By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Because I grow green beans in my garden--tender, tiny, French beans that are incredible--I am fussy about buying big, possibly old 'fresh' green beans in the grocery store. They don't taste the same as the French beans picked from my garden 5 minutes before they were steamed.
But this recipe can make any big ole green bean taste wonderful as well as frozen beans (such as the beans I froze last summer from the garden!).
Saute 1 small, diced onion in 2 T olive oil.
When onions are translucent, add 1/2 c chicken stock and 1 t thyme. Season with pepper; add salt sparingly depending on seasoning in stock.
Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for 7-10 minutes.
Done!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Meyer Lemon Pudding--Wow
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Oh, is this yummy. Marty brought back some Meyer lemons from Palm Springs. These lemons are so incredible-a blend of lemons and oranges. And they are huge!
So I made a pudding and it's a winner:
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
2 1/2 c milk
3 large egg yolks, beaten
1/8 t salt
the zest of one Meyer lemon
1/2 c freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1T butter
Mix together the sugar and cornstarch and then wisk in 1/2 c milk until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes. (You can zest and squeeze the lemon while this is standing). Wisk in remaining milk and then add egg yolks, zest, and salt.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.
Pour through a strainer or steamer basket (I used a steamer basket) to remove zest from the pudding. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pudding to keep a skin from forming. I cooled the pudding on the counter for about 15 min and then refrigerated. However, in that 15 min., I had to eat some of the pudding warm!
Mom used to serve us warm chocolate pudding on top of lady fingers. This pudding would be outstanding on lady fingers or drizzled over angel food cake. Tasty!
Oh, is this yummy. Marty brought back some Meyer lemons from Palm Springs. These lemons are so incredible-a blend of lemons and oranges. And they are huge!
So I made a pudding and it's a winner:
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
2 1/2 c milk
3 large egg yolks, beaten
1/8 t salt
the zest of one Meyer lemon
1/2 c freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1T butter
Mix together the sugar and cornstarch and then wisk in 1/2 c milk until smooth. Let stand for 5 minutes. (You can zest and squeeze the lemon while this is standing). Wisk in remaining milk and then add egg yolks, zest, and salt.
Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.
Pour through a strainer or steamer basket (I used a steamer basket) to remove zest from the pudding. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pudding to keep a skin from forming. I cooled the pudding on the counter for about 15 min and then refrigerated. However, in that 15 min., I had to eat some of the pudding warm!
Mom used to serve us warm chocolate pudding on top of lady fingers. This pudding would be outstanding on lady fingers or drizzled over angel food cake. Tasty!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Creamy Date Rice Pudding
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
This is an incredible rice pudding! The secret ingredient: date crystals. These are dried dates that are in small chunks that look somewhat like Grape Nuts. We stumbled upon date crystals years ago when visiting the Palm Springs, CA area. The Shields date crystals can be used in baked goods, the famous Shields date shake, in granola, blended with my home made yogurt, you name it.
We bought a cookbook in New Orleans on our honeymoon and over the years, I've adapted a rice pudding recipe from this cookbook to my own by adding the date crystals (and a few other tweaks). The date crystals dissolve into the pudding and add color, texture, and incredible taste to the twist I've put on rice pudding.
1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice (this rice makes a creamier pudding, but any white rice will do)
1 qt milk
4 T butter
3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 c date crystals (ok, you can substitute with other dried fruit but it won't be the same!)
5 eggs, beaten
1 t cinnamon
Combine rice and milk. Simmer over low heat until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the milk. I like this rice pudding creamy so I take it off the heat when it still has quite a bit of milk remaining.
Add butter, sugar, vanilla, date crystals, vanilla, eggs, and 1/2 t cinnamon. Pour into greased 2 qt casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 t cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
We love this both hot out of the oven and cold the next day. It never lasts long at our house!
Shields Date Crystals:
http://shieldsdates.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=2
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Yogurt--Homemade, Of Course
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Yes, I make my own yogurt. I can proudly say that I have not purchased yogurt in the 15 months since Nathaniel gave me a yogurt maker for Christmas. I make one-two batches a week. There is no comparison in taste between store bought yogurt and homemade. Homemade is so much better. And making yogurt is easy!
I love yogurt and eat it daily either alone or mixed with fruit or granola. Since I have been making yogurt, I also use it in dressings or toppings. I love the yogurt blended with tart cherry juice concentrate, almond extract and orange peel, maple syrup, honey and vanilla, or with fresh fruit.
And then there is the cost incentive: my yogurt maker turns out 8 small containers that would cost $6-7 in the store. I make it for less than $1.
My yogurt maker is by Donvier but you don't need a gizmo to make yogurt. A glass jar and a warm oven will do same thing.
To make yogurt, slowly warm, stirring occasionally, 1 qt. of milk to 180 degrees F. If you are using skim milk, add 1/2 c dried milk to help it thicken.
When the milk reaches 180 degrees F, turn it off and let it cool, stirring occasionally, to 110 degrees F. To 1/2 c of the warm milk, add 2 T plain yogurt. Ok, so you have to buy a container of plain yogurt to have a culture. (Or buy a powdered yogurt culture which comes with most yogurt makers). Someone gave me a pint of plain yogurt when they were cleaning out their fridge from their summer cottage and I poured it into ice cube trays, froze, popped them out and dropped into a freezer bag, and now each cube is enough for a batch of yogurt. After you make yogurt, you can use 2 T from that batch for the next 2 batches before it loses its' potency and needs to be replaced by a new culture.
Pour the blended milk and yogurt back into the rest of the milk and stir. I then pour this into the yogurt cups, set the timer for 12 hrs. (I like it thick) and that's it.
Oven method: pour the mix into a glass jar or bowl. If you have a gas oven, just put the covered jar or bowl in the oven and the pilot light will keep the milk at a constant temperature. 8-10 hours later, you have yogurt. For an electric oven, turn the oven on until it just begins to warm up and then shut it off. Ideally, you'd want it at 110 degrees F but most oven thermostats don't go that low. Put the glass jar or glass bowl of covered yogurt in the oven and let it sit 8-10 hours. Keep the oven light on if you have an electric oven; this adds a bit more warmth.
Microwave method: pour the mix into a glass jar or bowl. Cover. Wrap in a dish towel. Place in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds every 30-45 minutes for 4 hours. Set a timer to remind you to do this every 30-45 min (I give this advice having let too much time go by). This keeps the milk at about 110 degrees.
Greek yogurt is pricey and mine is excellent at a fraction of the price. To make Greek style yogurt, pour a quantity of yogurt into a cheese cloth-linked strainer, set the strainer over a bowl or pan and place in the refrigerator over night. The next am, the cheese cloth will contain the very thick Greek style yogurt and the bowl or pan will contain the drained whey. If you want 2/3 c of Greek yogurt, begin with 1 c of regular yogurt as approximately 1/3 of that amount will drain in whey (or drain away!).
Couldn't be easier. Making gyros? Here's the Greek style yogurt for the cucumber sauce!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Jambalaya - from a bag
By Perry Washburn
At last night's cooking class, I told the guests about the "jambalaya bag" we keep in the freezer. In it goes that extra sausage patty, the leftover half of a chicken breast, the last pork chop no one ate. When it's full - a packed quart sized bag would be close to pound of meat - I make Jambalaya. In the recipe below, just substitute the contents of the bag for the crawfish. Or add it in, too. Trade shrimp for the crawfish. Here are the rules for Jambalaya: don't tinker with the ratios of vegetables, stock and rice. Because the veggies carry a lot of water content, they play a big role in getting the rice to the correct consistency. And, to me, Jambalaya MUST have sausage. Take out the sausage, and the andouille gods will haunt your dreams forever!
I will make a red jambalaya in my March 23 class. It does NOT use a roux. But this version WITH the roux is Carolyn's favorite.
Brown Jambalaya with Crawfish
1 pound crawfish tails
1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage
½ cup oil
½ cup flour
2 cups onions
1 cup celery
1 cup bell pepper
1 Tbsp garlic
1-2 Tbs fresh hot pepper (Cayenne, Serrano, jalepeno) chopped
2 cups rice (Uncle Ben’s converted)
2 ½ cups stock
1 tsp salt
½ cup green onions
Brown the sausage in small amount of oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Remove from pot. Don’t leave any little bits behind, or they will burn in the next step.
Make sure your vegetables are chopped, and right next to the pot.
Make roux: Add in oil to make ½ cup. Heat until hot but not smoking and add in ½ cup flour. Stir constantly over medium heat, 15-20 minutes or until the color is dark sandstone (a little darker than peanut butter). Do not walk away from the stove during this step. You can lose a roux in a heartbeat, ruining your meal, your day, your mood.
As soon as you reach the proper color, dump in the “trinity”: onions, peppers and celery, and stir. Don’t dally here, as the roux will keep browning until you stop it with the trinity. Add cayenne pepper and garlic and sauté until trinity is wilted.
Add crawfish, sausage, rice, salt and stock and bring to a boil, stirring well.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir: Turn over contents completely. (I know, you’ve probably been told to not stir rice, but it’s OK. Live dangerously!) Recover and cook for 20 minutes more. Turn off heat, add in green onions. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Great shared with friends over a beer!
At last night's cooking class, I told the guests about the "jambalaya bag" we keep in the freezer. In it goes that extra sausage patty, the leftover half of a chicken breast, the last pork chop no one ate. When it's full - a packed quart sized bag would be close to pound of meat - I make Jambalaya. In the recipe below, just substitute the contents of the bag for the crawfish. Or add it in, too. Trade shrimp for the crawfish. Here are the rules for Jambalaya: don't tinker with the ratios of vegetables, stock and rice. Because the veggies carry a lot of water content, they play a big role in getting the rice to the correct consistency. And, to me, Jambalaya MUST have sausage. Take out the sausage, and the andouille gods will haunt your dreams forever!
I will make a red jambalaya in my March 23 class. It does NOT use a roux. But this version WITH the roux is Carolyn's favorite.
Brown Jambalaya with Crawfish
1 pound crawfish tails
1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage
½ cup oil
½ cup flour
2 cups onions
1 cup celery
1 cup bell pepper
1 Tbsp garlic
1-2 Tbs fresh hot pepper (Cayenne, Serrano, jalepeno) chopped
2 cups rice (Uncle Ben’s converted)
2 ½ cups stock
1 tsp salt
½ cup green onions
Brown the sausage in small amount of oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Remove from pot. Don’t leave any little bits behind, or they will burn in the next step.
