After a productive August, September has been so drab. The two recipes I've given are good, but it's only two. Sigh. Perhaps I shouldn't set my goals so high. When you're like me and eat leftovers for literally a week after you cook, seven recipes in a month is an accomplishment.
Anyway, here's a recipe I tried recently and liked. The best thing about this is that while it tastes good and is remarkably forgiving (I left it in the oven for seven minutes longer than it should be, oops!), it only takes about three minutes to make. If you're slow about chopping things. The toughest part about this is remembering to set the fish out to thaw beforehand. Also, conveniently, this recipe doesn't produce enough leftovers to last for weeks. I'll only be eating it for a few days, and it's good enough that leftovers won't be a chore at all.
The actual fish is very good. I don't poach things often, but this is poached in dill-infused lemon juice and parchment, and the texture is wonderful. The flavour is very lemony, but while it's strong, I didn't find it overwhelming. In fact, I liked it more than usual, because I'm not a big fan of 'fishy' tasting fish. I like my fish delicate and sweet, or steaky, like young flounder for the former or salmon for the latter. Tilapia is just not my favorite fish, even if it's cheap. This recipe doesn't talk down to the tilapia, but it also doesn't let the tilapia run away with the show.
Lemon-dill Tilapia
1 1/2 lemons, sliced
2 tilapia fillets (To buy fresh tilapia, look for fillets that are reddish, not brownish. Brownish means old.)
10 -15 baby carrots, chopped into little circles
2 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt
Pepper
Thaw the fish first, if frozen. Preheat the oven to 375F.
Cut parchment paper into two 13x9 rectangles. Don't worry about the dimensions much, you just need enough to be able to wrap a fillet in each. Place three lemon slices in the center of each rectangle, and sit a fillet on top of them. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each fillet. Add the remaining lemon slices to the top of each fillet, and sprinkle both fillets evenly with carrots, dill, and paprika. Top each fillet with 1/2 tbsp butter. Fold the parchment over the fish, and tuck the ends of each parchment packet under to keep it closed. Sit both parchment packets on a baking sheet to eliminate any mess in the oven.
Bake at 375F for 20 - 25 minutes or until the fish is done. The timing on this is really forgiving, you won't get overdone fish even if you leave it in for a half hour. Serve immediately.
Servings: 2-3
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Ithaca Potato-Cheese Soup
After August was a productive month, September has been sadly the opposite. It's mostly the fault of a huge batch of Mexican Minestrone I made fairly early in the month. I didn't like it enough to post here, but there was so much of it that I haven't cooked anything much since, because I had to eat the leftovers. I hate it when that happens: a recipe turns out to produce more than you think it will, but doesn't taste as good as you'd hoped, so that you're stuck eating the sub-par remains for longer than you'd like. Anyway, it's gone now, and to celebrate (because I deserved a reward after all that), I made this soup instead. I can't really believe I hadn't put it on here yet; it's one of my fall staples (I guess I haven't been writing this for a year yet, so maybe I'm just coming around to my fall recipes).
I lived in Ithaca, NY for years, a town best known to many culinary afficiandoes as the home of the Moosewood Restaurant, perhaps the most famous exclusively vegetarian restaurant in the world. I ate at the Moosewood on a semi-regular basis, and loved it: the fun, unpretentious atmosphere; the generally knowledgeable and always friendly waitstaff; and most of all, the appreciation for genuinely delicious vegetarian cooking. The Moosewood always cooked balls-to-the-wall, with no apologies for their vegetarian ethos and no sacrifices on the flavour end for health.
Naturally (much like the Zuni cafe), I felt compelled to attempt to replicate some of their recipes for myself. Luckily (again, like Zuni), the Moosewood publishes a Beard-winning cookbook to help me. The funny thing was, as I began to look over their recipes, I saw places where some of my favorites could be streamlined: butter cut out and portioning easily extended with no cuts in the flavour or quality of the recipe. So naturally, I fiddled. You saw that coming, didn't you?
This is the result, a guiltless take on the Moosewood's Potato-Cheese soup par excellence. I've managed to cut the calories nearly in half, with the help of non-stick cookware and cornstarch, so that this version has fewer calories than, say, a Lean Pocket, and tastes about a million times better. Like the Moosewood's famous incarnation of its predecessor, it's still decadently creamy, and it still practically melts in your mouth. Much like the Root Soup that was one of my very first recipes on this blog, this soup takes advantage of the fact that boiled starches puree into something altogether blissful: velvetty smooth and full of deep, earthy flavour. Then, this soup goes one further and adds cheese to the mix, one of my favorite foods! When I was a kid, I would insist on Mother re-crisping my potato skins and adding cheddar to the top of them, just because those two tastes were clearly meant to go together. This soup is a very grown-up, very good-for-you spin on the exact same concept. I always feel like I'm getting away with something when I eat it. Or maybe I'm getting away to somewhere. It takes me back to fall days in Ithaca, when the gorges roared outside my open window and the leaves melted into a riot of colors. Those were laughing days, joyful days, some of the best days of my life. This is a soup that tastes like that.
