish (optional) I forgot all about them, and I have tons.
Directions:
1. She always starts out with what size Crockpot to use. I only have one and that is what I use. For this recipe she says to use a 4-qt. slow cooker.
2. Put all ingredients in and stir well.
3. Cook on high for 2 – 3 hours or low for 3-4 hours.
This is a great use up whatever is in the fridge recipe. It was crisp and not brown. The meat gave it great flavor. You could do the same in your stove top wok, but you’d be standing there and adding ingredients in a systematic order. I turned on the pot and read for 2 hours. The bell rang and I called Jim to dinner.
This morning we had an interesting accompaniment to our soft cooked eggs, uncured duck bacon. It was very good. Not as messy to cook as regular bacon and intensely flavorful. I also mixed blueberries and pomegranate seeds, very tasty. The eggs were perfectly done and were like comfort food on my new elegant soft boiled egg servers that a friend brought me from Germany.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
40 Clove Garllic Chicken
Tonight’s menu is from my favorite blogger Stephanie O’Dea. After a year of slow cooking she wrote the book, Make it Fast, Cook it Slow. This menu did not disappoint. I had planned a crock pot menu as my class was to start today. Unfortunately my instructor’s daughter was very ill and it was cancelled. Our guest for this weekend also cancelled due to illness. I am winging it for the next few days. I made the full recipe as there is another recipe for leftovers. I used the leftover cabbage and noodles to accompany tonight. It was perfect.
Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, sliced
3-4 # chicken cut up
1T EVOO
2 t kosher salt
2 t paprika
1 t pepper
40 garlic cloves, peeled but intact
Directions:
1. Place onions slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert.
2. In a large missing bowl, toss chicken parts, EVOO, salt, paprika, pepper, and all the cloves
3. Pour into the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. The longer you cook chicken on the bone, the tender it will be. Ours on low was very tender.
Even if there are only 2 of you, you can make the whole amount as she has a Crockpot Fried Rice for the leftovers. I will make that tomorrow night.
Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, sliced
3-4 # chicken cut up
1T EVOO
2 t kosher salt
2 t paprika
1 t pepper
40 garlic cloves, peeled but intact
Directions:
1. Place onions slices on the bottom of the stoneware insert.
2. In a large missing bowl, toss chicken parts, EVOO, salt, paprika, pepper, and all the cloves
3. Pour into the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. The longer you cook chicken on the bone, the tender it will be. Ours on low was very tender.
Even if there are only 2 of you, you can make the whole amount as she has a Crockpot Fried Rice for the leftovers. I will make that tomorrow night.
Cabbage, and He liked it!
We were very busy yesterday and after dinner and a little TV, I went to bed. Dinner was very good even though Jim was leery. To me this is a comfort dish. In Polish egg noodles are called Kluski. When I was young they were often made by hand. I did not know that the rest of the world was calling them egg noodles. When we went to the store we looked for Kluski, and the package was so labeled.
Polish Noodles and Cabbage Serves 4-6 (very hungry people) from The Frugal Gourmet, On Our Immigrant Ancestors.
Ingredients:
¼ C butter
½ C peeled and chopped yellow onion
4 C chopped or thinly sliced cabbage
1 t caraway seeds
½ t salt (needed more)
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
1- 8 oz. package egg noodles
½ C sour cream
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion ans sauté until transparent. Add the cabbage and sauté 5 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Stir in the caraway seeds, salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in salted water as directed on the package. Drain well.
3. Stir the noodles into the cabbage and add the sour cream. Cook 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
I served this dish with Beer Brats. Jim actually liked dinner.
Before dinner we had appetizers. We bought delicious cheddar at Wegmans and I made a new type of guacamole. It came out of an issue on the stands now of Woman’s World Magazine in your grocery store checkout line. This is the best guacamole ever. It is light and has a very refreshing taste.
Pomegranate Guacamole Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 ripe Avocado
2 T lime juice (1 lime)
1 C thinly sliced scallions
¼ C cilantro
2 T pomegranate juice
4 garlic cloves
¼ C pomegranate seeds
Directions:
1. Peel and pit the avocados and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice and mash.
2. Add the scallions, cilantro, POM juice, and garlic. Mash until blended but still chunky.
3. Stir in the POM seeds.
Enjoy!
