This is a super easy, super yummy, super caramelly-delicious snack. I trialed a few new recipes the other day after I got a mean craving for gourmet popcorn. Some came up great, some not so great (in fact Chocolate Adobo Chili got tossed into special file 7-- the 'or we could just order pizza' file.) In any case, Caramel Chipotle was the best trial by far. For your snacking pleasure:
NOTES: I doubled this recipe and it works fine. Also, make sure and buy good quality CHIPOTLE chili powder, not just any chili powder. I tried Adobo and it doesn't work as well.
6 cups of air popped popcorn (air popped really is best here, I've tried it with microwave, it doesn't work as well)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter
1/4 corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp (and to taste) of Chipotle Chili powder
Pop popcorn and set aside in a 300 degree oven to keep warm while you cook the caramel. Bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium high heat and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the salt, baking soda and chili powder. Toss in the pan with the popcorn. Spoons work okay, but I really find that your hands work much better, and wont crush the popcorn. BE CAREFUL! I have no nerves left in my fingertips from working in coffee for so long, but this is hot sugar and WILL BURN! I recommend that you wear plastic gloves!! Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven, break into pieces and let cook on buttered tin foil or wax paper. ENJOY!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Lasagne (NOT Lasagna)
First of all, wow! This turned out to be one of my top three! It also turned out to be an insane amount of work. So, to save you work and wasted time, I'm going to start this recipe with
WHAT NOT TO DO: 1) Don't start this recipe at 7:00 pm after a t-ball game. Just don't. (Be completely aware that if you do start this at 7:00 pm after a t-ball game, you are not going to eat until 11:00 pm. You will be in the kitchen at 8:30 eating Cheetos from the bag and drinking beer while you put together a gourmet meal from scratch...and it WILL feel ironic.)
2) Don't stack the fresh noodles (which, incidentally took an hour of work to make) into a pile and wrap them in plastic wrap while you wait for the water to boil. They will become a stack-o-noodle (yes, that IS singular stack-o-noodle.) As it turns out, they stick....to each other.
3) Don't forget to add the egg to the fresh ricotta before layering the lasagne (we'll get to that later, yes I did make ricotta cheese and felt like a rock-star doing it- like a Martha Stewart in leather pants, Hall and Oates cover band kind of rock-star maybe, but dammit I made cheese!) because no matter how good it turns out, you will wonder how much better it would've been if you had just remembered the egg.
4) Finally, and as usual...don't forget to look thoroughly at your recipe first and decide what ingredients you need. Prep them and have them ready to go. The French call this mise en place. I call it not making a hundred trips to the grocery store for one more onion.
THINGS TO DEFINITELY DO:
1) Do make your pasta from scratch. It makes all the difference in the world. And boil the pasta sheets before you use them (just drop them in boiling, well salted water for 1-2 minutes.) Don't worry if they are a little small or misshapen from the stack-o-noodle incident...everybody knows its not the size of the pasta that matters, it's how you use it (and these were used well...this recipe turned out incredibly.)
2) Do make your own ricotta cheese. It's super easy to make, and has a flavor much more wonderful and intense than what you will find at the store. It's even cheaper to make it at home! I made a double batch, since it can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
3) Do purchase a decent bottle of red wine to add dimension to the ragu. I used a moderately priced Australian Cabernet, and it worked wonderfully. Rule of thumb, if you wont drink it, don't put it in the food. DO serve the rest of the bottle with the meal.
4) Do prepare your ingredients separately, over the period of a day or so. Below is the process for making this in 3 hours, but it can be quite spread out. Most of these components refrigerate well, especially the ragu, bechamel sauce, the meat mixture and the ricotta.
___________________________________________________________________________
This recipe is my own creation, with the exceptions of the ricotta cheese recipe from Simply Recipes and the pasta recipe from Food Network (also used in my mushroom ravioli recipe.)
THE INGREDIENTS:
1 recipe lasagna noodles (click HERE for recipe)
1 recipe bechamel (click HERE for recipe)
1 recipe ragu (click HERE for recipe)
1 recipe ricotta cheese (click HERE for recipe)
2 eggs, beaten
16 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
16 oz. frozen, drained spinach
1 lb spicy Italian sausage, removed from the casings
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
Good Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
THE TIMING:
1) T-3 hours. Mix the pasta dough and let it sit at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap for at least an hour.
2) T-2 hours Prepare the ragu. While it cooks...snarf some Cheetos and Blue Moon.
3) T-2 hours. Prepare the ricotta cheese. Use a bigger pot than you think you will need.
4) T-2 hours. Cook the meat mixture and set aside.
4) T-1 hour Start boiling water for pasta.
6) T-1 hour Make the bechamel sauce.
7) T-1 hour Preheat oven to 350. MIX eggs and ricotta (I forgot this step.) Set aside.
8) T-1 hour Begin rolling your pasta sheets.
9) T-45 minutes Build your lasagna.
10) T-35 minutes Put lasagna in the oven.
THE PROCESS:
In the bottom of a 9*13 pan swirl about 2-3 Tbsp bechamel. Top with 1/2 cup of ragu. Layer fresh pasta one next to the other and top with more bechamel and ragu. Then add all of the spinach and 1/2 of the ricotta egg mixture. Add another layer of pasta. Add more bechamel, then all of the meat mixture and the rest of the ricotta. Top with ragu. Add another layer of pasta, top with the remaining bechamel and ragu. Add sliced fresh mozzarella and grated parmigiano reggiano to completely cover the top of the dish. Put the baking dish onto a sheet pan to prevent drips on the oven floor. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes until bubbly and brown and wonderful. Enjoy!
THE RECIPES:
Pasta:
(from Food Network Magazine)
1 pound all-purpose flour (about 33/4 cups), plus more for dusting
5 large eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Semolina or polenta, for the baking sheet
Make the dough. Mound the flour on a large cutting board and make a wide well in the middle. Add the eggs and olive oil and season with salt. Beat the eggs with a fork, then use the fork to break the wall of the well and incorporate the flour into the eggs. Gather the dough into a ball; don't worry if there are lumps.
Knead the dough. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself and push again (put your whole body into it!). Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and supple, 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at least 1 hour at room temperature.