Make sure your vegetables are chopped, and right next to the pot.
Make roux: Add in oil to make ½ cup. Heat until hot but not smoking and add in ½ cup flour. Stir constantly over medium heat, 15-20 minutes or until the color is dark sandstone (a little darker than peanut butter). Do not walk away from the stove during this step. You can lose a roux in a heartbeat, ruining your meal, your day, your mood.
As soon as you reach the proper color, dump in the “trinity”: onions, peppers and celery, and stir. Don’t dally here, as the roux will keep browning until you stop it with the trinity. Add cayenne pepper and garlic and sauté until trinity is wilted.
Add crawfish, sausage, rice, salt and stock and bring to a boil, stirring well.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir: Turn over contents completely. (I know, you’ve probably been told to not stir rice, but it’s OK. Live dangerously!) Recover and cook for 20 minutes more. Turn off heat, add in green onions. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Great shared with friends over a beer!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Indoor Herbs with an AeroGarden
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Being an avid foodie and gardener, cooking with fresh herbs is a real treat for me. But during the long months in northern Michigan where the garden is frozen, using fresh herbs requires either $$ at the grocery store for less than lovely herbs....or, for me....my AeroGarden.
A gift 2 Christmases ago from Alan, a fellow foodie, this thing amazes me. Because it's awesome! It really does do just as advertised. I have a version of an AeroGarden that holds seven seed pods. You must get the seed pods from AeroGarden as they are in a certain 'soil' product that holds the seeds and inspires them to sprout.
As you can see by the picture, the AeroGarden does not take up much space. It has two grow lights in the top 'umbrella' and an adjustable arm that lets me move the lights up as they grow from seedlings to plants. It does, of course, require electricity. The AeroGarden base is filled with water and the water circulates through the roots 17 hours a day while the lights are on. There are settings for herbs, flowers, veggies depending on what you plant in the AeroGarden. About once a week, I add more water or tablet fertilizer (supplied with the herb kit). There is no maintenance needed; just add water and cut the herbs!
I planted seven herbs in mid-December and currently, in early March, have a full crop of two kinds of basil, parsley, chives, dill, mint, and thyme. From planting to harvest is about six weeks so next year, I'll remember to plant in mid-November so we'll have herbs sooner in the winter. We actually cook herb-defensively--meaning we plan meals around what needs to be harvested so we don't lose any of the fresh herb opportunities.
The herb season for the AeroGarden can be 3-5 months if we harvest/trim correctly. Last year, I moved one of the basil plants to the regular garden in June and it continued to produce until our first frost in October so I got nearly 9 months of fresh basil from this one plant!
We have not purchased herbs in the grocery store since getting the AeroGarden. Why do so when we have it here?
www.aerogarden.com is where you can get more info. These are also sold at garden stores or places like Bed, Bath & Beyond. A must for any northern climate foodie!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Corned Beef and Cabbage Updated
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
After stopping at Zingerman's deli in Ann Arbor for a corned beef sandwich--$11.50 for a 1/2 sandwich--we got hungry for corned beef. We love good corned beef but because we don't get home from work until after 5 p.m., we don't have time to prepare it during the week. On the weekends, we want to play in the kitchen with foods that need more fiddling--corn beef just needs time.
My rule with corned beef is to cook it long and slow. So I got out the slow cooker! I rarely use this but thought it would do what I wanted with the corned beef. And it did. I put the corned beef in the cooker, covered with water and added 1 t each of pepper corns and mustard seed, 1/2 t of whole cloves, and 2 bay leaves. I cooked the corned beef on low heat for 7 hours and then on high for another hour. It was perfect! The long and slow method let all of the fat cook out of the meat. It was tender, juicy, lean--and gone. We finished off a 3 pound corned beef in one meal! With this long and slow method, there is a lot of shrinkage. But I would have liked enough for a sandwich.
Our favorite accompaniment for corned beef is a blend of 1/2 part Dijon mustard and 1/2 part horseradish; mix portions to your liking but we use a lot! This is a very tasty blend that is spectacular with corned beef.
While Mom used to do a boiled dinner with cabbage and potatoes added to the boiling corned beef pot, I have updated the veggies. I roasted the Yukon Gold potatoes--tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 375 degrees F for 20-25 min. turning occasionally.
The cabbage was cut into wedges and steamed until a bright green and then tossed with a little melted butter and fresh dill (from my AeroGarden!), salt and pepper.
The presentation of the lean, red corned beef, the crisp, golden potatoes and the bright green cabbage was indeed an updated version of the Corned Beef and Cabbage we grew up on.
After stopping at Zingerman's deli in Ann Arbor for a corned beef sandwich--$11.50 for a 1/2 sandwich--we got hungry for corned beef. We love good corned beef but because we don't get home from work until after 5 p.m., we don't have time to prepare it during the week. On the weekends, we want to play in the kitchen with foods that need more fiddling--corn beef just needs time.
My rule with corned beef is to cook it long and slow. So I got out the slow cooker! I rarely use this but thought it would do what I wanted with the corned beef. And it did. I put the corned beef in the cooker, covered with water and added 1 t each of pepper corns and mustard seed, 1/2 t of whole cloves, and 2 bay leaves. I cooked the corned beef on low heat for 7 hours and then on high for another hour. It was perfect! The long and slow method let all of the fat cook out of the meat. It was tender, juicy, lean--and gone. We finished off a 3 pound corned beef in one meal! With this long and slow method, there is a lot of shrinkage. But I would have liked enough for a sandwich.
Our favorite accompaniment for corned beef is a blend of 1/2 part Dijon mustard and 1/2 part horseradish; mix portions to your liking but we use a lot! This is a very tasty blend that is spectacular with corned beef.
While Mom used to do a boiled dinner with cabbage and potatoes added to the boiling corned beef pot, I have updated the veggies. I roasted the Yukon Gold potatoes--tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 375 degrees F for 20-25 min. turning occasionally.
The cabbage was cut into wedges and steamed until a bright green and then tossed with a little melted butter and fresh dill (from my AeroGarden!), salt and pepper.
The presentation of the lean, red corned beef, the crisp, golden potatoes and the bright green cabbage was indeed an updated version of the Corned Beef and Cabbage we grew up on.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Ahhh, Frittata!
By Perry Washburn
Ok, make sure you have read Kathie's post on frittata below first, as this is a response to hers. But I thought it might be worth pulling out for another view.
Frittata is one of our favs, but we almost always make these stove-top, not baked. This comes from making dozens of these while camping...huge skillet, but no oven! I have a series of cast iron skillets I use for these, which I choose depending on the size of the crowd. My 15-inch skillet gets nearly double Kath's ingredients, and will feed a mob. The even heating and heat retention of cast iron, or a good skillet (I have All-Clad) helps at the end of this dish.
I made one of these Sunday morning for breakfast. I cheat with the potatoes, as I do for camping. Wash the potatoes, stick them with a fork, put on a paper towel and microwave for 5 minutes. For camping, these go into a plastic bag, once cooled, then into the cooler. For home use, just wait until they are cool enough to handle. Cube, perhaps 1/2 inch. Get the oil (or BACON GREASE!) hot, and add the potatoes. Ideally, you are looking for a single layer. Let them sit, don't be messing with them, until they are browned. Try to turn in layers with a spatula, to ensure more even browning. Again, once turned, try not to mess with them. The goal is to get the taters browned, staying in cubes, not mushed. You may need to add more oil half way in.
When the potatoes are getting close to done, add the onions. I consider this a must - potatoes like this are not "right" without onions. Don't be tempted to put the onions in too early. One of the reasons I microwave the potatoes is to get them done more quickly. I get impatient standing over a skillet waiting. And I DESPISE uncooked potatoes. But if you put the onions in before the potatoes are cooked through, you can end up with burned onions, which is about as bad as uncooked potatoes.
The rest of the ingredients - Kath uses bacon, peppers, chives - is up to personal preference. On Sunday morning, I hit the freezer for leftover pizza fixings and came up with some cooked sausage. I like all kinds of sausage, and concur with the chorizo! I also love leeks, green onions, celery and all kinds of peppers. For the skillet version, put the harder veggies - celery for instance - in with the onions. Add the softer ones like bell pepper when the onions are nearly translucent.
At this point, pour in the eggs/milk. Let it set and brown on the bottom. Cut into quarters and turn. Immediately sprinkle with cheese, and cover with a lid. When the cheese is melted, and eggs are browned on the other side, you are in business.
Ok, make sure you have read Kathie's post on frittata below first, as this is a response to hers. But I thought it might be worth pulling out for another view.
Frittata is one of our favs, but we almost always make these stove-top, not baked. This comes from making dozens of these while camping...huge skillet, but no oven! I have a series of cast iron skillets I use for these, which I choose depending on the size of the crowd. My 15-inch skillet gets nearly double Kath's ingredients, and will feed a mob. The even heating and heat retention of cast iron, or a good skillet (I have All-Clad) helps at the end of this dish.
I made one of these Sunday morning for breakfast. I cheat with the potatoes, as I do for camping. Wash the potatoes, stick them with a fork, put on a paper towel and microwave for 5 minutes. For camping, these go into a plastic bag, once cooled, then into the cooler. For home use, just wait until they are cool enough to handle. Cube, perhaps 1/2 inch. Get the oil (or BACON GREASE!) hot, and add the potatoes. Ideally, you are looking for a single layer. Let them sit, don't be messing with them, until they are browned. Try to turn in layers with a spatula, to ensure more even browning. Again, once turned, try not to mess with them. The goal is to get the taters browned, staying in cubes, not mushed. You may need to add more oil half way in.
When the potatoes are getting close to done, add the onions. I consider this a must - potatoes like this are not "right" without onions. Don't be tempted to put the onions in too early. One of the reasons I microwave the potatoes is to get them done more quickly. I get impatient standing over a skillet waiting. And I DESPISE uncooked potatoes. But if you put the onions in before the potatoes are cooked through, you can end up with burned onions, which is about as bad as uncooked potatoes.