Polish Noodles and Cabbage Serves 4-6 (very hungry people) from The Frugal Gourmet, On Our Immigrant Ancestors.
Ingredients:
¼ C butter
½ C peeled and chopped yellow onion
4 C chopped or thinly sliced cabbage
1 t caraway seeds
½ t salt (needed more)
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
1- 8 oz. package egg noodles
½ C sour cream
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion ans sauté until transparent. Add the cabbage and sauté 5 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Stir in the caraway seeds, salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in salted water as directed on the package. Drain well.
3. Stir the noodles into the cabbage and add the sour cream. Cook 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
I served this dish with Beer Brats. Jim actually liked dinner.
Before dinner we had appetizers. We bought delicious cheddar at Wegmans and I made a new type of guacamole. It came out of an issue on the stands now of Woman’s World Magazine in your grocery store checkout line. This is the best guacamole ever. It is light and has a very refreshing taste.
Pomegranate Guacamole Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 ripe Avocado
2 T lime juice (1 lime)
1 C thinly sliced scallions
¼ C cilantro
2 T pomegranate juice
4 garlic cloves
¼ C pomegranate seeds
Directions:
1. Peel and pit the avocados and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice and mash.
2. Add the scallions, cilantro, POM juice, and garlic. Mash until blended but still chunky.
3. Stir in the POM seeds.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Stir Fried Bok Choy and Mizuna with Tofu
This morning I asked Jim whether he wanted for dinner, cabbage or tofu. .He stopped in the middle of the living room and looked at me as if I was crazy. He said something really adorable, that I cannot now remember. However the message was clear, beam me up Scotty, save from this woman. We settled on the tofu from this month’s Bon Appétit. It was easy to prepare and said serves 4. I think that a lot of the serves amounts are based on having at least an appetizer and dessert. For the two of us, I usually only fix one thing for dinner and therefore it serves 2.
Ingredients :
3 ½ T soy sauce, divided
4 t Asian sesame oil, divided
3 ½ t unseasoned rice vinegar, divided
1 14-16 oz container extra-firm tofu, drained
2 T peanut oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 T finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 baby bok choy, leaves separated and washed
12 cups loosely packed mizuna (you can use Arugula, mustard greens, or I used spinach and pea shoots. I wish I had used dandelion greens and the pea shoots.) I should have gone to Manassas to my oriental store, but sometimes the greens are a little worn out looking.
Directions:
1. Whish 2 T soy sauce, 2 t sesame oil and ½ t vinegar in bowl.
2. Place 4 paper towels on the table. Cut tofu crosswise into 3/4 “thick slices; cut each slice crosswise in half. Arrange tofu on paper towels and let stand 10 minutes. Pat top of tofu dry. (I let it dry longer, turn and change the towels often. My experience in frying tofu is that it needs longer to dry and several changes of paper tow or it is like water hitting oil.)
3. Heat peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, without moving, until golden brown on bottom 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain, remove the towel and pour the soy sauce mixture on the tofu. Turn once.
4. Wipe out any peanut oil from skillet. Add 2 t sesame oil and place skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 1½ T soy sauce, 3 t vinegar and then the bok choy. Toss until bok choy is wilted. Add the mizuna in 2 batched, tossing to wilt.
5. I then transferred the greens to a serving bowl and placed the tofu on top.
The recipe said to add salt and pepper. With all that soy sauce you do not need any. In retrospect, I would have soaked the tofu in the soy sauce mixture and then fried it after thoroughly drying it for 1 hour. It is the only thing that needed seasoning. The other thing you could do is delay cooking the greens and let the tofu after frying absorb more of the sauce.
We had an excellent Viansa Dolcetto Rose, 2008 with the meal. It is made in the French style and very good. If you get Bon Appétit you will find these directions very different. They are trying to make it a “30 minute” meal. Definitely dry the tofu longer.
