I made a pasta dish last night that was mostly stuff I had in the cupboards and thought I'd share. It doesn't have a name because it's just something I threw together for dinner.
I took a cup of dried fava beans cooked and drained them. I cooked whole wheat spaghetti. I sauteed sliced onions, reconstituted dried mushrooms, a sliced zucchini, some sun-dried tomatoes, sliced roasted red and yellow bell peppers and some garlic. I put in about a quarter cup of water and covered the pan with a lid. I let it cook for a few minutes, just to soften the zucchini a bit more. I dumped in the beans and a bunch of fresh spinach leaves. I stirred it until the beans were reheated and the spinach was wilted and hot. I seasoned it with salt and pepper. I tossed the spaghetti with enough olive oil to keep it from sticking, a bit of salt and pepper and served it with the vegetables poured over the top of each serving. I topped each serving with a bit of crumbled Feta cheese.
It was really good and really filling. And that's my favorite type of cooking--just pull stuff out of the cupboard and cook it.
I've been discovering dried beans lately. Canned are convenient, but dried taste better. I'm still getting a feel for when they're done. I sometimes don't check them often enough and they get mushy. I use those for things like bean cakes and refried beans that require you to smush the beans into a paste.
The cool thing is that you can get heirloom beans now. I've tried a variety called Red Calypso that's colored red and white. I used them with a blend of black and mahogany rice in a "red beans and rice" dish. I bought some called Eye of the Goat that are light brown with chocolate-colored swirls. I haven't tried them yet. I'm still trying to figure out what type of recipe will show them off well.
I suspect, when I get time to write, I'll be writing more about food I've been eating, since I've been sort of on a kick of trying new things. I found some rice that has been colored green with bamboo juice. It intrigued me, so we'll see how that tastes.
Mangia!
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Monday, October 13, 2008
Friday, October 12, 2007
Fusion Food
Sometimes fusion food is nothing more than a technique borrowed from one cuisine used to create a dish using ingredients from another. Take my last night's "Fried Rice". It's just a veggie sauté with rice added in. I needed a simple dish to go with baked trout. Here's what I came up with:
Veggie Fried Rice
Toasted nuts
Olive oil
Frozen veggies--thawed and drained well
1-2 slices cooked bacon--diced
Garlic
Shallots or onion
Cooked rice
salt & pepper
The amounts you need will depend on how many veggies you're cooking. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add veggies and onion. Sauté until the veggies are almost done. Add the garlic and bacon. Sauté a minute or so. Add rice. If your pan isn't nonstick--the rice will stick a little no matter how much oil you use, however, adding a bit more oil before adding the rice helps keep sticking to a minimum. Sauté to heat the rice through. Stir in the toasted nuts. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Note: This is one of those basic technique recipes you can use to create a lot of different dishes. Different vegetable combinations would go with different combinations of herbs and spices. You could melt in some grated cheese right before you serve it. I'd recommend adding the salt after the cheese, since cheese can be salty, so your dish could end up too salty if you do the salt before the cheese. You could use fresh veggies and prepare them the way you would for a stir-fry. After all, a stir-fry is simply the Asian version of the French sauté.
Mangia!
Veggie Fried Rice
Toasted nuts
Olive oil
Frozen veggies--thawed and drained well
1-2 slices cooked bacon--diced
Garlic
Shallots or onion
Cooked rice
salt & pepper
The amounts you need will depend on how many veggies you're cooking. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add veggies and onion. Sauté until the veggies are almost done. Add the garlic and bacon. Sauté a minute or so. Add rice. If your pan isn't nonstick--the rice will stick a little no matter how much oil you use, however, adding a bit more oil before adding the rice helps keep sticking to a minimum. Sauté to heat the rice through. Stir in the toasted nuts. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Note: This is one of those basic technique recipes you can use to create a lot of different dishes. Different vegetable combinations would go with different combinations of herbs and spices. You could melt in some grated cheese right before you serve it. I'd recommend adding the salt after the cheese, since cheese can be salty, so your dish could end up too salty if you do the salt before the cheese. You could use fresh veggies and prepare them the way you would for a stir-fry. After all, a stir-fry is simply the Asian version of the French sauté.
Mangia!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Fruit & Veggie Salads, Plus a Veggie Eggs Benedict
I have a couple of simple recipes I wanted to share. They're for fruit salads, even though avocados and cucumbers are usually thought of as veggies.
The first one is as Strawberry and Cucumber Salad. You peel and slice a cucumber. You slice strawberries. How many depends on how many people you're serving and how big your plates are. You have to make this one on individual salad plates. You start at the outer edge and layer alternating, concentric circles of cucumber and strawberry. I like to put a srawberry half in the middle, so I try to end up with cucumber in the center and the strawberry on top. It looks prettier that way. Sprinkle either champagne vinegar or raspberry champagne vinegar and ground white pepper over the top. That's it.
DON'T try to take a shortcut and make this in a bowl. The strawberry juice makes the cucumber turn the most ghastly gray you've ever seen. Hmmm. . .might be appropriate for a gross Halloween food, but try it at your own risk. (grin)
Tonight, Paul tried a variation. We had some strawberries, papaya, and avocadoes that needed to be eaten. He cut them into a bowl. I sprinkled some raspberry champagne vinegar and white pepper, and voila! A great, healthy fruit salad. It was really good.
It would be perfect with that veggie Eggs Benedict I made a couple of weeks ago. I roasted a portobello mushroom cap and slices of tomato. I put the portobello upside down on the plate. I put the tomato slices inside the mushroom. I wilted a few spinach leaves and put them on top. A poached egg topped the vegetables. Then a spoonful or two of freshly-made hollandaise went over the whole thing.
Mangia!
The first one is as Strawberry and Cucumber Salad. You peel and slice a cucumber. You slice strawberries. How many depends on how many people you're serving and how big your plates are. You have to make this one on individual salad plates. You start at the outer edge and layer alternating, concentric circles of cucumber and strawberry. I like to put a srawberry half in the middle, so I try to end up with cucumber in the center and the strawberry on top. It looks prettier that way. Sprinkle either champagne vinegar or raspberry champagne vinegar and ground white pepper over the top. That's it.
DON'T try to take a shortcut and make this in a bowl. The strawberry juice makes the cucumber turn the most ghastly gray you've ever seen. Hmmm. . .might be appropriate for a gross Halloween food, but try it at your own risk. (grin)
Tonight, Paul tried a variation. We had some strawberries, papaya, and avocadoes that needed to be eaten. He cut them into a bowl. I sprinkled some raspberry champagne vinegar and white pepper, and voila! A great, healthy fruit salad. It was really good.
It would be perfect with that veggie Eggs Benedict I made a couple of weeks ago. I roasted a portobello mushroom cap and slices of tomato. I put the portobello upside down on the plate. I put the tomato slices inside the mushroom. I wilted a few spinach leaves and put them on top. A poached egg topped the vegetables. Then a spoonful or two of freshly-made hollandaise went over the whole thing.
Mangia!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A Quickie Dinner
I've unpacked my cookbooks since we moved. I'm enjoying making a lot of old favorite recipes. This one is NOT low-fat, low-calorie or healthy, according to current nutritional standards. It's worth making for the occasional splurge. Plus, I don't eat a lot of it at one time. And I pair it with good, healthy stuff. It's a pasta sauce that's made by infusing cream with lemon zest and crushed red pepper flakes. I serve it over those crab & shrime ravioli you can get at Costco. I eat about 3 ravioli, because they're really filling. You don't need a lot of sauce for three ravioli, so I cut the recipe in half. Next time, I'm going to make a quarter recipe, which should still be plenty of sauce for that amount of ravioli.
Here's the recipe--Spicy Lemon Pasta Sauce (based on a recipe from The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed)
The sauce:
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced. Use however much makes it taste the way you like it. Judge by the size of the cloves, as well as the amount. I've seen large garlic cloves that are easily as much garlic as two small cloves.
1 tablespoon of butter
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. You can use 1/4 teaspoon, if you like it spicy, like I do.
The zest of one lemon. You can zest the lemon with a zester and leave it in strings or mince it, depending on your tolerance for eating cooked lemon peel. Be sure not to get any of the bitter white pith that's just under the skin of the lemon. Save a little zest to sprinkle over the top after it's done.
1 cup whipping cream. (I've tried several different ways to make lower fat dairy products work, but they tend to burn too easily.)
Salt, to taste.
Melt the butter. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute briefly, just to get the oils out for a stronger flavor. You shouldn't cook them longer than a minute and the garlic shouldn't get darker than golden brown or it starts to taste bitter. Pour in the cream and add the lemon zest. Turn the heat down. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't boil above a simmer or it will tend to boil over. Stir it occasionally as it cooks. It takes about 45-50 minutes to thicken and get a good flavor. If it gets too thick, stir in a bit more cream. Just before serving, taste it. I usually end up adding a tiny pinch of salt. Literally a pinch--I take my fingers and pick it up between my index finger and thumb because that helps me keep from putting too much in. This doesn't need very much and it's easy to shake too much from a salt shaker.
6 crab and shrimp ravioli. Cook according to package directions. Time them to be done when the sauce is finished. Drain. Put on a plate and drizzle the sauce over the ravioli.
I like to garnish this dish with snipped chives or Italian parsley, in addition to the reserved lemon zest, just to give the dish some color. All that white pasta and lemon yellow sauce can be kind of boring-looking on the plate.