The rest of the ingredients - Kath uses bacon, peppers, chives - is up to personal preference. On Sunday morning, I hit the freezer for leftover pizza fixings and came up with some cooked sausage. I like all kinds of sausage, and concur with the chorizo! I also love leeks, green onions, celery and all kinds of peppers. For the skillet version, put the harder veggies - celery for instance - in with the onions. Add the softer ones like bell pepper when the onions are nearly translucent.
At this point, pour in the eggs/milk. Let it set and brown on the bottom. Cut into quarters and turn. Immediately sprinkle with cheese, and cover with a lid. When the cheese is melted, and eggs are browned on the other side, you are in business.
Bacon Cheese Potato Frittata
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
It was clean out the refrigerator night. So I made a frittata! This Italian egg dish is so versatile and can have veggies, cheese, or meats in it. For this dish, I used leftover bacon bits, along with a leftover chopped onion, green pepper, and fresh chives from my AeroGarden and some cheddar cheese that needed to be used. This is an excellent dish....a perfect dinner for the two of us but could be a great breakfast treat as well.
I love frittatas both with and without potatoes. If you are not using potatoes, add more eggs. For a more filling frittata, the potatoes really help make it a one dish meal. In the summer months, I'll throw in garden veggies with kielbasa or chorizo and make a simple dinner dish. This dish served 2 of us for dinner with leftovers and was outstanding!
Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Yukon Gold Potato Frittata
1/2 pound bacon bits or pieces
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1 minced garlic clove
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
4 eggs
3/4 c milk
2 T chopped fresh chives (or whatever herbs you have--mine came from my AeroGarden)
1 c shredded cheese, I used cheddar
2 T olive oil
Saute the bacon until cooked but not crisp in a well-seasoned (of course) cast iron skillet. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel. Drain off the bacon grease (yes, get rid of it!) and add 2 T extra virgin olive oil.
Saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Remove the veggies from skillet--I added it to the plate with the bacon bits. Add the sliced potatoes and saute until they just begin to brown--do not cook completely through. The thinly sliced potatoes become like a crust on the bottom of the frittata. To the skillet, top the potatoes with the bacon and sauteed vegetables but do not stir--leave the potatoes intact as the bottom layer.
In a bowl, beat 4 eggs with the milk, chives (or any fresh or dried herb--super tasty with basil!), salt, pepper (I used Penzey's black and red). Add to the skillet. Top with the grated cheese.
Frittatas can be both stove top or oven baked and we do both. For this version, I used the oven just to be a bit different. I put the skillet in a 350 degree F oven and baked for 10-15 minutes until the cheese browned. Cut into pie shaped wedges and enjoy!
It was clean out the refrigerator night. So I made a frittata! This Italian egg dish is so versatile and can have veggies, cheese, or meats in it. For this dish, I used leftover bacon bits, along with a leftover chopped onion, green pepper, and fresh chives from my AeroGarden and some cheddar cheese that needed to be used. This is an excellent dish....a perfect dinner for the two of us but could be a great breakfast treat as well.
I love frittatas both with and without potatoes. If you are not using potatoes, add more eggs. For a more filling frittata, the potatoes really help make it a one dish meal. In the summer months, I'll throw in garden veggies with kielbasa or chorizo and make a simple dinner dish. This dish served 2 of us for dinner with leftovers and was outstanding!
Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Yukon Gold Potato Frittata
1/2 pound bacon bits or pieces
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1 minced garlic clove
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
4 eggs
3/4 c milk
2 T chopped fresh chives (or whatever herbs you have--mine came from my AeroGarden)
1 c shredded cheese, I used cheddar
2 T olive oil
Saute the bacon until cooked but not crisp in a well-seasoned (of course) cast iron skillet. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel. Drain off the bacon grease (yes, get rid of it!) and add 2 T extra virgin olive oil.
Saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Remove the veggies from skillet--I added it to the plate with the bacon bits. Add the sliced potatoes and saute until they just begin to brown--do not cook completely through. The thinly sliced potatoes become like a crust on the bottom of the frittata. To the skillet, top the potatoes with the bacon and sauteed vegetables but do not stir--leave the potatoes intact as the bottom layer.
In a bowl, beat 4 eggs with the milk, chives (or any fresh or dried herb--super tasty with basil!), salt, pepper (I used Penzey's black and red). Add to the skillet. Top with the grated cheese.
Frittatas can be both stove top or oven baked and we do both. For this version, I used the oven just to be a bit different. I put the skillet in a 350 degree F oven and baked for 10-15 minutes until the cheese browned. Cut into pie shaped wedges and enjoy!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
And More Basil--Tomato Soup, too
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Perry is right that for those of us in northern climates, finding basil in the winter is a task. Perry's find of inexpensive fresh basil at the Asian grocery store spurred Nathaniel to visit his nearby Asian grocery in Tampa and he came home with the same large bag of basil for only a few dollars.
There are no Asian groceries near us so sadly, that option is not available. I have an indoor AeroGarden which I use in the winter months to grow herbs. I love it! I currently have an abundant crop of purple basil, sweet basil, dill, mint, thyme, chives, and parsley. I don't know how I made it through the winter without the AeroGarden. There is a separate post on the blog about the AeroGarden.
In the summer, I usually have 3 different kinds of basil in the garden and as the season ends, I 'put up' the basil in a variety of ways. We can marinara sauce, lots of it using my tomatoes (70 tomato plants last summer!) We dried baskets full of basil using the dehydrator--wow, does each tiny jar of basil require a large quantity of fresh basil.
And I freeze basil in cubes as I described to Perry in my comments to his posting. Easy to do with any herb that you have extra of: rinse and chop, pack into ice cube trays (I had to buy some to use for the herbs since we no longer use ice cube trays to make ice!), top with water to cover, freeze, and then pop out of the trays and put in a freezer bag. I typically freeze 8-10 trays of basil to use in the winter.
One of our favorite quick winter soups is a Tomato Basil
2 32-oz. jars of tomatoes, I only used the ones I've canned, so if you have to buy canned tomatoes (AAGGHH!), use 2 28-oz cans
2 T olive oil
1 minced onion
4 garlic cloves minced
2 c vegetable stock
8 cubes of frozen basil (or 1 1/2 t dried or 1/4 c fresh basil, minced)
salt and pepper
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, basil cubes, salt and pepper (I use Penzey's black and red pepper).
Simmer for 15-20 minutes breaking up the tomatoes while they cook.
Serve with fresh croutons. I make mine with cubed leftover bread tossed with a little olive oil and Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle and baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Perry is right that for those of us in northern climates, finding basil in the winter is a task. Perry's find of inexpensive fresh basil at the Asian grocery store spurred Nathaniel to visit his nearby Asian grocery in Tampa and he came home with the same large bag of basil for only a few dollars.
There are no Asian groceries near us so sadly, that option is not available. I have an indoor AeroGarden which I use in the winter months to grow herbs. I love it! I currently have an abundant crop of purple basil, sweet basil, dill, mint, thyme, chives, and parsley. I don't know how I made it through the winter without the AeroGarden. There is a separate post on the blog about the AeroGarden.
In the summer, I usually have 3 different kinds of basil in the garden and as the season ends, I 'put up' the basil in a variety of ways. We can marinara sauce, lots of it using my tomatoes (70 tomato plants last summer!) We dried baskets full of basil using the dehydrator--wow, does each tiny jar of basil require a large quantity of fresh basil.
And I freeze basil in cubes as I described to Perry in my comments to his posting. Easy to do with any herb that you have extra of: rinse and chop, pack into ice cube trays (I had to buy some to use for the herbs since we no longer use ice cube trays to make ice!), top with water to cover, freeze, and then pop out of the trays and put in a freezer bag. I typically freeze 8-10 trays of basil to use in the winter.
One of our favorite quick winter soups is a Tomato Basil
2 32-oz. jars of tomatoes, I only used the ones I've canned, so if you have to buy canned tomatoes (AAGGHH!), use 2 28-oz cans
2 T olive oil
1 minced onion
4 garlic cloves minced
2 c vegetable stock
8 cubes of frozen basil (or 1 1/2 t dried or 1/4 c fresh basil, minced)
salt and pepper
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, basil cubes, salt and pepper (I use Penzey's black and red pepper).
Simmer for 15-20 minutes breaking up the tomatoes while they cook.
Serve with fresh croutons. I make mine with cubed leftover bread tossed with a little olive oil and Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle and baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Basil!
By Perry Washburn
Basil is one of my favorites. Kathie grows tons of it, in her brief summer. I grow it in pots on my deck. David T undoubtedly has better access to fresh basil than those of us snowbound. But we here in snowy Iowa just had a wonderful, tasty week, thanks to some fresh basil.
I get annoyed at basil prices. $3.99 for a few nasty looking leaves? Well, I HAVE done it.
But this week was our friend Vickie's birthday. I decided, late in the day, on Thai. And happened to be near my fav Asian grocery. THAT is where to look for basil. I ask the woman in the back for some. She goes into the cooler, bags me up a gallon bag full for a buck or 2, and I am in business.
Fried rice. It stopped the meal, lots of ooohhs and aaahhs. Just chop up a bunch (as little as, say, 3-4 tablespoons for a batch made from a 4 cups of cooked rice. More won't hurt!). Put it in just before serving. As Aida says: this tastes so FRESH!
The fried rice I made last week was simple. Rice, sesame oil, fish sauce, soy, Asian broccoli, and basil. This "deluxe" version is one I use for cooking classes. Both are GREAT.
Fried Rice with Chicken and Basil
4 cups cooked white rice, refrigerated several hours or overnight
3 Tbs sesame oil
1 egg, beaten with 2 Tbs water
1 lb diced chicken thighs
3 green onions, chopped (including the green)
3 Tbs chopped garlic
2 Tbs chopped ginger
¼ cup red bell pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup basil, coarsely chopped (Thai basil if you can get it)
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped (omit if you worry about tastebud overload)
In a wok or non-stick skillet, fry the egg in a bit of the oil. Cut into pieces, or chop, and set aside. Add remaining oil to skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and chicken, and fry until the chicken is just tender. Add the rice, breaking up any lumps, then the green onions, egg, fish and soy sauces. Stir, and heat through. Add the basil and cilantro, stir well and serve.
End note:
Friday night, our traditional pizza night, brought the basil out again. A simple sweet tomato sauce, some diced leftover chicken, a healthy covering of loosely chopped basil leaves and a thin coating of mozzarella. WOW!
