Pot Roast To Try

I didn't follow the recipe very closely - instead I did it like this:

- Heat 3 T canola oil in a dutch oven
- season 1-2 lb. pork roast with salt and pepper, brown in hot oil - turning after a few minutes on each side - throuw in some rosemary sprigs
- add the onions and some carrots
- add a can of chicken stock (I couldnt find any beef stock)
- add some red wine - about a cup, some tomato paste, some crushed tomatoes,
- add chunks of potatoes,
- season with salt and pepper, add some red pepper
- put the dutch oven in a 335 degree oven for 1.5 hour or so.


This recipe is from here: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ideal-pot-roast?autonomy_kw=pot%20roast&rsc=header_1

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 5-pound beef chuck roast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups beef stock or reduced sodium canned beef broth
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 3 onions, cut into large wedges
• 4 cloves garlic , chopped
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 pounds carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 pounds potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place in pan, and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
2. Turn meat fat side up. Add stock, wine, if using, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir in tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, cover; put in the oven, and roast for 3 hours. Add carrots and potatoes, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 1 hour more.
3. Transfer the roast, carrots, and potatoes to a platter. With a spoon, skim the fat off the surface of the cooking liquid. Cut the roast into thick slices, and serve with the vegetables. Pass the pan juices separately.

Pan-roasted butternut squash

1 butternut squash
1 T ground coriander
1/5 tsp red chili powder
3 T brown sugar or palm sugar
3 T canola oil
Kosher salt

Peel the butternut squash. Cut it in half and remove the seeds and goop. Slice the halves into strips about 3/4 " wide. Chop the strips into cubes.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat - until very hot. Add the coriander and chili powder - stir a few times and then add the squash. Stir for about 3 minutes to distribute spices. Sprinkle on salt to taste and stir.

Lower heat. Cook, covered, until squash is cooked but holding its shape - about 15 minutes. Uncover, raise heat, and gently turn with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cook until it melts and coats.

This was easy and tasty.

Stuffed Roast Pork Loin

This recipe is adapted from Cooks Illustrated - 9 - 10 / 2007.

I bought a huge - monster-sized Costco Pork loin for this. It was sliced in half - and, each half was large enough to butterfly-cut, stuff, and roll.

Stuffing:

1 C apple cider (I used juice)
1/2 C cider vinegar
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1 large shallot - thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 C packed dried cranberries
1 T grated ginger
1 T mustard seeds (I used 1 T whole grain mustard)
1/2 t allspice
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Bring all ingredients to simmer in a suacepan over medium high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft - about 20 minutes. Push mixture through strainer to extract as much liquid as possible (save this liquid).

- Return the liquid to the saucepan and simmer over medium high heat until reduced to 1/3 C - about 5 minutes. This is the glaze - reserve it. (mine thickened up but was fine after a few seconds in the microwave).

- Pulse the apple mixture in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

For the Pork:

Slice meat to even 1/2 in. thickness - (cut down .5 in from edge - st0p .5 in from bottom - cut across to .5 in from other side - and then cut across to .5 in from the other side - open out, and pound to even it out.

Season inside of pork with salt. Spread the filling over the pork - leaving a .5 inch border. Roll and tie.

Roast roast on rack in roasting pan in oven preheated to 375. Turn over after 30 minutes or so to brown the other side. Brush with glaze and roast for another 10-15 minutes. Check internal temperature - remove when it is 140 degrees.

Remove the roast and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Put pan with over burners on stoves top and add 1 C white wine or vermouth, scrape roasting pan with wooden spoon to loosen bits, add some rosemary sprigs, and then whisk in some flour - add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste - and then pour the gravy into a serving pitcher.

Marbled Chocolate Cheescake

This cheesecake came out smooth, creamy, and mousse-like. It was late when it came out of the oven - I let it cool with a bowl over it for about half an hour - but there was no way I could stay up late enough to let it cool all the way - so I put it in the fridge with the bowl over it and hoped for the best. It cooled the rest of the way without cracking. The next day, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and foil, and froze it. After two weeks in the freezer, I put it in the fridge for 24 hours to defrost and then served it. The freezing seemed fine - it was delicious.