Since this dish is so rich, I serve it with a very simple salad, like mixed greens with a bit of balsamic and olive oil. It's summer and there are good tomatoes around, so I might toss in some tomato, to give it more color. Grilled veggies would also be good. Or, if you don't want any additional fat in the meal, steamed asparagus is wonderful with this.
Mangia!
Hmmm. . . it just occurred to me that I could try making the infusion with stock. Thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Then put in a tablespoon of creme fraiche to give it the proper texture and dairy flavor. I'll try that next time and let you all know whether it works. I'm always trying to figure out ways to keep the flavor and texture of my food, but make it as healthy as possible for everyday meals. Come holidays or special occasions, I splurge. A Weight Watcher leader once said that we could have ten meals a year to eat what we wanted. Her point was that if you splurge every day, it's not special and it makes you fat. Saving it for truly special occasions makes it truly special and doesn't make you fat. So, this is one example of my love-hate relationship with weight, food, good nutrition, and so on.
Here's the recipe--Spicy Lemon Pasta Sauce (based on a recipe from The Top One Hundred Pasta Sauces by Diane Seed)
The sauce:
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced. Use however much makes it taste the way you like it. Judge by the size of the cloves, as well as the amount. I've seen large garlic cloves that are easily as much garlic as two small cloves.
1 tablespoon of butter
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. You can use 1/4 teaspoon, if you like it spicy, like I do.
The zest of one lemon. You can zest the lemon with a zester and leave it in strings or mince it, depending on your tolerance for eating cooked lemon peel. Be sure not to get any of the bitter white pith that's just under the skin of the lemon. Save a little zest to sprinkle over the top after it's done.
1 cup whipping cream. (I've tried several different ways to make lower fat dairy products work, but they tend to burn too easily.)
Salt, to taste.
Melt the butter. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute briefly, just to get the oils out for a stronger flavor. You shouldn't cook them longer than a minute and the garlic shouldn't get darker than golden brown or it starts to taste bitter. Pour in the cream and add the lemon zest. Turn the heat down. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't boil above a simmer or it will tend to boil over. Stir it occasionally as it cooks. It takes about 45-50 minutes to thicken and get a good flavor. If it gets too thick, stir in a bit more cream. Just before serving, taste it. I usually end up adding a tiny pinch of salt. Literally a pinch--I take my fingers and pick it up between my index finger and thumb because that helps me keep from putting too much in. This doesn't need very much and it's easy to shake too much from a salt shaker.
6 crab and shrimp ravioli. Cook according to package directions. Time them to be done when the sauce is finished. Drain. Put on a plate and drizzle the sauce over the ravioli.
I like to garnish this dish with snipped chives or Italian parsley, in addition to the reserved lemon zest, just to give the dish some color. All that white pasta and lemon yellow sauce can be kind of boring-looking on the plate.
Since this dish is so rich, I serve it with a very simple salad, like mixed greens with a bit of balsamic and olive oil. It's summer and there are good tomatoes around, so I might toss in some tomato, to give it more color. Grilled veggies would also be good. Or, if you don't want any additional fat in the meal, steamed asparagus is wonderful with this.
Mangia!
Hmmm. . . it just occurred to me that I could try making the infusion with stock. Thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Then put in a tablespoon of creme fraiche to give it the proper texture and dairy flavor. I'll try that next time and let you all know whether it works. I'm always trying to figure out ways to keep the flavor and texture of my food, but make it as healthy as possible for everyday meals. Come holidays or special occasions, I splurge. A Weight Watcher leader once said that we could have ten meals a year to eat what we wanted. Her point was that if you splurge every day, it's not special and it makes you fat. Saving it for truly special occasions makes it truly special and doesn't make you fat. So, this is one example of my love-hate relationship with weight, food, good nutrition, and so on.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Skinny Fried Chicken & Gravy
Finally managing to post this recipe. Sorry it took so long to get to it.
Ingredients:
Chicken:
2 whole chickens, cut up and skinned
1 tablespoon olive oil
Enough flour to coat the chicken pieces
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
Gravy:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves
For Chicken:
1. Mix flour and spices in a plastic bag. Shake 1 piece of chicken at a time in the bag. Place each piece on wax paper or a wire rack while you finish the rest. Do not stack the floured chicken pieces on top of each other.
2. Heat the olive oil to medium-high in a nonstick skillet. Put chicken in a single layer in pan. Brown thoroughly (about 10 - 15 minutes per side).
3. Add the 1/2 cup chicken stock. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium.
4. Cook for 15 minutes, turn chicken over, and cook an additional 15 minutes, until cooked through.
5. Take chicken out of the pan and pour the drippings into a gravy separator. Put the chicken back in the pan and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Cook about 2 - 3 minutes per side, until chicken is crispy and a reddish-brown color. Put chicken on a rack that's been placed on a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the gravy.
For gravy:
1. Mix the cornstarch and sherry to make a slurry. Pour the chicken drippings back into the pan, without the fat, and add the remaining 1 cup of stock. Bring to a boil. Add slurry. Boil about 1 minute, until thickened. Add salt, pepper, and sage, to taste.
Notes:
1. All spices, herbs, salt, and peppers are to taste. My measurements are approximate. You can substitute any herb blend you like or make up your own. You can just use salt and pepper. If you can find hot paprika, you can substitute it for the regular paprika, but be sure to omit the cayenne pepper.
2. If you're using a nonstick electric skillet, brown the chicken at about 320º F. Turn it down to about 220º F when you cover it. And turn it up to 350º F to crisp it up at the end. Regardless of whether you use an electric skillet or nonstick skillet on the stove, you'll have to experiment with the temperatures to see which ones on your equipment give you the results you want. Temperature calibration on equipment for home cooks is a rant I'll spare you all.
Mangia!
Ingredients:
Chicken:
2 whole chickens, cut up and skinned
1 tablespoon olive oil
Enough flour to coat the chicken pieces
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock
Gravy:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh sage leaves
For Chicken:
1. Mix flour and spices in a plastic bag. Shake 1 piece of chicken at a time in the bag. Place each piece on wax paper or a wire rack while you finish the rest. Do not stack the floured chicken pieces on top of each other.
2. Heat the olive oil to medium-high in a nonstick skillet. Put chicken in a single layer in pan. Brown thoroughly (about 10 - 15 minutes per side).
3. Add the 1/2 cup chicken stock. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to medium.
4. Cook for 15 minutes, turn chicken over, and cook an additional 15 minutes, until cooked through.
5. Take chicken out of the pan and pour the drippings into a gravy separator. Put the chicken back in the pan and turn the heat back up to medium-high. Cook about 2 - 3 minutes per side, until chicken is crispy and a reddish-brown color. Put chicken on a rack that's been placed on a cookie sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the gravy.
For gravy:
1. Mix the cornstarch and sherry to make a slurry. Pour the chicken drippings back into the pan, without the fat, and add the remaining 1 cup of stock. Bring to a boil. Add slurry. Boil about 1 minute, until thickened. Add salt, pepper, and sage, to taste.
Notes:
1. All spices, herbs, salt, and peppers are to taste. My measurements are approximate. You can substitute any herb blend you like or make up your own. You can just use salt and pepper. If you can find hot paprika, you can substitute it for the regular paprika, but be sure to omit the cayenne pepper.
2. If you're using a nonstick electric skillet, brown the chicken at about 320º F. Turn it down to about 220º F when you cover it. And turn it up to 350º F to crisp it up at the end. Regardless of whether you use an electric skillet or nonstick skillet on the stove, you'll have to experiment with the temperatures to see which ones on your equipment give you the results you want. Temperature calibration on equipment for home cooks is a rant I'll spare you all.
Mangia!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
My friend, June, asked me for this recipe.
I know some of you are doing Tech's Great Slim Down, and this would be difficult for you without a lot of those tradeoffs I talked about on that blog. So, tomorrow, I'll post my Skinny Fried Chicken recipe for you all to try.
Ingredients:
8 whole chicken thighs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons seasonings
1/2 cup peanut oil
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 200º F. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet.
2. Wash and dry the chicken thighs. Put in a bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Mix so the chicken is covered. Marinate 1-4 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.
3. Combine the flour and seasonings in a plastic bag or a pie plate. Heat the oil in a skillet with high sides until 375º F. One at a time, drain the buttermilk from the chicken thighs, coat with flour mixture and put, skin side down, in the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned. Turn over and brown other side.
4. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Turn the chicken over and cook 20 minutes longer, turning after 10 minutes.
5. Place, skin-side up, on wire rack and put in oven to drain and keep warm while you cook the next batch. Let the last batch drain on the rack for a few minutes before serving.
Notes:
1. You can substitute any equivalent amount of chicken parts for the 8 thighs.
2. Use whatever seasonings you want and adjust the amount to your taste. They can be as simple as salt and pepper or you can use a preblended spice mix or mix whatever spices you have on hand that you like. Adjust the amount of flour and seasonings to coat the amount and size of chicken pieces you're using. Don't flour the chicken ahead of time. Do each piece right before you put it in the pan. So, if you're doing more than one batch, leave the chicken in the buttermilk until you're ready to cook it. (Trust me on this. If you flour it ahead of time, it doesn't get as crispy and if it's not crispy, why bother?)
3. You can marinate the chicken overnight or do it in the morning and refrigerate it all day, if you want. But you don't need to do it that long for the recipe to turn out fine.
4. You'll have to adjust the amount of the oil according to the size of your pan. It should be about an inch deep. Some recipes call for putting enough oil to be halfway up the sides of the pan, but that's too much if your pan is more than two inches deep. It's Ok if you don't have a thermometer. You want the oil very hot, but not smoking.
