Barbobot's Kitchen

Carne Esmechada

2012-01-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

literally "shredded meat" from the time my family lived in Venezuela. This is very similar to pull pork barbecue.

This dish is great for using up leftover meat. Roast a chicken, pull off all the meat and cook it up Venezuelan style.

This can be used as a main dish, taco or enchilada filling, or traditionally to fill arepas.

I usually adjust to flavors to what I have on hand, but here is a basic recipe to give you an idea:

2 Tbls olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper., diced
3 cups shredded cooked meat - (chicken, turkey, pork, beef) (no skin)
1/2 - 1full Tbls ground cumin
2-4 Tbls vinegar - white, apple cider, or sherry if you have it

Optional additions:
raisins or dried fruit, honey for sweetness, chipotle for smoke, spice

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Saute the onions and peppers for about 5 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 10-20min. Don't add all the flavors at once. Taste as you go and add more acid (vinegar) or sweet as you deem appropriate.

GingerBread Cake = Christmas

2011-12-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium size apple
1in nub of fresh ginger
1 cup hot water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
In food processor, combine hot water, apple and ginger, blend until mushy, like applesauce.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water/apple/ginger mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

Top with fresh orange pulp, candied ginger slices and eggnog foam

A decadent breakfast from leftovers

2011-08-31T21:56:00.000-07:00

Prunes cooked in wine and spice. a side of goat cheese and bread. Leftovers from an amazing dinner party inspired by David Tanis' 'A Platter of Figs'

Tonic Syrup

2011-07-01T14:57:00.000-07:00

Do not underestimate the beauty of a homemade tonic syrup. It is far more interesting even than the premium tonic waters which cost up to $2 a bottle.

My current favorite recipe is modified from Jeffrey Morgenthaler. http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2008/how-to-make-your-own-tonic-water/

4 cups water
1 cup chopped lemongrass (roughly one large stalk)
3/4 cup whole cinchona bark
zest and juice of 1 orange
zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tsp whole allspice berries
¼ cup citric acid
pinch Kosher salt

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain out solids using a strainer or chinois. You’ll need to fine-strain the mixture, as it still contains quite a bit of the cinchona bark. You can use a coffee filter and wait for an hour or more, or do as I do and run the whole mixture through a French coffee press.
Once you’re satisfied with the clarity of your mix, heat it back up on the stovetop or microwave, and then add ¾ cup of agave syrup to each cup of your hot mix. Stir until combined, and store in the attractive bottle of your choice.

Combine syrup to carbonated water, soda water often has too much sodium. I like to make virgin cocktails with the tonic water as it has an interesting flavor profile in itself, but do taste the magic of gin combined with this recipe. Cheers

Eggnog

2011-01-30T14:20:00.000-08:00

yes, not exactly seasonal, but a must have recipe

- Separate 6 eggs

In mixing bowl
- egg yokes
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup apple jack brandy or whiskey of choice

Beat Stiff in different bowl
- egg whites
- add 1/2 cup sugar while beating
* Mixture is stiff enough when it can be inverted with out spilling out!

Mix both mixtures together plus:
- 1 pint cream
- 1 pint milk

* garnish with freshly shaved nutmeg...

Asian Slaw

2011-01-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

A healthy and colorful salad which goes well with seafood. Also a good way to use up some cabbage

2 green thai chiles, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T sugar
2 T rice vinegar
3 T lime juice
3 T nam pla (fish sauce)
3 T grapeseed oil
1/2 head shredded savoy cabbage (you're looking for about 4 cups)
3 carrots, shredded
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
3/4 c mint leaves, chopped
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
pepper

Combine the thai chiles, garlic, sugar, rice vinegar, lime juice, nam pla, and grapeseed oil in a bowl. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar, and set aside while you make the rest of the salad.
Toss all the vegetables together, paying particular attention to mixing in the carrots, which have a tendency to clump together, then toss with the dressing. Serve at room temperature.

Pig Headed

2010-10-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog-

I never thought I'd be writing this letter. It all started out so innocently. My local CSA contacted me with the option of purchasing a share of pork from a local pig rancher. Once signed up, my boyfriend reminded me that we needed pigs ears to complete the next dinner menu in the recipe book I've been wanting to work through, David Tanis' Platter of Figs, which said boyfriend purchased for me for my last birthday. The pig lady informed me that she only had pigs ears attached to whole pig's heads......so in the spirit of culinary adventure....I decided to buy the whole damn head from her - 16lbs of pig face sat looking out at me while it defrosted in the fridge.

What was I going to do with it? I turned to the internets for ideas. I landed on this wonderful video from local chef and lover of all things offal, Chris Costentino, where he debones the pig face to make porchetta di testa. I contacted my little brother, the professional chef, who had many ideas. Also out there is a wonderful blog by *chichi* summarizing her challenges removing the jaw from her pigs head and cooking down into coppa di testa, also known as head cheese. I have to admit, the concept of head cheese is still a little 'challenging' for me. So I decided on the following strategy:

- Debone the skull as directed in the Chris Costentino video

- Remove ears and snout for the fancy french salad recipe which started this whole mess.

