I'm doing something I don't normally do and posting a few recipes I didn't make, but have on hand, ate, enjoyed, and don't want to lose/forget about. Officially, this is called chili, but it tastes so unlike anything I'm used to as chili that I had to change the name! It's delicious though and easy to make. I'm putting the original recipe here, when I make it, I'll probably add some cumin and epazote just because I can't leave well enough alone (maybe 1 tsp epazote and 1 tbsp cumin?). The smokiness of ancho chili powder also seems perfect for this dish, so if you have access to it, I'd recommend trying.
One year ago: Scrambled Eggs with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Cheese
Espresso Black Bean Stew/Chili (from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
Ingredients
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 tbsp minced garlic
3 cups chopped tomato (if canned, don't drain)
1/2 to 1 cup freshly brewed espresso/1 to 2 cups brewed coffee/2 tbsp espresso powder
2 tbsp chili powder (see header for suggestions)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar/3 tbsp molasses
one 3-inch cinnamon stick
1 pound dried black beans, soaked
salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Stir in tomato, espresso, brown sugar/molasses, chili powder (and other spices if using), cinnamon, and beans. Add enough water to cover.
4. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook stirring occasionally until bean start to soften, about 30 - 40 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Continue cooking until beans are tender, 45 minutes - 1.5 hours longer. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Green Curry Shrimp with Rice
This blog posting could also be entitled The Best Laid Plans. Despite my best plans, a recipe I've been eager to make (a variation on butter chicken) still waits in my cookbook for its turn. My plan all week was to make it on Wednesday night, but that plan was derailed by a migraine, followed by a work dinner the next night, followed by the sudden realization on Friday night that I should stop ignoring my body and admit that I'm sick (sadly missing out on an event I'd been looking forward to!), and as Saturday rolled around I decided to go with something much more simple that could be made with ingredients I had on hand.
I simplified this recipe quite a bit. Perhaps the original is better (almost certainly), but this version is easier. And today (actually yesterday given that I couldn't actually get the post finished yesterday), when I'm still feeling slightly under the weather, easier wins out by a mile (kilometer?).
A few caveats about the recipe. The sauce is delicious, but a bit on the water side. You might want to let it reduce longer or else cut back on the chicken broth even more (the recipe below is already reduced!). Second, I made this with rice noodles, but the method they give for cooking the noodles isn't really conducive to good noodles and given how watery the sauce is, I'm going to suggest pairing it with regular rice. YMMV.
One Year Ago: Mastering the poached egg ... or almost eggs benedict
Green Curry Shrimp with Rice (adapted from epicurious.com)
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 heaping tablespoons bottled Asian green curry paste (mine was probably closer to 3)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (see notes above)
750g peeled and deveined large shrimp (I used less)
2 to 3 teaspoons Asian fish sauce, or to taste
cooked rice
1. In a large, deep frying pan, heat 1 tbsp or so of coconut cream (the thick part of the coconut milk) over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, curry paste, sugar, salt and turmeric and allow to cook until mixture begins to stick to pot and smells fragrant, 8-10 minutes.
2. Add coconut milk and broth and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3 2/3 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add shrimp to sauce and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Ladle shrimp and sauce over rice.
I simplified this recipe quite a bit. Perhaps the original is better (almost certainly), but this version is easier. And today (actually yesterday given that I couldn't actually get the post finished yesterday), when I'm still feeling slightly under the weather, easier wins out by a mile (kilometer?).
A few caveats about the recipe. The sauce is delicious, but a bit on the water side. You might want to let it reduce longer or else cut back on the chicken broth even more (the recipe below is already reduced!). Second, I made this with rice noodles, but the method they give for cooking the noodles isn't really conducive to good noodles and given how watery the sauce is, I'm going to suggest pairing it with regular rice. YMMV.
One Year Ago: Mastering the poached egg ... or almost eggs benedict
Green Curry Shrimp with Rice (adapted from epicurious.com)
Ingredients
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 heaping tablespoons bottled Asian green curry paste (mine was probably closer to 3)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (see notes above)
750g peeled and deveined large shrimp (I used less)
2 to 3 teaspoons Asian fish sauce, or to taste
cooked rice
1. In a large, deep frying pan, heat 1 tbsp or so of coconut cream (the thick part of the coconut milk) over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, curry paste, sugar, salt and turmeric and allow to cook until mixture begins to stick to pot and smells fragrant, 8-10 minutes.
