Archive for the ‘Dishes’ Category

Our friend Jack just posted the link to this site on his Facebook, and one of the comments he received was “This is food porn.” If there could be such a thing, they’re right.

Market Day Potato and Leek soup from kissmyspatula.com

Check out this recipe, story, and photographs of “Market Day Soup“

The core Foodnuts met last week and had a great foodie evening.  It is raining like crazy here in Southern Cal right now, so what could be better than soup and sandwich, only upgraded to divine gourmet.. the meal was followed by a great glass of port, and –are you ready? Girl Scout Cookies, as they are in season right now. We were so entranced with the food that we did not even take photos. I do have a couple nice shots of  the leftovers though.
Here goes.

Dutch Onion Soup

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 55 Minutes
Makes: 6 servings
4 sweet onions, sliced
3 T vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
½ cups port wine
6 cups Wolfgang Puck Organic Beef-Flavored Broth
2 springs fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
¼ t. ground black pepper
12 slices French bread (1/2 in thick)
1 ½ cups grated Gouda cheese-hence the “Dutch”

Heat oil in 6 quart saucepot over medium high heat. Add onions and cook for 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring often
Add celery and cook and stir for 3 min. Add port, broth, thyme, bay leaves, and pepper , stirring to scrape up browned bits from bottom of pot.
Reduce heat to low. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaves and adjust seasoning with salt. Heat broiler. Sprinkle bread with cheese Broil until cheese is melted. Put soup into 6 bowls, top with bread and any extra cheese.

Copyright 2005, Ina Garten. Delicious! My daughter made these for me one evening this summer and it was just wonderful! Didn’t include resting time of 20 minutes.

45 min | 20 min prep   SERVES 4         ( We served 7!)- Louise

BEEF

• 2-3 lbs filet of beef, trimmed and tied
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room at temperature
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh coarse ground black pepper

SAUCE

• 3/4 cup good mayonnaise (Hellmans)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon white prepared horseradish    (or to taste)-Louise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• kosher salt

FOR THE SANDWICH

• 1 loaf unsliced health bread or unsliced multi-grain bread (or french rolls or other hearty bread) -Louise
• arugula
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• unsalted butter, at room temperature

1. TO COOK THE BEEF:.
2. Preheat oven to 500ºF.
3. Place the beef on baking sheet and pat the outside dry with a paper towel.
4. Mix the unsalted butter and mustards together in a small bowl and spread the mixture over the beef with your hands.
5. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper.
6. Roast in the oven for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium-rare.
7. Remove the beef from oven, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room tempearture for 20 minutes. Remove the strings and slice fillet thickly(personal preference, I like mine thin).
8. SAUCE:.
9. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve at room temperature.
10. TO MAKE THE SANDWICH:.
11. Cut the bread into 1/4″ thick slices.
12. Spread 4 of the slices thickly with the Mustard Horseradish Sauce.
13. Top with slices of beef and arugula and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
14. Spread 4 more slices of bread very lightly with butter and place butter side down, on top of the beef.
15. Enjoy, they are divine!

Sorry- You had to be there--Make your own!!!

Tupperware Leftovers

There are certain comfort foods that you just crave sometimes. One of mine is a twist between a traditional Italian dish my mom made and my dad’s love of seafood.

My mom used to make spaghetti with garlic and oil. It was a lot of carbs.  So I’m not sure when, but my dad and I started topping the pasta with scallops. My mom didn’t like seafood, so it was a meal we could all make and then mix up to fit our individual tastes. Sometimes I also add broccoli to it.

And, now it really makes a great dish for when my Dad’s at my house  — like tonight.  I make the oil sauce and scallops separately, and then divide it evenly over regular thin spaghetti for my dad and whole wheat thin spaghetti for me.

It’s a pretty easy recipe that can be modified depending on how much pasta you are making. I do the sauce for a half pound of spaghetti and then make 1/4 pound regular and 1/4 pound whole wheat.

Take 1/3 cup olive oil and heat it in a pan. Then add one head of garlic that has been minced. Let cook for about two minutes on medium heat. Add one chopped tomato, 1/2 a teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon basil and 1/8 crushed hot pepper flakes and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, take several tablespoons of Smart Balance, about a tablespoon of olive oil, a head of chopped garlic, about 6 ounces of white zinfandel and several splashes of lemon juice.

Heat over medium heat until the Smart Balance is melted and add one pound scallops. Cook about 10 minutes.

While that is all cooking, I throw in a 1/4 pound each of regular spaghetti and whole wheat in separate pots of boiling water. Once the pasta is drained and back in the pot, I split the oil and garlic mixture into both pots of the thin spaghetti. Mix really, really well.

Put the pasta on the plates and using a slotted spoon divide up the scallops placing them on top of the pasta.