- Remove one jowl for braising, to make banh min

- Roll the remaining face into a roulade, comparable to the Porchetta di Testa (minus snout)

- Roast and cook down remaining skull into broth for ramen

First, I had to obtain a good boning knife. None of my poorly sharpened knives were going to cut it. As much as Sur La Table brings out a strange anger in me, I decided to go to the Ferry Building for 2 reasons. 1.) Stop by Boccalone to taste their Porchetta di Testa sandwich so I had an idea of what I was trying to make 2.) See what an overpriced boning knife costs at Sur La Table and get the advice of the sales person with the plan to shop elsewhere. Sur la Table always seems to be ridculously over priced to me. Happily, not only did we get to taste the Porchetta di Testa, in a sandwich with pickles, carrots, and mint, similar to a banh min, we found an affordable and recommended boning knife for only $20, by Victorinox. For those new to boning knives, you are looking for something sharp and slightly flexible to follow the curvature of the bone while you cut away the meat. The Victorinox handled itself fine during this process, but seemed to dull by the very end. Supposedly the higher end versions ~$85-$90 hold their edge better so its a question of how much you want to invest and/or sharpen your knives. Finally, we picked up my propane blow torch and a hacksaw, just in case we needed to saw through any bone (I sterilized a clean blade with the propane torch)

First thing we cleared a large working space near the sink and laid out my tools.

- Boning knife plus generic paring knife

- Cutting board (mine was too small ~11in x 17in, you really want something twice as big

- Safety Razors (for shaving the pig)

- Blow torch (for the hairs you can't reach with a razor)

- Hacksaw, sterilized (for sawing bones)

- Whiskey cocktail, administered as needed

- Theme appropriate music

I watched several videos of the process on YouTube several of which I'm listing below. Chris Costentino's seems to be the master video as it most clearly explains what you are trying to do. I won't try to retell what his video explains, but here are some points I'd like to add in case you are a novice like I am.

1.) Shaving the pig may take awhile. There was quite alot of whiskers left on mine and the ears were really gross. I ended up removing the ears in order to really clean them. Something I would recommend if possible as it seemed impossible to get completely clean when they were fully attached.

2.) Burning the hair smells really gross. Limit this as much as possible. Not that much different then burning human hair, but you are already digging your hand deep into a dead animal.

3.) The tongue was a little tricky for me. I initially cut it out way to shallow. In hindsight, I'd recognize the small kind of wishbone shaped bones in the back which make up the soft palate. Use these as your guide for fishing the tongue out the back.

4.) Nosebleeds - The pig will almost certainly bleed out the nose the first time you flip in over on its snout.....and the second time...and third..... .keep plenty of towels to clean up. This isn't the best smelling part of the butchering process.

5.) There is a f*(k-ton of meat in the cheeks! Even after watching the video I was suprised at the amount of meat I was peeling of the jaws. It looks about like bacon with some more 'meaty' parts near the jaw.

6.) The transition from upper jaw to cheekbone can be a little tricky. It was pretty striaight -forward following both the upper and lower jaw bone, but I got a little confused once I needed to move up along the cheekbone. I was also very conservative in cutting around the eyes. Not sure what happens if you actually pierce an eyeball, but I didn't want to take any chances. I cut a generous perimeter around the eyeball then, followed that along the cheekbone until I got my bearings. Once I got a feel for the location of the cheekbones, it seemed to loosen up and make more sense. Take your time and remember to cut away from yourself.

For the most part, I was able to follow the video compeletely and successfully removed the pig 'mask' from the skull. Boyfriend and I agreed that we weren't ready to eat the brains yet, but we decided to try to open the skull in order to fish them out before trying to cook the skull down for ramen broth. At this point, I was a little overstimulated and stopped for a cocktail break. Cue the Primal Scream 'Exterminator' music and I look up to find the boyfriend going to town on the skull with my hacksaw. He managed to saw the skull into 2 halves and removed the snout and lower jaw. Brains were a disturbing pink slime which apologies to the purists, I am in no hurry to put on my plate or in my frying pan. What suprised both of us was just how thick a pig skull is and what gnarly teeth they possess. Hopefully I am never on the wrong side of an argument with a live pig. I'm pretty sure he'd win.

So... The face was divided up per plan and returned to the freezer. The four pieces of skull bone were roasted in the over, approximately 45 minutes at 250, then 15 min at 450 to get a dark color to the bones. After roasting, I boiled the bones down for approx 20hrs with about a 1/4 cup of kosher salt. Having cancelled dinner plans, this broth was strained and also placed in the freezer, to be used for a noodle night in the very near future.

Recipes to follow as I start cooking up everything. I week ago, I had no plans of getting into this mess. Now I have 36lbs of pork in my freezer.

- the Barb0bot, aka pigface

Meskin Cornbreads

2010-07-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

preheat oven to 350F
preheat 8" skillet on stovetop or in stove, with 2T corn oil, shy of smoking, while you combine ingredients in a mixing bowl:

1C yellow cornmeal
1/2C AP flour
1T + 1t baking powder
1t salt

stir in:

2 eggs
1/2 C milk
1 small (7oz) can chiles plus liquid (we want the citric acid in lieu of buttermilk)
1T oil
1/2 C grated cheddar cheese (or more)
Chopped onions, leftover corn, bacon bits, tootsie rolls, whatever you want to throw in so you can personalize it and re-post this recipe as your own.

Dump the batter into the hot oil in your skillet (this is how you get a nice crust). Make it a bit lower in the center and higher on the sides, it's gonna rise. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Loosen sides and turn it out onto a small plate, bottoms up. You'll notice there's no added sugar in this recipe. This was not an oversight. Don't go having people think poorly of you.

Cauliflower and Leek Gratin

2010-07-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

This scratches the itch when I crave mac and cheese, but still want to eat my veggies. You can play with various cheeses to get different flavors. Tonight its gruyere and an aged gouda.

