tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9558398396341614842024-03-14T08:21:23.830-07:00What the cool kids eatkerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-51925883649819218032010-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:002010-11-12T08:05:52.248-08:00Curried Black Bean and Sweet Potato SkilletJust keep some cooked quinoa in the fridge, it makes life much easier. Or freeze it in 1 cup increments.<br /><br />4 cups of <a href="http://www.danispies.com/archives/101_video/sweet_potato_101.php"><strong>sweet potatoes</strong></a>, chopped up<br /><p>1 <a href="http://www.danispies.com/archives/howto_video/howto_chop_an_onion_video.php"><strong>red onion</strong></a>, diced<br />½ a jalapeno, diced<br />3 cloves of garlic, chopped up<br />2 bell peppers (any color will do)<br />1-15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed<br />1 bunch of Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped<br />1 cup of cooked <a href="http://www.danispies.com/archives/101_video/quinoa_101.php"><strong>quinoa</strong></a><br />½ cup low sodium veggie broth<br />2 tsp of olive oil<br />1 tbsp of curry powder</p><p>Salt and pepper to taste</p><p><br /></p><p>Heat olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan. Stir in your <a href="http://www.danispies.com/archives/howto_video/howto_chop_an_onion_video.php"><strong>onions</strong></a> and jalapeños and allow to cook for about five minutes. Stir in the <a href="http://www.danispies.com/archives/101_video/sweet_potato_101.php"><strong>sweet potatoes</strong></a>, curry powder, a pinch of salt and half of the veggie broth. Once everything is well combined, pop a lid on and cook for about six to eight minutes or until your <a href="http://www.danispies.com/archives/101_video/sweet_potato_101.php"><strong>sweet potatoes</strong></a> are just about fork tender.<br /><br />Add the beans, <a href="http://www.danispies.com/archives/101_video/quinoa_101.php"><strong>quinoa</strong></a>, Swiss chard, and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining broth in to the pan before popping the lid on and allowing to cook for another five minutes or so or until the greens are wilted and the beans are heated through.<br /><br />Eat up and enjoy!!</p>kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-75422462321301595722010-08-09T08:39:00.001-07:002010-08-09T08:41:58.205-07:00Quinoa. Eat someSuper simple quinoa side/main dish. Also good for breakfast, late night "i just want a bite of something"<br /><br />You need:<br /><br />Baby bella mushrooms, cut into 4 or 6 pieces<br />2 leeks. Cut up and washed<br />Olive oil<br />2-4 cups cooked quinoa<br /><br />Optional:<br />1 carrot shredded on a cheese grater<br />spinach<br /><br />Saute the leek in olive oil until translucent. If you're adding the carrot do it once the leek is done, give it a good stir. Dump in the mushrooms (and spinach), saute for a quick minute, then add quinoa by the cup until the veggie/quinoa ratio is what you're looking for. Salt to taste.kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-72166489726717425992009-11-15T08:24:00.001-08:002009-11-15T08:46:59.189-08:00Pumpkin Apple PancakesThis yummy autumnal recipe cleverly puts your left over roasted pumpkin puree to good use. <br /><br />You need:<br /><ul><li>2 cups flour</li><li>1 tablespoon baking powder</li><li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li><li>1/4 cup AND 2 tablespoons brown sugar</li><li>1/3 cup sugar<br /></li><li>1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</li><li>1/8 teaspoon nutmeg<br /></li><li>1 cup pumpkin puree (canned will do in a pinch- but fresh pumpkin is easy and awesome!)<br /></li><li>1 apple, seeded, peeled, chopped into bite sized pieces<br /></li><li>2 teaspoons lemon juice</li><li>1-1/2 cups milk</li><li>2 eggs, lightly beaten</li><li>2 tablespoons oil</li><li><br /></li></ul><ol><li>In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.</li><li>In another medium bowl combine the apples, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg </li><li>Add the pumpkin to the apple spice mixture<br /></li><li>In another medium bowl combine the milk, egg and oil. Add the milk mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened- small chunkies are ok.</li><li>Add the apple-pumpkin goodness to the pancake batter. Be careful not to over mix the batter as over mixing leads to tough pancakes.<br /></li><li>Cook pancakes in a pre-heated, greased skillet (cast iron preferrably) until surfaces are bubbly and edges are set. Turn only once (frequent flipping also leads to tough pancakes) and continue cooking until just done.</li></ol><div id="TixyyLink" style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Enjoy!<br /><br /></div><div id="TixyyLink" style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /><br /></div><div id="TixyyLink" style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /><br /></div><div id="TixyyLink" style="border: medium none ; overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br /><br /></div>JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-1994610950007201342009-10-30T06:33:00.000-07:002009-10-30T06:34:23.049-07:00Delicious BreadGot: off the back of the bag of flour,<br /><br />made: because I'm trying to use up our oatmeal before we move.<br /><br />Fact: Delicious!<br /><br />http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/oatmeal-bread-recipekerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-1335360185768533182009-10-25T06:07:00.000-07:002009-10-25T06:08:46.377-07:00Umami soup<ul class="ingredients" id="ingredients-27026"><li>8 cups Water</li><li>2 pounds Beef Short Ribs</li><li> Your Preferred Veggies For Stock</li><li>1 piece Star Anise</li><li>2 whole Cloves</li><li>2 whole Bay Leaves</li><li>1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns</li><li>1 cup Mushrooms</li><li>1 cup Barley</li><li>1 Tablespoon Butter</li><li>1 Tablespoon Olive Oil</li><li>1 cup Spinach, Chopped</li><li>¼ cups Soy Sauce</li><li>1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon (Beef)</li></ul> <h1 class="img h1-preparation-instructions">Preparation Instructions</h1> <p>(See notes below.)</p> <p>The night before, make the beef stock. Bring to a boil the water, beef, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, anise, and veggies. Reduce heat and simmer. (Variety is important here. I use scraps of onions, celery, carrots, and a few cloves of garlic. Don’t use potatoes or anything starchy.)</p> <p>Let it simmer for 2 to 3 hours if you can handle it, then turn off the heat and allow it to cool. Use tongs to remove the beef to a bowl, then strain the broth into the bowl through the finest mesh strainer you have. (You can use a bacon splatter shield on top of the bowl if you have one.)</p> <p>Cover and refrigerate over night.</p> <p>The next day, the fat will have separated and the flavors will have settled. Remove half the fat and set aside.</p> <p>In a soup pan, heat olive oil and saute the onion until translucent. </p> <p>While that’s going on, toast the barley in another pan using butter and olive oil. Toast over high heat, stirring frequently until it darkens in color and smells nutty.</p> <p>To the onion, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add stock, barley, mushrooms and Better Than Bouillion to the pan. (Go easy on the Better Than Bouillon; we will be adding soy sauce as well later.) It’s better that the broth taste thin at this point. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 45 minutes. Add spinach, soy sauce, and cook for 5 minutes.