2. Add coconut milk and broth and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3 2/3 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add shrimp to sauce and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Ladle shrimp and sauce over rice.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sun-dried Tomato Gnocchi with Porcini Mushroom Broth
I will freely admit that gnocchi intimidates me. I've read too many horror stories of the difficulty of making gnocchi, so it remains one of the few dishes that seems worth it to me to eat out at an Italian restaurant. Over the break, I resolved to give it a try. The Hazan book has a nice long introduction and detailed steps, so perhaps it's time.
On Friday, I ran across a post on foodgawker that seemed too good to pass up. Gnocchi made of sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta with a morel mushroom broth and gorgonzola foam. The photos were beautiful. I decided this might be an easier first attempt with gnocchi as it didn't involve potatoes (and I think I was right). The gnocchi was good, but the mushroom broth was outstanding. I didn't have morel mushrooms, so I used porcini. The broth is simple to make, so I can see it being used with fresh fettuccine or dumplings. My only disappointment with this recipe was the gorgonzola foam. Some of these were likely user error (The pot I saved for it was too small. I started using the immersion blender so it foamed well before the cheese was melted and the milk heated. I removed it from heat, realized my error and tried to melt the cheese into the milk and transfer the dish to a larger bowl, but then I couldn't get it to re-foam. Making it again, I might just stick to a thicker gorgonzola cream sauce or skip it entirely as the broth and gnocchi are good enough to stand of their own.)
This recipe comes together surprisingly quickly. The gnocchi and foam can both be made while the broth is coming to a boil and simmering.
Other changes to the recipe besides the use of porcini and gorgonzola foam failure were using plain sun-dried tomatoes (without herbs) because they're so much cheaper. I added herbs to the mixture. I also messed up and added the flour into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and then required extra flour when hand mixing the gnocchi dough. I might try it the proper way next time, but doing everything at once in the food processor did make life easier!
One Year Ago: Another sun-dried tomato recipe ... although what was I doing cooking with fresh cherry tomatoes in January?? Red Pesto Penne with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Cheese
Sun-dried Tomato Gnocchi with Porcini Mushroom Broth (adapted from 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures)
Ingredients
gnocchi
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup flour
mushroom broth
2 cups stock (I used chicken)
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
salt, pepper to taste
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I assumed this meant light)
1 sprig rosemary
Gorgonzola foam (see cautionary notes above)
2 cups fat free milk (I used 2%)
1 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1. Make broth Grind the dried porcini mushrooms into a fine powder in a spice or a coffee grinder (I used a regular food processor). Place in a pot, along with stock. Bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add mirin, soy sauce and a sprig of rosemary. Continue to boil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour. Strain.
2. Make gnocchi In a food processor, mix ricotta cheese, egg, and sun-dried tomatoes to blend. Season with salt, pepper, and spices.
3. In a large bowl, stir the sun-dried tomato ricotta mixture with flour. Then knead the dough gently with your hands to form a ball. Sprinkle with a little more flour if necessary. Divide the dough in small balls. Roll each into a thin "rope". Slice into 1-inch pieces and flick them with a fork.
4. Boil water in a large pot to boil. Salt and add the gnocchi. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the gnocchi float to the top. Drain gently.
5. Make Gorgonzola foam (see caution notes above) Place milk and Gorgonzola cheese in a small saucepan over medium heat. Start whisking the mixture and continue to whisk fast until the foam starts to form at the top (can also use the immersion blender). Do not allow the milk-gorgonzola mixture to boil. After enough foam has formed, take the saucepan off the heat, an continue to whisk until the amount of foam has doubled.
6. Assemble Ladle the desired amount of porcini mushroom broth onto each plate. Arrange the gnocchi all around and carefully spoon the Gorgonzola foam on top of the gnocchi.