Ithaca Potato-Cheese Soup
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 russet potatoes, skin on, chopped into 1 inch cubes (Or, and this is even better, you can substitute 1 1/4 lb fingerling potatoes instead. If you can get them fresh, just out of the ground, or especially if you grow your own, the flavour is AMAZING)
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups water or vegetable stock (go with the stock if you can. It adds a little je ne sais quoi)
1 tsp dill (or more, to taste)
1 1/2 cups skim milk
4 ounces of light cream cheese
1 cup sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (Find the best quality cheese that you can. You want a ton of flavour from it, since the stronger its personality, the more you'll feel it in the soup. I generally go for a local, farm-aged cheese here that far outstrips the generic supermarket brands. Trust me, it's worth the extra money)
Salt
Pepper
Optional: 1 tsp ancho chile powder, or more to taste
In a large non-stick soup pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. You may not even need the full tablespoon of butter: I usually use only the bare minimum here, to keep things from drying out too much. Add the potatoes and carrots, then the stock or water and dill and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft all the way through. Test one with a fork to make sure.
Puree the vegetables with the cream cheese and milk in a food processor. Work slowly, and only fill the food processor 1/3 full each time (hot foods can explode out it if you fill it too full!). Return the soup to the soup pot after it's been pureed. Taste the soup, and season appropriately with salt and pepper. If you're feeling adventurous, add a dash of ancho chile pepper (I use 1 tsp, then taste it and add more as needed) for a piquant Southwestern spin on this soup. Stir in the cheddar cheese and reheat gently, stirring until the cheddar is melted and incorporated smoothly into the soup.
Serve immediately, and garnish each cup or bowl with chopped fresh parsley or chives if you're serving guests.
Servings: 6-8
I lived in Ithaca, NY for years, a town best known to many culinary afficiandoes as the home of the Moosewood Restaurant, perhaps the most famous exclusively vegetarian restaurant in the world. I ate at the Moosewood on a semi-regular basis, and loved it: the fun, unpretentious atmosphere; the generally knowledgeable and always friendly waitstaff; and most of all, the appreciation for genuinely delicious vegetarian cooking. The Moosewood always cooked balls-to-the-wall, with no apologies for their vegetarian ethos and no sacrifices on the flavour end for health.
Naturally (much like the Zuni cafe), I felt compelled to attempt to replicate some of their recipes for myself. Luckily (again, like Zuni), the Moosewood publishes a Beard-winning cookbook to help me. The funny thing was, as I began to look over their recipes, I saw places where some of my favorites could be streamlined: butter cut out and portioning easily extended with no cuts in the flavour or quality of the recipe. So naturally, I fiddled. You saw that coming, didn't you?
This is the result, a guiltless take on the Moosewood's Potato-Cheese soup par excellence. I've managed to cut the calories nearly in half, with the help of non-stick cookware and cornstarch, so that this version has fewer calories than, say, a Lean Pocket, and tastes about a million times better. Like the Moosewood's famous incarnation of its predecessor, it's still decadently creamy, and it still practically melts in your mouth. Much like the Root Soup that was one of my very first recipes on this blog, this soup takes advantage of the fact that boiled starches puree into something altogether blissful: velvetty smooth and full of deep, earthy flavour. Then, this soup goes one further and adds cheese to the mix, one of my favorite foods! When I was a kid, I would insist on Mother re-crisping my potato skins and adding cheddar to the top of them, just because those two tastes were clearly meant to go together. This soup is a very grown-up, very good-for-you spin on the exact same concept. I always feel like I'm getting away with something when I eat it. Or maybe I'm getting away to somewhere. It takes me back to fall days in Ithaca, when the gorges roared outside my open window and the leaves melted into a riot of colors. Those were laughing days, joyful days, some of the best days of my life. This is a soup that tastes like that.
