Start Cooking blog

Stir-fry Seasonings

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:00:00 -0500

There are certain food combinations that always work together: salt and pepper, peanut butter & jelly, hot dogs & baked beans, fish & chips, gin & tonic just to name a few. Spices and seasonings work that way too. Nothing goes better with apple pie than cinnamon and nutmeg.

Stir fry recipes have their own unique set of seasoning ingredients.

Some may be more familiar to you than others. In my Chicken & Broccoli stir fry video, I used soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili paste and sesame oil as the four basic ingredients. Here is a very brief introduction to these ingredients.

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a dark, intensely flavored, salty sauce used for flavoring a lot of different foods. Soup, sauces, meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, you name it, and soy sauce works with them all. Different brands may be saltier than others. You often see it as a table condiment at Asian restaurants.

Oyster Sauce

Guess what it’s made from? You’re right! Oysters! Plus a lot of other ingredients (like soy sauce, salt, water, possibly MSG and cornstarch) depending on the brand you buy. It’s dark brown in color and very thick. It will not pour out of the jar - you need a spoon to scoop it out. It has a wonderful rich flavor that is not at all fishy. Oyster sauce helps to thicken the sauce in Stir Fries.

Chili Paste

Chili paste (not to be confused with chili oil, chili powder, or chili sauce), is made with red chilies, fava beans, flour, and (sometimes) garlic. Different brands have different levels of "heat", so be careful! If you like foods to be hot and spicy, this is the ingredient for you. Add a small amount at a time until you figure out what you like.

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil has a very strong flavor and fragrance. It is often used as a flavor enhancer rather than for frying. You can buy a light colored sesame oil that has a less intense flavor than the dark sesame oil.

Lydia from the Perfect Pantry refers to soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil as the "Cantonese 3-2-1 Trinity, as her basic stir-fry sauce".

Buying the "Trinity", at a minimum, is a wise choice if you plan on doing stir fry.

Cheers!

Canned Tomatoes and Sauce

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:00:00 -0500

My grocery store has one whole aisle dedicated to different types of canned tomatoes and tomato-based sauces. There are just so many choices, it can be immobilizing! Hopefully I can help demystify just a few of the choices.

Most of us at some point or another have bought a jar of spaghetti sauce and ketchup. These items can be found in almost everyone’s kitchen. Pizza sauce and salsa are fast becoming staples as well.

Pizza sauce has a consistency similar to ketchup, but has a lot more Italian spices added to it. The “squirt bottle” in this photo can be stored after opening, in the refrigerator, for up to four weeks. That’s great if you are making single servings of things like English Muffin Pizzas, and only use a little at a time.

Salsa has chunky bits of vegetables/fruit in it, some varieties being chunkier than others. Salsa can also be purchased with different levels of “heat”. Check the label. It will tell you if it’s mild, medium, or hot.

As wonderful as salsa is with corn chips, there is a lot more you can do with salsa. It’s great on top of a baked potato as well as a topping for fish.

Using Canned Tomatoes

It wasn’t until I started making my own spaghetti sauce that I realized there was a huge difference in taste between home-made and store-bought spaghetti sauce. You really will impress your guests if you make your own. They will be able to tell.

My Marinara Sauce, and my Turkey-Sausage Pasta Sauce, both have canned tomatoes as one of their ingredients.

There are a lot of different canned tomatoes to choose from. Whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato sauce and tomato paste, are just four of the main types of tomatoes you can get in a can.

One more thing…not all brands taste the same! If a particular brand tastes too acidic or too sweet, try another brand! (For a review of different brands of canned tomatoes, click here.)

(Tomato puree is another form of tomatoes you can buy in a can. They are not in the photo because I didn’t have any in the cupboard when I wrote this post!)

All of these different varieties can be purchased with added spices, like garlic, basil and oregano.

Whole tomatoes are just that. You can buy them peeled or unpeeled. They usually come packed in tomato juice. They are used for sauces, chili, soups, and stews.

Marinara Sauce Ingredients

Crushed tomatoes (or diced tomatoes) are the whole tomato cut up. Sometimes extra juice has been added to the can. They too are used for sauces, soups, and stews. Your recipe will indicate which to buy. The tastes are very similar, it’s the texture that is clearly different.

Turkey Sausage Sauce Ingredients: Including Tomato Paste and Crushed Tomatoes

Tomato puree and tomato sauce have been cooked and strained. Puree is thicker than tomato sauce. I drew my finger through the tomato sauce on the dish in the picture below just to give you a sense of how thick it is. Use this for seasoning, flavor, and/or as a base for other sauces.

Tomato paste is made from tomatoes that have been cooked for several hours and then strained. It is used to intensify the tomato flavor in anything that it is added to.

You can buy it in a can or a tube. This tube says “double concentrate” which means it has an even stronger flavor than regular tomato paste.

The tube of tomato paste can cost at least 3 times more than a can of tomato paste. You can store the tube in the refrigerator for quite some time. That’s the advantage of the added cost.

Personally, I don’t think it’s worth spending the extra money. If you do have leftover tomato paste you can freeze it for future use. You can slide all the leftovers out of the can by opening both ends with a can opener and then pushing the paste through. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze the “log” of tomato paste.

It doesn’t freeze rock-solid, so you can just slice off the requisite amount of tomato paste as you need it.

Or, you can put dollops of pre-measured tablespoons of the paste on some plastic wrap.

Once they have frozen, stick the individual tablespoons of paste in a baggie and freeze for your next cooking adventure!

I hope this has helped to demystify at least some of the canned tomatoes and sauces at the grocery store.

Cheers!

How to: Strawberries

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Strawberries, once just a summertime treat, are now available year round. Especially tasty are the locally grown ones that are now showing up at farmers’ markets.

Always choose strawberries that are plump, firm and glossy.

Wash them just before using them.

I always wash my supermarket strawberries, in a colander, under a gentle spray of running water. Or you can swish the strawberries around in a bowl with cool tap water.

(Actually my old friend Roger never washed strawberries. He felt it washed away the flavor. But then again he lived in the south of France and only bought them from the local farmer who grew them organically.)

Once washed, spread the strawberries out on a clean dish towel to dry.

To “hull” a strawberry means to remove the green leafy top and the tiny stalk. If you plan on hulling tons of strawberries, you may want to buy a strawberry huller. But a small paring knife works very well for hulling a quart or two.

Start by grasping the green top…

…and just trim out that tiny stem.

Or you could just slice off the whole top with a small paring knife.

Just pulling off the green leafy top (as shown below) is NOT enough. You need to remove that tiny bit of white, hard stem as well.

To store strawberries, place them in a single layer in a moisture-proof plastic container that has a tight fitting lid.

Lay a paper towel on top of the strawberries and then put the lid on the container. When you put them in the refrigerator, store them with the lid side down in the refrigerator.

Stored this way they should stay fresh for at least 2-3 days.

************

Recipes to die for:

Strawberries dipped in Chocolate from startcooking.com

Strawberries Romanoff –Strawberries soaked in orange juice/curacao/cointreau and served with Whipped Cream

Strawberry Short Cake – a classic that everybody loves!

Pasta Sauce - Italian Turkey Sausage

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Italian turkey sausage is great in this tasty sauce! It has a lower fat content then regular sausage; consequently it’s a bit healthier.

If you like a bit of sausage in your lasagna, this sauce recipe is perfect!

To make this sauce you will need:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds of sweet or hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
½ teaspoon of sugar
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper

It’s a really good habit to get all your ingredients prepared before you turn on the stove. It makes the cooking process go much more smoothly.

That means you need to:

Chop the onion
Mince the garlic
Chop the parsley
Remove the casings (that’s the really thin skin) from the sausage
Open the cans of tomatoes and tomato paste
Measure the spices

Now we are ready to start cooking!

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet or frying pan. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent.

“Until translucent” is a typical term used to describe cooking onions. Raw onions are fairly opaque. As you start to cook them, they slowly reach a point where they become almost see-through. They have not turned brown, and are not supposed to for this recipe.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, or until you can smell the garlic cooking.

Add the sausage to the onions and garlic. I like to use a combination of both hot and sweet sausage. We need to cook it over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. This is just like browning ground beef.

Because this Italian turkey sausage has a lower fat content then regular Italian sausage, there will be very little fat to drain off. (If I were using regular sausage, I would definitely drain off the fat before adding the remaining ingredients.)

Now add the remaining ingredients:

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Simmer the sauce, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until it has thickened.

This turns into a really thick sauce which is great over any pasta. Enjoy!

Recipe: Pasta sauce: Italian turkey sausage

serves 6

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of yellow onions - chopped
2 teaspoons of garlic - minced
1 1/2 pounds of Italian turkey sausage - casings removed
1/3 cup of fresh parsley - chopped
6 ounces of tomato paste
28 ounces of crushed tomatoes (in tomato puree)
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 dash of salt
1 dash of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet or frying pan.

Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, or until you can smell the garlic cooking.

Add the sausage to the onions and garlic. Cook it over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Then add the remaining ingredients.

Simmer the sauce, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until it has thickened.

A Guide to Green Beans

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Green beans are one of those vegetables that are available year round at the grocery store. Make sure you buy ones that have a nice bright color and are free of blemishes.

With just a sprinkle of salt and two minutes in the microwave, you’ve got a fresh vegetable for dinner. Given they cook so quickly, make only enough for what you are going to eat for dinner tonight.

About 24 (four inch long) green beans will be enough for two servings.

The first thing you have to do is “top and tail” the beans. That’s the official term used to nip the tips off each end of the beans.

You can line them up and with a knife cut the ends off. As long as the beans are young and fresh, they should not be stringy. If they are stringy you will need to nip the ends off, one at a time, with your fingers. This same technique is used when making snow peas as well.

Sort of drag the tip off, pulling any of the stringy bit off as you go.

Rinse the beans in a colander.

Put them in a microwave safe dish. Add about 2 Tablespoons of water.

Cover the beans with plastic wrap leaving a small corner open.

If you seal them completely, the plastic wrap will almost shrink-wrap itself to the beans. This makes it a lot harder to remove the plastic wrap and much more likely you will get burned by the trapped steam.

Some people serve green beans with lashings of butter, or with almonds. I prefer them just with salt and sometimes a squeeze of lemon juice.

Cheers!

How to Make Pizza

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister, Jessica Howard) — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:00:00 -0500

For beginner cooks with hectic schedules, Do-It-Yourself pizza is a quick and tasty weeknight dinner solution. In the time that it takes to have pizza delivered, you can actually make your own!

All you have to do is create the basic elements:

a doughy crust
tomato sauce
shredded cheese
and whatever toppings you like.

The nice thing about DIY pizza is that you can have fun personalizing it. You can incorporate your favorite flavors and textures, or whatever happens to be in the fridge. There’s no fixed recipe to follow! Let’s get started.

First, the crust!

Ready-made crust: The bread section of the grocery store typically offers several brands of ready-made crusts that you simply top with whatever you like and bake according to the instructions. Some of these crusts even come with a package of tomato sauce! They’re usually sold in rounds that make enough for several people.

In addition to ready-made crusts, there are several different types of "breads" that will work as a pizza crust. In the photo below there a some great choices for a quick pizza crust including focaccia, crumpets, English muffins, pita bread and tortilla wraps. (Keep reading for the recipes using these various breads as a pizza crust!)

Tortillas (wraps)

If you like thin-crust pizza, you can’t get thinner than this! It’s a good idea to pre-heat the tortilla in a toaster oven or regular oven at 350F just for a few minutes to make it a bit more solid, then turn the oven up to 450F. Put the wrap(s) on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Tortillas are the base for Humbecue Pizzas -- dressed with hummus, barbecue sauce, spinach, ham and feta cheese. Photo courtesy of Jenn at Eating Bender.

Then add whatever sauce, cheese and toppings you like. Go easy on toppings so that the whole thing doesn’t get soggy. Put the tortilla in the oven for 10 minutes and check to see when it’s done – the edge of the tortilla should become brown and crispy. Here’s a recipe for Humbecue Tortilla Pizzas, which are made with hummus, barbecue sauce, spinach, ham and feta cheese.

Pita bread

Pita bread is another great option for those who like thin, crispy pizzas. There’s no need to toast the pita before putting on the toppings; follow the same baking directions as with the tortilla pizza.

Here, plain old pita gets dressed up with Italian sausage, peppers and carrots.
Photo courtesy of Cookthink.com

This Pita Pizza (shown above) topped with Italian sausage, peppers and carrots looks simple and scrumptious.

