Most of the dishes we threw together for Thanksgiving this year were not my own recipes. In fact, some of them didn't have recipes at all. Who knew half a Thanksgiving meal would be on-the-fly? Anyway, I did make a couple of delicious appetizers that I can share with you.
Butternut-Leek Puffs
For these little wonders, I combined my love of the butternut squash with my love of puff pastry. Goodness, gracious is that a match made in heaven.
Ingredients
2 cups of the butternut squash ravioli filling - see recipe below (you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate before making this recipe)
3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
2 tbs butter
2 packages of puff pastry shells
a pinch of white pepper
a pinch of red pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
salt to taste
This couldn't be simpler. Preheat the oven to 375*. Thaw the pastry shells about halfway, then slice them in half (so you have two thin discs) very carefully. Place the shells on a prepared baking sheet.
Wash the leeks! Leeks grow in the ground and they have layers like an onion, which trap the dirt. I find the best way to wash them is to cut off and discard most of the dark green top, then slice up the remainder of the lighter green and white of the leek. Place the slices in a bowl full of cold water and agitate them a little. Then let them rest a bit while the dirt sinks to the bottom of the bowl. Fish out your slices, dump the water, rinse the bowl, and repeat the process as many times as necessary to make sure you get all the grit out.
Once the leeks are clean, dry them in a salad spinner. Then, over medium heat, melt the butter. Saute the leeks in the melted butter. As they soften, add the spices. Once the leeks are softened, assemble the puffs.
Place a heaping tablespoon of butternut squash filling in the center of each puff pastry disc. Place a tablespoon of leeks on top of the filling. That's it. Now bake them for about 20 minutes, until the bottoms start to brown and they puff up a bit. I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top of them when I took them out of the oven. Yum.
Prosciutto Baskets
These little bites were so good, it was a struggle to keep any around for late-arriving relatives. A real struggle.
Ingredients
sliced prosciutto
chevre
green grapes, halved
Break out the mini muffin pan! I really do love my mini muffin pan. Spray a little cooking oil in each indentation. Preheat the oven to 400*.
Cut your proscuitto into pieces, about 3 inches by 3 inches (or do a 3 inch circle). Push each slice of prosciutto into its own muffin tin to create a basket (or cup, or whatever you'd like to call it). Once all the indentations are filled, put the pan into the oven. Set a timer for 5 minutes - they'll probably take closer to ten, but you definitely don't want them to burn, so keep checking.
Once the proscuitto has curled and crisped up, take the pan out of the oven and set aside to cool.
Once the baskets are cooled, fill each one with a teaspoon of chevre (if you're fancy - and we are - shape the chevre into a quenelle) and top with one or two grape halves. Place on a serving tray. Watch your guests devour them.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
butternut squash x2
I had a butternut squash weekend, folks. Some friends and I got together to try our hands (8 of 'em) at homemade pasta dough. We ended up making butternut squash ravioli, and tagliatelle (or what I'm choosing to call tagliatelle).
Although we used Tyler Florence's ravioli dough recipe, the filling recipe was all mine. And as such, there was way too much of it. So I turned the leftovers into a soup. The two recipes are below.
Ravioli filling
Ingredients
1 (2 lb) butternut squash
1 (16 oz) tub of low fat ricotta cheese
1 tbs butter
olive oil for drizzling
salt
pepper
Preheat the oven to 400*.
Cut the squash in half, length-wise. Scoop out the seeds and seed accoutrement. Place the halves, cut side up, in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 1 hour.
After an hour, take it out and uncover it. Jab a fork into it, and if you meet no resistance, the squash is done. Let it cool down a little bit - maybe 5 minutes.
Using a spoon, scoop the squash out of its skin, putting the flesh into a large bowl. Stir it up with a spoon or whisk to give it a smooth and consistent texture.
Add the butter, stirring until it melts in. Then add the ricotta cheese, stirring until combined. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. Use this filling for the ravioli, about 1 teaspoon of filling for each pocket of pasta. We served the pasta with a marinara sauce and a vodka sauce - but frankly, these little gems would be great with just a little extra butter and some Parmesan cheese.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
About half the filling from above (about 1.5 to 2 cups)
Chicken broth (about 2 cups) - you can use vegetable
1 tsp cinnamon
1 carrot, diced
half an onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
olive oil
salt
Over medium heat, saute your mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) in olive oil in a saucepan until softened. Add the squash and ricotta mixture and 1 cup of chicken broth. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Pour part of the soup into a food processor or blender (don't overfill, as hot liquid will expand - and if you use a blender, take out the little knob in the top to let the hot air out). Blend until smooth, then pour into a bowl. Blend the rest until smooth.
Pour all of it back into the saucepan. Over low heat, add as much of the remaining chicken broth as you want to get the texture you prefer. Then add the cinnamon. Add salt to taste. Feel free to let this simmer for a while, if you like. I served it immediately, and it was heavenly.
I'm thinking of serving this soup (or a variation) at my Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe without the cheese...but then, I do love cheese. Enjoy!
Although we used Tyler Florence's ravioli dough recipe, the filling recipe was all mine. And as such, there was way too much of it. So I turned the leftovers into a soup. The two recipes are below.
Ravioli filling
Ingredients
1 (2 lb) butternut squash
1 (16 oz) tub of low fat ricotta cheese
1 tbs butter
olive oil for drizzling
salt
pepper
Preheat the oven to 400*.
Cut the squash in half, length-wise. Scoop out the seeds and seed accoutrement. Place the halves, cut side up, in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 1 hour.
After an hour, take it out and uncover it. Jab a fork into it, and if you meet no resistance, the squash is done. Let it cool down a little bit - maybe 5 minutes.
Using a spoon, scoop the squash out of its skin, putting the flesh into a large bowl. Stir it up with a spoon or whisk to give it a smooth and consistent texture.
Add the butter, stirring until it melts in. Then add the ricotta cheese, stirring until combined. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. Use this filling for the ravioli, about 1 teaspoon of filling for each pocket of pasta. We served the pasta with a marinara sauce and a vodka sauce - but frankly, these little gems would be great with just a little extra butter and some Parmesan cheese.
Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
About half the filling from above (about 1.5 to 2 cups)
Chicken broth (about 2 cups) - you can use vegetable
1 tsp cinnamon
1 carrot, diced
half an onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
olive oil
salt
Over medium heat, saute your mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) in olive oil in a saucepan until softened. Add the squash and ricotta mixture and 1 cup of chicken broth. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Pour part of the soup into a food processor or blender (don't overfill, as hot liquid will expand - and if you use a blender, take out the little knob in the top to let the hot air out). Blend until smooth, then pour into a bowl. Blend the rest until smooth.
Pour all of it back into the saucepan. Over low heat, add as much of the remaining chicken broth as you want to get the texture you prefer. Then add the cinnamon. Add salt to taste. Feel free to let this simmer for a while, if you like. I served it immediately, and it was heavenly.
I'm thinking of serving this soup (or a variation) at my Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe without the cheese...but then, I do love cheese. Enjoy!
Monday, November 2, 2009
cocktail time
This refreshing cocktail is best suited for consumption while sitting under an umbrella and enjoying some sunshine. However, it is almost equally as delicious when consumed while enjoying the heat from your fireplace. Just pretend you're getting a tan.
Ingredients
1 small bottle of blood orange Italian soda
1 bottle of brut cava (champagne or other dry, sparkling wine will do)
1 small bottle of pomegranate juice
a cup of thawed, frozen raspberries
2 oz. vodka
orange slices
ice
First, puree the raspberries in a blender. Set aside.
Fill a large pitcher about half-way full (between 70-90 oz.) with ice cubes. Pour in the vodka, Italian soda and pomegranate juice. Add in the cava until the pitcher is full. Stir to combine (gently now, there's a lot of carbonation!).
Pour about 1/4 inch of pureed raspberries into a martini glass. Top with your soda/juice/cava concoction. Garnish with an orange slice.
Settle back and let the world go by.
Ingredients
1 small bottle of blood orange Italian soda
1 bottle of brut cava (champagne or other dry, sparkling wine will do)
1 small bottle of pomegranate juice
a cup of thawed, frozen raspberries
2 oz. vodka
orange slices
ice
First, puree the raspberries in a blender. Set aside.
Fill a large pitcher about half-way full (between 70-90 oz.) with ice cubes. Pour in the vodka, Italian soda and pomegranate juice. Add in the cava until the pitcher is full. Stir to combine (gently now, there's a lot of carbonation!).
Pour about 1/4 inch of pureed raspberries into a martini glass. Top with your soda/juice/cava concoction. Garnish with an orange slice.
Settle back and let the world go by.
Monday, October 19, 2009
caramelized onion and brie puffs
One of the first things I learned how to make was a baked brie. They're always a crowd-pleaser, and they're relatively easy to put together. This weekend, I made miniature baked brie puffs, which is marginally more difficult by virtue of increased labor. I should've taken pictures. But, just between you and me, I can't find my camera.
Ingredients
1 large white or yellow onion, sliced into thin half-moons
2 tablespoons butter
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
1 wedge of brie, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (triple cream melts the best)
a pinch or two of salt
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
a handful (or 2) of flour for your countertop
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then caramelize the onion slices. You want to do this over a medium heat because you do not want the onions to crisp at all. Put the butter in a skillet to melt. Once the bubbling has subsided, add the onion. Add the salt after a couple minutes. Let it cook, with relatively little stirring, until they are soft and brown. This will take some time - maybe 20 minutes. If your onions start to get a little dry, add some chicken stock (or water or vegetable stock if you're avoiding meat) to help the process along. Once the onions are lovely and brown, remove them from the heat and set aside.
