Tarragon Pasta salad and Calico Corn salad

Nov5

Ok the nice thing about marinated salads is, you have them ready to go in the fridge when you don’t want to cook and they are a ready accompaniment to anything you might end up making. I made these yesterday from some old issues of Taste of Home.

For the corn salad you will need: (this recipe is modified from it’s original version)

1 small package (16 oz) of frozen corn, thawed
2 small zucchini, diced
1 small green pepper
1 can chopped green chilies,drained
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

4 – 6 servings

For the pasta salad, you will need:

8 oz bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
1 can tuna in water, drained and flaked
1/3 cup sweet red pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onions
3/4 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 – 6 servings

First start your corn salad by chopping up your veggies.

Combine these with your corn in a large bowl

Mix oil, cider, lime juice, vinegar and spices and pour over corn mixture

Cover and refrigerate overnight

Make your pasta salad. Boil your pasta al dente and drain. Chop up your veggies

Mix together your mayonnaise, tarragon, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Combine tuna, mayonnaise dressing, veggies and pasta together and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate 3 to 6 hours or overnight

The next day, you’ll have two great salads to enjoy! 🙂

The tastes are very mild after several hours, but the corn salad is slightly spicy with citrus and the pasta salad is hearty with a lemony tang. Both have slight peppery finishes.

Shrimp Tandoori and tomato rice

Nov3

Today was the last day for food pick up at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market (I volunteer for Food Gatherers) so I picked up as much as I could for the season’s last fresh produce. And decided to make Indian Food from this little book “Greatest Ever Indian”

For the rice you will need:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 onions sliced
1 tsp of onion seeds
1 tsp of finely chopped ginger root (I used 1/2 tsp of ginger powder)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 1/4 cup basmati rice
2 1/4 cups water
Serves 4

For the shrimp you will need

1 lb shelled shrimp (I got mine at Monahan’s)
a little less than 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tsp finely chopped gingeroot (I used 1/2 tsp ginger powder)
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
few drops of red food coloring (optional)
Serves 4

First, slice your onions and cook over medium heat in oil until soft and browned.

Next add all your spices to the onions. Cook until coated.

Add tomotoes, rice and water, stir well and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low and cover. Cook, for 15 minutes or until all the water is gone and rice is fluffy.

Preheat broiler.

While your rice is cooking. Prepare shrimp. Take butter and melt it in a pan with spices.

Spread your shrimp in a flameproof pan or on a baking sheet that will fit in your broiler. Brush on melted, spiced butter.

Put shrimp under broiler and broil for ten minutes, turning once.

Enjoy it with some extra cilantro!

This is tangy and the spices are mild enough not to interfere. This is not a spicy dish. The rice is INCREDIBLE. And the kitchen will smell great for awhile 🙂

Apple Cider Sundaes

Oct31

Today is a cold, damp day. So I thought I’d make the most of the autumn goodness and fix up this simple recipe from Taste of Home. It’s coming from the April/May 1995 issue.

Taste of Home started as a magazine for a long time in the 1990’s and was where I did a majority of my cooking. It is now online and most of the recipes from the magazine are available. Made from “family tested” recipes from at-home cooks all over the U.S., these are true to their claim – every recipe is scrumptious. You can get a subscription to this fantastic magazine here – I highly recommend if you are learning to cook and plan on cooking several nights a week.

I modified this recipe for smaller portion. Here is the original recipe for 16 servings.

Modified version:

1 apple peeled and chopped finely.
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 of a cup of apple cider
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice

First, prepare your apple. I use an apple peeler – this gadget is very old fashioned, but is the quickest way to peel, core and slice apples. Pick one up if you like to make a lot of apple dishes.

Next, combine cider, sugar or honey, cornstarch, cinnamon and lemon juice in a saucepan and stir until smooth.

Add apple to the saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Continue to boil for 2 minutes while stirring. It will thicken up to a gooey, glossy mix and looks a lot like caramel. Then pour over vanilla ice cream and serve. It is delicious and not too sweet. I think this would also be good over pancakes or french toast.

Very simple and very good!

Jarlsberg Chicken

Oct30

This recipe is coming from a Bon Appetit collection. My mother used to get these books back in the 1980’s and the Poultry edition is still one of my favorites.

