Last weekend, I was looking for ideas for new recipe creations and decided to ask my Facebook Friends for help. I created a post asking for a single ingredient. Thanks to several of my friends, I found inspiration in creating a few new recipes. The next three posts are the result of this self-challenge.
I LOVE chili, particularly in the fall and winter. I mean who doesn’t? About 15 years ago, I was introduced to the combination of chili topped with cole slaw. Traditional spicy beef chili has been my go-to many Sunday afternoons during football season. However, I’ve been cutting way back on red meat so I was looking for a substitute.
This recipe includes 3 ingredients from the post: Eggplant, Poblano Peppers and Cabbage. Here’s a quick view of the process.
The Recipe Prep time 2 hours. Serves 8-10
Dill Cole Slaw 1 bag pre-cut slaw 1 C. mayonaise 1/3 C. sour cream 1/4 C. chopped fresh dill Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix All Ingredients. Refrigerate.
Chili 1 Medium Eggplant 1 Sweet Potato 3 Poblano Peppers 1 Large Onion-Chopped 3 Cloves Garlic 1-28 oz. Can Crushed Tomatoes
1-16 oz. Can Black Eyed Peas 1-16 oz. Can Black Beans 3 C. Water 1 Tsp. each Chili powder, Cumin, Smoked Paprika Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange eggplant, sweet potato, and peppers on a baking sheet. With a knife, make several small incisions into the sweet potato and eggplant. The poblanos with be ready first after about 30 minutes, the eggplant and sweet potato will take about 45 minutes. For faster cooling immerse the eggplant and sweet potato into an ice bath. In the meantime, heat a large pot over medium heat. Drizzle enough olive oil to cover bottom of the pot. Chop the onion and garlic, add to the pot, saute until onions are translucent. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove tops, slice, scrape out seeds and chop. When the eggplant and sweet potato are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and chop to desired size. Add all to the pot. Add crushed tomatoes and water. Drain the black eyed peas and black beans and rinse. Add to the pot. Add seasoning. Allow to heat through. I like to wait about an hour for all to meld together.
For Serving Ladle chili into a large soup bowl. Garnish with Dill Cole Slaw.
I’ve been making traditional ribollita (with chicken broth and pancetta) but wanted to experiment with a vegetarian version to serve to one of my vegetarian friends. I’m not a huge fan of pre-made vegetable broth and I needed a smokey substitute for the pancetta – so I chose fennel, leeks and smoked gouda.
Watch this video for a quick view of the process.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hr. 30 minutes
Servings: 8 hearty bowls
Vegetarian Ribollita
Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, Rough Chop
1 Fennel Bulb, Rough Chop
2 Leeks, Rough Chop
5 Carrots, Rough Chop
4 Cloves Garlic, Rough Chop
6 Cups Water
1 – 28 Oz. Can Diced Tomatoes
3 – 16 Oz. Cans Cannellini Beans, Drained
1 Box Frozen Chopped Spinach
3 Bay Leaves, 2 Tsp. Oregano
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 – 3 oz Block Smoked Gouda
Cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Over medium heat, saute onions, fennel, leeks, carrots and garlic until onions are translucent. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for about an hour until carrots are tender. Before serving, remove bay leaves.
Croutons
1 Loaf Ciabatta Bread (pre-sliced or whole)
Olive Oil Drizzle
Preheat oven to 375. Slice bread into chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Bake about 10 minutes, keeping a close eye on the process. For best results, stir the croutons after about 5 minutes.
Plating
Place desired amount of croutons on bottom of large bowl. Ladle soup over croutons. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
Alternatives
Replace the water with 48 oz. chicken broth. Replace smoked gouda with 6 oz. chopped pancetta.
I’m listening to Meghan Trainor’s song All About That Bass as I write this post and if I’m not careful with bread consumption this winter, it could be all about MY b-ass. It’s hard to resist eating half the loaf when it’s warm from the oven. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take since baking bread while the snow falls is one of my greatest pleasures.
I’ve been baking bread since I was in college. While others were deeply involved in clubs, studying or partying I was hanging out at my Philosophy professor’s home baking with his wife. (OK, by then I was a junior and had my fill of partying.) While he mentored me on the finer points of theories by Hume and Kant, she introduced me to “Beard on Bread.” Those folks influenced my life more than I could have ever guessed.