Now, the hard part (and remember, hard is a relative term - nothing about this recipe is overwhelming) - the dough. Put some flour down on your work surface, and unfold the pastry dough onto it. If it doesn't unfold pretty easily, it's probably not thawed enough. Grab your rolling pin and roll out the dough from the center to the edges, making a bigger and bigger square. Pick up the dough and flip it over after every 2 - 3 rolls to keep it from sticking to the counter. Put down more flour whenever you need to, also to keep it from sticking.
This process is a little difficult if you've never handled dough before. Just remember, if it gets too sticky you can add flour to it. And if it gets too dry, you can add water to it. You can mash it back up into a ball and re-roll it as many times as you need too. Plus, it will puff up so wonderfully and taste so heavenly, that it won't matter if it wasn't rolled perfectly.
You want the dough to be about 1/8 of an inch thick. This is thin, but not so thin that it looks translucent or fragile. The dough will be about 50% bigger.
Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2.5 inch squares (just eyeball it - I don't want to hear about anyone breaking out a ruler). Now, fill each individual square. I like to do this using a min-muffin tin.
Place a square of dough in each depression in the tin. Place a piece of brie into each square of dough. Place a spoonful of caramelized onions over each piece of brie. If you can't get all your dough into one muffin-tin, just cover it with a damp towel until the first batch is done.
(You don't need to have a muffin tin for this - you can just fill the dough squares while they're flat, and fold them up into little envelopes of deliciousness. Then bake 'em on a cookie sheet).
Next, whisk the egg yolk and water together. Brush this mixture onto the edges of each dough square. Then seal up the edges - this doesn't need to be perfect - by folding them over each other or pinching them together. The egg yolk will work like a glue. Finally, use any leftover yolk mixture to brush the tops of the newly sealed dough packets.
Stick the puffs in the oven. If they aren't golden brown after 10 minutes, let them cook another 5 minutes. Then check again. It won't take long.
Serve at your next fancy party and pretend you spent the whole day in the kitchen. Or serve to your close friends and give 'em the skinny on how simple they are to make. Either way, enjoy.
Ingredients
1 large white or yellow onion, sliced into thin half-moons
2 tablespoons butter
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
1 wedge of brie, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (triple cream melts the best)
a pinch or two of salt
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
a handful (or 2) of flour for your countertop
First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then caramelize the onion slices. You want to do this over a medium heat because you do not want the onions to crisp at all. Put the butter in a skillet to melt. Once the bubbling has subsided, add the onion. Add the salt after a couple minutes. Let it cook, with relatively little stirring, until they are soft and brown. This will take some time - maybe 20 minutes. If your onions start to get a little dry, add some chicken stock (or water or vegetable stock if you're avoiding meat) to help the process along. Once the onions are lovely and brown, remove them from the heat and set aside.
Now, the hard part (and remember, hard is a relative term - nothing about this recipe is overwhelming) - the dough. Put some flour down on your work surface, and unfold the pastry dough onto it. If it doesn't unfold pretty easily, it's probably not thawed enough. Grab your rolling pin and roll out the dough from the center to the edges, making a bigger and bigger square. Pick up the dough and flip it over after every 2 - 3 rolls to keep it from sticking to the counter. Put down more flour whenever you need to, also to keep it from sticking.
This process is a little difficult if you've never handled dough before. Just remember, if it gets too sticky you can add flour to it. And if it gets too dry, you can add water to it. You can mash it back up into a ball and re-roll it as many times as you need too. Plus, it will puff up so wonderfully and taste so heavenly, that it won't matter if it wasn't rolled perfectly.
You want the dough to be about 1/8 of an inch thick. This is thin, but not so thin that it looks translucent or fragile. The dough will be about 50% bigger.
Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 2.5 inch squares (just eyeball it - I don't want to hear about anyone breaking out a ruler). Now, fill each individual square. I like to do this using a min-muffin tin.
Place a square of dough in each depression in the tin. Place a piece of brie into each square of dough. Place a spoonful of caramelized onions over each piece of brie. If you can't get all your dough into one muffin-tin, just cover it with a damp towel until the first batch is done.
(You don't need to have a muffin tin for this - you can just fill the dough squares while they're flat, and fold them up into little envelopes of deliciousness. Then bake 'em on a cookie sheet).
Next, whisk the egg yolk and water together. Brush this mixture onto the edges of each dough square. Then seal up the edges - this doesn't need to be perfect - by folding them over each other or pinching them together. The egg yolk will work like a glue. Finally, use any leftover yolk mixture to brush the tops of the newly sealed dough packets.
Stick the puffs in the oven. If they aren't golden brown after 10 minutes, let them cook another 5 minutes. Then check again. It won't take long.
Serve at your next fancy party and pretend you spent the whole day in the kitchen. Or serve to your close friends and give 'em the skinny on how simple they are to make. Either way, enjoy.
Friday, October 16, 2009
thanksgiving
I've been eating mostly salad and baked chicken breast for what feels like weeks now. Therefore, there hasn't been much cooking for me to blog about. I worry that it would be condescending for me to blog about baked chicken breast - sprinkle with salt and pepper. put in 400* oven for 20 minutes - so instead, let's talk about thanksgiving.
This year will be the first thanksgiving I host for my family. I am bursting with excitement. I am also grappling with what dishes to make, and what dishes to ask others to bring with them. Here's the list from which I will make eliminations (or possibly additions if I just can't cut anything).
roast turkey or turducken or fried turkey
yam casserole (non-negotiable)
mashed potatoes
boudin stuffing or herbed stuffing or giblet stuffing
creamed spinach or spinach madeleine
cranberry apple lemon sauce
pecan pie
baked brie
some kind of fig and prosciutto appetizer
So there's my list. I'm sure it will fluctuate mightily in the next 5 weeks. In the meantime, what're your family thanksgiving food traditions?
PS: last night I watched Jaques and Julia cooking a thanksgiving dinner (from which I have happily poached the above-mentioned cranberry, apple, lemon sauce). Anyway, toward the end, Julia says "what wine do we serve with a thanksgiving feast?" To which the wonderful Jaques replies, "a lot."
Happy cooking and bon appetit!
This year will be the first thanksgiving I host for my family. I am bursting with excitement. I am also grappling with what dishes to make, and what dishes to ask others to bring with them. Here's the list from which I will make eliminations (or possibly additions if I just can't cut anything).
roast turkey or turducken or fried turkey
yam casserole (non-negotiable)
mashed potatoes
boudin stuffing or herbed stuffing or giblet stuffing
creamed spinach or spinach madeleine
cranberry apple lemon sauce
pecan pie
baked brie
some kind of fig and prosciutto appetizer
So there's my list. I'm sure it will fluctuate mightily in the next 5 weeks. In the meantime, what're your family thanksgiving food traditions?
PS: last night I watched Jaques and Julia cooking a thanksgiving dinner (from which I have happily poached the above-mentioned cranberry, apple, lemon sauce). Anyway, toward the end, Julia says "what wine do we serve with a thanksgiving feast?" To which the wonderful Jaques replies, "a lot."
Happy cooking and bon appetit!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
asparagus risotto
I find risotto really hard to pass up. I mean, if it's on a menu, I endure an inner dialogue something along the lines of this,
"Mmmm, risotto."
Yes, but there's also picatta. And lasagna. Ooooh! And manicotti!
"Yes, but risotto is so creamy..."
You think a tube of pasta stuffed full of ricotta cheese isn't creamy? Plus, you can make it at home! You're probably never going to make manicotti. Let's face it, if you tried, you'd just end up eating all the ricotta before you could stuff it into the pasta tubes. We both know that.
Whereupon I forgo my beloved risotto. But on the way home from the restaurant, I buy some arborio rice and plot the next night's dinner.
Ingredients
The amounts in this recipe are for 1 serving. There's instructions in the recipe to increase for more servings.
1/4 an onion, chopped
1/4 c. arborio rice (or other short grain, Italian, risotto-type)
1 c. chicken stock
1/4 bunch asparagus, ends removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. grated or shredded cheese (I like peccorino romano, but any parmesan or romano works)
salt and pepper to taste
Be prepared: once you add the rice to the saucepan, you will be stirring constantly. So put on comfortable shoes, throw some music on the ipod and get ready to work that bicep...or whatever the stirring muscle is.
First, put your chicken broth over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. You should have about at least three times as much broth as you have rice. You want the broth to be hot (but not simmering or boiling), so that when it's added to the rice, it doesn't cool it down (and thereby increase the cooking time).
Over medium-high heat, saute the onion in olive oil, using a larger saucepan. Cook until the onion is soft. You may also add minced garlic to the onion, but I tend to leave garlic out of my risotto dishes. Increase the onion by 1/4 for each additional 1/4 cup of dry rice.
Risotto rice will generally increase in size by about 4 times. So when I cook it just for myself, I make around 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup, dry. This yields about a cup (maybe a little more) which is more than adequate for one person. So, using that, add enough dry rice to feed however many people you like (1 cup dry = 4 cups cooked = feed 4-6 people, depending on appetites).
Now, and this is important, add your dry rice in with the onion and cook it without any liquid for a few minutes. Stir constantly! You want the rice to look a little beat up - it will get opaque white edges. I'd estimate this takes between 3 - 5 minutes. This process will help the starches work properly in the cooking process - yielding that creaminess we're looking for.
Once you've got opaque rice, add about a cup of the hot broth (use a ladle). Again, stir constantly. In total, you'll want to cook the rice for about 18 minutes.
Stir until the rice absorbs the broth. You don't want it looking dry - but no obvious liquid either. Once you get to that point, add another half cup of broth.