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Gratin

Roasting the leeks and cauliflower (which you can do well ahead) brings out deeper flavor and a crisp-around-the edges texture. Serve as a side dish with roasted meat, or as a main course with salad and bread. If you don't feel like making the white sauce, gently warm 1 1/2 cups of cream in a saucepan until bubbles form around the edges, then stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pour it over the vegetables.

Roasted vegetables
2 small heads cauliflower, about 3 pounds untrimmed
4 tablespoons olive oil
-- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large leek
Gratin
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 cups low-fat milk
1/2 cup (generous) grated Parmesan, gruyere or Manchego cheese
-- Kosher salt and white or black pepper
1 teaspoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 to 2 ounces ham, cut into baton shapes (optional)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

To make the roasted vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400°.
Cut the cauliflower into florets that are 1 1/2 inches wide. In a large bowl, toss the florets with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and spread out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender with just a bit of bite and browned, 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic after 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the coarse dark tops of the leek and cut lengthwise. Wash thoroughly, then cut each half into 2-inch lengths, discarding any more dark green ends and checking for hidden dirt.
Separate the layers and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and some salt, then spread out on another large rimmed baking sheet and roast until crispy in some parts and thoroughly soft throughout, about 15 minutes. (You can roast the vegetables several hours ahead and refrigerate before completing the dish.)

To make the gratin: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes, taking care that it doesn't brown. Whisk in the milk until smooth, then bring to a simmer. Maintain the heat so it's bubbling gently; stir often until the sauce thickens and the flour cooks, about 15 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of the Parmesan and stir until just melted. Remove from the heat and season well with salt and pepper, then stir in the mustard.

Follow-Up Pizza Dough

2010-07-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

The pizza experiments continue and I feel like I'm dialing in my technique. Here is the basic recipe I'm working with, just slightly modified to the previous posted recipe.

4 1/2 cups flour -
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cup ice cold water
semolina flour for dusting

Notes
I use 4 cups King Arthur All purpose flour and 1/2 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour which gives the dough a little 'bite' and flavor without tasting too 'wheat-y'. I tried the super fine 00 flour but didn't get any better results than the all purpose stuff. The purists believe in the 00 flour though...Also make sure your flour is fresh. Yes flour goes rancid, especially whole grain, and especially if you live in warm climates. I keep my flour in the freezer and try to only buy what I will use in the next 3-6 months. If your dough tastes flat, try some fresh flour.

Don't scrimp on the salt or yeast, I'm always a little easy on the salt, but found you need both for full flavor.

Pay attention to the wetness of the dough. It changes every time I mix it up. I use an electric mixer with a dough hook. As described in the initial recipe, the sides should not stick to the side of the bowl, but the bottom should.

I split the recipe into 4 parts, putting 2 dough balls into plastic ziploc bags into which I'd previous poured a Tablespoon of olive oil. The ziploc bags go into the freezer and the 2 remaining go into my magic wooden pizza box.

Wooden Box - So I got the idea for the wooden dough box from Tony's in North Beach, who make the best Margherita pizzas, hands down. I asked the chef the other day and she told me the wood helps manage the moisture in the dough. I found a guy on eBay who made poplar cigar boxes and ordered one on faith. Three benefits I've found from my 'magic pizza box'

1.) The dough proofs up better, don't know why exactly, but it both tastes better and the stretch is easier to work with.

2.) The cigar box size fits 2 dough balls perfectly for proofing and I can put the flour directly into the box for when I roll the crust before stretching. This helps contain the flour mess. Also the lid allows me to slide it into the fridge without taking up an entire shelf.

3.) The lid serves as my cutting board once the pizza cooks. How's that for a pizza system?

A final note on cooking temperatures - get it as hot as you can, really. My new favorite method for Margherita pizzas is to grill them on a gas grill. After stretching the dough, toss down directly onto the grill, again make sure it is hot! Pizza wants 800+F if possible. The crust will crisp very quickly. As soon as it is firm enough, flip the crust with a pair of tongs. Then, carefully, and quickly, add toppings. Close the lid and let the pie cook, usually no more than 6minutes.

If I can't grill the pizza I still get good results with my gas oven set on broil and using the pizza stone. I sprinkle sufficient semolina flour on my 'peel' which is really a flat cookie sheet and slide the pie directly onto the stone to cook. My oven seems to get to about 600F on the broil setting which still gives perfectly good results. Again, I've learned to be careful to not lose too much heat when opening and closing the oven. Move quickly. Enjoy! Its taken me a while to get the hang of the dough, but it is now def worth it.

Oh Snap! Banana Pudding

2010-06-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

While I'm still a fan of the straight-from-the-box, Nillas and Nanners, made with Cool-Whip and instant pudding, I decided to try something a little more classic. This supposedly was the original recipe on the back of the Nilla wafer box. Me I used some hippie whole wheat cookies, but they were actually better that way with a flavor crossed between a graham cracker and a nilla wafer, put none of that hydro-gee-nated vegetable oil.

3/4 c sugar
3 Tbls All Purpose flour
dash of salt
4 eggs
2 c milk
1/2 t vanilla
vanilla wafers
5 or 6 fully ripe, medium bananas, sliced

Combine 1/2 c sugar, flour, and salt in top of dbl boiler. Mix in 1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks. Stir in milk. Cook uncovered over boiling water, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Spread small amount in bottom of 1 1/2 qt casserole. top w/nilla wafer, layer of bananas. Pour about a 1/3 of custard over bananas. Continue to layer, ending with custard.
Make a meringue of the 3 egg whites beating them until dry before adding the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Pile on top of pudding covering entire surface.Bake in preheated 425 oven 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or chilled.

Lamb Stroganoff(ish)

2010-06-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

I made this recipe up, so forgive not staying true to any recipe here.