Focaccia bread

For a more substantial crust, use focaccia bread, which is often sold in big rectangular pieces. When it comes to baking the pizza, preheat the oven to 450F and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

English Muffins

Here at startcooking.com we have already posted a video on English Muffin Pizzas, which are topped with tomato sauce, ground beef and cheese.

These mini pizzas are irresistible, and if you don’t have any ground beef on hand, you can make them with tuna.

Crumpets:

If you would prefer to substitute crumpets for English muffins, go right ahead, old chap!

Bagels and baguette

A lot of bagel shops now have bagel pizzas.

Making your own is easy as long as you have the necessary ingredients on hand! Buy your bagels ahead of time and store them (sliced!) in the freezer. Bagels freeze beautifully as long as they are wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then put in a zip lock bag.

The Sauce

Pizza traditionally has a layer of tomato sauce between the crust and the cheese. You can buy ready-made pizza sauce in a can or jar, or use tomato sauce (the kind you would use for pasta). If you don’t have either of these on hand, you could try tomato paste or salsa.

Some pizza lovers prefer their pizzas “white” – with no tomato sauce. White pizzas may be topped with pesto, ricotta or Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Or with alfredo sauce (which you can buy ready-made) and other toppings.

In this recipe for Spinach, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pizza , from Cooking By the Seat of my Pants, the sauce is a combination of sour cream and Greek vinaigrette.

Spinach, mushroom and goat cheese pizza -- not something you see on a takeout menu!
Photo courtesy of Jerry D. Russell at Cooking by the Seat of my Pants.

If you love basil, try Pioneer Woman's version of pizza using pesto rather than tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and parmesan.

The Cheese

Mild: Most pizza places use mozzarella cheese, which turns nice and gooey when it melts, and has a very mild flavor. Other mild cheeses that can substitute for mozzarella are colby, cheddar, gouda, edam and Monterey jack. You can grate the cheese yourself or buy bags of pre-grated cheese. Ricotta, bocconcini and fresh mozzarella are other mild options that offer a gourmet twist because of their rich, milky textures.

Strong: Try mixing mozzarella with stronger-tasting cheeses, or going for something really distinctive. You’ll find that you can use a smaller amount of cheese if it’s strong-tasting. In our video on English Muffin Pizzas, startcooking.com suggests blue cheese with chopped fresh sage and walnuts. Some other strong cheeses to try are: parmesan, provolone, goat cheese, aged cheddar and gorgonzola.

Toppings

This is where you can really make a pizza your own. Here’s a list of topping ideas to get you started, as well as some great-tasting combinations.

Tip: Any meat toppings should be cooked before being added to the pizza.

Meat options:

Vegetables

Onions
Mushrooms
Peppers
Broccoli
Spinach
Corn kernels
Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
Artichoke hearts (canned)
Hearts of palm (canned)

Other toppings:

Anchovies
Chopped nuts
Fresh herbs, like basil or sage

Combinations:

Hawaiian: chopped ham and pineapple
Mexican: ground beef, avocadoes, salsa
Greek: feta cheese, olives and oregano

Good luck with your pizza creations!

How to Load a Dishwasher

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:00:00 -0500

The first three apartments I lived in had no dishwasher — except for me, that is. For that matter, none of my early apartments had kitchen windows either.

I really felt like I had arrived by the time I owned my first dishwasher. Of course, saving quarters for the communal laundry machine in my apartment building went on for many more years to come!

If you have a dishwasher, I don't need to tell you how wonderful they are!

However, it surprises some people to discover that there is a right and a wrong way to load a dishwasher. Do it wrong and you'll end up with dishes not getting washed properly and possibly even breaking a few in the process.

Loading a dishwasher is easy as long as you follow a few simple rules:

First, quickly rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher in order to remove big chunks of food. Dishwashers can choke up unless you pay attention to this, and paying for a plumbers' visit to unclog them can be expensive.

No need to fuss too much with this step (let the dishwasher do the washing!) but don't leave it out.

Next, be sure to put glassware, coffee cups and plastic containers on the top rack, which was designed to hold them. If you have a lot of glasses that need washing, you may be tempted to put them on the bottom rack, but there is a higher probability that they will break there.

Since it's generally hotter on the bottom than it is on the top, even dishwasher-safe plastic containers may melt on the bottom rack. Proceed with caution.

Plates, bowls, and anything that needs a stronger wash put on the bottom rack. Did you know that the top and bottom racks often have a different amount of water pressure? Who knew? You obviously need to exert less energy washing a water glass than a plate with dried-up tomato sauce on it!

Naturally, silverware and utensils go in the special holder. Some people clump spoons together, forks together, and knives together. Others say, no, "nesting" the utensils means they don't get cleaned properly — mix them up. Be warned: how one does or does not put silverware in the dishwasher can break up a beautiful friendship or marriage!

It's important, in my view, to put sharp, pointed things (like knives and forks) pointing downward. (There is nothing worse than being impaled by utensils while loading - or unloading - the dishwasher!)

You should never put your good knives in the dishwasher. Something that big and that sharp just should not go in there — and it's easy to wash good knives by hand. Small, inexpensive paring knives are often dishwasher-safe.

Always empty the bottom rack first. The glasses and cups on the top rack will often drip as you are unloading them (so many seem to have those little crevices on the bottom that accumulate water.) You won't get the plates on the bottom all wet if you have already unloaded them first.

Never turn the dishwasher on and then go to bed. You never know when there could be a leak or a problem with your dishwasher! Turn it on after dinner so that it has finished running before you go to bed. (That's actually a tip from most fire safety experts.)

Many people don't turn it on until every square inch of space is filled, but I turn the dishwasher on every evening. It's just too icky (technical term!) to think of dirty dishes hanging out in a sealed box overnight. If it's not full, I just use the light setting.

Many dishwashers have several settings. The settings on mine include: ‘pots & pans', normal, light/china, quick/glass, ‘rinse & hold', sani-rinse, and an ‘energy saver dry'.

The pots and pans cycle is the longest running cycle for really tough jobs.

The sani-rinse is a very hot rinse useful for really killing germs. I use it if someone in the house has a cold or the flu.

'Energy-saver' means the heating element to dry the dishes is not activated, and the dishes will take longer to dry on their own.

Inevitably, once you start the dishwasher you always find another glass or plate or spoon that needs to be washed. Generally speaking, in the beginning, while the water is heating, you can open the dishwasher and add that dirty dish. Then re-push the start button. Many dishwashers will have an indicator of some kind to tell you what part of the cycle it's in. Some even have a pause button. If it's already in the wash cycle then it's too late to open the door, and you may flood the kitchen if you do. Alas, you may have to wash that last item by hand!

On a final note, here's some personal advice if someone you really care about loads the dishwasher for you, but does it incorrectly. The first time, say nothing, thank them and turn out the lights. You want to encourage them to pitch in and help right?

By the third time they do it "not quite the way you think it should be done", gently offer suggestions — with reasons. No-one likes being criticized, but if you use it as a form of education "By the way, did you know WHY they say you should.......?" You may get away with both your goals: getting it done right and keeping your relationship strong!

Does anyone else have any advice (or questions) about using dishwashers?

Fettuccine Alfredo

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Once you try this recipe, you will never buy pre-made Alfredo sauce again! It is totally decadent and off the charts delicious - full of so much flavor and richness that you totally need to spend extra time on the treadmill after eating this Fettuccine Alfredo!

To make Fettuccine Alfredo, you will first have to know how to cook the pasta. For a quick review, check out my “How to Cook Pasta” video.

In addition to the 1 pound (450g.) of dried fettuccine, the only other ingredients needed to make this recipe are:

8 Tablespoons (113 g.) of unsalted butter
1 cup (235 g.) of heavy cream
1 cup (120 g.) of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Follow the directions on the back of the package of pasta that you bought and be sure to add plenty of salt to the cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, grate the parmesan cheese...

...measure out the heavy cream and cut the butter into tablespoon size chunks (to make it easier to melt.)

When the pasta is cooked, pour it into a colander and let the water drain off.

While the pasta is draining, over low heat, melt the butter in the same pot you cooked the pasta in.

Return the drained pasta to the pot with the melted butter.

Add the cream….

…and the grated parmesan cheese.

Toss everything together over low heat until the pasta is coated with the cream, butter and the cheese.

Add some freshly ground pepper. (You can use white pepper if you have it but black pepper is fine to use as well.)

Give the Fettuccine Alfredo a taste to see if it needs salt. Some brands of Parmesan cheese are saltier than others, so give it a taste before automatically adding in the salt.

That’s it! Time to enjoy!

Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo

serves 4

1 pound of dried pasta
8 tablespoons of butter - unsalted
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of parmesan cheese - freshly grated
1 dash of salt and pepper (adjust to taste)

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

While the pasta is draining, melt the butter in the same pot you cooked the pasta in. Return the pasta to the pot and add the cream and the parmesan cheese.

Toss over low heat until the pasta is coated.

Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Adapted from: Joy of Cooking

Fiddleheads

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:00:00 -0500

You may have seen these in the produce section of the grocery store and thought “NO WAY”! Well guess what? They’re delicious! These fiddlehead ferns are also very nutritious.

What ever you do, don’t just pop one in your mouth raw. They need to get cooked first! Once cooked, you can then eat them hot or cold, alone, or in soups, salads, or stews. Fiddleheads are only available in the springtime and have a very short season. So grab them when you see them and startcooking!

Step 1. Cleaning the Fiddleheads

Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge the fiddleheads.

(I stuck them in a colander first and then put the whole colander in the bowl of water.) With your hand, swish the fiddleheads to remove any bits of dirt.

Lift the fiddleheads out of the sink and let them drain.

With a paring knife trim off the end.

Step 2. Boiling the Fiddleheads

DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Even though I am going to sauté (fry) the fiddleheads in garlic and olive oil they still need to get boiled first. This not only cooks them but it also removes any bitterness.

Put the fiddleheads in a pot and cover them completely with cold water.

As they come to a boil they will float to the surface.

Boil them for 6-8 minutes. The water ends up looking quite dirty!

Step 3. Sautéing the Fiddleheads

Drain the fiddleheads in a colander.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium- high and add one clove of crushed garlic…

…. and the fiddleheads.

Sauté for approximately 1 minute.

Add some fresh cracked black pepper…

…a sprinkle of salt…

…and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Stir is all together..

…and the fiddleheads are ready!

Enjoy!

Tuna Salad Sandwich

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:00:00 -0500

The ever popular tuna salad sandwich is a standard on almost every sandwich shop menu. Clearly making your own tuna salad is a much more economical option than continuing to support your local deli!

Buying Canned Tuna

One 6-to-7 oz. can of tuna will give you two good-sized sandwiches. One 6-to-7 oz. can of tuna can cost anywhere from approximately 89 cents to a high of about $3.00 depending on where you shop and the type you buy. Cans that say albacore tend to be more expensive than the ones that just say tuna.

When buying tuna, you are going to have to do some taste-testing to find your favorite tuna. The first thing to decide is do you want it packed in oil or water. Some people say there aren't that many calories in oil-packed tuna, and they think oil adds to the taste. Others don't like the taste of oily tuna fish, so they choose water packed tuna. Not all tuna from a can has the same texture. You may want to try different types and brands to find the one you like the best.

When I made my Salad Nicoise I splurged and bought imported tuna in a jar (shown below with some capers). The chunky imported tuna, packed in olive oil, was expensive ($7) but worth every bite.

Plus the imported tuna looked fantastic in my Salad Nicoise! For tuna salad sandwiches, stick to the less expensive tuna from the can.

Salad Nicoise

Making Tuna Salad

To make 2 tuna salad sandwiches you will need:

1-6-7 ounce can of tuna
1/4 cup of celery
3-4 Tablespoons of mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper
Bread

Both the oil and the water packed tuna need to be drained. The safest way is to do this is to put the tuna in a colander.

A second way of draining the tuna is after opening the can, press the lid into the can, so that all the water or oil drains out. You can do this right into the sink. (Be careful of the sharp edges on the lid of the can!)

Using a fork put the tuna in a small mixing bowl. Then break apart the tuna with the fork.

Wash one stalk of celery. Trim off the ends and cut it into thirds. Then cut each third into strips.

Line up the strips and start dicing the celery into 1/8 inch bits. (Dice means to cut into tiny pieces. It is smaller than "chop" and larger than "mince".) Add the celery to the tuna.