I paired the dish with a chardonnay from the Saratoga Winery and my cheese breadsticks.

My dad likes to add a little salt to taste, but that’s really a personal preference.

Enjoy!!!!

Michelle

In a book, a character is brought a take-out meal from just another restaurant. The character states that the pot roast is so good it has to be from a notable restaurant, to which the other character replies that the restaurant is Jar (just another restaurant). I did a check online and one of the first reviews mentioned the pot roast, so it seems to be a real LA restaurant. The reviews are mixed but it has a high rating and the author thought it worth plugging in a book. I would check it out if I still lived on Signal Hill.

You can see The Jar’s website <here>.

I don’t necessarily recommend this, but I was asked to pass along the link. WARNING: Your cholesterol levels mayrise rapidly just looking at this site:

(PICTURE REMOVED TO SOOTHE THE TENDER SENSIBILITIES OF NON-CARNIVORES)

Build a Better Bacon Explosion

My daughter called me at the office, concerned that as her mother is feeling very poorly today with a classroom-petri-dish-induced cold, we needed to come up with something yummy for dinner to sooth her condition.

We’re going to make one of Roz’s favorites, an old formulation I believe comes from Karin Knight’s Baby Cookbook from forever ago: Lime-Dill Chicken.

Take chicken breast, slice it very thin (perhaps 1/8-1/4″). Roll in egg, and dip in italian bread crumbs to fry in a little olive oil until browned. The sauce is a combination of butter, lime juice, and dill weed (fresh if you have it).

We’re going to serve it with mashed potatoes (the lime-dill sauce is an excellent topping for the taters, as well, but then we’re huge lime fans around the Denny house) and perhaps a side of some sort of fresh green veg to be named later.

I’ll try to update this post with some pics during the production of dinner.

PS. She felt far too crappy to appreciate an actual meal, so we made her toast and oatmeal and suchlike; hopefully tomorrow night will render her able to enjoy the lime dill chicken. And yes, Becca, it’s made with actual butter, not just the leavings from the chicken pan. Michael needs to get with the program.

PSS. Sunday update: Megan and I decided to reprise the goat-cheese and sun dried tomato chicken, and potato salad a la Roslyn. The chicken turned out great; the tater salad turned out to be mashed potatoes instead, which was actually a great side for this dish.

The period from the Civil War to 1912 was defined by the Legislative branch of Federal Government. It starts with our first impeachment of a President, and ends with the election of a President that would begin the ascending power of the Executive branch. During this era Congress would wield its greatest power ever in history. The 20^th century would be defined by its slow loss of power to the Executive branch. Never again, after the election of Woodrow Wilson, would Congress ever wield such power.

If the Congress was all powerful, who, therefore, in Congress, would have been the most powerful? Well, that would be the speaker of the House, of course, or didn’t you stay awake in government class? And of all the speakers of this era, none had the power and used it like Joseph Gurney Cannon of Illinois.

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Known as Uncle Joe, he used his power as a tyrant over the House. No bill saw the light of day without him allowing it, as he was also head of the Rules Committee. Nothing in Congress happened without his permission. At times, things came to a standstill, loggerheads being broken only on his whim. Finally, the situation became intolerable, something had to give.

Like Humpty Dumpty, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. As the story goes, Uncle Joe got up from his speakers seat to relieve himself due to “nature calling”. When he left the chamber of the house, the members present, both Democrats and Republicans, quickly put together a resolution to remove him as Speaker. Upon his return, his supporters initiated a filibuster to block the resolution. After 26 hours, the filibuster ended, but the damage was done. Uncle Joe was no longer speaker of the house, and the era that was born in the tragedy of the Civil War came to an end. The rise of the Executive’s star was to begin, and we would enter an era defined by regulation. In history, even the greatest changes can come about for the simplest of reasons.

You must be asking yourself “What’s with the history lesson? Isn’t this a food blog? Well, Uncle Joe is famous for something else, and that’s Senate Bean Soup. Apparently one day he entered the dining room, looked at the menu, and exclaimed “Thunderation, I had my mouth set for bean soup! From now on, hot or cold, rain, snow or shine, I want it on the menu every day.” And it’s been that way ever since, never has a day gone by without it on the menu.

Dedicated cooks doing a daily routine

I love this recipe; it has become a staple at our house, our children call it “so good bean soup”. It is great on a cold winter night, and is pretty much a meal in itself. I try to make it as authentic as possible, which means making like they do in Washington, so I follow this recipe:

• 1 pound dry white beans, soaked overnight
• 1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks
• 3 quarts water
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, with leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1 cup cooked mashed potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste

To begin: soak the beans overnight. In the morning, rinse beans, add to a stock pot with 3 quarts of water and the ham bone or hocks. Cover and simmer 2 hours.