5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
3 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 1/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

chocolate tart crust:

3 oz. sweet butter
1/2 C sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
dash salt
1/4 C plus 2T unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 C pastry or regular flour

For Crust:

Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt - process until creamy. Add cocoa and process until mixture is a dark, smooth paste. Add flour and pulse until incorporates but crumbly.

Firmly pat 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of an 8" springform pan. Bake the crust in the springform pan, and the extra dough (loose in a baking pan) at 375 from 10 minutes. Let crust in springform pan cook for another 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pulverize cooked crumbs (these will get pressed onto the sides of the cake when it is finished).

For cake:

-Boil lots of water in a kettle or sauce pan - enough to fill a roasting pan halfway up the sides of the springform pan you are using.

- Heat oven to 325

-Beat cream cheese in mixer on medium speed until it begins to smooth out.
- Scrape down sides of the bowl, gradually add sugar and beat just until completely smooth (do not overbeat here - but be sure it is smooth, once the eggs go in it cannot get any smoother so any grainyness left will remain).
- add vanilla and eggs - one at a time - beat just until well mixed


- Melt chocolate and 1/4 C water (water bath or microwave)
- Measure and set aside 1 C of cheesecake batter - stir warmed melted chocolate into the separate batter
- Pour the rest of the batter into the prepared springform pan.
- Pour the chocolate batter in a ring in the batter in the springform pan - spaces about .5" from the side of the pan. Marble the chocolate batter in with a soup spoon, scooping from edges to center, bottom to top, etc. (I am still not very good at it even though I have made this a bunch of times).
- Wrap the bottom and sides of the prepared springform pan in foil. Put the foil-wrapped pan in a roasting pan and carefully pour in the boiled water until it is halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Carefully put the roasting pan in the oven.

- Check after 25 minutes - it will probably need more time - but bake only until cheesecake shows signs of puffing around the edges but is still very soft in the center. It will not be set in the oven. Overcooking it will wreck it. I think I left it in for about 35-40 minutes the last time I made it.

- remove from oven and cool on rack- covered with an inverted mixing bowl. Unmold when cooled. Press reserved crumbs around sides.

- This was very good served with raspberry and blackberry sauce.


Butter bare sides of springform pan.

This recipe was adapted from a Cocolat: Extraordinary Chocolate Desserts by Alice Medrich and from a Martha Stewart.com recipe for the water bath.

Blackberry Sauce

I made raspberry and blackberry sauces to serve with a cheesecake recently. The sauced were almost an afterthought but they were so good and easy that they ended up being my favorite thing about the dinner.

1 lb. blackberries
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Combine blackberries, sugar and lemon juice in a pan. Cover and cook until bubbling, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; place in a food processor and blend. Pass through a strainer to remove the seeds. Chill before serving.

Parmesan Souffle to try

This is from Cooking light.com here:

Although chervil is a traditional component of fines herbes, oregano is more readily available and makes a tasty substitute. Serve as a side dish or a light dinner with a green salad.

Yield

6 servings

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (about 1 large)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or chervil
• 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon (optional)
• 6 large egg whites
• Dash of cream of tartar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly coat a 2-quart soufflé dish with cooking spray; sprinkle breadcrumbs over bottom and sides of dish. Set aside.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes or until tender. Remove shallots from pan; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; stir in wine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; cook 1 minute or until thick. Remove from heat.

Place egg yolk in a medium bowl, and gradually stir about one-fourth of hot milk mixture into egg yolk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add to remaining hot milk mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until smooth. Stir in shallots, parsley, chives, oregano, and tarragon, if desired. Spoon cheese mixture into a large bowl.

Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into cheese mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Spoon into prepared dish. Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until puffy, golden, and set. Serve immediately.

Here is a Porcini Mushroom Sauce to try with it:

1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry Marsala
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup beef stock or canned beef broth

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Preparation

Combine porcini mushrooms and 1 cup warm water in small bowl. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms from liquid, squeezing excess liquid from mushrooms back into bowl; reserve liquid. Place mushrooms in another small bowl.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion browns, about 15 minutes. Add Marsala and white wine. Increase heat; boil until most liquid evaporates, about 7 minutes. Add rosemary, mushrooms and both stocks. Pour in reserved mushroom liquid, leaving any sediment behind. Boil until liquid mixture is reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes.

