Thursday, October 28, 2010

Butternut squash soup


Labriola Bakery offers a butternut squash soup that is delicious! This is my interpretation that is as good or BETTER:

Take one large, cooked butternut (OR ACORN) squash (halve it, turn it upside down & put it in a roasting pan set in a 1/2" water bath for approx. one hour (or more, if it's large) @350 until tender - cool the squash a little bit, scoop it out right onto any cooking liquid and set it aside.

In a large saucepan or small pot, saute 1/2 cup grated onion & ,1 c. peeled, grated apple in 4 Tblsp. butter - stir & cook (med/low heat) until translucent & tender, being careful not to let it get brown- approx. 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.

To the onion in the pot, add the cooked squash, 1 Tblsp. chicken or vegetable 'base' (like buillion) and 1 cup water.  Season with 1 tsp. ginger and 1 tsp. cinnamon.  Add a shake of cayenne if you like a little heat. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 30-45 minutes.   With an immersion blender, puree the mixture. If you don't have an immersion blender (BUY one - they're wonderful!!), put the mixture in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, 1 T. brown sugar and 1 Tblsp. butter and continue to heat (on low- this will scorch easily!) and stir for another 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. For you purists, use white pepper instead (but in a smaller amount... warning: it's HOTTER than black pepper) to keep the color of the soup free of black speckles. 


This soup is heavenly served plain but it's also good with buttery, garlicky croutons (Labriola serves it that way) on top.




Battuto


In Italian, 'battuto' (translates as 'beaten') is a combination of finely chopped aromatics, sometimes including a meat (pancetta, bacon, prosciutto) that have been sauteed briefly in olive oil. It's served alongside or over grilled, broiled or sauteed meat, poultry or fish or added to cooked vegetables or piled on bread! Battuto makes an ordinary dish EXTRAordinary!

In a pan, heat 4 Tblsp. olive oil until hot & add FINELY DICED vegetables - if you decide to use meat, add it first (1/2 cup) and cook for a while until cooked or heated through:
2 cups onions
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
1 cup parsley
8 cloves garlic

Saute over medium heat until vegetables are soft & translucent but not mushy.
Season with salt & pepper.

I'm planning to grill (ordinary) seasoned sirloin steaks tonight that'll be topped with battuto for an added zing!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Beans and rice


In a medium sized stockpot or dutch oven over med. heat, add 1/4 cup olive oil- heat & add a large chopped white onion, 4-6 long stalks of chopped celery, a large chopped green pepper & 6 cloves of chopped garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent. Add 4 large chopped tomatoes, a 12 oz. can of tomato sauce, 1/2 cup tomato paste & 1-1/2 cups water - add seasonings (salt & fresh ground pepper, 2 tsps. of fresh chopped thyme, several tsps. of fresh chopped basil, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/4 tsp. ground cumin, 1/4 tsp. cayenne or more, depending on your heat preference). Simmer for a half hour, stirring now and then. To the tomato sauce, add 2 cups of cooked black beans, 4-6 cups of cooked pinto and/or red beans and simmer another half hour. Season with more S&P to taste.

Cook white or brown rice - spoon beans over rice.

'Cookies & Cream' brownies


Heat the oven to 350 degrees & grease a 10 x 15" jelly roll pan. (If you want to use a 9 x 13" pan, grease it and cut the recipe ingredients in half.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients and mix well:

1-1/2 cups melted butter
2 Tblsp. vegetable oil
2-3/4 cups sugar
3 Tblsp. water
2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
2-1/4 cups flour

After the batter is mixed, add 1-1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips and 2 cups crushed "Chocolate cream sandwich" ****ahem**** cookies

Spread evenly in the pan and then top batter with another 2 cups crushed cookies.

Bake for 20-25 minutes - test with a toothpick to make sure the center is done, but don't overbake! :)

Brownie cheesecake bars


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & grease a 9 x 13" pan.

Mix brownie ingredients together thoroughly and spread evenly in the pan:

2/3 cup softened butter
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 Tblsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
stir in 2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

For topping, mix all ingredients together & spread over brownie base:

12 oz. softened cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until cheesecake topping is set. Don't overbake! Cool completely on wire rack, cut into bars.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Cream of Potato soup



This is what's cooking today:

In a large stockpot, heat 2 Tblsp. butter and 1 Tblsp. vegetable oil.
Over medium heat, saute:
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
1-1/2 cups diced carrots ---
(Today when I made this, I grated the carrots, onions & celery)
Cover and saute until wilted, not browned.
Add 8 slices of fried, drained and chopped bacon.