You will need:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons oil
6 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned
3/4 pound large white mushrooms, washed, patted dry and stemmed
1 large bunch broccoli, stems peeled and trimmed, cut into spears and cooked al dente
Lemon Pepper
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups shredded Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
Salt and ground white pepper
more shredded cheese

First thing to do is butter your baking dish, and prepare your broccoli by boiling or steaming until al dente. One that is ready, arrange broccoli in a single layer in the baking dish.

Now get a skillet out and cook chicken in oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Cook 3 to 5 minutes each side and remove when juices run clear after you’ve pricked the chicken with a fork. Arrange it over the broccoli. Season chicken with lemon pepper.

Put two tablespoons in skillet and cook mushrooms for 3 to 5 minutes

Arrange mushrooms over chicken.

Preheat your broiler

Melt two tablespoons butter in skillet over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. It should turn to a paste-like consistency.

Pour chicken stock and wine in, whisking until thoroughly blended.

Continue cooking, stirring, until it’s thickened enough to coat a spoon.

Add 1 1/2 cup cheese and whisk until blended. Season with salt and white pepper.

Pour this over everything in the baking dish

Sprinkle more cheese on top.

Place in your broiler that’s all ready to go

Broil for 5 or more minutes. Check frequently so it doesn’t burn. It’s done when the cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling.

The mix of cheese, wine and pepper gives this dish it’s great flavor. The chicken is nicely crisped on the outside and juicy on the inside. It’s a great one dish meal and you can easily cut this in half for smaller portion. Bon Appetit is a fabulous, long standing culinary publication. They have lots of collections, but you can also get a subscription here.

Beef and Mushrooms

Oct27

Today’s recipe is coming from “Martin Yan’s Asian Favorites”

You will need:

6 0unces beef flank steak
1 portabella mushroom, stems removed and caps cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large oyster mushrooms, stems removed and caps cut into one inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup green bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1 tablespoon chu hou paste

First cut up your beef into 1 inch cubes. Flank is very tender. I used sirloin that I got from Ernst Farms
Then heat up your oil in a wok or large skillet and fry the beef for 1 to 2 minutes. If using sirloin, fry for 5 to 7 minutes. You want the heat fairly high, stay by it at all times so your oil doesn’t burn.

Next, once beef is done, remove from wok. Add mushrooms to wok with chicken stock. Then cover and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add bell peppers and bamboo shoots, cook, stirring for 30 seconds.

Add the beef and chu hou paste, stir to coat and heat through.

Although this has a rich, meaty taste, it is a very light dish. Not saucy. Very simple and the chu hou paste is like a cross between sweet bean sauce and hoisin sauce.

Flemish Beef Stew

Oct17

This is coming from the book, Everybody eats well in Belgium by Ruth Waerebeek and Maria Robbins.

Give yourself plenty of time to make this. Preparation takes some time and the cooking is awhile too. I started this at 2:30 in the afternoon and it was ready by 6 in the evening.

You will need:

4 lbs beef stew meat, such as chuck
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/2 a stick) of unsalted butter
3 large onions, sliced into rings (I chopped mine)
2 bottles (12 ounces each) Belgian beer (I used a local beer but here is a list of Belgian beers)
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons red currant jelly (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar

I added one parsnip chopped in 1 inch chunks to this recipe.

Serves 6 to 8

First, coat your stew chunks in salt and flour

In a skillet, fry chunks in butter till browned. The book stresses that you do this in batches. The meat needs enough space around it to brown, otherwise it will just steam. After it’s browned, transfer it to a Dutch oven

As you can see, there is a meaty crust beginning to form at the bottom of the skillet. This the good stuff! Don’t worry about it when you add your onion, add another teaspoon of butter if you need and cook onion to a nice brown.

When your onions are soft and browned, add them to the beef in the Dutch oven. Go back to the skillet and pour in the beer and start to scrape all the meaty crusty bits off the bottom. You will get a nice rich broth.

Pour this over your meat and onions

Add thyme and bay leaves, then bring to boil

Cover it and turn down to a low simmer – cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once that time is up, add red currant jelly or brown sugar, then cider or vinegar.

Cook for 5 more minutes. Take out bay leaves and thyme sprigs, if you are using fresh. Taste and adjust seasonings.