I had some lamb stew meat left over from the 1/2 lamb we purchased back in March. I wanted to cook the lamb up slow to get all the flavor out. I did note the flavor of the meat definitely improved the longer I cooked it (slowly mind you).

Slow cooked sauce:

3 large shallot bulbs, sliced into rings (~1/2 cup)
olive oil
1 cup lamb stew meat
1 carton of baby portabellas, sliced (~2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 fresh italian parsley, chopped.
1/2 cup heart red wine
1 cup chicken broth
water to keep sauce slow cooking
salt, paprika to taste

In a large saute pan, I browned the lamb bits on high for a few minutes with a little olive oil, then turned down to medium heat to saute the shallots and mushrooms. Once the shallots started to turn translucent, I tossed in the garlic and parsley, sauteing only about 30 seconds, then splash in the red wine, add the chicken broth and set the pan on low for 2-3 hours. I'd recommend not salting until the mixture cooks down a little, especially if your chicken broth is salted.
Add water if the sauce needs to cook longer and it has become too thick. You want to finish with something resembling the consistency of spaghetti sauce.

To brighten up the affair I decided to add extra veggies to the sauce at the end along with the pasta. English peas are in season so I added a bunch, snap peas would work if you can't get them.

olive oil
1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
i clove garlic, minced.
1 cup of English peas (shelled)

1 large dollop of sour cream.
1/4 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped
2/3 pound fettucine or parpadelle noodles
paprika to taste (see below)

Start the water boiling for pasta. When the water starts boil, start sauteing your mushrooms in the olive oil over medium heat and drop the pasta for cooking. (You can always cook the pasta in advance) When the mushrooms reach a nice texture (I sauteed about 5 minutes) add the garlic and cook an additional 30-60sec. Turn the heat down to low, add the sour cream, parsley,your initial lamb sauce, and peas to mixture. Add paprika to taste. NOTE: We had both smoked and spicy paprika, I used a little of both. The smokiness adds a rich flavor and just a little spice works well with the sweetness of the peas. The peas should only cook a few minutes. Taste them occasionally while cooking. They should be bright and tasty but not crunchy. Toss in the pasta once it is cooked and garnish with more italian parsley.

Serve with a hearty red wine.

Spaghetti with Lamb, Broccoli di Cicco and Cipollini

2010-04-02T10:01:00.001-07:00

from Joseph Manzare of Globe in SF

This is a really amazing dish. I accidentally added to much spice, but my guests really enjoyed it that way. Also, I since this is a rich dish, I back off the pasta proportion at times to prevent putting everyone to sleep. Or just serve smaller portions.

1 pound spaghetti
1 pound ground lamb
1 1/2 pounds broccoli di cicco (cut into 1/2 inch pieces, use the stem and leaves too!)
1 clove smashed garlic
4 large red jalapeños or 1 large red bell pepper (roasted, peeled and julienned)
6 cipollini (quartered) or 1 large onion (chopped)
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons Capricious aged goat's milk cheese (grated) or parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add garlic. Cook slowly (about 3 minutes) to flavor the oil. When garlic is slightly golden brown, add cipollini and broccoli. Cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender. Add lamb and turn up heat to high. Season lamb with salt and pepper. When lamb becomes slightly brown and cooked through, add pepper and parsley. Mix together and let simmer for about 12 minutes or just long enough for your pasta to cook. Cook pasta in salted water. When pasta is done strain, and keep just a little of the pasta cooking liquid with the pasta. Toss the pasta into the skillet with the lamb. Add grated cheese and mix well. Eat.

My Pizza Fixation

2010-03-10T21:59:00.000-08:00

Intial recipe comes from the artisan bread in 5 minutes folks.....Dough was okay, didn't stretch well and not alot of flavor

This is the current recipe I am playing with: (from Peter Reinhart)

4 1/2 cups (20.25 ounces) unbleached high-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 (.44 ounce) teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon (.11 ounce) instant yeast
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cups (14 ounces) water, ice cold (40°F)
Semolina flour OR cornmeal for dusting

1. Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). With a large metal spoon, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), If you are mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand. Reverse the circular motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5 to 7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet and doesn't come off the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides. If it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a tea- spoon or two of cold water. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50 to 55F.

2. Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with baking parchment and misting the parchment with spray oil (or lightly oil the parchment). Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you are comfortable shaping large pizzas), You can dip the scraper into the water between cuts to keep the dough from sticking to it, Sprinkle flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again. Transfer the dough balls to the sheet pan, Mist the dough generously with spray oil and slip the pan into a food-grade plastic bag.

3. Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, or keep for up to 3 days. (Note: If you want to save some of the dough for future baking, you can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag. Dip each dough ball into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag. You can place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the refrigerator the day before you plan to make pizza.)

4. On the day you plan to make the pizza, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza. Before letting the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours, dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil. Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks about 1/2 inch thick and 5 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil, and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a food-grade plastic bag. Now let rest for 2 hours.

5. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone either on the floor of the oven (for gas ovens), or on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven as hot as possible, up to 800F (most home ovens will go only to 500 to 550F, but some will go higher). If you do not have a baking stone, you can use the back of a sheet pan, but do not preheat the pan.

6. Generously dust a peel or the back of a sheet pan with semolina flour or cornmeal. Make the pizzas one at a time. Dip your hands, including the backs of your hands and knuckles, in flour and lift I piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper. Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully giving it a little stretch with each bounce. If it begins to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss as shown on page 208. If you have trouble tossing the dough, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 to 20 minutes so the gluten can relax, and try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, though this isn't as effective as the toss method.