Roll out the dough. Cut the dough into four pieces. Flatten one piece slightly, then run it through the widest setting on a pasta roller twice, dusting with flour in between if it feels sticky. Fold the length of dough into thirds and run it through the roller two to three more times. Continue running the dough through the roller, reducing the width setting between each run, until you reach the second-to-last setting and the dough is about 1/16 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. With a fluted edge pastry cutter (or a pizza cutter will do) slice the dough into lasagna shaped noodles. Lay SEPARATELY covered with a tea towel until ready to drop into a large pot of boiling, salted water for a minute or two. Rinse and drain on a bakers rack.
Ricotta:
2 quarts whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
2 cups whole milk yogurt
4 tsp white vinegar
pinch of salt
Bring all ingredients to a boil over med. high heat in a very large saucepan. It is not necessary to stir. GENTLY boil for 2-3 minutes until the milk curdles. Line a colander with a tea towel and set over a large, deep bowl. Pour the milk into the colander to drain the whey from the curds. Let drain another 15 minutes. Set aside to use later. Can be refrigerated, covered for up to 3 days.
Bechamel:
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
nutmeg
1 cup of whole milk
In a ceramic mug in the microwave, heat the milk until hot to the touch (about 1 1/2 minutes.) Set aside. In another mug, heat the butter until melted. Using a fork, whisk together the butter and the flour until smooth. Add milk slowly, whisking at the same time until smooth and thickened. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Return the mixture to the microwave and cook ALMOST to boiling (just another minute) whisk again. Set aside for use in the lasagna.
In a ceramic mug in the microwave, heat the milk until hot to the touch (about 1 1/2 minutes.) Set aside. In another mug, heat the butter until melted. Using a fork, whisk together the butter and the flour until smooth. Add milk slowly, whisking at the same time until smooth and thickened. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Return the mixture to the microwave and cook ALMOST to boiling (just another minute) whisk again. Set aside for use in the lasagna.
Ragu:
1 carrot diced
1 stick of celery diced
1 onion diced
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 clove
4 bay leaves
2 32 ounce cans of tomato
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 Tbsp dried oregeno
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp butter.
Add olive oil to a large, deep, heavy bottomed sauce pan. Heat almost until smoking. Add onions and garlic, cover and cook until translucent 6 or so minutes. Add celery and carrots cook another 10 minutes or until tender. Season generously with salt and pepper. De-glaze the pan with red wine. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano and clove. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Add 1 tbsp of butter to cut the acidity down. Set aside for use in the lasagna.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Shortcut Bruschetta
Alright. It's probably on the Blogroll ten deadly sins to repeat a recipe, especially directly after itself; but I wanted to let you all in on the shortcut recipe for bruschetta I worked up tonight. Hubby is working a 48 hour marathon shift, so it's just the kids and I, but I had a mean craving for bruschetta. Usually (as noted in the previous post) bruschetta is a lot of work. Chopping, mixing, blanching, seeding, mixing, chilling...more work than I'm going to do just for myself, and the kids certainly aren't going to touch this with a ten foot pole. I checked out the canned versions at the grocery store but couldn't bring myself to do it. Sooo...here it is SHORTCUT BRUSCHETTA.
PS. It turned out pretty good. The texture wasn't as great as the diced version, but the flavor was amazing.
1) Start with a fresh baguette. Instead of slicing it on the diagonal at home, have the baker slice it into 3/8 inch slices for you (or whatever thickness you like, 3/8 works really well for me.)
2) Instead of blanching, seeding, and dicing fresh tomatoes, pick up GOOD canned tomatoes. I use imported San Marzano tomatoes if I have to use canned. THIS IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT in your dish so splurge a little.
3) Pick up basil, or pick some from the garden. I used 15-20 good sized leaves.
4) Throw it all in the food processor with some pre-minced garlic, sea salt and GOOD olive oil (again, it all comes down to good ingredients. The better food you start with the better food you end with!)
5) Feed the kids Chinese take out. Open a bottle of white zinfendel grudgingly because you forgot it was Sunday and all the liquor stores close at 6, therefore having to raid the wine rack at home when you really wanted Pinot Noir.
6) While the kids are eating take out, heat the oven to 450. Drizzle the sliced bread with olive oil, and bake for 10-12 minutes until they are golden brown and yummy looking.
7) PUT THE KIDS TO BED.
8) Snarf it. Die over the fact that this is crazy good. Pat yourself on the back and remind yourself that it is SOOO worth cooking for one sometimes, especially when its this easy.
PS. It turned out pretty good. The texture wasn't as great as the diced version, but the flavor was amazing.
1) Start with a fresh baguette. Instead of slicing it on the diagonal at home, have the baker slice it into 3/8 inch slices for you (or whatever thickness you like, 3/8 works really well for me.)
2) Instead of blanching, seeding, and dicing fresh tomatoes, pick up GOOD canned tomatoes. I use imported San Marzano tomatoes if I have to use canned. THIS IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT in your dish so splurge a little.
3) Pick up basil, or pick some from the garden. I used 15-20 good sized leaves.
4) Throw it all in the food processor with some pre-minced garlic, sea salt and GOOD olive oil (again, it all comes down to good ingredients. The better food you start with the better food you end with!)
5) Feed the kids Chinese take out. Open a bottle of white zinfendel grudgingly because you forgot it was Sunday and all the liquor stores close at 6, therefore having to raid the wine rack at home when you really wanted Pinot Noir.
6) While the kids are eating take out, heat the oven to 450. Drizzle the sliced bread with olive oil, and bake for 10-12 minutes until they are golden brown and yummy looking.
7) PUT THE KIDS TO BED.
8) Snarf it. Die over the fact that this is crazy good. Pat yourself on the back and remind yourself that it is SOOO worth cooking for one sometimes, especially when its this easy.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Handmade Ravioli and Bruschetta
Yum! A few weeks ago I found a recipe in Food Network Magazine for a Ricotta-Tallegio Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Sauce. We're talking handmade pasta here (as opposed to foot-made pasta, which evidently is how pasta was made until around the late 18th century...as per the owners manual to my new pasta machine...MY NEW PASTA MACHINE! Which I love. It's a hand crank thingy, not so much a Kitchen-Aid Stand-Mixer-Attachment-Thingy and I feel quite novel hand cranking my own pasta.)
After searching extensively throughout Wichita for Tallegio cheese and finding none and no good substitutions (evidently it is Italy's answer to Brie -- and being aged for only 40 days the FDA will not allow it imported into the US) I decided to scrap the recipe and give portabello ravioli a try. Mushroom ravioli is one of my all time fav's when dining out and I have tried it at a lot of different restaurants so I winged a recipe.