To the vegetables, add:
10 cups chicken (OR vegetable) stock
Bring to a boil. Lower to med-low and simmer - COVERED - for 1/2 hour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a couple Tblsp. chopped parsley.

In another pot, place 8 medium peeled & diced potatoes (doesn't matter what kind) and bring to a boil - simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are nearly cooked. Drain & carefully add the potatoes to the stockpot. Simmer for 15 minutes, keeping the heat on medium-low.

Keeping the heat on low, add 2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream), stirring to heat, but NOT boil! Taste - add more S&P if needed.

If you're happy with the thickness of the soup, leave it the way it is. If you like a thicker soup, add (a Tblsp. at a time, whisking constantly to prevent clumping) instant mashed potatoes. It works a LOT better than making a flour/cornstarch thickening paste and tastes much better too! Thicken as little or as much as you like.

Now's the time to add cheese if you like a cheesy potato soup. Grate as little or as much colby/jack cheese as you like, and add to the soup, stirring constantly and keeping the heat LOW to prevent sticking/scorching. Here's a tip: If you really like a smoky/bacon flavor but do not want to ADD bacon (or just don't have any on hand), grate smoked Gouda cheese and add a half cup or so to the soup. It will TASTE as though there's bacon in the soup even if there isn't any! Be creative - use chopped ham or whatever else sounds good to you. Serve in bowls and have shredded cheese on hand to sprinkle on top.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Country white bread


In a glass bowl, add 1 c. lukewarm water, 1 tsp. sugar & mix in 4 tsps. dry yeast until dissolved. Let sit 5 minutes, until yeast begins to activate.

While yeast is proofing, melt 4 Tblsp. butter in a bowl, add 2 cups of warmed milk combined with 4 Tblsp. honey. Add to the yeast mixture and stir.

In a large bowl, combine the liquids with 3-4 cups white flour (bread flour is best because of the gluten content) and 1 heaping tsp. salt - stir well. Continue adding flour (a BIT at a time) until a workable dough is formed. Turn onto a floured board and continue to knead 5-10 minutes until a semi-firm (but not TOO sticky or firm) dough is produced.

Put dough into a greased bowl (stoneware or pyrex) and cover loosely with a towel. Put in a draft free place and let rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and divide in 2 equal parts. Form each part into a loaf size (rolling & folding seams under) - place each pc. into a greased aluminum loaf pan (glass pans are AWFUL for bread baking- and darkened teflon pans aren't much better!). Cover loosely with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size, approx. 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the loaves in the oven and bake approx. 40-45 minutes until crust is golden... remove from oven & carefully remove a loaf of bread from a pan - tap the bottom of the loaf - if it sounds hollow, it's done. If it looks like it needs more baking time, put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

Pulled pork


Take 6# boneless pork (I used lean, boneless country ribs but a boneless roast is fine) - rub with olive oil and spread with a mixture of seasonings:salt, fresh ground black pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, seasoned salt, cumin powder.
Put the seasoned pork in a greased 9x13" pan. Crush/mince 4 cloves of garlic, slice a large white onion (2+ cups) and scatter over the pork. Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.... OR toss the meat on a hot BBQ grill and cook the meat for several minutes on each side (making a golden crust & being careful not to burn it) - then bake the meat/onions/garlic in a pan as stated above.

Remove from the oven & in a bowl, mix together & pour over the pork: 1 cup ginger ale, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup catsup, 4 Tblsp. worcestershire sauce & 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (home made or bottled - I used Jack Daniels brand). Cover pan tightly, return to oven & bake @325 degrees for 2-1/2 - 3 hours until pork is ultra tender. Uncover and mash pork with a potato masher or pull it apart with forks. If you like it 'saucier', add more sauce before serving.




Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Meat Loaf (1)


What's a more retro dinner than meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy & green beans?? It's the quintessential cafeteria meal!!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

For the meatloaf: mix together in a large bowl:
1 lb. ground veal
1 lb. ground pork
3-4 lbs. ground round
1 LARGE grated white onion
2 cloves crushed, minced garlic
2 large grated carrots
1 grated green pepper
2-3 stalks celery, grated
1 cup breadcrumbs
3 large eggs
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
few tblsp. fresh (or dried) parsley
season heavily with salt & pepper; add a dash of cayenne

Form into a rectangle & place in a greased 9x13" pan
Chop up 4-6 slices of bacon (raw) and scatter over the meat.
Bake uncovered for 2 hours - drain & serve with or without gravy

Monday, October 11, 2010

Chili lime chicken



FAST & EASY - this is great for weeknights when you do NOT feel like cooking!!