7. When the dough is stretched out to your satisfaction (about 9 to 12 inches in diameter for a 6-ounce piece of dough), lay it on the peel or pan, making sure there is enough semolina flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide. Lightly top it with sauce and then with your other top- pings, remembering that the best pizzas are topped with a less-is-more philosophy. The American "kitchen sink" approach is counterproductive, as it makes the crust more difficult to bake. A few, usually no more than 3 or 4 toppings, including sauce and cheese is sufficient.

8. Slide the topped pizza onto the stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan) and close the door. Wait 2 minutes, then take a peek. If it needs to be rotated 180 degrees for even baking, do so. The pizza should take about 5 to 8 minutes to bake. If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone to a lower self before the next round. if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone for subsequent bakes.

9. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait 3 to 5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set slightly.

Albondigas

2009-12-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Gonna try to make these at home as part of a larger tapas menu.

1/3lb each ground beef, lamb, pork , or veal (total 1lb)
Small onion - finely chopped
3 garlic cloves - finely minced
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves (optional)
1 oz dried breadcrumbs
1 egg - beaten
1 Tbsp single cream (light cream)
1/2 tsp ground sea salt
freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil

*Sauce:
Can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves - finely minced
1/2 small onion - finely chopped
1/2 tsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1 bay leaf
ground sea salt

1. Combine the breadcrumbs, cream, and beaten egg in a bowl. Leave for about 10-15 minutes until the breadcrumbs has softened and absorbed the liquid.
Add in the meats, lemon, onion, garlic, parsley, nutmeg, cloves, salt and pepper. Mix well.
2. Form into 1-inch sized balls, and pan fry in batches in a pot with hot olive oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides.
3. *For the sauce: briefly saute the onion and garlic in the same pot where you fried the meatballs. Add the rest of the ingredients including the fried meatballs.
5. Bring to boil then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring from time to time to prevent scorching at the bottom. The sauce should be quite liquid so add more water a little at a time if needed. Serve warm.

Lemon Mushroom Quinoa

2009-08-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

The original recipe uses this mixture to stuff portabellas, but the stuffing part never worked for me. The quinoa though was tasty all by itself. I'll be making it to add to a salad for protein. Probably with arugula, and red peppers.

1/2 cup dry quinoa, washed
1 cup water
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped small.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp dried margoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper, to taste
1 cup vegetable broth or water
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup pecorino romano or similar hard cheese (optional)
1 scant teaspoon lemon zest (a couple of brushes with a grater should do)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Cook quinoa with 1 cup of water in a small pot, bring to a boil then cover and simmer over low heat until soft, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Heat olive oil in medium sauce pan low-medium heat, add onions and mushrooms, saute onions until translucent (3-5 minutes).

Add garlic, salt, black pepper, thyme and marjoram, saute until the garlic if fragrant (about 2 minutes).

Add vegetable broth, turn heat up to medium, let simmer 5 minutes.

Add cheese and parsley, stir until all cheese is absorbed, add lemon juice and lemon zest.

Orecchiette,Sausage and Brocolli Rabe

2009-08-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

I am cheating on my diet and eating pasta. Why? because I miss it and ahve some brocolli rabe thats about to become useless... I promise not to like it too much

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons salt

3 bunches broccoli rabe, about 1 1/2 pounds, coarsely chopped

10 ounces orecchiette (preferably Rustichella brand)

3 hot Italian sausage links, about 1 pound

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano

1/2 lemon

1 1/2 tablespoons very crunchy toasted breadcrumbs (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS: Bring a large pot of water to a boil with the salt. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Return the same pot of water to a boil, add the orecchiette and cook for 10 minutes, or until slightly undercooked. Drain, reserving the cooking water.

Split the sausages lengthwise down the middle and remove from their casings.

Heat the olive oil in a high-rimmed skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage meat, breaking it up as finely as possible. Add the broccoli and continue cooking and stirring until the broccoli breaks down to a saucelike texture.

Add the chicken stock and orecchiette. Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, being careful it doesn't stick. You may have to keep adding a little pasta water, additional stock or tap water until the pasta is soft yet chewy (al dente), making sure not to overcook it.

Finish the pasta by folding in the cheese, a few squeezes of lemon juice and the optional breadcrumbs.

Serves 4-6

Salmon and Lentils with Mustard Herb Butter

2009-06-23T15:48:00.001-07:00

For mustard-herb butter

* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1 tablespoon chopped chives
* 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
* 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For lentils

* 1 cup French green lentils
* 4 cups water
* 2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1/2 to 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For salmon

* 4 (6-ounce) pieces skinless salmon fillet
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Make mustard-herb butter:
Stir together all ingredients with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Cook lentils:
Bring lentils, water, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain lentils.

While lentils cook, chop leeks, then wash . Cook leeks in butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add lentils with reserved cooking liquid to leeks along with 3 tablespoons mustard-herb butter and cook, stirring, until lentils are heated through and butter is melted. Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.

Sauté salmon while leeks cook:
Pat salmon dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total).

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then sauté salmon, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Serve salmon, topped with remaining mustard-herb butter, over lentils.

Cooks' notes: ·Mustard-herb butter can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Soften at room temperature before using (1 hour).
·Lentils can be cooked (but not drained) 1 day ahead and chilled in cooking liquid, covered (once cool).

Fennel Mashed Potatoes

2009-05-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

The fennel cuts the starch and makes for a nice flavor in the mashed potatoes. We run the fennel through the food processor, but not the potatoes. Hand mash those.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered, cored, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 cup (or more) half and half

Prep

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced fennel bulb and crushed fennel seeds and stir to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until fennel is tender but not brown, stirring often, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Place potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pan; cook over medium heat until no liquid remains. Mash potatoes.