Ithaca Potato-Cheese Soup
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 russet potatoes, skin on, chopped into 1 inch cubes (Or, and this is even better, you can substitute 1 1/4 lb fingerling potatoes instead. If you can get them fresh, just out of the ground, or especially if you grow your own, the flavour is AMAZING)
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups water or vegetable stock (go with the stock if you can. It adds a little je ne sais quoi)
1 tsp dill (or more, to taste)
1 1/2 cups skim milk
4 ounces of light cream cheese
1 cup sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (Find the best quality cheese that you can. You want a ton of flavour from it, since the stronger its personality, the more you'll feel it in the soup. I generally go for a local, farm-aged cheese here that far outstrips the generic supermarket brands. Trust me, it's worth the extra money)
Salt
Pepper
Optional: 1 tsp ancho chile powder, or more to taste
In a large non-stick soup pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. You may not even need the full tablespoon of butter: I usually use only the bare minimum here, to keep things from drying out too much. Add the potatoes and carrots, then the stock or water and dill and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft all the way through. Test one with a fork to make sure.
Puree the vegetables with the cream cheese and milk in a food processor. Work slowly, and only fill the food processor 1/3 full each time (hot foods can explode out it if you fill it too full!). Return the soup to the soup pot after it's been pureed. Taste the soup, and season appropriately with salt and pepper. If you're feeling adventurous, add a dash of ancho chile pepper (I use 1 tsp, then taste it and add more as needed) for a piquant Southwestern spin on this soup. Stir in the cheddar cheese and reheat gently, stirring until the cheddar is melted and incorporated smoothly into the soup.
Serve immediately, and garnish each cup or bowl with chopped fresh parsley or chives if you're serving guests.
Servings: 6-8
Friday, August 29, 2008
Cashew Chicken Curry
Wow, August has been a productive month for me. Maybe I'm making up for all the recipes I didn't post over the rest of the summer. No doubt I'll slack off again soon, as school has begun. But for today, here's a new one that I think I'll be returning to frequently.
I love curries. There's a Thai place about fifteen minutes away that makes an excellent chicken curry, and I've always liked their stuff. Unfortunately, my own attempts at curry had never quite seemed right. Until I (on my current low-cal kick) stumbled across a WeightWatchers recipe that promised to taste great, and seemed pretty healthy to boot. Me being me, I took it and twisted it, adding my own stuff and changing proportions.
It was fabulous. This was curry the way I liked it, and now I can make it at home in large quantities. Because this recipe certainly makes a very large quantity! I'll be eating curry for supper for the rest of the week, but I don't mind. It has a whole lot of my favorite stuff in it (Cashews! I love cashews!), and it's just the right amount of heat with an underlying hint of sweetness. I'm betting this one goes into regular rotation on my menu.
This recipe could very easily be made vegetarian by just leaving out the chicken. It has enough veggies in it that it will still seem chunky and full. You could also substitute tofu cubes for the chicken. This is an especially good recipe for tofu, since the tofu absorbs the curry flavour deliciously during the recipe's simmering time. I've made it both ways, and it's good any way you choose.
Cashew Chicken Curry
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 thumb fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced (or three smaller cloves)
1-3 tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp cumin
1 lb chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces (chicken breasts work too, whatever you've got on hand)
28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb baby carrots, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, torn into chunks
1 tbsp fresh oregano
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1/4 cup very finely chopped cashews (think dust), plus extra cashews for sprinkling over the top
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 can coconut milk (14 oz)
1/2 lb frozen peas
Salt
Pepper
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger, and saute until the onions are translucent but haven't yet begun to brown. Add the chicken, and keep a close eye on your pot (especially if you're using a soup pot instead of a dutch oven) to make sure that nothing sticks. Add the other tbsp of butter if necessary to prevent stickage. Stirring frequently, let the chicken pieces cook all the way through. Add the tomatoes, the carrots, and the mushrooms. Stir to make sure everything gets mixed together, and bring to a simmer. Add in the curry paste, the cumin, the oregano, the thyme, and the rosemary. Stir until the curry paste has completely dissolved in the liquids from the tomatoes. Taste it, then add salt and pepper as necessary.
A word on the curry paste: I personally used three very heaping teaspoons, and the resulting curry was only barely spicy. My roommate, who is sensitive to hot foods and dislikes them, pronounced it perfect. The key when first adding the curry is to remember that you will later be adding the coconut milk and the yogurt, both of which will cut down the spicy flavor, and you will be serving over rice, which will also mitigate the spicyness. So to get appropriately spicy curry, you actually need to make it hotter than you think you will enjoy at this step. It'll tone down later, trust me. But add more curry (at least a heaping teaspoon more, and even more than that if you really like things hot) than you think you need here, or you'll end up surprised by the mildness at the end. Do not be shy.