Head to your local Asian grocery, if you have one. They know basil. What a winter treat!
Basil is one of my favorites. Kathie grows tons of it, in her brief summer. I grow it in pots on my deck. David T undoubtedly has better access to fresh basil than those of us snowbound. But we here in snowy Iowa just had a wonderful, tasty week, thanks to some fresh basil.
I get annoyed at basil prices. $3.99 for a few nasty looking leaves? Well, I HAVE done it.
But this week was our friend Vickie's birthday. I decided, late in the day, on Thai. And happened to be near my fav Asian grocery. THAT is where to look for basil. I ask the woman in the back for some. She goes into the cooler, bags me up a gallon bag full for a buck or 2, and I am in business.
Fried rice. It stopped the meal, lots of ooohhs and aaahhs. Just chop up a bunch (as little as, say, 3-4 tablespoons for a batch made from a 4 cups of cooked rice. More won't hurt!). Put it in just before serving. As Aida says: this tastes so FRESH!
The fried rice I made last week was simple. Rice, sesame oil, fish sauce, soy, Asian broccoli, and basil. This "deluxe" version is one I use for cooking classes. Both are GREAT.
Fried Rice with Chicken and Basil
4 cups cooked white rice, refrigerated several hours or overnight
3 Tbs sesame oil
1 egg, beaten with 2 Tbs water
1 lb diced chicken thighs
3 green onions, chopped (including the green)
3 Tbs chopped garlic
2 Tbs chopped ginger
¼ cup red bell pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbs fish sauce
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup basil, coarsely chopped (Thai basil if you can get it)
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped (omit if you worry about tastebud overload)
In a wok or non-stick skillet, fry the egg in a bit of the oil. Cut into pieces, or chop, and set aside. Add remaining oil to skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and chicken, and fry until the chicken is just tender. Add the rice, breaking up any lumps, then the green onions, egg, fish and soy sauces. Stir, and heat through. Add the basil and cilantro, stir well and serve.
End note:
Friday night, our traditional pizza night, brought the basil out again. A simple sweet tomato sauce, some diced leftover chicken, a healthy covering of loosely chopped basil leaves and a thin coating of mozzarella. WOW!
Head to your local Asian grocery, if you have one. They know basil. What a winter treat!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Black Beans & Yellow Rice
by Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Many years ago, we had this dish at Barnacle Phil's on North Captiva Island, just across the water from David T, and I was hooked. This restaurant used to sell a take-home black bean package mix with a recipe and packaged spices and I could recreate back in Michigan this wonderful dish.
Black beans served on yellow rice is traditionally a Cuban-style dish and we are Cuban food fans. I love black beans any style--in a simple salad with chopped onion, green peppers, fresh corn, cilantro, olive oil, and vinegar. For a side dish, I love a cumin style black bean side dish with sauteed onions and garlic, toss in a can of rinsed black beans, add a little chicken stock, salt, pepper, cumin.
But black beans and yellow rice----my favorite. This dish is a meal by itself served with a salad or bread. This is a meatless dish but I also have made it with ham. And now, medical reports show that turmeric is good for many health concerns so this turmeric yellow rice is not only tasty but good for you!
This is my version, a take off on the Barnacle Phil's dish. These beans are just as good a day or two later!
1 lb. Black beans
1 med. onion
1 med. green pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 T cumin
1 T chili powder (I use the new Penzey's Chili 9000--awesome!)
1 t paprika (home dried, of course, from Serbian paprikas)
½ t white vinegar
1/4 c. oil
salt
pepper
Bring 3 qts. water to a boil and add rinsed beans and chopped onion and green pepper. Simmer for 1 hour and keep beans covered with water at all times. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour adding water if necessary.
Yellow Rice
2 T oil
2 cups rice
3 3/4 c water
1 small onion
½ green pepper
1 T turmeric
1 T chicken base (Penzey's)
2 cloves garlic
Saute onion and green pepper in oil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer for 15 min. or until rice is tender.
Serve beans on rice topped with chopped onions, olive oil, and hot sauce.
Many years ago, we had this dish at Barnacle Phil's on North Captiva Island, just across the water from David T, and I was hooked. This restaurant used to sell a take-home black bean package mix with a recipe and packaged spices and I could recreate back in Michigan this wonderful dish.
Black beans served on yellow rice is traditionally a Cuban-style dish and we are Cuban food fans. I love black beans any style--in a simple salad with chopped onion, green peppers, fresh corn, cilantro, olive oil, and vinegar. For a side dish, I love a cumin style black bean side dish with sauteed onions and garlic, toss in a can of rinsed black beans, add a little chicken stock, salt, pepper, cumin.
But black beans and yellow rice----my favorite. This dish is a meal by itself served with a salad or bread. This is a meatless dish but I also have made it with ham. And now, medical reports show that turmeric is good for many health concerns so this turmeric yellow rice is not only tasty but good for you!
This is my version, a take off on the Barnacle Phil's dish. These beans are just as good a day or two later!
1 lb. Black beans
1 med. onion
1 med. green pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 T cumin
1 T chili powder (I use the new Penzey's Chili 9000--awesome!)
1 t paprika (home dried, of course, from Serbian paprikas)
½ t white vinegar
1/4 c. oil
salt
pepper
Bring 3 qts. water to a boil and add rinsed beans and chopped onion and green pepper. Simmer for 1 hour and keep beans covered with water at all times. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 hour adding water if necessary.
Yellow Rice
2 T oil
2 cups rice
3 3/4 c water
1 small onion
½ green pepper
1 T turmeric
1 T chicken base (Penzey's)
2 cloves garlic
Saute onion and green pepper in oil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer for 15 min. or until rice is tender.
Serve beans on rice topped with chopped onions, olive oil, and hot sauce.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
by Dave Washburn
I am the soup maker. Come to the alter of Soup.
Half head of cauliflower
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
1 cup good cheddar shredded
One and a half cup chicken or turkey broth
2 cups whole milk ( don't even THINK about that shitty reduced fat crap- don't waste my time)
Half sweet onion minced fine
Salt and pepper
Chop the cauliflower into small pieces. Simmer with the chicken stock and onion in a covered pan until tender (about 10 minutes)
Remove to a bowl. Puree half the mixture in a blender.
In the original pan, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk (OK you're making a roux) 3 min. Add the milk whisk and bring to a boil- reduce heat to a simmer and cook 5 min.
Add the cauliflower, chunky and blended, - bring back to a simmer- add the cheese until melted-salt and pepper to taste, serve.
This makes about three servings- double or triple at will.
I am the soup maker. Come to the alter of Soup.
Half head of cauliflower
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
1 cup good cheddar shredded
One and a half cup chicken or turkey broth
2 cups whole milk ( don't even THINK about that shitty reduced fat crap- don't waste my time)
Half sweet onion minced fine
Salt and pepper
Chop the cauliflower into small pieces. Simmer with the chicken stock and onion in a covered pan until tender (about 10 minutes)
Remove to a bowl. Puree half the mixture in a blender.
In the original pan, melt the butter, add the flour and whisk (OK you're making a roux) 3 min. Add the milk whisk and bring to a boil- reduce heat to a simmer and cook 5 min.
Add the cauliflower, chunky and blended, - bring back to a simmer- add the cheese until melted-salt and pepper to taste, serve.
This makes about three servings- double or triple at will.
Stilton Spread
By Dave Washburn
OK, I had some Stilton left so I made dip. Really good even by my own standards.
4 oz Stilton cheese room temp crumbled.
4 oz cream cheese room temp
8 oz sour cream
half red onion minced fine
1 clove garlic minced fine
good shot Worcestershire sauce
sea salt
fresh ground pepper (I'm using a combo of Penzey's black and white)
Mix well in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours. Use on anything.
OK, I had some Stilton left so I made dip. Really good even by my own standards.
4 oz Stilton cheese room temp crumbled.
4 oz cream cheese room temp
8 oz sour cream
half red onion minced fine
1 clove garlic minced fine
good shot Worcestershire sauce
sea salt
fresh ground pepper (I'm using a combo of Penzey's black and white)
Mix well in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours. Use on anything.
Stilton Pecan Stuffed Dates
By Dave Washburn
Had a party to go to last weekend- nothing to take- raided the pantry-
1 8-oz pkg pitted dates (about 40)
whole pecans (about 40)
4 oz Stilton cheese room temp
good quality thin sliced bacon
Slice the dates down the side (they pit then like they do olives- at the ends, just slice them down one side). Schmere each pecan with a little of the Stilton- stick each one in a date, pressing to close- this is real easy because the dates are sticky and pliable. Wrap each stuffed date with half slice bacon, secure with a toothpick. Bake on a cookie sheet 400 degrees until brown (about 7 min.) turn bake until the other side is browned. Drain on paper towel. Serve room temp.
Had a party to go to last weekend- nothing to take- raided the pantry-
1 8-oz pkg pitted dates (about 40)
whole pecans (about 40)
4 oz Stilton cheese room temp
good quality thin sliced bacon
Slice the dates down the side (they pit then like they do olives- at the ends, just slice them down one side). Schmere each pecan with a little of the Stilton- stick each one in a date, pressing to close- this is real easy because the dates are sticky and pliable. Wrap each stuffed date with half slice bacon, secure with a toothpick. Bake on a cookie sheet 400 degrees until brown (about 7 min.) turn bake until the other side is browned. Drain on paper towel. Serve room temp.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Custard bites
By Perry Washburn
Dilemma: Company coming for dinner. Accomplished cooks, each bringing a dish. Southern food on the menu. I am making "smothered chicken," a Southern-inspired dish that I made up on the fly. Others are bring cheesey grits, collards, black-eyed pea salad, corn bread. But no one has chosen dessert.
I am WHIPPED. Out of time. Bread pudding? No. I have a great original recipe for Buttermilk Praline Pie. Some friends call this "Slice of Heaven." :) But it takes about 3 hours to make.
What to do?
What if I made small custard bites? I love the custard and custard pies my grandmothers' generation used to make. Part of my "Heaven" is essentially a custard layer. And to make them "light" after a heavy meal, I'll make them in my silicone mini-muffin pan.
So, here's what I did, after consulting my custard layer recipe and comparing with an old custard pie recipe in a 1940s cookbook Kath gave to Carolyn recently.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
dash of salt
2 Tbs of buttermilk powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs flour
Pecans
Brown sugar to sprinkle
(I always have buttermilk powder around. It would probably work fine to omit the powder and ad a dash more flour, or substitute real buttermilk for the powder and the milk.)