Add 1 cup half and half to fennel mixture and bring to simmer. Working in 2 batches, add fennel mixture to potatoes; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over medium heat, adding more half and half as needed if dry.)

Man Quiche

2009-05-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

sigh....... someone else was supposed to post

Man Quiche

Sometimes you need to use up a buncha eggs. This recipe uses 6 instead of the usual 4. And doesn't want a bunch of cream that you already don't have. Also, because nobody can post a recipe to the internets that they stole from other internets without changing it in some way, I added more bacon. And also 1/8 t. whole cumin seed, toasted. Because the crazy cat lady thinks it smells like sweaty balls.

1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
10 slices of crisp bacon, drained & crumbled
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup of half & half, light cream or milk
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of cumin seed, toasted in a skillet

Put bacon and cheese in the pie shell. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over bacon and cheese mixture. Bake at 375ºF. for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Gnocchi and Asparagus in Basil Mint Pesto

2009-05-12T17:40:00.001-07:00

from the post punk kitchen (a perfectly good website, just remember to un-vegan the recipes which need real cheese)

Ingredients
1 lb gnocchi
Bunch of asparagus (about 30)
3/4 cup Basil Mint Pesto
1 red onion, sliced in thin half moons
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cups white wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh black pepper
4 plum tomatoes diced

Directions
Boil the gnocchi in a big pot just until it floats to the top, drain and rinse with cold water (to prevent sticking).

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus about 2 inches from the tip and set aside.

Heat the olive oil on medium heat in your largest non stick pan, when hot add the onions and saute two minutes, add asparagus and saute 2 minutes, add garlic salt and fresh pepper to taste, and saute 2 minutes. Add white wine and turn heat up, saute veggies for 2 minutes more. Add gnocchi and toss around with the veggies. Coat everything with pesto, cooking only a minute more. Serve in dinner bowls, topped with the diced tomatoes.

Basil Mint Pesto

Ingredients
2 cups basil leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup walnut halves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup grated romano cheese!
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Toast the walnuts in a toaster oven for 5 minutes, or on a baking sheet in a conventional oven for 10 minutes, turning once.

Combine the basil mint and oil in a blender until smooth. Add the toasted walnuts and garlic and blend until pureed. Add the lemon juice, cheese! and salt and blend once more. It's now ready to be used or stored in the fridge in an air tight container.

Fava Beans

2009-05-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

apparently are in season...I will try one or both of these recipes next week when we get our delivery

Pasta with Fresh Fava Bean Sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1-1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked, peeled fava beans
3/4 pound dried fettuccine
4 oz. piece pecorino cheese or Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Stir in the oregano, then add 1 cup of the stock. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and add 1-1/2 cups of the fava beans. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes.

2. Scrape into a blender container and puree with the remaining 1/2 cup stock until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and add the remaining 1/2 cup favas. Simmer gently and taste for seasoning. Add salt and especially pepper.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl and add the sauce. Toss well and thin with the pasta water, if necessary, until the sauce is glossy and not sticky. Serve immediately and grate the cheese over the top at the table.

4. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the pasta. Just before serving, ladle a little hot pasta water into the bowl for a couple minutes to warm it up. Drain the water before filling the bowl with the pasta.

Scafata (Umbrian Fava Bean Stew)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup shelled fava beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped fennel
1 1/2 cups chopped chard leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled tomatoes
salt, pepper

1. Cook oil, beans, onion, fennel, carrot and chard over low heat in medium saucepan.

2. When beans are quite tender, after about 45 minutes, add tomatoes and cook for another 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Source: La Cucina Delle Regioni D'Italia: Umbria, by Antonella Santolini

Simple Cooking Night

2009-04-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

I'm in charge of salads and cocktails....

the salad first-

Pea, Radish, and Arugula Salad

1 cup shell peas
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup soybean oil
1-2 sprigs thyme leaves
salt
pepper
1 bunch arugula
2-3 radishes, sliced thinly

Blanch peas in a large pot of boiling, salty water. Cook until just done, then strain. For the dressing, combine buttermilk and lemon juice in blender. Slowly drizzle in oil. Add thyme, salt, and pepper to taste. In a separate bowl, combine arugula, peas, and radishes. Toss with dressing.

and about the cocktails..

Bloody Martini (blood orange martini)

juice of 1 small blood orange (freshly squeezed)

1 shot gin - usually Hendricks, but it can tolerate a sturdier gin

1/2 shot Aperol

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake and serve up, garnish with zest from orange

I'll probably try out my Manhattan with pomegranate foam, but can't post the recipe until i figure it out.

Lemon Aioli

2009-03-31T15:11:00.001-07:00

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

10 cloves garlic, center removed
1 teaspoon salt
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons water
4 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 4/5 cup light olive oil

Preparation:

Bring water in a double-boiler pan to a simmer. Puree garlic, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice, water, egg yolks, and mustard in a blender. Scrape contents of blender into the top of double boiler and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture tests 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, set mixture aside and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour oil into the garlic mixture in a slow, steady stream, while whisking constantly. Chill and use within 24 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

minted couscous with currants

2009-03-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

from Epicurious

Ingredients

2 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3 cups couscous
1/2 cup dried currants
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

Bring broth and butter to boil in medium saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in couscous. Cover, let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Transfer to bowl. Add currants, pine nuts, green onions, mint and dill; stir to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Kneadless Bread Recipe

2009-03-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

from npr.org

haven't made this yet.....will report back after experimenting

Makes 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 slices.