Mix butter and flour in small bowl to blend; whisk into mushroom mixture. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stuffed Peppers

This is from the Food Network: Everyday Italian here

Orzo Stuffed Peppers Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Show: Everyday Italian Episode: Greek Fusion

1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes 2 zucchini, grated 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta) 6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart using a pair of kitchen shears or your finger tips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish. Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the orzo stuffed pepper to a serving plate.

grilled peppers stuffed with cream cheese

These are pretty much exactly what the title says - grilled peppers stuffed with cream cheese. I have peppers growing in the garden - they are shaped like Anaheims - but are not nearly as hot (they are a little hot). I took 4 peppers, cut off the tops, used a paring knife to remove the seeds, and stuffed them full of cream cheese. I used a knife to get the cream cheese started and them shoved it in with the back of a chopstick. I didn't fill them as full as I could have - and, in hindsight, they would be good stuffed full.

I threw the stuffed peppers on a grill at the same time I put on steaks - I turned the peppers when I turned the steaks. They were roasted, a bit charred, and very tasty. They were a bit fragile as hot cream cheese came out the top when I moved them.

Carnitas / tomatillo salsa

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated May / June 2008.

I have made this twice - it worked well both times.

Pork:

2-3 lb. pork butt roast cut into 2 in. chunks
salt and pepper
1 t cumin
2 bay leaves
small onion
1 t dried oregano
juice from a lime
2 c water
1 orange

preheat oven to 300
add pork, 1 t salt, some pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaf, lime juice, and water to a dutch oven
juice the orange and add the juice and the orange halves
bring to simmer over high heat
put in the oven and leave it for 2 hours

remove pork from pot, reduce remaining liquid over high heat for about 10 minutes - until slightly thickened

shred pork and add in reduced liquid, turn on oven broiler, prepare cookie sheet by covering with foil and adding a cooling rack.

Spread the shredded pork on the cooling rack and broil for 5 or 6 minutes until slightly crispy,

Tomatillo salsa:

1 big can of tomatillos - drained
half an onion
dried cayenne pepper (or somthing hot - fresh jalapeño if one is available)
.5 t cumin
pinch of salt
2 T cilanto leaves
1 t white vinegar
1 t sugar

add everything to a food processor and pulse

Tsatsiki sauce

Quick, easy, tasty

1 C Plain yogurt
juice of .5 a lemon juice
1 T Dill from a tube of dill
1/4 C cucumber (finely chopped)
pinch or two of salt
1 crushed garlic clove
2 T minced onion

Mix and eat with pita chips, carrots, pita bread pieces, gyros, chicken souvlaki, etc...

the tube of dill makes this particularly easy to make with other common ingredients. I guessed at the amounts - adjust as necessary, use judgment, don't make it gross.

Wet dough no roll pizza recipe

This is adapted from a recipe in the September / October Cook's Illustrated

The dough is not very hard to make - though it takes time, most of the time is rising. Also, it is only easy with a stand mixer - without it, it would be a pain to mix for so fast for so long.

3 cups flour
1 2/3 c. water
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 t yeast
1 t sugar
5 T olive oil
1 t salt


Combine flour, water and salt ans stir with dough hook for 3 minutes and then let it rest for a while

add yeast and knead for a minute or so on low speed
increase to high speed and knead fro 8 minutes or so

add to oiled bowl, oil, and let rise for 2 - 3 hours

spread into oiled baking sheet and bake on a stone in the middle of a preheated 40 degree oven
for 25 minutes

I pulled the pizza out after 10 minutes or so and spread it with pomodoro sauce
sausage, and mozzerella cheese - and some fresh basil added after I took ot out.