Ingredients :
3 ½ T soy sauce, divided
4 t Asian sesame oil, divided
3 ½ t unseasoned rice vinegar, divided
1 14-16 oz container extra-firm tofu, drained
2 T peanut oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 T finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 baby bok choy, leaves separated and washed
12 cups loosely packed mizuna (you can use Arugula, mustard greens, or I used spinach and pea shoots. I wish I had used dandelion greens and the pea shoots.) I should have gone to Manassas to my oriental store, but sometimes the greens are a little worn out looking.
Directions:
1. Whish 2 T soy sauce, 2 t sesame oil and ½ t vinegar in bowl.
2. Place 4 paper towels on the table. Cut tofu crosswise into 3/4 “thick slices; cut each slice crosswise in half. Arrange tofu on paper towels and let stand 10 minutes. Pat top of tofu dry. (I let it dry longer, turn and change the towels often. My experience in frying tofu is that it needs longer to dry and several changes of paper tow or it is like water hitting oil.)
3. Heat peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, without moving, until golden brown on bottom 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain, remove the towel and pour the soy sauce mixture on the tofu. Turn once.
4. Wipe out any peanut oil from skillet. Add 2 t sesame oil and place skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 1½ T soy sauce, 3 t vinegar and then the bok choy. Toss until bok choy is wilted. Add the mizuna in 2 batched, tossing to wilt.
5. I then transferred the greens to a serving bowl and placed the tofu on top.
The recipe said to add salt and pepper. With all that soy sauce you do not need any. In retrospect, I would have soaked the tofu in the soy sauce mixture and then fried it after thoroughly drying it for 1 hour. It is the only thing that needed seasoning. The other thing you could do is delay cooking the greens and let the tofu after frying absorb more of the sauce.
We had an excellent Viansa Dolcetto Rose, 2008 with the meal. It is made in the French style and very good. If you get Bon Appétit you will find these directions very different. They are trying to make it a “30 minute” meal. Definitely dry the tofu longer.
Monday, January 10, 2011
I am back to cooking again. We were up in New Hope, PA visiting friends and eating great meals. We came home on Sunday with a care package of Beef Bourgogne that got us through dinner yesterday and lunch today. This afternoon we went shopping and tonight had wonderful Crispy Tilapia Fillets from January Bon Appétit. I did not make the Tzatziki sauce as we had a Romesco Sauce from a former meal that went quite well with it. I also made an Israeli Couscous with mushrooms and spinach that I made up. I thought it was good.
Couscous with Mushrooms and Spinach
Ingredients:
1 C Israeli Couscous
1 ¼ C water
½ T EVOO
1T butter
½ tray of sliced button mushrooms
½ of boxed baby spinach
Instructions:
1. Heat the EVOO and butter in a small pan. Add the mushroom and cook until the moisture recedes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
2. Add the couscous and water. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
Tilapia Fillets
Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets (I used 3)
1 t fennel seeds, finely ground
1 large egg white, beaten until frothy (I used a copper bowl and a wisk)
2 C panko (about) breadcrumbs
Instructions:
1. Place the fillets on a plate. Coat with half the fennel, salt and pepper. Brush the fillets with half the egg white and press on the panko.
2. Turn and repeat the process.
3. Heat anon-skillet with 2 T of EVOO over medium high heat.
4. Add fish and cook until opaque in center about 2 minutes per side.
Jim served with a Mussel Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that we purchased in New Jersey this weekend. It was excellent.
Couscous with Mushrooms and Spinach
Ingredients:
1 C Israeli Couscous
1 ¼ C water
½ T EVOO
1T butter
½ tray of sliced button mushrooms
½ of boxed baby spinach
Instructions:
1. Heat the EVOO and butter in a small pan. Add the mushroom and cook until the moisture recedes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
2. Add the couscous and water. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
Tilapia Fillets
Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets (I used 3)
1 t fennel seeds, finely ground
1 large egg white, beaten until frothy (I used a copper bowl and a wisk)
2 C panko (about) breadcrumbs
Instructions:
1. Place the fillets on a plate. Coat with half the fennel, salt and pepper. Brush the fillets with half the egg white and press on the panko.
