As usual, December has been beyond crazy, so the Thanksgiving recipes have been a little late in coming. That said, here in time for Christmas are a few more.
Brined Turkey (Gluten Free)
Brine:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Turkey-Brine/Detail.aspx
(This is the brine recipe I used, though I subbed fresh herbs for the dried since that's what I had. I just fished out the herbs with tongs before I used it. I also found that a wine box that formerly held a dozen bottles of Charles Shaw merlot made the best vessel for containing the turkey and brining bag. Just line the box with the bag, folding the edges back over the rim, place bird in box (may be a tight fit if you're over 18 pounds), pour in brine, seal bag and place in fridge. If the box is too tall, you can split it at the corners and fold down the sides to get it in. Worked perfectly, didn't cost a dime and was disposable.)
Turkey:
After draining the turkey in the sink and patting dry with paper towels, I treated my weighty friend with a butter massage. I slipped about two tablespoons of softened butter under the skin and spread that around and then rubbed a thin coat of butter all over the outside of the bird. Oil would be fine, I just had butter floating around and used that instead. I gave him a little salt sprinkle internally and externally and placed him in a roasting pan with a rack. Once he was settled, I turned his wings back behind him (he was resting breast-side up) and stuffed him with a quartered onion and half a juiced orange (a lemon would have worked too). He went into a 375 degree oven for the first 20 minutes or so, then was treated to a foil tent and reduced heat for the last two hours of cooking time since he browned faster than intended due to the minscule nature of my oven and the proximity of the upper element. He came out mahogany brown and rested for half an hour before he was carved.
Cranberry Relish (Gluten Free)
Ingredients:
-12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
-2 sweet apples, peeled and diced
-1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
-1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar, depending on taste
-2/3 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Combine cranberries, sugar and juice in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. When berries are starting to burst and the liquids are thickening stir in the apples and walnuts. Cook for another five minutes, stirring a few times to combine and remove from heat. Chill before serving. This can be made a day or two in advance and is lovely on toast and muffins as well as with the turkey.
Braised Leeks (Gluten Free):
Clean leeks by trimming off root end but not enough that they fall apart. Trim the dark green leaves off the top, leaving the white and light green. Split the leeks down the middle and rinse under running water, being sure to get into all the layers to rinse all the sand out. Drain in a colander as you go. When all leeks are cleaned, bring a large, heavy-bottomed/oven safe pan to high heat with some olive oil. Throw in the leeks and brown a bit, turning frequently (tongs work best here). When browned to your satisfaction but not cooked through, pour a liquid into the pan and toss the leeks around to coat them thoroughly. You can use broth, a broth/wine mixture or whatever sounds good. Mix in a few tablespoons of cream if you're willing, but not the fat-free half and half or milk--they curdle. There should be just under half an inch of liquid in the pan. Turn leeks and swish around a bit to evenly coat in broth/cream mixture. Place the pan in a 400 degree oven for 25-40 minutes, turning the leeks once or twice to promote even carmelization and redistribute the sauce. The leeks are done when soft, caramelized and most of the sauce is absorbed. Remove from oven and let cool a bit--this will be harder to do once you've tasted them. Serve as a side dish to whatever sounds good, on their own, or my personal favorite, chopped up and served on toast with loosely scrambled eggs on top.
Sweet Potato Biscuits--I'm not going to provide the recipe I used, as I didn't really end up liking them much. If you really want to know, ask and I'll send you the site.
Caramelized Onion Tart
Ingredients (9x13 sized pan):
-2 tubes of crescent roll dough
-3 pounds of onions, sliced thin
-2 1/2 TBsp olive oil
-dash salt
-5 oz goat cheese, softened
Directions:
First, assemble your crust. Unroll the crescent dough, trying your best to keep the sheet intact, and line a lightly greased 9x13 casserole dish with the dough, making sure to come up the sides a bit. You may have to be a little creative here to get the whole thing lined. Make sure all seams are pressed together as well, so that the whole thing bakes into one piece. Follow baking instructions on your package, taking care not to overbake and cover the edges with foil if they start to brown too much.
While the shell is baking caramelize the onions. Heat a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, onions and just a touch of salt and toss to combine. Stir the onions frequently to prevent burning and cook until deeply caramelized.
Allow the crust and onions to cool before you assemble the tart. To do this, spread the goat cheese evenly over the pastry and spoon the onions over the cheese, spreading into an even layer. To finish, cover pan in foil and reheat tart in a 350 degree oven until hot and a bit bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
Notes:
-For a smaller tart, halve the ingredients and use a nine inch pie plate or square or round cake pan instead. Be creative in fitting the crust in and proceed as usual.
-Variation--This also works well with roasted tomatoes instead of or in combination with the onions. Slow roast enough tomatoes to fill whatever sized tart you'd like to make, rough chop them and use them to top the goat cheese. To make slow roasted tomatoes, halve ripe (even ripe winter specimens) tomatoes from stem to bottom, removing the green bits of stem. Toss lightly in olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and/or steak seasoning and place in a 200 degree oven for 10-12 hours (overnight works great). Tomatoes should appear shrunken and somewhat drier than when you put them in. The flavor will have concentrated and the texture will have softened. These are great on their own as well and will probably get their own post in time. Make a huge batch, you'll find uses for them.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving, Part 1
This year I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time, and I'm happy to say that everybody seemed to have been ok with the menu. For the record, this was the menu:
Roast Turkey
Cider Gravy
Cranberry Apple Relish
Sausage Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Braised Leeks
Roasted White Asparagus
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Mashed Potatoes
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Onion Tart
Pecan Pie
Cherry Pie
Mini Pastries (thank you, trader joes...)
Butter Cookies
I've been asked to provide recipes for all of it, so I'll try, though this will probably take a bit. First up is the most-requested one--the stuffing. (By requested I mean begged and demanded, repeatedly.) It was a bit labor-intensive, but more than made up for it in both quantity and result. Here goes:
Sausage Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients:
-1 pound bulk sausage (pork, turkey, doesn't matter, as long as it's not in casings)
-1 large or two small onions, chopped
-1 large or two smal bulbs fennel, chopped
-4-6 ribs celery, chopped
-2 handfuls shredded carrots or 2 medium carrots, chopped fine
-4 granny smith apples, peeled and cubed
-5 cups chicken broth
-1 bag Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing mix (or some other similar one)
Directions:
Brown the sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat, breaking it into marble-sized bits and cooking until there is no pink left. Drain sausage of as much grease as you can and remove from the pan and place in a bowl. Pour off remaining grease from the pan and toss in onion, fennel, celery and carrots, if using chopped and not shredded. Cook the vegetables over medium-high heat until browned and nearly cooked through. Remove vegetables from the pan and toss in the apples. Sautee the apples until the edges are browned but the apples aren't cooked through. Pour the chicken broth into the pan and allow it to come to a boil with the apples. In a large (VERY LARGE) bowl combine the stuffing mix, sausage and vegetables and toss to combine. When the broth has come to temperature pour it and the apples over the stuffing mixture and stir to incorporate the broth and apples into the stuffing. Add more broth if the mixture is too dry. As there is nothing left that isn't cooked, the stuffing could easily be eaten at this point, but to finish it off in true thanksgiving fashion, load the whole lot of it into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. This will brown the top a bit and get the edges a little crusty, as baked stuffings should be.
Notes:
-The whole thing can be made up to the point where you'd bake it and then thrown in the fridge. Just keep in mind that it will take longer to all come to temperature in the oven that way and it will need some extra time. No worries if it doesn't all heat up though--there is nothing in it that hasn't already been cooked and no eggs to worry about not setting up.
-This stuffing will probably have a texture different to what you're used to if you generally make bread stuffings. It comes out chock full of veggies bound together by the cornbread.
-This may well taste fine if you use regular bread crumb stuffing mixes and not cornbread. I just prefer cornbread myself and I think it goes well with the apple.