Pasta with basil and tomato sauce

The tomato sauce was something from the silver spoon Italian cookbook that I made with extra ripe farmers market tomatoes. The recipe was something like this:

4 perfect tomatoes (9 oz)
some garlic (2 cloves)
some olive oil (3 T)
some basil (10 leaves - torn)
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt

-Boil several inches of water in a saucepan - enough to cover the tomatoes
- slice x's into the non-stem end of the tomatoes
- drop the tomatoes in the boiling water and leave them for about 30 seconds - take them out and remove the skins. Remove the seeds.
- add tomatoes, sugar, and salt to a saucepan and cook over low heat for 30 minutes without stirring
remove from heat, mash tomatoes with a wooden spoon, and let cool - add olive oil and basil

For the basil sauce:

Lots of basil leaves - about 3 cups
about .5 C olive oil
three cloves of garlic - pressed
kosher salt
pinches (little) of cayenne pepper and cinnamon

Process the basil leaves in a food processor and add olive oil slowly while the processor is running. Check for consistency and keep adding olive oil and processing until it is a smooth paste. Add the cinnamon and cayenne pepper and salt to tsate while processing - taste to correct.

(this is not pesto - I didn't have any pine nuts or enough cheese)

For the pasta:

- half a box of spaghetti
- chicken stock
- a few T's of cream

boil spaghetti until al dente. Drain, set aside and cover to keep warm

For chicken: defrost two chicken breasts and brine them. Remove from brine and bash with a rolling pin (I covered them with plastic wrap during bashing to reduce splattering) until they are .5 inches thick. Coat chicken with basil paste.

- heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet, add chicken, let cook on one side until browned (about 5-6 min.) and them flip to brown on other side. Remove chicken from pan and set aside - tented with foil.

Lower heat under pan - and deglaze with chicken stock (about 3-4T) Pour off and reserve the stock.

Add 3T basil paste, 1.5 C tomato sauce; and 3T cream, and most of the stick use to deglaze to the pan. Heat through and add pasta. Swirl to incorporate.

Slice chicken - serve mounds of pasta, some chicken, and top with shredded Parmesan.

Cornmeal Waffles

From Cooking Light Here:

These waffles were good and don't have any butter added to the batter. They don't puff up much in the waffle iron - so you I got better results by adding more batter than I would for other waffle recipes.

Cornmeal Waffles

Cornmeal gives waffles a coarser texture than flour. Serve with sliced strawberries and maple syrup for breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large egg yolks
2 large egg whites

Preparation

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray, and preheat.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Place buttermilk, maple syrup, oil, and egg yolks in a bowl, and stir well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into cornmeal mixture.

Spoon about 1/2 cup batter onto hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until done; repeat procedure with remaining batter.

Chai-brined shrimp and mango skewers

Shrimp and mango skewers from cooking light.

I am not sure the chai brining was worth the effort. it tasted good - but I am not sure I could taste the chai. I didn't have any cardamom - I don't know if that made any difference. But, the grilled mango was excellent - and the shrimp was fine and very quick on the grill. Just for yucks, I wrapped some if the shrimp in basil leaves - this was very good. Next time, I might try grilling shrimp, and wrapping them in basil leaves, running a tooth pick through them and calling them appetizers.

Ingredients

3 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, crushed
8 whole cardamom pods, crushed
6 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken
2 tablespoons black tea leaves (such as Darjeeling)
1 cup ice cubes
32 peeled and deveined large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 large peeled ripe mangoes, each cut into 8 (2-inch) pieces
Cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced green onions
8 Indian flatbreads (naan)

Preparation

1. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in tea leaves; simmer 2 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Stir in ice; chill.

2. Add shrimp to water mixture; chill 20 minutes.

3. Prepare grill.

4. Remove the shrimp from bowl; discard liquid. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread 4 shrimp and 2 mango pieces alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers.

5. Place the skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill for 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are done. Sprinkle with sliced green onions. Serve with flatbread.

Note: As pictured on the cover, you can use smaller skewers. Simply thread two shrimp alternately with two mango chunks, and serve guests two skewers each. You'll need to purchase an extra mango (which minimally increases the calories per serving) if you opt for this presentation.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 skewer and 1 piece flatbread)

Veg. Samosas in phyllo dough

This is from Cooking Light here: Samosa Recipe

These are very tasty. We used less phyllo than the recipe called for - half a sheet instead of a sheet. Also, it was fine to put lots of filling in each and not to cover it all with the first fold - because the other folds will take care of it. I expected them to be good - and they were very good.