5. You can double or halve this recipe easily. Just make sure you have enough buttermilk to coat/cover the chicken. And adjust the amount of flour & seasonings to coat the amount of chicken you're cooking. You can use more than one rack/baking sheet and put them on multiple racks in you oven to keep warm, if you're making a large batch. If you're making enough chicken to need to cook it in more than two batches, change the oil every other batch. Don't cook more than two batches with one pan of oil. You don't want to burn the chicken or your kitchen, both of which occur more easily if you overuse the oil.
Mangia!
Uber Challenge update:
I know some of you are doing Tech's Great Slim Down, and this would be difficult for you without a lot of those tradeoffs I talked about on that blog. So, tomorrow, I'll post my Skinny Fried Chicken recipe for you all to try.
Ingredients:
8 whole chicken thighs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
4 tablespoons seasonings
1/2 cup peanut oil
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 200º F. Put a wire rack on a baking sheet.
2. Wash and dry the chicken thighs. Put in a bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Mix so the chicken is covered. Marinate 1-4 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.
3. Combine the flour and seasonings in a plastic bag or a pie plate. Heat the oil in a skillet with high sides until 375º F. One at a time, drain the buttermilk from the chicken thighs, coat with flour mixture and put, skin side down, in the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned. Turn over and brown other side.
4. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Turn the chicken over and cook 20 minutes longer, turning after 10 minutes.
5. Place, skin-side up, on wire rack and put in oven to drain and keep warm while you cook the next batch. Let the last batch drain on the rack for a few minutes before serving.
Notes:
1. You can substitute any equivalent amount of chicken parts for the 8 thighs.
2. Use whatever seasonings you want and adjust the amount to your taste. They can be as simple as salt and pepper or you can use a preblended spice mix or mix whatever spices you have on hand that you like. Adjust the amount of flour and seasonings to coat the amount and size of chicken pieces you're using. Don't flour the chicken ahead of time. Do each piece right before you put it in the pan. So, if you're doing more than one batch, leave the chicken in the buttermilk until you're ready to cook it. (Trust me on this. If you flour it ahead of time, it doesn't get as crispy and if it's not crispy, why bother?)
3. You can marinate the chicken overnight or do it in the morning and refrigerate it all day, if you want. But you don't need to do it that long for the recipe to turn out fine.
4. You'll have to adjust the amount of the oil according to the size of your pan. It should be about an inch deep. Some recipes call for putting enough oil to be halfway up the sides of the pan, but that's too much if your pan is more than two inches deep. It's Ok if you don't have a thermometer. You want the oil very hot, but not smoking.
5. You can double or halve this recipe easily. Just make sure you have enough buttermilk to coat/cover the chicken. And adjust the amount of flour & seasonings to coat the amount of chicken you're cooking. You can use more than one rack/baking sheet and put them on multiple racks in you oven to keep warm, if you're making a large batch. If you're making enough chicken to need to cook it in more than two batches, change the oil every other batch. Don't cook more than two batches with one pan of oil. You don't want to burn the chicken or your kitchen, both of which occur more easily if you overuse the oil.
Mangia!
Uber Challenge update:
- I've so gotten out of the habit of doing Morning Pages. I need to make a point of doing them today.
- I'm going to do the reading for Lesson Three of the mystery class. This is the last official week of the class. I might get through Lesson Four. We'll see.
- And I have stuff, like upcoming concert dates, to add to my calendar.
- Last, I have to go over the music for rehearsal tonight.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Mixed News & Recipes
Mixed News
Paul's been hired for a three-month contract job, working through a temp agency. It could become permanent at the company where he's actually working, but we're not counting on it. We've been burned by that before. We've learned that until you've signed the paperwork for the actual company, instead of the temp agency, you have to plan for the possibility of not having a job. So, we'll continue the job hunt and save what we can toward either moving back out on our own or another period of unemployment. However, it will be a miracle if we can find a place we can afford on his salary because the places that take cats are more expensive than those that don't and rents have gone up a couple hundred dollars a month in the past eight months. The state turned me down for their training program. So, I'm going to have to update my skills on my own dime, if I'm going to try to make up the difference between what he's making and what it really costs to live here. Can't afford that right now, so it's on hold.
I'm catching up with stuff we didn't get done the past few days, since we haven't been home very much. Mostly we've been off doing errands. I've been at my older son's house helping him with his English portfolio. He needed that fresh set of eyes that can catch the spots where you didn't actually say what you thought you said, the typos, punctuation glitches, etc. that you miss when you've read it yourself for the umpteenth time.
I suspect it's going to be tomorrow before I can get to catching up with typing in the handwritten stuff. That's been on hold because I can't type if I'm not here and I've not been here so much lately. So, the handwritten stuff's been piling up. Maybe by the end of the week, I'll have an updated word count and can change my progress bar.
And we went to see Chronicles of Narnia. It was exactly what it should be. I loved it.
Recipes
Andi asked me for my Cranberry Sauce recipe. The recipe originally was from Cooking Light Magazine. I combined two different recipes, changed the amount of spices, and added a touch of my own. I can't remember whether the original had apples or pears, but it was my idea to do both.
Wen and Lisa asked me for the pot roast recipe that's the easiest I've ever made. It's an unusual recipe because pot roasts are usually braised in a bit of liquid over fairly low heat for several hours. This recipe is done at a high heat and you don't put any liquid in the pan. The high heat eliminates the need to sear the meat before you cook it, so prep time is really short. The onions have a lot of liquid in them, which forms the base for the braise. The fat from the chuck roast combines with the onion juices to caramelize the onions so they're sweet and golden brown. This recipe originally came from Gourmet Magazine. I changed some of the instructions to fit my "pinch of this and pinch of that" cooking style.
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 package fresh cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple
1 Bosc (red) pear
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 dash of ground nutmeg
Instructions:
Seed, then dice the apple and the pear into pieces about the same size as the cranberries. Put everything in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down and let simmer until the apple and pear are tender and the cranberries start to pop. Cover the pot with plastic wrap and chill before serving.
Notes:
1. You can peel the apple and pear, if you want. It doesn't matter to the recipe, so do what you prefer.
2. The cranberries may start to pop before the pear and apple are tender. It's Ok. Just keep cooking until the pear and apple are done. Tender, however, doesn't mean mushy. A toothpick should go easily through a piece, but the piece shouldn't fall apart when you stab it. There should still be some firmness to it.
3. Adjust the spices to your taste. The original recipe had so little spice that you couldn't tell there was any. I figured why waste the spices if you can't taste them? So my ingredient list has double the spices of the original.
4. You can put the sauce in a bowl before you chill it. I serve my food from the kitchen, so I serve it from the pan and save myself some washing up. The sauce will thicken as it chills. It's not going to jell, like jelly or gelatin, but it won't be soupy, either.
Braised Beef and Onions
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds onions, halved and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
Chuck roast (See Notes for specific information)
Salt
Pepper
Ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400º .
2. Pat meat dry. Sprinkle top with salt and pepper. Lightly sprinkle allspice over the meat and rub it in.
3. Put half the onions and garlic in the bottom of a 13x9-inch pan or a Dutch oven. Place the meat, spice-coated side down, on the onions.
4. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper. Lightly sprinkle allspice over the meat and rub it in.
5. Put the rest of the onions and garlic on top of the meat.
6. Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
7. Roast for an hour. Turn the meat over, scraping the onions and garlic off the top of the meat into the pan. Pick the meat up to spread the vegetables evenly underneath. Roast until the meat is very tender. (See notes for timing.)
8. Take the meat out and carve it against the grain.
9. Use a slotted spoon to put the onions and garlic into a sieve to drain off the fat. Mix the parsley in with the onions.
10. To serve: Put the meat on the plate and spoon some of the onion mixture on the top.
Notes:
1. The recipe calls for 2 2-lb. boneless roasts, 1-1/2-inch thick. I never found any that size. I used a 4-pound, bone-in roast and a 3 pound boneless roast. It took about an hour per pound, plus an extra half hour for the bone.
2. I usually use a Dutch oven that has a lid. I put the lid on top of the foil, which gives it a better seal. That's optional, though. The recipe will work fine if you just use the foil.
3. The onions won't caramelize properly if you leave them on top of the meat the whole time. That's why I suggest scraping them off when you turn the meat.
4. The parsley is optional, but it adds a nice color to an otherwise drab, brown dish. And it has a fresh flavor. Be sure you get the Italian parsley, not the regular kind.
5. The meat can be braised 2 days ahead and reheated. This makes it a good dish for company and the flavors will blend and intensify when it sits. Be sure to remove the fat before you store it for serving later. Because the liquid doesn't cover the whole dish, the trick you use for soups and chilis of taking the congealed fat off after it's chilled dosen't work for this recipe.
Mangia!
Paul's been hired for a three-month contract job, working through a temp agency. It could become permanent at the company where he's actually working, but we're not counting on it. We've been burned by that before. We've learned that until you've signed the paperwork for the actual company, instead of the temp agency, you have to plan for the possibility of not having a job. So, we'll continue the job hunt and save what we can toward either moving back out on our own or another period of unemployment. However, it will be a miracle if we can find a place we can afford on his salary because the places that take cats are more expensive than those that don't and rents have gone up a couple hundred dollars a month in the past eight months. The state turned me down for their training program. So, I'm going to have to update my skills on my own dime, if I'm going to try to make up the difference between what he's making and what it really costs to live here. Can't afford that right now, so it's on hold.