Bring the whole thing to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for 25-30 min. It can go as long as 45 min if you get caught up doing something else, this simmering is not exact science. When you're ready, remove the cover and dump in the frozen peas, then turn the heat back up under the pot to bring it to a simmer again. Add the cashews, the yogurt, and the can of coconut milk, then stir. If you like your curry a little thicker, you can let it reduce for a few minutes, stirring slowly, but I usually just eat mine as is. Serve over rice, topped generously with cashew halves for crunch.
Servings: 8-10. This makes a pretty large pot. Curries are really good for leftovers, though, since the flavors blend and actually improve over time. You might like it better the second day than the first!
I love curries. There's a Thai place about fifteen minutes away that makes an excellent chicken curry, and I've always liked their stuff. Unfortunately, my own attempts at curry had never quite seemed right. Until I (on my current low-cal kick) stumbled across a WeightWatchers recipe that promised to taste great, and seemed pretty healthy to boot. Me being me, I took it and twisted it, adding my own stuff and changing proportions.
It was fabulous. This was curry the way I liked it, and now I can make it at home in large quantities. Because this recipe certainly makes a very large quantity! I'll be eating curry for supper for the rest of the week, but I don't mind. It has a whole lot of my favorite stuff in it (Cashews! I love cashews!), and it's just the right amount of heat with an underlying hint of sweetness. I'm betting this one goes into regular rotation on my menu.
This recipe could very easily be made vegetarian by just leaving out the chicken. It has enough veggies in it that it will still seem chunky and full. You could also substitute tofu cubes for the chicken. This is an especially good recipe for tofu, since the tofu absorbs the curry flavour deliciously during the recipe's simmering time. I've made it both ways, and it's good any way you choose.
Cashew Chicken Curry
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 thumb fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced (or three smaller cloves)
1-3 tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp cumin
1 lb chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces (chicken breasts work too, whatever you've got on hand)
28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb baby carrots, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, torn into chunks
1 tbsp fresh oregano
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1/4 cup very finely chopped cashews (think dust), plus extra cashews for sprinkling over the top
1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 can coconut milk (14 oz)
1/2 lb frozen peas
Salt
Pepper
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger, and saute until the onions are translucent but haven't yet begun to brown. Add the chicken, and keep a close eye on your pot (especially if you're using a soup pot instead of a dutch oven) to make sure that nothing sticks. Add the other tbsp of butter if necessary to prevent stickage. Stirring frequently, let the chicken pieces cook all the way through. Add the tomatoes, the carrots, and the mushrooms. Stir to make sure everything gets mixed together, and bring to a simmer. Add in the curry paste, the cumin, the oregano, the thyme, and the rosemary. Stir until the curry paste has completely dissolved in the liquids from the tomatoes. Taste it, then add salt and pepper as necessary.
A word on the curry paste: I personally used three very heaping teaspoons, and the resulting curry was only barely spicy. My roommate, who is sensitive to hot foods and dislikes them, pronounced it perfect. The key when first adding the curry is to remember that you will later be adding the coconut milk and the yogurt, both of which will cut down the spicy flavor, and you will be serving over rice, which will also mitigate the spicyness. So to get appropriately spicy curry, you actually need to make it hotter than you think you will enjoy at this step. It'll tone down later, trust me. But add more curry (at least a heaping teaspoon more, and even more than that if you really like things hot) than you think you need here, or you'll end up surprised by the mildness at the end. Do not be shy.
Bring the whole thing to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for 25-30 min. It can go as long as 45 min if you get caught up doing something else, this simmering is not exact science. When you're ready, remove the cover and dump in the frozen peas, then turn the heat back up under the pot to bring it to a simmer again. Add the cashews, the yogurt, and the can of coconut milk, then stir. If you like your curry a little thicker, you can let it reduce for a few minutes, stirring slowly, but I usually just eat mine as is. Serve over rice, topped generously with cashew halves for crunch.
Servings: 8-10. This makes a pretty large pot. Curries are really good for leftovers, though, since the flavors blend and actually improve over time. You might like it better the second day than the first!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Hot Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
When I was a kid, there was a running contest in our house: the kid who could find the hottest hot sauce and bring a sample of it home for my father would win $5. Your hot sauce would be diligently compared to the previous reigning winner, and it quickly became very difficult to find a sauce that would make the grade. My father loved spicy foods. (For the record, the current winner is a "psycho" grade sauce from a restaurant in Orlando, Florida. We brought it home in a styrofoam cup, but almost immediately had to transfer it to a plastic bottle because the sauce ate through the cup.)