Samosas, traditional Indian pastries filled with vegetables, meat, or both, are typically made with homemade dough, then fried. Our samosas remain light and crisp because we enclose the filling in phyllo dough and then bake them. When processing the filling, pulse just until the ingredients are chopped so it retains its texture.

Ingredients

Samosas:
2 1/4 cups chopped peeled baking potato
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled carrot
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/4 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
16 (18 x 14–inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray

Raita:
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Preparation

1. To prepare samosas, cook potato and carrot in boiling water 8 minutes or until tender; drain.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add ginger, garlic, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin and next 5 ingredients (through turmeric); cook 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add potato mixture, peas, cilantro, and juice, stirring well to combine; cool slightly. Place half of filling in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Spoon chopped filling into a bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining filling.

3. Preheat oven to 350°.

4. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to prevent drying); lightly coat with cooking spray. Fold phyllo sheet in half lengthwise to form an 18 x 7–inch rectangle. Spoon about 3 tablespoons filling onto bottom end of rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold left bottom corner over mixture, forming a triangle; keep folding back and forth into a triangle to end of phyllo strip. Tuck edges under triangle; lightly coat seam with cooking spray. Place triangles, seam side down, 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining phyllo, cooking spray, and filling to form 16 samosas.

5. Bake at 350° for 13 minutes with 1 baking sheet on bottom rack and 1 baking sheet on second rack from the top. Rotate baking sheets; bake an additional 12 minutes or until samosas are lightly browned.

6. To prepare raita, combine yogurt and mint. Serve with samosas.

Thai Cous Cous

1.5 T minced fresh lemongrass
1 small shallot minced
.5 tsp (or less) minced chili pepper
1 can coconut milk (1.75 c)
1 T oil
1.5 c cous cous
1 kaffir lime leaf - minced
2 tsp green curry paste

Heat oil in a sauce pan - add lemongrass, shallot, and chilit pepper - and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes - if the shallot browns lower heat and add coconut milk

lower heat and add coconut milk and lime leaf and curry paste. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and add cous cous.

Let stand off heat for 5 minutes, fluff with a fork.

This is quick and tasty.

Quick Chicken Piccata

2 frozen chicken breasts - mostly, but not completely defrosted
pesto (or a basil, garlic, olive oil mixture) 2 T
1 garlic clove minced
flour - 1/3 C
lemon juice - 3 T
white wine - 1/2 cup
capers - 2T

Slice the chicken breasts into slices about 1/4 inch thick
place about 1/5 C of flour in a shallow dish - add black pepper
dredge the chicken slices in the flour, tapp off excess and set slices aside on a plate
heat 2T olive oil in a large skillet
add chicken slices and cook without moving for about 3 minutes, turn each piece and cook on the other side
when chicken is cooked, add wine, pesto, capers, lemon juice, and garlic to the pan
toss to combine and coat
remove and place chicken slices
add a bit more wine to the pan and deglaze, spoon pan sauce over chicken slices

Saffron Cinnamon Rice

2/3 c rice (I used white jasmine rice)
half an onion - coarsely chopped
2/3 C chicken stock
1 garlic clove - mashed
1 pinch of saffron threads
1 pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
olive oil

Heat 1 T olive oil in a skillet with a lid - add onions and saute for a few minutes

add saffron threads to chicken stock

add rice grains and more oil if necessary - saute for 4-5 minutes until rice begins to brown
peel and chop garlic - add to the rice and stir - let cook for another 30 seconds
slowly add chicken stock - saffron mixture - let boil and then reduce heat so mixture simmers
add cinnamon and cayenne pepper
cover and simmer for 15 minutes - stir occasionally, stir and add more liquid if necessary

Garden salad with grapefruit vinaigrette

Plant red lettuce and arugula in a garden and wait several weeks for leaves to emerge - watering as necessary

Tear off enough leaves for two salads, pick for critters, rinse, and spin

take a left-over grapefruit half prepared from breakfast but not eaten earlier in the week out of the fridge (or create one if necessary) Pick the half- supremes out of the fruit and set aside

Squeeze the juice into a bowl - add 1.5T olive oil, 1T balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp honey to the juice and whisk. Taste and correct.