On Friday, I ran across a post on foodgawker that seemed too good to pass up. Gnocchi made of sun-dried tomatoes and ricotta with a morel mushroom broth and gorgonzola foam. The photos were beautiful. I decided this might be an easier first attempt with gnocchi as it didn't involve potatoes (and I think I was right). The gnocchi was good, but the mushroom broth was outstanding. I didn't have morel mushrooms, so I used porcini. The broth is simple to make, so I can see it being used with fresh fettuccine or dumplings. My only disappointment with this recipe was the gorgonzola foam. Some of these were likely user error (The pot I saved for it was too small. I started using the immersion blender so it foamed well before the cheese was melted and the milk heated. I removed it from heat, realized my error and tried to melt the cheese into the milk and transfer the dish to a larger bowl, but then I couldn't get it to re-foam. Making it again, I might just stick to a thicker gorgonzola cream sauce or skip it entirely as the broth and gnocchi are good enough to stand of their own.)
This recipe comes together surprisingly quickly. The gnocchi and foam can both be made while the broth is coming to a boil and simmering.
Other changes to the recipe besides the use of porcini and gorgonzola foam failure were using plain sun-dried tomatoes (without herbs) because they're so much cheaper. I added herbs to the mixture. I also messed up and added the flour into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients and then required extra flour when hand mixing the gnocchi dough. I might try it the proper way next time, but doing everything at once in the food processor did make life easier!
One Year Ago: Another sun-dried tomato recipe ... although what was I doing cooking with fresh cherry tomatoes in January?? Red Pesto Penne with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Cheese
Sun-dried Tomato Gnocchi with Porcini Mushroom Broth (adapted from 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures)
Ingredients
gnocchi
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup flour
mushroom broth
2 cups stock (I used chicken)
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
salt, pepper to taste
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I assumed this meant light)
1 sprig rosemary
Gorgonzola foam (see cautionary notes above)
2 cups fat free milk (I used 2%)
1 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1. Make broth Grind the dried porcini mushrooms into a fine powder in a spice or a coffee grinder (I used a regular food processor). Place in a pot, along with stock. Bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add mirin, soy sauce and a sprig of rosemary. Continue to boil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour. Strain.
2. Make gnocchi In a food processor, mix ricotta cheese, egg, and sun-dried tomatoes to blend. Season with salt, pepper, and spices.
3. In a large bowl, stir the sun-dried tomato ricotta mixture with flour. Then knead the dough gently with your hands to form a ball. Sprinkle with a little more flour if necessary. Divide the dough in small balls. Roll each into a thin "rope". Slice into 1-inch pieces and flick them with a fork.
4. Boil water in a large pot to boil. Salt and add the gnocchi. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the gnocchi float to the top. Drain gently.
5. Make Gorgonzola foam (see caution notes above) Place milk and Gorgonzola cheese in a small saucepan over medium heat. Start whisking the mixture and continue to whisk fast until the foam starts to form at the top (can also use the immersion blender). Do not allow the milk-gorgonzola mixture to boil. After enough foam has formed, take the saucepan off the heat, an continue to whisk until the amount of foam has doubled.
6. Assemble Ladle the desired amount of porcini mushroom broth onto each plate. Arrange the gnocchi all around and carefully spoon the Gorgonzola foam on top of the gnocchi.
Vanilla Pudding
Saturday was a day of rest and relaxation, for catching up on reading and on cooking. By mid-afternoon, I was halfway through my book and craving something sweet (the clear downside of baking is you get used to sweets). Not really in the mood for something heavy, I aimlessly went to smitten kitchen for inspiration and found it instantly in a new post on vanilla pudding. I'm not sure I've ever had homemade pudding and I had no idea how it's even made. Pudding is (was more accurately now) something that comes in tiny plastic tubs when you're sick or small cardboard boxes when your grandma makes it. Surprisingly, pudding is fairly simple to make ... it just requires time and patience to set. I had everything on hand, so by dinner time, I had homemade pudding. Delicious!
Vanilla Pudding (from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients
2 2/3 cups whole milk, divided (I used 2%)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum
1. Bring 2 cups of the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
3. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup milk, a little at a time so lumps do not form, then whisk in the egg.
4. Once milk is boiling, very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl, whisking the whole time.
5. Return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a silicon spatula or wooden spoon.
6. Once it comes to a simmer, cook it for one minute longer (which will cook the cornstarch and egg fully and also thicken the mixture noticeably).