</p> <p>Notes: </p> <p>I used short ribs to make the stock because they’re fatty and that’s generally delicious for stock. I didn’t love the meat in the soup though, so I’ll be tossing that in the crockpot for something else.</p> <p>Don’t not toast the barley. It’s a pain but totally worth it, and intrinsic to the taste of the soup.</p>kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-28976305439593986472009-10-18T19:50:00.000-07:002009-10-18T19:52:17.926-07:00Barley Pilaf/stuffing<h1 class="img h1-ingredients">Ingredients</h1> <ul class="ingredients" id="ingredients-26589"><li>1 whole Long Island Cheese Pumpkin (optional)</li><li>1 Tablespoon Olive Oil</li><li>1 Tablespoon Butter</li><li>1 cup Barley</li><li>3 cloves Garlic, Minced</li><li>2 cups Chicken Stock<br /></li><li>1 cup Water</li><li>1 whole Bay Leaf</li><li>1 Tablespoon Olive Oil</li><li>1 Tablespoon Butter</li><li>½ cup Hulled Sunflower Seeds</li><li>1 whole Onion, Chopped</li><li>1 whole Granny Smith Apple, Peeled And Chopped</li><li>1 cup Frozen Chopped Spinach</li><li>1 dash Rice Vinegar</li></ul> <h1 class="img h1-preparation-instructions">Preparation Instructions</h1> <p>To toast the barley:<br />Heat 1T Olive oil and 1T butter in a small dutch oven or thick bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, put barley in and increase heat to high. Stir frequently, until the barley darkens and begins to smell nutty.</p> <p>Once barley is toasty, reduce heat to medium. Add the 3 cloves garlic, minced and stir for another minute or so, until the garlic is fragrant.</p> <p>Add the 2 cups stock, 1 cup water and bay leaf to the barley garlic mixture and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 45-60 minutes depending on your barley. </p> <p>NOTE: If stuffing a pumpkin, at this time cut the top off and scoop out seeds and stringy flesh. Replace the top, place pumpkin in a pan with 1 inch of water and bake at 350 until easily pierced with a knife. (40 minutes or so)</p> <p>Once the barley is done, remove bay leaf and discard. Remove barley pan from heat and let sit. </p> <p>Put remaining 1T Olive oil and 1T butter in a pan, and toast sunflower seeds the same way you did the barley. Add onion and apple, and saute until translucent. Add frozen spinach and cover for 3 minutes, until spinach has cooked and can be easily mixed with onion mixture.</p> <p>Mix sunflower seed/onion/apple/spinach into barley. Barley may have clumped a bit in sitting, just fluff it with a fork when you add everything else in.</p> <p>Add dash or 2 of rice vinegar to taste. Doesn’t need much, just enough to finish the dish.</p> <p>Serve as is for a side, or spoon stuffing into roasted pumpkin and return to 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Transfer to pretty plate and bring whole pumpkin to table. To serve, scoop out some pumpkin flesh with the barley mixture.</p>kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-14367369960935061992009-10-13T08:32:00.000-07:002009-10-13T09:01:09.577-07:00PaellaAfter browsing several recipes for several days I pulled together this recipe. It took apprx 2+ hours to prep and then prepare, but it was so tasty and pretty when it was done. I wish I'd taken a picture, but it was late damnit, and I was hungry!<br /><br />Without further ado:<br /><br />1 lb skinless chicken breast<br />Spice Mix for chicken, recipe follows<br />1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil<br />2 chorizo sausages, thickly sliced (my only option was keilbasa-esque looking packaged chorizo so I took it and I used it all)<br />Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper<br />1 Spanish/yellow onion, sliced thin<br />1 giant green pepper, thinly sliced<br />1 gaint red pepper, thinly sliced<br />4 garlic cloves, crushed<br />Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish<br />1 giant tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped<br />2 1/2 cups short grain rice like Bomba (which I couldnt find so I used well rinsed arborio/risotto instead)<br />4 cups chicken stock<br />Generous pinch saffron threads<br />1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed<br />1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined<br />2 4oz pieces of Mahi-Mahi cut into halves<br />1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed<br />Lemon wedges, for serving<br /><br />Spice Mix for chicken:<br />1 tablespoon sweet paprika<br />2 teaspoons dried oregano<br />Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper<br /><br />Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered<br /><br />Special equipment:<br />Large paella pan or wide shallow skillet (Note: I used two pans in order to facilitate a seafood free batch, and lacking a proper paella pan I used a 6 qt saute pan, as well as an enameled cast iron dutch oven. The batch made in the saute pan came out much better.<br /> <br />Directions:<br /><br />Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and let sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator.<br />Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken, brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.<br /><br />In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in stock and add peppers and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. <strong><em>AVOID STIRRING. Stirring releases the starches in the rice and should be avoided if you want your paella to resemble and taste like paella and not risotto! </em></strong> Add chicken, chorizo, mahi mahi and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp and mahi will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. If your rice is hard and the stock has evaporated, add a little more. Repeat as needed. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.<br /><br />Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes, covered with a clean dish towel. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-34045539476159180372009-09-21T11:42:00.000-07:002009-09-21T12:00:31.475-07:00Coq au vinThis recipe is easy (but def. time consuming- 3 hrs start to finish with prep) and oh-so-worth it! I made this on Saturday night and it came out even better than both of the times I tried it in Boston area french restaurants. DELICIOUS! This will be my new fall back recipe for impressing people who come to dinner.<br /><br />Ingredients<br /><br />1/2 lb bacon slices (get the best bacon you can find/afford, something real thick-like)<br />20 pearl onions (blanched to help remove the peels easier, trim off ends)<br />3 lbs chicken breasts, thighs and/or legs, excess fat trimmed, SKIN ON<br />6 garlic cloves, peeled<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br />2 cups chicken stock<br />2 cups red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or zinfandel are traditional choices, but I wanted to ensure deep flavor and used a cabernet instead)<br />2 bay leaves<br />Several fresh thyme sprigs<br />Several fresh parsley sprigs<br />1/2 lb button or crimini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered<br />2 Tbsp butter<br />Chopped fresh parsley for garnish<br /><br />Method<br /><br />1. Blanch the bacon to remove some of its saltiness. Drop the bacon into a saucepan of cold water, covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon into 1 inch by 1/4 inch pieces.