And second up, the gravy:
Cider Gravy
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/11/14/cider-herb-gravy/
(I'm being lazy about typing for this one)
The gravy was based on the above recipe from the Washington Post, with the following changes:
1. I didn't have parsley or brandy, so I left them out.
2. I didn't see the point of putting in butter, so I didn't.
3. I made the base pretty much as instructed, minus the butter and thickened it with a few tablespoons of cornstarch mixed in with the cream to form a slurry. As I didn't feel like taking the time to chop herbs, I put a whole sprig of rosemary, two or three of thyme and two stems of sage into the simmering broth and pulled it out with the tongs right before I thickened it. The cider/broth mixture was infused, but there weren't any hard bits of rosemary leaves or thyme stems left floating in it.
4. I didn't measure my drippings, but I did skim the fat off of them as best I could, which left me with about two cups or so (it was a big turkey). I combined that with another two cups or so of chicken broth and the gravy base and heated the whole thing through. It was a touch runny for my taste, so I added some more cornstarch slurry and that thickened it up nicely. A little sherry or brandy may have been a nice addition at that point, but it certainly wasn't missed.
5. This whole thing resulted in about 4 or 5 cups of gravy, which in our family was just about perfect for the amount of leftovers we had.
Coming soon: Turkey, Cranberry Relish and Braised Leeks
Roast Turkey
Cider Gravy
Cranberry Apple Relish
Sausage Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Braised Leeks
Roasted White Asparagus
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Mashed Potatoes
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Onion Tart
Pecan Pie
Cherry Pie
Mini Pastries (thank you, trader joes...)
Butter Cookies
I've been asked to provide recipes for all of it, so I'll try, though this will probably take a bit. First up is the most-requested one--the stuffing. (By requested I mean begged and demanded, repeatedly.) It was a bit labor-intensive, but more than made up for it in both quantity and result. Here goes:
Sausage Apple Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients:
-1 pound bulk sausage (pork, turkey, doesn't matter, as long as it's not in casings)
-1 large or two small onions, chopped
-1 large or two smal bulbs fennel, chopped
-4-6 ribs celery, chopped
-2 handfuls shredded carrots or 2 medium carrots, chopped fine
-4 granny smith apples, peeled and cubed
-5 cups chicken broth
-1 bag Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing mix (or some other similar one)
Directions:
Brown the sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat, breaking it into marble-sized bits and cooking until there is no pink left. Drain sausage of as much grease as you can and remove from the pan and place in a bowl. Pour off remaining grease from the pan and toss in onion, fennel, celery and carrots, if using chopped and not shredded. Cook the vegetables over medium-high heat until browned and nearly cooked through. Remove vegetables from the pan and toss in the apples. Sautee the apples until the edges are browned but the apples aren't cooked through. Pour the chicken broth into the pan and allow it to come to a boil with the apples. In a large (VERY LARGE) bowl combine the stuffing mix, sausage and vegetables and toss to combine. When the broth has come to temperature pour it and the apples over the stuffing mixture and stir to incorporate the broth and apples into the stuffing. Add more broth if the mixture is too dry. As there is nothing left that isn't cooked, the stuffing could easily be eaten at this point, but to finish it off in true thanksgiving fashion, load the whole lot of it into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes. This will brown the top a bit and get the edges a little crusty, as baked stuffings should be.
Notes:
-The whole thing can be made up to the point where you'd bake it and then thrown in the fridge. Just keep in mind that it will take longer to all come to temperature in the oven that way and it will need some extra time. No worries if it doesn't all heat up though--there is nothing in it that hasn't already been cooked and no eggs to worry about not setting up.
-This stuffing will probably have a texture different to what you're used to if you generally make bread stuffings. It comes out chock full of veggies bound together by the cornbread.
-This may well taste fine if you use regular bread crumb stuffing mixes and not cornbread. I just prefer cornbread myself and I think it goes well with the apple.
And second up, the gravy:
Cider Gravy
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/11/14/cider-herb-gravy/
(I'm being lazy about typing for this one)
The gravy was based on the above recipe from the Washington Post, with the following changes:
1. I didn't have parsley or brandy, so I left them out.
2. I didn't see the point of putting in butter, so I didn't.
3. I made the base pretty much as instructed, minus the butter and thickened it with a few tablespoons of cornstarch mixed in with the cream to form a slurry. As I didn't feel like taking the time to chop herbs, I put a whole sprig of rosemary, two or three of thyme and two stems of sage into the simmering broth and pulled it out with the tongs right before I thickened it. The cider/broth mixture was infused, but there weren't any hard bits of rosemary leaves or thyme stems left floating in it.
4. I didn't measure my drippings, but I did skim the fat off of them as best I could, which left me with about two cups or so (it was a big turkey). I combined that with another two cups or so of chicken broth and the gravy base and heated the whole thing through. It was a touch runny for my taste, so I added some more cornstarch slurry and that thickened it up nicely. A little sherry or brandy may have been a nice addition at that point, but it certainly wasn't missed.
5. This whole thing resulted in about 4 or 5 cups of gravy, which in our family was just about perfect for the amount of leftovers we had.
Coming soon: Turkey, Cranberry Relish and Braised Leeks
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Everything, Up To and Including the Kitchen Sink...
So, this week hasn't quite gone as I'd like it to. Some of you watching this know why, some don't. I'll spare the details, but the short version involves shit hitting the fan in several aspects of my existence and my resulting displeasure with a lot of things in my life. The result? A continued lack of motivation when it comes to cooking anything more than twice a week, at least when I'm at home. While I'm at work I find lovely recipes for things like pasta carbonara, almond cakes with grapes, panko-crusted baked salmon and all sorts of things that take actual work were I to make them when I come home. Right now, that's just not going to work. My solution this week is to make a huge batch of mujadara and a veritable bucket of kitchen sink curry. This is a japanese style curry that is about as short-cut as you can get. I use an instant curry sauce and throw in whatever looks good or almost dead in my pantry and crisper. This week's version combined chickpeas, potatoes, onion and cauliflower. Ladled over a bowl of basmati rice at the end of a long, cold day it's just about as close to perfect as I'm likely to get this week.
Kitchen Sink Curry
Ingredients:
-olive or canola oil, for sauteing
-1 onion, roughly chopped
-4-6 medium (tennis ball sized) yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
-1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
-1/2 pack vermont curry, or any similar curry sauce in whatever heat you prefer
-3 1/2 cups water (or whatever amount your sauce pack calls for)
-basmati rice
Directions:
In a very large saucepan (15 inch, at least) or dutch oven heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan on high. When hot, add onion and potatoes and saute for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges start to brown. Add the curry sauce cubes and water and stir until the cubes are dissolved and the sauce starts to thicken. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cauliflower and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft and cauliflower is cooked. Give it a last stir and ladle over basmati rice.
Notes:
-Use whatever you want to make this. In my experience, rather little that lives in your pantry goes badly with yellow curry sauce. I recommend lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, peas, really most beans and legumes and leftover carrots. Cashews can be thrown in when you first start cooking it, as can drained tofu. Just brown the tofu and then throw in the rest so the tofu doesn't break down too much. Not that that would hurt it anyway.
-I've used up frozen bagged mixed veggies this way, but it's just not as good, in my opinion. This is a good recipe to use up nearly dead cruciferous and root veggies, but watery ones don't seem to like it as much. They still taste fine, I just don't like the textures. Carrot/Lima/Corn/Pea mixes work ok, frozen cauliflower/broccoli/carrot mixes not so much.
-I've made curry noodles by mixing cooked lo mein noodles into the pot at the end of this and letting them soak up some sauce. My ratios were 1 bag frozen mixed veggies/1/2 pack curry sauce/1 pound pack noodles. It made a lot.
-Bonus--The curry sauce can be made one 12th of a packet at a time, which is just a perfect amount for either dipping french fries or dressing a few baked/boiled potatoes. Yellow curry sauce and potatoes go together really, really well.
