Monday, March 31, 2014
Smoked Fish Pie
Dear me, I havent been cooking lately, have I? I didnt even make this; my mom did. Its Akiwenzies Smoked Fish Pie from "Good Food For All" by Joshna Maharaj of The Stop. My excuse is that I had no kitchen sink (well, okay, the sink was there but the taps were gone) for much of last week. The good news was I finally figured out where the bad smell in the kitchen was coming from. The bad news was that I stuck my head under the sink to look for something, and oh, dear. Anyway. I now have a nice, new and hopefully much sturdier, leak-free kitchen tap thanks to Mr. Ferdzys strenuous efforts.
Mom made this pretty much by the recipe, although I suspect she might have cut down the butter a bit; thats what I tend to do and I got that trick from her originally, soooo....! Mind you, she certainly left in enough for this to be very rich and delicious.
Make 4 to 6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 45 minutes prep time
1 kg (2 pounds) potatoes
1/2 cup unsalted butter
salt & pepper
4 large eggs
1 kg (2 pounds) smoked fish
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup soft unbleached flour
3 cups milk
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Wash and trim the potatoes, and cut them in chunks. Put them in a pot with water to cover and boil for about 10 minutes, until tender.
Drain the potatoes and rinse in cold water. Cool enough to handle, then peel the potatoes. (Or dont. If I had been making this, I wouldnt have bothered.) At any rate, then mash the potatoes with the first quantity of butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Again, if I had been making this I would have used about half the butter and a bit of buttermilk. )
Put the eggs in a pot of water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and leave them covered for 10 minutes. Cool the eggs in cold water, then peel them and cut them into chunks.
In 9" x 13" baking pan or other large casserole dish, arrange the egg pieces and the fish, broken into bite-sized flakes. Sprinkle the parsley over them. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the butter and flour into a saucepan, and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly mix in the milk, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more, until the mixture thickens. Season with salt, pepper and a little scrape of nutmeg. Pour the sauce evenly over the eggs and fish in the casserole.
Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the fish and sauce. Rough up the surface a little with a fork, and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Serve at once.
Last year at this time I made Braised White Beans & Root Vegetables.
Read More..
Mom made this pretty much by the recipe, although I suspect she might have cut down the butter a bit; thats what I tend to do and I got that trick from her originally, soooo....! Mind you, she certainly left in enough for this to be very rich and delicious.
Make 4 to 6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 45 minutes prep time
1 kg (2 pounds) potatoes
1/2 cup unsalted butter
salt & pepper
4 large eggs
1 kg (2 pounds) smoked fish
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup soft unbleached flour
3 cups milk
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
Wash and trim the potatoes, and cut them in chunks. Put them in a pot with water to cover and boil for about 10 minutes, until tender.
Drain the potatoes and rinse in cold water. Cool enough to handle, then peel the potatoes. (Or dont. If I had been making this, I wouldnt have bothered.) At any rate, then mash the potatoes with the first quantity of butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Again, if I had been making this I would have used about half the butter and a bit of buttermilk. )
Put the eggs in a pot of water and bring them to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and leave them covered for 10 minutes. Cool the eggs in cold water, then peel them and cut them into chunks.
In 9" x 13" baking pan or other large casserole dish, arrange the egg pieces and the fish, broken into bite-sized flakes. Sprinkle the parsley over them. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the butter and flour into a saucepan, and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly mix in the milk, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more, until the mixture thickens. Season with salt, pepper and a little scrape of nutmeg. Pour the sauce evenly over the eggs and fish in the casserole.
Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the fish and sauce. Rough up the surface a little with a fork, and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Serve at once.
Last year at this time I made Braised White Beans & Root Vegetables.
Barbecue food safety
Many friends and colleagues have called sick because of the food poisoning and follow with something like "I had a BBQ at the weekend, and I must have been eating properly cooked something".
To be honest I think some of you probably only too drunk, but it is obvious enough of a belief out there that hygiene is a problem with a grill for a real day of work or an apology from cast iron.
