Dr. Oz new Green Drink

If you want to make the new Dr. Oz green drink, realize that he has the world’s most powerful and large blender on earth.  My guess is that he has a Vita-Mix.  I had to use both my food processor to chop the vegetables fine and then the blender in two batches.  My kitchen was green from one end to the other.  He says this is 4 servings.    

Ingredients:   

2 C spinach

½ cucumber

1 quarter of a head of celery

½ bunch flat leaf parsley

3 carrots

2 apples, cored

¼ orange

¼ lemon

¼ lime

1 bunch mint

¼ pineapple

Ice

Directions:

1.       My Waring blender could not handle the chopping.  So I chopped it all in the food processor and then ½ at a time put it in the blender with ice.   

2.       He is unclear, but I peeled the carrots but not the apple.

3.       I squeezed the lemon orange and lime, and just added the juice.  I added the ¼ of the lemon and lime after tasting.   

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ina Garten has the best brownie recipe in the world in her new book foolproof.  I made it yesterday to offset the fabulous stuffed cabbage.

Ingredients:

2 sticks of unsalted butter

14 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, divided 8oz. & 6 oz.

3 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 extra large eggs

1 ½ T instant coffee granules

1 T vanilla extract

1 C plus 2 T sugar

½ C plus 2T all-purpose flour, divided

1 ½ t baking powder

½ t kosher salt

5-6 oz. good caramel sauce

2-3 t flaked sea salt, such as Maldon (available at Williams Sonoma)

Directions:

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9”x 12” x 1 ½”baking pan.

2.       Melt the butter, 8oz. chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water.

3.       Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

4.       In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar.  Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.  (Important so as not to melt the remaining chocolate chips when you add them.)

5.       In a small bowl, sift together ½ C of the flour, the baking powder, and slat and add to the chocolate mixture. 

6.       Toss the remaining 6 oz. of flour in a medium bowl and add to the chocolate mixture. (I also put in walnuts as Jim has to have walnuts in his brownies)

7.       Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

8.       Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Don’t over bake! (Now that I have calibrated my oven with a good oven thermador, the time was perfect.)

9.       As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it’s pourable.  (This is fast, and I’d put a plate under the jar unless you want to clean the glass plate in the microwave as it boils over.)  Stir until smooth.  Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the sea salt. 

10.   Cool completely and cut into 12 bars.          

Stuffed Cabbage with Rice Pilaf

The first dish I ever made for Jim after we were married was stuffed cabbage.  I had never cooked a thing before getting married.  My maid of honor asked me if I could boil water.  My mother did not cook either.  But I had received a cookbook for a present and as I was looking through it I saw this recipe for stuffed cabbage.  Once my father and I went down to visit his mother without my mother along.  When any of her daughter-in-laws were visiting, my Grandmother played Queen and they had to fix the meals.  We either went out or down the street to Dad’s best friend’s house.  That night she made for us stuffed cabbage.  I thought it was the most wonderful dish I had ever tasted.  Back to my first cooking experience, you can’t imagine the effort that went into it that day in the tiny little kitchen in married housing at Michigan State.  Jim sat down to dinner and I put my master piece on the table.  He said, “I used to throw up over this.”  I said fine, you cook, you make what you like.  When I cook, we have what I like.  He has never uttered a negative word since. 

Thanksgiving my brother and sister-in-law gifted me with the new Rachael Ray Cookbook.  There under January 8^th is Stuffed Cabbage with Rice Pilaf.  It is still after all these years of cooking labor intensive.  You can still plan on spending the day cooking and using about every pot in the kitchen.  However, having gained a little wisdom over the years, I first made Ida Gardner’s brownies from Foolpoof. 

Ingredients:  (Serves 4)

1 small head Savoy cabbage

Salt and pepper

2 T butter

1/3 C Orzo

1 C long-grain rice

4 C chicken stock

3 T dried currants

3 T EVOO

1 # meat loaf mix (ground beef, pork and veal combined) Meatloaf mix here does not contain the veal, so I bought them all separately and combined what I needed for the 1#.  The rest, I froze for future meatloaf.

2 T chopped fresh sage

1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg

1 onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, graded or finely chopped

¼ # pancetta, finely diced

1 fresh bay leaf (I used dried)

1 (14oz) can diced or crushed tomatoes

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

3 T pine nuts, toasted

¼ C flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

2/3 to ¾ C Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

1.       Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Separate 12 large leaves of cabbage.  Salt the water, boil the leaves for 2-3 minutes, drain and cool in a single layer on kitchen towels.  (Depending on the size of your head you may want to cook a few more.  This filling recipe is large and some of the smaller leaves were hard to roll and contain the filling.)