7. Stir in vanilla extract and rum and divide pudding among 6 dishes.
8. Chill in refrigerator until fully set, about 2 hours.
Vanilla Pudding (from Smitten Kitchen)
Ingredients
2 2/3 cups whole milk, divided (I used 2%)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum
1. Bring 2 cups of the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
3. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup milk, a little at a time so lumps do not form, then whisk in the egg.
4. Once milk is boiling, very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl, whisking the whole time.
5. Return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a silicon spatula or wooden spoon.
6. Once it comes to a simmer, cook it for one minute longer (which will cook the cornstarch and egg fully and also thicken the mixture noticeably).
7. Stir in vanilla extract and rum and divide pudding among 6 dishes.
8. Chill in refrigerator until fully set, about 2 hours.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Pad Thai
I ran across this recipe ages ago, but I couldn't locate tamarind, so I mentally filed it away for future use. Last summer, I ran across tamarind while browsing through Folie en Vrac on Mont Royal (a wonderful little grocery store!). For some reason, which I will regret, I didn't immediately make this recipe and instead I sat on it for months until a craving for pad thai hit. I didn't measure much at all while making this recipe, so I'm going to give you the proportions Use Real Butter shared. I made this only with shrimp, but you could do chicken or tofu instead ... or all three!
For the chili powder, you can use paprika or Thai chili powder. I used cayenne chili powder.
Pad Thai (Chez Pim's recipe with a little help from Use Real Butter)
The recipe below makes 6 - 8 servings. I cut down on the main ingredients to only make 2 servings.
Ingredients
vegetable oil (for frying)
4 cloves minced garlic (about 1/2+ clove per serving)
sauce (see below) (about 1/4 cup per serving)
500g rice noodles
6 eggs (1 egg per serving)
450g shrimp, peeled and deveined (4-6 shrimp per serving)
1 cup ground peanuts (1-2 tbsps per serving)
3-4 cups bean sprouts (1/2 cup per serving)
1 cup garlic chives or green onions, chopped (2 tbsps per serving)
more sprouts (garnish)
fresh limes (garnish)
sauce
1/2 cup tamarind paste
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp chili powder (to taste)
1. Make the tamarind paste: If you have block tamarind, soak the block in 4 cups of hot water in a large bowl. Mesh the tamarind and water together and let sit until the water cool down enough not to burn your hands. Stick your hands into the bowl and work the tamarind and water together until the consistency is a bit looser than room-temperature ketchup. Add more warm water if needed. Then, strain the mixture to remove the pits and tough membranes from the tamarind pulp. Any extra can be kept in a glass jar in the fridge for quite some time.
2. Soak the noodles: Chez Pim's instructions for soaking the noodles are as follows: "Don’t soak until the noodle is soft enough to eat, or it will turn into mush in the wok. Just do it until it’s pliable and almost edible, like very al dente pasta, then drain well." I found lots of different advice online with some people saying always soak in cold water for an hour or so to others suggesting hot tap water. The box I had suggested 20 minutes with hot tap water. I ended up going with about 10 minutes of soaking in hot tap water based on taste.
3. Make sauce: Over a low flame, heat the tamarind, fish sauce, and brown sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the chili powder a teaspoon at a time to desired spiciness. Adjust levels of tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar to taste. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn off the heat (keep sauce warm).
4. Cook the pad thai 1-2 servings at a time. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in wok or large frying pan over high heat.
5. Add 1-2 tablespoons of sauce, and a pinch of garlic.
6. Stir around and add about 2 cups of loosely packed of rice noodles plus 1/4 cup of sauce to the pan and stir vigorously until the noodles soften. If it dries out, you can add some water.
7. Push the noodles to the side and crack an egg into the pan. Let the egg cook for 10 seconds and then toss the noodles and egg together in the pan.
8. Drop 4-6 shrimp, a couple of tablespoons of ground peanuts, a heaping tablespoon of turnip, and 1/2 cup of sprouts into the pan. Stir fry until the shrimp are just cooked (very fast – about a minute).