In many of the BBQ articles Ive written have I concentrated focused "sizzle is hot, flames arent" the phrase to the need to be patient and the grill flame to control. If however you have yet mastered this point then maybe it is time to withdraw from the contract to purchase a barbecue thermometer?
Why do I need a BBQ Thermometer? Take this barbecue Hamburg example:
Many people assume that when Grilled Hamburger is brown in the Middle it done well is Brown, but according to the USDA Research 1 every 4 hamburger, turns before reaching a safe internal temperature. The internal temperature to 160 ° F before his safe food.
The bacterium which we try is to protect us against e-coli and bacteria, to live on the surface of meat. This is an important and essential to understand because we can happily eat a rare steak without any chance of food poisoning. Unless well cooked the steak on the outside, the bacteria are killed.
This is not the case with a hamburger, but because the burgers from minced meat surface is made could be bacteria everywhere within the hamburger.
The signs and symptoms of food borne disease ranging from upset stomach, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, abdominal cramps and dehydration, severe disease even death, but everything had said, please dont be put off, some hamburgers at your next BBQ Cookout. With a few simple precautions that follow the rules of the basic food hygiene and barbecue food poisoning are a thing of the past.
Use a food thermometer. Instant-read thermometer foods are good for control of the temperature in the direction of end of the cooking time.
(1) The food thermometer in the thickest part of the food be placed and should not affect bone, fat or cartilage.
2. Ensure that clean your food thermometer with hot, soapy water before and after each use!
The other option is a large oven safe or use oven probe dial thermometers and they can be inserted into the flesh and used for the duration of the cooking.
There are many types of food thermometer, it is important to ensure the correct reading the instructions for your food thermometer. If he happy with method of using minimum safe in the USDA recommended internal temperatures to a secure barbeque Cookout ensure.
· Steaks and roasts - 145 ° F
· Fish - 145 ° F
· Pork - 160 ° F
· Ground beef - 160 ° F
· Egg plate - 160 ° F
· Chicken breast - 165 ° F
· Whole poultry - 165 ° F
This is the most important but to do, here are a few other tips help you at your next BBQ food poisoning to avoid.
1. Often wash hands and surfaces. Use warm, soapy water for 20 seconds before and after handling food and wash cutting boards, is prepared after each food
2. Dont cross contaminate, always raw and cooked food separate. Never place food on a plate which previously held raw meat, poultry or fish and seafood cooked.
3. Cool immediately - but cover (e.g. with stretch wrap), if the food is still hot
Cooling or freezing fresh you prepared food and leftovers within 2 hours or sooner.
Be food safe! Prepare with care
Know how prepare, process and store food safely to protect you and your family. Bacteria can to meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products as well as moved or cooked vegetables and fruits grow.
Follow the above mentioned and food poisoning should be a thing of the past. Why not pass this on your employees? Can a significant improvement in Monday morning terms or perhaps just an excuse, you see different under.
Resources for further reading.
Free barbecue recipes - free BBQ Grill recipes & meat smoking, cooking ideas on the ceramic Grill.
Barbecue Grill Guide - Compare electric, gas and coal barbecue grills.
Easy Grill recipes - easy recipes for the smoker Grill with many tips.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie with Praline and Coconut Pecan Crust
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| A slice of vegan pumpkin pie heaven. Chill overnight for best texture. |
Happy October! Good Goddess, I've been busy. Making a delicious mess in my tiny kitchen. Developing new gluten-free dairy-free dessert recipes for the Winter Food Issue of Allergic Living magazine. So I thought I'd dust the cocoa powder off my hands and take a quick break to share two inspirational things today. The first relates to Fall- my updated Favorite Gluten-Free Autumn Recipes index. Peruse at your leisure, ideally with a big mug of spiced hot cider close by.
The second offering had to be something pumpkin. I mean, it's October. And around here October baking means a certain voluptuous curcurbit is queen. So I did what any gluten-free goddess would do. I dug into the GFG recipe archives. And found a luxurious, creamy vegan pumpkin pie with sweet praline topping and a coconut-pecan crust. Just to keep you occupied until I return with a new gluten-free vegan muffin recipe you're going to love.