2.       From the remaining uncooked cabbage, finely chop about 1 C and set aside.

3.       In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  When the butter foams, add the orzo.  Toss the pasta until very fragrant, deeply brown, and nutty. 

4.       Stir in the rice and add 2 ½ C chicken stock and the currants.

5.       Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender, about 18 minutes.  Cool and set the pilaf aside.  (This actually worked, the rice was perfect)

6.       In a large skillet, heat 1 T of the EVOO over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the ground meat, breaking it up into crumbles as it browns.  Add the sage and season with the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. 

7.       Add half the onion, the reserved chopped cabbage, and 2/3 of the garlic, and cook 5-6 minutes.

8.       Adjust the seasoning to taste.  Remove from the heat. 

9.       In a saucepan, heat the remaining 2 T EVOO over medium to medium-high heat.  Add the pancetta and render for 2-3 minutes. 

10.   Add the remaining onion and the bay leaf, and cook the onion 5-6 minutes. 

11.   Add the remaining 1 ½ C chicken stock, the canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce, and season with salt and pepper.  (She never says what to do with the last third of garlic, but I put it in the sauce.)Simmer for 20 minutes. 

12.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

13.   In a large bowl. Combine the rice pilaf, the cooked meat, ½ C of the tomato sauch, the pine nuts, parsley, Parm, and egg. 

14.   Wrap and roll each leaf of cabbage burrito-style by placing a mound of filling in a log shape to one edge of each leaf, tuck in the sides, and roll the stuffed cabbage into logs.

15.   Arrange the stuffed cabbage logs in a 9”x 12” baking dish in a single layer and top with the rest of the tomato sauce.

16.   Bake until hot and bubbling, about 45 minutes. 

This is without a doubt the best stuffed cabbage I have ever tasted.  Jim uttered the word good, as I think he thought it was expected, but he did eat seconds. 

Dinner with Guests on Friday

Friday we are having company for dinner.  On Thursday I made the Tuscan Chickpea spread, the Spiced Nuts and the salad dressing ahead of time.  I also cut up the chicken.  I finished the main course early on Friday and kept it in the oven on warm.  I bought the olives at Whole Foods and used Idahoan mashed potatoes.  I really like this brand and only peel potatoes at Thanksgiving.  The inspiration for this menu comes from the Barefoot Contessa.  I got the main course and salad dressing from her new show in Napa.  The Tuscan Mashed Chickpeas is from her new book, Foolproof as is the Crab Strudels (blogged earlier and froze).  I got the Spiced Nuts from my friend Linda and she got it from Epicurious.  The dessert is from Trisha Yearwood’s show on FoodTV.

Menu

Tuscan mashed Chickpeas

Olives

Spiced Nuts

Crab Strudels

Chicken with Mushrooms

Green Salad and Napa Wine Vinaigrette

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Easy Peach Cobbler

Ingredients: Tuscan Mashed Chickpeas

2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas

½ C chicken stock

3 T EVOO

2 ripe medium-size tomatoes, seeded and small-diced

2 garlic cloves

¼ C freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 T minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled country bread, for serving (I used small squares of Pumpernickel bread, toasted)

Directions:

1.       Pour the chickpeas into a colander and rinse them under cold running water.  Drain well.  Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.  Add the chicken stock and pulse until the chickpeas are coarsely chopped but not pureed.

2.       In a 10” sauté pan, heat the 3 T of EVOO over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the tomatoes are softened.

3.       Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

4.       Add the chickpeas, stirring to combine with the tomatoes and garlic. 

5.       Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. 

6.       Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, lemon juice, 2t salt, and 1 t pepper.

7.       Pile in a serving bowl, drizzle with EVOO, and serve warm or at room temperature with grilled or toasted bread. 

Ingredients: Spiced Nuts

2 t vegetable oil

1 C (packed) golden brown sugar

¼ C water

3 T chili powder

2 T unsalted butter

1 T sriracha sauce

2 t salt

3 C pecans (I think you could easily use 4 C)

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       I lined a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.

3.       Attach candy thermometer to side of heavy medium saucepan.

4.       Add sugar and ¼ C water to the saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat and boil without stirring until thermometer registers 240 degrees, about 4 minutes. 

5.       Remove from heat.  Quickly stir in chili powder, butter, chili sauce and salt.

6.       Workings quickly, add nuts; stir until coated. 

7.       Transfer to baking sheet, spreading to separate nuts. 

8.       Bake until nuts are browned and mixture bubbles, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. 

9.       While they were baking I laid out parchment paper on top of 2 dish towels.  I poured the nut mixture onto the parchment paper and quickly using a spatula spread the nuts out to cool. 