I topped it with an asiago cheese alfredo sauce, which I loved...but I felt like it was just too much and the ravioli would have been better showcased with a much lighter, more simple finish...after some research I've found that a butter/sage sauce is quite popular with mushroom ravioli. I'll post the asiago cheese sauce recipe another time this week with a fresh fettuchini and blackened chicken meal. I didn't do a lot of measuring while preparing the ravioli filling so these measurements are approximate. As always, use what you have and adjust to your taste.
I did however, keep exactly to the basic pasta recipe from Food Network Magazine (it follows below) because I have never made pasta at home before. It was amazing. I will forever make fresh pasta from scratch instead of buying dried pasta at the store (when I have time, and energy...and time...because it takes a lot of time.)
I also made bruschetta as something yummy to snack on while I cooked up everything in the kitchen. It's a favorite when I cook Italian food so I've included that recipe as well.
FINAL NOTE: Please try this recipe. It is amazing! If you try it, let us know what you thought. I love comments, recommendations and especially subscriptions as this blog takes off! Thanks for reading!
BRUSCHETTA
1 baguette
5 or 6 plum or roma tomatoes
10-12 large basil leaves
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp (or so) of GOOD olive oil
1 tsp of GOOD balsamic vinegar
Finely grated parmigiano reggiano
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Move your oven rack to the top slot. Preheat to 450. Then, bring a large pot of water to boiling. Once it reaches boiling, remove from the heat and drop in the tomatoes for 1 minute. Remove the tomatoes and peel the skin from the them. Cut them in half and remove the seeds, dice them into small pieces. Finely chop the garlic, chop the basil and mix all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
Slice the baguette on the diagonal. Arrange the slices onto a baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
Serve the baguette with the bowl of bruschetta and grated cheese on the side or top the slices last minute, so they don't become soggy.
RAVIOLI
Pasta (from Food Network Magazine):
1 pound all-purpose flour (about 33/4 cups), plus more for dusting
5 large eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Semolina or polenta, for the baking sheet
Filling:
8 oz. of ricotta cheese
8 oz of baby portabella mushrooms
1/2 small white onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chicken stock
2 or 3 tbsp of butter
Fresh thyme
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
For the pasta:
Make the dough. Mound the flour on a large cutting board and make a wide well in the middle. Add the eggs and olive oil and season with salt. Beat the eggs with a fork, then use the fork to break the wall of the well and incorporate the flour into the eggs. Gather the dough into a ball; don't worry if there are lumps.
Knead the dough. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself and push again (put your whole body into it!). Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and supple, 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at least 1 hour at room temperature.
While the dough rests make the filling. Melt 2-3 tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onions are transparent. Add sliced baby portabellos. Cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to sweat. Add chicken stock. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Add the mushrooms and ricotta to the bowl of a food processor and blend together. Add thyme and salt and pepper. Pulse until well incorporated.
Roll out the dough. Cut the dough into four pieces. Flatten one piece slightly, then run it through the widest setting on a pasta roller twice, dusting with flour in between if it feels sticky. Fold the length of dough into thirds and run it through the roller two to three more times. Continue running the dough through the roller, reducing the width setting between each run, until you reach the second-to-last setting and the dough is about 1/16 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Layer half of the dough sheets between parchment paper, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month (you'll only need half of the dough for the ravioli recipe).
Assemble the ravioli. Place the lengths of dough on a floured surface. Lightly brush the lower half of each strip (the part closest to you) with water. Snip the corner off the pastry bag; pipe 1-inch balls of filling, 2 inches apart, onto the lower half of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling to meet the bottom edge. Press around each ball of filling with your index fingers, making sure there are no air bubbles. Cut out the ravioli using a 2-to-3-inch round fluted cutter. Transfer to a baking sheet dusted with semolina.
Cook the ravioli. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil; add the ravioli and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer with a skimmer or slotted spoon to the pan with the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, shaking the pan.
After searching extensively throughout Wichita for Tallegio cheese and finding none and no good substitutions (evidently it is Italy's answer to Brie -- and being aged for only 40 days the FDA will not allow it imported into the US) I decided to scrap the recipe and give portabello ravioli a try. Mushroom ravioli is one of my all time fav's when dining out and I have tried it at a lot of different restaurants so I winged a recipe.
I topped it with an asiago cheese alfredo sauce, which I loved...but I felt like it was just too much and the ravioli would have been better showcased with a much lighter, more simple finish...after some research I've found that a butter/sage sauce is quite popular with mushroom ravioli. I'll post the asiago cheese sauce recipe another time this week with a fresh fettuchini and blackened chicken meal. I didn't do a lot of measuring while preparing the ravioli filling so these measurements are approximate. As always, use what you have and adjust to your taste.
I did however, keep exactly to the basic pasta recipe from Food Network Magazine (it follows below) because I have never made pasta at home before. It was amazing. I will forever make fresh pasta from scratch instead of buying dried pasta at the store (when I have time, and energy...and time...because it takes a lot of time.)
I also made bruschetta as something yummy to snack on while I cooked up everything in the kitchen. It's a favorite when I cook Italian food so I've included that recipe as well.FINAL NOTE: Please try this recipe. It is amazing! If you try it, let us know what you thought. I love comments, recommendations and especially subscriptions as this blog takes off! Thanks for reading!
BRUSCHETTA
1 baguette
5 or 6 plum or roma tomatoes
10-12 large basil leaves
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp (or so) of GOOD olive oil
1 tsp of GOOD balsamic vinegar
Finely grated parmigiano reggiano
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Move your oven rack to the top slot. Preheat to 450. Then, bring a large pot of water to boiling. Once it reaches boiling, remove from the heat and drop in the tomatoes for 1 minute. Remove the tomatoes and peel the skin from the them. Cut them in half and remove the seeds, dice them into small pieces. Finely chop the garlic, chop the basil and mix all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
Slice the baguette on the diagonal. Arrange the slices onto a baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
Serve the baguette with the bowl of bruschetta and grated cheese on the side or top the slices last minute, so they don't become soggy.