-Vermont curry--This is a product that I buy from my international market, but isn't too hard to find in the international aisle of some supermarkets (it's just a lot more expensive). I've started keeping a pack in my pantry for whenever I get hungry and don't really feel like making something terribly involved but still want something that tastes good. This particular brand claims to have an apple flavor--hence the designation as "vermont curry." I don't taste it, but I like it anyway.
Kitchen Sink Curry
Ingredients:
-olive or canola oil, for sauteing
-1 onion, roughly chopped
-4-6 medium (tennis ball sized) yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite sized chunks
-1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
-1/2 pack vermont curry, or any similar curry sauce in whatever heat you prefer
-3 1/2 cups water (or whatever amount your sauce pack calls for)
-basmati rice
Directions:
In a very large saucepan (15 inch, at least) or dutch oven heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan on high. When hot, add onion and potatoes and saute for 3-5 minutes, just until the edges start to brown. Add the curry sauce cubes and water and stir until the cubes are dissolved and the sauce starts to thicken. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cauliflower and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft and cauliflower is cooked. Give it a last stir and ladle over basmati rice.
Notes:
-Use whatever you want to make this. In my experience, rather little that lives in your pantry goes badly with yellow curry sauce. I recommend lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, peas, really most beans and legumes and leftover carrots. Cashews can be thrown in when you first start cooking it, as can drained tofu. Just brown the tofu and then throw in the rest so the tofu doesn't break down too much. Not that that would hurt it anyway.
-I've used up frozen bagged mixed veggies this way, but it's just not as good, in my opinion. This is a good recipe to use up nearly dead cruciferous and root veggies, but watery ones don't seem to like it as much. They still taste fine, I just don't like the textures. Carrot/Lima/Corn/Pea mixes work ok, frozen cauliflower/broccoli/carrot mixes not so much.
-I've made curry noodles by mixing cooked lo mein noodles into the pot at the end of this and letting them soak up some sauce. My ratios were 1 bag frozen mixed veggies/1/2 pack curry sauce/1 pound pack noodles. It made a lot.
-Bonus--The curry sauce can be made one 12th of a packet at a time, which is just a perfect amount for either dipping french fries or dressing a few baked/boiled potatoes. Yellow curry sauce and potatoes go together really, really well.
-Vermont curry--This is a product that I buy from my international market, but isn't too hard to find in the international aisle of some supermarkets (it's just a lot more expensive). I've started keeping a pack in my pantry for whenever I get hungry and don't really feel like making something terribly involved but still want something that tastes good. This particular brand claims to have an apple flavor--hence the designation as "vermont curry." I don't taste it, but I like it anyway.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The Joys of (Not) Cooking...
...or not. Some of the people who read this know what's been going with me for the past month, some not so much. What I will say is that I've been ridiculously busy and as a result haven't been keeping up with much of anything, let alone this blog. For those who read it or check it regularly, my deepest apologies.
I was going to try to post a lovely recipe to make up for it. I really, really was. Sadly, life has decided that that is just not going to happen this week. I'm officially not allowed to cook much of anything right now, as I've managed to somehow screw up nearly everything I've cooked in the last week. I even messed up apple cake--one of the easiest things in the world to throw together. Other casualties included my thai chicken/garlic noodles (probably the most painful one on this list), tuna casserole (again, really bloody simple, really not edible result) and scrambled eggs. The more pathetic this got, the more I realized that I just can't keep doing this this week. I'm going to be relying mostly on frozen foods or takeout this week. I think the only thing I can't screw up is linguine with garlic butter, though I've not tried it yet. I'm going to take some time this week to try to unwind enough to stop messing up the simplest of tasks. In the meantime, I am taking inspiration from my reliance on freezer staples to post my green beans. I've been known to make a meal of a plate of these, but when I was little I was known to make a meal of a can of barely warmed green beans. I'm not quite that bad anymore, and these green beans have definitely grown up.
For the next post (probably, anyway) I'll offer up a nearly-foolproof chocolate cake recipe. Assuming I don't screw it up.
Skillet Green Beans
These are quick and pretty hard to mess up. Quantities are approximate (other than the bag) and are dictated by your preference and the size of your pan.
Ingredients:
-1 Bag of Haricots Verts Green Beans from Trader Joes (still frozen) or a skillet full of fresh green or string beans, cleaned but not cut shorter than 4 inches or so long
-2-3 Tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
-2 Tbsp chopped garlic (jar is fine, powdered is not)
-1-2 Tbsp soy sauce (optional, I use Healthy Boy brand Mushroom Flavored, gluten free tamari is fine too)
-1 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional, for sprinkling, toasted or not is up to you)
Directions:
-Heat enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom of your large skillet (I use the 12 inch skillet/about 2-2-3 Tbsp for this) on high. When smoking hot, add a spoonful or two of chopped garlic, depending on your taste. Swirl the garlic in the oil quickly and add the green beans all at once, tossing with tongs to coat with oil and garlic.
-Keep the beans moving around the pan and drizzle with a bit of the toasted sesame oil. This has a very strong taste, so start with just a bit if you've not used it before. Start with 1/4 teaspoon or so, you can always add more later.
-Sprinkle beans with soy sauce, if using. I usually start with about a tablespoon.
-Keep the beans moving. (I can't stress that enough). When they are starting to brown/toast/blacken in places and have absorbed all the liquid, you are done. This usually takes around 10 minutes when I use frozen beans, if yours are fresh the cooking time will be less, so keep an eye on it. The goal is not to cook your beans to mush unless you want them that way, just to crisp up the outsides a bit and heat them through.
-Turn beans out into a large bowl or platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds and dig in, or just decant directly onto dinner plates with the tongs. These things give off a wonderful garlic/sesame smell when cooking, so you likely won't be alone in your kitchen when you're finished. Taste the beans and adjust sesame oil or soy sauce if needed. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
-In my family, the bag usually serves 4-6, depending on whether or not there is another side dish available. You can make as much or as little as you like or your pan dictates.
Notes:
-I've seen my dad eat these. Honestly. If he'll eat them, most veggie-haters have a chance.
-This is vegan/vegetarian, all the fat in it is good for you, and it's a lovely way to jam some more green vegetables into your diet. Enjoy it often.
-Green Beans--You cannot used canned for this. Sorry. Make green bean casserole with those. For this you need long pieces of uncooked or frozen beans so that they brown without mushing. You can use this method with string beans just as easily as green beans and I've used a similar method on asparagus with some success (and a lot more browning).
-A note on soy sauce: La Choy sucks. NEVER use it. If you aren't lucky enough to have an Asian grocery nearby and must subsist on supermarket offerings, at least use Kikkoman. If your supermarket has an international foods section, look for other brands of soy sauce to try. I am a big fan of Healthy Boy (Thailand) which can sometimes be found there, as it's a very common brand outside this country and Lee Kum Kee. Just about anything with the Healthy Boy brand is a safe buy, whether it's dark or light soy, bean sauce, fish sauce and what have you. Also, pay attention to whether you are buying dark or light soy--there is a difference, and you're most likely used to using light soy. The one I mention in this recipe is a light soy sauce with a slight mushroom taste and is my go-to soy sauce for just about everything. Seriously, the Asian soy sauces may cost a little more (unless you're in an international market) but actually liking the food you dress with it is worth way more than the bottle costs.
-A note on garlic--Props to you if you have fresh garlic always on hand and the time to clean unknown quantities. I LOVE fresh garlic, but don't always have a head on hand. Other than Polaner, I have found most jarred chopped garlic to work just fine in this and many other recipes. If I ever post anything that requires fresh heads of garlic, I'll mention it, but otherwise, go ahead and use the jarred if that's what you have on hand. I've also made wonderful caesar salads, pasta, steaks and soups with the stuff. Jarred basil and other leafy herbs on the other hand are best left in the grocery store. The tubes of pastes of basil, oregano and such I've not tried, but the frozen cubes are usually pretty good if you're going to be cooking the herbs into something anyway, obviously less so if you're meant to chop and sprinkle over a finished dish.
