Slow Cooked Lentils and Kale with Rye Onion Caraway Bread

Yesterday we had a fabulous meal, simple, but beautifully cooked.  We had been running all day.  Our last stops were for groceries.  I took the fresh tuna steaks, 1 ¾”, and coated them with basil EVOO, salt and pepper.  Jim grilled them for 8 minutes on high and they were perfect.  I also steamed artichokes.  To round out the meal, I had bought tomatoes at the farmers market.  Yum-mo!

Today was unpacking my office and art area, so I started with a crock pot meal.  I also wanted to determine whether my bread machine worked, so I decided on an all vegetarian meal.  An email from the “A Year of Slow Cooking” lady brought me a Lentil and Kale Super.  Kale is so good for you.  For the bread machine I chose Rye Bread with Onions and Caraway.  There were some complications on the way, but more about that later. 

Lentils and Kale

Ingredients:

2C lentils, rinsed

1 onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (7 oz.) can fire roasted whole chilies (Couldn’t find, used minced Jalapeño)

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

3 C chopped kale (I bought it chopped and added half the bag.  Wish I had filled the Crockpot.)

1 t kosher salt

1 t ground ginger

1 T cumin

3 C chicken or vegetable broth (I had a little over a cup of homemade vegetable broth and finished with Wolfgang Puck chicken stock) 

Directions:

1.      Put the lentils into the slow cooker. 

2.      Add onion, garlic, chilies, and diced tomatoes. 

3.      Add kale and dried spices

4.      Finally pour over the broth. 

5.      Set the cooker for 6 hours on low.  I stirred the mixture a couple of times along the way. 

The lentil dish was delicious, but I would definitely put as much kale as you can fit in your slow cooker.  We definitely have leftovers for tomorrow. 

Rye Bread with Onions and Caraway

Ingredients:

2 C bread flour

¾ C rye flour

½ C onion, chopped

2 T sugar

1 T dry milk

1 ½ t caraway seeds (I use Charnushka or it is sometimes called black caraway.  Better flavor)

1 t salt

1 C water

1 T butter

1 ½ t quick-rising yeast

Instructions:

1.      Not much to it.  Put it all in your bread machine.  Set it for bread and walk away.  However, it is on rise and my electrician (Jim) cuts power to the island where the bread machine is plugged in.  Luckily it was on rise. 

2.      I finished it in a regular loaf pan.  Let rise again after moving it and baked at 375 for 25 minutes.    

This was lighter in texture than I like bread to be.  But it could be due to the interruptions. 

Pumpernickel Bread Buns

Tonight was trouble.  In the AM, I decided I would like to have Pumpernickel buns for the Costco pre-made chicken burgers.  So I found the cookbooks for my bread machine that has not been used in over a year.  They had a recipe.  I put everything in the machine and turned it on, and proceeded to unpack the rest of the mb closet.  I came back to black glop.  I pulled it out and realized that the yeast dispenser did not work properly.  I needed in some more flour and the yeast, and divided it into the burger pans.  I then put it under my new heat lamps hoping for the best.  The best did not happen, but they were just ok.  I think the recipe is good, just the fact that the machine has been so inactive for so long.

Ingredients:   

1C bread flour

2/3 C rye flour

1/3 C whole wheat flour

¼ C cornmeal

1 T cocoa

1 T dry milk

1 t salt

7/8 C water

3 T molasses

1 T butter

1 ½ t quick-rising yeast

Directions:

1.      Put all ingredients into your bread machine and hit the button for dough.  Come back when finished and dived into six equal weight pieces. 

2.      Let rise in pan designed for buns for an hour.

3.      Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. 

Tomorrow I am going to try another bread just to make sure the machine is still functional. 

Good Salad Dressing

Last night I was going to make a salad to go with dinner, but ran out of time.  I spend a lot of time in the new kitchen wondering where I put things.  So today for lunch, I made a salad.  Nothing special, lettuce, tuna, sunflower seeds, croutons, and red bell peppers, but the dressing was great.  I had forgotten that I had the dressing mix bases from Penzeys.  I used the Country French Vinaigrette.  Instead of using red wine vinegar, I used Fig vinegar.  This is one of the best dressings I have had in a long time.  In the rental house I had gotten into the habit of buying dressings.  Don’t they do not match home made with good product. 

Unpacking is coming along.  I have about 25 boxes called Linda’s office.  Something tells me, that if I could do without it for a year, it may not be needed. 