<br /><br />2. Brown bacon on medium high heat in a dutch oven big enough to hold the chicken (for real- the biggest one you own! I spent over an hour browning chicken in batches- boo!!), about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon, set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the pan. Working in batches if necessary, add onions and chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, at least 10 minutes on each side. Halfway through the browning, add the garlic and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. (Note: it is best to add salt while cooking, not just at the very end. It brings out the flavor of the chicken.)<br /><br />3. Spoon off any excess fat in the dutch oven, leaving a little (appx 1T). Add the chicken stock, wine, and herbs. Add back the bacon. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 40 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove chicken and onions to a separate platter. Remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard.<br /><br />4. Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy (appx 20 mins). Lower the heat, stir in the butter. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsely.<br /><br />Serve atop buttered egg noodles, garnish with parsely. Admire. Savor with a glass of wine (no sense in letting the rest of that bottle go to waste)JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-36684351136801388392009-08-09T08:39:00.000-07:002009-08-29T05:49:52.028-07:00Friiied chicken (Colonel Sanders watch out!!)<h2><span style="font-size:100%;">Ingredients</span></h2> <!--concordance-begin--> <ul><li>3 eggs</li><li>1/2 cup hot red pepper sauce</li><li>2 <a class="cimotif" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted green; color: green; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;">cups</a><img style="border-width: 0pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; float: none; position: static;" src="http://a19.g.akamai.net/7/19/7125/1450/Ocellus.coupons.com/_images/showlist_icon.gif" width="10" height="10" /> self-rising flour</li><li>2 1/2 pound chicken, cut into pieces</li></ul> <!--concordance-end--> <h2><span style="font-size:100%;">Directions</span></h2> <p> House Seasoning, recipe follows </p> <!--concordance-begin--> <ul><li>Oil, for frying, preferably peanut oil but canola works too<br /></li></ul> <!--concordance-end--> <p> Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot. Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil. </p><p>In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange (about 1 cup). Season the chicken with the House Seasoning. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour. Place the chicken in the preheated oil and fry the chicken, turning once, until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer than white meat. Approximate cooking time is 13 to 14 minutes for dark meat and 8 to 10 minutes for white meat. </p> <!--concordance-begin--> <h2><span style="font-size:100%;">House Seasoning:</span></h2><ul style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><li>1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=335">paprika</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a>onion salt</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a>celery salt</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=342">sage</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=501">garlic powder</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=161">ground allspice</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=334">ground oregano</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=719">chili powder</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=337">black pepper</a> </li><li> 1/8 C <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=317">basil leaves</a>, crushed </li><li> 1/8 C <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=329">marjoram leaves</a>, crushed finely </li></ul>Whip up some biscuits and crack open a cold one; Dinner is served!JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-78893580816461080652009-06-08T19:45:00.000-07:002009-06-08T19:50:51.252-07:00ClapshotTypically served with haggis because IF IT'S NOT SCOTTISH IT'S CRAP!<br /><br />Haggis being gross, I just eat clapshot plain but imagine it would do well with a roast chicken or anywhere potatoes would be boring.<br /><br />Supplies:<br /><ul><li> Rutabaga. Not too big, they get weird in the middle if they're too big. I would recommend 2 medium over 1 huge, but work with what you have</li><li>Potatoes. White, Red, whatever. I think the ones with the skin you can leave on work best, but I'm lazy and that's quite possibly a big factor.</li><li>Garlic. 1-3 cloves.</li></ul>peel and dice rutabaga and potatoes. Boil some water, throw the garlic and the rutabaga in. 20 minutes later, throw the potatoes in. Give it another 20 or so, I'm not sure you can overcook, but when the potatoes are falling apart you're good.<br /><br />Add some milk, butter, cheese if you like (scallions! Shallots! get crazy!) and mash by hand. It seems to be technically impossible to mix this electrically, and I've been reading that that's not good for the potato anyway. You could also put it back in the oven and brown the top. <br /><br />WICKED GOOD WITH PEPPER ON TOP! (black pepper, freshly ground) Parsley would probably be tasty too.kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-92076202065717838672009-06-08T19:27:00.001-07:002009-06-08T19:44:05.110-07:00Low fat high fiber and delicious salad thingI'm eating this by the pound. It's a little drastic on the GI system at first but I'm convinced I'll get over it. Anyhow, it's delicious, interesting and pretty which counts the most. It might be my new go-to for parties and tailgating at polo.<br /><br />Supplies:<br /><ul><li>1 Kohlrabi. Medium size. Google it, it's a good one to know.<br /></li><li>1 Beet, same size as your kohlrabi, or 2 small ones Golden beets might be prettier in this. I'm undecided.<br /></li><li>carrots. Don't be shy</li><li>Kale. A bunch. there is no science to kale, just know that it shrinks way more than you think. Maybe a bunch, or just less than half a bag. Whatever makes your skirt fly up.</li><li>Balsamic vinegar</li><li>Agave or honey</li><li>Flaxseed oil. Optional but adds a delicious nutty yumminess<br /></li></ul>Get a cheese grater if you're cheap, a mandoline or food processor if you're fancy. Grate the carrot, kohlrabi, beet (incidentally, any of these is also delicious atop a real salad and makes beets palatable even though I find them vaguely gross in big pieces)<br /><br />Steam the kale for 10-15 minutes. strain, rinse with cold water and squeeze the hell out of it. Then put the green lump on your cutting board and chop the shit out of it. Small pieces are key, and you don't want big stems. The big stems are like impossible to digest. I won't tell you how I know (you're welcome)<br /><br />Mix the kale with the beet, kohlrabi and carrot mixture. Pour some balsamic, some agave and some flaxseed oil on top. I can be no more specific that that, to each their own, etc. Don't overdo it though, you can't take it back!<br /><br />Toss well. <br /><br />Go to town.kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-81911539814174500002009-03-05T22:10:00.000-08:002009-03-05T22:23:53.926-08:00Eat this!!<h4 style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This is the bomb cold weather-one pot wonder meal! Just add some other veggies or pots to the pan and roast it up!!</span></h4><h4>Ingredients:</h4> <div class="ingredientList"> <!