Take 2 large (or 4 small) boneless, skinless chicken breasts & pound them until they're uniform in thickness.

Make a rub (this is up to you - don't be afraid to go BOLD): chili powder, cumin, cayenne, thyme, garlic powder, salt, freshly ground pepper - sprinkle over chicken & rub into meat. Set aside while pan's heating.

In a large pan, heat 4 T. olive oil & 1 T. butter until very hot (but not smoking!) - place the chicken in the pan & fry for several minutes - turn pcs. over and cook until they're done. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken - press into the thickest part of the chicken & if the juices run clear, it's done. Squeeze the juice of 3 limes over the chicken to deglaze pan, turn chicken over & swirl around in pan juices before serving. Season with salt & pepper.

No matter how I turned the plate, the chicken wound up looking like fish! ha! I suppose you could easily make this using fish too! :-)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Oatmeal raisin cookies



Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, mix well:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
Beat for 5 minutes until fluffy.
Continue mixing in:
2 eggs
1 teasp. vanilla extract

In another bowl, mix dry ingredients:
1/2 c. BREAD flour (gluten content makes them chewier)
2 cups white flour
3 cups rolled oats
1 teasp. baking powder
1 teasp. baking soda
1 teasp. ground cinnamon

Combine dry ingredients with butter mixture, mixing well. Add 2 cups raisins. (You can also add dried cranberries, chopped nuts, chocolate chips.....) Blend everything together.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment lined baking sheets, leaving at least an inch between cookies (around 12 per sheet). Flatten slightly and if you like, sprinkle the tops lightly with cinnamon sugar (I do that!).

Bake for 13-15 minutes until edges of cookies are golden. Cool completely.

Pumpkin Scones


Heat oven to 375 degrees. Refer to basic scone making techniques if you've never made them before.
In a large bowl, add & mix well:
2 cups flour + 2 Tblsp.
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. bkg. soda
2 tsp. bkg. powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Cut in 1/2 cup COLD, chopped butter (pastry blender) & mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine:
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1 egg yolk (save white)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
Stir together until well-mixed. Add to flour mixture & quickly blend together until everything's incorporated, being careful not to over mix dough!

On a well-floured surface, dump dough out & divide in half. Pat each half into a disc, approx. 6" round, and less than an inch high. With a floured, sharp knife, cut each disc into 8 wedges - put 8 wedges on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving an inch between pieces.

At this point, you can beat the egg white, brush lightly on top of each scone wedge & sprinkle with cinnamon sugar - OR leave them plain (as I did) to frost after they're baked & cooled.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven & cool.

Make a cream cheese icing (1 T. soft butter, 4 T. soft cream cheese, 1/2 tsp. vanilla & enough powdered sugar to make it spreadable.) Spread over cooled scones.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Oatmeal Bread




In a


small bowl, add 1/3 c. warm water, 2 Tblsp. dry yeast & a pinch of sugar - stir to dissolve; yeast will be activated when it becomes foamy.

In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cup rolled oats, 2 tblsp. molasses, 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup butter (cut into small pcs.) 1 Tblsp. salt.

In a small saucepan or glass bowl (microwave), heat 1-1/2 cups milk until warmed. Pour the milk over the oat mixture & stir well - add the foamy yeast mixture and stir until completely mixed.

Slowly, add 4-1/2 cups bread flour, a little at a time, mixing well until the dough is soft. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth & elastic. You can do this by hand or with a heavy duty mixer (Kitchen Aid).

Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, around an hour. Divide dough in half; shape into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans - cover with a cloth & let rise again, until doubled in bulk, approx. 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees - Mix 1 Tblsp. molasses with 2 teasp. water (for glaze). Gently brush glaze over the tops of bread - then sprinkle each with a few Tblsp. rolled oats.

Bake loaves for 40-45 minutes, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from pans, cool on wire racks. Oatmeal bread is divine when toasted!!!

Oatmeal Bread



BREAD BAKING

If you've never made yeast bread/dough from scratch, you might want to read up on the subject first. Find a good, basic cookbook (Good Housekeeping, Pillsbury, Better Homes & Gardens) and study the technique until you understand the concept. You may even want to watch a couple YouTube videos. I'll post bread ( & sweet roll) recipes occasionally but will be brief in explaining anything other than the basic recipe, and it may not make sense to you if you've never worked with yeast dough. Baking bread might not be the quickest & easiest thing to make, but it's definitely the most delicious & therapeutic ( !!! ) and well worth your time!!!