Place the leaves in bowls - add the supremes, some chopped onions, some dried craisins, and whatever else. Add the dressing and serve.

Simple pomodoro sauce

1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes (a good brand)
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
3 cloves garlic
10 basil leaves
3 T olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes

Dump can of tomatoes and can juice into a saucepan, add sugar, salt and garlic (skinned and sliced, but not mashed)
Cook over low heat fo 30 minutes.
Mash tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon and then continue to cook for another 15 minutes
Remove from heat, Mash more if necessary, add remaining ingredients (checking for taste) - stir to combine.

Simple - very tasty

I made this with the sweet potato ravioli (separate post) but came to realize that this was not the right sauce for it - though I did add a T to the center of each serving for color and is was tasty.

Sweet Potato Ravioli

Sweet Potato Ravioli with sage butter sauce:

Pasta:

2.5 C all purpose flour
1 C semolina flour
Pinch of salt
4 eggs - lightly beaten

Sift flours and salt into a mound on a counter - make a well and add eggs. Incorporate eggs with your fingers and form gooey mess into a ball - kead for 10 minutes.

I found the "dough" to be to solid to knead by hand so I threw it in a stand mixer with a dough hook and added (a bit at a time) about .25 C water - the mixer got a dough ball formed (worth doing) but was not squishing it enough to get it smooth - so I kneaded the ball by hand for 10 minutes and let it sit for 15 - this worked very well - the dough was not too dry, but held up very well to rolling and cutting.

Break off plum sized chunks of dough and run through a pasta roller on decreasing widths to get pasta sheets.

Filling:

2 sweet potatoes - peeled and chopped into 1" cubes
1/3 C chopped cashew nuts
1 T brown sugar
2/3 C chicken stock
.5 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/5 tsp. thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic

Boil the potato chunks in water in a small or medium saucepan for about 8 minutes - until they are cooked through like potatoes for mashing. Drain the potatoes, add the chicken stock and mash - add more stock or water if necessary to create a smooth consistency.

Mince the rosemary leaves and smash the garlic - put both in a mortar and pestle and mash into a paste - add the paste to the potato / stock mixture.

Mash the cashews in the mortar and pestle and add to the mixture

Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat - adding more liquid if necessary - (I suppose I could have skipped the mashing and thrown everything in a food processor this would have helped keep chunks out of the nuts - through the end result was tasty - perhaps next time) - also, taste and correct - I made this up as I went. Some grated Parmesan, or some ricotta might be a good addition.


Sage Butter Sauce:

Melt 2T butter in a small sauce pan and add about 8 sage leaves (I had some frozen and the were fine) cook for a few minutes and then add about 3T of white wine - I used a chardonnay that I then served with the meal). Strain into a small bowl - pushing on leaves to extract all sauce.


Assembling and cooking the ravioli:

grate a bunch of Parmesan cheese - at least 1 C grated

Take a pasta sheet (probably about 5 or five inches wide by 4 feet long - and place it on a counter (dry! and, I initially used dishtowels under the pasta - but this made it difficult to cut the raviolis out) place small (about 1.5 tsp) dollops of the sweet potato mixture on half of the sheet (thr other half will be floded over on top) - spaces with enough clearance around each to cut out a ravioli - fold the other half of the sheet over the dolloped half and press the dough carefully around each dollop so the tops and bottom sheet meet (be caseful not to rip the top sheets)

use an espresso cup or some similar round object with about a 1.5 " diameter - cut out raviolis (ther are many ways to do this - I will try a pizza cutter next time)

Do not stack the raviolis between cutting and cooking - I did and had a difficult time separating them (many were ripped)

the left over dough can be re-rolled.

Cook the raviolis in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes.

