Albondigas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.