Measure out slightly less than 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and add it to the tuna. The amount of celery and mayonnaise is totally adjustable to your taste. Mix everything together. Taste it and you decide if you want to add a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Lay two slices of bread on the cutting board. Put 1/2 of the tuna on one slice of bread and maybe even some lettuce if you have some in the refrigerator.

Put the second slice of bread on top.

Using a bread knife (one with a jagged or serrated edge) slice the sandwich in half using a sawing motion. Try adding potato chips and dill pickles on the side. They taste great with tuna salad!

Many different types of bread go well with tuna. Pita pockets are a fun alternative to slices of bread. To fill the pocket first cut the pita round in half.

You could then just stuff the pita with the tuna. I like to put the tuna on a lettuce leaf.

Then slide the tuna filled leaf of lettuce right into the bread.

It comes out picture perfect every time!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Tuna salad sandwich

serves 2

1 can of tuna fish (6-7 oz)
1/4 cup of diced celery
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 dash of salt and pepper
4 slices of bread

Drain tuna.Mix together tuna, diced celery, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.

Spread half of the tuna on one slice of bread.

Top with second slice of bread.

Slice in half and serve.

How To Make Egg Salad

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 06:00:00 -0500

There are a lot of ways to cut up a hard boiled egg. You can just use a knife to chop the cooked egg. Or you can also mash the cooked egg with a fork. An egg slicer which is shown in the photo below, makes perfect slices for sandwiches or for a garnish. You can also use the slicer to slice the egg in both directions and end up with chopped eggs for salad and dip.

If you are going to make egg salad sandwiches, three eggs will be enough for two sandwiches.

Celery and/or green olives are traditional “add-in”s to egg salad.

Be sure to mince the celery (cut it into really small bits) when you are adding it to a salad. Cut the celery length wise into thin strips, and then cut the strips into very small pieces.

Also be sure to slice the olives.

Crispy chopped bacon can add an extra zing to the taste and texture. A dash of curry powder is fantastic when you serve the salad as a dip with crackers and cut up vegetables.

Add a dash of Salt and Pepper

Add about 2 T. of mayonnaise, and give it a stir.

That’s it! The egg salad is all made, now just pick your favorite bread and you’ve got yourself a great sandwich!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Egg salad

serves 2

3 eggs - hard cooked
1/3 cup of celery - diced
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 pinch of salt and pepper

Peel and chop cooked eggs.

Mix in celery and mayonnaise.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

How to Cook a Leg of Lamb

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 06:00:00 -0500

I was inspired to roast a leg of lamb after Ioannis Michanetzis (a fan of startcooking.com) sent me his recipe for a marinated, roasted leg of lamb.

Ioannis, an Officer in the Greek Navy, is currently a ship’s captain, with aspirations to have a cooking site specializing in healthy and unique Mediterranean Dishes.

Ioannis’s original recipe was a bit more involved than the recipe I’m doing here, but I would like to thank him for giving me the opportunity (and permission) to adapt one of his specialties for startcooking.com readers.

****

At my grocery store, there were two choices of leg of lamb being offered. Both were from Australia.

I am going to demonstrate how to cook the smaller 5-pound boneless roast shown on the top in the picture above. The larger 9-pound roast on the bottom is a "bone-in" cut. For beginner cooks, the smaller boneless roast is easier to carve. Besides, it just fit into my 15-inch long roasting pan, and my larger roasting pan is not as photogenic!

The steps involved in making this boneless leg of lamb are:

Make a "spice-rub" with garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano and black pepper.
Rub it all over the roast.
Put the roast in a plastic bag
Pour fresh lemon juice, olive oil and wine over the roast in the bag
Put the bag in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight.
Remove the lamb from the bag and roast it in the oven.

The Marinade

(Marinate is the verb, and marinade is the noun. So, you marinate the lamb with a marinade. Got it? Who’s on first?)

Step 1. First make a spice-rub by measuring out:

3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons of dry oregano
2 teaspoons of dry thyme
2 teaspoons of dry rosemary
1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper

Put these ingredients into a small bowl…

…and mix everything together

Now, for the liquid part of the marinade, measure out:

1/2 cup (4 oz.) of olive oil
1/2 cup (4 oz.) of lemon juice, fresh squeezed
2 cups (16 oz.) of dry red wine

My wine merchant suggested a very reasonably priced Merlot ($8) for the dry red wine.

The Boneless Leg of Lamb

(FYI – It’s just the hind legs that are used for “leg of lamb”)

Rather than working directly on the counter top, I set the lamb down on some paper towels on a baking sheet. This is more sanitary.

Cut the plastic outer wrapping off the lamb, making sure not to cut through the netting as well. (If you bought your lamb at a butcher shop, it may well be hand-tied with string instead of netting.) The netting (or string) holds the lamb together in that nice shape. Do not remove it until after the lamb is roasted.

Step 2. Rub the garlic dry-rub spice mixture all over the lamb.

Step 3. Put the lamb in a large plastic bag and set it on a dish. I used a two gallon sized zip-lock bag. (You need the dish just in case the bag leaks when you put it in your refrigerator. You wouldn’t want the marinade to spill all over the inside of your refrigerator!)

Step 4. Pour the lemon juice, olive oil and red wine over the lamb (in the bag.)

Squeeze out as much of the air as possible from the bag, and seal it closed. As a precaution against the bag leaking, wrap a second bag around the marinating lamb.

Step 5. Set the bag in a dish and let the lamb marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight -up to 24 hours.

Step 6. Roasting the Boneless Leg of Lamb

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking it.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. degrees.

( 450º F = 230º C = gas mark 9)

Snip the corner of the bag and squeeze the marinade out into the sink. It will no longer be usable.

Pat the lamb dry with paper towels.

Put 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper into a dish. Season the entire lamb with the salt and pepper. (You put the salt and pepper into a separate dish first for sanitary reasons. You would not want to be going back and forth between touching the raw lamb and your main salt and pepper holders.)

Place the lamb on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.

Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the boneless leg of lamb.

(I strongly recommend using an oven-proof meat thermometer for roasting a leg of lamb. This should allow you to peek through the window of your oven door without opening the door and changing the internal temperature of the oven. Every time you open the oven door, it takes a good ten minutes for the temperature to get back to its original setting)

Set the lamb into the 450-degree oven and roast for 20 minutes.

( 450º F = 230º C = gas mark 9)

After the 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 325º Fdegrees ( 325º F = 165º C = gas mark 3-very moderate) and continue cooking the lamb until the internal temperature is to your liking.

Approximate Roasting Time for a 5-7 pound Boneless Leg of Lamb:

(Source: United State Department of Agriculture)

Lamb Leg, boneless, rolled:

Roast 325°

(165º C)

APPROXIMATE

Roasting

Time

Internal

Temperature

Rare

20 to 25 min./lb

135 F.

(57.2 C)

Medium-rare

25 to 30 min./lb

145 F.

(62.8 C)

Medium

(to medium well)

30 to 35min./lb.

160 F

(72.0 C)

Well done*

35 to 40 min./lb

170 F

(77.0 C.)

*Most people avoid cooking lamb to “well done”. It will be tough and dry.

There are several factors that will affect the cooking time:

The shape of the roast
The internal temperature when you first put it in the oven
Bone-in roast will require extra cooking time
Fluctuations in temperature of your own oven.

My 5 pound Leg of Lamb was removed from the oven when the internal temperature of the Lamb reached 140 F. degrees - medium rare.
It took a total of 1 and 1/2 hours to cook, which was considerably less time than what the USDA guidelines had recommended.
This is why a meat thermometer is absolutely essential when you are cooking a roast.

When the meat is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. The temperature will increase by about 5 degrees while the roast is resting out of the oven.

With a pair of kitchen scissors cut through the netting (or string)….

…..and remove it completely.

Slice the lamb into 1/2 inch thick slices across the grain. (Here and here are very some very good pictures that show how to carve a bone-in Leg of Lamb.)

I roasted some carrots and small red potatoes separately….

….and served them with this Boneless Leg of Lamb.

Enjoy!

Approximate Lamb Cooking Times:

Source: USDA Last modified - May 2007

Cut of Lamb	Size	Cooking Method	Cooking Time	Internal Temperature (Fahrenheit / Celsius-Centigrade))
Lamb Leg, bone in	5 to 7 lbs.	Roast 325° (165º C)	20 to 25 min./lb.	Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C
			25 to 30 min./lb.	Medium 160°F /56.9°C
			30 to 35 min./lb.	Well done 170°F / 62.4°C
	7 to 9 lbs.	Roast 325°	15 to 20 min./lb.	Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C
			20 to 25 min./lb	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
			25 to 30 min./lb.	Well done 170°F / 62.4°C
Lamb Leg, boneless, rolled	4 to 7 lbs.	Roast 325°	25 to 30 min./lb.	Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C
			30 to 35 min./lb.	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
			35 to 40 min./lb.	Well done 170°F / 62.4°C
Shoulder Roast or Shank Leg Half	3 to 4 lbs.	Roast 325°	30 to 35 min./lb.	Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C
			40 to 45 min./lb.	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
			45 to 50 min./lb.	Well done 170°F / 62.4°C
Cubes, for Kabobs	1 to 1½"	Broil/Grill	8 to 12 minutes	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
Ground Lamb Patties	2" thick	Broil/Grill	5 to 8 minutes	Medium ° 160°F / 56.9C
Chops, Rib, or Loin	1 to 1½" thick	Broil/Grill	7 to 11 minutes	Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C
Chops, Rib, or Loin	1 to 1½" thick	Broil/Grill	15 to 19 minutes	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
Leg Steaks	¾" thick	Broil/Grill 4" from heat	14 to 18 minutes	Medium rare 145°F / 43.5°C Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
Stew Meat, pieces	1 to 1½"	Cover with liquid; simmer	1½ to 2 hours	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
Shanks	¾ to 1 lb.	Cover with liquid; simmer	1½ to 2 hours	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C
Breast, Rolled	1½ to 2 lb.	*Braise 325°	1½ to 2 hours	Medium 160°F / 56.9°C

*Braising is roasting or simmering less-tender meats with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.

Digg This!

Recipe: Boneless Leg of Lamb

serves 8

1 (5 pound) leg of lamb - boneless
3 cloves of garlic - crushed
2 teaspoons of dry oregano
2 teaspoons of dry thyme
2 teaspoons of dry rosemary
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of lemon juice - fresh squeezed
2 cups of dry red wine
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper

Combine in a small bowl the garlic, dried oregano, thyme, rosemary and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper.

Rub the garlic and spice mixture all over the lamb.

Put the lamb in a large plastic bag and pour in the olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine.

Squeeze out as much of the air as possible from the bag and seal it closed. As a precaution against the bag leaking, wrap a second bag around marinating lamb. Set the bag in a dish and let the lamb marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. (After 20 minutes of cooking the oven temperature will be lowered to 325 degrees)

Remove the lamb from the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade, it is no longer usable.

Combine the 2 teaspoons of salt with the remaining 3/4 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper. Season the lamb with the salt and pepper.

Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting pan.

Roast the lamb for 20 minutes at 450 degrees then lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue cooking until desired internal temperature is reached.

· Rare135 F. (57.2 C)

· Medium-rare 145 F. (62.8 C)

· Medium 160 F. (72.0 C)

· Well Done 170 F. (77.0 C)

Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

How to Make Eggplant Parmesan

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Eggplant Parmesan is a tasty and popular dish found on menus everywhere. Making your own Eggplant Parmesan involves several steps, but it is so worth the effort!

Curiously enough, the eggplant is actually a fruit and not a vegetable. Even though it looks robust, the eggplant is fairly delicate.

Buy one that weighs about 8 ounces, and be sure to use it within a day or two of purchase. As it ages, it gets bitter and the skin gets tough.

Making Eggplant Parmesan is very similar to making Chicken Cutlets except - of course – that we are using eggplant instead of chicken.

There are six steps involved in making Eggplant Parmesan:

Sweating the eggplant
Shredding the cheese
Preparing the coating for breading
Breading the eggplant
Frying the eggplant
Assembling and baking the Eggplant parmesan

1. “Sweating” the Eggplant:

“Sweating” an eggplant means to get out any bitterness that may have developed by making it sweat.

Start by slicing an 8-ounce eggplant in slightly larger than ¼-inch thick slices.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, over all of the slices of eggplant, being sure to salt both sides. Set the salted, sliced eggplant into a colander and let it rest for about 30 minutes.