-While these beans have a slightly Asian profile because of the sesame, they go pretty well with just about anything, so don't let the sesame stop you from pairing this with quesadillas if you so choose. It will probably be delicious.
-Tongs make this a lot easier. You'll be fine with a spatula, but if you do have tongs in your kitchen, use them for this.
-Super-secret hidden bonus non-recipe recipe: If you happen to be living within the vicinity of a Crisp & Juicy restaurant, or have a recipe for mild, creamy aji-pepper sauce, you can make the one dish that DID work for me in the last two weeks. First, find some spinach or asparagus and cook to your preference. Then toast some bread or an english muffin and poach 1-2 eggs. Assemble starting with bread, then greens, then egg and top with a hearty spoonful of the sauce. Definitely not hollandaise, definitely not benedict or quite florentine, definitely not remotely healthy, but very, very good.
I was going to try to post a lovely recipe to make up for it. I really, really was. Sadly, life has decided that that is just not going to happen this week. I'm officially not allowed to cook much of anything right now, as I've managed to somehow screw up nearly everything I've cooked in the last week. I even messed up apple cake--one of the easiest things in the world to throw together. Other casualties included my thai chicken/garlic noodles (probably the most painful one on this list), tuna casserole (again, really bloody simple, really not edible result) and scrambled eggs. The more pathetic this got, the more I realized that I just can't keep doing this this week. I'm going to be relying mostly on frozen foods or takeout this week. I think the only thing I can't screw up is linguine with garlic butter, though I've not tried it yet. I'm going to take some time this week to try to unwind enough to stop messing up the simplest of tasks. In the meantime, I am taking inspiration from my reliance on freezer staples to post my green beans. I've been known to make a meal of a plate of these, but when I was little I was known to make a meal of a can of barely warmed green beans. I'm not quite that bad anymore, and these green beans have definitely grown up.
For the next post (probably, anyway) I'll offer up a nearly-foolproof chocolate cake recipe. Assuming I don't screw it up.
Skillet Green Beans
These are quick and pretty hard to mess up. Quantities are approximate (other than the bag) and are dictated by your preference and the size of your pan.
Ingredients:
-1 Bag of Haricots Verts Green Beans from Trader Joes (still frozen) or a skillet full of fresh green or string beans, cleaned but not cut shorter than 4 inches or so long
-2-3 Tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
-2 Tbsp chopped garlic (jar is fine, powdered is not)
-1-2 Tbsp soy sauce (optional, I use Healthy Boy brand Mushroom Flavored, gluten free tamari is fine too)
-1 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional, for sprinkling, toasted or not is up to you)
Directions:
-Heat enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom of your large skillet (I use the 12 inch skillet/about 2-2-3 Tbsp for this) on high. When smoking hot, add a spoonful or two of chopped garlic, depending on your taste. Swirl the garlic in the oil quickly and add the green beans all at once, tossing with tongs to coat with oil and garlic.
-Keep the beans moving around the pan and drizzle with a bit of the toasted sesame oil. This has a very strong taste, so start with just a bit if you've not used it before. Start with 1/4 teaspoon or so, you can always add more later.
-Sprinkle beans with soy sauce, if using. I usually start with about a tablespoon.
-Keep the beans moving. (I can't stress that enough). When they are starting to brown/toast/blacken in places and have absorbed all the liquid, you are done. This usually takes around 10 minutes when I use frozen beans, if yours are fresh the cooking time will be less, so keep an eye on it. The goal is not to cook your beans to mush unless you want them that way, just to crisp up the outsides a bit and heat them through.
-Turn beans out into a large bowl or platter, sprinkle with sesame seeds and dig in, or just decant directly onto dinner plates with the tongs. These things give off a wonderful garlic/sesame smell when cooking, so you likely won't be alone in your kitchen when you're finished. Taste the beans and adjust sesame oil or soy sauce if needed. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
-In my family, the bag usually serves 4-6, depending on whether or not there is another side dish available. You can make as much or as little as you like or your pan dictates.
Notes:
-I've seen my dad eat these. Honestly. If he'll eat them, most veggie-haters have a chance.
-This is vegan/vegetarian, all the fat in it is good for you, and it's a lovely way to jam some more green vegetables into your diet. Enjoy it often.
-Green Beans--You cannot used canned for this. Sorry. Make green bean casserole with those. For this you need long pieces of uncooked or frozen beans so that they brown without mushing. You can use this method with string beans just as easily as green beans and I've used a similar method on asparagus with some success (and a lot more browning).
-A note on soy sauce: La Choy sucks. NEVER use it. If you aren't lucky enough to have an Asian grocery nearby and must subsist on supermarket offerings, at least use Kikkoman. If your supermarket has an international foods section, look for other brands of soy sauce to try. I am a big fan of Healthy Boy (Thailand) which can sometimes be found there, as it's a very common brand outside this country and Lee Kum Kee. Just about anything with the Healthy Boy brand is a safe buy, whether it's dark or light soy, bean sauce, fish sauce and what have you. Also, pay attention to whether you are buying dark or light soy--there is a difference, and you're most likely used to using light soy. The one I mention in this recipe is a light soy sauce with a slight mushroom taste and is my go-to soy sauce for just about everything. Seriously, the Asian soy sauces may cost a little more (unless you're in an international market) but actually liking the food you dress with it is worth way more than the bottle costs.
-A note on garlic--Props to you if you have fresh garlic always on hand and the time to clean unknown quantities. I LOVE fresh garlic, but don't always have a head on hand. Other than Polaner, I have found most jarred chopped garlic to work just fine in this and many other recipes. If I ever post anything that requires fresh heads of garlic, I'll mention it, but otherwise, go ahead and use the jarred if that's what you have on hand. I've also made wonderful caesar salads, pasta, steaks and soups with the stuff. Jarred basil and other leafy herbs on the other hand are best left in the grocery store. The tubes of pastes of basil, oregano and such I've not tried, but the frozen cubes are usually pretty good if you're going to be cooking the herbs into something anyway, obviously less so if you're meant to chop and sprinkle over a finished dish.
-While these beans have a slightly Asian profile because of the sesame, they go pretty well with just about anything, so don't let the sesame stop you from pairing this with quesadillas if you so choose. It will probably be delicious.
-Tongs make this a lot easier. You'll be fine with a spatula, but if you do have tongs in your kitchen, use them for this.
-Super-secret hidden bonus non-recipe recipe: If you happen to be living within the vicinity of a Crisp & Juicy restaurant, or have a recipe for mild, creamy aji-pepper sauce, you can make the one dish that DID work for me in the last two weeks. First, find some spinach or asparagus and cook to your preference. Then toast some bread or an english muffin and poach 1-2 eggs. Assemble starting with bread, then greens, then egg and top with a hearty spoonful of the sauce. Definitely not hollandaise, definitely not benedict or quite florentine, definitely not remotely healthy, but very, very good.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Summer, Wrapping Up
This recipe was inspired by persistently hot temperatures, boredom, hunger and a post over on Orangette about Brandon’s soba noodles. I made the sauce to see if it was something I’d like, since I’m a little suspicious about peanut sauces much of the time (too peanutty—I know, I’m weird). This one looked safe, given how acid it promised to be and the simple fact that it had sriracha in it. I ditched the chili-garlic sauce right away, as that stuff is far too hot for my tastes, even in small quantities. A little (ok, a LOT) of tweaking over last weekend and I’m happy to say I’ve got a version that is very close to the kind I used to order all the time when I lived in New York and have bought from the Giant deli too many times to coung. This version is far cheaper to make and easier to modify to my tastes or supplies that day. I ate this warm the first time I made it, as I was hungry and didn’t feel like waiting for it to cool off, but it’s meant to be eaten cold and is quite good anywhere in between. It’s definitely one of those dishes that doesn’t suffer from being in the fridge for a few days. Added benefits: it’s vegetarian, easy to throw together (the longest part of prep is cutting up whatever veggies you want) and could possibly get away with being vegan if you use soba or dig up some brown rice spaghetti or linguini to make it with. Even easier bonus: The peanut sauce recipe could easily be doubled, leaving you with plenty of leftover sauce to use for the Thai Chicken Wraps that are posted over on Simply.Live (they sound wonderful, and just as easy to throw together as these noodles, if not more so) and even as a dipping sauce for plain old chunks of grilled chicken.