I'm catching up with stuff we didn't get done the past few days, since we haven't been home very much. Mostly we've been off doing errands. I've been at my older son's house helping him with his English portfolio. He needed that fresh set of eyes that can catch the spots where you didn't actually say what you thought you said, the typos, punctuation glitches, etc. that you miss when you've read it yourself for the umpteenth time.
I suspect it's going to be tomorrow before I can get to catching up with typing in the handwritten stuff. That's been on hold because I can't type if I'm not here and I've not been here so much lately. So, the handwritten stuff's been piling up. Maybe by the end of the week, I'll have an updated word count and can change my progress bar.
And we went to see Chronicles of Narnia. It was exactly what it should be. I loved it.
Recipes
Andi asked me for my Cranberry Sauce recipe. The recipe originally was from Cooking Light Magazine. I combined two different recipes, changed the amount of spices, and added a touch of my own. I can't remember whether the original had apples or pears, but it was my idea to do both.
Wen and Lisa asked me for the pot roast recipe that's the easiest I've ever made. It's an unusual recipe because pot roasts are usually braised in a bit of liquid over fairly low heat for several hours. This recipe is done at a high heat and you don't put any liquid in the pan. The high heat eliminates the need to sear the meat before you cook it, so prep time is really short. The onions have a lot of liquid in them, which forms the base for the braise. The fat from the chuck roast combines with the onion juices to caramelize the onions so they're sweet and golden brown. This recipe originally came from Gourmet Magazine. I changed some of the instructions to fit my "pinch of this and pinch of that" cooking style.
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 package fresh cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple
1 Bosc (red) pear
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 dash of ground nutmeg
Instructions:
Seed, then dice the apple and the pear into pieces about the same size as the cranberries. Put everything in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down and let simmer until the apple and pear are tender and the cranberries start to pop. Cover the pot with plastic wrap and chill before serving.
Notes:
1. You can peel the apple and pear, if you want. It doesn't matter to the recipe, so do what you prefer.
2. The cranberries may start to pop before the pear and apple are tender. It's Ok. Just keep cooking until the pear and apple are done. Tender, however, doesn't mean mushy. A toothpick should go easily through a piece, but the piece shouldn't fall apart when you stab it. There should still be some firmness to it.
3. Adjust the spices to your taste. The original recipe had so little spice that you couldn't tell there was any. I figured why waste the spices if you can't taste them? So my ingredient list has double the spices of the original.
4. You can put the sauce in a bowl before you chill it. I serve my food from the kitchen, so I serve it from the pan and save myself some washing up. The sauce will thicken as it chills. It's not going to jell, like jelly or gelatin, but it won't be soupy, either.
Braised Beef and Onions
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds onions, halved and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
Chuck roast (See Notes for specific information)
Salt
Pepper
Ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400º .
2. Pat meat dry. Sprinkle top with salt and pepper. Lightly sprinkle allspice over the meat and rub it in.
3. Put half the onions and garlic in the bottom of a 13x9-inch pan or a Dutch oven. Place the meat, spice-coated side down, on the onions.
4. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper. Lightly sprinkle allspice over the meat and rub it in.
5. Put the rest of the onions and garlic on top of the meat.
6. Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
7. Roast for an hour. Turn the meat over, scraping the onions and garlic off the top of the meat into the pan. Pick the meat up to spread the vegetables evenly underneath. Roast until the meat is very tender. (See notes for timing.)
8. Take the meat out and carve it against the grain.
9. Use a slotted spoon to put the onions and garlic into a sieve to drain off the fat. Mix the parsley in with the onions.
10. To serve: Put the meat on the plate and spoon some of the onion mixture on the top.
Notes:
1. The recipe calls for 2 2-lb. boneless roasts, 1-1/2-inch thick. I never found any that size. I used a 4-pound, bone-in roast and a 3 pound boneless roast. It took about an hour per pound, plus an extra half hour for the bone.
2. I usually use a Dutch oven that has a lid. I put the lid on top of the foil, which gives it a better seal. That's optional, though. The recipe will work fine if you just use the foil.
3. The onions won't caramelize properly if you leave them on top of the meat the whole time. That's why I suggest scraping them off when you turn the meat.
4. The parsley is optional, but it adds a nice color to an otherwise drab, brown dish. And it has a fresh flavor. Be sure you get the Italian parsley, not the regular kind.
5. The meat can be braised 2 days ahead and reheated. This makes it a good dish for company and the flavors will blend and intensify when it sits. Be sure to remove the fat before you store it for serving later. Because the liquid doesn't cover the whole dish, the trick you use for soups and chilis of taking the congealed fat off after it's chilled dosen't work for this recipe.
Mangia!
Monday, November 21, 2005
Thanksgiving Week--Food Seems Appropriate
Here in America, Thanksgiving week makes us all go nuts about food. How do you cook a turkey again? After all, it's been a year since you last cooked one. Maybe longer, if you rotate the cooking among various relatives. People make themselves crazy worrying about whether the food is absolutely perfect. Of course, the Thanksgivings that get talked about are the ones where it isn't perfect.
My grandmother used to go all out. She made her ravioli dinner and a full turkey dinner. And along with three kinds of pie, we got cake and ice cream because the family celebrated my November 28 birthday whenever Thanksgiving was every year. We got overstuffed and one lucky family got to take the ravioli leftovers home. We didn't care about the turkey leftovers. We'd get more turkey at Christmas. It was the ravioli that were special.
I look forward to Thanksgiving because I love turkey, and so does my family. I got in the habit of cooking it several times a year, especially since it's always one of the cheapest meats you can buy. I discovered that it's super easy to roast a good turkey. The cooking magazines keep adding steps--brining or dry brining, sticking herbs under the skin, putting stuff in the cavity, trussing--or not, high heat roasting, grilling, and now, (shudder) deep-frying. I guess it gives them things to write about. But now they're writing about the simplest way to roast a turkey and have it turn out well. I can see how it can be confusing to someone who hasn't done it before. What makes Thanksgiving harder than a normal dinner isn't the turkey. It's that you're cooking for more people than normal and making more courses and different types of dishes than you usually do.
So, in addition to the turkey, there's gravy and pie crust to obsess over. And yeast rolls or biscuits, if you've never made them from scratch before. And doing the salads and veggies fancier than usual. And cranberry sauce and yams and nontraditional recipes that are family favorites. And appetizers and first courses, if you're doing a super formal meal. It can seem overwhelming.
There are ways to make it all much easier, so you can focus more on what you're thankful for and less on worrying about what needs to be done next to get dinner on the table. The first thing to do is to look at the menu. If you're not having a huge crowd, maybe you don't need so many different dishes. People get too stuffed if you put out too many appetizers, so keep them to a minimum or skip them, if there's not much time between when they get there and when you serve dinner. You don't have to serve a soup course, either. If only one person likes a particular dish, maybe you can skip that dish or have the one person who waits all year just for that dish make it. You can save yourself a lot of work by cooking the turkey, stuffing, and gravy and having everyone pot luck the rest of the meal.
Another thing is to do as much ahead of time as possible. You can make rolls in advance and freeze them. You can do the same with pies. Cranberry sauce is really simple to make and it's better if you make it 1-2 days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. You can caramelize thawed pearl onions a day ahead to add to a green veggie. You can toast sliced or slivered almonds a day ahead to put on a veggie dish. Tosted pecans are great for sweet potato dishes. You can cook bacon bits in advance and use them to liven up rolls, potatoes, or veggies. Grated cheese is another simple ingredient that you can add to rolls. Fresh herbs can be used in any dish.
The last trick is to buy some things preprepared. Rolls and desserts can be purchased at a bakery and they're just as good as what you can spend a lot of time making yourself. You can buy a complete meal from many grocery stores and some restaurants, but we were disappointed in the food when we were invited to dinner at someone's house who did that. The food was bland and way over-salted. The turkey was dry.
My plan for this year, because I'm in my mom's kitchen, is to get the rolls and dessert premade. I'm doing the cranberry sauce on Wednesday. I'm not doing giblet stock for the gravy. I'm using canned, no-fat, low-sodium chicken stock, which I'll use to baste the turkey. That will give it more of a turkey flavor in the gravy. I'd love to cut one more course and just do stuffing, because we don't have that many people to feed. But my family insists on potatoes and I only get stuffing once a year.
So, does anyone have any Thanksgiving cooking questions they'd like answered? Or recipes you'd like me to post? Write me a note in the comments and if I get any, I'll post them as my posts for the next two days.
My grandmother used to go all out. She made her ravioli dinner and a full turkey dinner. And along with three kinds of pie, we got cake and ice cream because the family celebrated my November 28 birthday whenever Thanksgiving was every year. We got overstuffed and one lucky family got to take the ravioli leftovers home. We didn't care about the turkey leftovers. We'd get more turkey at Christmas. It was the ravioli that were special.
I look forward to Thanksgiving because I love turkey, and so does my family. I got in the habit of cooking it several times a year, especially since it's always one of the cheapest meats you can buy. I discovered that it's super easy to roast a good turkey. The cooking magazines keep adding steps--brining or dry brining, sticking herbs under the skin, putting stuff in the cavity, trussing--or not, high heat roasting, grilling, and now, (shudder) deep-frying. I guess it gives them things to write about. But now they're writing about the simplest way to roast a turkey and have it turn out well. I can see how it can be confusing to someone who hasn't done it before. What makes Thanksgiving harder than a normal dinner isn't the turkey. It's that you're cooking for more people than normal and making more courses and different types of dishes than you usually do.