RAVIOLI
Pasta (from Food Network Magazine):
1 pound all-purpose flour (about 33/4 cups), plus more for dusting
5 large eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Semolina or polenta, for the baking sheet
Filling:
8 oz. of ricotta cheese
8 oz of baby portabella mushrooms
1/2 small white onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chicken stock
2 or 3 tbsp of butter
Fresh thyme
Salt and Freshly ground pepper
For the pasta:
Make the dough. Mound the flour on a large cutting board and make a wide well in the middle. Add the eggs and olive oil and season with salt. Beat the eggs with a fork, then use the fork to break the wall of the well and incorporate the flour into the eggs. Gather the dough into a ball; don't worry if there are lumps.
Knead the dough. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself and push again (put your whole body into it!). Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and supple, 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at least 1 hour at room temperature.
While the dough rests make the filling. Melt 2-3 tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onions are transparent. Add sliced baby portabellos. Cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to sweat. Add chicken stock. Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the liquid evaporates. Add the mushrooms and ricotta to the bowl of a food processor and blend together. Add thyme and salt and pepper. Pulse until well incorporated.
Roll out the dough. Cut the dough into four pieces. Flatten one piece slightly, then run it through the widest setting on a pasta roller twice, dusting with flour in between if it feels sticky. Fold the length of dough into thirds and run it through the roller two to three more times. Continue running the dough through the roller, reducing the width setting between each run, until you reach the second-to-last setting and the dough is about 1/16 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Layer half of the dough sheets between parchment paper, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month (you'll only need half of the dough for the ravioli recipe).
Assemble the ravioli. Place the lengths of dough on a floured surface. Lightly brush the lower half of each strip (the part closest to you) with water. Snip the corner off the pastry bag; pipe 1-inch balls of filling, 2 inches apart, onto the lower half of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling to meet the bottom edge. Press around each ball of filling with your index fingers, making sure there are no air bubbles. Cut out the ravioli using a 2-to-3-inch round fluted cutter. Transfer to a baking sheet dusted with semolina.
Cook the ravioli. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil; add the ravioli and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer with a skimmer or slotted spoon to the pan with the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, shaking the pan.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Heuvos Rancheros
I'm a bad mother. I should be punished by a horrible, untimely death, a lifetime of gastronomic disasters, meringue that won't hold peaks... or perhaps I'll just send myself to bed early. Why? Tonight, my kids ate TV dinners. In front of the TV. It was glorious.
In my defense, it was just the kids and I for dinner as hubby is working again, and i really wanted huevos rancheros ...really, really. My kiddies won't touch eggs with a ten foot fork unless they are baked into something with a half a pound of butter or sugar; and I'm sick of macaroni and cheese and pizza. Eating out wasn't so much of an option because the last time I went searching for an authentic Mexican taqueria I made the mistake of googling after I visited (and ate.) I stumbled upon the failed health report for my fleetingly new fav place. So tonight, as I love to do, I'm testing my culinary skills with homemade huevos rancheros. At least I won't have to worry about the failure to remove dead pests from the workspace. Yep, really on the health department report.
I'm not really working off a recipe here, huevos rancheros is a pretty straight forward dish, and much of what I love about Mexican food is that you can really use what you have on hand, so feel free to substitute, add and experiment. The ingredients I used are listed below:
2 Eggs
2 Yellow Corn Tortillas
Canned Refried Beans
Fire Roasted Salsa
Avocado
Queso Fresco (a crumbly Mexican specialty cheese -- you can usually find it in the cheese aisle at large supermarkets)
Cilantro
First, warm the tortillas in a lightly oiled skillet while you fry the eggs. Remember to preheat your skillet first, until a drop of water sizzles then add a bit of oil, preheat for another few seconds and add the tortillas. NEVER put cold food in a hot skillet -- it will stick like crazy! I think the best way to eat huevos rancheros is a lightly set yolk -- maybe an over-medium, but cook them to your preference. Stack your tortillas, spread them with a few spoonfuls of refried beans, top with the fried eggs, salsa, crumbled Queso Fresco a couple slices of avocado, a few sprigs of cilantro and fiesta! (Maybe just a teeny tiny fiesta for one person, and a bottle of Mexican beer.)
Note: This was crazy good. Crazy, crazy good. I may even force feed it to my picky-eating children soon. A few variations I would like to try in this recipe includes homemade tortillas, easy but time consuming, homemade refried beans (for which I have an amazing recipe thanks to my mothers cousin Suzie Morales) or black beans as well as substituting pico de gallo or salsa verde for the the salsa.
Thanks for reading! Happy Fiesta-ing :)
In my defense, it was just the kids and I for dinner as hubby is working again, and i really wanted huevos rancheros ...really, really. My kiddies won't touch eggs with a ten foot fork unless they are baked into something with a half a pound of butter or sugar; and I'm sick of macaroni and cheese and pizza. Eating out wasn't so much of an option because the last time I went searching for an authentic Mexican taqueria I made the mistake of googling after I visited (and ate.) I stumbled upon the failed health report for my fleetingly new fav place. So tonight, as I love to do, I'm testing my culinary skills with homemade huevos rancheros. At least I won't have to worry about the failure to remove dead pests from the workspace. Yep, really on the health department report.
I'm not really working off a recipe here, huevos rancheros is a pretty straight forward dish, and much of what I love about Mexican food is that you can really use what you have on hand, so feel free to substitute, add and experiment. The ingredients I used are listed below:
2 Eggs
2 Yellow Corn Tortillas
Canned Refried Beans
Fire Roasted Salsa
Avocado
Queso Fresco (a crumbly Mexican specialty cheese -- you can usually find it in the cheese aisle at large supermarkets)
Cilantro
First, warm the tortillas in a lightly oiled skillet while you fry the eggs. Remember to preheat your skillet first, until a drop of water sizzles then add a bit of oil, preheat for another few seconds and add the tortillas. NEVER put cold food in a hot skillet -- it will stick like crazy! I think the best way to eat huevos rancheros is a lightly set yolk -- maybe an over-medium, but cook them to your preference. Stack your tortillas, spread them with a few spoonfuls of refried beans, top with the fried eggs, salsa, crumbled Queso Fresco a couple slices of avocado, a few sprigs of cilantro and fiesta! (Maybe just a teeny tiny fiesta for one person, and a bottle of Mexican beer.)
Note: This was crazy good. Crazy, crazy good. I may even force feed it to my picky-eating children soon. A few variations I would like to try in this recipe includes homemade tortillas, easy but time consuming, homemade refried beans (for which I have an amazing recipe thanks to my mothers cousin Suzie Morales) or black beans as well as substituting pico de gallo or salsa verde for the the salsa.