By then the eggplant should begin to sweat. (Notice the little droplets of moisture being extracted by the salt from the surface of the eggplant.)

Remove the eggplant from the colander, and place the slices on a paper towel. With a second paper towel, blot off all the excess moisture which has formed.

2. Shredding the Cheese:

While the eggplant is resting, get the cheeses grated. The (1/4 cup of) Parmesan should be finely grated.

And the (8 ounces of) mozzarella needs to get shredded.

3. Preparing the Coating fro Breading:

There are many different types of bread crumbs available at the grocery store, or you can make your own. The post script on the bottom of this page will explain which ones work best for this recipe.

Put the flour, egg, and bread crumbs into three separate flat, rimmed dishes.

Add 1 teaspoon of water to the egg and with a fork, beat the egg and water together.

If you set everything up in a row it will be easier to do this next step. Be sure to get a plate out for the breaded eggplant.

4. Breading the Eggplant

Put one slice of eggplant into the flour and coat both side with the flour.

A huge time saver is to put the flour in a plastic bag instead of just dipping it one-by-one in the rimmed dish.

The 10 slices of eggplant can all go into the bag at once. Gently shake the bag so that all the slices are coated with a fine dusting of flour.

Now, one-by-one, shake off the excess flour and place the slice of eggplant in the beaten egg.

Turn it over so that both sides get coated with the egg.

Now put the slice into the crumbs….

…and turn that over too.

Press some of the crumbs into the eggplant making sure it is completely coated. This is where an extra pair of hands would be great!

5. Frying the Eggplant:

Once the eggplant is all breaded, preheat your frying pan on medium high heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil to the pan and let it get hot.

When you add the eggplant to the pan you should hear a serious sizzle! If you don’t, then the pan is not hot enough. Remove that one slice and let the pan heat up some more. Do not over crowd the pan.

Once the eggplant is golden brown, flip them and fry the other side. It will take about 4-5 minutes in total to brown both sides. FLIP THEM ONLY ONCE!

Place the eggplant on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel.

Before frying the second batch, clean the pan out with a paper towel and a pair of tongs.

Add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil to the pan and…

…fry the remaining eggplant.

6. Assembling the Eggplant Parmesan:

This recipe requires 12 ounces of spaghetti sauce. You can make your own or buy a jar of your favorite sauce.

Spread the sauce in a baking dish…

…large enough to hold the eggplant in a single layer. (A little bit of overlapping is fine.)

Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese….

…and the parmesan cheese.

Bake the Eggplant Parmesan in a preheated 425º F ( = 220º C = gas mark 7- hot) oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden and the sauce is bubbly.

Dinner’s ready!

P.S.

I tried several different types of breading for this recipe.

In the photo above, the bottom left shows an attempt to fry the eggplant without first “breading” it. Unbreaded eggplant is like a sponge. It will get very “greasy” done this way.

The top right was breaded with just egg and then flour. The texture, taste and appearance were all wrong on that one as well.

The remaining two were perfect! The bottom right (my favorite) was done with flour, egg and “panko” bread crumbs which made a very crunchy coating. The top left was made with flour, egg, and dry breadcrumbs which made a tasty and very traditional coating on the eggplant.

“Italian” rather than plain-flavor panko or dry crumbs add a nice flavor to the final dish.

Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

serves 4

1 eggplant (8 ounces)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of dry bread crumbs (Italian flavor)
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 egg
6 tablespoons of oil
1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce
8 ounces of mozzarella cheese - shredded
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese - grated

Slice the eggplant into slightly larger than 1/4 inch thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and set in colander for 30-40 minutes. Press a paper towel into each slice to absorb all the liquid drawn from the eggplant.

Put the flour, egg, and crumbs into three separate flat, rimmed dishes. Add 1 teaspoon of water to the egg and with a fork, beat the egg.

Dredge each slice of eggplant into the flour, then dip into the egg, and finally press the bread crumbs into each slice of eggplant.

Preheat your frying pan on medium high heat. Add 3 Tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil to the pan and let it get hot. Fry the eggplant until golden brown on each side – flip them only once.

Place the eggplant on a plate that has been lined with a paper towel.

Before frying the second batch, clean the pan out with a paper towel and a pair of tongs.

Add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil to the pan and fry the remaining eggplant.

Spread the sauce in a baking dish large enough to hold the eggplant in a single layer. (A little bit of overlapping is fine.)

Sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese.

Bake the Eggplant Parmesan in a preheated 425º F ( = 220º C = gas mark 7- hot) oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden and the sauce is bubbly.

Cod with Salsa

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Cod is a very mild tasting white fish. Salsa, particularly fruit salsas, add the perfect zing this delicate fish. Choose something like pineapple or mango peach. (The pineapple salsa I chose at my supermarket had a bit of a kick to it, whereas the mango peach salsa had a sweeter, more delicate flavor.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and, if you’re going to serve your fish with mashed potatoes or rice start cooking them immediately, then prepare the fish.

Rub about 2 teaspoons of butter in a baking dish large enough to hold ¾ pound of cod.

Place the cod in the baking dish.

Spoon 1 cup of your favorite salsa over the fish.

Bake the fish in a 350 degree oven about 25-30 minutes. With a fork, test to see if the fish is cooked; it should be totally white in color in the center of the cod. It is should not be clear (see-through) but opaque.

Serve the cod with rice and broccoli cooked in the microwave. This is an incredibly fast and healthy meal to serve for dinner tonight!

Enjoy!

P.S. For a great New England classic, check out my video on Baked Cod with a buttery bread crumb topping.

Recipe: Cod with salsa

serves 2

3/4 pound of cod
2 teaspoons of butter
1 cup of salsa

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees,

Rub about 2 teaspoons of butter in a baking dish large enough to hold the cod.

Place the cod in the baking dish.

Spoon 1 cup of your favorite salsa over the fish.

Bake the fish in a 350 degree oven about 25-30 minutes.

With a fork, test to see if the fish is cooked through and flakey

Adapted from: allrecipes.com

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic Sauce

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Leslie Arthur is today's guest blogger. Her recipe for Roasted Asparagus with Garlic Mayo can be served as an easy and healthy appetizer or finger-friendly side dish.

Thanks, Leslie, for a great recipe!
*****

Asparagus (which is high in folic acid, potassium, fiber and vitamin B6) has only 4 calories per spear! With all that going for this delicious vegetable, its no wonder asparagus has landed itself on menus everywhere.

Start by rinsing off a pound of asparagus in a colander.

After a thorough washing, pat the spears dry with paper towels to get off any excess moisture. Now, break one stalk where it is naturally the weakest. This will separate the tender top part of the asparagus from its tough and fibrous stem. You will end up discarding about one third of the stalk. (Kathy shows how to peel asparagus here )

You can now use the new shorter "broken" asparagus as a guide to cut the rest of the bunch.

Spread the spears evenly on a baking sheet. For easy clean up, you can cover the sheet with a layer of tin foil before baking.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the asparagus. Top with a few turns of freshly cracked pepper, and one half teaspoon of coarse salt.

Bake in a 425-degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

While the asparagus are roasting, take a moment to make this simple and delicious dipping sauce. Just two ingredients are needed to make this sauce - garlic and mayonnaise. (The lemon is for garnishing the roasted asparagus.)

Start by peeling and grating one small clove of garlic.

Then add the garlic to 1/3 cup of your favorite mayonnaise. I used low-calorie mayo and didn’t miss a thing!

Stir until well blended and transfer to a decorative serving dish.

After 10 minutes in the oven, check the asparagus to see if it’s done. Look for slightly browned and caramelized stems, and a fresh bright-green color. Don’t overcook the spears, or they will become an unattractive, dull shade of pea-green.

Next, transfer the asparagus to a serving platter and sprinkle it with about a tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Garnish the sauce with a bit of lemon zest (optional). You can serve Roasted Asparagus as an easy and healthy appetizer or finger-friendly side dish.

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus with Garlic Sauce

serves 4

1 pound of asparagus (fresh)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic - grated
1/2 teaspoon of salt - course
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 lemon - garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Wash the asparagus and cut off the fibrous end. Lay the asparagus out on a baking sheet with sides that has been lined with tin foil.

Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper

Bake for 10 minutes or until tender and slightly caramelized.

Mix the mayonnaise with the grated garlic. Serve as a dipping sauce or drizzle on top of the asparagus.

Cut the lemon into slices or wedges and add as garnish.

Source: Leslie Arthur

How to Cook Corned Beef Brisket

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Brisket is the name of a particular “cut” of beef, which tells you what part of the cow it came from. Corned Beef is is a cut of meat (brisket) that has been cured (or pickled) in a seasoned brine. For this recipe you will need to purchase a corned beef brisket.

Cow Drawing Source: Wikipedia

Buying and cooking big pieces of meat like a roast or even a whole chicken can seem daunting if you have never done it before.

You may also be thinking: “That’s way too much meat for me to cook at once.” But cooking large pieces of meat or a whole chicken can, in the long run, be a huge time saver. Leftovers can be used for tomorrow’s dinner, or you can freeze them for future use.

Flat Cut Brisket

Corned beef brisket, (also known as salt beef if you live in the UK) is great when served with potatoes and your favorite vegetable. (Some people cook everything in the same pot. The beef cooking water gets really fatty and I think it's better to cook the potatoes and vegetables separtely.) Be sure to buy some rye bread as well, because the leftovers make GREAT sandwiches.

This recipe is REALLY simple. All you need to do to cook a corned beef brisket are three things:

Put the corned beef brisket in a large pot
Cover it with water
Bring it to a boil then simmer for 3-5 hours

When buying a brisket you can choose between a point cut and a flat (or plank) cut.

The point cut is a rounder, thicker cut with more fat on it then the flat cut.

This photo of the leaner flat cut shows off the grain of the meat beautifully. This is really important when it comes time to cut the brisket. It MUST be cut across the grain or it will be just about impossible to chew!

Briskets come shrink-wrapped. It’s best to cut open the shrink wrap packaging in your (CLEAN!) sink. Although this flat cut brisket had very little juice in it, the point cut package was filled with brine which you don’t want all over your counter tops! Rinse the meat off with cool running water.

The point cut I bought came with its own packet of spices. (It didn’t say what spices, but they did smell really good!)

Since the flat cut didn’t come with its own spices, I decided to add about 10 peppercorns and about 1/8 teaspoon of cloves to the flat cut.

Each of these briskets weighs about 3 pounds. That should be enough to feed about 4-6 people.

When cooking large pieces of meat you have to make sure you are choosing the correct cooking method that is appropriate to the cut of meat.

Corn beef brisket requires long, slow, moist cooking, either on the stove top or in the oven. (How to Cook Like Your Grandmother has an excellent photo-tutorial on cooking corned beef in the oven.) I’ll show you the stove-top version.

Set the brisket in a large heavy pot with a lid.

Cover the brisket with water.

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil.

Then reduce the heat to simmer and let simmer about 4 hours.

By then it should be really tender. The meat will have also shrunk by about a third!

Point Cut - Cooked

Plank/Flat Cut - Cooked

Again, remember that when you are slicing the brisket, be sure to slice the meat across the grain!

If you cook your brisket the day before you are planning on eating it, it will be much easier to cut perfect slices. After slicing your corned beef brisket it will then reheat beautifully in the microwave.

Cutting Point Cut

Cutting Flat Cut

At the grocery store, while buying my corned beef brisket, I met a college student planning to cook a St Patrick’s Day feast for 15 of his friends.

Sean Carr, a 20 year old civil engineering student at Northeastern University, cooks his corn beef brisket in a covered roasting pan with 2 inches of water at 325 degrees for 5-5.5 hours.

If you are cooking several briskets for a party, this is actually a very clever way to do it. I would add that you should lay the meat in the pan with the fattiest side up. Set the pan on middle rack in the oven. Carefully pour boiling water around the briskets and seal the pan with a tin foil cover.

Sean said his briskets “came out tender, juicy and delicious!”! He also said, “Most college students survive on Mac and Cheese and Ramen (noodles), but I do my best to break away from that mold”. Good for you, Sean! Maybe between you and startcooking.com your roommates will learn to cook by the time you all graduate!

Cheers!

P.S.: Looking for more meat recipes? My beef stew is a great stew for beginner cooks to make!

Recipe: Corned beef brisket

serves 4

3 pounds of corned beef brisket

Set the brisket in a large heavy pot with a lid.

Cover the brisket with water.

Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to simmer and let simmer about 4 hours.

Cheers!