(Almost) Sesame Cold Noodles
Sauce:
-½ cup creamy peanut butter-1 Tbsp. soy sauce
-1 Tbsp sweet soy (or use another ½ Tbsp soy sauce and ½ Tbsp brown sugar)-1/2 tsp. pressed garlic (about 1 small clove) or ¼ tsp garlic powder-½ cup fresh lime juice-½-1 tsp. sriracha or a similar hot sauce, or more to taste-2 tsp. olive oil-1 tsp. water
For the noodles:
-½ to ¾ lb. soba noodles OR 1 lb lo mein noodles OR ¾ to 1 lb linguini
-2-3 large handfuls of bean sprouts
-1 cup julienned snow peas
-3 scallions, cut into inch long strips
-1 red or green pepper, julienned
-1 medium carrot, julienned
-1-2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
-1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and julienned
-Fresh cilantro or basil leaves, for serving (optional, but nice)
Directions:
First, make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk to blend well. Keep at it for a minute, it will be lumpy at first but will blend into a smooth sauce. You could do this in a blender if you really want, but that will add extra dishes. Taste, adjust to your liking and set aside.Meanwhile boil water in a large pot and cook your noodles. If using soba, be careful, as they are rather delicate compared to the other types and will cook quickly. Do not overcook your noodles, regardless of which kind you use.
Drain the noodles into the colander in the sink. Then immediately wash them in cool water. Turn on the faucet use your hands to pick up small handfuls of noodles and separate them between your fingers, taking care that each noodle is rinsed. Washing the noodles is most important to lo mein or soba, but helps to stop the cooking in the linguini and to remove any starchy residues to keep the noodles from clumping. Shake any excess water from the noodles, and turn them into the bowl of sauce. Using two forks, gently toss until the noodles are evenly coated. Add the vegetables (except cucumber) and however many sesame seeds you wish and toss gently to combine. Top with cucumber strips and fresh cilantro or basil, if using, and serve.
Notes:
-This is one of those recipes where you can use pretty much whatever veggies you want. The ones I’ve chosen are based on my own tastes. I wouldn’t recommend broccoli, cauliflower, peas or corn, but nearly anything else that can be cut into strips would be perfect. Bok choy, cabbage, spinach, radishes, celery, even peeled and seeded tomatoes are pretty good. Whatever you’ve got in your crisper will probably work out just fine, just pick what looks good and run with it. Pre-cut veggies are great here too. In fact, the only way I'd recommend broccoli in this is if you use the broccoli slaw mix, as the hard work is already done and the shape is just about perfect.
-Bean sprouts. You can jam as many as you like into this recipe, and I’m tempted to try it sometime without any actual noodles. Because of their shape they virtually disappear into the mix here and their mild flavor blends very well with the citrussy-tart peanut sauce. They retain their crunch as well, but aren’t as noticeable on their own as they might be in other recipes. Definitely a good way to use up a bag of them or feed them to someone who wouldn’t normally go for them.
-I like my noodles a little drier than other people when it comes to peanut sauces, so if you feel the need for more sauce, it’s pretty easy to make a little more and toss it in. It’s also pretty easy to overdo it, so keep an eye on how much sauce is sitting in the bottom of your bowl before you drown it.
-You could easily sub out the peanut butter or part of it for other butters, including tahini. I haven’t made it with straight tahini yet, but if a whole lot of sesame is your thing, go for it. If I want a bit more sesame punch, I’ve added a tablespoon or so and a little extra lime juice. That’s enough for me, but again, make it however you want it.
-Lime juice is far from the only acid you can use in this sauce. Lemon works pretty well, and I’ve read in other places that you can even use orange juice, but you’ll need to up the acidity with rice vinegar.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
For Rachel...
Because she wanted this one :)
This icing first made the rounds of my family a few years ago when my sister discovered it hiding in the pages of a lovely book called The Cake Mix Doctor by Ann Byrn. There was also a version of this that my grandmother made quite a long time ago (as in, I don't remember eating it) that was more of a butterscotch fudge recipe than an icing. After several years of mutual experimentation the recipe below is the one we usually stick closest too. Mine can come out soft or so crackly it falls off of the cake, my sister's tends to be softer and grainer due to her use of a spoon over a mixer and mom's can be anywhere in between.
Ann Byrn's book is a great one to pick up if you're not much of a baker but want to be or need to be quickly. The recipes feature a box cake mix as a base and ways to "doctor" them that render truly wonderful desserts. One I found all over the place in conjunction with her version of this icing was a banana cake topped with caramel icing and salted pecans. Sounds good to me. My sister's most requested accompaniement to this icing is a chocolate cinnamon banana cake. Sounds odd, but the whole thing comes together very well.
Caramel Icing
(Start to finish, this takes about 10 minutes)
Ingredients:
-8 tablespoons (one stick butter)-1 cup packed brown sugar (light, dark, doesn't seem to matter too much. use whichever one you like)
-1/4 cup milk (skim, whole, half & half--whatever is on hand)
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Directions:
Place the butter and the brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until smooth. You can use a spoon for this, but I have my hand mixer set up and waiting when I start and use that.
Use icing immediately. As soon as the powdered sugar is incorporated the icing will change texture and become creamy/pasty instead of just liquid. To ice a cake I usually just pour the icing directly from the pot onto the cake. this works best for bundt cakes and sheet cakes that are still in the pan. If you've got a rack you can set the cake on while you pour you'll have a cleaner edge to the bottom of your cake, but where's the fun in that? Work as quickly as you can without burning yourself, and if you need to spread the icing do it as soon as it hits the cake--it will set in seconds. If you want a smooth finish, be careful and pour evenly.
Notes:
-Sift the powdered sugar. If you don't, you'll have little bits of clumped powdered sugar all throughout the icing, and it's not pretty. Tastes fine, looks creepy. If you're icing a cake for halloween that's supposed to look awful, then not sifting and not quite mixing thoroughly is the way to go.
-Fill the pot with water as soon as you're done with it. Trust me on this one. It's far easier to clean out later if it soaks for a while, as this icing is very nearly a fudge recipe and scrubbing candy off a pot that has had time to cool and dry is a royal pain.
-Have a spoon on hand to scrape out the pot a bit before you stick it in the sink. The benefit here is two fold: there's less in the pot to scrub out later, and the icing that hardens on the spoon is quite good on it's own.
-This should probably go without saying, but if you use a mixer, use caution. Boiling sugar and skin do not mix well, so start it at a low speed. I like using a mixer because it does such a thorough job so quickly and results in a smoother texture. Using a spoon is fine, but results in a slightly grainier finish to the icing. Either way, it tastes great.
-Cupcakes. My sister has iced cupcakes with this, and it's quite good that way. To do that, put the pot back on the stove when the icing is mixed and keep it on low and stir frequently to keep it malleable. Use the spoon to drizzle globs of the icing over the cupcakes, but keep the cupcakes in their tin while you do so. This saves your counters from drips (mostly).
-If the icing seizes up too quickly and you still have a large portion of it in the pot, you can warm it on the stove and melt it back into useablility. You can add a spoon of water or milk, but if you add too much that will change the texture.