Let the pumpkin recipe frenzy begin!
I feel like I'm cheating. No, not cheating on my gluten-free diet. Cheating on my faithful Pumpkin Pie recipe. The one I've loved for years. It's so easy, after all. And reliable. And tasty. But you know how it is. You get that itch. You start to daydream. You flirt with a taste of vegan pumpkin pie at the West Hollywood Hugo's, and you start to fantasize about coconut crust. You imagine the buttery caramel taste of praline. And as always, in these matters, one thing leads to another. Next thing you know?
You've got a new love.
Now, I did a little sleuthing before I started experimenting. I discovered that Hugo's pie has a cup of orange juice. A full cup of molasses. And uses three cans of pureed pumpkin. Tablespoons of spice. Agar agar. Cornstarch. None of this appealed to me. So I started with what I what I like. Coconut milk. Cashew cream. A hint of molasses and maple syrup. And what happened next?
Heavenly vegan pumpkin pie bliss ensued.
Read more + get the recipe >>
Chicken Cacciatore
The familys regular Sunday night dinner at Nans was delicious, as always. This week Nan treated us to one of her favorites, and ours as well, Chicken Cacciatore. She is a great cook but has not found a way to free herself from the constraints of the recipe and, in fact, still refers to them even after making some of the dishes in her repertoire for 30 or 40 years! The following, which is the Chicken Cacciatore recipe she has used for as long as I can remember, is adapted from the Southern Living 1980 Annual Recipes and was originally submitted by Doris Garton of Shenandoah, Virginia.
Chicken Cacciatore
1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 medium onions, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes (Nan uses San Marzano variety)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato-herb sauce (against my advise, Nan continues to use Prego)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 to 2 bay leaves
1/4 cup Sauterne cooking wine (Nan uses the red wine she plans to drink before and during dinner)
Hot cooked spaghetti
Grated Parmesan cheese
Brown the chicken in olive oil in a large skillet; remove chicken, and set aside. Ad onion and garlic to pan drippings; saute until tender.
Combine next 7 ingredients, sitrring well. Return chicken to skillet, and add sauce. Cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes; stir in cooking wine. Cook, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes over very low heat or until chicken is tender; turn chicken occasionally. Skim off excess fat. Serve chicken and sauce over spaghetti; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Slovenian Stew Prekmurski Bograc
Were not entirely sure what "Prekmurski Bograc" means, but heres a guess. We think Prekmurski refers to the region of Prekmurje in Slovenia. Bograc means "stew," or something close to that -- something slow cooked in a heavy pot. Our stew came out a little too thick because we didnt add enough water, but the directions below should work just fine for you.
And if you happen to be Slavic, we hope that we havent offended you too much. Wed appreciate any tips or insights about this dish. Because after all, the language of food is universal. :-)
Servings: About 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 1/2 - 4 hours
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb. beef stew meat, or chuck (something a little fatty)
- 1/2 lb. pork, any cheap cut you can find (not tenderloin)
- 1/2 lb. venison roast
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- oil or lard, for browning meat
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 large tomato, cut into wedges
- 2 tbs. Hungarian paprika, or sweet paprika
- 1 lb. potatoes, sliced or cubed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (of course, fresh is always better)
- 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, slightly crushed with your fingers
- 3/4 cup red wine
- Kosher/sea salt, to taste
1. Remove any silver skin or tough tissues from venison, pork and beef. Cut all three meats into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Dab dry with paper towels and lightly sprinkle salt over all three.
As you can see, our meat was quite lean. For best results, choose beef or pork with a little bit of fat on them. This will add better flavor and richness to your stew.
In a Dutch oven, heat about 1 tbs. lard/oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 sliced onions to the pot. Sprinkle in some salt. Saute until translucent and slightly browned, stirring often. About 5-7 minutes.
3. Heat about another tablespoon of lard/oil to the Dutch oven. Brown beef. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook it in batches if you have to.
Browning too much at once results in steaming instead of browning. You want that rich, brown caramelization color. That means flavor.
Once the beef browns, move it into a large bowl and set aside.