Remove from water with a slotted spoon and serve topped with sage butter sauce (above) and a relatively big mound of freshly grated Parmesan cheese - which will melt with the heat of the raviolis and the sage butter sauce.

suprising thai dressing

I made this as an afterthought to be a salad dressing for greens and cucumber slices to serve with Thai rice and trader joe's curry chicken tenderloins

.5 c rice vinegar
1.5 t sugar
1 t palm sugar
juice of half a lime
a few slices of a red chili pepper
1 t soy sauce
a tiny splash of sesame oil

combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat - bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes
transfer to a small container and stick in the ice maker in the freezer to cool in order to serve right away

This ended up being a smooth, slightly thickened, tasty dressing. It worked on the salad, and the chicken , and the rice. It would probably work as the main dressing for a variation of teryaki sauce.

huevos rancheros - sort of

I used left-over improvised cilantro chimichurri, corn tortillas, all the potatoes in my cabinets for hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese for tasty huevos rancheros

Hash browns:

1 russet potato
3 red potatoes
1 medium yellow onion
.5 red pepper
.5 jalapeno or other hot pepper
1 t cayenne pepper
3 T olive oil
2 t salt
kosher salt
dash white pepper

Preheat oven to 400
Dice the potatoes - so they are in uniform cubes less then .5 inch - this allows them to cook fairly quickly and evenly
put diced potatoes in a mixing bowl and cover them with water - let sit while you chop everything else - at least 10 minutes (8 worked fine for me)
chop onion in to fairly large chunks - a bit bigger than the potato cubes
chop red pepper into pieces about the same size as the potatoes
mince the jalapeno pepper
drain the potatoes (i dumped them into a big strainer)
wipe out and dry potato bowl
dry potatoes (good faith effort is OK) and put them back in the bowl
add 3T olive oil, cayenne pepper, onions, red peppers, salt (not the kosher salt), and the dash of white pepper - stir to combine
prepare a cookie sheet by sprinkling the kosher salt on it - dump potato mixture on the pan and spread evenly - it should not be more than a single layer deep
cook for about 30 minutes - stir after 20

cilantro chimichurri

1 c cilantro leaves
1 medium onion
.5 chili pepper - minced
3T olive oil (or more as needed)
1t salt

put everything but the olive oil in a food processor with the blade and process until it is smooth
pour olive oil in the spout with the processor running - keep adding until the mixture is the consistency of pesto.

tortillas:

put corn tortillas in something to steam them (with a wet paper towel - I just bought a tortilla steamer / server thing - ugly, but functional)

heat two skillets - at least one non-stick

scramble 5 eggs in one skillet (I think traditional huevos rancheros have fried eggs - but it was easier and fine with scrambled)

-place as many tortillas as will fit in the other skillet - turn after 30 seconds
- add a layer of grated cheese over half of each tortilla, about the same amount of potatoes, (check a big one to make sure they are cooked through), a chunk of eggs, and a spoonful of the cilantro salsa.
after the cheese is melted, fold and serve

A Rummy!

Improvised after a long day at work:

Combine in a shaker in about the following ratio:

3 Rum
1 Triple Sec
3 Pineapple Nectar
Juice from half a lime
Juice from half a lemon
1 Pomegranate Juice
.25 Grenadine

Shake and strain into a glasses filled with ice with the tonic poured in it:

Scillian Sytle Potatoes Gratin

This recipe is from epicurious here:

It was fairly quick to put together using a food processor. It would be much more time consuming cutting all the potatoes with a knife. Very tasty. I served this with roast pork.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, halved
Olive oil for brushing plus
4 tablespoons, divided
2 cups chopped onions
Coarse kosher salt
2 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, very thinly sliced
8 tablespoons (packed) grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
3 tablespoons drained capers
2 cups low-salt chicken broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with cut side of garlic clove. Brush dish with olive oil. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, sprinkle with coarse salt, and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes.

Arrange 1/3 of potatoes in even layer in prepared dish. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Scatter half of onions over. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano and 1 tablespoon capers. Repeat layering with half of remaining potatoes, coarse salt and pepper, remaining onions, 2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano, and 1 tablespoon capers. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Arrange remaining potato slices over. Sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon capers. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour chicken broth over. Press down firmly on potatoes to compact gratin.

Cover gratin tightly with foil and bake until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 4 tablespoons Pecorino Romano. Bake gratin uncovered until cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let gratin stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Beef Burgundy Crepes for valentines day dinner

Valentines day dinner:

Beef Burgundy crepes with orange-glazed carrots, arugula salad, and nutella-raspberry crepes for dessert.

I didn't have any bacon or olive oil - so I made the beef burgundy with no bacon, some canola oil, and a cup of cheap wine. It was still pretty good - though it would be much better if I made it with some care. Overall this was pretty easy and worked well enough to make again.