-- start ingredients --> <p>3/4 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves</p> <p>1/4 cup packed roughly chopped fresh sage,<br /> plus whole sage leaves for roasting</p> <p>3 whole garlic cloves, plus 2 cloves, minced</p> <p>Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste</p> <p>5 Tbs. olive oil</p> <p>1 boneless pork loin roast, about 3 1/2 lb.,<br /> halved horizontally</p> <p>3 ripe red Anjou pears, halved lengthwise</p> <p>4 leeks, trimmed, halved<br /> lengthwise and rinsed</p> <p>2 tsp. all-purpose flour</p> <p>1/4 cup dry white wine</p> <p>1/2 cup chicken broth</p> <p>2 Tbs. whole-grain mustard</p> <p>1/4 cup heavy cream (or hnh, if you're so inclined)<br /></p> </div> <!-- end ingedients --> <h4>Directions:</h4> <p> <!-- start directions --> Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.<br /><br />In a mini food processor, process the parsley, chopped sage, whole garlic, salt, pepper and 3 Tbs. of the olive oil until it creates a fine paste. Spread the mixture on the cut side of one half of the pork loin, then place the other half on top. Tie the roast together with kitchen twine and tuck whole sage leaves underneath the twine. Season the roast with salt and pepper.<br /><br />In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the pears, cut side down, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the pork to the pot and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Place the leeks, cut side down, in the pot in a single layer. Set the pork on top and place the pears along the sides of the pot.<br /><br />Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 140°F, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer the pork to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. Transfer the leeks and pears to a platter.<br /><br />Pour the pan drippings into a bowl and discard all but 2 tsp. of the fat. Warm the reserved fat in the pot over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add the broth and pan drippings and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the mustard and cream. Season with salt and pepper.<br /><br /> Cut the pork into slices and arrange on the platter. Pass the sauce alongside. Serves 8 to 10.<br /></p>JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-12332009652602659202009-02-26T10:23:00.000-08:002009-02-26T10:42:10.220-08:00Delicious Pastel De ChocloMeatalicious! This is like a protein shake in a casserole dish.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWjYMimX0pkoWGRX1Di3O2S-osaxoAdQTpif5JrpEZAfS_839bBmHk9VuE18bhxsZ71rqBMHpaMwGDWGz_p_FDWHBEfjfdTRsDhFGWZoUybTXwkWLB0XSUOe-CyoGM_J0RPxiWJhR3PM/s1600-h/IMG00101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWjYMimX0pkoWGRX1Di3O2S-osaxoAdQTpif5JrpEZAfS_839bBmHk9VuE18bhxsZ71rqBMHpaMwGDWGz_p_FDWHBEfjfdTRsDhFGWZoUybTXwkWLB0XSUOe-CyoGM_J0RPxiWJhR3PM/s400/IMG00101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307173748072202130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I made this!<br /></span></div><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>2 cups chopped onion (I use 2 large onions)</li><li>2 tablespoons vegetable oil<br /></li><li>1-1/2 pounds ground beef</li><li>1 tablespoon ground cumin</li><li>1 tablespoon paprika</li><li>1 tablespoon dried basil</li><li>Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste</li><li>2 boneless chicken breasts</li><li>1/2 cup black olives, pits removed, halved</li><li>1/2 cup raisins</li><li>4 hard boiled eggs, sliced</li><li>1 big bag frozen corn, thawed and well drained</li><li>2 tablespoons butter</li><li>1/2 cup milk</li><li>1 egg (not cooked)</li><li>2 tablespoons icing sugar</li><li>1 tsp chili flakes</li></ul><pre><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" ><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet on medium heat. Add onions and<br />cook </span><span style="font-size:85%;">until translucent, about five minutes.<br /><br />Add beef, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper to taste.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Cook until meat is browned.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Spread mixture over bottom of a casserole dish.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, and 1 tsp cumin. Fry in</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">skillet in remaining oil until browned (note: I boil the chicken<br />while I'm doing the meat.)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Pull chicken into strips/ bite size pieces.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Place over beef. Sprinkle over olives and raisins.<br /><br />Arrange egg slices on </span><span style="font-size:85%;">top.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 400 F.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Grind corn in the food processor until rough<br />in texture leaving some </span><span style="font-size:85%;">large and some small pieces.<br /><br />Melt butter in a large saucepan.<br /><br />Add </span><span style="font-size:85%;">corn, basil, and milk. Bring to boil, stirring.<br /><br />Reduce heat to low and </span><span style="font-size:85%;">simmer stirring frequently<br />for 5 minutes.<br /><br />Stir in egg and cook </span><span style="font-size:85%;">1 more minute.<br /><br />Spread corn mixture evenly over the meat.<br /><br />Sprinkle with powdered </span><span style="font-size:85%;">sugar and chili flakes.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is golden brown.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">There is an acidic chilean salad Jeff's mom serves with this.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">It's basically sliced onion (put in a colander and salt, then let drain),</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">tomato and cilantro. Squeeze some lemon juice on and Bob's<br />your uncle.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><br /></pre>kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-1035494127899512422009-01-22T08:57:00.001-08:002009-01-22T09:10:23.641-08:00White bean, sausage, chicken and kale soupKale was on sale this week. Expect to see more recipes forthcoming.<br /><br />Whatchoo need:<br />2-3 Sausages (spicy italian work well here, sweet italian would do)<br />Bone in skin on chicken breast<br />Cannelini beans (2 cans) (could also use northern beans)<br />Onion<br />Garlic<br />Rosemary<br />Crapload of Kale<br />Optional: Frozen corn, white wine.<br /><br /><br />Whatchoo do:<br />1)Cook the chicken<br />Put the chicken breast in some water (2-3 Qts) and boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a while (hourish). This will be the soup base, and it will also cook the chicken. I would toss in a bay leaf, any old onion parts you have and some BTB or salt. However, last night I realized I had roughly a million quarts of chicken stock in my fridge, so instead of cooking the chicken in water, I cooked it in chicken stock. This stock was flavor fortified and I recommend this technique.<br /><br />2) Walk away. Seriously. Clean the kitchen or something, no need to do anything while the chicken cooks.<br /><br />3) when the chicken has been going for an hour ish and is falling off the bone, remove to a plate to cool. Strain the stock through a fine mesh something or other and rinse the pot. Return stock to pot, put on low heat and add Canellini beans and some rosemary if you want. I also added some frozen corn, which worked well but it would be fine without.<br /><br />4)remove sausage from its casing and crumble into a skillet. Brown sausage on Med-High heat.<br />When done, add to stock. Give it 5-10 minutes for the sausage to meld, then taste for salt.