So, in addition to the turkey, there's gravy and pie crust to obsess over. And yeast rolls or biscuits, if you've never made them from scratch before. And doing the salads and veggies fancier than usual. And cranberry sauce and yams and nontraditional recipes that are family favorites. And appetizers and first courses, if you're doing a super formal meal. It can seem overwhelming.
There are ways to make it all much easier, so you can focus more on what you're thankful for and less on worrying about what needs to be done next to get dinner on the table. The first thing to do is to look at the menu. If you're not having a huge crowd, maybe you don't need so many different dishes. People get too stuffed if you put out too many appetizers, so keep them to a minimum or skip them, if there's not much time between when they get there and when you serve dinner. You don't have to serve a soup course, either. If only one person likes a particular dish, maybe you can skip that dish or have the one person who waits all year just for that dish make it. You can save yourself a lot of work by cooking the turkey, stuffing, and gravy and having everyone pot luck the rest of the meal.
Another thing is to do as much ahead of time as possible. You can make rolls in advance and freeze them. You can do the same with pies. Cranberry sauce is really simple to make and it's better if you make it 1-2 days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. You can caramelize thawed pearl onions a day ahead to add to a green veggie. You can toast sliced or slivered almonds a day ahead to put on a veggie dish. Tosted pecans are great for sweet potato dishes. You can cook bacon bits in advance and use them to liven up rolls, potatoes, or veggies. Grated cheese is another simple ingredient that you can add to rolls. Fresh herbs can be used in any dish.
The last trick is to buy some things preprepared. Rolls and desserts can be purchased at a bakery and they're just as good as what you can spend a lot of time making yourself. You can buy a complete meal from many grocery stores and some restaurants, but we were disappointed in the food when we were invited to dinner at someone's house who did that. The food was bland and way over-salted. The turkey was dry.
My plan for this year, because I'm in my mom's kitchen, is to get the rolls and dessert premade. I'm doing the cranberry sauce on Wednesday. I'm not doing giblet stock for the gravy. I'm using canned, no-fat, low-sodium chicken stock, which I'll use to baste the turkey. That will give it more of a turkey flavor in the gravy. I'd love to cut one more course and just do stuffing, because we don't have that many people to feed. But my family insists on potatoes and I only get stuffing once a year.
So, does anyone have any Thanksgiving cooking questions they'd like answered? Or recipes you'd like me to post? Write me a note in the comments and if I get any, I'll post them as my posts for the next two days.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Enchiladas Suizas Casserole
This is one of my favorite ways to use up those bits of leftover roasted chicken meat that are too small for sandwiches.
Enchiladas Suizas
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
Chicken filling:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts or
12 ounces leftover chicken meat--shredded
1 can black beans--drained and rinsed
2 medium scallions--sliced
2 medium limes--juiced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tortilla layer:
10 medium flour tortillas
Sauce:
1 large onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 chipotle peppers--minced, with 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
12 ounces canned diced green chiles
1/2 cup flour
1 cup any kind of milk or
1 cup whipping cream or
3/4 cup 1% milk and 1/4 cup creme fraiche or
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk and 1/4 cup whipping cream
2 cups chicken stock
Cheese layer:
4 ounces cheddar cheese--shredded
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese--shredded
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven: 400º F. Lightly oil a 13x9x2-inch pan with olive oil.
2. If you're using raw chicken, poach, cool, and shred chicken breast. Combine shredded chicken with the beans, scallions, lime juice, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stack tortillas and cut into quarters.
4. Combine shredded cheeses in a small bowl.
5. Combine chili powder, minced garlic, cumin, oregano, and minced chipotles in a small bowl.
4. Heat olive oil in 5-quart saucepan. Add onion and saute until soft. Add chili powder mixture. Cook about a minute. Add diced chiles. Add flour, mix well, and cook until you don't smell that raw flour smell. Whisk in chicken stock. When there are no lumps of flour, add the milk or cream or milk & creme fraiche. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup sauce into the bottom of the casserole. Then layer the ingredients as follows:
Notes:
1. This is best with fresh cilantro, but if all you have is dried, use 1 tablespoon. If you don't like cilantro, leave it out.
2. Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeno peppers. You can buy them in cans with adobo sauce. I chop one pepper extremely fine and add 1 tsp. adobo sauce. You can adjust it for your personal taste.
3. I use whole wheat tortillas in this recipe, but you can use regular flour tortillas. I haven't tried using corn tortillas. They might be good, too. If anyone tries corn tortillas, let me know how it worked for you.
4. Diced chiles come in 4-ounce and 7-ounce cans. I buy either 3 small ones or 2 large ones, whichever is cheaper. They're not spicy enough to make a difference, so I just toss in the extra 2 ounces when I use large cans.
5. If you're using raw chicken, poach and cool it before you preheat the oven and make the rest of the recipe.
6. The sauce--there will be lumps from the onions, so don't look for a perfectly smooth sauce. What you're aiming for is to have no dry flour left before you add the dairy because the flour blends more easily into the stock than into milk.
7. The Dairy: This recipe works with any combination of milk/cream. The difference is that it's richer with whipping cream than with nonfat milk. If you can find or make creme fraiche, the 1% milk/creme fraiche blend makes a sauce as rich as using all whipping cream, but with 1/4 the fat. The evaporated skim milk blend is almost as good as the creme fraiche option.
8. Making your own creme fraiche costs about half what it costs to buy it, but requires that you plan ahead. Here's how: Take 1 cup whipping cream and mix in 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Make sure the buttermilk has active cultures. It should say so on the carton. A glass jar is a good container, but any nonreactive bowl will work. Cover it and let it sit on the kitchen counter until thickened. This usually takes 24-48 hours. It's done when it's a bit thinner than sour cream. It also will be slightly sour, but not as much as sour cream. Then refrigerate. The food safety folks, who are overly conservative, IMO, say it keeps for about three days. I've kept mine for as long as two weeks without any problems. You can tell when it needs to be thrown out because it gets moldy. Or it gets yellow and thick, which means it's soured beyond being edible.
I love to use this stuff in a mixture with 1% milk in cream sauces, custards and quiches, cream soups, etc. It gives that texture you miss when you substitute milk for cream without as much fat. I use a 3:1 ratio when substituting. Then adjust it the next time I make it, if I need to.
9. The other low-fat alternative: You can substitute plain, nonfat or lowfat yogurt for the milk. I don't like to because it curdles so easily. What you have to do is bring the yogurt to room temperature. Then temper it by putting some of the hot sauce into the yogurt and warming it up before you put it in the sauce. Cook it on very low heat until the sauce is thickened. Use a lower oven temperature--no more than 350º F. Check after 30 minutes and then check every ten minutes until it's done. I'm not sure of the exact time because I haven't done it this way for years. The trick is to catch it as close as you can to when the cheese melts and not let it cook too long. I think that's a pain, so I go with the slightly higher fat variations mentioneded above.
10. You can do everything in advance and just pop it in the oven before you serve it. It will take about 45 minutes from the refrigerator and maybe 30 minutes if you let it sit out for an hour before you put it in the oven. Those are approximate times. Every oven is a bit different, so you have to adjust the time to how your oven works.
Mangia!
© 2000 by Linda Sprinkle
Enchiladas Suizas
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
Chicken filling:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts or
12 ounces leftover chicken meat--shredded
1 can black beans--drained and rinsed
2 medium scallions--sliced
2 medium limes--juiced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tortilla layer:
10 medium flour tortillas
Sauce:
1 large onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 chipotle peppers--minced, with 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
12 ounces canned diced green chiles
1/2 cup flour
1 cup any kind of milk or
1 cup whipping cream or
3/4 cup 1% milk and 1/4 cup creme fraiche or
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk and 1/4 cup whipping cream
2 cups chicken stock
Cheese layer:
4 ounces cheddar cheese--shredded
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese--shredded
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven: 400º F. Lightly oil a 13x9x2-inch pan with olive oil.
2. If you're using raw chicken, poach, cool, and shred chicken breast. Combine shredded chicken with the beans, scallions, lime juice, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stack tortillas and cut into quarters.
4. Combine shredded cheeses in a small bowl.
5. Combine chili powder, minced garlic, cumin, oregano, and minced chipotles in a small bowl.
4. Heat olive oil in 5-quart saucepan. Add onion and saute until soft. Add chili powder mixture. Cook about a minute. Add diced chiles. Add flour, mix well, and cook until you don't smell that raw flour smell. Whisk in chicken stock. When there are no lumps of flour, add the milk or cream or milk & creme fraiche. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened.
5. Spoon 1/2 cup sauce into the bottom of the casserole. Then layer the ingredients as follows:
- Layer 1: 1/3 of the tortilla pieces; 1/2 of the chicken; 1/3 of the cheese; 1/3 of the sauce
- Layer 2: 1/3 of the tortilla pieces; 1/2 of the chicken; 1/3 of the cheese; 1/3 of the sauce
- Layer 3: 1/3 of the tortilla pieces; 1/3 of the sauce; 1/3 of the cheese
Notes:
1. This is best with fresh cilantro, but if all you have is dried, use 1 tablespoon. If you don't like cilantro, leave it out.
2. Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeno peppers. You can buy them in cans with adobo sauce. I chop one pepper extremely fine and add 1 tsp. adobo sauce. You can adjust it for your personal taste.
3. I use whole wheat tortillas in this recipe, but you can use regular flour tortillas. I haven't tried using corn tortillas. They might be good, too. If anyone tries corn tortillas, let me know how it worked for you.