For the carrots - I boiled (in salted water with a pinch of sugar) some baby carrots for about 5 minutes (this was too long) and used a sauce of:

Simmer until reduced: 1.5 T melted butter, zest and juice from about half an orange, 1t lemon juice -
Add about a T 50/50 flour water mix - stirred smooth to thicken the sauce.

I sort of drizzled the sauce over the carrots - and it didn't look great - next time I will try tossing the carrots in the sauce - but it tasted good.

To garnish the beef burgundy crepes, I spooned some of the burgundy sauce over the rolled crepes, and them mixed about 2T sour cream with 1.5ish t water (to thin it) and spooned this on over the sauced crepe - this worked well, looked good, and tasted good.

The dessert crepes were simple - reheat pans - toss in a crepe, add a stripe of nutella and some raspberries, fold, plate with some ice cream, add a few more rasberries, sprinkle with powdered sugar (through a strainer)

Here is the Crepe Recipe I used:

1 scant C flour
2 eggs
1 C milk
2 T butter - melted and cooled
salt

Sift flour into a bowl
add eggs and 3 or 5 T of the milk - stir to combine
add the rest of the milk and stir to make a thin batter
add the butter, salt to taste, and whisk for several minutes

brush some oil in a crepe pan (I used 2 10' saute pans - 1 non-stick, one stick) and heat. Add 3T batter and tip to coat pan - cook about 3 min. on one and 1 min on the other

Here is a Beef Burgundy recipe from recipezaar. I haven't tried it yet - but I used it to figure out what ingrediants to get.

3	slices bacon, diced
1	lb boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
2	garlic cloves, minced
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon fresh ground pepper
12	ounces mushrooms, halved
1 (14	ounce) can beef broth
1 1/2	cups dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon
10	ounces small white pearl onions, peeled (about 24)
1 1/2	teaspoons dried thyme or 1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4	cup flour
1/4	cup water

Not the one? See other Beef Burgundy Recipes

• Stews
  
  
• Pressure Cooker Stews
  
  
• French Stews
  
  
• Beef Stews
  
  
• Reduced Carbohydrates Stews
  
  

1. Cook bacon in a heavy 4 qrt Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat until crisp.
2. Transfer bacon with slotted spoon to a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Brown meat with garlic, transferring it to a plate.
4. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.
5. Add mushrooms to drippings in pan; cook 3- 4 minutes or until mushrooms are browned, stirring frequently.
6. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with bacon.
7. Set aside.
8. Return meat with any juices to pan; add onions, broth, wine, and thyme.
9. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low.
10. Cover; simmer 1 hour.
11. Combine flour and water, mixing until smooth.
12. Stir into meat mixture.
13. Stir in reserved mushroom mixture.
14. Bring to a boil; reduce heat.
15. Simmer, uncovered, 34- 40 minutes or until meat is tender and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
16. Remove thyme sprig if fresh thyme was used.
17. Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes, if desired.

Steak Salad with Cous Cous and Asparagus

This was a quick and easy dinner using stuff I had in the fridge and lying arond.

preheat broiler and heat a grill pan

1 ribeye steak
arugala (or whatever greens are available)
1 c cous cous
1.25 c chicken stock
2 T craisins
2 T diced apples
asparagus
1 lemon cut in half
Montreal steak seasoning

add the stock, craisins, and apples to a small saucepan and bring to a boil

toss asparagus in olive oil, season with salt to taste -
arrange in a singe layer on a cooling rack placed in a cookie sheet - place under broiler for 5-7 minutes

press seasoning into both sides of steak
grill the steak for about 4-5 minutes on each side without moving
place one lemon half on the grill pan - cut side down while grilling the steak

take the boiling stock off heat and add the cous cous to it - let sit five minutes covered and then fluff with a fork

after the steak is finished grilling, let it rest and assemble a salad and dressing

use the grilled lemon to make a lemon vinaigrette dressing (I used olive oil, cider vinegar, a bit of white vinegar, the grilled lemon juice, and some dried herbs)

slice the steak, serve over salad greens
serve the asparagus over the cous cous