4 cups (20 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour or white bread flour, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons table salt

3/4 teaspoon instant, fast-rising or bread-machine yeast

2 cups ice water, plus more if needed

Corn oil, canola oil or other flavorless vegetable oil or oil spray for coating dough

First Rise: In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Vigorously stir the water into the bowl, scraping down the sides and mixing until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, stir in more water, a bit at a time, just enough to blend the ingredients. Don't over-moisten; the dough should be very stiff. If necessary, stir in enough more flour to yield a hard-to-stir dough. Brush or spray the top with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for three to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 18 to 24 hours. If convenient, vigorously stir the dough once about halfway through the rise.

Second Rise: Using an oiled rubber spatula, gently lift and fold the dough in toward the center, all the way around, until mostly deflated; don't stir. Brush or spray the surface with oil. Re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap that has been coated with nonstick spray. Let rise using any of these methods: for a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate, covered, for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough doubles from the deflated size; remove the plastic if the dough nears it.

Baking Preliminaries: 20 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees. Heat a 3 1/2- to 4-quart (or larger) heavy metal pot or Dutch oven in the oven until sizzling hot (test with a few drops of water), then remove it, using heavy mitts. Taking care not to deflate the dough (or burn yourself), loosen it from the bowl sides with an oiled rubber spatula and gently invert it into the pot. Don't worry if it's lopsided and ragged-looking; it will even out during baking. Generously spritz or brush the top with water. Immediately top with the lid. Shake the pot back and forth to center the dough.

Baking: Bake on the lower rack for 55 minutes. Remove the lid. Reduce the heat to 425 degrees. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the top is well browned and a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few crumbs on the tip (or until center registers 209 to 212 degrees on an instant-read thermometer). When it seems done, bake 5 minutes longer to ensure the center is baked through. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the loaf to the rack and cool thoroughly.

Serving And Storing: Cut or tear the loaf into portions; it tastes good warm but will cut much better when cool. Cool completely before storing. To maintain the crisp crust, store draped with a clean tea towel or in a heavy paper bag. Or store airtight in a plastic bag or wrapped in foil: The crust will soften, but can be crisped by heating the loaf, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes. The bread will keep at room temperature for three days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to two months.

VARIATION: Crusty Rosemary And Olive Pot Bread — Stir 1 cup pitted, coarsely chopped kalamata olives (well drained) and 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh (not dried) rosemary needles (discard the stems) into the dough along with the water. Proceed exactly as directed in the original recipe.

Comfort Food

2009-03-10T16:11:00.001-07:00

Turkey Tetrazzini

I have no idea why this registers so strongly as comfort food. I barely remember my mom making it. But I had some leftover Thanksgiving turkey in the freezer staring at me

10 oz. mushrooms, sliced thin about 4 cups
5 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 3/4 c. milk
2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. dry white wine
10 oz. spaghetti
3 c. coarsely chopped cooked turkey
1 c. cooked peas
2/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 c. fine fresh bread crumbs

In a large heavy saucepan cook the mushrooms in 1/4 cup of butter over moderate heat, stirring until most of the liquid they give off has evaporated. Stir in the flour and cook the mixture over low heat, stirring for 3 minutes. Add in a stream (that is pour slowly) of milk, the broth, the wine, stirring bring the mixture to a boil, stirring and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. In a pot of boiling, salted water cook the spaghetti until it is al dente (cooked) and drain it well. In a large bowl combine well spaghetti, the mushroom sauce, the turkey, the peas, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, and transfer the mixture to a buttered shallow 3-quart casserole. In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/3 cup of Parmesan, the bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the mixture over the tetrazzini and dot the top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, cut it into bits. Bake in 375 degrees F. oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

Moroccan Lentil Soup Recipe

2009-03-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Not authentic moroccan (garam masala) This is a soup I often make when I don't feel like eating the meats. Serve with minted couscous with pine nuts and currants.

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
6 cups water
1 cup red lentils
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS -

In large pot saute the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft.
Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy

NOTES -
I don't actually ever use the garam masala (its an Indian spice combo, btw) but dry roast the following seeds on the stove in a frying pan, then grind with a mortar and pestle

mustard seed
cumin seed
fenugreek
cloves
cardamon pods

Throw em in a frying pan on med heat until the mustard seeds start dancing.

CrockPot Chicken, Squash, and Chickpeas

2009-02-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

This is a mashup of several different recipes I threw together to use up stuff in my house
I have a tiny crock pot, so it makes 1-2 servings

-1 chx leg (thigh+drumstick)
- 1/2 acorn squash, peeled seeded and cut into 1in pieces
- 3/4 red onion, cut into 3/4in sections
- Navel orange, cut into 1/4slices, then 4ths
-4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup chickpeas, quick soaked
- about 8 fresh sage leaves
-cinnamon stick, whole
- 1/2 tsp dry thyme
- toasted cumin and mustard seeds, pan toasted and coarsely ground
- dash a cayenne
- olive oil, salt, pepper to taste

Threw all this in a crockpot and let it cook overnight on low... think I put a little dry vermouth on top to wet the spices a little. The spices smell delicious, we'll see tomorrow morn if my experiment worked.

UPDATE - Too much orange rind made it a tad too bitter. I added some dried cherries for sweetness and color and the rest of the ground cumin and mustard seeds to give it more spice.

Next time - The sage didn't add much, may sub some parsley. Also cut the squash in bigger pieces so it's recognizeable after slow cooking. Probably make a more interesting cooking fluid with saffron and chx broth. Half the oranges and sub some juice or leave them out entirely..