4. Do the same with the cubed venison. Add more oil/lard if necessary. Move it into the same bowl with the beef when browned.
6. Once all the meat is cooked, de-glaze the pan with 3/4 cup of red wine, scraping off the bits at the bottom. Bring to a boil and cook for about 1 minute.
7. Then return cooked onions into the Dutch oven with the wine.
8. Add sliced red bell pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp. of thyme, 1/2 tsp. of rosemary, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 2 tbs. of paprika, a generous pinch of salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
Add enough water to submerge all ingredients. Add tomatoes.
9. Cover Dutch oven and cook in a 350 degree F oven for 1-1/2 hours.
10. Then take the stew out of the oven and add potatoes. Add more water, as necessary. There should be 1 inch of liquid above the potatoes. This is where we made a boo-boo...
Cover and return to the oven. Bake for another 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until potatoes and meat are tender.
Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
This weeks table wine. Or to some Europeans, "table booze."
We hope you will like this recipe. Thanks for visiting!
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Saturday, March 29, 2014
Roast Beef Sandwich Chips and a Pickle
No cooking here! Sometimes a sandwich is the perfect Friday night (or any night, for that matter) dinner. I took a drive over to Charlies Butcher Block and Deli in Elkhart for the specific purpose of getting their sliced roast beef for sandwiches. It is the best roast beef around and I think they roast it right there. Its not pressed meat, or lunch meat, it is actual roasted beef, to perfect rareness and sliced thin. They also have fantastic rolls!
So, thats it. Charlies rare roasted beef on a Charlies roll with Provolone cheese, crispy shredded lettuce, sweet onion, mayonnaise, a drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Not particularly gourmet, but still an example of how fresh and delicious ingredients make the best final product.
How to Make Grill Marks with the 10 and 2 Method – You Have to Give Me Marks for Trying!
I shot this grill marks tutorial before rushing off to New York in anticipation of the Memorial Day weekend, and all the grilling that traditionally goes along with it.Now, Im not saying that unattractive grill mark anxiety (UGMA) has ever prevented anyone from grabbing a pair of tongs and heading out to the grill, but it is a nice technique to know.
Invariably, if youre grilling in front of a group of people, and turn over a chicken breast sporting a nice set of diamond-shaped grill marks, someone will say, "Man, I wish I knew how to get those." Well, heres how.
Whether you’re doing the cooking, or are in charge of "quality control," I wish you all a delicious and wonderful long weekend. Enjoy!
Friday, March 28, 2014
Rigatoni Martino
Carrabbas Italian Grill Rigatoni Martino
Copycat Recipe
Serves 1
7 ounces tomato cream sauce
1/3 cup mushrooms, sauteed
10 to 12 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1 (8 oz) grilled chicken breast, cut into 6 equal strips
2 1/2 cups cooked rigatoni pasta
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
Garnish
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (shredded to order)
sliced green onions, to taste
Place tomato cream sauce, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in a 10-inch skillet and heat over a medium flame. Heat rigatoni in clean, boiling, salted water until hot - about 30 seconds. Drain pasta and add to skillet along with chicken and toss to coat pasta with sauce. Sprinkle Romano cheese over pasta and toss again over a medium flame until sauce is a creamy consistency.
Liquid Health A K A Vegetables for Busy F cking People
CupcakesOMG!s Green Juice
Makes about 8 glasses of juice
- 2 cups kale
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 green apples, chopped
- 1 lime
- 1/2 inch of ginger (more/less if you like)
- 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 cucumber, chopped into chunks
- water
Dump everything in the blender (or juice, you lucky S.O.B.) and fill about 3/4 full with water. Blend on high for as long as it takes to liquify everything (about 3 minutes). Using a nut milk bag or a mesh sieve, strain juice from pulp. Serve over ice and with a wedge of lime.
Rava Upma Sooji Upma
Ingredients
Rava/ Semolina-1cup
Onion medium (sliced)-1
Green chilli( broken)-3
Urad dal-2tsp
Channa dal-2tsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Curry leaves- few
Oil required
Salt to taste
Water-2cups
Method
Boil two cups of water in a pan along with required salt for upma.