2. Turn and repeat the process.
3. Heat anon-skillet with 2 T of EVOO over medium high heat.
4. Add fish and cook until opaque in center about 2 minutes per side.
Jim served with a Mussel Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that we purchased in New Jersey this weekend. It was excellent.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Soup and Salad
I found a great salad in this morning’s Washington Post. Perfect to go along with the soup I was planning. The salad was Avocado with Grapefruit and Orange Salad. Jim was on his way out so I said if you will bring home some avocadoes, I’ll make you a great salad to go with your soup. I think he felt cheated when he saw he would be eating fruit. It is a very good salad and certainly very refreshing with the soup. Serves 6. I cut it in half.
Ingredients:
2 large ruby red grapefruits, segmented with juices
3 large navel oranges, segmented with juices
½ C sweet onion, diced
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T EVOO
2t sugar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Flesh of 3 avocados, each about 8 oz.
2 T chopped fresh chives for garnish
Directions:
1. You need to make part of the salad at least 30 minutes before serving, but it can be made the day before.
2. Combine the grapefruit and orange segments plus their reserved juices, onion, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. When ready to serve, cut the avocados into thin slices and divide them equally among individual salad plates, fanning the slices out. Spoon the citrus salad over them and top with chives and more pepper.
The Split Pea Soup comes from the Gallery Buffet Soup Cookbook, published by the Dallas Museum of Art. I bought it ages ago in the Boston Museum of Art. I’ve made this soup before and the quality depends on the ham bone. We had a great one this time. Serves 8 to 10.
Ingredients:
1# dried green peas
1 onion
4 medium size carrots
¼ stalk celery
1 garlic clove
2C lean cured ham, cubed or a meaty ham bone
Pinch of thyme
Salt and pepper
2 qts. Water
Directions:
1. Wash peas and remove imperfect ones. Soak overnight well covered in water. Drain and wash peas again in fresh water.
2. Place onion, celery, carrots, garlic in food processor and chop until very fine. Add the chopped veggies, and remaining ingredients to the pot with the ham bone.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours until the peas are done. Remove the ham bone and remove any meat that is on the bone. I took out all the bone and then used my immersion blender to cream the soup.
I think Jim had 4 bowls of soup. It was very good.
With this I served Jiffy Mix Corn Bread. To me it is the best so I don’t even bother with making it from scratch. I just follow the directions and add a cup of frozen corn kernels to the mix. My Mother used to add a small can of creamed corn. That was yummy also.
We tried Dyed-in-the Wool Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand tonight. It was delicious and I told Jim to get more.
Ingredients:
2 large ruby red grapefruits, segmented with juices
3 large navel oranges, segmented with juices
½ C sweet onion, diced
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T EVOO
2t sugar
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Flesh of 3 avocados, each about 8 oz.
2 T chopped fresh chives for garnish
Directions:
1. You need to make part of the salad at least 30 minutes before serving, but it can be made the day before.
2. Combine the grapefruit and orange segments plus their reserved juices, onion, vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. When ready to serve, cut the avocados into thin slices and divide them equally among individual salad plates, fanning the slices out. Spoon the citrus salad over them and top with chives and more pepper.
The Split Pea Soup comes from the Gallery Buffet Soup Cookbook, published by the Dallas Museum of Art. I bought it ages ago in the Boston Museum of Art. I’ve made this soup before and the quality depends on the ham bone. We had a great one this time. Serves 8 to 10.
Ingredients:
1# dried green peas
1 onion
4 medium size carrots
¼ stalk celery
1 garlic clove
2C lean cured ham, cubed or a meaty ham bone
Pinch of thyme
Salt and pepper
2 qts. Water
Directions:
1. Wash peas and remove imperfect ones. Soak overnight well covered in water. Drain and wash peas again in fresh water.
2. Place onion, celery, carrots, garlic in food processor and chop until very fine. Add the chopped veggies, and remaining ingredients to the pot with the ham bone.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours until the peas are done. Remove the ham bone and remove any meat that is on the bone. I took out all the bone and then used my immersion blender to cream the soup.
I think Jim had 4 bowls of soup. It was very good.
With this I served Jiffy Mix Corn Bread. To me it is the best so I don’t even bother with making it from scratch. I just follow the directions and add a cup of frozen corn kernels to the mix. My Mother used to add a small can of creamed corn. That was yummy also.