Chocolate Cake for Beginners

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Since I began startcooking.com, chocolate cake has been in the “Top 5 List” of the most requested recipes. Finally I have discovered the perfect chocolate cake recipe for beginner cooks. This moist, rich, dense, chocolate cake is one that you will want to make again and again. Many thanks to Nigella Lawson for this perfect recipe!

There are six steps to making this cake

Prepare the Pan
Prepare the Ingredients
Mixing the Ingredients
Baking the Cake
Removing the Cake from the Pan
Making the Frosting

Let’s startcooking!

1. Preparing the Pan

This cake is baked in a 9-inch wide (and 2 1/2 -3 inches high) “springform” pan. This type of baking pan has a hinge on the side that expands. This allows you to remove the bottom of the pan from the sides, making removing the cake from the pan really easy.

To begin, the (closed!) pan needs to get “greased” (putting a layer of grease or shortening on the bottom of the pan.) You can grease the pan with butter, shortening, or a non-stick spray. (I used the non-stick spray.)

Then you need to line the pan with parchment paper. Cut the parchment paper to match the size of the pan.

Press the parchment paper to the bottom and sides of the pan. The grease will make it stick.

Be sure to get the pan prepared before you begin mixing the ingredients!

Go and pre-heat your oven to 350 F. degrees (or 180C., Gas mark 4)

2. Preparing the Ingredients

If your measuring is not exact when you are making soups or stews, it will not totally throw off the recipe. However, with baking, measuring must be really accurate! Get all of your ingredients assembled and measured before you start mixing anything together.

I am making this cake using the standard US measuring techniques, but I am listing the metric amounts as well.

Nine ingredients are needed to make the cake. (Don’t make the frosting until the cake is baked, and stone cold.) Measure all the cake ingredients and set them aside:

First, there’s the surprise ingredient that makes this cake so rich - 8 ounces (250 ml) of Guinness stout beer!! (I promise, there is no beer taste to this cake!)

Second ingredient: 1 stick (250gr) of butter, unsalted and cut into slices

Third ingredient: 3/4 cups (75gr) of unsweetened cocoa powder (this is not the same as instant hot chocolate!)

Fourth ingredient: 2 cups granulated of sugar (400gr caster sugar)

Fifth ingredient: 3/4 cups of sour cream (1 x 142ml pot)

Sixth ingredient: 2 eggs

Seventh ingredient: 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract (15 ml vanilla essence)

Eighth ingredient: 2 cups of white flour (275gr plain flour)

Finally, the ninth ingredient: 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda (12.5 ml bicarbonate of soda)

3. Mixing the Ingredients

Part one: the basic chocolate mixture.

Pour the Guinness stout into a 4 quart saucepan…

…add the butter…

…and (over medium heat) stir or whisk until the butter has melted.

Whisk in the cocoa powder…

…and the sugar.

Once the sugar has melted, remove the pan from heat.

Part Two: The egg mixture

Crack the eggs into a small dish, check for shells, and then put the egg into a medium bowl.

Add the vanilla extract…

…and the sour cream.

Whisk these three ingredients together.

Pour the egg mixture into the chocolate.

Whisking until…

…it is well blended.

Part Three: Finishing the Batter

Now add the flour…

…and the baking soda.

Whisk everything together until it is totally blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Be sure to scrape the pan clean with a silicone spatula.

4. Baking the cake

Put the cake into the pre-heated 350 F. degrees (or 180C., Gas mark 4) oven.

Bake the cake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake…

…comes out clean.

Check the cake after 45 minutes. This should be done while the cake is still in the oven! I did it on the counter top just for demonstration purposes. Even though my cake looks like it is not quite cooked in the very center, the pick came out clean so I know it is cooked.

Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely. Do not remove the cake from the pan until it is cold!

5. Removing the Cake from the Pan

Don’t even think about making the frosting until the cake is stone cold!! This will take a couple of hours for the cake to cool completely.

To remove the cake from the pan, first pop the hinge.

Then just lift the ring off the cake.

The parchment paper will be stuck to the cake. Gently peel off the parchment paper.

If this were a cheesecake, you would just serve it right on top of the metal base of the pan.

This is such a sturdy, moist cake that the bottom of the pan can easily be removed. First put the cooling rack on top of the cake…

…and the bottom of the pan slides right off.

Remove the paper.

Flip your cake dish so that the right side of the dish is facing the bottom of the cake.

The cake will be sandwiched between the cooling rack and the cake dish. Flip the whole thing!

Remove the rack and the cake is ready to frost!

6. Frosting the Cake

Once frosted, this cake is supposed to be reminiscent of a pint of stout – a dense, dark bottom with a frothy white top.

The frosting is made with confectioners sugar, heavy cream (or milk), cream cheese, and vanilla.

Cut 8 ounces (300gr) of cream cheese into cubes and set them in a medium mixing bowl.

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 15 seconds. You do not want to melt the cream cheese, just soften it a bit.

Sift 1 cup of confectioners' sugar (150gr icing sugar) on top of the cream cheese.

Sifting the powdered sugar gets rid of any lumps.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cheese and sugar together until it is fluffy and smooth.

Whip in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Add up to 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream (or milk) in small amounts…

…beating after each addition…

…until you have a spreadable consistency.

(NOTE: This is a lot less heavy cream than indicated in the English-metric version of this recipe. English double cream is much thicker than heavy cream and has a consistency of something close to American sour cream.)

Spread the frosting on the top of cake, starting at middle and fanning out to the top edge of the cake.

The sides of the cake do not get frosted.

Although if you love frosting, double the frosting recipe and frost the sides as well! (I wish I had done that!)

WOW! We did it! Want a slice? Or two?

Adapted from:
Feast by Nigella Lawson

Recipe: Chocolate Cake for Beginners

serves 12

1 cup of Guinness Extra Stout (as in 8 ounces)
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter - sliced
3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (an additional teaspoon may be necessary for the icing - optional)
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup of confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons of cream (or milk)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

2. Pour Guinness into a large saucepan, add butter over medium heat and stir or whisk until melted.

3. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. Remove from heat.

4. In a small bowl, beat sour cream with eggs and vanilla and then add to chocolate mixture, whisking until well integrated.

5. Finally, add flour and baking soda, using either a whisk or rubber spatula to incorporate into batter until flour specks are no longer visible.

6. Pour cake batter into greased and lined pan and bake for 45-50 minutes (Check at 45 minutes for doneness, poking a skewer in center.).

7. Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

8. When cake is cold, gently peel off parchment paper and transfer to a platter or cake stand.

Make icing:

9. Place cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a mixing bowl, and whip with an electric beater, until smooth. Whip in the vanilla extract.

10. Add cream and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency.

11. Ice top of cake, starting at middle and fanning out, so that it resembles the frothy top of the famous pint.

Metric Measurements:

Cake:

250ml Guinness
250gr butter, unsalted and cut into slices
75gr cocoa powder
400gr caster sugar
1 x 142ml pot sour cream
2 eggs
15 ml vanilla essence
275gr plain flour
12.5 ml bicarbonate of soda

Frosting:

300gr cream cheese
150gr icing sugar
125ml double cream
5 ml vanilla essence (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas 4

23cm springform pan

Adapted From: "Feast" by Nigella Lawson

Guide to Grains

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister, Jessica Howard) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Most of us depend on rice, pasta and potatoes as side-dish standbys.

However, there’s a world of other interesting grains out there to explore: couscous, quinoa, barley and bulghur, for example. They provide that carbohydrate kick with a twist, and a different texture or flavor is always worth a try. This guide will explain the differences between various grains, and try to inspire you to try something new.

Bulghur

Bulghur, a form of wheat, is the base of taboule salad.

A Middle-Eastern staple and the base of taboule salad, Bulghur refers to wheat kernels that have been boiled, dried and crushed. It is available in fine, medium and coarse grinds.

How to cook it: Put one cup of bulghur in a small pot with one and a half cups of water. Bring to a boil and then cover and turn heat down to a low setting. Cook for 15 minutes.

How to use it: Bulghur is good in salads, pilafs and meat and vegetable dishes.

Couscous

The spongy texture of couscous goes well with stews and saucy dishes.

Native to North African countries, couscous is a grain that’s often served with meat and vegetable stews. Its soft, spongy texture really absorbs sauce or liquid. Couscous granules come from semolina, which is the form of wheat that goes into making pasta. The great thing about couscous is that it takes six minutes to cook. Here’s startcooking.com's tutorial on How to Make Couscous.

Quinoa

Quinoa is great in savory dishes and as an alternative to oatmeal.
Photo courtesy of Susan at Feasts and Fotos.

A grain native to the Andes, quinoa grains are actually the seeds of a leafy plant. Quinoa has a distinctive crunchy texture, and a slightly nutty flavor. In terms of nutrition, quinoa is rich in protein and it’s gluten-free. Look for quinoa in health food stores.

How to cook it: Bring one part of quinoa and two parts of liquid to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the grains are transparent.

How to use it: Quinoa is great as a warm side dish, mixed with seasonings and beans. It’s also good in salads, like this Quinoa and Black Bean Salad. For those looking for a change from oatmeal, here’s a recipe for Quinoa Porridge.

Barley (also known as groats)

Barley can be used as a base for many side dishes, including Pea Barley Risotto.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Lynch at Closet Cooking.

This grain, which comes from the grass family, is well known for its high fiber and health benefits. It’s important to remember to buy whole barley (or hulled barley), as opposed to pearl barley, which has been processed and is not considered to be whole grain. Barley is well-known as an addition to soups and stews, but its chewy texture also makes it a great side dish.

How to Cook it: Use 2.5 to 3 cups of water per cup of hulled barley. Bring the water to a boil, then add the barley, cover the pot, reduce heat to low and cook for about 1.5 hours.

This Beef, Leek and Barley Soup from Smitten Kitchen, delicious!

Grandma's Grain Recipe, makes a big batch of mixed, cooked grains that you can use to make hot cereal, or as a savory side dish.

Rice

Brown rice is chewier, nuttier and healthier than white rice.

Startcooking has tutorials on making white rice, brown rice and fried rice on the stove. It’s also possible to bake rice in the oven, as this recipe for Oven-baked Brown and wild Rice demonstrates. Keep in mind that brown rice is the healthiest choice.

Wild Rice

This is actually a kind of seed, rather than a grain. It’s got a hearty, chewy texture and is even healthier than brown rice, containing lots of protein, calcium, iron and potassium.

How to cook it: Cook one cup of wild rice with three cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 35 to 55 minutes (or until the water is absorbed).

How to Use it: Wild rice makes an excellent warm side dish, and is also delicious in cold salads. Pioneer Woman serves up an excellent tutorial for Fresh Corn With Wild Rice – a side dish she recommends for Thanksgiving.

What are Whole Grains?

Eating grains in their whole grain form (as opposed to their processed form) has been shown to have a host of health benefits. Studies report that regular consumption of whole grains reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and obesity. Refining processes typically remove 25 per cent of the typical grain's protein and many other nutrients are lost.

Tips on Cooking Grains

Although most grains will have cooking instructions on the package, here’s a handy guide to grain cooking times.
Toasting grains before cooking will make them more flavorful. To toast the grains, spread them out in an even layer in a frying pan and heat for a few minutes. Stir them so that they don’t burn.
Grains can be cooked in water or broth, or a combination of the two.
Cooked grains keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
You can freeze any leftovers to use later.

Enjoy!

How to: Eggs

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Eggs, eggs and even more on eggs!

At startcooking.com I have written and filmed quite a bit about eggs. Here I’m updating "The Incredible Edible Egg" story and will finish with the links to many of my recipes that include eggs.

These categories include:

The Basics of Cooking Eggs
The Basics of Buying Eggs
Breakfast & Brunch
Recipes Using Hard Boiled Eggs
Hidden Eggs
Sweets and Desserts (My favorite category!)

***

How to: The Basics of Cooking Eggs

Separating the yolk from the white part of the egg is an important thing to learn, as many recipes call for just the white part of the egg and other recipes have you add extra yolks.

For experienced cooks, cracking an egg is second nature. For new cooks, it can be a bit nerve-wracking. My video on Cracking and Separating Eggs has some great tips that will help the beginner.

Technically speaking, a hard or soft “boiled” egg” should actually be called a (hard or soft) “cooked” egg. However, I intentionally used the term “boiled” since that is the term most beginner cooks will recognize.

Many people wrote in to ask me how to make a “soft-boiled” egg. I was so busy making the hard-boiled, I forgot all about the soft-boiled egg!