I personally never caught the hot foods bug, though. To this day, while I love my curries well enough, I've never gone in for the burn-your-mouth southwestern style of cooking. Mexico can keep its chipotles and habaneros, I certainly don't like them.
But today I decided to try a recipe that promised to jazz up hummus, and I like hummus enough that I was willing to be jazzed. Even if it involved peppers. To make it even more promising, the hummus in question would let me make use of the red and yellow bell peppers that my tiny kitchen garden has just started to produce. I was sold. Bring on the hummus.
And it turns out, I like it! So here's the recipe, one of the rare and elusive hot food recipes from Joye.
Hot Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can chickpeas (15 oz), drained
2 red bell peppers (I use peppers from my garden, so I use 4 very small peppers)
1 tsp chipotle in adobo (more if you like it really spicy, leave it out if you hate heat in your food)
3 cloves garlic, chopped into chunks
2 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp paprika
¼ medium onion, rough chopped
2 tsp cumin
3 tbsp lemon juice
Nonstick grilling spray (olive oil spray also works)
(Optional) 1 cup shredded parmesan, loosely packed
Pepper
Salt
Remove the seeds from the bell peppers. Spray a nonstick pan with grilling spray and sit it over medium-high heat. Lay the bell peppers in the pan skin-side-down, and roast them until the skin develops black spots. While the peppers are roasting, chop the onion and garlic. When the peppers are done, chop them into chunks to make it easier on your food processor. Add all the ingredients except the salt and pepper (and the cheese, if you're using it) to the food processor, and process until smooth. Taste and season (warning: season carefully, because a little salt goes a long way in hummus. Be conservative about your salt additions). If you need more moisture, add water, or if you like your hummus a little smoother, add a hint of olive oil to smooth it out. This is the point to dump in the cheese if that's your thing. Process again to mix in the new additions, taste, and serve. It’s good warm, room temp, or cool. I serve with carrots or snow peas for dipping, but toasted pita triangles are good too.
Servings: 10-15. This makes a LOT more than you’d think it does. One can of chickpeas goes a long way.
I personally never caught the hot foods bug, though. To this day, while I love my curries well enough, I've never gone in for the burn-your-mouth southwestern style of cooking. Mexico can keep its chipotles and habaneros, I certainly don't like them.
But today I decided to try a recipe that promised to jazz up hummus, and I like hummus enough that I was willing to be jazzed. Even if it involved peppers. To make it even more promising, the hummus in question would let me make use of the red and yellow bell peppers that my tiny kitchen garden has just started to produce. I was sold. Bring on the hummus.
And it turns out, I like it! So here's the recipe, one of the rare and elusive hot food recipes from Joye.
Hot Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can chickpeas (15 oz), drained
2 red bell peppers (I use peppers from my garden, so I use 4 very small peppers)
1 tsp chipotle in adobo (more if you like it really spicy, leave it out if you hate heat in your food)
3 cloves garlic, chopped into chunks
2 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp paprika
¼ medium onion, rough chopped
2 tsp cumin
3 tbsp lemon juice
Nonstick grilling spray (olive oil spray also works)
(Optional) 1 cup shredded parmesan, loosely packed
Pepper
Salt
Remove the seeds from the bell peppers. Spray a nonstick pan with grilling spray and sit it over medium-high heat. Lay the bell peppers in the pan skin-side-down, and roast them until the skin develops black spots. While the peppers are roasting, chop the onion and garlic. When the peppers are done, chop them into chunks to make it easier on your food processor. Add all the ingredients except the salt and pepper (and the cheese, if you're using it) to the food processor, and process until smooth. Taste and season (warning: season carefully, because a little salt goes a long way in hummus. Be conservative about your salt additions). If you need more moisture, add water, or if you like your hummus a little smoother, add a hint of olive oil to smooth it out. This is the point to dump in the cheese if that's your thing. Process again to mix in the new additions, taste, and serve. It’s good warm, room temp, or cool. I serve with carrots or snow peas for dipping, but toasted pita triangles are good too.
Servings: 10-15. This makes a LOT more than you’d think it does. One can of chickpeas goes a long way.
Baba Ghanouj
I’ve been on a dip streak lately, so one I’m posting a recipe for baba ghanouj (that spelling… every person I meet spells this dip differently!) that I adapted from a college friend of mine. She was in the hospitality school at our university to become a chef, and our dorm served as her willing guinea pigs. This is a version of her recipe, cut back a little on the lemon juice and with the addition of the mint. What can I say, I like mint. I also like almonds, so even though it’s probably heresy to any actual middle eastern person, I sometimes chop those and add them too. Added bonus: this dip is both absurdly low-cal, and vegan. I've been trying to eat less meat lately (meat is expensive!), so a veggie-only dip is good for me.