Beat the eggs, and beat in the remaining ingredients except pecans and remaining brown sugar.
Spray the muffin pan (mine has 24 mini muffins in the sheet). Place a pecan half in each mini muffin cup. Fill 2/3 full with custard; the pecan will float. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar. It will sink, but it's ok.
Bake for 3 minutes at 450. Turn down to 325, and bake a few minutes more, until the custard is puffy and browning. Cool on a rack. I then threw my whole sheet in the fridge for about 2 hours.
After dinner I popped them out of the pan (silicone is great, because you can run a knife easily around the edge). Put them on the plate, act like this is an old family recipe from the Deep South. Yum!
Makes 24.
Dilemma: Company coming for dinner. Accomplished cooks, each bringing a dish. Southern food on the menu. I am making "smothered chicken," a Southern-inspired dish that I made up on the fly. Others are bring cheesey grits, collards, black-eyed pea salad, corn bread. But no one has chosen dessert.
I am WHIPPED. Out of time. Bread pudding? No. I have a great original recipe for Buttermilk Praline Pie. Some friends call this "Slice of Heaven." :) But it takes about 3 hours to make.
What to do?
What if I made small custard bites? I love the custard and custard pies my grandmothers' generation used to make. Part of my "Heaven" is essentially a custard layer. And to make them "light" after a heavy meal, I'll make them in my silicone mini-muffin pan.
So, here's what I did, after consulting my custard layer recipe and comparing with an old custard pie recipe in a 1940s cookbook Kath gave to Carolyn recently.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
dash of salt
2 Tbs of buttermilk powder
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs flour
Pecans
Brown sugar to sprinkle
(I always have buttermilk powder around. It would probably work fine to omit the powder and ad a dash more flour, or substitute real buttermilk for the powder and the milk.)
Beat the eggs, and beat in the remaining ingredients except pecans and remaining brown sugar.
Spray the muffin pan (mine has 24 mini muffins in the sheet). Place a pecan half in each mini muffin cup. Fill 2/3 full with custard; the pecan will float. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar. It will sink, but it's ok.
Bake for 3 minutes at 450. Turn down to 325, and bake a few minutes more, until the custard is puffy and browning. Cool on a rack. I then threw my whole sheet in the fridge for about 2 hours.
After dinner I popped them out of the pan (silicone is great, because you can run a knife easily around the edge). Put them on the plate, act like this is an old family recipe from the Deep South. Yum!
Makes 24.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Borchst
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
When I was in Russia a few years ago with cousin Jan Washburn, we had various versions of borscht. I was hooked. The complexity of flavors surprised me as did the use of fresh dill in this stew. So here is my version:
Brown 1 1/2 pounds of stew meat--I used caribou, just run down to your local butcher and make sure he/she trims the fat off the caribou. I had it in my freezer just as, I'm sure, you do--doesn't everyone?
To the browned meat add these ingredients and simmer for 90 minutes:
10 cups beef broth, Penzey's, of course
1 can tomato paste
salt and pepper
Saute in 2 T olive oil and then add to the pot:
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Add to pot:
2 c shredded cabbage
2 c peeled and shredded beets
1 c shredded carrots
1 c thinly sliced celery
2 T fresh dill
1 t celery seed
4 bay leaves
2 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Simmer 45-60 minutes until thick. This is a rich red and orange colored dish and oh, so tasty. Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh dill.
This makes a lot!
When I was in Russia a few years ago with cousin Jan Washburn, we had various versions of borscht. I was hooked. The complexity of flavors surprised me as did the use of fresh dill in this stew. So here is my version:
Brown 1 1/2 pounds of stew meat--I used caribou, just run down to your local butcher and make sure he/she trims the fat off the caribou. I had it in my freezer just as, I'm sure, you do--doesn't everyone?
To the browned meat add these ingredients and simmer for 90 minutes:
10 cups beef broth, Penzey's, of course
1 can tomato paste
salt and pepper
Saute in 2 T olive oil and then add to the pot:
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Add to pot:
2 c shredded cabbage
2 c peeled and shredded beets
1 c shredded carrots
1 c thinly sliced celery
2 T fresh dill
1 t celery seed
4 bay leaves
2 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Simmer 45-60 minutes until thick. This is a rich red and orange colored dish and oh, so tasty. Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh dill.
This makes a lot!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Cornbread Roxie
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
I have made this cornbread hundreds of times: the recipe came from Gourmet magazine in January 1984. This would be particularly good with Spring Mill Cornmeal. But I don't have any of that. However, my brothers do...wonder how that happened.
This takes 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to bake. Easy!
1 1/4 c yellow cornmeal
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 T vegetable oil
Into a bowl, mix together 1 c plus 2 T of the cornmeal with the remaining dry ingredients. Stir in buttermilk and eggs and combine well.
Heat a 10" cast iron skillet over high heat for 1 min. Add oil and sprinkle with remaining 2 T cornmeal, spoon in the batter. Bake at 450 degrees F in the upper 1/3 of the oven for 10 minutes until it is firm in the center and pulls away slightly from the edges of the skillet.
Serve with lots of butter or honey!
How to order gristmill cornmeal from Spring Mill Indiana State Park:
estore.dnr.state.in.us/tek9.asp?pg=products&grp=108
I have made this cornbread hundreds of times: the recipe came from Gourmet magazine in January 1984. This would be particularly good with Spring Mill Cornmeal. But I don't have any of that. However, my brothers do...wonder how that happened.
This takes 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to bake. Easy!
1 1/4 c yellow cornmeal
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c flour
1 1/4 c buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2 T vegetable oil
Into a bowl, mix together 1 c plus 2 T of the cornmeal with the remaining dry ingredients. Stir in buttermilk and eggs and combine well.
Heat a 10" cast iron skillet over high heat for 1 min. Add oil and sprinkle with remaining 2 T cornmeal, spoon in the batter. Bake at 450 degrees F in the upper 1/3 of the oven for 10 minutes until it is firm in the center and pulls away slightly from the edges of the skillet.
Serve with lots of butter or honey!
How to order gristmill cornmeal from Spring Mill Indiana State Park:
estore.dnr.state.in.us/tek9.asp?pg=products&grp=108
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Gingerbread
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
This recipe is from the Original Silver Palate cookbook and the page in my cookbook is well worn: this recipe is really good! Great flavor and texture, simple to make. This is a cake that I'll throw in the oven if we have unexpected company coming.
1 2/3 c flour
1 1/4 t baking soda
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 t ginger
3/4 t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c molasses
1/2 c boiling water
1/2 vegetable oil
Stir dry ingedients together; add egg, sugar and molasses. Mix well.
Pour boiling water and oil over the mixture and stir until completely smooth.
Pour into a 9" baking pan, bake in a preheated oven, 350 degrees F, for 35-40 min. until the top springs back and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
While it is baking, mix 2/3 c confectioners' sugar with 3 T fresh lemon juice. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour the glaze over the top. Cool.
This cake never lasts long in our house and there are only 2 of us left here!
This recipe is from the Original Silver Palate cookbook and the page in my cookbook is well worn: this recipe is really good! Great flavor and texture, simple to make. This is a cake that I'll throw in the oven if we have unexpected company coming.
1 2/3 c flour
1 1/4 t baking soda
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 t ginger
3/4 t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c molasses
1/2 c boiling water
1/2 vegetable oil
Stir dry ingedients together; add egg, sugar and molasses. Mix well.
Pour boiling water and oil over the mixture and stir until completely smooth.
Pour into a 9" baking pan, bake in a preheated oven, 350 degrees F, for 35-40 min. until the top springs back and the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
While it is baking, mix 2/3 c confectioners' sugar with 3 T fresh lemon juice. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, pour the glaze over the top. Cool.
This cake never lasts long in our house and there are only 2 of us left here!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Shrimp Pil Pil
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Shrimp Pil Pil is our go to dinner: the one we fix when nothing else was planned! We can't go down to our local shrimp shack for shrimp so Costco frozen shrimp has to suffice. This dinner is super fast to prepare, less than 10 minutes including prep, and we serve with saffron rice.
12-24 shrimp (depending on size and how hungry you are, about a pound total)
1/2 c olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 t sweet paprika
1 t cayenne pepper
2 T fresh parsley
Add garlic to hot oil, along with paprika and cayenne and stir for 30 seconds until a deep red. Add shrimp, lightly salted, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until opaque. Top with chopped parsley. That's it!
Shrimp Pil Pil is our go to dinner: the one we fix when nothing else was planned! We can't go down to our local shrimp shack for shrimp so Costco frozen shrimp has to suffice. This dinner is super fast to prepare, less than 10 minutes including prep, and we serve with saffron rice.
12-24 shrimp (depending on size and how hungry you are, about a pound total)
1/2 c olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
1 t sweet paprika
1 t cayenne pepper
2 T fresh parsley
Add garlic to hot oil, along with paprika and cayenne and stir for 30 seconds until a deep red. Add shrimp, lightly salted, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until opaque. Top with chopped parsley. That's it!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Minestrone Soup
by Dave Washburn
This is a recipe that we got from one of Karen's co-workers years ago- don't know it's origins but it is a really good solid soup- simple, thick, rich and you can feed a lot of people. Serve with garlic bread and a good salad.
1 lb. Italian sausage
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion chopped
1 C sliced carrots
1 t dried basil
2 small zucchini sliced
1 large can tomatoes undrained
2 cans beef broth or 2 cups water and 1 tbs Penzeys beef base
2 C finely shredded cabbage
1 small can great northern beans undrained
Partially freeze the sausage- I use 3 links of sweet and 2 links of hot- slice with a serrated knife in to bite size pieces.
Brown the sausage in the olive oil in your favorite pot.
Add the carrot, onion, garlic and basil- cook for five minutes.
Add the zucchini, tomatoes(undrained) (I usually squish them up at this point) cabbage and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour.
Add the beans undrained and cook for another 30 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in large bowls and stuff madly into your pie hole.
This is a recipe that we got from one of Karen's co-workers years ago- don't know it's origins but it is a really good solid soup- simple, thick, rich and you can feed a lot of people. Serve with garlic bread and a good salad.