Thanks for reading! Happy Fiesta-ing :)
Friday, April 2, 2010
Middle Eastern Beef Kebabs and Dolmades
Alright. It was bound to happen. Not a good experiment. Crazy tons of work. One of those meals that you don't quite realize what you're in for until you've started...and not terribly good. Ok, pretty bad, actually.
It started with a startlingly expensive cut of meat at the supermarket -- beef tenderloin (which, as it turns out boys and girls, is just fillet mignon.) Then a homemade marinade...onions, a million fresh herbs and spices...and a date with a food processor. Then, while my retirement fund marinated in the refrigerator I made the dolmades.
Dolmades are cigar shaped rolls made of grape leaves and a savory stuffing. The recipe I used included carrot, garlic, lots of dill, lemon and lemon zest, chicken stock and rice. They were incredibly time consuming and irritating to make! Unrolling the pickled grape leaves was a meal prep in itself! Upon removing the smooshed wad of leaves from the jar, I had to peel them apart, unroll them, sort through them..Ugh! I don't mind this kind of work for something fantastic, but as it turns out...these do not fit the bill!
Then spooning the rice filling and rolling them into baby Mediterranean burritos, followed by steaming them for another 1/2 hour.
The kebabs turned out to be lacking also. The gas tank for the grill was empty after a long winter, so I broiled the kebabs instead, which turned out fine, though there was not much of a sear on the meat. I had high hopes for the homemade marinade, but it turned out to be weird tasting. I think it was too many combinations of unfamiliar spices; specifically Dill, mint, cumin, cayenne, thyme, tons of onion, lemon juice and lemon zest and olive oil. I may be forgetting something.
The entire family agrees that the best part of dinner was the veggie and hummus tray I served as an appetizer. Oh, well. As it turns out, I'm a bit more all-American when it comes to cuisine than I may have once thought. And so is my family. The final word: save your time...save your money, and if you must buy an un-godly expensive cut of meat throw it on the grill, serve it with a salad, a baked potato some A-1 bold and spicy and a good beer.
It started with a startlingly expensive cut of meat at the supermarket -- beef tenderloin (which, as it turns out boys and girls, is just fillet mignon.) Then a homemade marinade...onions, a million fresh herbs and spices...and a date with a food processor. Then, while my retirement fund marinated in the refrigerator I made the dolmades.
Dolmades are cigar shaped rolls made of grape leaves and a savory stuffing. The recipe I used included carrot, garlic, lots of dill, lemon and lemon zest, chicken stock and rice. They were incredibly time consuming and irritating to make! Unrolling the pickled grape leaves was a meal prep in itself! Upon removing the smooshed wad of leaves from the jar, I had to peel them apart, unroll them, sort through them..Ugh! I don't mind this kind of work for something fantastic, but as it turns out...these do not fit the bill!
Then spooning the rice filling and rolling them into baby Mediterranean burritos, followed by steaming them for another 1/2 hour.
The kebabs turned out to be lacking also. The gas tank for the grill was empty after a long winter, so I broiled the kebabs instead, which turned out fine, though there was not much of a sear on the meat. I had high hopes for the homemade marinade, but it turned out to be weird tasting. I think it was too many combinations of unfamiliar spices; specifically Dill, mint, cumin, cayenne, thyme, tons of onion, lemon juice and lemon zest and olive oil. I may be forgetting something.
The entire family agrees that the best part of dinner was the veggie and hummus tray I served as an appetizer. Oh, well. As it turns out, I'm a bit more all-American when it comes to cuisine than I may have once thought. And so is my family. The final word: save your time...save your money, and if you must buy an un-godly expensive cut of meat throw it on the grill, serve it with a salad, a baked potato some A-1 bold and spicy and a good beer.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Chicken Quesadillas and Corn Relish
On days when my husband isn't home and I'm cooking for just the kids and myself, I like to keep it simpler. Less prep, less mess...that way, when the complaints from my picky-eating kids come rolling in I'm less frustrated being the only one enjoying dinner -- because it took less work to prepare.
Tonight being one of those nights it's chicken quesadillas with corn relish and a pre-made bagged green salad on the side.
The quesadillas were great, and proved as easy as I hoped they would be. I couldn't believe that I didn't even miss the cheese! The corn relish was a cinch and super fresh tasting. Word to the wise. Don't cook a 10 inch flour tortilla filled with goodness in a 10 inch skillet. You run into issues. Use a bigger one.
Recipe:
Corn Relish
1 cup of frozen corn - thawed
1/2 green bell pepper diced
1 medium tomato seeded and dice
2 tsp of balsalmic vinegar (do yourself a favor and buy the good stuff, you will use it in everything)
dash of salt
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and let rest while you make the quesadillas.
Quesadillas
6 10" flour tortillas
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
3/4 cup chunky salsa
1 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken
Dice the chicken from frozen (about 2 medium breasts.) Cook until heated through, only a few minutes. Combine chicken and other ingredients in a medium bowl and divide between 3 tortillas. Top with the remaining tortillas and heat in a very large skillet for 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with corn relish.
Tonight being one of those nights it's chicken quesadillas with corn relish and a pre-made bagged green salad on the side.
The quesadillas were great, and proved as easy as I hoped they would be. I couldn't believe that I didn't even miss the cheese! The corn relish was a cinch and super fresh tasting. Word to the wise. Don't cook a 10 inch flour tortilla filled with goodness in a 10 inch skillet. You run into issues. Use a bigger one.
Recipe:
Corn Relish
1 cup of frozen corn - thawed
1/2 green bell pepper diced
1 medium tomato seeded and dice
2 tsp of balsalmic vinegar (do yourself a favor and buy the good stuff, you will use it in everything)
dash of salt
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and let rest while you make the quesadillas.
Quesadillas
6 10" flour tortillas
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
3/4 cup chunky salsa
1 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken
Dice the chicken from frozen (about 2 medium breasts.) Cook until heated through, only a few minutes. Combine chicken and other ingredients in a medium bowl and divide between 3 tortillas. Top with the remaining tortillas and heat in a very large skillet for 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with corn relish.