To make a soft-boiled egg, follow the directions in the video of How to Boil an Egg BUT after the water boils, turn the heat down to simmer and continue cooking the eggs for between 3-to-5 minutes. The size of your egg and how “runny” you like the yolk will determine the cooking time. You will probably have to do a trial run to see what works for you!

As for Scrambled Eggs, I really keep thinking I should re-do that post. The information is great but, that’s the post where I dropped my camera in the bowl of raw eggs! The photos work but they are a bit hazy. (Plus it is the only post in which I’m wearing red nail polish, which I find it very distracting!)

The Basics on Buying Eggs

Buying and storing eggs is different through-out the world.

There is a reason eggs are stored differently in Europe than in the USA. My post “Born in the USA” explains why.

“In the USA, government standards say all eggs must be washed and stored at temperatures no higher than 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Washing the eggs is a good thing but it does leave the eggs without an outer coating and very susceptible to invasion by bacteria. Hence refrigeration is absolutely necessary.

In Europe eggs are not washed and don’t have to be refrigerated." Who knew?

Breakfast and Brunch

My Quiche video and the Sausage and Egg bake video are recipes for dishes that never go out of style. Quiche is my very favorite thing to serve to company, any time of the day. All the different parts can get prepared in advance. Then it is just a matter of assembling it and baking it!

(And of course what's better than bacon to accompany eggs for breakfast or brunch. Here’s 50 Ways to Cook Bacon.)

Recipes Using Hard Boiled Eggs

Once you know How to Boil an Egg there are all sorts of things you can do with it.

I am always amazed by the popularity of Deviled Eggs. They are perfect for parties and both kids and adults love them! Plus hard cooked eggs are great added to salads!

Hidden Eggs

Raw eggs are often used to bind, or hold together, other ingredients. Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Meatloaf are just two examples of this. When making Chicken Cutlets or Eggplant Parmesan you dip the chicken or eggplant in eggs to make the bread crumbs stick to it.

Sweets and Desserts (my favorite category!)

Eggs act as a leavening agent in baked good. Another words, it makes thing rise.

It’s important to note that most recipes are based on “large” eggs unless otherwise indicated. If you do not use the correct size egg in baking, it can totally throw off the recipe. Egg size is definitely not as important when making savory dishes.

Here is a great Egg Size Equivalent Chart.

Post Script:

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

“Eggs existed long before chickens. These all-in-one reproductive cells, incorporating the nutrients to support life, evolved about a billion years ago. The first eggs were hatched in the ocean. As animal life emerged from the water about 250 million years ago, they began producing an egg with a tough leathery skin to prevent dehydration of its contents on dry land. The chicken evolved only about 5,000 years ago from an Asian bird.”
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee.

Cheers!
Kathy

How to Make Chicken Marsala

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Chicken Marsala is the name given to chicken cutlets topped with a gravy made from Marsala wine (which comes from Italy.) This recipe is also chock full of mushrooms! I used a combination of Shitake mushrooms….

…and Baby Bella mushrooms.

For the Marsala Sauce you will need:

1 pound of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup of Marsala
3/4 cup of chicken stock

To make the chicken cutlets you will need the following ingredients

2 eggs
2 tablespoons of water
1 cup of dry seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup of flour (to dredge the chicken)
1 1/2 pounds of thin sliced boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Step 1

Wash and slice the mushrooms.
Crush the garlic.
Measure out all remaining ingredients needed for both the chicken cutlets and the Marsala sauce.

Step 2

Cook the chicken cutlets according to my video on how to make Chicken Cutlets.

As you’ll see on the video, boneless chicken breasts need to be first coated (dredged) in flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs.

Once you have finished coating the chicken, be sure to THROW AWAY any leftover flour, egg, and bread crumbs. Raw chicken is filled with bacteria which makes the leftovers unusable.

Step 3

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and put it on a dish. Cover the dish with tin foil to keep the chicken warm.

Step 4

Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in the same pan you cooked the chicken in.

Add 1 clove of crushed garlic….

…and the cleaned and sliced mushrooms, and cook for 1 minute over medium heat.

Stir in 2 Tablespoons of flour and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add 3/4 cup of chicken stock…

…and 1/2 cup of Marsala.

Stir until thickened and…

…continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

Add some salt and pepper to taste and pour the sauce over the cooked chicken.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Chicken Marsala

serves 4

2 eggs
2 tablespoons of water
1 cup of dry seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup of flour (to dredge the chicken)
1 1/2 pounds of thin sliced boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
16 ounces of mushrooms - cleaned and sliced
1 tablespoon of butter
1 clove of garlic - crushed
2 tablespoons of flour (for the sauce)
1/2 cup of Marsala
3/4 cup of chicken stock
1 pinch of salt and pepper (adjust to taste)

Mix eggs and water together.

Dredge chicken in one cup of flour.

Dip chicken into egg wash.

Coat chicken with bread crumbs.

Fry chicken in oil 1.5 - 2 minutes, on medium high heat, on each side depending on thickness.

Remove chicken from pan and keep warm on a heated dish.

Melt the butter in the same fry pan. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute over medium heat.

Sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for another 30 seconds. Add Marsala and chicken stock and stir until thickened. Continue cooking until mushrooms are tender, approximately 4-5 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

8 Winter Soups to Warm Your Belly

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

A hearty bowl of hot soup is great on a cold, winter’s day. Here is a selection that will satisfy both the hearty and the finicky eaters in your family.

Baked Potato Soup This recipe is fantastic! It is so thick you could use a fork to eat it!
Split Pea Soup with turkey sausage is really hearty and healthy at the same time.
Tomato Soup never tasted this good from the can. (A grilled cheese sandwich on the side is a must!)
Mixed Bean and Vegetable Soup, made with lots of root vegetables, has just a hint of curry powder to give it a slightly exotic flavor.
Pumpkin Soup: This no-fuss soup, made with canned pumpkin, is ready in a pinch if you don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen.
Tuscan Bean Soup Fresh herbs are a must for this flavorful, aromatic, and easy to make soup.
Chicken Noodle Soup If you’ve got leftover chicken, some pasta in the pantry and a variety of vegetables in the fridge, you’ve got the makings for a soup that’s hearty and is made in less than 30 minutes.
French Onion Soup Crusty bread and melted cheese make this soup not only delicious but fun to eat as well!

PS.
For those of you lucky enough to be surrounded by sunshine and warm weather, this cold Gazpacho is perfect for dinner tonight.

How to: Fish

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister, Jessica Howard) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

A sashimi plate that includes (from left) salmon, swordfish and tuna - a range of fish texture and color.

Choosing what fish to cook for dinner is a lot harder than actually cooking the fish! Here is a quick guide that will help you sort out the different cuts and how to prepare them.

Fat Content of Fish

Fish can be subdivided into three groups based on their fat content. The higher the fat content , the richer the taste. (No surprises there!)

Lean fish typically have about 2 per cent fat content. Some examples are: cod, turbot, haddock, halibut, brook trout, red snapper, hake and tile fish.

Cooking Tip: poaching, steaming and pan-frying are good cooking methods for lean fish. This kind of fish tends to flake and fall apart when cooked, so it’s not a good candidate for barbecuing.

Medium-fat fish typically has around 6 per cent fat. Some examples are: swordfish, pompano, striped bass and bonito tuna.

Cooking Tip: pan-frying is a good cooking method for many varieties of fish with a moderate fat content. These varieties can also be baked, broiled or grilled.

The fat content of high fat fish is typically around 12 per cent. Some varieties are: salmon, butterfish, grouper, herring and yellowtail.

Cooking Tip: Grilling works well with higher fat fish, because it has rich flavor and holds together better than lower-fat varieties.

Whole, fillets or steak

When you’re at the fish counter, you’ll see that fish is available in several different forms:

Whole: These have the heads and tails on and are probably best left to more experienced cooks.
Fillets: These are usually boneless cuts that may or may not have the skin on. You can always ask to have the skin removed.
Steaks: Steaks (shown below) are typically thicker cross-sections from the back of the fish, which have bone attached.

These salmon steaks contain part of the backbone.

Ways to Cook Fish

Microwaving Fish

These salmon fillets will take about five minutes to cook in a microwave oven.

The microwave is a great place to cook fish when you’re in a hurry. Cooking time will depend on the strength of your microwave and on the thickness of the fish. For reference, microwaving 2-inch-thick salmon steaks takes about 5 minutes. It’s better to underestimate than overestimate cooking times. Remember that fish will continue cooking for a few minutes even after it’s come out of the microwave. This demonstration of Cold Salmon with Creamy Mustard Sauce shows that you can get a head start on dinner by zapping the salmon for five minutes in the morning, then refrigerating it to eat later in the day. Salmon is delicious eaten hot or cold.

Baking Fish

Here are baked cod fillets with salsa.

This is another simple cooking method that works for almost any kind of fish. The rule of thumb is to cook it four or five minutes per half-inch of thickness, or eight to 10 minutes per inch of thickness. In this demonstration of baked cod with breadcrumbs, the thick fillets take about 25 minutes to cook. The fish can be seasoned, marinated or cooked in a sauce, as startcooking.com demonstrates in this preparation of Baked Cod with Salsa.

Pan Frying Fish

Pan-fried Kona Kampachi

Pan frying works with all kinds of fish, but especially with milder fish. It’s fine to use fish fillets that have a strip of skin on the side. Depending on the kind of fish you’re using, you may want to dredge or coat the fish in flour, for a crispy finish. This will also give a bit more flavor and substance to lean varieties of fish.

But there’s no need to dredge meatier kinds of fish. Startcooking.com's tutorial on Pan-Fried Fish with Lemon and Parsley shows this simple and quick method. Fans of fish sticks won’t go near the frozen kind after trying our recipe for homemade fish fingers (shown below) – these are so easy and so out of this world!

Fish fingers get a coating of flour and breadcrumbs before being pan-fried.

Broiling Fish

When you set the oven to broil, the heat comes directly from above, browning the top of the fish nicely. Put the fish skin-side down on a broiling pan, or on foil-lined baking sheet four to six inches from the broiler. It can take anywhere from two minutes to 10 minutes to cook, depending on the thickness. If the fish is very thick, it may need to be flipped halfway through.

Poaching Fish

This is a good method for lighter, more delicate kinds of fish. The fish gets GENTLY simmered in liquid in a pan on the stove for a few minutes. The key is not to let the liquid boil because this will cause the fish to come apart. Cooking For Engineers offers a very helpful tutorial on poached fish.

Fish in foil or parchment (en papillote)

Fish en papillote may sound like a fancy cooking method, but it’s actually one of the easiest ways to cook your whole meal all in one go! You simply place your fish, with some chopped vegetables, on foil or parchment paper, then fold the foil/paper over the ingredients and close up the edges so that it’s like a sealed packet. Cook at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes -- the steam inside the packet cooks the food.

The meaty texture of swordfish does well on the grill.

Grilling Fish

Our post on Grilling Fish 101 covers the basics of cooking fish on an outdoor grill. In short, grilling works best on thicker, fattier fish like salmon, swordfish, mahi mahi and tuna. Although you can grill leaner, flakier fish, you’ll need to use a fish basket or grill it on foil.

Eating fresh fish on a weekly basis is recommended by health experts. If you are still having difficulty choosing fresh fish and seafood, just ask the person at the fish counter for some advice.

Happy fishing!!

Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

What a treat! Everyone knows it’s a celebration when you are served strawberries dipped in chocolate! Learning how to make them isn’t difficult but may take a bit of practice figuring out how to dip and not drop the strawberries in the melted chocolate!

Buy medium size berries - two bites is the prefect size. As beautiful as those giant ones are, they are too hard to eat!

Gently rinse the berries in cool water...

...and then spread them out on a clean dish towel to dry.

Let them dry completely before you start dipping. Not a drop of water should be left on the berries.

In addition to dipping the strawberries in chocolate, you can also dip the edges in coconut, chopped nuts, sprinkles or nonpareils. (Those are those colored candy dots in the photo above.)

Eight ounces of chocolate will cover about 12-14 medium-large strawberries. You can use any type of chocolate you prefer - dark, milk, semi-sweet or white chocolate.

(Note: A block of white chocolate is a lot tastier than "white chocolate chips, which are only "chocolate flavored" and not the real thing!)

If you are using a chocolate bar or a block of chocolate, chop it into small pieces...