4. Diced chiles come in 4-ounce and 7-ounce cans. I buy either 3 small ones or 2 large ones, whichever is cheaper. They're not spicy enough to make a difference, so I just toss in the extra 2 ounces when I use large cans.
5. If you're using raw chicken, poach and cool it before you preheat the oven and make the rest of the recipe.
6. The sauce--there will be lumps from the onions, so don't look for a perfectly smooth sauce. What you're aiming for is to have no dry flour left before you add the dairy because the flour blends more easily into the stock than into milk.
7. The Dairy: This recipe works with any combination of milk/cream. The difference is that it's richer with whipping cream than with nonfat milk. If you can find or make creme fraiche, the 1% milk/creme fraiche blend makes a sauce as rich as using all whipping cream, but with 1/4 the fat. The evaporated skim milk blend is almost as good as the creme fraiche option.
8. Making your own creme fraiche costs about half what it costs to buy it, but requires that you plan ahead. Here's how: Take 1 cup whipping cream and mix in 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Make sure the buttermilk has active cultures. It should say so on the carton. A glass jar is a good container, but any nonreactive bowl will work. Cover it and let it sit on the kitchen counter until thickened. This usually takes 24-48 hours. It's done when it's a bit thinner than sour cream. It also will be slightly sour, but not as much as sour cream. Then refrigerate. The food safety folks, who are overly conservative, IMO, say it keeps for about three days. I've kept mine for as long as two weeks without any problems. You can tell when it needs to be thrown out because it gets moldy. Or it gets yellow and thick, which means it's soured beyond being edible.
I love to use this stuff in a mixture with 1% milk in cream sauces, custards and quiches, cream soups, etc. It gives that texture you miss when you substitute milk for cream without as much fat. I use a 3:1 ratio when substituting. Then adjust it the next time I make it, if I need to.
9. The other low-fat alternative: You can substitute plain, nonfat or lowfat yogurt for the milk. I don't like to because it curdles so easily. What you have to do is bring the yogurt to room temperature. Then temper it by putting some of the hot sauce into the yogurt and warming it up before you put it in the sauce. Cook it on very low heat until the sauce is thickened. Use a lower oven temperature--no more than 350º F. Check after 30 minutes and then check every ten minutes until it's done. I'm not sure of the exact time because I haven't done it this way for years. The trick is to catch it as close as you can to when the cheese melts and not let it cook too long. I think that's a pain, so I go with the slightly higher fat variations mentioneded above.
10. You can do everything in advance and just pop it in the oven before you serve it. It will take about 45 minutes from the refrigerator and maybe 30 minutes if you let it sit out for an hour before you put it in the oven. Those are approximate times. Every oven is a bit different, so you have to adjust the time to how your oven works.
Mangia!
© 2000 by Linda Sprinkle
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Soup
Paul got a phone call tonight for an interview tomorrow. Fingers crossed, prayers said. Please send good vibes. Details will come if he gets the job.
The season's changing. I'm rethinking what we'll be having for dinner as we approach colder days and darker evenings. The grill will have to be put away for the winter soon. Soup comes to mind as something I like to make. So, here's my Mix-and-Match soup recipe.
Mix-and Match Soup
Makes about 5 quarts.
Ingredients:
1 large can low-salt, no-fat chicken broth
or
3 small cans beef broth or vegetable broth
or
6 cups homemade stock
4 oz. orzo pasta, cooked
or
1 cup rice, cooked
or
2 cups potatoes, diced into about a half-inch dice
1 can cooked beans
or
2 cups cooked dried beans
1 package frozen vegetables
or
3-4 cups fresh vegetables
(optional) 1-2 cups chopped cooked chicken, beef, pork, ham
Salt and pepper, to taste
Any spices, herbs, seasonings that appeal to you
Instructions:
Put everything in the pot except the cooked pasta or rice and any fresh herbs you might be using. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Add the pasta or rice and fresh herbs just before serving.
Notes:
1. This is the simplest soup you'll ever make. Just combine the ingredients in any way that pleases you.
2. I often use themes. If I've got Italian green beans, I'll throw in a can of diced tomatoes. For seasoning, I'll use basil, oregano, nutmeg and maybe marjoram. If I've got a southwestern veggie blend, I'll put in chili powder, oregano, cumin and cilantro. Look at other recipes you like and see if you can adapt the seasoning to your taste.
3. You can substitute any small pasta for the orzo. Alphabet pasta is a hit with kids. And, if you have kids, you can leave out things they don't like.
4. If you don't want 5 quarts of soup hanging around, make less. The amount of each ingredient is not crucial to this recipe. That's why it's a good one to use to experiment with.
5. If you have an immersion blender, you can use it to make the soup thicker by blending it slightly. The beans or potatoes will thicken it a bit.
Mangia!
The season's changing. I'm rethinking what we'll be having for dinner as we approach colder days and darker evenings. The grill will have to be put away for the winter soon. Soup comes to mind as something I like to make. So, here's my Mix-and-Match soup recipe.
Mix-and Match Soup
Makes about 5 quarts.
Ingredients:
1 large can low-salt, no-fat chicken broth
or
3 small cans beef broth or vegetable broth
or
6 cups homemade stock
4 oz. orzo pasta, cooked
or
1 cup rice, cooked
or
2 cups potatoes, diced into about a half-inch dice
1 can cooked beans
or
2 cups cooked dried beans
1 package frozen vegetables
or
3-4 cups fresh vegetables
(optional) 1-2 cups chopped cooked chicken, beef, pork, ham
Salt and pepper, to taste
Any spices, herbs, seasonings that appeal to you
Instructions:
Put everything in the pot except the cooked pasta or rice and any fresh herbs you might be using. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Add the pasta or rice and fresh herbs just before serving.
Notes:
1. This is the simplest soup you'll ever make. Just combine the ingredients in any way that pleases you.
2. I often use themes. If I've got Italian green beans, I'll throw in a can of diced tomatoes. For seasoning, I'll use basil, oregano, nutmeg and maybe marjoram. If I've got a southwestern veggie blend, I'll put in chili powder, oregano, cumin and cilantro. Look at other recipes you like and see if you can adapt the seasoning to your taste.
3. You can substitute any small pasta for the orzo. Alphabet pasta is a hit with kids. And, if you have kids, you can leave out things they don't like.
4. If you don't want 5 quarts of soup hanging around, make less. The amount of each ingredient is not crucial to this recipe. That's why it's a good one to use to experiment with.
5. If you have an immersion blender, you can use it to make the soup thicker by blending it slightly. The beans or potatoes will thicken it a bit.
Mangia!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Side Dishes
It's getting close to dinnertime here, which may be why posting a couple more recipes seems like a good idea today. Remember the Oven-Fried Mustard Chicken? Well, today I thought I'd give you a couple of recipes that go well with it.
Sauteed Green Beans w/Bacon & Onion
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 pound green beans -- snapped or 1 package frozen green beans, thawed and drained
2 slices bacon -- cut in 1/4" pieces
1/2 medium red onion -- sliced
1 ounce sliced almonds
Instructions:
1. Toast almonds in a dry nonstick skillet.
2. Heat a large skillet. Saute bacon and onion until onion is soft. Add beans and saute until done. Serve. Sprinkle 1/4 of the almonds over each serving.
Note:
You don't want the onion slices to be too unwieldy to eat, so if the onion is large, cut the slices into smaller pieces.
Broiled Oregano Tomatoes
Serving Size : 4
Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons scallions -- sliced thin
2 tablespoons Italian parsley -- minced
4 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pinch salt and pepper -- to taste
2 tablespoons Feta cheese -- crumbled
4 whole, pitted Kalamata olives -- sliced
Instructions:
1. Preheat the over to 350º.
2. Put the bread, garlic, Italian parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in the blender and grind it up.
3. Cut large tomatoes in half or cut the top off of small ones. If necessary, cut a tiny slice from the bottom to make it stand up. Scoop out most of the pulp and place in a bowl. Add the bread mixture and mix well.
4. Divide up the tomato mixture among the tomatoes. Pile it up by pressing it together. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked, about 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Press the slices from one olive into each tomato. Broil until the cheese melts.
Notes:
1. You can prep the tomatoes in advance, except for the cheese and olives. Cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake them.
2. You can use fresh oregano, if you want. Use 1-1/2 tablespoons of fresh oregano leaves.
3. If you don't want to fuss with making it "look pretty', dice the olives and mix them into the tomato pulp along with the bread crumb mixture.
Mangia!
Sauteed Green Beans w/Bacon & Onion
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 pound green beans -- snapped or 1 package frozen green beans, thawed and drained
2 slices bacon -- cut in 1/4" pieces
1/2 medium red onion -- sliced
1 ounce sliced almonds
Instructions:
1. Toast almonds in a dry nonstick skillet.
2. Heat a large skillet. Saute bacon and onion until onion is soft. Add beans and saute until done. Serve. Sprinkle 1/4 of the almonds over each serving.
Note:
You don't want the onion slices to be too unwieldy to eat, so if the onion is large, cut the slices into smaller pieces.
Broiled Oregano Tomatoes
Serving Size : 4
Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons scallions -- sliced thin
2 tablespoons Italian parsley -- minced
4 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pinch salt and pepper -- to taste
2 tablespoons Feta cheese -- crumbled
4 whole, pitted Kalamata olives -- sliced
Instructions:
1. Preheat the over to 350º.
2. Put the bread, garlic, Italian parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in the blender and grind it up.