Keep repeating this (add 1/2 cup broth, stir until absorbed) until you reach the 12 minute mark. At this point, toss in the cut-up asparagus. It will cook in the broth with the rice. (I like a lot of vegetables in my rice, so when you're increasing the recipe, bear that in mind - just put in what looks right to you).
Continue adding broth and stirring until absorbed until the rice has been cooking a total of 18 minutes. At that point you should have plump and creamy risotto. If you don't, then keep adding more broth and letting it get absorbed until the texture is right.
Add cheese. Lots of it. I put 1/4 cup of cheese in when I make 1/4 cup of dry rice. Trust me, it's essential.
Once you've mastered the basic risotto recipe, you can add any ingredients you like. My favorite additions (besides asparagus) are mushrooms, spinach, tomato, or cooked chicken.
"Mmmm, risotto."
Yes, but there's also picatta. And lasagna. Ooooh! And manicotti!
"Yes, but risotto is so creamy..."
You think a tube of pasta stuffed full of ricotta cheese isn't creamy? Plus, you can make it at home! You're probably never going to make manicotti. Let's face it, if you tried, you'd just end up eating all the ricotta before you could stuff it into the pasta tubes. We both know that.
Whereupon I forgo my beloved risotto. But on the way home from the restaurant, I buy some arborio rice and plot the next night's dinner.
Ingredients
The amounts in this recipe are for 1 serving. There's instructions in the recipe to increase for more servings.
1/4 an onion, chopped
1/4 c. arborio rice (or other short grain, Italian, risotto-type)
1 c. chicken stock
1/4 bunch asparagus, ends removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. grated or shredded cheese (I like peccorino romano, but any parmesan or romano works)
salt and pepper to taste
Be prepared: once you add the rice to the saucepan, you will be stirring constantly. So put on comfortable shoes, throw some music on the ipod and get ready to work that bicep...or whatever the stirring muscle is.
First, put your chicken broth over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. You should have about at least three times as much broth as you have rice. You want the broth to be hot (but not simmering or boiling), so that when it's added to the rice, it doesn't cool it down (and thereby increase the cooking time).
Over medium-high heat, saute the onion in olive oil, using a larger saucepan. Cook until the onion is soft. You may also add minced garlic to the onion, but I tend to leave garlic out of my risotto dishes. Increase the onion by 1/4 for each additional 1/4 cup of dry rice.
Risotto rice will generally increase in size by about 4 times. So when I cook it just for myself, I make around 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup, dry. This yields about a cup (maybe a little more) which is more than adequate for one person. So, using that, add enough dry rice to feed however many people you like (1 cup dry = 4 cups cooked = feed 4-6 people, depending on appetites).
Now, and this is important, add your dry rice in with the onion and cook it without any liquid for a few minutes. Stir constantly! You want the rice to look a little beat up - it will get opaque white edges. I'd estimate this takes between 3 - 5 minutes. This process will help the starches work properly in the cooking process - yielding that creaminess we're looking for.
Once you've got opaque rice, add about a cup of the hot broth (use a ladle). Again, stir constantly. In total, you'll want to cook the rice for about 18 minutes.
Stir until the rice absorbs the broth. You don't want it looking dry - but no obvious liquid either. Once you get to that point, add another half cup of broth.
Keep repeating this (add 1/2 cup broth, stir until absorbed) until you reach the 12 minute mark. At this point, toss in the cut-up asparagus. It will cook in the broth with the rice. (I like a lot of vegetables in my rice, so when you're increasing the recipe, bear that in mind - just put in what looks right to you).
Continue adding broth and stirring until absorbed until the rice has been cooking a total of 18 minutes. At that point you should have plump and creamy risotto. If you don't, then keep adding more broth and letting it get absorbed until the texture is right.
Add cheese. Lots of it. I put 1/4 cup of cheese in when I make 1/4 cup of dry rice. Trust me, it's essential.
Once you've mastered the basic risotto recipe, you can add any ingredients you like. My favorite additions (besides asparagus) are mushrooms, spinach, tomato, or cooked chicken.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
the obligatory "why you should trust my recipes" post
Yes, most people explain themselves in the first post of a blog. But I've almost always done things backwards. Plus, I figured the recipes would speak for themselves.
But last night it occurred to me that if one never gave the recipes a chance because one didn't see any reason to think I know what I'm doing, then perhaps we'd circular logic our way back to needing an introduction.
So here we go:
Born in New Orleans to a Jewish caterer (mom) and a self-taught cook and food-lover (dad), I've certainly had a lot of influences on my palate. Some of my earliest memories are of helping my mom wrap 500 wontons in our home kitchen, rushing to fill the sufganyiot before our Chanukkah guests arrived, and listening to my dad ask Frankie the waiter at his favorite restaurant on the West Side to "just feed me." To this day, I'd rather eat my stepmom's bolognese sauce than any other in the world.
I was lucky enough to spend a few years living in both California and New York, which opened me up to the benefits of fresh produce and local ingredients (CA) and the wonders of culturally diverse cooking (NY and CA). Living in NY also reinforced my Jewish roots (I've been longing for a good bialy since about 1999).
Throughout my childhood and youth, I helped my mom in the kitchen. Her baked brie and dijon chicken recipes were favorites with her clients (and us kids!). One of my favorite activities was (and still is) watching my dad make a gravy from roast chicken or turkey breast drippings.
I started cooking on my own in college, mostly because I found that the best way to get a crowd of friends together was to make them something to eat. Though I worked at first from other people's recipes (mom's, dad's and stepmom's), I eventually figured out what flavors pleased me the most and simply created a repertoire of haphazard trial and error. Most of it ended well.
I don't imagine I'm much better a cook than most home chefs who really care about what they serve and enjoy the process, but I've been told cooking is the business I should really be in, asked how much I'd charge to prepare a thanksgiving dinner, and enjoyed many yummy faces aimed in my general direction - so I must be doing something right.
Also, happy birthday, Dad.
Okay, enough about me. Back to the food.
But last night it occurred to me that if one never gave the recipes a chance because one didn't see any reason to think I know what I'm doing, then perhaps we'd circular logic our way back to needing an introduction.
So here we go:
Born in New Orleans to a Jewish caterer (mom) and a self-taught cook and food-lover (dad), I've certainly had a lot of influences on my palate. Some of my earliest memories are of helping my mom wrap 500 wontons in our home kitchen, rushing to fill the sufganyiot before our Chanukkah guests arrived, and listening to my dad ask Frankie the waiter at his favorite restaurant on the West Side to "just feed me." To this day, I'd rather eat my stepmom's bolognese sauce than any other in the world.
I was lucky enough to spend a few years living in both California and New York, which opened me up to the benefits of fresh produce and local ingredients (CA) and the wonders of culturally diverse cooking (NY and CA). Living in NY also reinforced my Jewish roots (I've been longing for a good bialy since about 1999).
Throughout my childhood and youth, I helped my mom in the kitchen. Her baked brie and dijon chicken recipes were favorites with her clients (and us kids!). One of my favorite activities was (and still is) watching my dad make a gravy from roast chicken or turkey breast drippings.
I started cooking on my own in college, mostly because I found that the best way to get a crowd of friends together was to make them something to eat. Though I worked at first from other people's recipes (mom's, dad's and stepmom's), I eventually figured out what flavors pleased me the most and simply created a repertoire of haphazard trial and error. Most of it ended well.
I don't imagine I'm much better a cook than most home chefs who really care about what they serve and enjoy the process, but I've been told cooking is the business I should really be in, asked how much I'd charge to prepare a thanksgiving dinner, and enjoyed many yummy faces aimed in my general direction - so I must be doing something right.
Also, happy birthday, Dad.
Okay, enough about me. Back to the food.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
plantains foster
I had some folks over for a "breakfast for dinner" party this weekend. As if challah french toast with apples and honey wasn't sweet enough, I added to the delicious toothache with a version of bananas foster, a wonderful dessert originated at Brennan's in New Orleans.
I used plantains instead of bananas. I also served it over Kleinpeter Dairy's banana foster ice cream. It was a perfect hot/cold mix of complex and sweet deliciousness, finished with a nice bite of rum - which probably means I didn't burn off the rum completely. Somehow this doesn't bother me.
Plus, it's fun to light it on fire.
Ingredients
2 oz dark rum
3 tbs dark brown sugar
3 tbs butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 small very ripe (the skin should be black) plantain, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
ice cream
Melt the butter in a skillet.
Add the brown sugar, stir to combine.
Add the plantains. Stir to combine.
Carefully, add the rum. Let it get hot.
Even more carefully, tilt the pan slightly away from you, stand as far back as possible, and light the rum on fire (use a long fire starter for this).
Let the flames die down. Then serve over scoops of ice cream.
I served this to four people, after we'd eaten a pretty hearty meal - if your meal is lighter (or you just have a sweet tooth) you may want to increase the amounts of ingredients to make more. When I do it again, I'll probably use a larger plantain.
I used plantains instead of bananas. I also served it over Kleinpeter Dairy's banana foster ice cream. It was a perfect hot/cold mix of complex and sweet deliciousness, finished with a nice bite of rum - which probably means I didn't burn off the rum completely. Somehow this doesn't bother me.
Plus, it's fun to light it on fire.
Ingredients
2 oz dark rum
3 tbs dark brown sugar
3 tbs butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 small very ripe (the skin should be black) plantain, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
ice cream
Melt the butter in a skillet.
Add the brown sugar, stir to combine.
Add the plantains. Stir to combine.
Carefully, add the rum. Let it get hot.
Even more carefully, tilt the pan slightly away from you, stand as far back as possible, and light the rum on fire (use a long fire starter for this).