1 lb. Italian sausage
olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion chopped
1 C sliced carrots
1 t dried basil
2 small zucchini sliced
1 large can tomatoes undrained
2 cans beef broth or 2 cups water and 1 tbs Penzeys beef base
2 C finely shredded cabbage
1 small can great northern beans undrained
Partially freeze the sausage- I use 3 links of sweet and 2 links of hot- slice with a serrated knife in to bite size pieces.
Brown the sausage in the olive oil in your favorite pot.
Add the carrot, onion, garlic and basil- cook for five minutes.
Add the zucchini, tomatoes(undrained) (I usually squish them up at this point) cabbage and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour.
Add the beans undrained and cook for another 30 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in large bowls and stuff madly into your pie hole.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Drying Sourdough Starter
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Uncle Gene's Housatonic River, Massachusetts sourdough starter lives on and has been in the family for about 50 years. My sourdough starter buddy sujo had a starter crisis: her starter got tossed by mistake. Since she is in warmer climates for the winter and sending liquid starter by airplane is a recipe for an in air explosion, I dried the starter to send to her.
Just like the night before using the starter, I fed it with 1 c flour, 1 c water and 1 t sugar and left it at room temperature. The next morning, I removed 1 c of starter and spread thinly on the fruit roll up liner for my dehydrator and turned the heat to the lowest setting, 95 degrees F.
24 hours later, the starter had dried on one side and could be peeled away from the surface. I turned it over and broke it into pieces to continue drying for another 24 hours.
On day 3, the pieces were flaking and I put them in the food processor, pulverized and put in a ziplock plastic bag.
To rehydrate, mix 2 t of dried starter with 1 T water and let soften. Add 1/4 c each of flour and water and mix until smooth. Let stand 12-24 hours until it begins to bubble. Then add another 1/4 c each of flour and water, mix and let stand again 4-8 hours until the starter bubbles.
Add 1/2 c each of flour and water, let stand another 4-8 hours until it bubbles. This will make about 1 1/2 c of starter.
Anyone want any starter?
Uncle Gene's Housatonic River, Massachusetts sourdough starter lives on and has been in the family for about 50 years. My sourdough starter buddy sujo had a starter crisis: her starter got tossed by mistake. Since she is in warmer climates for the winter and sending liquid starter by airplane is a recipe for an in air explosion, I dried the starter to send to her.
Just like the night before using the starter, I fed it with 1 c flour, 1 c water and 1 t sugar and left it at room temperature. The next morning, I removed 1 c of starter and spread thinly on the fruit roll up liner for my dehydrator and turned the heat to the lowest setting, 95 degrees F.24 hours later, the starter had dried on one side and could be peeled away from the surface. I turned it over and broke it into pieces to continue drying for another 24 hours.
On day 3, the pieces were flaking and I put them in the food processor, pulverized and put in a ziplock plastic bag.To rehydrate, mix 2 t of dried starter with 1 T water and let soften. Add 1/4 c each of flour and water and mix until smooth. Let stand 12-24 hours until it begins to bubble. Then add another 1/4 c each of flour and water, mix and let stand again 4-8 hours until the starter bubbles.
Add 1/2 c each of flour and water, let stand another 4-8 hours until it bubbles. This will make about 1 1/2 c of starter.
Anyone want any starter?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
It is cold outside so I am on the hunt for dishes that are hearty. This recipe came from fellow foodie Kathy Gibbons 20 years ago! I make it about once a year and make enough to freeze. Perry, your girls will love this!
Filling
10 chicken breasts with skin and bones
6 c chicken broth
2 chopped carrots
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
4 parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
Sauce
6 T butter
1 T oil
3 med. onions, chopped
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 c sour cream
4 green onions, chopped
1 or 2 4-oz. cans of diced jalapeno chilies, drained
6 c grated Monterey jack cheese
Corn tortillas
Filling: Place chicken and broth (for broth, you can also use 6 c water and appropriate Penzey's chicken stock base) in large saucepan with all filling ingredients. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand until chicken is cooked through, about one hour.
Remove chicken from broth; remove skin and bones and shred meat and place in medium bowl and chill. Strain cooking liquid and return the saucepan to heat and simmer the broth is reduced to 3 cups.
Sauce: Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook until light brown, stirring frequently, javascript:void(0)about 5 min. Whisk in reduced chicken stock, increase heat to medium and cook until sauce thickens. Cool.
Heat 1 T oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a food processor with sauce, sour cream, green onions, and chilies.
Grease two 9 x 13" baking pans. Spread 1/2 c sauce over the bottom of each. Add 1 c of sauce to chicken and mix in 5 c grated cheese. Heat a heavy skillet or griddle and cook each tortilla for a few seconds per side, just to soften. Divide chicken filling among tortillas and roll up. Place seam side down in the baking pans. Spoon remaining sauce over the top.
Cover with foil; bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, uncover, top with remaining 1 c cheese and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
This makes a lot of enchiladas. Two 13 x 9 pans, each pan holds 12.
It is cold outside so I am on the hunt for dishes that are hearty. This recipe came from fellow foodie Kathy Gibbons 20 years ago! I make it about once a year and make enough to freeze. Perry, your girls will love this!
Filling
10 chicken breasts with skin and bones
6 c chicken broth
2 chopped carrots
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
4 parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
Sauce
6 T butter
1 T oil
3 med. onions, chopped
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 c sour cream
4 green onions, chopped
1 or 2 4-oz. cans of diced jalapeno chilies, drained
6 c grated Monterey jack cheese
Corn tortillas
Filling: Place chicken and broth (for broth, you can also use 6 c water and appropriate Penzey's chicken stock base) in large saucepan with all filling ingredients. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand until chicken is cooked through, about one hour.
Remove chicken from broth; remove skin and bones and shred meat and place in medium bowl and chill. Strain cooking liquid and return the saucepan to heat and simmer the broth is reduced to 3 cups.
Sauce: Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook until light brown, stirring frequently, javascript:void(0)about 5 min. Whisk in reduced chicken stock, increase heat to medium and cook until sauce thickens. Cool.
Heat 1 T oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and simmer 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a food processor with sauce, sour cream, green onions, and chilies.
Grease two 9 x 13" baking pans. Spread 1/2 c sauce over the bottom of each. Add 1 c of sauce to chicken and mix in 5 c grated cheese. Heat a heavy skillet or griddle and cook each tortilla for a few seconds per side, just to soften. Divide chicken filling among tortillas and roll up. Place seam side down in the baking pans. Spoon remaining sauce over the top.
Cover with foil; bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, uncover, top with remaining 1 c cheese and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
This makes a lot of enchiladas. Two 13 x 9 pans, each pan holds 12.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Granola or Toasted Oats
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
I try to add whole grains to our diet as much as possible: bulgar, quinoa (love it!), brown rice, barley--these grains are so versatile. Breakfast grains like oatmeal or steel cut oats are great. Uncle Gene's steel cut oatmeal cooked over the camp stove on our camping trips when we were kids got me hooked on this creamy porridge for breakfast!
I love granolas but they are often expensive, high fat, and filled with a variety of tastes that I don't always like. So I decided to pursue a simple, home made version.
This actually is more like toasted oats than granola because I prefer the loose texture of this granola vs. clumps. A little oil is required to successfully coat the ingredients as is a bit of sugar to help with browning. I tried this without oil or sugar and I ended up with baked but not browned oats.
3 cups rolled oats, not instant or quick
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 t almond extract or 1 t vanilla (depending on your taste)
2 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 c maple syrup or honey
2 T oil
2 T water
1/4 c apple juice or tart cherry concentrate
Dried fruits: raisins, cherries, cranberries, apricots, at least 1/2 cup, more if you like the fruits (I do).
Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the liquid ingredients and heat for 1 min. in the microwave; this helps thin the syrup or honey so it will coat the oats. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 275 degrees F for 30 min. stirring frequently. The oats will be a crispy brown. The kitchen smells heavenly while this is baking. Puppy Dashel loves this granola and strolls past the oven the entire time it is baking.
Pour into a mixing bowl while still warm and add in dried fruit. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
I make my own yogurt and this granola is excellent with yogurt.
I try to add whole grains to our diet as much as possible: bulgar, quinoa (love it!), brown rice, barley--these grains are so versatile. Breakfast grains like oatmeal or steel cut oats are great. Uncle Gene's steel cut oatmeal cooked over the camp stove on our camping trips when we were kids got me hooked on this creamy porridge for breakfast!
I love granolas but they are often expensive, high fat, and filled with a variety of tastes that I don't always like. So I decided to pursue a simple, home made version.
This actually is more like toasted oats than granola because I prefer the loose texture of this granola vs. clumps. A little oil is required to successfully coat the ingredients as is a bit of sugar to help with browning. I tried this without oil or sugar and I ended up with baked but not browned oats.
3 cups rolled oats, not instant or quick
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 t almond extract or 1 t vanilla (depending on your taste)
2 T brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 c maple syrup or honey
2 T oil
2 T water
1/4 c apple juice or tart cherry concentrate
Dried fruits: raisins, cherries, cranberries, apricots, at least 1/2 cup, more if you like the fruits (I do).
Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the liquid ingredients and heat for 1 min. in the microwave; this helps thin the syrup or honey so it will coat the oats. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well. Spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 275 degrees F for 30 min. stirring frequently. The oats will be a crispy brown. The kitchen smells heavenly while this is baking. Puppy Dashel loves this granola and strolls past the oven the entire time it is baking.
Pour into a mixing bowl while still warm and add in dried fruit. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
I make my own yogurt and this granola is excellent with yogurt.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Pasties--Michigan's Upper Peninsula Style
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Pasties are really wonderful and it surprises me how many people have not had this tasty meat pie. Legend has it that immigrants moving to the Upper Peninsula brought the pastie tradition with them. Miners wrapped the pasties in newspaper to keep them warm in their lunch pails.
Even though we live just 30 minutes from the Upper Peninsula, very few restaurants in our area serve pasties. So I have to make them. This recipe makes 10 pasties and is adapted from a recipe given to me years ago by former food editor and current restaurant owner Kathy Gibbons. Kathy got it from an Upper Peninsula pasty maker. Each pastie is enough for a meal.
2 lbs. of ground or chopped meat; beef or a beef/pork blend
4 large potatoes
1 med. rutabaga (don't skip the rutabaga!)