3. Cut large tomatoes in half or cut the top off of small ones. If necessary, cut a tiny slice from the bottom to make it stand up. Scoop out most of the pulp and place in a bowl. Add the bread mixture and mix well.
4. Divide up the tomato mixture among the tomatoes. Pile it up by pressing it together. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked, about 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Press the slices from one olive into each tomato. Broil until the cheese melts.
Notes:
1. You can prep the tomatoes in advance, except for the cheese and olives. Cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake them.
2. You can use fresh oregano, if you want. Use 1-1/2 tablespoons of fresh oregano leaves.
3. If you don't want to fuss with making it "look pretty', dice the olives and mix them into the tomato pulp along with the bread crumb mixture.
Mangia!
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Nothing in Particular & Another Recipe
I've been reading some good books this week, but I need to finish before I write a recommendation. No wallbangers in this bunch, though.
I'm looking forward to next week. We have more birthdays to celebrate. I need to find out what my family wants to do for Paul's birthday. And my friends need to get their schedules worked out so they can tell me what we're doing for the three people whose birthdays are in August. Paul's is on the 8th. Two of my friends were born the same year on the same day, the 9th.
We're due for another heat wave. I think it's time for some different sandwiches besides the deli meat ones we've been eating this summer. I also think I should do a potato or pasta salad because I'm getting tired of chips. My husband dropped my electric skillet and broke the plastic leg. That means I can't do fries or one-skillet meals because using the stove or oven heats up the kitchen too much.
I'm looking for a new skillet, but not having a lot of luck. I loved this one because it had 3"-deep sides and a glass lid. Most of them have 1-1/2"-2" sides and these high dome lids. I don't need a high dome lid. I need the bottom to be deep enough to put the stuff in and not have it splash all over the counter when you stir it. It figures that replacements for mine seem to have disappeared about the time I need one. (sigh) Hmmm . . . here I am using the internet to talk about this irritant in my life and I didn't use it to look for a new skillet. I guess it's time to google.
Meanwhile, I'm going to share one of my favorite summer desserts. It goes really well as a finish for a spicy meal. It's from the book Chocolate and the Art of Lowfat Desserts by Alice Medrich. I love this cookbook. She has lots of excellent lowfat treats. But she also includes the building blocks so you can experiment and make up your own treats. Unfortunately, the book is out of print, but you might be able to find a copy used.
Lemon Bars
Makes 16 bars
Ingredients:
Crust:
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 pinch salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons unsalted butter -- at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk (reserve the white for the topping)
1 tablespoon nonfat yogurt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
2 large eggs (+ reserved white)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice -- strained
zest of 1 large lemon, grated
1/4 cup unbleached flour
powdered sugar for dusting
1. Position the rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 350º F. Place a sheet of aluminum foil in an 8" baking pan, leaving the edges hanging over the edge of the pan. Butter the foil or spray it with vegetable spray.
2. Crust: Stir the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda with a whisk to combine. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at high speed for about 1 minute, or until mixture begins to form a mass. Beat in the egg yolk, yogurt, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape bowl and beater. Knead the mixture briefly with your hands to mix thoroughly.
3. Press the dough evenly into the pan and prick all over with a skewer or fork. If pan is lightweight, place on baking sheet. Bake until brown on top, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven temperature down to 300º F.
4. Topping: Whisk eggs and the egg white with the remaining sugar until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Whisk in the flour. Pour topping mixture over hot, baked crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until topping barely jiggles in the center when you shake the pan gently back and forth. Cool on a rack. Chill before cutting into 16 pieces. When you're ready to cut it, use the foil edges to take the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board. This makes it easier to cut and to separate the slices.
5. Serve cold or at room temperature. Dust them with powdered sugar immediately before eating. The sugar gets absorbed into the topping when they sit overnight. Can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. Do not freeze.
Mangia!
Source: Chocolate and the Art of Lowfat Desserts
Copyright: © 1994
I'm looking forward to next week. We have more birthdays to celebrate. I need to find out what my family wants to do for Paul's birthday. And my friends need to get their schedules worked out so they can tell me what we're doing for the three people whose birthdays are in August. Paul's is on the 8th. Two of my friends were born the same year on the same day, the 9th.
We're due for another heat wave. I think it's time for some different sandwiches besides the deli meat ones we've been eating this summer. I also think I should do a potato or pasta salad because I'm getting tired of chips. My husband dropped my electric skillet and broke the plastic leg. That means I can't do fries or one-skillet meals because using the stove or oven heats up the kitchen too much.
I'm looking for a new skillet, but not having a lot of luck. I loved this one because it had 3"-deep sides and a glass lid. Most of them have 1-1/2"-2" sides and these high dome lids. I don't need a high dome lid. I need the bottom to be deep enough to put the stuff in and not have it splash all over the counter when you stir it. It figures that replacements for mine seem to have disappeared about the time I need one. (sigh) Hmmm . . . here I am using the internet to talk about this irritant in my life and I didn't use it to look for a new skillet. I guess it's time to google.
Meanwhile, I'm going to share one of my favorite summer desserts. It goes really well as a finish for a spicy meal. It's from the book Chocolate and the Art of Lowfat Desserts by Alice Medrich. I love this cookbook. She has lots of excellent lowfat treats. But she also includes the building blocks so you can experiment and make up your own treats. Unfortunately, the book is out of print, but you might be able to find a copy used.
Lemon Bars
Makes 16 bars
Ingredients:
Crust:
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 pinch salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons unsalted butter -- at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk (reserve the white for the topping)
1 tablespoon nonfat yogurt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
2 large eggs (+ reserved white)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice -- strained
zest of 1 large lemon, grated
1/4 cup unbleached flour
powdered sugar for dusting
1. Position the rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 350º F. Place a sheet of aluminum foil in an 8" baking pan, leaving the edges hanging over the edge of the pan. Butter the foil or spray it with vegetable spray.
2. Crust: Stir the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda with a whisk to combine. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at high speed for about 1 minute, or until mixture begins to form a mass. Beat in the egg yolk, yogurt, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape bowl and beater. Knead the mixture briefly with your hands to mix thoroughly.
3. Press the dough evenly into the pan and prick all over with a skewer or fork. If pan is lightweight, place on baking sheet. Bake until brown on top, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and turn oven temperature down to 300º F.
4. Topping: Whisk eggs and the egg white with the remaining sugar until combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Whisk in the flour. Pour topping mixture over hot, baked crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until topping barely jiggles in the center when you shake the pan gently back and forth. Cool on a rack. Chill before cutting into 16 pieces. When you're ready to cut it, use the foil edges to take the bars out of the pan and place on a cutting board. This makes it easier to cut and to separate the slices.
5. Serve cold or at room temperature. Dust them with powdered sugar immediately before eating. The sugar gets absorbed into the topping when they sit overnight. Can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. Do not freeze.
Mangia!
Source: Chocolate and the Art of Lowfat Desserts
Copyright: © 1994
Friday, July 29, 2005
Summertime and the Grilling is Easy
With apologies to George Gershwin for the bad pun. I couldn't resist. I'm a little disappointed, though. Stephen Raichlen, who writes Paul's favorite books on grilling, was supposed to do a demo and book signing at a local Barbeques Galore store. Unfortunately, they closed the store and didn't reschedule the signing at the other store in the area. He's going to be at Sur Le Table in Santana Row tonight. But they're starting before Paul gets off work. I was hoping to write a post about the signing.
Instead, I'll write a bit about our new barbecue. Barbecuing is one of Paul's passions. He misses being able to cook with charcoal, but we understand why owners of apartment complexes prefer gas. A few weeks ago, the propane tank on my mom's horrible gas barbecue ran out of gas. We went off to the service station to fill it. No dice. It's old and doesn't have a safety valve that's required by law. Mom doesn't want to buy a new propane tank because she doesn't use her barbecue when she's by herself. We went shopping.
At first we thought we were out of luck. There are lots of gas grills in all price ranges that will cook steaks and hamburgers. But, we couldn't find a gas barbecue that would cook ribs, small roasts and whole chickens for under $500. That's way out of our budget. Then we perused the Weber barbecue site. They have two small grills that are perfect for apartment living. The "Q" and the "Baby Q". The secret to doing roasts on the Q is that the cast iron grill acts as a heat source. So, you put the meat on a rack above the grill, turn the gas down so it keeps the grill hot, and roast away. Paul got a great Father's Day and birthday gift this year. We bought the Q and really love it. I cooked a pork roast and it turned out great.
Now I bet you're expecting a pork roast recipe. Unfortunately, I just coated it with a commercial rub and roasted it for an hour and a half. So, how about a rib recipe instead? I got this from a Good Housekeeping magazine. My notes don't have the date when it was published. I've changed it a bit, as I'm wont to do with recipes. My family accuses me of never cooking a recipe the same way twice.
Plum-Good Baby Back Ribs
Serving Size : 4
Ingredients:
4 pounds pork baby back ribs
12 whole black peppercorns
2 whole bay leaves
10 whole star anise
2 whole cinnamon sticks
4 quarts water -- enough to cover per instructions
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ginger -- peeled and finely minced or grated using a ceramic ginger grater
1 whole garlic clove -- crushed
1 small jar plum jam
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
Optional garnishes: toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions
Instructions:
1. Place ribs, peppercorns, bay leaves, 4 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick in an 8-quart stockpot. Add enough water to cover ribs, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 40 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry with paper towels. You can do this in advance and refrigerate the ribs, covered, until you're ready to grill and serve them.