Let the flames die down. Then serve over scoops of ice cream.
I served this to four people, after we'd eaten a pretty hearty meal - if your meal is lighter (or you just have a sweet tooth) you may want to increase the amounts of ingredients to make more. When I do it again, I'll probably use a larger plantain.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
basic chicken soup
Soups are some of my favorite things to make, because (see prior post on pasta sauce) you can really just throw stuff in a pot and have it come out steamy, comforting and delicious. And, of course, we all know chicken soup is the way to go when you're not feeling well. My step-mother's version of this "Jewish Penicillin" is my absolute favorite. I don't have the recipe for it, though. She seems to make it almost by rote - like putting it together is entirely muscle memory. Frankly, that's probably what makes it so good.
I have watched her make it enough times to have an idea of the ingredients, and my version with those ingredients is nothing to scoff at, if not quite the soup fantasy that comes from her kitchen. I highly recommend serving it with some crusty bread and a glass of iced tea.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cleaned (about 4-6lbs)
1 large (48 or 49 oz) can or carton of chicken broth (you can certainly make your own and use that)
10 carrots, cleaned and sliced
5 celery stalks, cleaned and sliced (feel free to use more - I don't really like celery that much)
1 large onion, diced
1 package of egg noodles (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons
salt
cayenne pepper
thyme (optional)
Clean the chicken by removing the giblets from the cavity (they're generally wrapped up in a nice pouch) and rinsing it well inside and out. If you have any huge flaps of fat on your chicken, you can trim them - but don't trim off all the fat or your soup will lack depth and flavor. Put the cleaned chicken in a large pot. Pour in the entire can of chicken broth. If the chicken is not completely covered by the broth, add water until it is submerged.
{Aside: I tend to use Swanson's broth because it's readily available and has a great flavor. I've tried many others (I was on a quest to find an organic or free range broth that I liked) and really never chanced on anything that tasted as good. So, if you're not making your own, I recommend Swanson's. Feel free to use the low-sodium kind, but keep in mind that soup is mostly water and will need a good amount of salt to really bring out the flavors. So, add it with high-sodium broth, or add it later from your salt jar, whatever.}
Bring the broth to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low, cover loosely, and simmer about 40 minutes. During the simmering process, check the water fairly frequently for proteins sitting on the top of the water. This stuff is called "scum" and should be skimmed off gently using a large spoon. The first minute of this video shows a scum skimming technique.
To see if the chicken is cooked fully, grab onto it with a pair of tongs and try to lift it. If the meat tears away or the chicken falls apart pretty easily, you're ready to go.
Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside on a plate or cutting board to cool. Remove the liquid from the heat and cover (but don't throw it away!).
When the chicken has cooled (this can take some time), take the meat off the bone. Frankly, the easiest way to do this is with your fingers. Don't be afraid to get messy here! Just throw on an apron and dig right in. Once you'd removed all the meat, shred it up into bite-sized pieces. Toss the bones in the trash (or keep them to make another broth with).
In another large pot saute the vegetables in olive oil, adding a little salt to help the process along. You'll want your vegetables to all be cut about the same size, so they cook evenly. Once softened, pour in the broth you set aside.
Now, if you're adding noodles - bring the broth to a boil, add the noodles and boil for as long as the noodle package says to (generally between 5 - 8 minutes). Once the noodles are boiled, put the shredded and de-boned chicken back in the pot.
If you're not adding noodles - bring the broth to a simmer and add the shredded and de-boned chicken back to the pot.
Squeeze the juice of both lemons into the broth. Add salt and cayenne pepper (and thyme if you like) to taste. Get ready to feel like your mama just stopped by to cook for you. Enjoy.
I have watched her make it enough times to have an idea of the ingredients, and my version with those ingredients is nothing to scoff at, if not quite the soup fantasy that comes from her kitchen. I highly recommend serving it with some crusty bread and a glass of iced tea.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cleaned (about 4-6lbs)
1 large (48 or 49 oz) can or carton of chicken broth (you can certainly make your own and use that)
10 carrots, cleaned and sliced
5 celery stalks, cleaned and sliced (feel free to use more - I don't really like celery that much)
1 large onion, diced
1 package of egg noodles (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons
salt
cayenne pepper
thyme (optional)
Clean the chicken by removing the giblets from the cavity (they're generally wrapped up in a nice pouch) and rinsing it well inside and out. If you have any huge flaps of fat on your chicken, you can trim them - but don't trim off all the fat or your soup will lack depth and flavor. Put the cleaned chicken in a large pot. Pour in the entire can of chicken broth. If the chicken is not completely covered by the broth, add water until it is submerged.
{Aside: I tend to use Swanson's broth because it's readily available and has a great flavor. I've tried many others (I was on a quest to find an organic or free range broth that I liked) and really never chanced on anything that tasted as good. So, if you're not making your own, I recommend Swanson's. Feel free to use the low-sodium kind, but keep in mind that soup is mostly water and will need a good amount of salt to really bring out the flavors. So, add it with high-sodium broth, or add it later from your salt jar, whatever.}
Bring the broth to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low, cover loosely, and simmer about 40 minutes. During the simmering process, check the water fairly frequently for proteins sitting on the top of the water. This stuff is called "scum" and should be skimmed off gently using a large spoon. The first minute of this video shows a scum skimming technique.
To see if the chicken is cooked fully, grab onto it with a pair of tongs and try to lift it. If the meat tears away or the chicken falls apart pretty easily, you're ready to go.
Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside on a plate or cutting board to cool. Remove the liquid from the heat and cover (but don't throw it away!).
When the chicken has cooled (this can take some time), take the meat off the bone. Frankly, the easiest way to do this is with your fingers. Don't be afraid to get messy here! Just throw on an apron and dig right in. Once you'd removed all the meat, shred it up into bite-sized pieces. Toss the bones in the trash (or keep them to make another broth with).
In another large pot saute the vegetables in olive oil, adding a little salt to help the process along. You'll want your vegetables to all be cut about the same size, so they cook evenly. Once softened, pour in the broth you set aside.
Now, if you're adding noodles - bring the broth to a boil, add the noodles and boil for as long as the noodle package says to (generally between 5 - 8 minutes). Once the noodles are boiled, put the shredded and de-boned chicken back in the pot.
If you're not adding noodles - bring the broth to a simmer and add the shredded and de-boned chicken back to the pot.
Squeeze the juice of both lemons into the broth. Add salt and cayenne pepper (and thyme if you like) to taste. Get ready to feel like your mama just stopped by to cook for you. Enjoy.
Monday, September 14, 2009
thrown-together pasta sauce
Sometimes I wish I were the kind of cook that carefully plans out recipes, tweaks them a little bit with each making, settles on the very best version and prepares it that way every time from then on out. But alas, like most things I do, my cooking follows the "throw it all in a pot and see if it works" plan. You might not be surprised to find that this works better in the kitchen than it does in life...but I digress.
Yesterday I put together a wonderful tomato-cream sauce. It began because I thought I had defrosted some ground turkey (to make a chili) only to find that the meat was actually Italian sausage. So much the better.
Ingredients
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage, removed from its casing and broken up into bite-sized pieces
1 24 oz can whole tomatoes
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 baby carrots, sliced (or use 2-3 whole carrots - I had small ones around)
1 tbs dried basil
1/4 c half n half
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil
Saute the onion, carrots and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the sausage and saute until cooked. If you'd like, you can pour or spoon out any grease in the pan at this point.
Break the whole tomatoes up with your hands (just give each on a squeeze) and add them and the liquid from the can to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the half n half and salt and pepper to taste. You're ready to serve, but you can let it simmer up to an hour.
Pair with your favorite pasta. I used rotini, because the little spirals catch a lot of the liquid in the sauce. This made enough for about 4 servings.
Yesterday I put together a wonderful tomato-cream sauce. It began because I thought I had defrosted some ground turkey (to make a chili) only to find that the meat was actually Italian sausage. So much the better.
Ingredients
1/2 lb mild Italian sausage, removed from its casing and broken up into bite-sized pieces
1 24 oz can whole tomatoes
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 baby carrots, sliced (or use 2-3 whole carrots - I had small ones around)
1 tbs dried basil
1/4 c half n half
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil
Saute the onion, carrots and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add the sausage and saute until cooked. If you'd like, you can pour or spoon out any grease in the pan at this point.
Break the whole tomatoes up with your hands (just give each on a squeeze) and add them and the liquid from the can to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the half n half and salt and pepper to taste. You're ready to serve, but you can let it simmer up to an hour.
Pair with your favorite pasta. I used rotini, because the little spirals catch a lot of the liquid in the sauce. This made enough for about 4 servings.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
cilantro-lime rice
If we really are what we eat, then during my last year of college I was a giant vegetarian Chipotle Grill burrito. Then I somehow chanced upon the "nutrition" content and was swayed to make my burritos at home. The foundation of the Chipotle burrito, I think, is the cilantro rice (for which I maintain they've changed the recipe - and not for the better). So here is my homemade version.
Ingredients
Long or medium grain white rice
Chicken broth (or vegetable broth if that's how you roll)
2 limes
fresh cilantro, chopped
salt
Make the rice according to package directions, substituting broth for water, and adding the juice of one lime to the liquid.
When the rice is done, add cilantro in small bunches (maybe 1/4 cup at a time) until the rice is beautifully flaked with the fresh green herb. Taste the rice at this point, and add salt and juice from the other lime until the rice tastes as you like it. I would estimate that for four servings of rice, I use 3/4 of the bunch of cilantro, both limes, and about a teaspoon of salt. Your tastes may differ.