Heat oil in a pan, when hot add the mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Add the channa dal and urad dal to the pan and fry until they turn golden brown. Next add the chopped onions, green chilli and curry leaves and fry the onions until they turn pink, now reduce the heat and add the rava, stir fry the rava for few mins. Now add the boiling water to the rava mixture( be careful and stay little away from the pan as the rava mixture will splutter around). Give a good stir and cook rava upma on reduce heat for few mins. Serve hot with chutney of your choice.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Katiecakes Cook Book Giveaway!
Katiecakes is giving away this fabulous book, head over to her blog to find out how you can enter this cake candy lol! (UK only)Fresh Cherry Tomato Relish – A Reduction Production
Photo Note: All the decent photos of this recipe were lost in a tragic beer-related editing mishap. The thumbnail you see to the left is the only survivor, and not the best quality. I considered “borrowing” a photo from some unsuspecting online source, but then realized that would not be ethical (and coincidentally didn’t see any I liked) and so I decided to use the one I had. OK, on to the recipe.Here’s the idea; we take the liquid that’s produced by marinating fresh cherry tomatoes in salt, pepper and vinegar, and strain it into a pan. We then take this already delicious juice, and make it even more so by reducing it over heat thereby evaporating most of the water. This intensified liquid is poured back into the tomatoes and we have a great fresh tomato relish, or tomato vinaigrette (if you want to be all fancy) that we can top some grilled meat, chicken, or fish.
This is an extremely common culinary technique that Chefs have used since the beginning of time to improve the flavor of all kinds of things. A “Reduction” is one of those Chef secrets that most home cooks don’t bother with, or maybe don’t even know about. Most of you have made a basic tomato salad or relish and simply eaten it as is, or topped whatever. That’s fine, and it tasted great, I’m sure. But, by reducing the water content from sauces and dressings, you can produce even more impressive results.
By the way, I suggest ALWAYS using cherry tomatoes for this recipe. Large ripe tomatoes are just too hard to find, even in the summer (unless you have some in your garden of course), and most markets have an almost year-long supply of decent cherry tomatoes available. Look for “Sweet 100’s,” “Red Grape,” and “Sun Gold” varieties, which all are pretty consistently sweet.
handful of cherry tomatoes
clove of garlic
splash of olive oil
splash of red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
Kongunadu Style Chicken Biryani with Jeera Samba Rice
Ingredients
Chicken pieces-1kg
Jeera Samba rice-500gms
Onion( chopped)-1/4kg
Tomatoes( chopped)-1/4kg
Green chillis( slit)-6
Fresh Mint leaves- 2cups
Fresh Corriander leaves- 1cup
Oil required
For marination
Thick curd-5tbsp
Ginger and Garlic paste-3tbsp
Red chilli powder-1 1/2tsp
Sombu( Fennel)-powder-3tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Salt required
For Tempering
Cloves-6
Cinnamon-3"
Green cardamon-3
Javitri-1
Star Anise-1
Bay leaf-3
To serve along with biryani
Hard Boiled eggs( shelled)-6
Method
Marinade chicken pieces with curd, ginger and garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, sombu powder and little salt for 2 hours. Soak the jeera samba rice in water for 1/2 hour. Heat enough oil in a pressure cooker, when hot add the tempering ingredients and fry until the aroma of the whole spices rise. Now add the chopped onion and green chillis and fry until onion turns transparent. Next add the marinated chicken along with the marination to the frying onions, stir fry the chicken pieces for 5 mins. Add the mint leaves, corriander leaves and tomatoes and fry till tomatoes are mashed. Season the chicken gravy with salt. Based on the chicken gravy measure and add water for the rice to the cooker. Bring the mixture to boil and add the soaked and drained rice. Give a good stir and cover the cooker with lid. Pressure cook for 10 mins on medium heat until rice and chicken are tender. Serve hot Kongunadu Chicken biryani with one hard boiled egg and with Chicken chalna or Vegetarian Chalna<--Click here for recipe.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Another dinner at the Kailyard by Nick Nairn
Cheers!