...and then put the chocolate in a small microwave safe dish. Melt it, in the microwave, for about 1 minute and 30 seconds on medium. (Don’t cover the dish!)

When melting chocolate chips, they will not really change shape that much until you give it a stir.

The goal is to slowly melt the chocolate, not bring it to a boil. If it still isn’t melted, continue melting in 15 second increments in the microwave. Stir the chocolate. It should be smooth and have no lumps.

Some strawberries dipped in chocolate have a very hard, shiny coat. The way you get that hard shiny coat is by tempering the chocolate. This link shows a video on tempering chocolate. The technique is just a bit too advanced for startcooking.com. (I did not temper either the white or the dark chocolate and they still look great.)

Once the chocolate is melted, start dipping.

Try to cover about 2/3 of the strawberry with chocolate. It looks prettier than covering the entire strawberry.

Then gently dip the strawberry into one of your additional toppings.

When you do the dipping, be sure to hold back the green top so that it does not get covered in chocolate.

If you are having difficulty holding the strawberry, skewer it, just under the green bit, with a toothpick.

You are less likely to drop the strawberry if you hold it with a toothpick. (There are all sorts of chocolate dipping tools for sale as well.)

Put the dipped berries on some wax paper to set. They should be stored in the refrigerator, and eaten at room temperature, within 24 hours.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Strawberries dipped in chocolate

serves 4

8 ounces of chocolate
14 medium - large strawberries
1/3 cup of nuts
1/3 cup of coconuts
1/8 cup of nonpariels

Put the chocolate in a small microwave safe dish and melt it in the microwave, for about 1 minute and 30 seconds on medium.

Stir the chocolate. It should be smooth and have no lumps. If it still isn't melted, continue melting in 15 second increments.

Once the chocolate is melted, start dipping. Try to cover about 2/3 of the strawberry with chocolate.

Then dip into nuts or coconut or nonpariels.

Eight ounces of chocolate will cover about 12-14 medium-large strawberries.

Chocolate Fudge

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Valentine’s Day is coming up soon, so it’s time to start thinking about chocolate! (Actually, I don’t need a holiday to think about chocolate!)

.
This blogpost is all about learning how to make fudge. Chocolate lovers may also want to check out my post on Chocolate Fondue and...

How to Make Strawberries Dipped in Chocolate.

For the fudge you will need:

1 pound of fine-quality milk chocolate
½ stick of unsalted butter (OR 1/4 cup or 2 oz. or 56 g)
One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of vanilla (optional)

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You may have noticed something weird in that list, and be thinking, why do you use unsalted butter and then add salt to the recipe? The answer is that lots of recipes are written that way, because you have more control over the amount of salt in the recipe with that approach. If you want (or if you have to) you can substitute salted for unsalted butter in this recipe, but your fudge may end up with a noticeably saltier flavor.

There is a HUGE difference between sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. This recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk.

Evaporated Milk and Sweetened Condensed Milk

Evaporated milk has no added sugar and is slightly thicker and richer than regular milk. Sweetened condensed milk is very thick and very sweet. They are not interchangeable ingredients.

Let's startcooking!

Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper. (The original recipe I saw said to line only the bottom of the pan. However, if you cut off a slightly larger sheet of parchment paper and do at least two of the sides as well, it will make it much easier to get the fudge out of the pan after it has hardened.)

You can buy parchment paper right next to the tin foil and the plastic wrap at the grocery store. It’s specially made to be used for cooking.

For the next step, I’ll first give you a quick overview and then provide more detail.

The quick overview is that we’re going to place a metal bowl on top of a pan of barely simmering water, and gently heat all the ingredients, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

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Now for just a bit more detail about this step!

You can buy pans that are designed to fit into one another, leaving space at the bottom for water. They are called “double-boilers” and can get pretty expensive. Fortunately, you don’t really need one for this recipe. A regular bowl over a normal pan works just fine. However, you have to make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. The whole point of a *double boiler* is to melt/cook things very gently by having the steam from the water (not the water itself) heat the upper bowl!

Put a couple of inches of water in a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer. (No rapid bubbles, just gentle little bubbles!)

While the water is heating, break up the chocolate into small bits. You could cut it with a knife.

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Or (and this is the fun version) just slam the wrapped chocolate bar against the counter. When you unwrap it, it should be broken up into bits.

Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Add the butter, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and the salt to the bowl.

Set the bowl over the simmering water. Give the chocolate mixture an occasional stir. When everything is smooth, blended, and all melted, pour it into the prepared pan (the one with the parchment paper.)

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Put it in the refrigerator. DO NOT COVER THE FUDGE! (If you cover it, too much condensation will form and ruin your beautiful fudge!) Let it chill for about 4 hours or until it is totally firm.

Run a butter knife around edges of pan and invert the fudge onto a cutting board.

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I do hope you put the parchment up at least two sides of the pan! Otherwise, right about now you are saying: “She’s crazy, I’m never going to get this out of the pan”! If you can get your knife to the edge of the parchment paper, that should be enough to loosen it. If that doesn’t work, after you have run your knife around the edge of the pan, cut out a small corner. Taste it. (Yes, it’s delicious, and no, you can’t just eat it from the pan!) Now slip your knife under the parchment paper and the fudge should come out of the pan. (This is the hardest step of this entire recipe!)

Remove the parchment paper.

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With a ruler, score the fudge with lines about one inch apart. This way you will get nice even pieces.

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You can slice your fudge ahead of the time you plan to serve it, but store it in the refrigerator!

Storing and Serving Fudge:

My kitchen tends to get very warm so I always store fudge in the refrigerator. Store fudge in an airtight tin, with a piece of wax paper between each layer. It should keep on the counter (out of the sun) about 2 weeks, in the refrigerator about 2-3 weeks, and in the freezer about 2-3 months. To keep it really moist, you can store the entire "block" of fudge and only cut it when you are ready to serve it. It's best eaten at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Chocolate fudge

serves 4

1/4 teaspoon of salt
14 ounces of condensed milk
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
1 pound of fine-quality milk chocolate
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Line the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper.

Break up or cut the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a medium bowl or double-boiler. Add the butter, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and the salt.

Set the bowl over the simmering water. Give the chocolate mixture an occasional stir. When everything is smooth, blended, and all melted, pour it into the prepared pan (the one with the parchment paper.)

Put it in the refrigerator, but DO NOT COVER THE FUDGE! Let it chill for about 4 hours or until it is totally firm.

Remove the fudge from the pan. Remove the parchment paper. With a ruler, score the fudge with lines about one inch apart to be cut before eating.

Adapted from: Gourmet Magazine

32 Simple Snacks for Football Fans

kathy@startcooking.com (startcooking team) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Jalapenos Stuffed with Sausage and Cheese

Football fans hanging around with friends, especially on a weekend, get just as hungry as all-night gamers . So what's on your party menu for football viewing? We've put together the following items, which go beyond bowls of corn chips, pretzels and cheeses. We make no specific claims about their healthiness, so pace yourself if you suffer from health conditions. Your final menu choices will depend on how much prep work you feel like doing for your party.

The Easy & Traditional Snacks

These are the snacks that are easy to put together, and mostly require minimal effort.

Kielbasa wedges . What meat lover doesn't like kielbasa? Buy a length of kielbasa coil, peel off the "skin", cut up some thick slices, then cut those in half. Serve with crackers and/or cheese.
Garlic bread made with cheese. Whether you buy it or make your own, garlic bread made with three different cheeses will disappear fast.
Meatballs. Little Sweet and Sour Meatballs served with toothpicks or Sausage Balls (shown below) are always a crowd pleaser.
Mushroom caps. For a change of pace, try these bacon Stuffed Mushroom Caps(video).
Chicken wings. Make chicken wings in the oven for an easy-to-prepare football snack that everyone will appreciate. Serve with the traditional sides — thick blue cheese dressing, celery and carrot sticks, hot sauces, and a fistful of napkins.
Grilled sausages. If the weather's still good (or you'll grill in the snow), fire up the backyard grill and throw on some nice Italian or Polish sausages.
Nachos and cheese dip. "Guilty pleasure food" at its best with this nacho cheese dip.
Potatoes. Potato wedges a really inexpensive snack are great with ketchup, sour cream, or Cheddar Sauce.
Stuffed potato skins. Or if it's not wedges, it's potato skins, which can be assembled ahead of time for baking. Make sure to set out extras, like sour cream, chopped chives, crumbled bacon, and grated cheese.
Classic cheese ball. Martha Stewart has a great basic recipe that can be enhanced three different ways - cranberry and cheddar, Roquefort and walnut, and goat cheese with scallions will suit just about everyone's taste. Serve cheese balls with a variety of crackers or thinly sliced pumpernickel bread.
Chex mix. There are an endless number of combinations to the snack most of us know as chex party mix . Customize the recipe to your liking, but keep an eye on the oven, as the onion powder tends to burn easily.

Lighter & Healthier Snacks

Make Ahead Layered Salad

If you're feeling slightly peckish instead of all-out hungry, here are a few suggestions. Most are pretty traditional, like the items above - just lower in calories.

Crudites and dip. Cut up some celery, carrots, cucumbers, and red peppers into bite-size pieces and serve with a nice dip.
Cold cuts. We feel that some of the best cold cuts and sliced meats come from Italian markets. Just roll each slice up into a tube, or fold into a wedge, and arrange on a platter.
Olive selection. Even simpler than cold cuts or crudites. While you're at that Italian or Mediterranean market, pick up a nice array of olives - from savory to spicy, with different stuffings, from pimento to cream cheese to even almonds.
Cheese bites and (wheat) crackers. Cheese platters do not have to be boring. There are so many cheeses to choose from - go for different textures and flavors - and then add some grapes and nuts to the platter as well.
A crazy big salad. A big salad is the perfect complement to most game day foods - and relieves the guilt of eating all the other (heavier) snacks. Chop items small and throw it all in — vegetables, fruits, olives, boiled eggs, cheese, etc. — depending on your tastes. Top with balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lime.
Savroy Pies. Quiche can be served hot or at room temperature. Baked spinach pie, reminds me of spanakopita, only easier to make! A store bought pie crust makes these recipes easy as...

Sandwiches and Burgers

What's a game party without some sort of sandwiches. Here are a few variations, some possibly unique to this article.

Hot sandwiches. Serve spicy Italian sausage with plenty of peppers and onions, topped with a rich tomato sauce or kielbasa with a stone ground, spicy mustard in split, crusty rolls.
"Grilled cheese" burgers. You read that right. Make your burgers in one pan and keep it warm. Then, on order, make a grilled cheese sandwich (shown above) in another pan, using regular bread slices. Split it open (careful, it's hot) and place tomato slices, pickles (optional), and a cooked burger patty. Have hot sauce or ketchup on the side.
Tex-Mex Cheese Burgers. Need I say more! Check out the video.
Pocket subs. Whether you call them hoagies, rockets, subs or something else, these are always a hit, especially with kids. Make sure you have lots of small Italian buns or sub buns, a variety of cold cuts, pickles, toppings and spreads.

Something Extra and Hearty

Quesadillas!

These are for those colder football days, when you feel like something heartier.

Perogies. Potato, onion and/or cheese perogies are so readily available in most supermarkets that you don't need to make them from scratch. Serve with sour cream, salsa, dips, hot sauce.
Pigs in a blanket. Don't forget the kids in the snack list. We don't know what it is about pigs in a blanket, but kids (and adults!) love them.
BBQ ribs. You don't need massive brontosaurus ribs like Fred Flintstone. Some regular sized, finger-licking, melt in your mouth barbequed ribs (video) will do just fine.
Burritos. Beef and bean burritos are easy to put together beforehand or assemble on the spot.
Chili. A great, hassle-free, "simmer in the pot until you are ready for it" game food like chili (video) is hard to beat. Chili is also an excellent make-ahead dish, freeing you up to enjoy the game while it simmers.
Meatloaf. Meatloaf isn't particularly original, but if you like to get creative, you could shape it into a football.
Calzones. While traditional calzones are delicious, this spinach and ricotta stuffed variation, flavored with a touch of nutmeg, is simply delectable. Buy prepared pizza dough to make it really easy.
Pizza Loaf. This fast and simple-to-prepare pepperoni and cheese stuffed snack is sure to be a hit served with a bit of tomato sauce on the side for dipping. It's a fair bit like calzones, but probably less work over all.
Sweet potato fries. Be sure to pre-heat your oven for about 20 minutes to make sure that these baked fries come out crispy.
Chicken kabobs. Kabobs are eaten in a number of countries across Northern Africa, Europe and South Asia. So you have many flavor choices for chicken kabobs. Or just buy some from the deli counter and throw them on the grill or bake in the oven.
Samosas. These East Indian potato-filled pastries are said to taste great with beer - an alcoholic beverage of choice for football viewing. Making these from scratch is time-consuming. So just pick some up fresh from an Indian or Pakistani grocery store, or in frozen form from most large supermarkets.