This rice is very fresh tasting and works well as the base of a burrito or taco, or as a side dish to fish or poultry. It doesn't, however, keep well, because the cilantro will wilt. It's fine, as long as you don't mind that the cilantro turns color - still totally delicious, just not as beautiful.
Ingredients
Long or medium grain white rice
Chicken broth (or vegetable broth if that's how you roll)
2 limes
fresh cilantro, chopped
salt
Make the rice according to package directions, substituting broth for water, and adding the juice of one lime to the liquid.
When the rice is done, add cilantro in small bunches (maybe 1/4 cup at a time) until the rice is beautifully flaked with the fresh green herb. Taste the rice at this point, and add salt and juice from the other lime until the rice tastes as you like it. I would estimate that for four servings of rice, I use 3/4 of the bunch of cilantro, both limes, and about a teaspoon of salt. Your tastes may differ.
This rice is very fresh tasting and works well as the base of a burrito or taco, or as a side dish to fish or poultry. It doesn't, however, keep well, because the cilantro will wilt. It's fine, as long as you don't mind that the cilantro turns color - still totally delicious, just not as beautiful.
Friday, September 4, 2009
dill fish
I wanted to write the title "dillfish." In my head, that's how it's spelled. Moving on...
Some things you don't know about me: 1) dill = my favorite herb and 2) mustard = my favorite condiment.
Let the taste bud celebration commence.
Ingredients
2 fillets of white fish (I had catfish on hand)
1/2 c wondra or sifted flour
1/4 c plain yellow mustard
1 tbs dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
canola or vegetable oil
Put the mustard in a bowl.
Put the wondra, dill, salt and pepper on a plate and combine with a fork.
Cover the bottom of a large pan with a thin layer of oil and turn the heat to medium high.
Dredge the fish in the mustard. Then dredge it in the wondra/seasonings. You should have a very light layer of "breading."
Cook 2-3 minutes per side, shaking the pan almost continuously throughout the cooking process to keep the fish from sticking.
Enjoy with some vegetables, rice, or just on it's own like I did.
Some things you don't know about me: 1) dill = my favorite herb and 2) mustard = my favorite condiment.
Let the taste bud celebration commence.
Ingredients
2 fillets of white fish (I had catfish on hand)
1/2 c wondra or sifted flour
1/4 c plain yellow mustard
1 tbs dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
canola or vegetable oil
Put the mustard in a bowl.
Put the wondra, dill, salt and pepper on a plate and combine with a fork.
Cover the bottom of a large pan with a thin layer of oil and turn the heat to medium high.
Dredge the fish in the mustard. Then dredge it in the wondra/seasonings. You should have a very light layer of "breading."
Cook 2-3 minutes per side, shaking the pan almost continuously throughout the cooking process to keep the fish from sticking.
Enjoy with some vegetables, rice, or just on it's own like I did.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
corn and bean salad
Finally, something light! I've made this salad twice over the summer to bring to parties, since the fresh corn has been so wonderfully sweet. It was successful both times. Of course, you can easily use frozen or canned corn once the season changes.
Ingredients
Salad
3 ears of corn (about 2 cups)
2 cans of beans (black or black-eyed), drained
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
1 tbs sugar
Dressing
I make this dressing whenever I'm running low on mustard; that way, I don't need to use another vessel.
1 almost empty jar of mustard (I like Trader Joe's hot and sweet mustard. I like it so much that my brother would send me three or four jars at a time once I moved away from CA [and therefore, moved away from TJs])
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
To make the dressing: leave the remaining mustard in the jar, fill it 1/3 of the way with olive oil and 2/3 of the way with balsamic vinegar. Screw the top back on and shake vigorously. Open it up, and add salt and pepper to taste. Simple!
To make the salad: put a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar on to boil. Once the water's boiling, add the ears of corn (make sure to remove the husks and strings). Boil for 15 - 20 minutes. Drain, then cut the corn off the cob.
Put the corn kernels, drained beans, minced jalapeno, blue cheese and tomatoes into a large bowl. Add the dressing (shake it again before you add it) in 1 tablespoon increments, tossing after each addition, until you get the coating of dressing that you desire. I find this dressing goes a long way.
I hope you and your friends enjoy this fresh summer treat!
Ingredients
Salad
3 ears of corn (about 2 cups)
2 cans of beans (black or black-eyed), drained
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
1 tbs sugar
Dressing
I make this dressing whenever I'm running low on mustard; that way, I don't need to use another vessel.
1 almost empty jar of mustard (I like Trader Joe's hot and sweet mustard. I like it so much that my brother would send me three or four jars at a time once I moved away from CA [and therefore, moved away from TJs])
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
To make the dressing: leave the remaining mustard in the jar, fill it 1/3 of the way with olive oil and 2/3 of the way with balsamic vinegar. Screw the top back on and shake vigorously. Open it up, and add salt and pepper to taste. Simple!
To make the salad: put a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar on to boil. Once the water's boiling, add the ears of corn (make sure to remove the husks and strings). Boil for 15 - 20 minutes. Drain, then cut the corn off the cob.
Put the corn kernels, drained beans, minced jalapeno, blue cheese and tomatoes into a large bowl. Add the dressing (shake it again before you add it) in 1 tablespoon increments, tossing after each addition, until you get the coating of dressing that you desire. I find this dressing goes a long way.
I hope you and your friends enjoy this fresh summer treat!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
red curry grits
Since making the fish poached in curry sauce, I've been ruminating on the marriage of grits and curry. As it turns out, it was a lovely match. The spice of the curry paste and creaminess of the coconut milk works perfectly with this versatile grain.
Ingredients
1 can coconut milk
1 tbs red curry paste
grits
water
salt
Over medium heat, bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk in the curry paste. You now have curry sauce.
In another saucepan, prepare the grits with a slight change to package instructions: replace one half-part water with curry sauce. So, if the amount of grits you're making calls for 2 cups of water, use 1 cup water and 1 cup curry sauce. Otherwise, follow the package instructions.
Serve with grilled shrimp or a grilled chicken breast (I went with the chicken breast). I bet they're amazing with some eggs for breakfast, too. Let's face it - the grit can be served with anything.
I formed mine into grit cakes (pour your grits out onto a cookie sheet, allow to thicken. Use a cookie cutter to cut into rounds, then pan fry). But, they didn't really fry up well - so my recommendation is not to go the grit cake route.
Ingredients
1 can coconut milk
1 tbs red curry paste
grits
water
salt
Over medium heat, bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk in the curry paste. You now have curry sauce.
In another saucepan, prepare the grits with a slight change to package instructions: replace one half-part water with curry sauce. So, if the amount of grits you're making calls for 2 cups of water, use 1 cup water and 1 cup curry sauce. Otherwise, follow the package instructions.
Serve with grilled shrimp or a grilled chicken breast (I went with the chicken breast). I bet they're amazing with some eggs for breakfast, too. Let's face it - the grit can be served with anything.
I formed mine into grit cakes (pour your grits out onto a cookie sheet, allow to thicken. Use a cookie cutter to cut into rounds, then pan fry). But, they didn't really fry up well - so my recommendation is not to go the grit cake route.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
fish pie and guest host
My baby brother (who's not much of a baby anymore) asked if he could get in on the eating preparation. So, please enjoy this recipe from him. We talked a little about it last night, and I asked him if the fish got mushy at all (my only worry when making a fish pie) - he assures me the fish was wonderfully flaky. I haven't tried it, but I trust him when he says it was tasty!
This website is getting a little pie-heavy, huh? Perhaps something lighter over the weekend!
As an avid reader of Prepare for Eating I thought it would be nice to give Catherine Anne a day off and tell you about something I’ve cooked.
Today’s recipe was influenced by Catherine Anne’s almost quiche, the Onion Pie. I took that idea and created a layered fish pie.
Fish pie is a tradition of the British Isles. With that said:
Ingredients:
300-500g {Catherine Anne's note: about 14 oz} of white fish (Cod, Haddock, I used Cod)
Six medium small potatoes (idaho or yukon gold are best)
Two yellow onions
Five cloves of garlic
One shallot (optional)
One stick of butter (I know)
One tablespoon of olive oil (yeah, I know)
Two cups of grated cheese (I used Kerrygold Dubliner but any kind of cheddar will do, white particularly)
One half cup of cream or milk
One nine-inch pie loose pie crust, not the one in the tin)
One tsp. rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste(I didn’t put a whole lot of seasoning in this because I wanted the natural flavor of the Cod and onions to really take over.)
Let me first say that this is not a healthy dish, this is a hearty fill you up kind of dish best served with a cold pint of stout.
{CAnne's note: preheat the oven to 400* F}
Put a large pot of water (6 quart) on the stove to boil.
Start with the vegetation, peel the shallot, garlic and onion. Chop them into semi-slim slices (no more than 1/4 in). Melt two tablespoons of butter with the olive oil in a pan over medium low heat. Throw the chopped alliaceae into the pan and toss together with salt, pepper and rosemary. Sweat them until they are opaque and sweet. Set aside when done.
Now that the water is (probably) boiling throw the eggs in there for ten minutes while you prepare the next step.
Peel the potatoes and slice in 1/4 in. portions. After the eggs have timed out go ahead and throw the potatoes in. You’re looking for just cooked on these, you’re not mashing them. Another 12 min or so and strain them and set aside. Peel the eggs and slice them as well.
In the pan you cooked the onions in, melt the rest of the butter (seriously, I know) over medium heat and add the cod. While cooking for 7 minutes per side (my cod had three sides), spoon butter from the pan onto the fish. Take the fish out of the pan and set aside.
Using the same pan, lower the heat and pour in the cream or milk. Scrape the bits of deliciousness left over from the onions and fish off the bottom of the pan, then let sit.