9. Toss in the green onions or garlic chives and remove from heat.
10. Serve hot with more sprouts, ground peanuts, and lime wedges for garnish.
For the chili powder, you can use paprika or Thai chili powder. I used cayenne chili powder.
Pad Thai (Chez Pim's recipe with a little help from Use Real Butter)
The recipe below makes 6 - 8 servings. I cut down on the main ingredients to only make 2 servings.
Ingredients
vegetable oil (for frying)
4 cloves minced garlic (about 1/2+ clove per serving)
sauce (see below) (about 1/4 cup per serving)
500g rice noodles
6 eggs (1 egg per serving)
450g shrimp, peeled and deveined (4-6 shrimp per serving)
1 cup ground peanuts (1-2 tbsps per serving)
3-4 cups bean sprouts (1/2 cup per serving)
1 cup garlic chives or green onions, chopped (2 tbsps per serving)
more sprouts (garnish)
fresh limes (garnish)
sauce
1/2 cup tamarind paste
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp chili powder (to taste)
1. Make the tamarind paste: If you have block tamarind, soak the block in 4 cups of hot water in a large bowl. Mesh the tamarind and water together and let sit until the water cool down enough not to burn your hands. Stick your hands into the bowl and work the tamarind and water together until the consistency is a bit looser than room-temperature ketchup. Add more warm water if needed. Then, strain the mixture to remove the pits and tough membranes from the tamarind pulp. Any extra can be kept in a glass jar in the fridge for quite some time.
2. Soak the noodles: Chez Pim's instructions for soaking the noodles are as follows: "Don’t soak until the noodle is soft enough to eat, or it will turn into mush in the wok. Just do it until it’s pliable and almost edible, like very al dente pasta, then drain well." I found lots of different advice online with some people saying always soak in cold water for an hour or so to others suggesting hot tap water. The box I had suggested 20 minutes with hot tap water. I ended up going with about 10 minutes of soaking in hot tap water based on taste.
3. Make sauce: Over a low flame, heat the tamarind, fish sauce, and brown sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the chili powder a teaspoon at a time to desired spiciness. Adjust levels of tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar to taste. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn off the heat (keep sauce warm).
4. Cook the pad thai 1-2 servings at a time. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in wok or large frying pan over high heat.
5. Add 1-2 tablespoons of sauce, and a pinch of garlic.
6. Stir around and add about 2 cups of loosely packed of rice noodles plus 1/4 cup of sauce to the pan and stir vigorously until the noodles soften. If it dries out, you can add some water.
7. Push the noodles to the side and crack an egg into the pan. Let the egg cook for 10 seconds and then toss the noodles and egg together in the pan.
8. Drop 4-6 shrimp, a couple of tablespoons of ground peanuts, a heaping tablespoon of turnip, and 1/2 cup of sprouts into the pan. Stir fry until the shrimp are just cooked (very fast – about a minute).
9. Toss in the green onions or garlic chives and remove from heat.
10. Serve hot with more sprouts, ground peanuts, and lime wedges for garnish.
Minestrina Tricolore - Potato Soup with Carrots and Celery
This week my office mate admonished me for only having one recipe posted so far this month. I reminded her that we were only 6 days into the month and I'd barely be home, so she forgave me, but I'll warn you now that I may be slow in posting this winter. We'll see!
I made this recipe before leaving for my mini-vacation, mainly because I wanted to use up as much of the potatoes, celery, and carrots that I could before leaving. Non-new year's resolution: waste less food. This soup is thinner than I prefer, but it's good. I froze it all before I left and it was nice to have some homemade soup to come back to.
One Year Ago: Spinach Quiche
Minestrina Tricolore - Potato Soup with Carrots and Celery (from Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
Ingredients
680g potatoes
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp onion chopped fine
3 tbsp carrot chopped fine
3 tbsp celery chopped fine
5 tbsp freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 cup milk
2 cups meat broth (I used chicken)
salt
2 tbsp chopped parsley
crostini (I omitted, but it would be a nice addition)
1. Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces. Place in a soup pot with enough water to cover, put a lid on the pot, and turn heat to medium high. Boil until tender, then puree. Set aside.