<br /><br />5)Chop onion into your favorite shape, and cook in the sausage grease until translucent (note; If there's a ton of grease, pour some off but dont get crazy. This is the sum total of the fat in your soup, live a little) Add some garlic for a minute, then add it all to the soup.<br /><br />6)Now you have a choice. You can but certainly don't have to deglaze the pan with some white wine and reduce that by half and add to stock or you can skip this step.<br /><br />7) Stem, wash and chop kale. I leave bigger pieces, but I'm rustic. Once the soup and everything you've added are hot, turn off the burner and add the kale. Stir to submerge everything, let the kale wilt for a couple of minutes then serve.<br /><br />8) collect praise.kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-64078198122521072362009-01-19T07:56:00.000-08:002009-01-19T08:51:26.940-08:00Spicy Black Bean SoupThis is great cold weather (healthy) comfort food.<br /><br />What you need:<br /><br />3 cups of dried black beans (sorted, soaked over night, and rinsed)<br />10 cups of vegetable stock (or BTB to the rescue)<br />1 medium onion chopped<br />1 cup of chopped green onion (5 or 6 stalks?)<br />1 head of garlic minced<br />1 serrano OR 2 jalapeno peppers chopped<br />1 t cayenne pepper<br />1/2 t chopped bay leaf<br />1/2 cup of creme fraiche or low fat sour cream<br />olive oil<br />salt and pepper<br /><br />But first a word on dried beans (my apologies in advance to anyone who already knows this, please feel free to skip ahead). Not only are they fiberous, chock full of protein and low in calories, but they are CHEAP. And we like cheap. : ) The only draw back to using dried beans (over its canned cousin), is that working with dried beans requires forethought, but only 5 minutes of forethought, at best. In addition to cheapness, the dried bean's other benefit is that it isn't marinating in saliferous liquid for months (or years) on end until you crack open the can to use them.<br /><br />To prep the dried beans, scoop the beans a cup full at a time onto a baking sheet. Pick through and discard any rocks, ugly beans, or other debris. Next, rinse your beans in a collander to remove any dirt or dust (nobody ever said bulk was pretty). Place the rinsed beans in a bowl (that has a cover) and fill with clean water. Cover the beans and let them sit overnight. Alternatively, if you forgot to do this last step the night before there is a quick soak method: boil the rinsed beans for 3 minutes and then kill the flame and let the beans sit in the pot for an hour, and then cook as per the recipe.<br /><br />And now to get down to it. . .<br /><br />Add olive oil to your stock pot (at least 8 oz pot) over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook for 3 minutes, then add garlic and peppers to the pot. Cook until the onions are opaque (about 7 minutes total). Add the veg stock (or BTB water) to the pot. Add the chopped bay leaf, cayenne pepper, and some salt and pepper to taste. Drain and rinse your beans. Add to the pot. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer and let the soup cook for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender.<br /><br />Once your beans are tender, use a potato smasher and smash some of the beans. This will release some of the bean goodness from their jackets and help the soup thicken. Stir in the creme fraiche and the green onions, and enjoy!<br /><br />This makes about 8 8oz servings, and contains apprx 200 cals per serving, plus a boat load of fiber and protein.JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-62341286950822771212009-01-19T04:34:00.000-08:002009-01-19T04:52:28.751-08:00Pot roast bitches!I made this last night, unreal. The cloves add the littlest bit of flavor to round out the juice. For the wine I used a cheap fruity zinfandel I had kicking around. I split it with the pot roast.<br /><br />2lb chuck roast. You could do others, but what you want is a reasonably marbled cut of meat.<br />Onion<br />2 Cloves<br />Bay leaf<br />thyme<br />rosemary<br />Cheap red wine<br />1 Can beef stock, or 1 cups BTB beef stock<br />Mushrooms<br />Carrots<br />Potatoes<br />Turnips (optional)<br />Olive Oil<br /><br />You need a dutch oven for this. If you don't have one, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Enameled-Cast-Iron-3-Quart-Island/dp/B000N4WMUE/ref=sr_1_27?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1232368780&sr=8-27">get one</a>. 3.5 Qt for 2 people meals will usually do you, and they sell nice ones at TJ Maxx.<br /><br />Trim the giant bits of fat that you can get off the meat. There's no need to be excessive.<br /><br />Heat oven to 275.<br /><br />Heat the oil in the pan, over med-high flame, and salt the meat while that's heating. I would like to take a moment to recommend Jane's crazy mixed up salt over plain salt. Also, for cooking, kosher salt is the poo.<br /><br />Drop the meat in the pan, and brown one side, about 5 minutes. You want a nice crisp brown coating on it, be very careful not to burn. Repeat for other side, and if the meat is thick I also do the edge sides. Remove from pan.<br /><br />Cut the onion in half, and place both halves cut side down in the pan to brown. Again, don't burn.<br /><br />Remove the onion from the pan, pour in about a glass of red wine- I just dump what's left of mine at this point and refill. It will reduce drastically because the pan is so hot. During this time, be scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze. After a minute or so, add the can of beef broth and finish deglazing. Turn off the burner.<br /><br />Add the meat to the pot, put one of the onion halves in. For the other half, use 2 cloves to peg a bay leaf to the outer edge. Put this half, BAY LEAF SIDE DOWN into the pan. The meat and onions should take up most of the room in the pan, and be about half covered by broth/wine. Sprinkle some thyme and rosemary in there.<br /><br />Put the lid on the pan and place in oven. Cook for 45 minutes, flip the meat, cook for another 45 minutes. Chop the vegetables you plan to add and just put them in the pan on top of the meat. Cook for another hour or so, until the veggies are done and the meat is fork tender. Remove meat and veggies to a platter, strain the broth into a sauce pan and reduce or thicken with Wondra.<br /><br />I fork shred the meat and put a bunch on everyone's plate. It looks especially impressive on a bed of wilted kale. There will have been little deposits of fat inside that didn't quite liquefy, so work around those and get rid of them unless you're into that. Most of the meat will be falling apart because the long slow cook liquefies all the collagen between.<br /><br />Enjoy!kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-41253263554679864282009-01-12T07:03:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:09:00.524-08:00Easy Lentil Soup6 Cups of water<br />3 t of your preferred flavor BTB (I use vegetable)<br />(**OR omit the above and use 6 cups of reduced fat stock**)<br />1 1/4 Cups of sorted and rinsed lentils (I spread them out (dry) on a cookie sheet to look for rocks or other debris)<br />1 Medium onion chopped<br />3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced<br />1 1/2 T ground cumin<br />1 t chopped bay leaf (dried) (or 1 whole bay leaf- if you go this way just make sure to remove it when the soup is done)<br />1/8 t cayenne pepper (add more or less to taste)<br />Black pepper to taste<br />Olive oil<br /><br />In a saute pan over medium heat, saute onions and garlic in a little olive oil until the onions are opaque (about 6 mins). In a stock pot (an 8 quart will do you), combine the stock/boullion water, lentils, garlic and onion, and all the other stuff and bring it to a boil (uncovered) over high heat. Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Let the soup cook for about 40 mins and enjoy!<br /><br />MMM. . .virtually fat free, low in calories and high in fiber. Enjoy!<br /><br />p.s. For more substance feel free to add a bag of your favorite frozen veggiesJGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-37363663273087209522008-11-15T15:02:00.000-08:002008-11-15T15:09:48.141-08:00Creamy Roasted Mushroom SoupI found this recipe on Epicurious and I love it!<br /><br />I will make this again and again :)<br /><br />You will need:<br /><br /><ul id="ingredientsList"><li>12 oz portobello mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into 3/4-inch pieces</li><li>12 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into 3/4-inch pieces</li><li>4 or 5 tablespoons olive oil</li><li>6 cups (or more) vegetable broth (BTB to the rescue!)<br /></li></ul> <ul id="ingredientsList"><li>1 1/2 tablespoons butter</li><li>1 onion, chopped</li><li>3 garlic cloves, minced</li><li>1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Madeira wine/sherry<br /></li><li>3 tablespoons all purpose flour</li><li>1 cup half and half<br /></li><li>3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme</li></ul><br /><p> Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil (spray with Pam or the like). Drizzle mushrooms on each sheet with oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Cover with foil. Bake mushrooms 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until mushrooms are tender and still moist, about 15 minutes longer. Cool slightly. Puree half of mushrooms with 1cup of broth in blender/food processor until smooth. Set mushroom puree aside. </p> <p> Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Add Madeira and simmer until almost all of liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Add remaining broth, cream, and thyme. Stir in remaining cooked mushroom pieces and mushroom puree. Simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.<br /></p><p>Serve with some crusty bread, and enjoy! <br /></p>JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-7409923809221163802008-11-13T14:19:00.000-08:002008-11-13T14:30:14.886-08:00Smoky Biscuit Stuffing. . .Is so tasty!! And holds up well in soup, too!<br /><br />Whatchu need:<br /><br />Twelve (4-inch) biscuits, cut up into cubes (buy 'em or make 'em, I don't judge)<br />1 lb. sliced smoky bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces (trim half the fat off, trust me)<br />2 yellow onions, diced<br />5 celery stalks, diced<br />8 oz. white button mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced<br />1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley<br />2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage<br />2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme<br />Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste<br />5 cups chicken stock<br /><br />Directions:<br /><br />Preheat to 350°F. Spread the biscuits out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until lightly browned, 20 to 22 minutes, remember: burned biscuits are bad biscuits. Set aside.<br /><br />Increase the oven temperature to 375°F. In a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 Tbs. of the fat from the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are opaque, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, mushrooms, parsley, sage and thyme and cook until the celery is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add the bacon to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the biscuits and stock and stir to combine. Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the dressing is lightly browned, about 20 minutes more.<br /><br />This is fantastic!! Enjoy!<br /><br />(Disclaimer: This is not my recipe, I stole it from the Williams Sonoma catalogue, and I'd do it again)JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-78127606076212331112008-11-09T14:16:00.000-08:002008-11-13T12:32:09.644-08:00Delicious Roasted Squash and Sweet Potato SoupChef's Note: This soup is bad ass. (No seriously, I rule!) This recipe is a nod to intuition, which is so vital to creative culinary success. You can't teach that shit. My other inspirations for this soup were:<br /><br />A. Kerry, who instilled the virtues of acorn squash and all vegetables roasted to their individual glory<br />B. My sage plants, which are the only living plants left in my garden right now. Their will to survive and be used in my kitchen deserves a moment of recognition.<br /><br />You will need:<br /><br />2 acorn squash<br />1 medium butternut squash<br />1 giant sweet potato or yam<br />1 Granny Smith apple, de-cored, peeled and cut into smaller pieces (Don't skip this!!)<br />1/3 of a medium onion chopped<br />2 T butter<br />5 large sage leaves<br />olive oil<br />nutmeg<br />cinnamon<br />5 cups of chicken stock<br />cayenne or paprika<br />creme fraiche or sour cream if desired<br /><br />Preheat oven to 375. Cut squash down the middle length wise. Scoop out seeds and stringy flesh. Rub with a little oil olive and sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Cut the sweet potato in half length wise. Place the squash and the potato cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.<br /><br />In a heavy saute pan, over medium low heat , melt the butter and cook the apple with the onion and chopped sage until the apples are soft and the onions are opaque. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook appx 20 minutes.<br /><br />Once the squash and potato are cooked and have cooled to the touch, scrape the flesh of the veggies into a mixing bowl, add the apple mixture to the veggies. Begin adding this mixture into a food processor to puree. Stop here. Savor. *Consider serving this as a side dish all by itself.<br /><br />Mix puree into a large sauce pan with the chicken stock. Sprinkle with a dash of cayenne. Heat until its hot. Garnish with a small dollop of creme fraiche and serve.<br /><br />Mmm Mmm Mmm!JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-87953689310220119482008-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:002008-11-06T08:48:46.492-08:00"Scampi" a la JennAs you are all aware, I've been a super slacker about posting recipes. Below is my attempt at penance.<br /><br />This is my version of a super easy, tasty, low cal "scampi":<br /><br /><em><strong>The Sauce</strong></em><br /><br />2 Cups of water<br />1 tsp of Better than Boullion (chicken flavor)<br />Wondra<br />1/4 cup of white wine (I keep little 187ml bottles on hand for cooking- any brand will do just open it fresh)<br />4 or 5 cloves of roasted garlic, chopped<br />1/4 cup chopped green onions<br />1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it hot!)<br />1/4 tsp cilantro (I use all dried herbs in this recipe)<br />1 tsp oregano<br />1 tsp parsley<br />1 tsp basil<br />(optional: a bunch of sauteed mushrooms- baby bellas are a hearty choice)<br />Cracked black pepper<br /><br />Bring 2 cups of water to a boil with 1 tsp of chicken flavor Better than Boullion<br />Reduce heat to low and wisk in Wondra (add slowly or it will clump) until your sauce is a reasonably thick. Add the wine. If your sauce is too thin, wisk in more Wondra. Add all the herbs/veggies and let it simmer together.