10.   Start breaking the nuts apart when they are still warm, but won’t burn your fingers. 

11.   Store in an airtight container. That is if there are any left.

I put them in a container that was a little too small.  After dinner I told Jim he could snack on them.  I had to take them away so I had some left for company. 

Ingredients:  Chicken with Mushrooms

2 (3 ½ - 4#) chickens cut in eights (as no one eats other than breasts, thighs, legs, I only kept these pieces for the dish and froze everything else for chicken stock.  I had about 2# of pieces to use in stock)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, ½ C + ¼ C

½ C EVOO

8 whole garlic cloves

1 ½ # assorted mushrooms, such as porcini, cremini, cut in quarters

8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string

1/4 C dry sherry

1 T minced garlic (3 cloves)

2 C white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

2 C chicken stock

3 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:

1.       Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.       Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper.  (I laid out parchment paper for this purpose)

3.       Place ½ C flour in a bowl and dredge the chicken in the flour.

4.       In a large ovenproof pot heat the oil.  Add the chicken in 3 batches and brown lightly over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken to a plate and continue until all the chicken is browned.

5.       Add whole garlic cloves, mushrooms, and thyme to the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

6.       Add the sherry and cook for 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits. 

7.       Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

8.       Add the wine, chicken stock, 1 T salt and 1 t pepper and bring to a simmer. 

9.       Add the chicken, large pieces first, cover, and place in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

10.   Remove the chicken to a bowl and discard the thyme. 

11.   With a fork, mash together the butter and ¼ C flour and add it to the sauce. 

12.   Simmer, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.  Season to taste. 

13.   Put the chicken back in the sauce, and serve hot. 

I put the oven on warm and put it back in the oven.  The kitchen could be cleaned and ready for company.  The meal was finished. 

Ingredients:  Green Salad and Napa Wine Vinaigrette

3 T sparkling wine vinegar (this is hard to find, I had pomegranate vinegar that I used, but it was too strong)

1 t Dijon mustard

½ t whole grain mustard

½ t minced garlic

1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 t kosher salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

½ C EVOO

Baby salad greens for 6-8

Directions:

1.       In a 2 C glass measuring cup, whisk together the first 7 ingredients.

2.       Slowly whisk in the EVOO to make an emulsion.  You should have about 2/3 C vinaigrette. 

3.       For a container of greens that serves four, you only need about 1T of this dressing.  It is very strong.  I also added pomegranate seeds to the salad. 

Finally dessert called Easy Peach Cobbler.

Ingredients:

Two 15 oz. cans of sliced peaches in syrup (I actually think 3 would have been better)

1 stick of butter

1 C self-rising flour

1 C sugar

1 C milk

Directions:

1.       Drain 1 can of peaches completely; reserve the syrup from the other can of peaches.

2.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3.       Place the butter in a 9” x 12”oven proof baking dish. Heat the butter on the stove or in the oven until it’s melted. 

4.       In a medium bowl, mix the flour and sugar.  Stir in the milk and the reserved syrup. 

5.       Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish. 

6.       Arrange the peaches over the batter.

7.       Bake for 1 hour.  The cobbler is done when the batter rises around the peaches and the crust is thick and golden brown. 

8.       Serve warm with whipped cream.  I make my whipped cream with 1 t vanilla and 2 T powdered sugar to one cup of heavy whipping cream. 

This meal was delicious.  There is not one thing I would change.  If you make the chicken dish the way I did and are having more than 4 people you could easily add two more breasts, thighs, and legs to the basic dish.  There is plenty of gravy.  As it is with leftovers we will have another meal from this dish.  When I was last in Paris we have lunch at a bistro and they had the best salad dressing.  The chef added an egg to basic vinaigrette.  He obviously had the key that you also need very light vinegar and possibly just the Dijon mustard.  The dressing was a little strong for me.  You could easily substitute rice for the potatoes with the chicken also.  The chickpea spread is a great party spread.  It is easy to make and very tasty.  The nuts are to die for.  Jim served wonderful wines.  We started with Chateau Labory De Tayac, Grand Vin Margaux, 1998.  With dinner we tasted both, Clos des Mouches from Beaune, 1996 and a David Bruce Pinot Noir 1964.  I preferred the David Bruce Pinot Noir. The dessert was a little to cake like for me.  It was good, but I think I would add more peaches

Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce

This recipe was brought to my attention by a follower and friend.  I must have done something wrong as it was so salty I could not eat it.  Jim liked it. 

Ingredients:

Potato gnocchi

Salt to taste

½ C chicken stock

½ C heavy cream

4 T unsalted butter

Freshly ground black pepper

4 oz Gorgonzola

1 C Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Optional:

Pancetta (just realized Prosiutto, could be the problem)

peas

Directions:

1. Bring 6 qts. of salted water to a boil in an 8-qt. pot over high heat. 

2. Bring the stock, cream and butter to a boil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Season lightly with salt (did not use) and pepper and boil until the sauce is lightly reduced, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the gorgonzola until dissolved. 