I think a lot of people hesitate to try bread since it’s time consuming and has the potential for utter failure. Not to mention the CARBS. That’s understandable. However, in case you too are craving the most wonderful comfort food there is – warm crusty homemade bread – keep reading and you’ll see 3 recipes and a relatively easy method.
Below are the ingredients for three different breads, white, wheat and cinnamon raisin. My method for all of them is similar so I’ve made a chart of ingredients and will explain the simple steps I use to make 2 loaves at a time.
Rustic Cinnamon Raisin
Ingredients
White
Wheat
Cinnamon Raisin
Milk
1.5 c
1.5 c
1.5 c
Butter
2 T
2 T
6 T
Sugar
1 T+
1 T+
1/3-1/2 cup +
Salt
1 T
1 T
1 T
Water
½ c
½ c
½ c
Eggs
0
0
2 (step 3 below)
White Flour
5.5 c
2.5 c
5.5 c
Wheat Flour
0
2
0
Yeast
1.5 T
1.5 T
1.5 T
Honey
0
¼ c
0
Cinnamon
0
0
yes
Raisins
0
0
yes
Risings
single
single
double
Step 1: Pour 1.5 cups of milk into a glass measuring cup. Add butter, sugar and salt. Microwave for approximately 1-2 minutes (depending on your microwave power). Milk should feel hot (but not boiling) and butter should start melting. Stir ingredients to dissolve sugar and salt. If you over heated, allow a few minutes for this combination to cool slightly – if you stick your finger in and it burns it’s too hot! It should be about the same temperature as the water below. You don’t want to kill the yeast.
Step 2: Pour ½ cup of warm water (officially 110 – 115°) into another glass measuring cup. Sprinkle about ¼ tsp. sugar into the warm water. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add 1.5 T yeast and stir. Then let it rest and watch it grow!
Step 3: Pour milk mixture into large mixing bowl. (If you are making Cinnamon Raisin add the two eggs now, they should already be cracked and whisked in a smaller bowl. If you are making wheat, add the honey now.) Add yeast. Begin adding flour with mixer on slow mode.
Use the dough hook attachment of your mixer.
When most of the flour is mixed, increase the mixer speed. Alternate adding flour, reducing mixer speed each time (otherwise the flour spews out of the bowl – the voice of experience). When you remove from the bowl it can still be slightly sticky.
White bread read for kneading
For the wheat bread: Begin with 1 cup of white flour to get the yeast mixed in properly. Then add the wheat flour. Finish with white as needed. Don’t try to use all wheat flour in an attempt to be “healthier.” For this recipe, it won’t work and becomes far too dense.
The consistency for each bread is slightly different. The white bread when ready for kneading will be slightly more silky than the wheat bread which will be more dense and grainy. (makes sense right?)
Step 4: Sprinkle flour on counter top, place dough on the prepped counter, sprinkle more flour over dough and begin kneading. Knead dough about 20 times.
Step 5: Cut the dough into 2 sections and knead a few more times, then shape into loaves.
White bread read for kneading
Wheat bread ready for kneading
Minimal kneading required.
You can see the difference between the white and wheat consistency.
Dividing the dough into 2 loaves
White is much smoother.
Smaller loaves because the wheat flour is so dense.
Step 6: Place loaves into greased loaf pans and place in oven to rise. I have a “proof” setting on my oven but you could preheat to low temp then turn off just to have a little heat. I cover my pans with a dish towel.
Step 7: After the bread has approximately doubled in size, bake at 350° for about 25-30 minutes. I test to see if it’s baked by tapping on the top. If it sounds hollow, it’s finished.
Bread has doubled.
The Cinnamon Raisin Bread requires more work and time but is well worth the effort. Unlike many versions of CR bread that can be super sweet, my recipe is more earthly with a subtle hint of sugar.
After you have added and completely mixed approximately 5 cups of flour add the raisins to the bowl and mix on slow speed. TIP: I place raisins in a small microwave safe bowl and cover with water. I microwave warming the water and allow to cool as I’m making the rest of the recipe. Drain the water from the raisins and pour into the mixture. These raisins are much more tender than raisins directly from the box. Not a bad idea for cookie recipes as well.