We tried Dyed-in-the Wool Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand tonight. It was delicious and I told Jim to get more.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Mushroom and Bacon Frittata with Roasted Tomatoes
This is an easy fast dinner and good. I got this from the Dec. Bon Appétit. I was going to make it NYE morning, but Jim wanted to play golf. Then I was going to make it NYD morning, but I did not wake up until noon, so we had it tonight. My directions do not necessarily follow there’s, but make it easier. Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 10.5 oz container of grape tomatoes
¾ C diced shallots, divided
1 t EVOO
3 sliced of apple wood-smoked bacon, chopped
12 oz mushrooms. Used mixed. I used shitake and crimini
2 ½ T chopped fresh basil, divided
6 large eggs
1T Dijon mustard
Non stick veg. spray
½ C crumbled soft fresh goat cheese
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Directions:
1. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes and ¼ C shallots in an oven proof small casserole to hold the tomatoes in one layer. Add the shallots, oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place in oven; roast until tomatoes soften, about 18 minutes. Take out of the oven and placebo a trivet. Mash some of the tomatoes. Be careful, my first mash coated my white shirt. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and 1T fresh basil. Keep warm
2. Place the bacon in a 12” skillet and cook until crisp over medium heat.
3. Add the 6 eggs, mustard, salt and pepper to your standing mixer with a Wisk and start beating
4. After the bacon is crisp remove to a large bowl. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook until brown and soft, about 9 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the bacon and add the remaining 1 ½ T basil. Spray the pan.
5. Return the mushroom, basil, bacon mixture to the sprayed pan and spread evenly. Top with the well whipped eggs. Top with the cheese. Keep on the stove top for about a minute and then put in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
6. Run a heatproof spatula around and under the frittata to loosen. Slide out onto a platter. A few mushrooms will stick. Spread on top. Cut frittata into wedges and serve with the tomatoes
I also made crescent rolls. This was an excellent light dinner unless you ate five of the 6 pieces and all the cresent rolls. How does he stay so thin?
Ingredients:
1 10.5 oz container of grape tomatoes
¾ C diced shallots, divided
1 t EVOO
3 sliced of apple wood-smoked bacon, chopped
12 oz mushrooms. Used mixed. I used shitake and crimini
2 ½ T chopped fresh basil, divided
6 large eggs
1T Dijon mustard
Non stick veg. spray
½ C crumbled soft fresh goat cheese
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Directions:
1. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes and ¼ C shallots in an oven proof small casserole to hold the tomatoes in one layer. Add the shallots, oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place in oven; roast until tomatoes soften, about 18 minutes. Take out of the oven and placebo a trivet. Mash some of the tomatoes. Be careful, my first mash coated my white shirt. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and 1T fresh basil. Keep warm
2. Place the bacon in a 12” skillet and cook until crisp over medium heat.
3. Add the 6 eggs, mustard, salt and pepper to your standing mixer with a Wisk and start beating
4. After the bacon is crisp remove to a large bowl. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook until brown and soft, about 9 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the bacon and add the remaining 1 ½ T basil. Spray the pan.
5. Return the mushroom, basil, bacon mixture to the sprayed pan and spread evenly. Top with the well whipped eggs. Top with the cheese. Keep on the stove top for about a minute and then put in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
6. Run a heatproof spatula around and under the frittata to loosen. Slide out onto a platter. A few mushrooms will stick. Spread on top. Cut frittata into wedges and serve with the tomatoes
I also made crescent rolls. This was an excellent light dinner unless you ate five of the 6 pieces and all the cresent rolls. How does he stay so thin?
Monday, January 3, 2011
Ham Lo Mein with Shitake and Snow Peas
What to do with leftover ham besides sandwiches, which we had last night with all the party leftovers. We ahd spent the day putting away Christmas decorations. This was a great idea from Fine Cooking. Serves 4
The only problem I had was the egg noodles. Fresh or dried there were none called Chinese egg noodles in our area. I ended up using 6 oz. dried egg noodles.