Baba Ghanouj
1 eggplant
3 cloves garlic
1/8 cup lemon juice (Give or take. I usually just fill a ¼ cup measure about half full, so it’s never exact.)
1 heaping tbsp tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
(Optional) ½ tsp fresh mint (my plant is peppermint, so I use that, but it doesn’t matter)
(Optional) ¼ cup finely chopped almonds (the “finely” here is important. Your food processor will NOT appreciate large pieces of almonds.)
Salt
Pepper
Preheat the oven to 430F and slice the eggplant into ½ inch thick slices. Spray a baking tray with nonstick grilling spray (the grilling spray takes more heat; normal nonstick spray will burn) and arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the tray. For extra reassurance, you can spray both sides of each eggplant slice with the grilling spray too. Bake the eggplant for 30-40 minutes or until the middle of all the slices have sunk down and turned softly brown. Remove the eggplant from the oven and use a paring knife to peel each slice. Chop the garlic into chunks. Dump the slices into a food processor and add the lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, pepper, and any other additives you may like to the processor as well. Process until smooth (this may take a while, especially for the eggplant seeds), scraping down the sides of the processor once or twice to make sure that all the bits get chopped up. Serve chilled or room temperature, with veggies or toasted pita slices. I like carrots and sweet peas for dipping, but supposedly broccoli, cauliflower, and celery are good too.
Servings: 8-10
Baba Ghanouj
1 eggplant
3 cloves garlic
1/8 cup lemon juice (Give or take. I usually just fill a ¼ cup measure about half full, so it’s never exact.)
1 heaping tbsp tahini
1 tsp ground cumin
(Optional) ½ tsp fresh mint (my plant is peppermint, so I use that, but it doesn’t matter)
(Optional) ¼ cup finely chopped almonds (the “finely” here is important. Your food processor will NOT appreciate large pieces of almonds.)
Salt
Pepper
Preheat the oven to 430F and slice the eggplant into ½ inch thick slices. Spray a baking tray with nonstick grilling spray (the grilling spray takes more heat; normal nonstick spray will burn) and arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the tray. For extra reassurance, you can spray both sides of each eggplant slice with the grilling spray too. Bake the eggplant for 30-40 minutes or until the middle of all the slices have sunk down and turned softly brown. Remove the eggplant from the oven and use a paring knife to peel each slice. Chop the garlic into chunks. Dump the slices into a food processor and add the lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, pepper, and any other additives you may like to the processor as well. Process until smooth (this may take a while, especially for the eggplant seeds), scraping down the sides of the processor once or twice to make sure that all the bits get chopped up. Serve chilled or room temperature, with veggies or toasted pita slices. I like carrots and sweet peas for dipping, but supposedly broccoli, cauliflower, and celery are good too.
Servings: 8-10
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Gourmet Green Bean Casserole
I like older recipes that you can dress up and get creative with, much like the "Take ordinary, typically bad food and make something special" challenges on Top Chef. I was fiddling around with a few ideas one day, and found myself looking at green bean casserole. The idea was good: beans and onions, with some mushrooms and a little crunch. I remained unsatisfied with my makeover efforts, though, until I discovered a recipe online for a take on green bean casserole that looked like it had possibilities. Still, I wouldn't be me if I didn't love to fiddle with peoples' perfectly good recipes, so I altered it a little, tossed in some cheese on a whim, cut the chopping time by using frozen beans, that sort of thing. And here it is, the green bean casserole that's fancy enough for me to make on Christmas.
Gourmet Green Bean Casserole
1 1/2 lbs green beans, frozen
3 cloves garlic
1/2 lb (8 oz) baby bella mushrooms (shitake work also)
1 SMALL pinch ancho chile powder
3/4 cup chicken stock (broth works also)
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dry sherry or white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup Jarlsberg cheese, finely grated (gruyere works also)
1 1/2 slices whole wheat bread
1/2 can french fried onions
1 tbsp margerine or butter substitute
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 400F.
Begin by boiling a pot of water with 1 tbsp salt in it. I know, it seems like a lot, but it's right, trust me. The beans don't absorb much, so don't be shy. Add the frozen beans when the water boils, then bring the pot back to a boil and let the beans cook for 5-10 minutes until they're tender but not wilting. Drain in a colander and run cool water over them to stop the cooking process, then let them sit while you finish the rest of the recipe.