1 large onion
2 t. Penzey's beef base dissolved in 2 T hot water
salt and pepper to taste
And pie dough--enough to make 5 single pies. Each pastie requires 1/2 of the dough used in a single crust. So for our Mom's pie crust, I made 2 batches for double pies, and 1 batch for a single pie crust recipe giving me enough for 10 pasties: 5 cups of flour, 1 2/3 cups of Crisco, 2 1/2 t salt, about 1 1/4 cups ice water. I made the pie dough in separate batches, divided into 10 small pieces, wrapped each piece and chilled. When making each pastie, I removed one piece of dough from the fridge at a time leaving the rest to stay chilled.
Chop the potatoes and rutabaga into cubes. Chop the onion. Mix all the ingredients until well blended.
Roll out pie dough for one pastie into a circle. Place the meat filling on 1/2 of the circle, fold the dough over the meat filling to make a 1/2 circle. Brush with milk. Repeat for remaining 9 pasties. This takes a while but these freeze well so I usually make this large batch.
To prepare for freezing and later use, bake pasties at 350 degrees F for 20 min. until the crust is slightly firm. Flip over the pastie and bake for another 10 min. to firm up the other side. Cool, wrap, and freeze. To reheat, bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes until the crust is brown.
If you are eating the pasties the same day you make them, bake for 45-50 min. at 350 degrees F until the pasties are nicely browned.
We serve the pasties with gravy made from Penzey's beef base, flour, and water. Many pastie die hards only use Ketchup on their pasties!
This website, www.upper-peninsula-now.com/pasty-recipe.html, illustrates how to make a pastie although the recipe is a bit different and it uses store bought pie crust (shame, shame!).
Pasties are really wonderful and it surprises me how many people have not had this tasty meat pie. Legend has it that immigrants moving to the Upper Peninsula brought the pastie tradition with them. Miners wrapped the pasties in newspaper to keep them warm in their lunch pails.
Even though we live just 30 minutes from the Upper Peninsula, very few restaurants in our area serve pasties. So I have to make them. This recipe makes 10 pasties and is adapted from a recipe given to me years ago by former food editor and current restaurant owner Kathy Gibbons. Kathy got it from an Upper Peninsula pasty maker. Each pastie is enough for a meal.
2 lbs. of ground or chopped meat; beef or a beef/pork blend
4 large potatoes
1 med. rutabaga (don't skip the rutabaga!)
1 large onion
2 t. Penzey's beef base dissolved in 2 T hot water
salt and pepper to taste
And pie dough--enough to make 5 single pies. Each pastie requires 1/2 of the dough used in a single crust. So for our Mom's pie crust, I made 2 batches for double pies, and 1 batch for a single pie crust recipe giving me enough for 10 pasties: 5 cups of flour, 1 2/3 cups of Crisco, 2 1/2 t salt, about 1 1/4 cups ice water. I made the pie dough in separate batches, divided into 10 small pieces, wrapped each piece and chilled. When making each pastie, I removed one piece of dough from the fridge at a time leaving the rest to stay chilled.
Chop the potatoes and rutabaga into cubes. Chop the onion. Mix all the ingredients until well blended.
Roll out pie dough for one pastie into a circle. Place the meat filling on 1/2 of the circle, fold the dough over the meat filling to make a 1/2 circle. Brush with milk. Repeat for remaining 9 pasties. This takes a while but these freeze well so I usually make this large batch.
To prepare for freezing and later use, bake pasties at 350 degrees F for 20 min. until the crust is slightly firm. Flip over the pastie and bake for another 10 min. to firm up the other side. Cool, wrap, and freeze. To reheat, bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes until the crust is brown.
If you are eating the pasties the same day you make them, bake for 45-50 min. at 350 degrees F until the pasties are nicely browned.
We serve the pasties with gravy made from Penzey's beef base, flour, and water. Many pastie die hards only use Ketchup on their pasties!
This website, www.upper-peninsula-now.com/pasty-recipe.html, illustrates how to make a pastie although the recipe is a bit different and it uses store bought pie crust (shame, shame!).
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Panko Fried Shrimp
By Dave Washburn
This is a simple recipe a lot like the fried green tomatoes.
1 lb. large shrimp peeled and deveined, tails on- go down to the shrimp house and get them off the boat. (Ha! A joke! You don't have shrimp houses in Iowa or Michigan! Too bad! I do!) Oh well, get them where you can.
1 C corn starch
2 eggs
2 C panko
hot sauce
BBQ rub mix
salt & pepper
In a small bowl toss the shrimp in the corn starch, shake off the excess.
In a bigger bowl beat the eggs with a little water and the hot sauce.
In a BIGGER bowl mix the panko and the BBQ rub with salt and pepper.
Take each shrimp out of the corn starch and dip in the egg wash, and then into the panko, pressing to coat- remove to a wax paper lined baking sheet- repeat until all shrimp are coated.
Heat a large dutch oven (or deep fryer) with oil to 350 degrees.
Fry in batches until golden, turning once. Remove to paper towel lined baking sheet, salting once and turning over. Serve with Uncle Dave's Really Spicy Cocktail Sauce.
Uncle Dave's Really Spicy Cocktail Sauce:
Quarter cup good ketchup
Quarter cup good BBQ sauce (we're using Billy Bones)
HUGE tablespoon really good horseradish (don't use that creamy stuff, it really sucks)
shot Worcestershire
salt and pepper to taste
This recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, whatever-
Remember- horseradish is your friend.
This is a simple recipe a lot like the fried green tomatoes.
1 lb. large shrimp peeled and deveined, tails on- go down to the shrimp house and get them off the boat. (Ha! A joke! You don't have shrimp houses in Iowa or Michigan! Too bad! I do!) Oh well, get them where you can.
1 C corn starch
2 eggs
2 C panko
hot sauce
BBQ rub mix
salt & pepper
In a small bowl toss the shrimp in the corn starch, shake off the excess.
In a bigger bowl beat the eggs with a little water and the hot sauce.
In a BIGGER bowl mix the panko and the BBQ rub with salt and pepper.
Take each shrimp out of the corn starch and dip in the egg wash, and then into the panko, pressing to coat- remove to a wax paper lined baking sheet- repeat until all shrimp are coated.
Heat a large dutch oven (or deep fryer) with oil to 350 degrees.
Fry in batches until golden, turning once. Remove to paper towel lined baking sheet, salting once and turning over. Serve with Uncle Dave's Really Spicy Cocktail Sauce.
Uncle Dave's Really Spicy Cocktail Sauce:
Quarter cup good ketchup
Quarter cup good BBQ sauce (we're using Billy Bones)
HUGE tablespoon really good horseradish (don't use that creamy stuff, it really sucks)
shot Worcestershire
salt and pepper to taste
This recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, whatever-
Remember- horseradish is your friend.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Dave's Fried Green Tomatoes
By Dave Washburn
Fried Green Tomatoes
Shift on the recipe we grew up on- mom always liked the slightly burnt taste of the flour but I have found a crunchy variation without the burnt taste.
3-4 green tomatoes
2 eggs
2 cups panko
hot sauce (your fave)
salt & pepper
1 tsp. each garlic powder, thyme, oregano and cayenne
Slice tomatoes rather thick- beat eggs in medium bowl, add hot sauce to taste, along with a dash of salt and pepper. Put the tomato slices in the bowl turning to coat.
In another bowl add the panko and the spices, along with another shot of salt and pepper. Mix well.
Heat a large skillet with about a quarter inch of oil- hot but not smoking.
Take each slice of tomato out of the egg wash and place in the bowl of panko-turning to coat- pressing the panko into each side with a fork or your hands- place in the skillet. It should sizzle but not hard- frying slow is the key. fry gently until golden, turn over, brown until golden. Remove to a paper towel lined cookie sheet- salt, turn over, salt again. Keep warm in low oven until ready to serve.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Shift on the recipe we grew up on- mom always liked the slightly burnt taste of the flour but I have found a crunchy variation without the burnt taste.
3-4 green tomatoes
2 eggs
2 cups panko
hot sauce (your fave)
salt & pepper
1 tsp. each garlic powder, thyme, oregano and cayenne
Slice tomatoes rather thick- beat eggs in medium bowl, add hot sauce to taste, along with a dash of salt and pepper. Put the tomato slices in the bowl turning to coat.
In another bowl add the panko and the spices, along with another shot of salt and pepper. Mix well.
Heat a large skillet with about a quarter inch of oil- hot but not smoking.
Take each slice of tomato out of the egg wash and place in the bowl of panko-turning to coat- pressing the panko into each side with a fork or your hands- place in the skillet. It should sizzle but not hard- frying slow is the key. fry gently until golden, turn over, brown until golden. Remove to a paper towel lined cookie sheet- salt, turn over, salt again. Keep warm in low oven until ready to serve.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Sourdough Pancakes
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
Perry is right that we can do several posts just on sourdough recipes and sourdough starter. The starter that I use was given to me by our Uncle Gene years ago; we estimate that it is at least 50 years old! It has survived in my refrigerator despite some serious neglect a few times. A few years ago, we had house guests and I took the starter out of the fridge to begin the process for pancakes and discovered that there was mold on the top of the starter. This was a first and it was such a shock that I looked at it going "Oh, no, oh, no" and then Marty came to see what the problem was and had the same reaction. Our guests, who are not sourdough starter people, could not understand our concern.
But I saved it: I scraped off the mold and found about 1 teaspoon of good starter at the bottom of the jar. Over the course of a few days time, I mixed it with equal parts of flour and water and let it bubble until I had a cup of starter again!
Sourdough pancakes are not like buttermilk pancakes. They are flat and slightly sour and completely delicious. The starter needs to be fed the night before it is used. To 1 cup of starter, I add 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of water and a bit of sugar. I only use wood stirring implements with sourdough as metal or plastic impacts the reaction of the starter. Then I cover the starter and let it sit on the counter overnight. The next morning, I remove 1 cup of the starter and put it back in the refrigerator for the next time.
When our Serbian daughter, Milica, lived with us during high school, sourdough pancakes were a weekend tradition. So much so that when we visited her and her family in Serbia, she asked us to bring starter. Since we were traveling only with carryons, there was no way to carry a liquid with us.