Ingredients:
8 dried shitake mushrooms
¾ # fresh Chinese egg noodles
3T soy sauce, divided
1/2T Asian sesame oil
3 T peanut oil
4 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T minced fresh ginger
½# leftover roasted ham, cut into thin strips (2C)
6 oz snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise (left mine whole)
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 T oyster sauce
1 T chile sauce
Directions:
1. Rinse the mushrooms; then soak them in a small bowl in ¾ C boiling hot water until softened ,30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile boil the noodles according to package directions until barely tender. Drain, toss with 1T of soy sauce and the sesame oil and spread on a baking sheet.
3. When the mushrooms are soft, pluck them from the water and squeeze them dry. Reserve the water. Trim off the stems and thinly slice the caps.
4. Heat a wok over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes and then swirl in the peanut oil. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add the ham, snow peas, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Stir-fry until the bell pepper strips begin to soften, 2 minutes.
6. Mix the remaining soaking liquid with 2 T soy sauce, the oyster sauce, and chile sauce. Add to the pan and cook until the sauce bubbles, about 1 minute.
7. Add the cooked noodles and toss until most of the sauce has been absorbed, less than a minute. Serve immediately.
Obviously in order to accomplish this you have to be in stir-fry mode. Have the scallions, garlic and ginger ready and together. Cut your ham, pepper, snow peas, and mushrooms, have together.
We really liked this meal. Jim finished it all and said the hotness was just on the verge of what he could handle. We had beer with it. Beer was perfect.
The only problem I had was the egg noodles. Fresh or dried there were none called Chinese egg noodles in our area. I ended up using 6 oz. dried egg noodles.
Ingredients:
8 dried shitake mushrooms
¾ # fresh Chinese egg noodles
3T soy sauce, divided
1/2T Asian sesame oil
3 T peanut oil
4 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T minced fresh ginger
½# leftover roasted ham, cut into thin strips (2C)
6 oz snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise (left mine whole)
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 T oyster sauce
1 T chile sauce
Directions:
1. Rinse the mushrooms; then soak them in a small bowl in ¾ C boiling hot water until softened ,30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile boil the noodles according to package directions until barely tender. Drain, toss with 1T of soy sauce and the sesame oil and spread on a baking sheet.
3. When the mushrooms are soft, pluck them from the water and squeeze them dry. Reserve the water. Trim off the stems and thinly slice the caps.
4. Heat a wok over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes and then swirl in the peanut oil. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add the ham, snow peas, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Stir-fry until the bell pepper strips begin to soften, 2 minutes.
6. Mix the remaining soaking liquid with 2 T soy sauce, the oyster sauce, and chile sauce. Add to the pan and cook until the sauce bubbles, about 1 minute.
7. Add the cooked noodles and toss until most of the sauce has been absorbed, less than a minute. Serve immediately.
Obviously in order to accomplish this you have to be in stir-fry mode. Have the scallions, garlic and ginger ready and together. Cut your ham, pepper, snow peas, and mushrooms, have together.
We really liked this meal. Jim finished it all and said the hotness was just on the verge of what he could handle. We had beer with it. Beer was perfect.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Polish Saurkraut and Kielbasa
Yesterday was New Year’s Day. It started with Jim hand washing and drying 60 wine glasses. Personally I would have thrown them in the dishwasher. We have millions of wine glasses and preserving them is not on my agenda. I started gathering up Christmas china and paraphernalia from different rooms into the dining area to prepare for today’s dismantling.
Traditionally I serve sauerkraut and polish sausage on NYD. While shopping as I put the ingredients in the cart, Jim looked disheartened and said, “I suppose we are having that on NYD.” I can’t understand why he can’t love sauerkraut. Instead of my usual recipe from the German, Time Life Series, I decided to use the Frugal Gourmet’s recipe called Polish Sauerkraut. I am not sure where the recipe from my youth came from. My mother was not polish, so I assume it came from what my father remembered from his mother. This one was very different, and I had to add some things that have to be in my sauerkraut.