Changes in the Digital Wind
Dear Blog Fans (all 2 of you),
Last June I spiral fractured 2 bones in my right leg while rollerblading. I was in the hospital for days, have undergone 2 surgeries so far, with more scheduled this year to remove screws and rods and who knows what else. It stopped my workouts immediately and i am profoundly less active than I was last summer. How does this relate to cooking? Well, if you scroll through my old posts and recipes you will find a few common ingredients: cream, sour cream, processed flours, breads and pastas, cheeses galore, and lots of fatty meat cuts. Now that I am much less active these recipes are not so great for my "bottom line."
What you can expect to see in the near-future at least are some healthy alternatives to those fatty, heavy meals. In perfect time for spring and summer, the cream based sauces are out and the fresh herbs and vegetables are in, as well as healthier meat selections, and some new twists on some ethnic favorites.
I would love to hear your comments, or suggestions on this new path the blog is taking, and I hope for your continued readership and support!
Cassie
Last June I spiral fractured 2 bones in my right leg while rollerblading. I was in the hospital for days, have undergone 2 surgeries so far, with more scheduled this year to remove screws and rods and who knows what else. It stopped my workouts immediately and i am profoundly less active than I was last summer. How does this relate to cooking? Well, if you scroll through my old posts and recipes you will find a few common ingredients: cream, sour cream, processed flours, breads and pastas, cheeses galore, and lots of fatty meat cuts. Now that I am much less active these recipes are not so great for my "bottom line."
What you can expect to see in the near-future at least are some healthy alternatives to those fatty, heavy meals. In perfect time for spring and summer, the cream based sauces are out and the fresh herbs and vegetables are in, as well as healthier meat selections, and some new twists on some ethnic favorites.
I would love to hear your comments, or suggestions on this new path the blog is taking, and I hope for your continued readership and support!
Cassie
Monday, March 8, 2010
Chicken Paprikash and Cucumber Onion Salad
Okay....with a nod to my German heritage and my thoughts toward my Grandpa Clarence, who passed about a week ago last year, it is time to finally try some German cooking. I think the last time I cooked German food (besides the occasional massive batch of bierocks -- which freeze and reheat like a dream) was a German Chocolate Cake from a box when I was in 6th grade for a "celebrate your cultural heritage day" type thing. I searched online for a long time to find what I thought was the most authentic looking recipe I could find. I ended up at paprikash.com...how can you go wrong with that? I don't know if I hit the most authentic, having no standard by which to judge it, but it turned out well.
THINGS TO KNOW:
1. Don't forget the white onion at the store.
2. When you do forget the onion at the store, call your husband to go and fetch an onion.
3. Don't forget to teach your husband the difference between a red onion and a white onion and a yellow onion.
4. When you accidentally SHRED the YELLOW onion that your husband picked up instead of SLICE it in the because you forgot to turn the blade around in the food processor....
5. THEN...dig through the fridge and find out that you had a leftover white onion in the first place
6. Slice it by hand
:) :) :) Thanks for making the trip for the onion honey! :) :) :)
The paprikash was actually pretty easy to make. I store bought the spaetzel noodles and cooked them according to the directions on the box. I diced the chicken from frozen which made it way easier to cut up...my new pans (Calphalon tri-clad) are preforming perfectly...I've learned to preheat the pan before I add the oil, then preheat the oil before I add the food (it reduces sticking.) I added the onion, most of the chicken stock, the spices...and simmered for what felt like a hundred hours (I was starving -- not kid in Africa starving, like maybe I'm a little overweight for my height, and I have more than enough body fat to last through a summer famine kind of starving. In any case, after about 20 minutes I started looking for the corn starch...oh, read ahead, people...its in the recipe. I couldn't find it right away, but I did find some blue corn tortilla chips which I forgot about (yum!) fish fry batter (why would I even use that?) and potatoes that found a new home in the trash can...eek!
Heres the thing about corn starch...I used to think that you added it directly to your recipe...not so much...not in sauces anyway...shake it up in some cold water, then add it. Trust me. Its important.
After I added the corn starch I realized my noodles had probably been cooking too long, so I pulled them off the stove, let the paprikash cook for awhile longer, because i didn't trust the corn starch mixture...and voila! , It thickened up nicely, and was a beautiful red color, very appetizing, and pretty healthy actually...until I added the entire 12 oz of cream. It looked disgusting, and it lost all appearance of health.
But, it turns out it wasn't. It was good. Not super great, but really good. I won't add it to the recipe book to hand down to my daughter, I wouldn't make it for company; but on a cold snowy night in the middle of winter, this is a really good, hearty, warm and filling meal.
The cucumber onion salad was super easy to make too, thanks to my new handy dandy food processor (with the blade turned around the RIGHT way this time.) I peeled, seeded and sliced three cucumbers, added two red onions, also sliced in the food processor and mixed up a fairly simple vinagrette which the cucumbers soaked in for an hour. Much like me in the bath, about an hour and lots of red wine (in this case red wine vinegar.) This part of the meal did turn out great, and I will definitely make it again. It was easy, and the lightness and tanginess of it made it a perfect complement to this meal.
RECIPES:
Ingredients:
Chop up the chicken breasts into small pieces.
Put the chicken and garlic in a pot; sautee in olive oil.
Chop up the onion into small pieces.
Put the onions and some chicken broth into the pot. For now, use just enough broth to keep everything submerged, but don't flood it. You should have some broth left over (maybe around 16 ounces); the remaining broth will be used below.
Stir in the other spices (paprika, salt, black pepper, ginger, bay leaves).
Simmer to let the chicken and onions cook thoroughly. While it's all cooking, eat the Fudgesicle.
When the chicken and onions are fully cooked, add the starch as a thickening agent, by mixing it into the remaining broth and pouring it into the pot. (If you're out of broth, use water; but ideally you will have exactly enough broth for this.) Remove from heat and let it thicken.
Finally, mix in the sour cream, and it's ready to serve over spaetzel.
Directions
THINGS TO KNOW:
1. Don't forget the white onion at the store.
2. When you do forget the onion at the store, call your husband to go and fetch an onion.
3. Don't forget to teach your husband the difference between a red onion and a white onion and a yellow onion.
4. When you accidentally SHRED the YELLOW onion that your husband picked up instead of SLICE it in the because you forgot to turn the blade around in the food processor....