Now comes the building- I used a deep, round nine-inch glass dish. This is the order I used:
(the bottom of the pan is the top of the list)
Potato
Egg
Onion mixture
Cheese
Sauce
Cod
Repeat until the top is reached.
Unroll the pie crust and lay it on top of the dish, press to the sides until you have a seal. Poke some holes in the top (I used a knife to cut an X in the middle so I could find the spot later){CAnne's note: Can you tell my brother is a joker?}. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Let it sit for ten minutes, serve and devour (don’t forget the beer, Murphy’s stout, although Guinness is also good and good for you!)
This website is getting a little pie-heavy, huh? Perhaps something lighter over the weekend!
Monday, August 24, 2009
curried and poached catfish
I can't remember where I got the idea to poach fish in curry sauce, but I did it once about 6 weeks ago with fantastic results. For a very impromptu dinner party over the weekend, I did it again. My friend Jeff provided this flattering compliment, "it actually melts in your mouth!" So, yay for that.
Ingredients
1 15 oz. can of coconut milk (shaken)
1.5 tbs of red curry paste
2 catfish fillets (any white fish will probably do)
1 tbs peanut butter
1 tsp honey
1 sliced jalapeno pepper
your favorite fish seasoning
salt to taste
Season the fillets with your favorite seasoning and place back in the fridge while you prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan or skillet (you'll want one with a cover), combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, and honey. Whisk until smooth. Toss in the sliced jalapeno pepper (or leave that out if you prefer a less spicy sauce).
Turn the heat on under the saucepan and bring the sauce to a boil. Then, slide in your fish fillets, lower the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Let it cook for 7-10 minutes. Then, flip the fillets over, re-cover and allow to cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.
Serve over rice. The fish will practically fall apart when it's cooked. Pour some of the remaining sauce over the fish and rice when serving.
I didn't take pictures of this dish. Oops!
Ingredients
1 15 oz. can of coconut milk (shaken)
1.5 tbs of red curry paste
2 catfish fillets (any white fish will probably do)
1 tbs peanut butter
1 tsp honey
1 sliced jalapeno pepper
your favorite fish seasoning
salt to taste
Season the fillets with your favorite seasoning and place back in the fridge while you prepare the sauce. In a large saucepan or skillet (you'll want one with a cover), combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, and honey. Whisk until smooth. Toss in the sliced jalapeno pepper (or leave that out if you prefer a less spicy sauce).
Turn the heat on under the saucepan and bring the sauce to a boil. Then, slide in your fish fillets, lower the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Let it cook for 7-10 minutes. Then, flip the fillets over, re-cover and allow to cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.
Serve over rice. The fish will practically fall apart when it's cooked. Pour some of the remaining sauce over the fish and rice when serving.
I didn't take pictures of this dish. Oops!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
cheating with tomato sauce
I spent three days on vacation over the weekend, and somehow I'm more tired than usual this week. This unfortunate circumstance led to what is arguably a semi-homemade dinner last night.
I didn't make my own pierogies - I think Mrs. T's are quite acceptable. Although, considering I've never bothered to make my own, I wonder how much better they could be. Anyway, this dish ended up being pierogies cooked in just a (very) basic tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Pierogies (as many as you want to eat and can fit in the pan)
26 oz. can of whole tomatoes
2 cups of spinach
5 garlic cloves, sliced
parmesan cheese
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepperoncini (crushed red pepper)
Over medium heat, gently saute the garlic and pepperoncini in the olive oil. Add a little salt to help the process along. This sauce is garlic-heavy, partly because there are so few ingredients in it.
When the garlic starts to brown slightly around the edges, add the whole can of tomatoes.
Mash them with a potato masher. Bring to a boil.
Place the frozen pieroges in the tomato sauce. In the picture, I've just placed them in there, but you'll want to cover them with the sauce. Allow to cook for 5-6 minutes (you may need more or less time if you made your own pierogies).
Add the spinach, gently stirring it into the sauce.
Allow to cook for another minute more, or until the spinach wilts. Sprinkle the whole thing with cheese to taste. 
Serve alone or with your protein of choice (chicken breast, pork chop, whatever).
This recipe is also delicious substituting 1 cup basil for the spinach.
Sorry about that completely blurry picture over there; I couldn't get my hand steady over the pan for some reason.
I didn't make my own pierogies - I think Mrs. T's are quite acceptable. Although, considering I've never bothered to make my own, I wonder how much better they could be. Anyway, this dish ended up being pierogies cooked in just a (very) basic tomato sauce.
Ingredients
Pierogies (as many as you want to eat and can fit in the pan)
26 oz. can of whole tomatoes
2 cups of spinach
5 garlic cloves, sliced
parmesan cheese
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepperoncini (crushed red pepper)
Over medium heat, gently saute the garlic and pepperoncini in the olive oil. Add a little salt to help the process along. This sauce is garlic-heavy, partly because there are so few ingredients in it.
When the garlic starts to brown slightly around the edges, add the whole can of tomatoes.
Mash them with a potato masher. Bring to a boil. Place the frozen pieroges in the tomato sauce. In the picture, I've just placed them in there, but you'll want to cover them with the sauce. Allow to cook for 5-6 minutes (you may need more or less time if you made your own pierogies).
Add the spinach, gently stirring it into the sauce.
Allow to cook for another minute more, or until the spinach wilts. Sprinkle the whole thing with cheese to taste. 
Serve alone or with your protein of choice (chicken breast, pork chop, whatever).
This recipe is also delicious substituting 1 cup basil for the spinach.
Sorry about that completely blurry picture over there; I couldn't get my hand steady over the pan for some reason.
Monday, August 17, 2009
tostones
I live alone. Therefore, I don't have to follow any food rules at home. This occasionally leads to things like tostones and wine for dinner. 
These are pretty traditional (I understand) in Latin American households, as a breakfast treat.
Tostones are fried plantains. A plantain looks like a banana, but has more starch in it. Before they're ripe, they're practically unpalatable - they're like a raw potato. But when they look like bananas past their prime, they are sweet and oh so delicious.
Most plantains I get at my local grocery store are green. And when they're green, they're inedible. I like my plantains yellow to the point of turning brown or red. So, I buy them green and pop them in my produce drawer (not in the fridge - I keep a drawer in the cabinets full of potatoes, yams, and plantains...and sometimes garlic) until they turn yellow-red.
These plantains get double fried, and get beat up a little. Have fun.
Ingredients
1 ripe plantain
a bowl of salted water
vegetable oil
salt
Peel your plantain. You'll need to use a knife to cut a slit down the side, but you should be able to peel it from there. Slice it into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Put the pieces in the (very) salty water.
Put a pan on high heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the pan about 1/4 inch up the sides. I use a wooden spoon to check if my oil is hot enough. Just stick the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil - if a bunch of bubbles appear around the spoon handle, your oil is ready.
Dry off the plantain pieces and slide into the oil when the oil is ready. You just want the slightest bit of color on this first fry, and that won't take long. Flip them over once you start to get the little bit of browning. When the other side is slightly (slightly!!) browned, take them out of the oil and place them on paper towels. Remove the oil from the heat so it doesn't get too hot.
Then, using a meat mallet or other flat and heavy item (I use a heavy bottomed water glass), smash the plantains so they're about 1/2 inch thick. Do this gingerly at first - you don't want to really mush them all up or break them apart.
Once they're flat, return the oil to the heat and do the spoon test again. When the oil is ready, put the plantains back in. This time around, you want to let them cook until the edges turn crispy and brown. Flip them, and let the other side brown up, too.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt while they're fresh from the pan, and serve.
UPDATE: They're also great baked. I came home from vacation earlier this week and found a practically black plantain in my kitchen. I sliced it into 1/4 inch pieces (like a banana), tossed the pieces in a teaspoon of canola oil and baked at 400* F for about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Wowza, were they good. I think extra ripe and baked may win the plantain contest.
These are pretty traditional (I understand) in Latin American households, as a breakfast treat.Tostones are fried plantains. A plantain looks like a banana, but has more starch in it. Before they're ripe, they're practically unpalatable - they're like a raw potato. But when they look like bananas past their prime, they are sweet and oh so delicious.
Most plantains I get at my local grocery store are green. And when they're green, they're inedible. I like my plantains yellow to the point of turning brown or red. So, I buy them green and pop them in my produce drawer (not in the fridge - I keep a drawer in the cabinets full of potatoes, yams, and plantains...and sometimes garlic) until they turn yellow-red.
These plantains get double fried, and get beat up a little. Have fun.
Ingredients
1 ripe plantain
a bowl of salted water
vegetable oil
salt
Peel your plantain. You'll need to use a knife to cut a slit down the side, but you should be able to peel it from there. Slice it into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Put the pieces in the (very) salty water.
Put a pan on high heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the pan about 1/4 inch up the sides. I use a wooden spoon to check if my oil is hot enough. Just stick the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil - if a bunch of bubbles appear around the spoon handle, your oil is ready.
Dry off the plantain pieces and slide into the oil when the oil is ready. You just want the slightest bit of color on this first fry, and that won't take long. Flip them over once you start to get the little bit of browning. When the other side is slightly (slightly!!) browned, take them out of the oil and place them on paper towels. Remove the oil from the heat so it doesn't get too hot.
Then, using a meat mallet or other flat and heavy item (I use a heavy bottomed water glass), smash the plantains so they're about 1/2 inch thick. Do this gingerly at first - you don't want to really mush them all up or break them apart.
Once they're flat, return the oil to the heat and do the spoon test again. When the oil is ready, put the plantains back in. This time around, you want to let them cook until the edges turn crispy and brown. Flip them, and let the other side brown up, too.
Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt while they're fresh from the pan, and serve.
UPDATE: They're also great baked. I came home from vacation earlier this week and found a practically black plantain in my kitchen. I sliced it into 1/4 inch pieces (like a banana), tossed the pieces in a teaspoon of canola oil and baked at 400* F for about 12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Wowza, were they good. I think extra ripe and baked may win the plantain contest.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
shepherd's pies
My friends and I throw themed dinner parties for one another. They generally involve some kind of play on words, be it alliteration, rhyme or otherwise. Anyway, now that you know I'm one of the cool kids (ha!), let me give you the recipes I made for our Shepherd's and Skullsplitter dinner party.
Many of my friends don't eat beef (well, certain kinds of beef), and one of them is a pescatarian. So, I actually made one traditional pie and another using Quorn. However, only the meat recipe is below.
To me, shepherd's pie is a clean-out-your-fridge kind of food, so rarely do I go at it with a particular recipe in mind. When I was a kid, my father used to throw it together anytime we had leftover mashed potatoes. Which was anytime my mother made mashed potatoes (I always suspected he threw an extra potato or two into the pot behind her back; so much does he love shepherd's pie).
I made my first shepherd's pies (two huge pies - one lamb and one beef), for my girlfriends and I to eat at my 10th birthday party. Did I mention I'm one of the cool kids? Anyway, here's the recipe.
Ingredients
Filling
1 lb of meat (I used sirloin this time, but I've used everything from leftover ribeye to ground beef)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
5 diced carrots
1 large diced onion
1 1/2 c frozen green peas
Potatoes
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 - 1 c milk
3 tbs butter
Gravy
1 beer (or use chicken stock or water)
wondra (I LOVE wondra, but a corn starch slurry or some sifted flour will also do the trick)
Seasonings
your favorite meat seasoning
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
paprika
olive oil
Preparation
The night before, you'll want to cook the steaks. First, this breaks up what can be a long process (and since this is really meant as a use for leftovers, hopefully you'll just have leftover steak). Secondly, you're going to be cutting the steak into bite-sized pieces, and if you cook the steak right beforehand, and then cut it, you lose some of the juices.
You can cook them in your favorite way (broil, grill, pan-fry). I broiled them. Sprinkle them liberally with your favorite seasoning, allow them to come to room temperature, then cook. The steaks I had were about an inch thick, and I wanted them fairly rare inside (as they will be introduced to heat again later), so I broiled them for two minutes per side.
The day of, get all your vegetables diced and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Preheat the oven to 400* F. Peel and cut the potatoes, put them in a pot, cover them with water and boil them for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until a fork is easily inserted into them. While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the filling.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the garlic, onion and carrot in the olive oil until just softened. Add salt to help this process along. Add the peas and cover. Lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 3 minutes.
Raise the heat to high, add the meat and cook for about 1 - 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. The point here is to get some of the meat to stick to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, cover.
By now, the potatoes should be ready to mash. Drain them and then place the pot back on the hot (but off) burner. This will allow any excess water to steam off the potatoes. Give the pot a shake every few seconds.
Once the steam coming off them has lessened, toss in the butter. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or other instrument. Add the milk in small increments (you may not need it all) and stir it in until you reach the consistency you want. Then, season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
Assembly and Gravy
Transfer the meat and vegetables into a baking dish, spreading them out evenly. Then make the gravy.
Place the saucepan in which you cooked the vegetables over high heat. Hopefully, you have some meat and/or juices stuck to the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot, pour in half the beer (or 1/2 cup stock or water). With a whisk or fork, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the stuck bits. Stirring continuously, sprinkle a fine layer of wondra over the liquid. Continue alternating liquid and wondra until you get the gravy consistency you prefer. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt and cracked pepper. The amount of seasoning you will need will vary based on what liquid you used, and you don't want to oversalt, since you've salted the other components of the dish.
Finally, you're ready to assemble fully. Pour your pan gravy over the meat and vegetables. Using a spatula, transfer the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetables. Spread them out evenly (kind of like frosting a cake).
Sprinkle paprika over the top of the mashed potatoes (this will help them crisp up a little). Place the pie into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the top looks crisp around the edges.
Serve like you'd serve a lasagna. Or a pie.
I hope that wasn't too complicated! Enjoy.
Many of my friends don't eat beef (well, certain kinds of beef), and one of them is a pescatarian. So, I actually made one traditional pie and another using Quorn. However, only the meat recipe is below.
To me, shepherd's pie is a clean-out-your-fridge kind of food, so rarely do I go at it with a particular recipe in mind. When I was a kid, my father used to throw it together anytime we had leftover mashed potatoes. Which was anytime my mother made mashed potatoes (I always suspected he threw an extra potato or two into the pot behind her back; so much does he love shepherd's pie).
I made my first shepherd's pies (two huge pies - one lamb and one beef), for my girlfriends and I to eat at my 10th birthday party. Did I mention I'm one of the cool kids? Anyway, here's the recipe.
Ingredients
Filling
1 lb of meat (I used sirloin this time, but I've used everything from leftover ribeye to ground beef)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
5 diced carrots
1 large diced onion
1 1/2 c frozen green peas
Potatoes
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 - 1 c milk
3 tbs butter
Gravy
1 beer (or use chicken stock or water)
wondra (I LOVE wondra, but a corn starch slurry or some sifted flour will also do the trick)
Seasonings
your favorite meat seasoning
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
paprika
olive oil
Preparation
The night before, you'll want to cook the steaks. First, this breaks up what can be a long process (and since this is really meant as a use for leftovers, hopefully you'll just have leftover steak). Secondly, you're going to be cutting the steak into bite-sized pieces, and if you cook the steak right beforehand, and then cut it, you lose some of the juices.
You can cook them in your favorite way (broil, grill, pan-fry). I broiled them. Sprinkle them liberally with your favorite seasoning, allow them to come to room temperature, then cook. The steaks I had were about an inch thick, and I wanted them fairly rare inside (as they will be introduced to heat again later), so I broiled them for two minutes per side.
The day of, get all your vegetables diced and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Preheat the oven to 400* F. Peel and cut the potatoes, put them in a pot, cover them with water and boil them for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until a fork is easily inserted into them. While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the filling.In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the garlic, onion and carrot in the olive oil until just softened. Add salt to help this process along. Add the peas and cover. Lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 3 minutes.
Raise the heat to high, add the meat and cook for about 1 - 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. The point here is to get some of the meat to stick to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, cover.
By now, the potatoes should be ready to mash. Drain them and then place the pot back on the hot (but off) burner. This will allow any excess water to steam off the potatoes. Give the pot a shake every few seconds.
Once the steam coming off them has lessened, toss in the butter. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or other instrument. Add the milk in small increments (you may not need it all) and stir it in until you reach the consistency you want. Then, season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.Assembly and Gravy
Transfer the meat and vegetables into a baking dish, spreading them out evenly. Then make the gravy.
Place the saucepan in which you cooked the vegetables over high heat. Hopefully, you have some meat and/or juices stuck to the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot, pour in half the beer (or 1/2 cup stock or water). With a whisk or fork, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the stuck bits. Stirring continuously, sprinkle a fine layer of wondra over the liquid. Continue alternating liquid and wondra until you get the gravy consistency you prefer. Remove from heat and season lightly with salt and cracked pepper. The amount of seasoning you will need will vary based on what liquid you used, and you don't want to oversalt, since you've salted the other components of the dish.
Finally, you're ready to assemble fully. Pour your pan gravy over the meat and vegetables. Using a spatula, transfer the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetables. Spread them out evenly (kind of like frosting a cake).
Sprinkle paprika over the top of the mashed potatoes (this will help them crisp up a little). Place the pie into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the top looks crisp around the edges.
Serve like you'd serve a lasagna. Or a pie.
I hope that wasn't too complicated! Enjoy.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
clam and spinach conchiglie
Conchiglie are little shell-shaped pasta. It sounds much fancier than "shell," but you'll find this dish is not at all fancy (like most of my cooking).
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Conchiglie pasta
1/2 a bag of fresh baby spinach (about 2 cups)
1 can of good quality clams, rinsed and drained
parmesan cheese
olive oil (enough to cover the pan bottom)
garlic, sliced
crushed red pepper (pepperoncini)
salt
Cook the pasta for about 1 minute less than package instructions. While it's cooking, make the sauce. It will really take less than five minutes to put it all together once you've prepped the ingredients (rinsing and slicing and such), so keep that in mind.
Over medium heat, simmer the garlic and pepperoncini in olive oil until they get the slightest bit brown. Add the clams and the spinach and stir for about a minute. Using a slotted spoon, add the cooked pasta directly from its cooking water. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to your sauce to get the consistency you like. Allow to simmer for about a minute (if you need to, lower the heat a little). Add parmesan cheese to taste (I probably put in 1/4 cup). Add salt to taste.
Serve. Dang, that was easy.
Some will scoff at using canned clams, but frankly, when you've just spent the day working and your stomach is growling, fresh clams seem like a whole lot of hassle. This is definitely a recipe for the end of a long day. I always seem to have the ingredients lying around, and the fact that its ready in only as many minutes as the pasta needs to cook is a definite plus. So, if you've got the wherewithal to use fresh clams, please do - but don't shy away for fear of a can.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Conchiglie pasta
1/2 a bag of fresh baby spinach (about 2 cups)
1 can of good quality clams, rinsed and drained
parmesan cheese
olive oil (enough to cover the pan bottom)
garlic, sliced
crushed red pepper (pepperoncini)
salt
Cook the pasta for about 1 minute less than package instructions. While it's cooking, make the sauce. It will really take less than five minutes to put it all together once you've prepped the ingredients (rinsing and slicing and such), so keep that in mind.