<br /><br /><strong><em>The Protein</em></strong><br /><br />Feeling like chicken tonight? In light of the healthiness of this sauce, grilled chicken breast seems like a logical choice. Just grill some up and toss it in the sauce to marinate. Is shrimp more your thing? Great- thats even easier! Grab a bag of pre-cooked frozen shrimp (the bigger the better, IMO), toss a handful in the sauce, heat until the sauce and all its contents are warm enough for you, <em>et voila</em>! <br /><br /><strong><em>The Pasta</em></strong><br /><br />Warning: Shameless Product Plug ahead: Bionaturae (available at Whole Foods) makes a fantastic whole wheat organic pasta. It's both nutritious and delicious! <br /><br />Top your plate with grated cheese and enjoy with the rest of the cheap cooking wine. You earned it!! <br /><br />Bon Appetit!<br /><br />Serves Appx 4.<br />Sauce contains appx 50 calories per serving and is low in sodium : )JGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10710384595921140489noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-49757060967334486062008-11-03T06:34:00.000-08:002008-11-03T07:05:06.018-08:00Ignore me if you want, I'm not going away. aka. awesome and fancy stuffed squashCook bitches!<br /><br />This weekend I spent way too much time cooking this. It was delicious, but leave out the chestnuts and get a different squash unless you like pain. It really was yummy though. I'm working on visually pleasing* as well as delicious dish ideas because Jeff's mom is coming to town and I need to cement my spot on the mantel.<br /><br />I used:<br />1 <a href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/jarrahdale-squash-lg.jpg">Jarrahdale </a>squash (picked because it's big enough to stuff and pretty enough to put on the table and serve out of). You could do a couple of smaller ones (acorn), or also a <a href="http://vegboxrecipes.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/turban-squash.jpg">turban </a>squash or a <a href="http://www.southernexposure.com/Merchant2/graphics/roude%20vif%20d%27etampes.JPG">fancy french squash</a> for pretty's sake.<br /><br />1 package of sun dried tomato sausage from Whole Foods<br />Forbidden rice (also from whole foods)<br />Onion<br />Garlic<br />Thyme<br />Chestnuts<br /><br />Ok, this takes some time. This is special occasion food. I've even added a new special occasion tag for it.<br /><br />Put the chestnuts flat side down on the counter and cut an X in the top. If you don't do this they will explode. (cool but not necessarily desirable)<br />Put the Chestnuts and the whole squash (seriously don't even try to fuck with this thing raw. It's fortified) in the oven at 350. The squash should be on a pan of some sort for easy handling.<br /><br />After 15 minutes -or when the skins are peeling back from the Xs- take the chestnuts out. <br /><br />Leave the squash in there.<br /><br />Start cooking the rice.<br /><br />Saute the Onion in some Olive oil until translucent on medium heat or so. Add the garlic, and after 1 minute, add the sausage meat, removed from it's casing and increase the heat. Stir occasionally, and poke to break up the meat. Commence peeling and cutting up the chestnuts.<br /><br />Once the sausage is browned, add the chopped chestnuts to the dish and cover so they can continue to cook and absorb the sausage grease which is delicious and good for you.<br /><br />Take the squash out of the oven, and be careful its HOT<- fact. Put some gloves on, cut off the top- be generous, you want a big opening. I just hacked the whole top off so it was flat, and then pull out the seedy bits (put them aside to cook later like pumpkin seeds if you want)<br /><br />I also scraped out some of the interior flesh to make room, putting aside what I get into a bowl. (if it's not soft, toss it in the microwave for 2 minutes while you do this next part)<br /><br />Mix some rice with the sausage stuffing until you get your desired ratio. I like a little rice, just for looks.<br /><br />Spoon the sausage/chestnut/onion/garlic/rice into the squash. Now mash the removed squash innards, mix with a little cayenne and some butter and put on top of the stuffing. Put it all back in the oven to cook until the top is browned. 20 min or so. During this time, your squash will also ooze squash juice into your stuffing and vice versa, so it gets extra tasty. Don't be impatient.<br /><br />*you'll have to take my word on the visually pleasing. I had a hard time last night, I cut the shit out of my thumb, broke 2 glasses and dropped purple rice all over the kitchen. Wrestling with dog ensued. In all the excitement I forgot to take pictures. I suck.kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-91380539793954341132008-10-20T11:40:00.000-07:002008-10-20T11:44:54.874-07:00African chicken and veggies braised in peanut butterSo here is the recipe I used, more or less. This is delicious and perfect for period dinners because it has peanut butter, is sweet and salty and spicy.<br /><br />I didn't do the whole "in the oven" part because I already had cooked chicken leftover from one I made last week. So I just did the onions, garlic, added carrots and other veggies and cooked for a while. Then added peanut butter (plus soy sauce and honey but HN likes it plain because that's how they do it in Africa) and a crapload of Cayenne and crushed red pepper.<br /><br />The tomatoes sound gross but make it delish.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1 1/2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts (1/2 lb) or 1 cup "all natural" creamy peanut butter<br /> 3 cups water (I used chicken broth because I had chicken soup leftover. I would recommend stock over water here)<br /> 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 lb chicken pieces such as drumsticks, thighs, and breast halves<br /> 2 tablespoons vegetable oil<br /> 1 medium onion, chopped<br /> 1 red bell pepper, chopped<br /> 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped<br /> 1 (14- to 16-oz) can diced tomatoes including juice<br /> 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne<br /> 2 teaspoons salt<br /> 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes (2 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces<br /> 4 medium turnips (1 lb), peeled if desired, halved horizontally, and cut into 3/4-inch wedges<br /> 1 lb spinach, coarse stems discarded<br /><br />To Make:<br />Preheat oven to 325°F. If using peanuts, blend in a food processor until they form a butter, 2 to 3 minutes. Put fresh or jarred peanut butter in a bowl and gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water. <p> Pat chicken dry and season with salt. Heat oil in an ovenproof 4- to 5-quart heavy pot (with a tight-fitting lid, for use later) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, uncovered, in 3 or 4 batches, without crowding, about 6 minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl as browned. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then add onion and bell pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. </p><p> Stir in peanut butter mixture, remaining 1 1/2 cups water, tomatoes with juice, cayenne (to taste), salt, and chicken with any juices accumulated in bowl and bring to a simmer. Cover pot with lid, then braise chicken in middle of oven until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer chicken with tongs to a large (4-quart) serving dish and keep warm, covered. </p><p> Stir potatoes and turnips into sauce and simmer on top of stove, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables with a slotted spoon to serving dish. </p><p> Simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring, until reduced to about 4 cups, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spinach, then let stand, partially covered, until spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt if necessary, then spoon over chicken. </p>kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-88062238585255373822008-10-02T04:56:00.000-07:002008-10-02T05:25:10.326-07:00Let's talk about stockok. So I heartily recommend the use of BTB when you need flavor for stuff. It's delicious, and when you need to make soup or something at the last minute it is the best off the shelf option I have found. However, nothing can replace real stock. The depth of flavor is pretty unreal and once you've had soup made with real stock and know what you're missing you might become a soup snob such as myself.