5. THEN...dig through the fridge and find out that you had a leftover white onion in the first place
6. Slice it by hand
:) :) :) Thanks for making the trip for the onion honey! :) :) :)
The paprikash was actually pretty easy to make. I store bought the spaetzel noodles and cooked them according to the directions on the box. I diced the chicken from frozen which made it way easier to cut up...my new pans (Calphalon tri-clad) are preforming perfectly...I've learned to preheat the pan before I add the oil, then preheat the oil before I add the food (it reduces sticking.) I added the onion, most of the chicken stock, the spices...and simmered for what felt like a hundred hours (I was starving -- not kid in Africa starving, like maybe I'm a little overweight for my height, and I have more than enough body fat to last through a summer famine kind of starving. In any case, after about 20 minutes I started looking for the corn starch...oh, read ahead, people...its in the recipe. I couldn't find it right away, but I did find some blue corn tortilla chips which I forgot about (yum!) fish fry batter (why would I even use that?) and potatoes that found a new home in the trash can...eek!
Heres the thing about corn starch...I used to think that you added it directly to your recipe...not so much...not in sauces anyway...shake it up in some cold water, then add it. Trust me. Its important.
After I added the corn starch I realized my noodles had probably been cooking too long, so I pulled them off the stove, let the paprikash cook for awhile longer, because i didn't trust the corn starch mixture...and voila! , It thickened up nicely, and was a beautiful red color, very appetizing, and pretty healthy actually...until I added the entire 12 oz of cream. It looked disgusting, and it lost all appearance of health.
But, it turns out it wasn't. It was good. Not super great, but really good. I won't add it to the recipe book to hand down to my daughter, I wouldn't make it for company; but on a cold snowy night in the middle of winter, this is a really good, hearty, warm and filling meal.
The cucumber onion salad was super easy to make too, thanks to my new handy dandy food processor (with the blade turned around the RIGHT way this time.) I peeled, seeded and sliced three cucumbers, added two red onions, also sliced in the food processor and mixed up a fairly simple vinagrette which the cucumbers soaked in for an hour. Much like me in the bath, about an hour and lots of red wine (in this case red wine vinegar.) This part of the meal did turn out great, and I will definitely make it again. It was easy, and the lightness and tanginess of it made it a perfect complement to this meal.
RECIPES:
Chicken Paprikash
This recipe is barely any more complicated than chopping things up and boiling them in a pot. If I use store-bought spaetzel, I can make a complete pot of paprikash and have all the dishes cleaned in 45 minutes.Ingredients:
| 24 oz. (1.5 lbs) boneless skinless chicken breasts 12 oz. sour cream 48 oz. chicken broth 1 onion 3-4 tablespoons Hungarian paprika 2 tablespoon garlic 1 tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ginger 2 bay leaves corn starch olive oil 1 Fudgesicle |
Chop up the chicken breasts into small pieces.
Put the chicken and garlic in a pot; sautee in olive oil.
Chop up the onion into small pieces.
Put the onions and some chicken broth into the pot. For now, use just enough broth to keep everything submerged, but don't flood it. You should have some broth left over (maybe around 16 ounces); the remaining broth will be used below.
Stir in the other spices (paprika, salt, black pepper, ginger, bay leaves).
Simmer to let the chicken and onions cook thoroughly. While it's all cooking, eat the Fudgesicle.
When the chicken and onions are fully cooked, add the starch as a thickening agent, by mixing it into the remaining broth and pouring it into the pot. (If you're out of broth, use water; but ideally you will have exactly enough broth for this.) Remove from heat and let it thicken.
Finally, mix in the sour cream, and it's ready to serve over spaetzel.
Cucumber Onion Salad
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 small to medium onion (I prefer red), sliced
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 to 1½ tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seed
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon each, salt and coarse ground pepper
- In a medium bowl, separate onions into rings, add to cucumber slices.
- Dissolve sugar in water, add wine vinegar, mustard seed, salt and pepper.
- Pour over cucumbers and onions and toss
- Allow to marinate for at least an hour before serving.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Citrus Tilapia and Herb Roasted White Potatoes with Lemon Pepper Broccoli Spears
Dinner tonight is not rocket science. Due to the 1st grade Spring Concert happening at 6:45 (and making it home from work just shy of 5) its a hurried affair, and after last nights Gyro fiasco I decided that something a little more familiar would do nicely. So Citrus Tilapia and Roasted Potatoes it is. I like to incorporate fish into our dining when at all possible, but to be honest, we are not huge fish fans (except for sushi, which seems a little odd if you think about it) at our house, so tilapia is perfect. Its a super light textured white fish with a great mild flavor (which means my kids will eat it) and I can add orange juice (which means my kids will eat it!.) It cooks up quickly and I get to use my new Calphalon Pans so its a winner all the way. The roasted potatoes are really simple. No recipe there. I just chopped up some baby white potatoes into bite size pieces, added a couple tablespoons of good olive oil, which-- if you are even mildly serious about cooking you will spend a few extra bucks on, quality really makes a difference in olive oil (and balsamic vinegar as well, but that's for a different post) -- and shook them up in a zippy bag with a packet of Italian herb and cheese mix. Roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees on a pammed (come on, if something can be googled it can be pammed) baking sheet and viola!
The recipe for the fish is pretty simple, using mostly stuff you have on hand. Lemon juice from a bottle would probably be fine, but I used a fresh lemon and sliced it into wedges after I squeezed it. It was really pretty as garnish for the fish (and my kids love to eat lemon rind and all -- I figure, what the heck, its a fruit!)
OVERALL IMPRESSION: Easy and great! The kids loved it, the hubby loved it, it was easy to make, relatively inexpensive, and quick! No pizza tonight!
RECIPE:
The recipe for the fish is pretty simple, using mostly stuff you have on hand. Lemon juice from a bottle would probably be fine, but I used a fresh lemon and sliced it into wedges after I squeezed it. It was really pretty as garnish for the fish (and my kids love to eat lemon rind and all -- I figure, what the heck, its a fruit!)
OVERALL IMPRESSION: Easy and great! The kids loved it, the hubby loved it, it was easy to make, relatively inexpensive, and quick! No pizza tonight!
RECIPE:
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound tilapia fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice or high-quality store-bought orange juice
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced *I don't have a zester. I use the fine part of my cheese grater and it works just as well, just make sure you don't get into the white bitter part!*
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1. On a plate, combine the flour and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the tilapia in the flour. *For the non cooks out there, this just means to coat the fish very lightly in flour*
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and butter. *If you are using cookware that is not non-stick like I do, espescially stainless, preheat the pan at medium heat for a few minutes before you add oil. It will help keep the food from sticking* When the butter has melted, add the fish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden and just cooked through. Remove the fish and set aside.