So thanks to my friend sujo who is also a sourdough fan (and has been the recipient of this starter a couple of times), I learned how to dry the starter. I spread a thin layer of the starter on a Silpat baking sheet and let it dry at room temperature for several days. Then I put all of the dried flakes of starter in the food processor and ground it until a fine powder. Voila! A transportable starter.
In Serbia, I fed the starter with flour and water for a day or so until it bubbled. For the pancakes, baking soda is required at the end of the mixing process to help the pancakes rise. My dilemma was trying to explain to a Serbian grocery store clerk that I needed baking soda. I was unsuccessful. Milica came to the rescue and went to the store with me.
We had sourdough pancakes this morning. This is the recipe that I use:
2 cups of sourdough starter (started the night before with 1 cup reserved for later use)
4 T vegetable oil
1 egg
2 T sugar (this helps in browning the pancakes)
1/2 t salt
Just before putting on the griddle, stir in 1/2-1 t of baking soda. The larger amount, 1 t, is used is the starter is very sour or if it has been awhile since last used. As you blend in the soda, the batter will nearly double in volume.
Ok, Perry: your turn to talk about sourdough!
Perry is right that we can do several posts just on sourdough recipes and sourdough starter. The starter that I use was given to me by our Uncle Gene years ago; we estimate that it is at least 50 years old! It has survived in my refrigerator despite some serious neglect a few times. A few years ago, we had house guests and I took the starter out of the fridge to begin the process for pancakes and discovered that there was mold on the top of the starter. This was a first and it was such a shock that I looked at it going "Oh, no, oh, no" and then Marty came to see what the problem was and had the same reaction. Our guests, who are not sourdough starter people, could not understand our concern.
But I saved it: I scraped off the mold and found about 1 teaspoon of good starter at the bottom of the jar. Over the course of a few days time, I mixed it with equal parts of flour and water and let it bubble until I had a cup of starter again!
Sourdough pancakes are not like buttermilk pancakes. They are flat and slightly sour and completely delicious. The starter needs to be fed the night before it is used. To 1 cup of starter, I add 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups of water and a bit of sugar. I only use wood stirring implements with sourdough as metal or plastic impacts the reaction of the starter. Then I cover the starter and let it sit on the counter overnight. The next morning, I remove 1 cup of the starter and put it back in the refrigerator for the next time.
When our Serbian daughter, Milica, lived with us during high school, sourdough pancakes were a weekend tradition. So much so that when we visited her and her family in Serbia, she asked us to bring starter. Since we were traveling only with carryons, there was no way to carry a liquid with us.
So thanks to my friend sujo who is also a sourdough fan (and has been the recipient of this starter a couple of times), I learned how to dry the starter. I spread a thin layer of the starter on a Silpat baking sheet and let it dry at room temperature for several days. Then I put all of the dried flakes of starter in the food processor and ground it until a fine powder. Voila! A transportable starter.
In Serbia, I fed the starter with flour and water for a day or so until it bubbled. For the pancakes, baking soda is required at the end of the mixing process to help the pancakes rise. My dilemma was trying to explain to a Serbian grocery store clerk that I needed baking soda. I was unsuccessful. Milica came to the rescue and went to the store with me.
We had sourdough pancakes this morning. This is the recipe that I use:
2 cups of sourdough starter (started the night before with 1 cup reserved for later use)
4 T vegetable oil
1 egg
2 T sugar (this helps in browning the pancakes)
1/2 t salt
Just before putting on the griddle, stir in 1/2-1 t of baking soda. The larger amount, 1 t, is used is the starter is very sour or if it has been awhile since last used. As you blend in the soda, the batter will nearly double in volume.
Ok, Perry: your turn to talk about sourdough!
Pie Crust--Homemade, Of Course
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
We Washburns were lucky to grow up with a Mom who loved baking pies. And she has passed that love onto us. I often serve pies for desserts to guests and the pies are a surprise to many; great pies are really a wonderful dessert. There are too many bad pie crusts out there and they have given pies a bad reputation.
Everyone in Mom's family made pies including our Grandma Bond who owned a restaurant, and Mom's sister, Phyllis, who also owned a restaurant. We love good pies!
Mom's pie crust recipe is simple. This is for a two crust pie.
2 cups flour
2/3 cup Crisco shortening (Mom only used Crisco)
1 t salt
a scant 1/2 cup of ice water
Making a pie crust is really easy. Cut in the shortening to the flour and salt with a fork or pastry blender until pea size clumps of flour/shortening form. This should take about 30 seconds. Drizzle small quantities of the ice water into the mixture blending just until the mixture comes together. There will be small grains of flour mixture left in the bowl but the bulk of the mixture will be in one mass.
The trick with pie dough is always the amount of water. Too much and the pie crust is tough, too little and it is difficult to roll out. That's why instructions usually say that the dough should just come together and not be in loose pieces or be wet.
In the last year or so, I have been chilling the dough before rolling it out. I wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and this makes the dough easier to roll out. Flaky pie dough comes from the explosion of the shortening fragments in the hot oven. So the colder these fragments, the better the explosion! I also chill the dough after I roll it out and put in a pie pan, usually 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 10-15 minutes in the freezer. Last summer, I tried chilling all the ingredients before assembling. I didn't like the result; it takes more water to make the flour come together when the flour is cold and thus, the crusts were too tough for my Washburn taste.
It takes very little time to make pie crust. I spend more time cleaning off the cutting board that I roll the dough out on then I do with making the crust. I read recipes for the perfect pie crust which may include using a food processor and include other ingredients like sugar, butter, egg, lard, vinegar, or vodka; but this one is the tried and true.
Follow specific pie recipes for baking times. For some pies like cream pies, the crust is baked without filling for a short time before adding the filling. I typically bake fruit pies for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F and then turn the heat to 350 for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling begins to bubble. Baking times will vary based on individual ovens and the temperature of the filling--frozen fruit added to a pie will take longer.
We Washburns were lucky to grow up with a Mom who loved baking pies. And she has passed that love onto us. I often serve pies for desserts to guests and the pies are a surprise to many; great pies are really a wonderful dessert. There are too many bad pie crusts out there and they have given pies a bad reputation.
Everyone in Mom's family made pies including our Grandma Bond who owned a restaurant, and Mom's sister, Phyllis, who also owned a restaurant. We love good pies!
Mom's pie crust recipe is simple. This is for a two crust pie.
2 cups flour
2/3 cup Crisco shortening (Mom only used Crisco)
1 t salt
a scant 1/2 cup of ice water
Making a pie crust is really easy. Cut in the shortening to the flour and salt with a fork or pastry blender until pea size clumps of flour/shortening form. This should take about 30 seconds. Drizzle small quantities of the ice water into the mixture blending just until the mixture comes together. There will be small grains of flour mixture left in the bowl but the bulk of the mixture will be in one mass.
The trick with pie dough is always the amount of water. Too much and the pie crust is tough, too little and it is difficult to roll out. That's why instructions usually say that the dough should just come together and not be in loose pieces or be wet.
In the last year or so, I have been chilling the dough before rolling it out. I wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and this makes the dough easier to roll out. Flaky pie dough comes from the explosion of the shortening fragments in the hot oven. So the colder these fragments, the better the explosion! I also chill the dough after I roll it out and put in a pie pan, usually 30 minutes in the refrigerator or 10-15 minutes in the freezer. Last summer, I tried chilling all the ingredients before assembling. I didn't like the result; it takes more water to make the flour come together when the flour is cold and thus, the crusts were too tough for my Washburn taste.
It takes very little time to make pie crust. I spend more time cleaning off the cutting board that I roll the dough out on then I do with making the crust. I read recipes for the perfect pie crust which may include using a food processor and include other ingredients like sugar, butter, egg, lard, vinegar, or vodka; but this one is the tried and true.
Follow specific pie recipes for baking times. For some pies like cream pies, the crust is baked without filling for a short time before adding the filling. I typically bake fruit pies for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F and then turn the heat to 350 for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling begins to bubble. Baking times will vary based on individual ovens and the temperature of the filling--frozen fruit added to a pie will take longer.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Turkey Pot Pie
By Kathryn Washburn Breighner
My friend Carolyn is the pot pie queen. If you have a craving for really wonderful pot pies, visit Carolyn's website, www.goodhartstore.com, where you can order her chicken pot pies. So in trying to live up to her standards, I made a turkey pot pie tonight. It scored an A+.
We had leftover turkey, about 2 cups of bite size pieces, that I tossed with:
4 cubed potatoes
1 c chopped carrots
2 chopped celery stalks
1 chopped onion.
We also had leftover turkey gravy; but I've done this before without the gravy and just made a roux of flour and oil and then stirred in seasonings and chicken stock to make a thick stock. I thinned the gravy with milk, about 2/3 gravy to 1/3 milk, tossed this with all of the ingredients using enough gravy to just coat all of the ingredients and poured into a large pie plate. I used about 1 1/2 cups of gravy/milk mixture. Because the gravy was already seasoned, I didn't need to add additional salt or pepper.
Then, of course, came Mom's pie crust recipe. Since I was also making pumpkin pecan pie tonight, I made a double crust and used one for the dessert pie and the other for this pie. I topped the turkey mixture with the pie crust, cut 6 small slits in the crust, and baked at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. There is not a bite left for leftovers!
My friend Carolyn is the pot pie queen. If you have a craving for really wonderful pot pies, visit Carolyn's website, www.goodhartstore.com, where you can order her chicken pot pies. So in trying to live up to her standards, I made a turkey pot pie tonight. It scored an A+.
We had leftover turkey, about 2 cups of bite size pieces, that I tossed with:
4 cubed potatoes
1 c chopped carrots
2 chopped celery stalks
1 chopped onion.
We also had leftover turkey gravy; but I've done this before without the gravy and just made a roux of flour and oil and then stirred in seasonings and chicken stock to make a thick stock. I thinned the gravy with milk, about 2/3 gravy to 1/3 milk, tossed this with all of the ingredients using enough gravy to just coat all of the ingredients and poured into a large pie plate. I used about 1 1/2 cups of gravy/milk mixture. Because the gravy was already seasoned, I didn't need to add additional salt or pepper.
Then, of course, came Mom's pie crust recipe. Since I was also making pumpkin pecan pie tonight, I made a double crust and used one for the dessert pie and the other for this pie. I topped the turkey mixture with the pie crust, cut 6 small slits in the crust, and baked at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. There is not a bite left for leftovers!
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