2. Put butter, oil, and chopped onion in a skillet at medium heat. Saute until onion is a pale gold.
3. Add carrot and celery and cook about 2 minutes, stirring. (You want them to stay crisp.)
4. Transfer skillet contents to the pot with potatoes. Turn heat to medium and add parmesan, milk, and broth. Stir and cook for several minutes until fat is floating on the surface. Don't let the soup get thicker than cream. Salt to taste.
5. Remove from heat, add parsley, ladle into individual bowls. Serve with additional parmesan and crostini.
I made this recipe before leaving for my mini-vacation, mainly because I wanted to use up as much of the potatoes, celery, and carrots that I could before leaving. Non-new year's resolution: waste less food. This soup is thinner than I prefer, but it's good. I froze it all before I left and it was nice to have some homemade soup to come back to.
One Year Ago: Spinach Quiche
Minestrina Tricolore - Potato Soup with Carrots and Celery (from Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
Ingredients
680g potatoes
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp onion chopped fine
3 tbsp carrot chopped fine
3 tbsp celery chopped fine
5 tbsp freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 cup milk
2 cups meat broth (I used chicken)
salt
2 tbsp chopped parsley
crostini (I omitted, but it would be a nice addition)
1. Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces. Place in a soup pot with enough water to cover, put a lid on the pot, and turn heat to medium high. Boil until tender, then puree. Set aside.
2. Put butter, oil, and chopped onion in a skillet at medium heat. Saute until onion is a pale gold.
3. Add carrot and celery and cook about 2 minutes, stirring. (You want them to stay crisp.)
4. Transfer skillet contents to the pot with potatoes. Turn heat to medium and add parmesan, milk, and broth. Stir and cook for several minutes until fat is floating on the surface. Don't let the soup get thicker than cream. Salt to taste.
5. Remove from heat, add parsley, ladle into individual bowls. Serve with additional parmesan and crostini.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Greek-Style Penne with Lamb, Parsnips, Cinnamon, and Tomatoes
This is a recipe that sounds far fancier than it is. It probably could've benefited from a little more simmering, but it's satisfying and relatively quick once you finish chopping all of those parsnips. I substituted ground beef for the lamb because the Metro decided it didn't want to stock ground beef the day I was in the store and added some sliced kalamata olives and fresh mint to add to the Greek taste.
Happy New Year.
One year ago: Corn and Black Bean Tamale Pie
Greek-Style Penne with Lamb, Parsnips, Cinnamon, and Tomatoes (adapted from epicurious.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 very large onion, halved through root end, cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick 340g medium parsnips, peeled, cut on slight diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
225g ground lamb (or beef or veal)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 regular-sized cans diced tomatoes in juice
340g ounces penne
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Crumbled feta cheese
Sliced kalamata olives
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and parsnips and sauté until slightly softened and deep golden brown around edges, about 9 minutes.
3. Add garlic; stir 1 minute.
4. Add lamb and sauté until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon, about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in cinnamon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Add tomatoes with juice; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until parsnips are tender, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.
8. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid (I didn't need the extra liquid, but I was using canned whole Italian tomatoes). Return pasta to pot.
9. Add lamb mixture and enough cooking liquid to moisten; toss.
10. Add parsley and mint. Transfer to plates and sprinkle with feta and olives.
Happy New Year.
One year ago: Corn and Black Bean Tamale Pie
Greek-Style Penne with Lamb, Parsnips, Cinnamon, and Tomatoes (adapted from epicurious.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 very large onion, halved through root end, cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick 340g medium parsnips, peeled, cut on slight diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
225g ground lamb (or beef or veal)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 regular-sized cans diced tomatoes in juice
340g ounces penne
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
Crumbled feta cheese
Sliced kalamata olives
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and parsnips and sauté until slightly softened and deep golden brown around edges, about 9 minutes.
3. Add garlic; stir 1 minute.
4. Add lamb and sauté until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon, about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in cinnamon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Add tomatoes with juice; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until parsnips are tender, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.
8. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid (I didn't need the extra liquid, but I was using canned whole Italian tomatoes). Return pasta to pot.
9. Add lamb mixture and enough cooking liquid to moisten; toss.
10. Add parsley and mint. Transfer to plates and sprinkle with feta and olives.
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