Over medium heat, simmer the garlic and pepperoncini in olive oil until they get the slightest bit brown. Add the clams and the spinach and stir for about a minute. Using a slotted spoon, add the cooked pasta directly from its cooking water. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to your sauce to get the consistency you like. Allow to simmer for about a minute (if you need to, lower the heat a little). Add parmesan cheese to taste (I probably put in 1/4 cup). Add salt to taste.
Serve. Dang, that was easy.
Some will scoff at using canned clams, but frankly, when you've just spent the day working and your stomach is growling, fresh clams seem like a whole lot of hassle. This is definitely a recipe for the end of a long day. I always seem to have the ingredients lying around, and the fact that its ready in only as many minutes as the pasta needs to cook is a definite plus. So, if you've got the wherewithal to use fresh clams, please do - but don't shy away for fear of a can.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
onion pie
I suppose this is technically a quiche, but I modeled it after the Alsatian Onion Pie by Chef Hubert Keller. My version takes significantly less time and finesse. Full disclosure: this was my first quiche. And though the picture doesn't do it justice, I assure you, it was exceptionally tasty.
I used pre-made pie crusts, which frankly, is a little embarrassing. My grandmother (on my father's side) was the only person in our family who couldn't cook - if it didn't come out of a can, she didn't know what to do with it. But, she apparently made the most amazing pie crust my father ever tasted. And he's tasted a lot of pie. So, sorry grandma, but I bought the frozen ones.
Ingredients:
2 regular frozen pie crusts (or 1 deep-dish)
2 medium onions, ends cut off, cut in half, sliced into half-moons
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup grated cheese + some for garnish (I used cheddar, but I think next time I'll use something like havarti)
3 eggs
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 cup low-fat milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup of chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, sliced
salt and pepper
Chicken breast:
Season the chicken breast liberally with your favorite seasoning. I use Commander's Palace's meat seasoning. Place in an oven pre-heated to 400* F. Cook for 5 minutes, flip over, cook for another 5 minutes. Take out the chicken and let it rest on the counter. Don't eat it! It's not cooked.
Pie:
Pre-heat the oven to 325* F (or turn it down to 325). Put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once the butter has stopped bubbling in the oil, put the sliced onions and garlic into the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pour in the chicken broth and cover the pan. Let this cook down, without stirring it, for about 10 minutes. Then give it a quick stir, cover it again and let it go another 10 minutes. Keep this up until the onions turn a pretty amber-brown color and completely wilt. If you find that your pan is getting dry, add a little more chicken broth.
While the onions are cooking, cut the chicken breast up into bite-sized pieces. The chicken will finish cooking in the pie. Once the onions are soft and brown, toss the cut-up chicken and the cheddar cheese with them. Then, fill the pie crusts evenly with this onion+chicken+cheese mixture.
Next, place the milk and sour cream in a small pot over low heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture is slightly warmer than body temperature (you should be able to stick your finger in it - clearly I cook at home and not in a restaurant). Turn off the heat under the pan, and add the eggs one by one, whisking in each one fully before adding the next. Grate a little bit of fresh pepper into this and add a pinch or two of salt.
Pour the egg mixture over the filled pie crusts. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. I put the pies on foiled-lined cookie sheets, in case of spillover (which didn't occur). Stick them in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the tops of the pie are puffed up. If you notice the crust getting too brown, just cover lightly with some aluminum foil.
When I make this again, I think I'll cut out the chicken and use some soft white cheese and fresh thyme.
This weekend I also put together pasta shells with clam sauce and spinach (which was delicious) and some pumpkin-carrot chocolate chip cookies (which were pretty awful). I didn't get a picture of the pasta, but I'll post the recipe anyway. I won't, however, inflict the pumpkin-carrot abomination on y'all.
I used pre-made pie crusts, which frankly, is a little embarrassing. My grandmother (on my father's side) was the only person in our family who couldn't cook - if it didn't come out of a can, she didn't know what to do with it. But, she apparently made the most amazing pie crust my father ever tasted. And he's tasted a lot of pie. So, sorry grandma, but I bought the frozen ones.
Ingredients:
2 regular frozen pie crusts (or 1 deep-dish)
2 medium onions, ends cut off, cut in half, sliced into half-moons
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup grated cheese + some for garnish (I used cheddar, but I think next time I'll use something like havarti)
3 eggs
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 cup low-fat milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup of chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, sliced
salt and pepper
Chicken breast:
Season the chicken breast liberally with your favorite seasoning. I use Commander's Palace's meat seasoning. Place in an oven pre-heated to 400* F. Cook for 5 minutes, flip over, cook for another 5 minutes. Take out the chicken and let it rest on the counter. Don't eat it! It's not cooked.
Pie:
Pre-heat the oven to 325* F (or turn it down to 325). Put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once the butter has stopped bubbling in the oil, put the sliced onions and garlic into the pan. Sprinkle with salt, pour in the chicken broth and cover the pan. Let this cook down, without stirring it, for about 10 minutes. Then give it a quick stir, cover it again and let it go another 10 minutes. Keep this up until the onions turn a pretty amber-brown color and completely wilt. If you find that your pan is getting dry, add a little more chicken broth.
While the onions are cooking, cut the chicken breast up into bite-sized pieces. The chicken will finish cooking in the pie. Once the onions are soft and brown, toss the cut-up chicken and the cheddar cheese with them. Then, fill the pie crusts evenly with this onion+chicken+cheese mixture.
Next, place the milk and sour cream in a small pot over low heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture is slightly warmer than body temperature (you should be able to stick your finger in it - clearly I cook at home and not in a restaurant). Turn off the heat under the pan, and add the eggs one by one, whisking in each one fully before adding the next. Grate a little bit of fresh pepper into this and add a pinch or two of salt.
Pour the egg mixture over the filled pie crusts. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. I put the pies on foiled-lined cookie sheets, in case of spillover (which didn't occur). Stick them in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the tops of the pie are puffed up. If you notice the crust getting too brown, just cover lightly with some aluminum foil.
When I make this again, I think I'll cut out the chicken and use some soft white cheese and fresh thyme.
This weekend I also put together pasta shells with clam sauce and spinach (which was delicious) and some pumpkin-carrot chocolate chip cookies (which were pretty awful). I didn't get a picture of the pasta, but I'll post the recipe anyway. I won't, however, inflict the pumpkin-carrot abomination on y'all.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
corn and black bean chili
Let's just jump right in without a bunch of introductory hoorah, hm?
Last night I had approximately 15 minutes to cook and eat dinner before running out of the house. Vegetarian chili resulted from a quick refrigerator scan. Luckily, it was delicious.
Ingredients:
3 cups of pre-soaked and boiled black beans (I'd cooked these over the weekend)
2 cups of fresh, frozen, or canned corn (I used canned)
1 whole chopped jalapeno (take out the seeds!)
1/2 a large can of crushed tomatoes (whole, diced or even tomato sauce would work, too)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato paste (substitute regular tomato paste if you like)
salt to taste
So, I took the beans out of the fridge, mixed the (strained) corn and tomatoes in with them and set them over medium-high heat in a pot. Then, in a small pan, I sauteed the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the olive oil (make sure to put a pinch of salt in there too) until softened.
Once the garlic, onion and pepper were softened, I added the cumin and chili powder and cooked for another minute or so, stirring constantly. You'll just want to cook it until you really smell the spices - and man, do they smell fantastic.
Mix the contents of the pan in with the contents of the pot. Stir well. Add the tomato paste then salt to taste (and this will require a good deal of salt; beans always do). Lower the heat and let it simmer up to a half hour. As I only had a few minutes, it didn't simmer long - but if you have the time, use it. Chili will only get better the longer it simmers.
Toss some cheese on top and you're ready to eat! The best thing about this meal, besides its easy preparation and nutritious ingredients (um, and yumminess), is that the whole pot probably costs less than $5 and will feed 4-5 people.
So, that's how this blog will be: recipes and the occasional food-related story. Eat up.
Last night I had approximately 15 minutes to cook and eat dinner before running out of the house. Vegetarian chili resulted from a quick refrigerator scan. Luckily, it was delicious.
Ingredients:
3 cups of pre-soaked and boiled black beans (I'd cooked these over the weekend)
2 cups of fresh, frozen, or canned corn (I used canned)
1 whole chopped jalapeno (take out the seeds!)
1/2 a large can of crushed tomatoes (whole, diced or even tomato sauce would work, too)
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato paste (substitute regular tomato paste if you like)
salt to taste
So, I took the beans out of the fridge, mixed the (strained) corn and tomatoes in with them and set them over medium-high heat in a pot. Then, in a small pan, I sauteed the onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the olive oil (make sure to put a pinch of salt in there too) until softened.
Once the garlic, onion and pepper were softened, I added the cumin and chili powder and cooked for another minute or so, stirring constantly. You'll just want to cook it until you really smell the spices - and man, do they smell fantastic.
Mix the contents of the pan in with the contents of the pot. Stir well. Add the tomato paste then salt to taste (and this will require a good deal of salt; beans always do). Lower the heat and let it simmer up to a half hour. As I only had a few minutes, it didn't simmer long - but if you have the time, use it. Chili will only get better the longer it simmers.
Toss some cheese on top and you're ready to eat! The best thing about this meal, besides its easy preparation and nutritious ingredients (um, and yumminess), is that the whole pot probably costs less than $5 and will feed 4-5 people.
So, that's how this blog will be: recipes and the occasional food-related story. Eat up.
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