-The longer the sugar boils the harder the icing will set. One minute or so will yield a firm, breakable icing when it sets. if you want it softer, don't boil it quite so long. You will probably need to make this a few times to get the hang of how it will react and what consistency you like best. I have found that this is a very easy way to finish a cake that just about everyone loves, so getting failed experiments out of your kitchen shouldn't be too difficult, assuming whoever else might be in your house lets you.
This icing first made the rounds of my family a few years ago when my sister discovered it hiding in the pages of a lovely book called The Cake Mix Doctor by Ann Byrn. There was also a version of this that my grandmother made quite a long time ago (as in, I don't remember eating it) that was more of a butterscotch fudge recipe than an icing. After several years of mutual experimentation the recipe below is the one we usually stick closest too. Mine can come out soft or so crackly it falls off of the cake, my sister's tends to be softer and grainer due to her use of a spoon over a mixer and mom's can be anywhere in between.
Ann Byrn's book is a great one to pick up if you're not much of a baker but want to be or need to be quickly. The recipes feature a box cake mix as a base and ways to "doctor" them that render truly wonderful desserts. One I found all over the place in conjunction with her version of this icing was a banana cake topped with caramel icing and salted pecans. Sounds good to me. My sister's most requested accompaniement to this icing is a chocolate cinnamon banana cake. Sounds odd, but the whole thing comes together very well.
Caramel Icing
(Start to finish, this takes about 10 minutes)
Ingredients:
-8 tablespoons (one stick butter)-1 cup packed brown sugar (light, dark, doesn't seem to matter too much. use whichever one you like)
-1/4 cup milk (skim, whole, half & half--whatever is on hand)
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
Directions:
Place the butter and the brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute and remove from heat. Add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until smooth. You can use a spoon for this, but I have my hand mixer set up and waiting when I start and use that.
Use icing immediately. As soon as the powdered sugar is incorporated the icing will change texture and become creamy/pasty instead of just liquid. To ice a cake I usually just pour the icing directly from the pot onto the cake. this works best for bundt cakes and sheet cakes that are still in the pan. If you've got a rack you can set the cake on while you pour you'll have a cleaner edge to the bottom of your cake, but where's the fun in that? Work as quickly as you can without burning yourself, and if you need to spread the icing do it as soon as it hits the cake--it will set in seconds. If you want a smooth finish, be careful and pour evenly.
Notes:
-Sift the powdered sugar. If you don't, you'll have little bits of clumped powdered sugar all throughout the icing, and it's not pretty. Tastes fine, looks creepy. If you're icing a cake for halloween that's supposed to look awful, then not sifting and not quite mixing thoroughly is the way to go.
-Fill the pot with water as soon as you're done with it. Trust me on this one. It's far easier to clean out later if it soaks for a while, as this icing is very nearly a fudge recipe and scrubbing candy off a pot that has had time to cool and dry is a royal pain.
-Have a spoon on hand to scrape out the pot a bit before you stick it in the sink. The benefit here is two fold: there's less in the pot to scrub out later, and the icing that hardens on the spoon is quite good on it's own.
-This should probably go without saying, but if you use a mixer, use caution. Boiling sugar and skin do not mix well, so start it at a low speed. I like using a mixer because it does such a thorough job so quickly and results in a smoother texture. Using a spoon is fine, but results in a slightly grainier finish to the icing. Either way, it tastes great.
-Cupcakes. My sister has iced cupcakes with this, and it's quite good that way. To do that, put the pot back on the stove when the icing is mixed and keep it on low and stir frequently to keep it malleable. Use the spoon to drizzle globs of the icing over the cupcakes, but keep the cupcakes in their tin while you do so. This saves your counters from drips (mostly).
-If the icing seizes up too quickly and you still have a large portion of it in the pot, you can warm it on the stove and melt it back into useablility. You can add a spoon of water or milk, but if you add too much that will change the texture.
-The longer the sugar boils the harder the icing will set. One minute or so will yield a firm, breakable icing when it sets. if you want it softer, don't boil it quite so long. You will probably need to make this a few times to get the hang of how it will react and what consistency you like best. I have found that this is a very easy way to finish a cake that just about everyone loves, so getting failed experiments out of your kitchen shouldn't be too difficult, assuming whoever else might be in your house lets you.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Simplicity, Elevated
Ok, so it's been a really long time since the last post. Apologies if anyone is actually watching this. I've got a handful of things to post over the next few days, but thought I'd start with a recipe for mujadara, a Lebanese lentil, rice and onion dish that was one of my staples a while ago and I started making again a few weeks ago and can't get enough of. The method is time consuming, though fairly simple, and the results are worth exponentially more than the sum of the parts.
Bonus points: This is really cheap to make, especially if you happen to find a 10 pound bag of onions for $3, as I did this weekend. If you've not already found your nearest international grocer, you may want to start looking. The produce alone is usually worth it, as are the wonderful deals on all sorts of ingredients you'll never find in a regular grocery store.
Mujadara
Ingredients:
-¼ cup olive oil
-about 1 ½ lb. finely chopped yellow onions (2 medium/large ones, or about 4-5 small)
-1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over
-1 cup basmati rice
-1 tsp. salt or 2 bouillon cubes (vegetarian, beef or chicken)
-3 1/2 cups water
Directions:
In a large (at least 12 inch, with lid) saucepan or dutch oven warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very caramelized. burnt in spots is fine, and encouraged. you want the onions very brown, as the caramelized onion flavor is the backbone of the dish. This could take anywhere from 30-50 minutes, depending on your stove and your pan. While the onions are cooking, place the lentils in a medium saucepan, add water to cover by an inch or so, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. Drain the lentils, and set them aside. When the onions are ready, stir in the rice. Then add the cooked lentils, along with 3 1/2 cups of water and the salt or bouillon cubes. Stir to mix well, and bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook. This can take anywhere from 25-40 minutes, depending on the pan you've chosen. The wide saucepan I use takes 25 minutes, a dutch oven will take longer. The dish is done when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is no longer crunchy. If you check and the liquid is absorbed but the rice is still underdone, add 1/4-1/2 cup of water, recover the pan and allow to steam for another ten minutes or so before you check again.
Serve with additional salt--this is one of those dishes that blooms when a little additional salt is added at the table.
Notes:
-This dish will make a full pan if you're using the saucepan, so enough for 4-6 servings depending on whether you're having it as a main dish or not. Round out the meal with a salad of chopped romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers and feta dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. I recommend finishing with a dish of greek yogurt with honey and peaches.
-Mujadara can be eaten cold, warm or hot. This makes it excellent packed lunch/picnic fare.
-This recipe is vegan if you use veggie bouillon or just salt.
-You can use this as a base for other toppings to make a more substantial meal, if you feel the need. One thing I like do to it is to top it with a poached egg. It adds some protein (and uses up an egg). Not quite eggs and toast, but you get the idea.
-This is one of those dishes that improves with a day or so in the refrigerator. It doesn't have much opportunity to do that in my house, but it does make for fantastic leftovers straight out of the fridge.
Bonus points: This is really cheap to make, especially if you happen to find a 10 pound bag of onions for $3, as I did this weekend. If you've not already found your nearest international grocer, you may want to start looking. The produce alone is usually worth it, as are the wonderful deals on all sorts of ingredients you'll never find in a regular grocery store.
Mujadara
Ingredients:
-¼ cup olive oil
-about 1 ½ lb. finely chopped yellow onions (2 medium/large ones, or about 4-5 small)
-1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over
-1 cup basmati rice
-1 tsp. salt or 2 bouillon cubes (vegetarian, beef or chicken)
-3 1/2 cups water
Directions:
In a large (at least 12 inch, with lid) saucepan or dutch oven warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until very caramelized. burnt in spots is fine, and encouraged. you want the onions very brown, as the caramelized onion flavor is the backbone of the dish. This could take anywhere from 30-50 minutes, depending on your stove and your pan. While the onions are cooking, place the lentils in a medium saucepan, add water to cover by an inch or so, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, undisturbed, for 20 minutes. Drain the lentils, and set them aside. When the onions are ready, stir in the rice. Then add the cooked lentils, along with 3 1/2 cups of water and the salt or bouillon cubes. Stir to mix well, and bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook. This can take anywhere from 25-40 minutes, depending on the pan you've chosen. The wide saucepan I use takes 25 minutes, a dutch oven will take longer. The dish is done when the liquid is absorbed and the rice is no longer crunchy. If you check and the liquid is absorbed but the rice is still underdone, add 1/4-1/2 cup of water, recover the pan and allow to steam for another ten minutes or so before you check again.