<br /><br />The only thing you really need tool wise for this is a fine mesh strainer.<br /><br />I'll discuss veggie stock and chicken stock (which can also be beef stock, it just never so happens to be for me). It's all very easy to make and freeze, it's a great way to get more out of your groceries, and like I said above, it's f*cking delicious.<br /><br />Pretty much any time you deal with vegetables like onions, carrots, garlic, celery, shallots, parsnips, etc you end up with little pieces left over. Tips, tops, greens, skinny stalks that are too weird to really serve to anyone - whatever. I don't throw these away, instead I have a container in my freezer where I keep them. (Don't save just the papery skin of the onion, but save that top layer where papery skin is attached to onion ring) When that bin starts getting full, I put it all in a pot of water with a couple of bay leaves, some parsley, perhaps some more garlic if I have it kicking around and cook it for an hour or two. Start at high until it boils, then down to low and just simmer. It will turn some interesting color, which is how you know the flavors are leaving the veggies and entering the water, thereby making it stock (ta da!!) After an hour or whatever (more is better) let it sit until it sort of cools and then strain it out. Put in fridge, freezer whatever or use right away. If freezing, I always freeze some in ice cubes in case I ever need just a little stock.<br /><br />Same deal with chicken (or beef) The deliciousness is in the bones and if you use actual chicken stock you made to make chicken soup, you will never go back. There's a couple of ways to do this. The old fashioned way (What Would Nana Do?) is to suppose you've just eaten a whole chicken, or some majority of a chicken and that you have carcass/bones left over. Toss it all into a big pan, if you have any veggie scraps in the freezer add those. Also throw in bay leaf, parsley if you have it, some basil and some oregano (unless you have plans for this stock that would contradict with any of these flavors) If you have no veggie scraps on hand, think about adding an onion, carrot, some garlic and celery - or whatever you have on hand.<br /><br />If you're doing the bones thing, it needs at least 2 hours to cook. I just toss it all up in there after dinner, let it cook the rest of the night and deal with it before I go to bed. Strain it out into a bowl and decide what you're going to do with it. You can put it in the fridge, come back in the morning and get some of the fat off the top and then use or freeze.<br /><br />I rarely cook a whole chicken, I more usually buy skinless boneless breasts for cooking. So if I know I want to make chicken soup, then I go to the store and buy 2 bone in skin on breasts and usually a package of some cheap part, like legs or thighs or something. I toss the breasts and a few of the dark meat part into a pot with veggies and spices and some salt and enough water to cover it all. Then cook for a couple of hours (one hour would technically do it if you're pressed for time). It feels like cheating but it's not! When it seems like time, I remove the breasts with tongs and put them on a plate to cool. The rest of it I strain, reserving the liquid and binning the rest (or feeding some of the dark meat to the dog).<br /><br />So now you have the liquid, which is delicious, and you have the meat which has been simmered to perfection and will fall off the bone in lovely little shreds. You're halfway to chicken soup my friends! Once it's all cool enough to deal with, I saute an onion in some oil (in a big pan), then add the strained stock (you can see the fat and skim some off if you want, but leave some because it's delicious). Add some BTB, because there's no reason to add just plain salt. We like <span style="font-style: italic;">flavored </span>salt! Toss in a chopped carrot, maybe some celery, the chicken meat and cook for 20 minutes or so. Then add in whatever starch you prefer (noodles, rice, matzah balls) and cook until done.<br /><br />NOTE: I forget why it happens, if it's skin or whatever but while you're cooking any meat stock if foam starts appearing on the surface just skim it off with a spoon and discard. You can do the same thing with fat, it will hang together in delicious looking little pools which you can skim some of while it's hot.<br /><br />Another NOTE: Sometimes I buy more than I need, 3-4 boneless breasts. Then I freeze some stock with shredded chicken meat already in it. Then when you want soup all you need to do is add the veggies. There is no reason to eat canned soup when you can do this. Canned soup is not made with love.kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-955839839634161484.post-29899945467466709192008-10-02T04:44:00.000-07:002008-10-03T15:46:40.568-07:00Very complicated and fancy carrot soup.No, for reals. It took ages to make but was so worth it.<br /><br />You'll need:<br /><ol><li>4-5 heads garlic (seriously)</li><li>2 medium potatoes</li><li>a f*ckload of chopped carrots. I think I used 12 or something. Maybe you should think about halving this recipe. Or freezing some.</li><li>1 Onion, diced</li><li>Olive oil</li><li>Stock, chicken or vegetable. Homemade makes a big difference here but you can use some BTB. Use less than they say though, you want less salt in this than normal soups.</li><li>(optional) squash of some sort. I used half an acorn I had in the freezer, mostly because I needed to make room but it worked out pretty well.<br /></li></ol><br />How to:<br /><ol><li>Wrap each of the heads of garlic in tinfoil (individually) and put in the oven at 350 for an hour.</li><li>If you're using it, also put the squash in the oven. Face down in a pie plate full of water, or face up if you want brown roasty goodness.<br /></li><li>While that's going, cut up and boil the potatoes until soft.</li><li>Put some olive oil in a pan (5 Qt Le Creuset dutch oven rip off recommended) and saute the onions for a bit until soft</li><li>When that's done, add your stock and your chopped up carrots</li><li>Cook all this for 30 minutes or so, until everything is mushy.<br /></li><li>Take the garlic out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle</li><li>Same with the squash.<br /></li><li>Then squeeze all the garlic out. I know of no trick to make this fast, if you have one please share</li><li>Scrape out the squash innards with a spoon and toss into the pot with the carrots, etc<br /></li><li>Add the potatoes and garlic to the pot.</li><li>Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to blend it all together. I like a thick soup. If you prefer, you can thin to desired consistency with more broth.</li></ol>I accompanied this with oven roasted brussel sprouts and rosemary focaccia. It worked well.kerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06965523108290361602noreply@blogger.com0