The real distinctiveness to this stew is the beer, red currant jelly or brown sugar and the cider or vinegar. It gives it a “sweet and sour” effect and that is the real “Flemish” touch. My kitchen had a pretty amazing smell while this was cooking. The beef is very tender and the broth was slightly thick and almost like a wine taste. This stew claims to freeze well, so keep some around for another cold day. 🙂

Roasted Vegetable Wraps with Curried Couscous

Oct16

My mother gave me this great book, “The Good Carb Cookbook” by Sandra Woodruff, M.S, R.D

You can buy the book everywhere – but a good price here

This book not only explains the difference between good carbs and bad carbs, but it has SO MANY recipes. Amazing amount of variety.
For the couscous you’ll need
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons curry paste
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots or golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds

For the Roasted Vegetable Wraps you will need:

1 1/4 cups 1 inch pieces fresh asparagus
1 1/4 cups 1/2 inch thick baby portabella or white button mushrooms
1 small red pepper, cut into 3/4 inch thick strips
1 medium onion, cut into 3/4 inch thick wedges
1 medium plum tomato, sliced 3/8 inch thick
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 whole wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded nonfat or reduced fat mozzarella or provolone cheese (I got my mozzarella from Zingerman’s and just sliced it)

Preheat your oven to 450

First put your veggies in a bowl, add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and vinegar and toss to coat

Next spread it out on a greased cookie sheet

Bake your veggies for ten minutes
After ten minutes, flip them over and bake 8 minutes more

While your veggies are roasting, start your couscous

Spray a skillet with olive oil spray
Saute onion and celery until crisp tender over medium high heat

Now add broth and curry paste to the onion and celery and mix well

Add the couscous, apricots or raisins, almonds and stir to mix. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes

Make your wraps. Heat tortillas for 20 seconds in the microwave or in a hot skillet. Pile veggies in the middle of tortilla with the cheese, leave space around the edges, fold in sides, then roll up like a burrito.

This was very tangy, a little like a pizza. The couscous was spicy and salty, but you can adjust spicyness depending on the curry paste you use. Not a heavy dish by any means, very light. I used Patak’s.

Roasted veggies are great cold! Both of these will keep well in the fridge and warm up good for leftovers. You could even combine them in a tortilla – I’m sure it would be tasty.

Swordfish steaks with basil mustard butter

Oct15

The Silver Palate cookbook was the first cookbook that truly inspired me to cook. Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso have a unique and amazing talent with food. I have not had anything from any of their wonderful books that I didn’t absolutely adore.

This is a recipe I modified down to one serving size. To see the full serving recipe go here

You will need:

1 swordfish steak
salt and pepper
white wine or fish stock

For the butter:

2 tablespoons softened butter
teaspoon of dried basil or tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
tablespoon dijon mustard

First off, make your butter. Combine butter, basil and mustard.

Preaheat oven to 375

Next put your swordfish in a baking dish that fits. You want some space around it. Salt and pepper it to taste. Pour wine or stock to about halfway up the steak

Bake your fish for 5 to 9 minutes. Test it for doneness and remember fish will keep cooking after it’s out of the oven. Remove it out of the wine or stock with a spatula. Discard liquid.

Serve this with a green vegetable or boiled/baked potatoes and be sure to use the butter on them as well as the fish. The fish has a light tang and the butter adds a nice zip to it. It isn’t too strong, like you might think.

It will be hard to pick a favorite recipe for the end of the month, Favorites Week, but I will try. 🙂

Breakfast pie

Oct15

This is from the book, “Only in California”. Proceeds to this book go to The Children’s Home Society of California
You can purchase this book at Amazon

For this recipe you’ll need:

8 slices bacon
1/2 cup cornflakes
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups frozen hash browns
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese (I used cheddar)
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/3 cup milk
3 green onions, thinly sliced (I used 1/4 chopped yellow onion)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 drops hot pepper sauce

First, fry your bacon crisp, drain on paper towel and crumble it up. Save 1 teaspoon of the drippings/grease.

Next put your cornflakes in a ziploc bag and smash ’em up

Mix the drippings/grease with the cornflakes. Add the bacon to this and combine.

Put your eggs in a large bowl and beat them until foamy

Add milk, cheeses, hash browns, onions, salt & pepper and the hot sauce and mix together

Pour this into a greased 9 inch pie pan

Sprinkle the bacon – cornflake crumb mixture on top

Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 325 and bake for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center, comes out clean.

I waited 5 minutes before cutting. The best thing about this pie is the bacon and hash browns. The textures didn’t interfere with each other and the crust was thin and a nice finish.
This refrigerates well and microwaves well.
I’ll be posting my favorite recipe from this book at the end of the month, during Favorites Week.