Here we are again, back in Nick Nairns Kailyard Restaurant on our second night of feasting. We decided to forgo the bread so we could have a pudding each, definitely a good move!
For my main I chose Slow braised neck of Dornoch Lamb, beetroot gratin, asparagus, carrot puree and basil gravy. Oh my goodness, that was fantastic! The lamb was meltingly delicious, the beetroot gratin was full of flavour, it was lots of very fine slices of stacked up, not sure with what, but whatever it was it was delicious. This was a definite 9/10
Brian had Spiced confit duck leg, saute potatoes, cumin roasted carrots and celeriac, honey and sherry gravy. This was also deemed to be a 9/10 dish. We were both really pleased with our choices.
I finished my meal with this exquisite dessert, it looks pretty with its spun sugar topping but the flavour was quite outstanding. This is a Spiced Pineapple Carpaccio with lime, chilli and anise sorbet and the flavours just burst onto your tongue, fantastic and for me, 10/10
I hope you have enjoyed dining with us on our weekend away. There are still a few pictures of Stirling Castle to post, but otherwise, breakfast on Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday. You dont have to vacate your room till 12.00 noon, so we also managed to have a lie by the pool reading the papers and then a final swim. We are planning to go back in the autumn as we enjoyed it so much.
SANDRA’S KID FRIENDLY DELICIOUS DORITO SHEPHERDS PIE
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| Children simply love to help make and eat this dish - a great family bonding time.. |
Prep Time: 15 Mins.
Bake: 15 Mins.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. extra-lean venison burger (or beef, buffalo, moose, elk, caribou, turkey, or chicken)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup green onions, sliced (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
¼ cup orange bell pepper, finely chopped
1 (14.5 oz. can) chili beans, slightly drained (Recommend: Bush’s Best, Mild)
1-1/2 cups chili sauce
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (4 oz. can) mild chopped green chilies, undrained
2 cups prepared or left over mashed potatoes
1 cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup nacho doritos, crushed
--1 tablespoon reserved sliced green onions for garnish
METHOD
Prepare two cups mashed potatoes, or use left overs.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9”x9” square baking dish, and set aside.
Cook burger in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is ¾’s browned, and add the garlic, half of the onion (1/4 cup), and all of the bell pepper in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is fully browned (drain if not using extra-lean burger). Stir in beans, chili sauce, chili powder, corn, mild green chilies, and heat to boiling, cover, and reduce heat to low to simmer for 5 minutes.
If cold, heat mashed potatoes in microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes.
Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until bubbly and cheese has melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle crushed nacho doritos around outer edge of baking dish over meat/bean mixture, garnish with sliced green onions, and serve. – Enjoy!
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Tip: You can also spread all the layers to the edge of the baking dish if you’re not worried about presentation appearance.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Lobster Ravioli
LOBSTER RAVIOLI
Carrabbas Copycat Recipe
1 lb. lobster meat
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms
2-1/2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon shallots
2 cups light cream
2-1/2 teaspoons flour
2 or 3 teaspoons quality light sherry
salt & ground pepper to taste
Sauce
2 cups light cream
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 oz. brandy
1/4 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste
Cook Ravioli
3 quart pot pinch of salt
2-1/2 quarts water
dash of oil
Boil lobsters, remove meat. Clean & mince lobster meat. Wash & mince mushrooms.
In saute pan, soften butter, add shallots. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add lobster meat and mushrooms and cook for another minute. Slowly sprinkle flour over mix, stirring constantly. Add sherry, stirring constantly. (If you want it a little pinker, shake in a little paprika.) Add light cream and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes on low. The mixture should be on the medium to thick side. Remove from the heat and spread it out on a flat pan to cool.
Roll out 2 ravioli pasta sheets. Mark out 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inch squares. Add 3/4 teaspoon of mixture into the marked square. Lay the second sheet on top and use a ravioli tool to roll and seal. Transfer onto a sheet pan that has been lined with wax paper & sprinkle with corn meal (this helps prevent sticking).