Serve with additional salt--this is one of those dishes that blooms when a little additional salt is added at the table.
Notes:
-This dish will make a full pan if you're using the saucepan, so enough for 4-6 servings depending on whether you're having it as a main dish or not. Round out the meal with a salad of chopped romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers and feta dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. I recommend finishing with a dish of greek yogurt with honey and peaches.
-Mujadara can be eaten cold, warm or hot. This makes it excellent packed lunch/picnic fare.
-This recipe is vegan if you use veggie bouillon or just salt.
-You can use this as a base for other toppings to make a more substantial meal, if you feel the need. One thing I like do to it is to top it with a poached egg. It adds some protein (and uses up an egg). Not quite eggs and toast, but you get the idea.
-This is one of those dishes that improves with a day or so in the refrigerator. It doesn't have much opportunity to do that in my house, but it does make for fantastic leftovers straight out of the fridge.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
The Best Garlic Bread Ever
We've all made garlic bread, and let's face it, it's one of the easiest and most satisfying accompaniments to almost any meal. At its most basic, all you really need is some form of bread, butter or a substitute, salt and garlic powder, and it comes out pretty good. However, it's incredibly easy to take this from meerly good to fantastic, though admittedly it's harder to do this for a crowd than for one or two people. This is my go-to method when I want or need really good garlic bread and don't want to make a whole loaf's worth. It does take a little effort, but the outcome is worth it and it also makes for some really excellent croutons.
Garlic Bread
Ingredients:
- Crusty Bread, sliced 3/4-1 inch thick. French, Italian or whatever you would like to use, except for sliced sandwich bread
- Olive oil
- Garlic clove, split open or partially smashed
- Salt (optional)
Directions:
Brush the olive oil on one side of the bread. Try to do this thinly, and use a pastry brush. If it's too much, it will just be sopped in oil and soggy after you're done. Lightly salt the bread on the oiled side if you so desire. Toast the bread in a hot skillet, as you would with grilled cheese sandwiches. When it's crisped and browned to your liking, remove from the pan and rub the raw garlic clove over the grilled side. Rub a little, it's just a little garlicky, rub a lot, it's a lot.
Notes:
- Learn from my experiments, and don't try to do this with an olive oil spray. It's an easy way to build up a thinish layer of olive oil, but it doesn't taste as good when it's done. Ideally, you're using a half-decent olive oil for this anyway, such as one that you'd use for bread dipping.
- To make this into croutons, just cube it up after you're done cooking it. If you're making it specifically for crouton purposes, oil both sides of the bread as lightly as you can, and grill both sides.
Garlic Bread
Ingredients:
- Crusty Bread, sliced 3/4-1 inch thick. French, Italian or whatever you would like to use, except for sliced sandwich bread
- Olive oil
- Garlic clove, split open or partially smashed
- Salt (optional)
Directions:
Brush the olive oil on one side of the bread. Try to do this thinly, and use a pastry brush. If it's too much, it will just be sopped in oil and soggy after you're done. Lightly salt the bread on the oiled side if you so desire. Toast the bread in a hot skillet, as you would with grilled cheese sandwiches. When it's crisped and browned to your liking, remove from the pan and rub the raw garlic clove over the grilled side. Rub a little, it's just a little garlicky, rub a lot, it's a lot.
Notes:
- Learn from my experiments, and don't try to do this with an olive oil spray. It's an easy way to build up a thinish layer of olive oil, but it doesn't taste as good when it's done. Ideally, you're using a half-decent olive oil for this anyway, such as one that you'd use for bread dipping.
- To make this into croutons, just cube it up after you're done cooking it. If you're making it specifically for crouton purposes, oil both sides of the bread as lightly as you can, and grill both sides.
Turkey Goulash
Ok, so this is completely ripped off/adapted from Paula Deen's recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_36300,00.html?rsrc=search
After getting over the shock that this is a dish of hers that does not contain butter, I've changed the beef to de-fatted ground turkey and halved the recipe. When I made the full batch I had enough to feed about a dozen people, despite Paula's note that this serves six. Either way, it took a little while to prepare, but was pretty simple and came out really well and will freeze nicely. This is about as low-fat/healthyish as comfort food can get, and you can keep the sodium down if you use low-sodium canned goods.
I also will second Paula's suggestion to serve this with salad and garlic bread--it just makes this meal perfect.
Turkey Goulash
Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 pack sliced mushrooms (4oz) or 1 large can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt OR 2 chipotle flavored boullion cubes
- 1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
Directions:
In a LARGE pot, saute the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sauteing. Drain any grease. Add the onions and garlic (and mushroom, if using) to the pot and saute until they are tender. Add water, along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder and seasoned salt (or boullion, if using). Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes. At this point, it's ready to eat, or if you're following the Paula method, allow it to sit for 30 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream and paprika, if desired (I didn't think this was needed).
After getting over the shock that this is a dish of hers that does not contain butter, I've changed the beef to de-fatted ground turkey and halved the recipe. When I made the full batch I had enough to feed about a dozen people, despite Paula's note that this serves six. Either way, it took a little while to prepare, but was pretty simple and came out really well and will freeze nicely. This is about as low-fat/healthyish as comfort food can get, and you can keep the sodium down if you use low-sodium canned goods.
I also will second Paula's suggestion to serve this with salad and garlic bread--it just makes this meal perfect.
Turkey Goulash
Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 pack sliced mushrooms (4oz) or 1 large can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt OR 2 chipotle flavored boullion cubes
- 1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
Directions:
In a LARGE pot, saute the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sauteing. Drain any grease. Add the onions and garlic (and mushroom, if using) to the pot and saute until they are tender. Add water, along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder and seasoned salt (or boullion, if using). Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes. At this point, it's ready to eat, or if you're following the Paula method, allow it to sit for 30 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream and paprika, if desired (I didn't think this was needed).
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings, The Easy Way
First, go out and get yourself a crock pot. I like the ones from Rival, even the cheapest one you can find at Target. They hold up forever, take a serious amount of abuse, and if you're really lucky, they come with an adorable carrying case. Just make sure you get one that has a removable crock, I didn't really get going with this little gem until after the one I inherited from my mother without the removable innards died and was replaced with his grandson whose crock can go in the dishwasher. The crock is probably the most used appliance in my kitchen, after the blender. It's the least involved cooking method I have in my repertoire, everything I make in it tastes like I slaved and best of all, it doesn't heat up the kitchen but you can still have hot food. Right now, that alone is reason enough to dig it out and not have to stand over a stove making dinner when I get home from work.
The recipe below is for a four quart crock. Feel free to scale up or down to fit yours, though you may need to make the dumplings themselves on the stove if you go below the 4 quart size.
Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup (low fat/no fat versions are fine)
- 1/4-1/2 can water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon (the big soft kind, not the little Wylers pebbles)
- 2 small or 1 big roll of refrigerated biscuits (low fat version at your own risk here, they aren't nearly as good)
- Salt & Pepper
Directions:
- Empty the soup, water and chicken bouillon into the crock, stir together until smooth.
- Add the whole chicken breasts to the pot and stir to coat them with soup mixture.
- Set crock pot on low and leave covered for 8-10 hours or overnight/all day. Chicken is done when it falls apart easily when pulled apart with a fork.
- Remove chicken from crock and set aside in large bowl or plate.