3. If using pancetta, roast at 425 for 5-8 minutes. 

4. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon.  Cook just until they rise to the surface and roll over, 2-3 minutes. 

5. As they finish, using a wire basket skimmer add them to the sauce.  Bring the sauce and gnocchi to a boil, stirring gently to coat the gnocchi with sauce. 

6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated Parmigiano. 

7. Serve immediately

Jim served a Viansa Primitivo, 2010.  It was too young and had to be aerated.  I think you could lay it down for years.  I am going to try this recipe again, but with pancetta and not the Prosiutto.  I will not add it to the sauce though before I figure out if this is the problem.  I am definitely adding peas the next time.    

Cheesy Garlic Basil Tilapia

Tonight’s dinner on the evening of the inaugural has been very good.  I accompanied by this dish with salad and roasted petite potatoes cut in quarters.  I got this recipe from Penzeys catalogue.  I cut it in half for the two of us.  Full recipe serves 6. 

Ingredients:

6 tilapia fillets, about 4-6 oz. each (I used hake)

1-2 T basil

1 T Penzeys minced garlic

1 t minced lemon peel

¼ C white wine

Ground white pepper, to taste

2 T butter

½ C fresh basil leaves

6 T grated Asiago cheese, divided (I used Parmesan)

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 355 degrees. 

2.       In a small bowl, combine the dry basil, garlic, lemon peel and wine and let soak for 5 minutes.

3.       Arrange the tilapia in a baking dish. 

4.       Pour the spice mixture over the fish.  Sprinkle with pepper and salt.  Dot the fillets with butter and top with the fresh basil.  Sprinkle with 4 T of cheese.

5.       Bake at 355 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Do not overcook!

6.       Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T of cheese and serve. 

We both really liked this fish.  I am going to add for those of you who have bread machines that I made the Peanut-Sesame Bread from the machine cookbook today.  Haven't tasted it yet, but it turned out wonderful. 

Grilled Lamb Chops and Buttered Spinach with Vinegar

Today was a great day.  We went to a manatee performance of Mac Beth at the Troutt Theater on the Belmont University campus.  It was a very inventive production.  Jim and I really like the witches.  They were ballerinas and dressed in white; they came and went like ghosts.  The theater is beautiful and very intimate.  Not a bad seat in the house.  Then we went out to dinner.  My brother and his wife gave us for Christmas a gift certificate to what is becoming one of my favorite restaurants in Nashville, Stoney River; they always have sea bass, my favorite.  I also had a $20 dollar off coupon from the paper, almost a free meal.  They also have amazing wines by the glass. 

Last night I trusted Jim on the grille and he actually paid attention and it turned out.  We had grilled lamb chops from a recipe by Giada De Laurentis.

Ingredients: 

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1 T fresh rosemary leaves

1 t fresh thyme leaves

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Coarse sea salt

2 T EVOO

6 lamb chops, about ¾” thick (Mine were 1 ¾” thick so we had to adjust the cooking time.) 

Directions:

1.       In a food processor fitted with a metal blade add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, and salt.  Pulse until combined.  Pour in the EVOO and pulse into a paste.

2.       Rub the paste on both sides of the lamb shops and let them marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. 

3.       Remove from refrigerator and allow the chops to come to room temperature; it will take about 20 minutes. 

4.       Heat a grill pan over high heat until almost smoking, add the chops and sear for about 2 minutes.  (We did ours on the grille outside.) Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium rare and 3 ½ minutes for medium.

These were delicious.  I tried again with the Rice Quinoa from Trader Jo’s.  I used Chicken broth and soaked and cooked like I always do rice.  It still took longer and did not taste any better.  For our vegetable I made Butter Spinach with Vinegar from February’s Bon Appétit.  Stick to the garlic and EVOO for cooked spinach.  The vinegar did nothing and the butter was too much. 

Ingredients:

4 bunches flat-leaf spinach, trimmed, rinsed, with some water clinging (I have no idea what this means.  I had a very large container of baby spinach from Costco.)

6T unsalted butter

2 t red wine vinegar

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1.       Gradually add spinach to a large dry pot over medium heat, allowing it to wilt between additions; cook until tender, 5-8 minutes.

2.       Drain; press to remove liquid.  Wipe out the pot.

3.       Melt butter in same pot over medium heat.  Add spinach and the vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper and more vinegar, if desired; toss to coat. 

The saving grace of the meal was the wine.  Jim served Chateau Haut-Chaigneau, 1996, from Lalande de Pomerol, Bordeaux and it was great.