This dough, when removed for kneading will be more sticky and silky than the other two. Knead the dough using the same method as above and place into a greased bowl for the first rising.
Cover dough, let rise for approximately an hour to double in size. Then the fun begins. Hover over each photo below to see the next steps in this recipe.
Divide bread into 2 sections
On floured surface, using rolling pin flatten dough. Notice pan above for approx width of bread
Butter pads
Spread butter across dough
Sprinkle with cinnamon. It looks like a lot but remember the dough will once again double in size.
Roll dough.
Place in prepared loaf pan for 2nd rising. Approx. 1 hr to double in warmed oven, covered as above.
Rustic Cinnamon Raisin
Seem like too much work? If so, let me do it for you! Contact me for more information.
The first time I made hamburger soup was in my home economics class, 7th grade, 1973. Mom used to make vegetable soup on a regular basis, but as a kid I didn’t like it much. When I was introduced to a soup with fewer veggies and ground beef instead of stew meat, I was thrilled. I came home from school that day, insisting we make a batch together. Mom liked it too.
A lot has changed since 1973. I now like vegetables in soup. Home economics is now called “Family and Consumer Science” – seriously. Beef in any form is not really viewed as a healthy choice.
What hasn’t changed is the ease and irresistible flavor of this simple recipe.
Ingredients
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 32 oz. box beef broth
1 can San Marzano whole tomatoes (I like to put the whole tomato in and after it cooks I stir through and cut each in half or quarters.)
2 cans water
4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 T. Oregano
2 tsp. Herbs de Provence
1.5 c. uncooked ditalini (more or less your preference)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Using a 6 quart pot, brown ground beef. Add all other ingredients except ditalini. Bring to boil. After boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender. Add uncooked ditalini. Boil until dilalini is al dante.
Variations: add a few diced potatoes. Top with your favorite cheese when served.
Total prep and simmer time about 2 hours to allow flavors to meld together.
Winter in the northeast is definitely my time for baking – and packing on the corresponding inevitable pounds from the fruits of my labor. When I look out the window at the completely gray and dreary sky or when the snow is falling and I can see nothing but white, all concern for a svelte physique diminishes and the desire for massive amounts of carbs takes hold. Can anyone relate to this?
Yesterday, while remaining in my flannels ALL DAY LONG, I made bread. White bread for that matter. Nothing healthy about that. I had eaten several warm, fresh slices when my dear friend called and asked if she could come over. The slightly icy roads didn’t hinder her travel thus she was rewarded with a slice of homemade bread drizzled with honey and a hot cup of coffee. After some great conversation about what exciting events 2015 will bring for us both, I sent her off with half a loaf to share with her husband. Certainly I don’t need it all.
Today I had a hankering for an old favorite. Don’t worry, this too I will share with others. It’s the cooking, not the eating, that gets me through the long winter. Pineapple upside down cake is fun to make, pretty to look at, and mighty tasty. It occurred to me as I was writing the previous sentences, I didn’t know just how old this favorite might be, so I took a gander at a few websites to find out. It turns out, placing fruit on the bottom of a skillet and cake batter on top has been around for centuries. When you think about it, cooking over an open fire using a cast iron skillet, the combination makes complete sense. What better way to make a sweet treat? Cherries, plums and other seasonal fruits were used. It wasn’t until Mr. Dole started canning the ever familiar pineapple slices in the early 1900’s that pineapple upside cake became popular. Then, with the mass production of baking pans and development of ovens, the skillet was no longer necessary, and the dessert took on a different look (and taste if you ask me).
I remember as a kid not liking this dessert and thought it was only for the old folks. So, when I was reintroduced to it about 15 years ago, I was surprised to see it being made in a cast iron skillet. If you’re going to make this dessert, the skillet is the way to go. Hands down.
The following recipe is from my husband’s grandmother – I think. I’ve changed it slightly to add more goop on the bottom. And I insist on the cast iron skillet to achieve the true caramelized topping.
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons Butter
1 ¼ Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Can Pineapple slices
Maraschino Cherries
3 Extra Large Eggs (I had small eggs so I used 4 this time)
1 ½ Cups of Sugar (split see below)
½ Cup Boiling Water
1 1/2 Cups Cake Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
Preparation:
I think it’s best to follow the steps in this order.