Wash your mushrooms and tear them into pieces (tearing gives a nice textural contrast to the machine-sliced 'shrooms in canned casseroles). Throw them in a pan with a teeny dash of olive oil, and let them saute over medium-high heat while you dice your garlic. Add the garlic to the pan when you get done with it, along with a little salt, some pepper, and the pinch of chile powder.
While the mushrooms are cooking, whisk the flour into your chicken stock, making sure there are no lumps. When the mushrooms are golden brown and beginning to render their juices, add the stock to the pan along with the sherry or wine. Turn the heat on the burner down to medium and stir until the sauce thickens (this should happen pretty quickly, so keep an eye on it). When it's thick, add the cream and the Jarlsberg to the pan and stir to mix. Stir occasionally until this mixture thickens.
When you've got a nice thick cream sauce, add the beans into the pan and mix the whole thing together. Sit the pan off the heat for a moment while you make the topping.
To make the topping, pulse the bread and the margerine together in a food processor until it turns into moist little crumbs. Dump these out into a bowl, and add the fried onions to them, then use your hands to mix the onions and bread crumbs together.
To assemble the whole casserole, get a medium-large casserole dish and pour in the bean-mushroom mixture from the pan, spreading it into an even layer. Sprinkle the breadcrumb-onion mix on evenly top. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on this, and take the casserole out when the topping turns a deep golden brown, but before it burns. Serve immediately.
Servings: 8-10.
Gourmet Green Bean Casserole
1 1/2 lbs green beans, frozen
3 cloves garlic
1/2 lb (8 oz) baby bella mushrooms (shitake work also)
1 SMALL pinch ancho chile powder
3/4 cup chicken stock (broth works also)
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dry sherry or white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup Jarlsberg cheese, finely grated (gruyere works also)
1 1/2 slices whole wheat bread
1/2 can french fried onions
1 tbsp margerine or butter substitute
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 400F.
Begin by boiling a pot of water with 1 tbsp salt in it. I know, it seems like a lot, but it's right, trust me. The beans don't absorb much, so don't be shy. Add the frozen beans when the water boils, then bring the pot back to a boil and let the beans cook for 5-10 minutes until they're tender but not wilting. Drain in a colander and run cool water over them to stop the cooking process, then let them sit while you finish the rest of the recipe.
Wash your mushrooms and tear them into pieces (tearing gives a nice textural contrast to the machine-sliced 'shrooms in canned casseroles). Throw them in a pan with a teeny dash of olive oil, and let them saute over medium-high heat while you dice your garlic. Add the garlic to the pan when you get done with it, along with a little salt, some pepper, and the pinch of chile powder.
While the mushrooms are cooking, whisk the flour into your chicken stock, making sure there are no lumps. When the mushrooms are golden brown and beginning to render their juices, add the stock to the pan along with the sherry or wine. Turn the heat on the burner down to medium and stir until the sauce thickens (this should happen pretty quickly, so keep an eye on it). When it's thick, add the cream and the Jarlsberg to the pan and stir to mix. Stir occasionally until this mixture thickens.
When you've got a nice thick cream sauce, add the beans into the pan and mix the whole thing together. Sit the pan off the heat for a moment while you make the topping.
To make the topping, pulse the bread and the margerine together in a food processor until it turns into moist little crumbs. Dump these out into a bowl, and add the fried onions to them, then use your hands to mix the onions and bread crumbs together.
To assemble the whole casserole, get a medium-large casserole dish and pour in the bean-mushroom mixture from the pan, spreading it into an even layer. Sprinkle the breadcrumb-onion mix on evenly top. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on this, and take the casserole out when the topping turns a deep golden brown, but before it burns. Serve immediately.
Servings: 8-10.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Chicken noodle soup
I had roasted a chicken, and had plenty of left-over chicken bits that I needed to do something with. To be precise, I had half a breast, a thigh, a wing, and a leg. The obvious solution was to make chicken soup.
This is best if you think a little bit ahead of time when you're prepping your chicken. If you're sectioning the chicken (I always do a ten-piece section, but to each his own), take the backbone and giblets and boil them in a large pot of water with some veggie bits (save the ends of your leeks, maybe toss in some baby carrots, whatever you've got and don't really need) and spices for a couple of hours to make stock. That will save you money, since you won't have to buy stock, and it'll taste better anyway. If you aren't sectioning your chicken, just use boxed stock.
What type of noodles you use is also up to you. I used the 'dumpling' noodles that come in large bags, since they were on sale. But any type of pasta is good, so just throw in whatever you've got on hand.