Ingredients:
1 oz dried mushrooms, soaked for ½ hour in ½ C warm water. (reserve the water)
3T butter
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 med tomato, chopped (I drained a can of diced tomatoes)
2# sauerkraut in plastic or bottled rinsed and drained well (After I rinse it, I soak it in water and then drain and squeeze out all the moisture)
1C dry white wine
½ C Beef stock
1/8 t black pepper
2 T all-purpose flour (I skipped this)
Pinch of sugar (optional) (I skipped this also but added salt)
My additional Ingredients:
1 bay leaf
2 t caraway seed
2 potatoes peeled and cut in chunks
Polish sausage (Kielbasa) (I use the Turkey Hill turkey kielbasa as it has a stronger flavor than the regular that you get around here. If you live around Chicago, you can use the regular Kielbasa)
Directions:
1. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking water. Pour water through a fine strainer and set aside.
2. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and sauté them in the butter.
3. Add the onion and tomato; sauté until the onion is clear
4. Add the sauerkraut, wine, beef stock, reserved mushroom water, pepper and salt. Stir well and add the potatoes trying to bury them in the kraut.
5. Lay the Kielbasa on top and simmer covered for 1 hour. (FG says 30 minutes)
Jim liked the mushrooms in the sauerkraut, probably as a relief from the kraut. I liked this recipe and did not notice much of a difference from what I usually make that does not have the mushrooms and the tomato in it.
I made a double recipe because this morning I wanted to have my favorite breakfast, Sauerkraut with Scrambled Eggs. We always had this the morning after with the leftover kraut when I was young. Directions:
1. Cut up the leftover kielbasa and put in a 12” frying pan to warm up and render some fat.
2. Slice all remaining potato chunks and add to the pan.
3. After all is warmed through add the kraut and make sure all is hot before adding the eggs. I used 4 eggs. Stir until eggs are cooked.
Well, Jim suffered through breakfast and was thrilled (not) when I announced that I have enough leftover sauerkraut to make Pierogi with sauerkraut and mushroom filling.
Traditionally I serve sauerkraut and polish sausage on NYD. While shopping as I put the ingredients in the cart, Jim looked disheartened and said, “I suppose we are having that on NYD.” I can’t understand why he can’t love sauerkraut. Instead of my usual recipe from the German, Time Life Series, I decided to use the Frugal Gourmet’s recipe called Polish Sauerkraut. I am not sure where the recipe from my youth came from. My mother was not polish, so I assume it came from what my father remembered from his mother. This one was very different, and I had to add some things that have to be in my sauerkraut.
Ingredients:
1 oz dried mushrooms, soaked for ½ hour in ½ C warm water. (reserve the water)
3T butter
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 med tomato, chopped (I drained a can of diced tomatoes)
2# sauerkraut in plastic or bottled rinsed and drained well (After I rinse it, I soak it in water and then drain and squeeze out all the moisture)
1C dry white wine
½ C Beef stock
1/8 t black pepper
2 T all-purpose flour (I skipped this)
Pinch of sugar (optional) (I skipped this also but added salt)
My additional Ingredients:
1 bay leaf
2 t caraway seed
2 potatoes peeled and cut in chunks
Polish sausage (Kielbasa) (I use the Turkey Hill turkey kielbasa as it has a stronger flavor than the regular that you get around here. If you live around Chicago, you can use the regular Kielbasa)
Directions:
1. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking water. Pour water through a fine strainer and set aside.
2. Coarsely chop the mushrooms and sauté them in the butter.
3. Add the onion and tomato; sauté until the onion is clear
4. Add the sauerkraut, wine, beef stock, reserved mushroom water, pepper and salt. Stir well and add the potatoes trying to bury them in the kraut.
5. Lay the Kielbasa on top and simmer covered for 1 hour. (FG says 30 minutes)
Jim liked the mushrooms in the sauerkraut, probably as a relief from the kraut. I liked this recipe and did not notice much of a difference from what I usually make that does not have the mushrooms and the tomato in it.
I made a double recipe because this morning I wanted to have my favorite breakfast, Sauerkraut with Scrambled Eggs. We always had this the morning after with the leftover kraut when I was young. Directions:
1. Cut up the leftover kielbasa and put in a 12” frying pan to warm up and render some fat.
2. Slice all remaining potato chunks and add to the pan.
3. After all is warmed through add the kraut and make sure all is hot before adding the eggs. I used 4 eggs. Stir until eggs are cooked.
Well, Jim suffered through breakfast and was thrilled (not) when I announced that I have enough leftover sauerkraut to make Pierogi with sauerkraut and mushroom filling.
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