- Set crock pot to high.
- Cut biscuits into bite sized pieces while crock is heating up.
- Dump biscuit pieces into crock and stir briefly to break up and coat with the soup. Put lid back on crock and allow dumplings to cook 20-30 minutes until cooked through.
- While dumplings are cooking, shred chicken with forks.
- When dumplings are finished cooking, return shredded chicken to the crock and stir to incorporate.
- Taste for salt and pepper, adjust seasonings as desired.
Notes:
-This doesn't have vegetables in it. If you want them, I'd recommend some baby carrots/potatoes/onion/mushrooms go in with the chicken, and anything else get added when you add the biscuits. Frozen mixed veggies work quite well if you feel the need, I use a blend of peas, corn and carrots most of the time. Add frozen veggies during the last half hour, they'll disintegrate if you add them in the beginning.
-This freezes very well, so make the whole crock even if it's just you eating it and freeze the rest in individual portions. You'll save yourself some time later, and who knows when the need for some true comfort food will hit?
-As this doesn't have vegetables as a required ingredient, it goes very well with a salad or some other form of edible plant life. I like steamed or frozen myself to help balance out the heaviness inherent in chicken and dumplings and other comfort foods.
The recipe below is for a four quart crock. Feel free to scale up or down to fit yours, though you may need to make the dumplings themselves on the stove if you go below the 4 quart size.
Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 4-6 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup (low fat/no fat versions are fine)
- 1/4-1/2 can water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon (the big soft kind, not the little Wylers pebbles)
- 2 small or 1 big roll of refrigerated biscuits (low fat version at your own risk here, they aren't nearly as good)
- Salt & Pepper
Directions:
- Empty the soup, water and chicken bouillon into the crock, stir together until smooth.
- Add the whole chicken breasts to the pot and stir to coat them with soup mixture.
- Set crock pot on low and leave covered for 8-10 hours or overnight/all day. Chicken is done when it falls apart easily when pulled apart with a fork.
- Remove chicken from crock and set aside in large bowl or plate.
- Set crock pot to high.
- Cut biscuits into bite sized pieces while crock is heating up.
- Dump biscuit pieces into crock and stir briefly to break up and coat with the soup. Put lid back on crock and allow dumplings to cook 20-30 minutes until cooked through.
- While dumplings are cooking, shred chicken with forks.
- When dumplings are finished cooking, return shredded chicken to the crock and stir to incorporate.
- Taste for salt and pepper, adjust seasonings as desired.
Notes:
-This doesn't have vegetables in it. If you want them, I'd recommend some baby carrots/potatoes/onion/mushrooms go in with the chicken, and anything else get added when you add the biscuits. Frozen mixed veggies work quite well if you feel the need, I use a blend of peas, corn and carrots most of the time. Add frozen veggies during the last half hour, they'll disintegrate if you add them in the beginning.
-This freezes very well, so make the whole crock even if it's just you eating it and freeze the rest in individual portions. You'll save yourself some time later, and who knows when the need for some true comfort food will hit?
-As this doesn't have vegetables as a required ingredient, it goes very well with a salad or some other form of edible plant life. I like steamed or frozen myself to help balance out the heaviness inherent in chicken and dumplings and other comfort foods.
The Ultimate Banana Oat Loaf
So I've been experimenting with a banana bread recipe that called for the addition of oatmeal. The first batch I made by roughly following the recipe (but doubling the oatmeal) came out pretty well, but wasn't quite substantial enough for my personal taste. I wanted something I could eat for breakfast and really not be hungry afterwards. After three more batches, here's the rib-sticking result:
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Loaf
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter, softened
3 eggs
6 or 8 very ripe bananas (frozen works just fine too, just let them thaw completely first)
2/3 cup brown sugar or honey
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup dried cranberries (a couple of handfuls out of the bag)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (a couple handfuls)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional...but recommended)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine butter, eggs, bananas and sugar in a LARGE bowl.
- When combined, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, oatmeal and spices.
- Continue until well mixed, and add in the cranberries, nuts and chocolate chips, if using. Batter will be thick and gloppy, but will just get more soggy the longer you let it sit as the oatmeal absorbs the liquid. Don't worry, it turns out fine.
- Scrape into a well-greased bundt pan or 9x13 pyrex. Do not skimp on the cooking spray here. This batter will rise, but not too much. As long as you're not overflowing or too close to the lip of your pan it should be fine.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes for a 9x13 or 50-55 minutes for a bundt. It's done when a toothpick to the center comes out mostly clean and the edges are browned a bit. It's ok to slightly underbake this, as it will not give a perfectly clean toothpick and it's better slightly under than burned.
-If using a bundt, turn out the loaf and allow to cool on the counter or a rack.
Notes:
-You can use whatever kinds of dried fruit you have taking up cupboard space. I just don't like raisins, but think this might be quite good with dates or dried apples or chopped dried apricots.
-This loaf is HEAVY. It comes out mostly oatmeal, held together with some eggs and kept moist with bananas. It will in no way resemble cake, hence the "Loaf" designation in the title.
-I imagine you could try subbing apple sauce for the butter, at least for some of it. I'm trying that as soon as I restock the oatmeal and buy some. I'd up the sauce to half a cup or so though.
-This recipe is pretty easy to halve, just use a loaf pan, 8 or 9 inch cake pan or pie plate to bake it.
-This stuff stays moist uncovered on the counter for days, freezes just fine and is delightful with a cup of tea at my desk for breakfast.
Most of all, use this as a jumping off point of your own. I've found that so far, no matter what I do to it, it stays completely edible, so you can add whatever kinds of things you like to the banana/oatmeal batter and it should come out fine as long as it's good and set in the middle when you take it out of the oven. Enjoy it, this is supposed to be fun :)
Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Loaf
Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter, softened
3 eggs
6 or 8 very ripe bananas (frozen works just fine too, just let them thaw completely first)
2/3 cup brown sugar or honey
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup dried cranberries (a couple of handfuls out of the bag)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (a couple handfuls)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional...but recommended)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Combine butter, eggs, bananas and sugar in a LARGE bowl.
- When combined, add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, oatmeal and spices.
- Continue until well mixed, and add in the cranberries, nuts and chocolate chips, if using. Batter will be thick and gloppy, but will just get more soggy the longer you let it sit as the oatmeal absorbs the liquid. Don't worry, it turns out fine.
- Scrape into a well-greased bundt pan or 9x13 pyrex. Do not skimp on the cooking spray here. This batter will rise, but not too much. As long as you're not overflowing or too close to the lip of your pan it should be fine.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes for a 9x13 or 50-55 minutes for a bundt. It's done when a toothpick to the center comes out mostly clean and the edges are browned a bit. It's ok to slightly underbake this, as it will not give a perfectly clean toothpick and it's better slightly under than burned.
-If using a bundt, turn out the loaf and allow to cool on the counter or a rack.
Notes:
-You can use whatever kinds of dried fruit you have taking up cupboard space. I just don't like raisins, but think this might be quite good with dates or dried apples or chopped dried apricots.
-This loaf is HEAVY. It comes out mostly oatmeal, held together with some eggs and kept moist with bananas. It will in no way resemble cake, hence the "Loaf" designation in the title.
-I imagine you could try subbing apple sauce for the butter, at least for some of it. I'm trying that as soon as I restock the oatmeal and buy some. I'd up the sauce to half a cup or so though.
-This recipe is pretty easy to halve, just use a loaf pan, 8 or 9 inch cake pan or pie plate to bake it.
-This stuff stays moist uncovered on the counter for days, freezes just fine and is delightful with a cup of tea at my desk for breakfast.
Most of all, use this as a jumping off point of your own. I've found that so far, no matter what I do to it, it stays completely edible, so you can add whatever kinds of things you like to the banana/oatmeal batter and it should come out fine as long as it's good and set in the middle when you take it out of the oven. Enjoy it, this is supposed to be fun :)
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