Chicken Noodle Soup
1/2 medium sweet onion (or 1/4 large onion), diced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 leek
15-30 baby carrots, sliced into little circles
2 ribs celery, diced
Chicken, torn into bit-sized chunks (I never measure how much chicken I use, since it's mainly determined by how much I've got left over. It doesn't really matter, just use what you've got)
Stock (Again, I never measure this, since it's mainly determined by whether I made stock when I sectioned the chicken. Just have enough to fill the pot to a comfortable level, about 2 qts)
1 cube chicken boullion
Fresh thyme and oregano, wrapped together into a little sachet
1/2 tsp ground sage
Noodles
Begin by melting the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. When it's melted, add the onion, and let the onion soften for 5 minutes or so. While the onion is cooking, slice the leek by cutting off the end and the dark leaves, then slicing it length-wise once and into 1/4 inch thick semicircles. When the onion has turned translucent and is right on the edge starting to caramelize, add the leek and stir until the leek has softened up.
When the onion and leek are done, add your stock to the pot and dump in your chicken and carrots. Add your spice sachet (I sometimes just use a twist-tie to make a little bundle, if I'm out of cheesecloth) and the two boullion cubes. The boullion is in fact optional, but I find it gives a little more dimension to the stock.
Bring the pot to a boil, and then cover it and reduce the heat on the burner to low to let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. More time won't hurt it, but I wouldn't try to do this any quicker. The soup tastes better when it has time for its flavors to meld.
Ten minutes before you intend to serve it, boil the pasta in salted water. It's important that you only add the noodles to the soup right before you serve it, otherwise they get soggy and lose their texture. If you intend to keep the soup for several days and serve leftovers, just keep the noodles in a separate container of their own, and pick out a handful to add to your bowls just before you rewarm the soup. Remove and discard the herb sachet, then serve with crusty bread.
Servings: Variable, depending on how much of the chicken, stock, and noodles you use. I usually do large batches that are about 12 servings, but it could easily be cut to 4 or 6.
This is best if you think a little bit ahead of time when you're prepping your chicken. If you're sectioning the chicken (I always do a ten-piece section, but to each his own), take the backbone and giblets and boil them in a large pot of water with some veggie bits (save the ends of your leeks, maybe toss in some baby carrots, whatever you've got and don't really need) and spices for a couple of hours to make stock. That will save you money, since you won't have to buy stock, and it'll taste better anyway. If you aren't sectioning your chicken, just use boxed stock.
What type of noodles you use is also up to you. I used the 'dumpling' noodles that come in large bags, since they were on sale. But any type of pasta is good, so just throw in whatever you've got on hand.
Chicken Noodle Soup
1/2 medium sweet onion (or 1/4 large onion), diced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 leek
15-30 baby carrots, sliced into little circles
2 ribs celery, diced
Chicken, torn into bit-sized chunks (I never measure how much chicken I use, since it's mainly determined by how much I've got left over. It doesn't really matter, just use what you've got)
Stock (Again, I never measure this, since it's mainly determined by whether I made stock when I sectioned the chicken. Just have enough to fill the pot to a comfortable level, about 2 qts)
1 cube chicken boullion
Fresh thyme and oregano, wrapped together into a little sachet
1/2 tsp ground sage
Noodles
Begin by melting the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. When it's melted, add the onion, and let the onion soften for 5 minutes or so. While the onion is cooking, slice the leek by cutting off the end and the dark leaves, then slicing it length-wise once and into 1/4 inch thick semicircles. When the onion has turned translucent and is right on the edge starting to caramelize, add the leek and stir until the leek has softened up.
When the onion and leek are done, add your stock to the pot and dump in your chicken and carrots. Add your spice sachet (I sometimes just use a twist-tie to make a little bundle, if I'm out of cheesecloth) and the two boullion cubes. The boullion is in fact optional, but I find it gives a little more dimension to the stock.
Bring the pot to a boil, and then cover it and reduce the heat on the burner to low to let it simmer for 30-45 minutes. More time won't hurt it, but I wouldn't try to do this any quicker. The soup tastes better when it has time for its flavors to meld.
Ten minutes before you intend to serve it, boil the pasta in salted water. It's important that you only add the noodles to the soup right before you serve it, otherwise they get soggy and lose their texture. If you intend to keep the soup for several days and serve leftovers, just keep the noodles in a separate container of their own, and pick out a handful to add to your bowls just before you rewarm the soup. Remove and discard the herb sachet, then serve with crusty bread.
Servings: Variable, depending on how much of the chicken, stock, and noodles you use. I usually do large batches that are about 12 servings, but it could easily be cut to 4 or 6.
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