2. Prepare glaze: In 1-quart saucepan, heat soy sauce, remaining star anise, cinnamon stick, grated ginger and garlic. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Strain mixture into bowl; discard star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic. Stir in plum jam and toasted sesame seed oil.
3. Place ribs on grill over medium heat. Cook 10 minutes, turning once, until browned. Brush ribs with some glaze and cook 10 minutes longer, brushing with remaining glaze and turning every two minutes.
4. Put on plates and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes and Tips:
1. I've made this successfully with both beef ribs and regular pork spareribs, both of which are way less expensive than the babybacks.
2. Plum jam is readily available here. But if it weren't, I'd try blackberry, black raspberry, or boysenberry.
3. If you can't find star anise, you can buy it online from Penzey's Spices. And if you're not a licorice lover, as I and my family are not, I assure you that the star anise doesn't add an overpowering licorice flavor to the glaze.
Mangia!
Instead, I'll write a bit about our new barbecue. Barbecuing is one of Paul's passions. He misses being able to cook with charcoal, but we understand why owners of apartment complexes prefer gas. A few weeks ago, the propane tank on my mom's horrible gas barbecue ran out of gas. We went off to the service station to fill it. No dice. It's old and doesn't have a safety valve that's required by law. Mom doesn't want to buy a new propane tank because she doesn't use her barbecue when she's by herself. We went shopping.
At first we thought we were out of luck. There are lots of gas grills in all price ranges that will cook steaks and hamburgers. But, we couldn't find a gas barbecue that would cook ribs, small roasts and whole chickens for under $500. That's way out of our budget. Then we perused the Weber barbecue site. They have two small grills that are perfect for apartment living. The "Q" and the "Baby Q". The secret to doing roasts on the Q is that the cast iron grill acts as a heat source. So, you put the meat on a rack above the grill, turn the gas down so it keeps the grill hot, and roast away. Paul got a great Father's Day and birthday gift this year. We bought the Q and really love it. I cooked a pork roast and it turned out great.
Now I bet you're expecting a pork roast recipe. Unfortunately, I just coated it with a commercial rub and roasted it for an hour and a half. So, how about a rib recipe instead? I got this from a Good Housekeeping magazine. My notes don't have the date when it was published. I've changed it a bit, as I'm wont to do with recipes. My family accuses me of never cooking a recipe the same way twice.
Plum-Good Baby Back Ribs
Serving Size : 4
Ingredients:
4 pounds pork baby back ribs
12 whole black peppercorns
2 whole bay leaves
10 whole star anise
2 whole cinnamon sticks
4 quarts water -- enough to cover per instructions
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ginger -- peeled and finely minced or grated using a ceramic ginger grater
1 whole garlic clove -- crushed
1 small jar plum jam
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
Optional garnishes: toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions
Instructions:
1. Place ribs, peppercorns, bay leaves, 4 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick in an 8-quart stockpot. Add enough water to cover ribs, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 40 minutes. Remove from the water and pat dry with paper towels. You can do this in advance and refrigerate the ribs, covered, until you're ready to grill and serve them.
2. Prepare glaze: In 1-quart saucepan, heat soy sauce, remaining star anise, cinnamon stick, grated ginger and garlic. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Strain mixture into bowl; discard star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic. Stir in plum jam and toasted sesame seed oil.
3. Place ribs on grill over medium heat. Cook 10 minutes, turning once, until browned. Brush ribs with some glaze and cook 10 minutes longer, brushing with remaining glaze and turning every two minutes.
4. Put on plates and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and scallions.
Notes and Tips:
1. I've made this successfully with both beef ribs and regular pork spareribs, both of which are way less expensive than the babybacks.
2. Plum jam is readily available here. But if it weren't, I'd try blackberry, black raspberry, or boysenberry.
3. If you can't find star anise, you can buy it online from Penzey's Spices. And if you're not a licorice lover, as I and my family are not, I assure you that the star anise doesn't add an overpowering licorice flavor to the glaze.
Mangia!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Oven-Fried Mustard Chicken
I figured out how to do this without a table, after all. The problem was that I'd copied and pasted from my recipe software and it's not very compatible with blogger. All it took was a bit of fiddling in WordPad before pasting it into the compose post window.
It wasn't my intent to write a long essay yesterday, but as I worked with my ideas, it kept growing. I guess I'd really been thinking about it a lot. Today I wanted a a lighter post. It's summertime. Who wants heavy philosophy every day when there's warm sunny weather to enjoy? Here's a very simple recipe to make on a cool Saturday morning. Pack it up and take it to the park or the beach for a summer picnic.
Oven-Fried Mustard Chicken
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 whole chickens -- cut up or precut chicken pieces
1 teaspoon tarragon
2 teaspoons paprika, hot or sweet, depending on how spicy you want it
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
peanut oil--as needed to coat pan
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly coat a baking dish with peanut oil.
2. Combine tarragon, paprika, salt, black pepper, and flour in a plastic bag. Brush mustard on chicken pieces and shake them one at a time in the flour mixture, largest pieces first. Place in a single layer, skin side down, on the baking sheet. If chicken is skinned, spray top with peanut oil.
3. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over. Bake 30 minutes longer or until crisp and golden brown.
Tips:
1. An easy way to deal with the oil is to get a pump spray bottle designed for cooking oil. Misto is the most generally available brand, but there are other good ones, too.
2. I'm a "pinch of this, pinch of that" cook, so the measurements are approximate. Use the amount of flour you need to coat the amount of chicken you have. Use the amount of mustard you need to coat the amount of chicken you have. Adjust the seasonings to your taste. I don't add salt to the flour in this recipe because the mustard has enough salt in it for my taste. You can add some, if you want it saltier.
3. You can substitute other herbs for the tarragon. Thyme, basil, oregano, and chervil all go well with Dijon mustard. If you're not sure if an herb you want to try will taste good, open the bottle of mustard and the herb and sniff both at the same time. If it smells good, it will taste good. Or mix a teeny bit of mustard and the herb you want to try. Spread it on a bite of plain bread or a plain cracker, something that won't add a lot of flavor of its own. Taste it. If it's good on the bread, it will be good on the chicken. You might have to experiment with proportions to find the blend that suits your taste, but that's part of the fun of being the cook. You get to decide when it tastes good.
Mangia!
It wasn't my intent to write a long essay yesterday, but as I worked with my ideas, it kept growing. I guess I'd really been thinking about it a lot. Today I wanted a a lighter post. It's summertime. Who wants heavy philosophy every day when there's warm sunny weather to enjoy? Here's a very simple recipe to make on a cool Saturday morning. Pack it up and take it to the park or the beach for a summer picnic.
Oven-Fried Mustard Chicken
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 whole chickens -- cut up or precut chicken pieces
1 teaspoon tarragon
2 teaspoons paprika, hot or sweet, depending on how spicy you want it
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
peanut oil--as needed to coat pan
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly coat a baking dish with peanut oil.
2. Combine tarragon, paprika, salt, black pepper, and flour in a plastic bag. Brush mustard on chicken pieces and shake them one at a time in the flour mixture, largest pieces first. Place in a single layer, skin side down, on the baking sheet. If chicken is skinned, spray top with peanut oil.
3. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn chicken over. Bake 30 minutes longer or until crisp and golden brown.
Tips:
1. An easy way to deal with the oil is to get a pump spray bottle designed for cooking oil. Misto is the most generally available brand, but there are other good ones, too.
2. I'm a "pinch of this, pinch of that" cook, so the measurements are approximate. Use the amount of flour you need to coat the amount of chicken you have. Use the amount of mustard you need to coat the amount of chicken you have. Adjust the seasonings to your taste. I don't add salt to the flour in this recipe because the mustard has enough salt in it for my taste. You can add some, if you want it saltier.
3. You can substitute other herbs for the tarragon. Thyme, basil, oregano, and chervil all go well with Dijon mustard. If you're not sure if an herb you want to try will taste good, open the bottle of mustard and the herb and sniff both at the same time. If it smells good, it will taste good. Or mix a teeny bit of mustard and the herb you want to try. Spread it on a bite of plain bread or a plain cracker, something that won't add a lot of flavor of its own. Taste it. If it's good on the bread, it will be good on the chicken. You might have to experiment with proportions to find the blend that suits your taste, but that's part of the fun of being the cook. You get to decide when it tastes good.
Mangia!
Recipes
The plan was to post a recipe today. I had it all written out and ready to go. I started to post it and realized that I need to do a table for the ingredient list. So, I get to play with HTML this afternoon. I hope to get it posted sometime today, in case anyone is actually reading this blog and wondering when I'm going to post next.
Also, I think I'll post my disclaimer here, rather than in the recipe. I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence by writing instructions and tips that seem to state the obvious. They're only obvious if you're an experienced cook. If you've never cooked anything from scratch in your life, nothing's obvious. I try to write my recipes so the beginning cook, as well as the experienced cook, can be successful. I hope you enjoy them, once I get my template done and am able to post recipes so they look the way you expect them to. They're a lot easier to follow that way.
Also, I think I'll post my disclaimer here, rather than in the recipe. I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence by writing instructions and tips that seem to state the obvious. They're only obvious if you're an experienced cook. If you've never cooked anything from scratch in your life, nothing's obvious. I try to write my recipes so the beginning cook, as well as the experienced cook, can be successful. I hope you enjoy them, once I get my template done and am able to post recipes so they look the way you expect them to. They're a lot easier to follow that way.
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