..make orange teeth with the rinds watch tutorial (thanx Mr W)

Buttermilk Scones with Fruit

2008-12-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

Scones:

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 salted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbls cream
fruits and or nuts ~1 cup or savory flavors

Preheat oven to 400. Sift all dry ingredients together. Cut butter into dry ingredients and work with hands until the mixture resembles corn meal. Add about 2/3 of the buttermilk and any fruits/nuts desired then stir as little as possible. Add the remaining buttermilk only if needed. The dough can get very wet depending on the fruit. Work with as wet of dough as you are comfortable, it makes for moist scones.

Gently roll out dough to a large round slab about 1in thick. Cut into 16 'pie pieces' and cut in half again if scones are too big. Place on cookie sheet. Use pastry brush to brush tops of scones with heavy cream.

Cook for approx 15min or until the edges are golden brown. Again, it depends on what filings were added.

FILLINGS- I use whatever is in season, experiment with what works
-Fresh Apples and Walnuts, sometime small chunks of ginger
-Fresh Strawberries and Bananas
-Fresh Plums and Pears
-Fresh Cherries!
-Reconstitute Dry apricots with Amaretto overnight, drain and add pecans

-Savory fillings - Bacon Cheddar and fresh sage

More recipes to try

2008-10-12T10:09:00.001-07:00

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmigiano-Reggiano

This recipe is excellent. Great when you have vegetarian guests. Just make sure you start it early enough so the squashes cool enough to handle.

INGREDIENTS

1 large spaghetti squash (about 5 pounds)
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Brush flesh with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place squash, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and roast until fork tender, about 50 minutes.
Remove squash from oven and let sit at room temperature until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Scrape flesh with a fork to make long squash strands; set aside.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until oil shimmers, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and shallot, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until softened and lightly brown, about 3 minutes.
Add squash, toss with tongs to coat thoroughly, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add cheese one handful at a time while tossing squash to evenly coat. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and extra cheese.

Dinner Tonight

2008-10-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Roasted Pomegranate Chicken

A good basic roasted chicken recipe with or without the pomegranate syrup. Optionally add chopped mint and walnuts to the pomegranate sauce at the end

4 SERVINGS

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) chicken, quartered
1 pomegranate, halved
1/4 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a cup, mix oil and garlic. Brush garlic oil over chicken.

2. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle any remaining oil over chicken. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, basting several times with pan juices, until skin is browned and juices run clear when a thigh is pierced at thickest part with a fork.

3. Remove 1 tablespoon seeds from pomegranate. Set aside for garnish. Squeeze juice form remaining pomegranate through a sieve into a small bowl.

4. In a small nonreactive saucepan, mix pomegranate juice, wine, lemon juice, and cinnamon sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Transfer roasted chicken to a serving platter and pierce each piece several times. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve at room temperature.

Grapefruit with Pomegranate Molasses, Almonds and Mint

2008-09-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

recreated from a dish I had at Cesar in Piedmont the other morning

(makes 4)

3 large grapefruits
roughly 4 Tablespoons Pomegranate Molasses (purchase at Middle Eastern Grocery)
toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup mint leaves , sliced roughly

Peel both the rinds and the bitter skins from the grapefruit, using just the pulpy meat. This takes much of the bitterness out of the grapefruit. Place in serving bowls. Top with almond slivers and mint leaves, then drizzle molasses on top.

Simple and yummy! (I totally need to get my camera back for pictures)

On Pomegranate Molasses - this is one of my secret weapons. It is slightly sweet with a nice tart finish that adds a unique flavor to foods and cocktails! With the overabundance of cheap pomegranate flavors out there, this is the only one I use.

Herbed Chicken Breasts with Olive Parmesan Crust

2008-09-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

recipe from Wine Club:

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6-7oz each) , trimmed of excess fat
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs whole grain mustard
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups toasted breadcrumbs
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed, patted dry and chopped
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano
3 Tbls chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes (about 3 large tomato halves, pat dry before chopping)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
**NOTE - I find you can halve the breadcrumb recipe and still have leftover - freeze it and use for other quick dinners

Heat the oven to 450F (if cooking right away) Put a flat rack on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. With a meat pounder or a heavy skillet, lightly pound the chicken between two sheets fo plastic wrap to even out the thickness of the breasts.

In a large bowl, mix the oil and mustard with half of the thyme, half of the rosemary, and the salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat well. You can proceed directly to coating the chiken breasts with crumbs, or let them marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Put the breadcrumbs in a large shallow dish and toss with the olives, Parmigiano, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining thyme and rosemary. Working with one piece at a time, tranfer the chicken to teh dish of crumbs, scoop some crumbs on top and press well a couple of times so the crumbs adhere to both sides(these crumbs will be a little wet, so really press them on) Transfer to the rack of the baking sheet.

Bake the chicken until its firm to the touch and registers 165F on an instant read thermometer, about 20 mins. Serve immediately with the lemon wedges for squeezing over the chicken.

because all great culinary adventures start with good cocktails......

2008-09-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

the Stepford Wife Cocktail - (a modified Negroni)

1 shot of gin (I use Tanqueray)
juice of 1/2 grapefruit (freshly squeezed)
1 capful of Campari bitters
1 capful of Blood Orange Bitters (made by Stirrings)

a note on the blood orange bitters - as bitters, this concoction is suspect as it is awfully sweet and more liquer-like than bitters, but does add a nice spice and top note to the ultimate fembot cocktail.

Shake in cocktail shaker and serve in chilled cocktail glass, garnish with lemon zest swirl

photos on the way