3. Add the orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and the ginger to the skillet. Increase the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Taste and add lemon zest or more lemon juice if necessary. Return the fish to the skillet, coat with sauce, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and butter. *If you are using cookware that is not non-stick like I do, espescially stainless, preheat the pan at medium heat for a few minutes before you add oil. It will help keep the food from sticking* When the butter has melted, add the fish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden and just cooked through. Remove the fish and set aside.
3. Add the orange juice, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, and the ginger to the skillet. Increase the heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Taste and add lemon zest or more lemon juice if necessary. Return the fish to the skillet, coat with sauce, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Lamb Gyros withTzatziki Sauce
Alright, dinner tonight was Gyros (pronunciation guide here). I hate when people mispronounce the word gyro. I served steak fries as the side, but they are frozen and come from a bag and need no prep. Don't judge me.
Lessons I learned today:
OVERALL IMPRESSION (I'll include this in every blog right above the recipe, in case you don't want to read through the whole recipe): Dinner was great, but not worth the work and effort it took to make these from scratch, when you can run down to the local gyro shop for $6.00. At 7:10 (we were supposed to be eating at 6:30) I finally ran out to Dog and Shake and picked up dinner for the kids so we could get their bedtime routine started (ah, what a perfect first entry.) and at 7:30 I finally sliced the meat and put it under the broiler for a few minutes to finish up the pink center (which worked quite well). Next time I will try a ground beef/pork mixture. The tzatziki sauce however; was awesome. Perfect blend of cool and spicy, and I will use this in lots of recipes to come. END OF STORY: IF YOU ARE GOING TO TRY THIS RECIPE ALLOW LOTS OF EXTRA TIME!
OK, the recipe (from Alton Brown by the way):
Lessons I learned today:
- Make sure you have all of the ingredients on hand (I had to run to the store last minute to buy rosemary, though I did find a great deal on red wine goblets while I was there, and picked up some flowers too. Yep, would've been much less expensive to have just had the rosemary before I started cooking.)
- Your hands are going to be stinky. You are wringing out onions with tea towels and smooshing raw ground meat with garlic and herbs. So, wear latex gloves...or if you don't want to feel like you are getting ready to give a prostate exam you can also wash your hands then rub them on something stainless steel like a spoon or a sink (they also make stainless steel eggs for this purpose.)
- Always, always allow lots of extra time for new recipes...and have a backup plan. Like pizza. Or Dog and Shake in today's case.
OVERALL IMPRESSION (I'll include this in every blog right above the recipe, in case you don't want to read through the whole recipe): Dinner was great, but not worth the work and effort it took to make these from scratch, when you can run down to the local gyro shop for $6.00. At 7:10 (we were supposed to be eating at 6:30) I finally ran out to Dog and Shake and picked up dinner for the kids so we could get their bedtime routine started (ah, what a perfect first entry.) and at 7:30 I finally sliced the meat and put it under the broiler for a few minutes to finish up the pink center (which worked quite well). Next time I will try a ground beef/pork mixture. The tzatziki sauce however; was awesome. Perfect blend of cool and spicy, and I will use this in lots of recipes to come. END OF STORY: IF YOU ARE GOING TO TRY THIS RECIPE ALLOW LOTS OF EXTRA TIME!
OK, the recipe (from Alton Brown by the way):
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
- 2 pounds ground lamb *I'm going to try this with 1/2 ground beef, 1/2 ground pork next time*
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
- 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt *I use kosher salt in almost recipe that calls for salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows *I made this about 10 hours ahead of time and it was still great*
Directions
Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. *Flour sack towels worked really well for this - warning, its super smelly*
Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl. *This worked, but I would mix the meat and spices first and process in 2 batches next time. I have a great food processor with a 10 cup bowl and it was still difficult*
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. *If you are serving white wine with dinner, stick it in the fridge now* Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath. *just in case you don't know, a water bath is just a pan of water you place the meatloaf in to add moisture -- I used a glass casserole pan* Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. *ok. i should've used my oven safe meat thermometer from the beginning and so should you. i pulled the meat at 145 and discarded the fats, then had to put it back in the oven, this time with the meat thermometer but no fat, so it dried out more than it would have* Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, *this is a perfect time to start your french fries, or salad if you prefer, take a couple Excedrin and open a bottle of red wine to let it breath, go ahead and chop the onion and tomato and crumble the cheese* , until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. *not sure why but the loaf didn't heat up when it was sitting it cooled down...i put it back in for a few minutes? hmmm...ideas? Alton?* Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.
About Me
I burn things. I add too much salt and sometimes switch baking powder for baking soda (turns out they're not basically the same thing.) I've been known to accidentally broil things when you are supposed to bake them and I have a penchant for eating so much of the brownie batter that I have to alter the cooking time of the final product. And I can't seem to cook rice without a crunch. Even so, I love to cook. And I love to eat. Mostly, I love for people to love what I cook.
Barring cooking mishaps, which "hap" often enough around here; I've become a decent cook in the last five years. I make great homemade pasta sauces and I've perfected the Old El Paso chicken enchilada (the recipe is on the can.) But I'm ready to branch out and go a bit more gourmet. I like things with fancy names like Gnocchi Nicoise (turns out its just potato noodles with olives and tomato sauce) and Thinly Sliced Traditional Crubeen Maris Piper..actually, I probably wouldn't cook that. Its a pig leg. Whole.
This might be a bumpy road, but I expect to learn a lot and share it all. In any case, I'm on a mission to become an amateur gourmet. I'll post recipes, photos and videos, along with successes and failures...and the number of a few good pizza delivery places.
Barring cooking mishaps, which "hap" often enough around here; I've become a decent cook in the last five years. I make great homemade pasta sauces and I've perfected the Old El Paso chicken enchilada (the recipe is on the can.) But I'm ready to branch out and go a bit more gourmet. I like things with fancy names like Gnocchi Nicoise (turns out its just potato noodles with olives and tomato sauce) and Thinly Sliced Traditional Crubeen Maris Piper..actually, I probably wouldn't cook that. Its a pig leg. Whole.
This might be a bumpy road, but I expect to learn a lot and share it all. In any case, I'm on a mission to become an amateur gourmet. I'll post recipes, photos and videos, along with successes and failures...and the number of a few good pizza delivery places.
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