Sauce: Melt butter. Add flour, brandy, light cream & paprika. Salt & pepper to taste. Keep warm in a double boiler.
Cook Ravioli: Bring water, salt & oil to a boil. Add raviolis quickly, but 1 at a time. Keep separated with a wooden spoon. Boil 3 to 5 minutes (preference). Remove with slotted spoon or skimmer.
Serve on a flat plate or flat soup bowl with cream sauce on the bottom. Place 4 or 5 raviolis on sauce and then drizzle with more sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.
Columbus Discovers New Sport – Competitive Salami Sandwich Making
Columbus sponsored the #TopWichSF event to promote their new line of Farm to Fork Naturals, and things got off to a appetizing start as Sean Timberlake, from Punk Domestics and Hedonia, treated us to an array of small bites he created using these great new products.  |
| Photo courtesy of Columbus Salame |
I really loved his wonderful Waldorf-filled endive topped with strips of oven-crisped salami. With entertaining season right around the corner, I highly recommend you add this to your repertoire.
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I was grateful for the energy and inspiration the tasty bites provided, as I was up against two very worthy opponents in Michael Procopio from Food for the Thoughtless, and Lynda Balslev from TasteFood. The competition was held at the Hotel Vitale, and started with a romantic pedicab ride to the Ferry Building across the street. We were given 10 minutes and $10 to buy any additional ingredients we wanted to accessorize our sandwiches with.
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My idea was to do a smoked turkey and teleme sandwich, topped with some kind of meat relish made with soppressata and fruit. I ended up finding some beautiful pluots, and used the rest of my cash to get a small bag of pine nuts. They were raw, but I figured I could toast them on the panini press, which I knew was hot and waiting. I was gifted a few grapes which while delicious, played no part in my creation.
We had just 20 minutes to build our sandwiches, while a distinguished panel of five judges looked on. I was a little nervous to begin with, and knowing there were representatives from YumSugar, Chow, SFWeekly, and Tasting Table there, only added to it. The time went by incredibly fast, which made my fellow competitors work that much more impressive.
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| Getting ready to bone marrow the bread. Photo courtesy of Sean Timberlake |
Michael bought some bone marrow butter and used it to toast a turkey, soppressata and apple panini. A brilliant idea, and had time allowed for a longer, deeper caramelization, it would have crushed my non-beef-fat-fried offering.
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| Photo courtesy of Columbus Salame |
Lynda did a fennel salami, fig, and goat cheese sandwich, which she topped with apple slaw, shaved fennel, and her secret ingredient, fennel pollen. It was a classic combination of flavors, and a great way to show off the Columbus salami. By the way, check out Lynda’s great recap of the event, where you can see and read more about her beautiful sandwich.
Despite their worthy efforts, the judges awarded my rustic-looking sandwich the grand prize. I received a dangerously large basket of salami and other gourmet goodies, as well as $500 cash!
I figured that a two-year’s supply of salami was enough of a prize, so I’m having them donate the money to the SF Food Bank. I would have just spent the money on more salami anyway.
A huge thank you to Columbus for inviting me to participate. They have a bunch of great photos on their Facebook page in case you want to check out some more of the action. Also, a sincere thanks to Michael and Lynda for helping make the event such a fun experience. Enjoy!
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| Photo courtesy of YumSugar |
Smoked Turkey & Teleme Sandwich with Pluot, Sopressata, & Pine Nut Relish
Ingredients for 4 Sandwiches:
For the relish:
8 oz Columbus Sopressata, diced
1 cup pluot, diced
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
The rest:
1 tbsp Harissa or other hot chili pepper paste
6 tbsp mayonnaise
8 slices bread or 4 rolls
4 oz room temp teleme cheese
8 oz Columbus Smoked Turkey
Mix relish ingredients and let sit in fridge for 1 hour to develop flavors. Mix the harissa and mayonnaise; spread on bread. Spread both sides of bread with teleme cheese and top with turkey. Top with relish, and serve immediately, or wrap and press with a plate in the fridge for 30 minutes to compress.
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