Stir in the mashed potatoes and cook over low heat until the beans are almost tender, about 30 minutes. Add onion, celery, garlic and continue to simmer about an hour, or until the beans are tender. Remove the bone or hocks, clean of meat, dice it and return meat to the soup (I always add more ham to it than the bone will have). Salt and pepper to taste, and then serve. It’s very hearty and a wonderful meal. It also goes well with a salad tossed in a strong vinaigrette.

A great legacy left by a man of power, almost forgotten in our history books. Though, like Humpty Dumpty, he fell, the difference is in his case the king had no desire to use his men and horses to put him together again.

Deviled Brussels sprouts

Old King Cole has a very large, old and diverse family. Of all its members, only the Brussels Sprout can elicit such an emotional reaction in people. Tight-head Copenhagen’s, Non-heading Collard Greens, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Kale, BokChoy or even Kohlrabi, none come close to the reaction that one feels when they hear Brussels are “on the menu”. Either one loves them or hates them; there seems to be little middle ground. Each must make their own decision; eat or not to eat.

The ground I stand on is firmly in the camp of “Hell Yes! Bring Them On.”! I love the little green guys, all smelly when cooling and sublime when eaten. Usually, I just steam them, toss in melted butter and salt and serve. However, on special occasions, like Thanksgiving, I like to make my favorite: Deviled Brussels Sprouts.

Actually, it’s very simple and easy. Here are the ingredients:

½ to 2 lbs of Brussels Sprouts

One tsp. of butter

One cup of heavy cream

Two Tbls. of Grey Poupon Mustard

Salt and pepper to taste.

So, now, what to do? Rinse the Brussels in cold water and remove any leaves that are loose and falling off (BTW, if you have chickens, they love these, but they WILL fight over them)

After rinsing, they need a little bit of prep work. Take the Brussels and cut an “x” in the bottom of each one. I do this differently than most people do. I  take the point of a paring knife and insert it straight into the stem of the sprout, like so:

Then rotate the knife 90°, and make the second cross cut, thus:

Now, steam the Brussels sprouts in a double boiling steamer. They will become bright green when done. Don’t overcook, when bright and tender to a knife poke, they are done.

This is what they look like when done, notice how “Bright Green” they are. Delicious!

As the sprouts are steaming, start the deviling sauce. It is very simple. Place one teaspoon of butter into a pan. When melted, add one cup of heavy cream and two Tbls. of Grey Poupon mustard. (Sometimes, when I am feeling even more daring and devilish than usual, I’ll use Coleman’s mustard. I will leave this decision to your discretion).

Whisk till smooth and thick. When thick, add the Brussels to the serving dish, and pour the deviling sauce over the sprouts and toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

If you are a lover of the lowly sprout, I highly recommend trying this recipe. They are wonderful served deviled.

(Oh, hey, if you aren’t going to eat yours, I’ll take them. Put’em here…..where mine were!)

Thanksgiving!

When I was younger, I loved the holiday of Thanksgiving. A day full of family visiting, preparations for the event that seem to take days, and anticipation growing of the festival, making it larger than any run-of-the-mill day.  I’m not saying that I dislike it now, but, like most holidays and birthdays, their importance tarnishes as the years go on (especially Birthdays!). And so it is with Thanksgiving. I dislike the Bacchanal that it has become. I dislike the dishes and I especially dislike the waste. All those leftovers! Most doomed to be glanced at in the fridge and passed over (and over) until they go the way of all unwanted things in the kitchen.

That being said, I always look forward to thanksgiving, and this year is no different. We keep the menu small; so as to be able to concentrate on each dish without being rushed and produce just enough that will minimize waste from the production.

So, in keeping with the stated philosophy, we have devised a meal that will maximize these curves and hopefully make the children happy at the same time:

Humbly submitted: Our Thanksgiving Menu, 2009:

Appetizers:

• Cheese selection with crackers and wine(……..and beer)

Main Course:

• Locally raised and smoked Ham
• Butterbeans with Leek
• Deviled Brussels Sprouts
• Bourbon Sweet Potatoes
• Tossed Green Salad with Castille (blue) cheese dressing
• Cranberry Chutney
• Sourdough Dinner rolls.

Dessert:

• Pear tart, with possible pumpkin pie

That’s it. Since this is all conjecture at this point, I lack the visual support that goes with a posting. That will come later, perhaps Friday.

Till then, I would also like to wish all foodnuts a very happy Thanksgiving. Hope you have a great time with family and friends!

Simmering

First Post, and I am not the chef! So I will keep it simple.

Roasted pumpkin

Sauteed onions and chicken

Can of coconut milk

Can of curry

Not enough curry, so a can of chicken broth

Simmered potatoes

Salt and pepper

Served on rice.

Not in the above order.  I had to walk away after the second serving.  I was going to hurt myself.  It sure was good for something that seems deceptively simple.