This website might be helpful too: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/04/homemade-bread-cheap-delicious-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Italian lemon knots




Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream together:
1/2 C. (1 stick) soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teasp. lemon extract OR fresh lemon juice
Beat in:
3 eggs
Slowly mix in:
3 teasp. baking powder
3 cups flour

Batter will be soft. Using a Tblsp. of dough for each cookie, quickly roll them into small cigar-shaped logs, approx. 4" long and slip them into a little knot shaped (it's ok if they're not perfect! Lightly flour your hands (if needed) to make it easier to roll them. Place the knots onto cookie sheets that have been greased or sprayed with non-stick spray. If you do NOT want to take the time to make knots, take heaping Tblsp. of dough, gently roll into balls & place on baking sheets. Leave an inch or so between cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are barely golden. Remove from oven and cool before frosting.

After cookies are cooled, make an icing using:
2 Tblsp. soft butter
3 Cups powdered sugar
fresh lemon juice - enough to make a spreadable icing (without being TOO runny)
I brush the icing on with a pastry brush & scatter with seasonal sprinkles occasionally.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Herbed Parmesan Chicken


4-6 hours before cooking time, in a large bowl, combine:

1 C. light OR heavy cream mixed with 4 Tblsp. lemon juice
salt, ground pepper (liberal amt. of pepper)
few shakes of cayenne powder
few cloves of crushed/minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dried thyme

Add 10-12 pcs. of cut up chicken (skin removed) to the bowl & stir to coat. Refrigerate & stir every hour.

When ready to cook chicken heat oven to 350 degrees.

Get another mixing bowl & add to it:
2 cups coarse dried sourdough breadcrumbs (or Panko)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teasp. garlic powder
1/2 teasp. dried oregano
1/2 teasp. dried basil
1/4 teasp. dried thyme
salt & freshly ground pepper

Grease a large baking sheet and take pcs. of chicken from the marinade one at a time, dip into crumb mixture & place on baking pan, leaving some space between pcs.
Melt 3 Tblsp. butter and drizzle over the top of the chicken - sprinkle with paprika and bake until chicken is lightly golden-brown, approx. 1 hour for average sized pcs. (like legs), if they're larger sized pcs, leave them in the oven a little longer. Test by pressing down on the chicken to make sure the juices run CLEAR. If it's pinkish, it needs to cook longer.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Top Chefs use these interesting ingredients:

http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2010/08/chefs-secret-ingredients.html?mbid=synd_yshopping

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Mediterranean Cod


I used a package of frozen (& thawed) cod (from Trader Joe's - the quality & taste of their frozen fish is outstanding!) for this quick & easy dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a lightly greased aluminum baking pan, place fish so that it's not touching or overlapping.
Smear pulverized garlic over fish (just a clove or 2).
Drizzle with several Tblsp. olive oil & then squeeze a fresh, cut lemon evenly over fish (1/4 cup)
Sprinkle liberally (& evenly) with the following seasonings (to taste):
fresh ground pepper
sea salt OR kosher salt
oregano
marjoram
thyme
dash of cayenne (ground red pepper)
freshly minced parsley
paprika

Bake for 10 minutes @400 degrees, then immediately put the broiler on - remove pan from the oven and put the fish under the broiler for just a minute or 2, just until the top crisps up a bit.

This works really well with most fish, so experiment with your favorite fish & add/subtract your favorite seasonings.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Couscous side dish


In a saucepan (1-2 qt), add 2 Tblsp. olive oil. Heat & add 1/2 cup chopped onion & 4-6 minced cloves of garlic, depending on how garlicky you like things. Stir now & then, making sure it doesn't burn - once it's cooked & translucent, add:
1-1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 c. (thawed) frozen or fresh peas
1/4 c. minced roasted red pepper
6 minced dried apricots
1/4 tsp. Trader Joe's 21-season salute (a GREAT blend!) you can use a seasoned salt but .....
freshly ground pepper (liberal amount)
several shakes (spiciness to taste) of ground cayenne

Raise heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup of couscous to pot, stir & then remove from heat. Cover and let it sit 5-10 minutes. Stir and serve immediately or chill and enjoy it cooled off. It was a tasty side dish last night served with heavily seasoned & oiled grilled sirloin steaks.