Shrimp and Grits

I am back.  We are in our new house and I have my kitchen assembled and all the cookbooks and recipes on their shelves.  I now realize that I have 50 lineal feet of recipes to bring to the table.  The daunting task started last night.  I made Shrimp and Grits from Martha’s new American Food.  It was time consuming but worth it.  This recipe serves 4.  Jim ate the whole thing. 

Ingredients:

For the Grits:

3 C water

3 C milk

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 C white grits, preferably stone-ground (I order mine from Anson Mills)

2/3 C grated mild cheddar (2 ½ oz.) I substituted Manchego.

1 T unsalted butter

For the Shrimp:

2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ¼”pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ onion, finely chopped

¼ green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped

1# medium shrimp peeled and deveined.  (I always use frozen shrimp.  The “fresh” shrimp sold in markets is just defrosted like you would do, unless you live in New Orleans.)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1T neutral-tasting oil, Martha suggests safflower, I used Grapeseed

1T all-purpose flour

¾ C chicken stock, I used homemade vegetable stock.

1T fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Start with the grits as you can do all the cutting for the shrimp while the grits are cooking.  They take 1 ½ hours and your attention.

1.      Combine the water, milk, and 1 t salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.  Watch it closely as it will decide to boil over in a heartbeat.  Gradually whisk in grits, then cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling, about 10 minutes.  Do not skip the constant stirring.  This awakens the grain.  Reduce heat to low.  Cook stirring frequently and scraping across bottom of pan, until tender and creamy throughout, 1 ½ hours. 

2.      Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and the butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  I then put the pan of grits under my new heat lamps to keep it warm while I made the shrimp. 

3.      Make the shrimp: Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer to a paper plate.  (I use paper plates.  Saves the time of lining a plate with a paper towel.)

4.      Cook the onion, garlic, and bell pepper in rendered bacon fat, stirring occasionally, until just tender but not browned, 2-3 minutes.

5.      Season shrimp on both sides with salt and pepper.  Raise heat to medium-high; push vegetables to edge of skillet.  Add oil and heat until shimmering.   Add shrimp in a single layer; cook until seared on the first side, about a minute.  Flip and sear the other side another minute.  This does not seem long, but you have more steps making the sauce and you do not want to end up with rubber shrimp. 

6.      Push the shrimp to the edge with the vegetables; sprinkle the flour in the middle.  Cook, stirring flour into shrimp-vegetable mixture, 2 minutes.  Add stock.  Simmer, stirring, until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.  Add lemon juice and stir in reserved bacon.  Season with salt and pepper.

7.      To serve. Divide grits among warmed shallow bowls and top with shrimp mixture.      

This is the best shrimp for grits that I have ever made or tasted.      

Bok Choy

I finally have been able to cook Bok Choy the way I like it.  In the Key to Chinese Cooking they have a step I have been ignoring. 

·         Separate the leaves of the Bok Choy and wash well. 

·         Bring 4 C of water to a boil and in a large saucepan with 1T of oil toss a generous pinch of baking soda in the water and swish to dissolve it. 

·         Shower in the bok choy leaves.  When the green brightens, in about 30 seconds, pour water and vegetables immediately into a colander to drain. 

·         Spray with cold water to stop the cooking.

Ingredients:

Bok Choy

Oil, peanut or vegetable

Baking soda

Sesame oil

Classic Stir-Fry Sauce (House of Tsang brand)

Cooking spray

Directions:

1.      Do the step as outlined above.

2.      Heat a wok over high heat until hot.  Spray with cooking spray or lightly oil the pot. 

3.      Add the drained bok choy to the pot.  Stir fry and after the water evaporates some, add the stir-fry sauce.  (I used about 1T of sauce for 8 baby bok choy)

4.      Toss to coat and finish cooking to the texture you desire.  Sprinkle a small amount of Sesame oil and serve

We both liked the vegetable done this way.  They were bright green and delicious.

Today I threw away the history of cooking in America.  Every Food and Wine and Bon Appetite is now landfill.  I cried the entire time as I looked at each one.  I kept an issue on Paris, one on Tuscany and my favorite that describes a Mediterranean Cruise I hope to take some day.  I found some January issues labeled the best of the year.  I kept them to scan more carefully.  I have to say that many old covers had elegant desserts and dish displays that I believe we will never see again.  Recent magazines seem to cater to fast and easy.  Downsizing is hell.  Jim threw away a wreath that I made with pinecones from my Grandma’s house in Southern IL.  I spent many a summer out near these trees.  My grandfather had made a bench that spanned the trees.  No fans, no AC we gathered under the pine trees for relief for the summer heat.