Have all ingredients at your fingertips.
Preheat Oven to 350°. Use middle rack.
Bowl 1: Sift all cake flour (1 ½ cups) with 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, and ¼ tsp. salt.
Simple sifting method
Simple sifting works just fine. No need for the flour sifter.
Bowl 2 and 3: Separate eggs. Whites into small mixing bowl for whipped whites and yolks into larger mixing bowl (need room for more ingredients)
Separating the eggs
Heat the cast iron skillet on the stove. Melt butter then add brown sugar. Heat just enough to mix and evenly distribute the mixture. Arrange drained pineapples and cherries in the pan.
Using a glass measuring cup, microwave ½ cup of water until it boils.
Whip egg whites until peaks form. (bowl 2)
Add rest of sugar (1/2 cup) to yolks, beat while adding boiling water until thoroughly mixed.
Slow mixer to lowest speed and add flour mixture (bowl 1) to the egg yolk mixture. Mix at slow speed just until mixed.
Gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Don’t play with the batter. Just get the whites folded in as quickly and gently as possible. You don’t have to have perfect folding technique to get this part right.
Pour batter into pan.
Place in oven and bake between 35-45 minutes. My cake took 35 minutes.
Remove from oven and invert on to cake serving dish. BE CAREFUL! The goop will be very hot and if it gets on your skin will burn like a son of a gun! But, you can’t wait until it cools or it will stick to the bottom of the skillet.
I serve this dessert with homemade fresh whipped cream.
I’m not such a big meat fan. A piece of animal flesh is merely a conveyor of other flavors, an instrument for my taste buds. Even a juicy burger is best served smothered in cheese, ketchup, mustard, and onions. So why not go vegetarian you ask. Certainly veggies and tofu could serve the same purpose you might argue.
I don’t have an answer. Why eat meat? Habit? Entertaining? I suppose it’s a number of things. But, until I make the move, until I plunge into the world of black bean burgers and edamame, I will continue to explore ways to maximize the flavor of the flesh.
This brings me to today’s recipe. I was entertaining a few friends last evening and wanted to flavor a pork loin for a simple, no hassle meal. My web search brought me to this recipe for a rub.
But here’s the beef I have with rubs. They just don’t do enough for me. I want the flavor to penetrate the meat not remain on the surface. Even with a tender cut, I want the flavor all the way through. So, I altered the recipe to create this rich marinade (or perhaps more accurately called a wet rub) and I reduced the hassle of stovetop browning as you will read below.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons instant decaf coffee
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
3 pressed garlic cloves
1 shot whiskey
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper
1.5 lb pork tenderloin*
Mix first 7 ingredients. Use your judgment about salt and pepper – you know what you like. Place tenderloin on a plate or in a plastic bag. Pour marinade over meat. Marinate for 2-3 hours. This is a powerful marinade so I wouldn’t marinate much longer than that.
Preheat oven 450° (I used convection roast on rack close to broiler but general high heat should do the same thing).
Scrape off most of the marinade.
Lightly coat a roasting pan with olive oil. Place meat on pan and roast for about 15 minutes until browned. (LOVE the no mess of stovetop browning!)
Remove from oven, pour remaining marinade over meat. Cover. Reduce heat to 350°. Bake until tender, approximately 1 hour.
Most recipes for pork tenderloin call for baking to a thermometer read of 160°. I prefer to cook mine a bit longer. However, if you enjoy the “slightly pink” pork, go for it.
*This was a very small tenderloin for a small group. The marinade above could easily accommodate a 3 lb. tenderloin. If you are doing a larger tenderloin and need to double the marinade, you could increase each ingredient proportionately except the coffee. I’d advise limiting the coffee to the 2 T measure. Also allow more time for baking.
Let the meat rest a few minutes before cutting. And speaking of cutting, there’s nothing like an electric knife for cutting meat. My guests got a huge kick out of the old school approach.
When serving, drizzle each plate with the juices.
As part of this light, hassle-free meal theme, I served mashed garlic cauliflower and a simple salad of greens and veggies tossed in olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, balsamic glaze, salt and pepper.