Now if none of these satisfy you and you want something more elegant, check out this upscale list of football snack ideas from Epicurious.

Sausage Balls

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0500

These savory Sausage Balls are great to serve to company! They are a hearty snack or hors d’oeuvre. This is not a light and delicate dish, so you might want to serve them with some fresh-cut vegetables and a healthy dip just to balance out the decadent versus healthy options you provide to your guests!

The original recipe for these savory treats has been around (supposedly) since the mid 1960’s. As a consequence, there are hundreds of variations to the recipe, which I’ll discuss at the end of this post.

For startcooking.com’s version of Sausage Balls you will need:

1 and 1/2 cups of flour
2 and 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 pound of hot sausage
10 ounces of cheddar cheese, extra sharp
1 medium onion, diced
1 can of non-stick cooking spray

I recommend using hot sausage because it adds a really nice zing to these sausage balls, but you could use a sweet Italian sausage, or even a spicy breakfast sausage. (Not all sausage meat has the same fat content which in turn does influence the final texture of these sausage balls.)

Be sure to bring the sausage to room temperature - it will make mixing these ingredients a lot easier.

Begin by mixing (with a whisk in a large bowl) the flour, the baking powder and the salt.

Now, remove the casings (the skin) from around the sausage meat and put the sausage meat into the mixing bowl. It is not necessary to pre-cook the sausage meat.

Shred 10 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. You can use either white or yellow cheddar; just make sure it is “sharp”.

Then dice 1 medium onion. That will make about 1 cup of onions. (I describe how to Chop, Dice and Mince Onions here.)

Add the shredded cheese and the diced onion to the mixing bowl.

With your (clean!) hands mix everything together with both hands. The mixture will feel dry and could take about 4-5 minutes to get everything well mixed.

Spray a baking sheet with sides with non-stick cooking spray.

Scoop out about a tablespoon of the mixture with your fingers, or a measuring spoon. Roll it into a ball about 1 inch in diameter. This recipe will make approximately 5 and 1/2 dozen sausage balls. (This sounds like a lot, but I promise you they will go fast.)

You will have to bake them in two batches.

Set the balls on the baking sheet about 1 and 1/2 inches apart from each other.

Bake them in a 350-degree preheated oven for 15-18 minutes in total. Set the timer for 8 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and with a spatula or a pair of tongs, turn them over. Return the tray to the oven and continue baking the sausage balls for another 7 minutes.

(They can be a bit delicate to turn. You may need to gently loosen them with a spatula before turning them over.)

Remove the tray from the oven, and if need be, with a spatula, loosen the sausage balls and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off some of the fat.

The sausage balls are now ready to be served as finger food, warm from the oven.

Preparing in Advance

Once these sausage balls have been made, you can freeze them before you bake them. Roll the mixture into balls as described above, and place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

Cover them with plastic wrap and…

…freeze for several hours until they are hard. Remove them from the baking sheet and put the sausage balls in a freezer bag.

When you are ready to serve them, place them on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let them defrost for 15 minutes and then bake them according to the instructions above.

Variations

Some sausage-ball recipes recommend adding 1/3 cup of milk or water, or 1 egg.

Other recipes call for garlic powder or fresh garlic, chopped green chilies, rosemary, thyme, oregano, or Tabasco sauce.

Some suggest that you serve the sausage balls with red pepper jam, or a mustard-mayonnaise sauce, or barbeque sauce.

Then there are some recipes that do not ask you to turn the sausage balls over half way through the cooking time. I think that they tend to get a bit over-cooked on the bottom this way.

Instead of the flour, baking powder and salt, 1 and 1/2 cups of Bisquick can actually be used for this recipe. Bisquick is a pre-mixed base for making things like biscuits, pancakes, and other baked goods. If you are new to cooking and do not have flour and baking powder in the cupboard, a small box of Bisquick may be the thing to purchase. You can always make pancakes with the leftovers! (Be sure to buy the “Heart Smart” version as it is free of trans fats).

Many recipes call for 3 cups of Bisquick, 1 pound of sausage, and 12 ounces of cheese. That's it. I tried making these and found them to very dry and hard.

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I do hope everyone at your party enjoys startcooking’s version of Savory Sausage Balls!

Recipe: Sausage Balls

serves 12

1 1/2 cups of flour
2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1 pound of hot sausage
10 ounces of cheddar cheese - extra sharp
1 medium onion - diced
1 can of non-stick cooking spray

Remove sausage from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Shred the cheese. Dice the onion.

Remove the sausage from the casing.

Add the sausage, cheese, onion to the flour mixture. Mix everything together with your hands.

Form into balls approximately 1 inch in diameter.

Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

Arrange sausage balls on baking sheet with sides

Bake (in two batches) for 15-18 minutes in 350 degree preheated oven, turning once.

Serve hot.

Makes 60-65 balls

Freezing instructions:

Place uncooked sausage balls on wax paper lined baking sheet with sides. Freeze several hours until hard. Remove from baking sheet and put the sausage balls in a freezer bag. When ready to bake the sausage balls, place them on a baking sheet which has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let the sausage balls defrost for 15 minutes and then bake according to the instructions above.

Quesadillas with Tomatoes and Olives

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0500

A quesadilla is a flour tortilla, filled with savory ingredients. You can fill a tortilla with lots of different fillings the same way you would choose lots of different fillings for a sandwich.

Cheese is very often one of the main ingredients. I’m using leftover Monterey Jack shredded cheese with scallions, black olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

Buy the 8 inch flour tortillas. The 12 inch are just too big to handle.

Lay one flour tortilla in a non-stick pan and top with 1/3 cup of cheese.

Wash one scallion (green onion). Cut off the hairy bit on the end. Cut the scallion into quarter-inch slices and sprinkle on the tortilla.

Chop the black olives and sprinkle on top of the scallions

Dice three sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkle them on top of the scallions.

Now sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese

And top with the second tortilla.

Set the pan on the stove top and turn the heat onto medium. (A brush of butter or oil on the tortilla does give it a nicely browned and crispy finish but, on very rare occasions, I do like to try and save a calorie or two!)

After about 1.5 minutes the tortilla should be lightly browned and the cheese is starting to melt. Flip the quesadilla over with a spatula.

Cook for about another minute on the flip side. Peek inside the quesadilla to make sure the cheese is all melted before removing it from the pan. You may need another minute or so. Slide the quesadilla out of the pan and onto a cutting board.

With a large kitchen knife cut the quesadilla into six slices.

Serve this quesadilla with some salad and you’ve got yourself a perfect lunch or light supper!

Enjoy!

Recipe: Quesadillas with tomatoes and olives

serves 1

2 eight inch flour tortillas
2/3 cup of shredded cheese
1 green onion - diced
6 pitted black olives - chopped
3 sun-dried tomatoes - diced

Lay one flour tortilla in a non-stick pan and top with 1/3 cup of cheese

Sprinkle with diced green onion, chopped olives, and diced sun dried tomatoes.

Sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese
And top with the second tortilla

Set the pan on the stove top and turn the heat onto medium

After about 1 1/2 minutes the tortilla should be lightly browned and the cheese is starting to melt.

Flip the quesadilla over with a spatula

Cook for about another minute on the flip side.

Slide the quesadilla out of the pan and onto a cutting board.

With a large kitchen knife cut the quesadilla into six slices.

How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0500

There are lots of different things you can make for dinner with leftover (cooked) chicken. My favorite, particularly on a cold night, is a hot bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup. This is one of those soups for which you can find really complicated, time-consuming recipes or - just use this quick version for beginners!

All of the ingredients you will need for this recipe are pretty standard food items:

2 teaspoons of butter
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
4-6 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of noodles
1 1/2 cups of chicken, cooked and shredded
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Broth is the strained liquid left from cooking vegetables, meat, or fish in water. It is often used as a synonym for bullion.

Stock is basically the same thing but cooked more slowly and has a more intense flavor than broth.

Bullion cubes or granules are compressed stock that needs to be dissolved before using.

For the broth, I’m using a product called “Better than Bullion.” It needs to get dissolved in hot water before adding it to the soup. A can or box of chicken broth or bullion cubes or granules could be used here as well.

My grocery store sometimes has what they call a “Soup Green Mix”. They bundle together everything you might need to make soup.

This mix included a turnip, an onion, a potato, 3 stalks of celery, 1 GIANT carrot, 1 leek, 1 parsnip, some dill and some parsley.

If you like all the vegetables in one of these “starter packs”, great! But I prefer to pick out my own vegetables.

To make startcooking.com's Chicken Noodle Soup, start by chopping the onion, and slicing the carrot and celery.

Melt the butter in a big pot, on medium-high heat, and add the onions, carrots and celery.

Cook these three vegetables until lightly browned - about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and bring the pot to a boil.

Turn the soup down to simmer.

Cover the pot and let the soup cook for about 10-15 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, chop the parsley and shred the chicken by just pulling it apart with your fingers. You could cut it into chunks but shredding it gives the soup a nice homemade texture.

(You can buy a roasted chicken at the grocery store or roast one yourself. Click here to review how to carve a chicken.)

Add the noodles to the pot and simmer the soup, uncovered, until the noodles are tender. The amount of time will depend on what size noodle you added to the soup. Check the label on the noodle package for cooking times.

Taste the soup to see if it needs any salt and pepper. (Different chicken broth brands have different levels of salt in them, so a taste test is essential to determine how much salt your soup needs.)

Add the shredded chicken and simmer until chicken is warm.

Mix the parsley in the soup or use it to garnish the top.

Dinner’s ready!

P.S.: If you're a soup lover, you'll probably enjoy our French onion soup recipe too!

Recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup

serves 2

2 teaspoons of butter
1/2 onion - chopped
1 carrot - sliced
1 stalk of celery - sliced
5 cups of chicken stock (approximately 4-6 cups)
1 cup of noodles
1 1/2 cups of chicken - cooked and shredded
1 dash of salt
1 dash of pepper

Melt the butter over med high heat.

Cook the onions, celery, and carrots, until lightly browned about 5 minutes.

Stir in stock (approximately 4-6 cups of chicken stock) and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender – 10-15 minutes.

Add noodles and simmer uncovered until they are tender.

Add the shredded chicken and simmer until chicken is warm.

Add the parsley.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BLT Sandwich

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Sandwiches can be as exotic as you like, with all sorts of fancy ingredients. But, there is nothing quite as heart-warming as a classic “BLT.”

Today I’m going to show you how to make a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich, better know as the BLT!

We've already discussed how to cook bacon in the microwave.

We have also solved the mystery of how to actually wash your own lettuce!

We still need to slice a tomato. A really sharp kitchen knife or a serrated edge knife will cut the tomato beautifully. (Serrated edge knives are the ones with the jagged edge.)

Be sure to always use a sawing motion or you may end up squishing the tomato!

Then we’ll add all of this to your favorite bread, which of course should be toasted. A dollop of mayonnaise adds the finishing touch to a perfect BLT!

Spread each slice with about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. This is not a sandwich you should be eating if you are counting calories!

Add the lettuce, the bacon and the sliced tomato. (It doesn’t really matter what order you follow.)

All of the amounts are adjustable to your taste. And that’s all there is to a BLT!

To slice the sandwich, (optional) use a serrated-edge bread knife , with a sawing motion (as usual with this knife).

Enjoy!

PS. Did you know that sandwiches are named after an actual person, (you guessed it) the English Earl of Sandwich? Apparently, the Earl of Sandwich had an obsession for gambling. Because he didn't want to be disturbed long enough to eat a big meal, slices of bread with various fillings were brought to him at the gaming table.

Recipe: BLT

serves 1

1 leaf of lettuce - washed
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
2 slices of tomatoes
4 strips of bacon - cooked
2 slices of bread - toasted

Spread mayonnaise on the bread.

Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon.

Serve.

50 Ways to Use Bacon

kathy@startcooking.com (Kathy Maister, Emily Chapelle) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:00 -0500

digg this! reddit

Ahh, bacon! That crispy, chewy, salty and sinful cut of pork we all love.

Bacon has disciples far and wide, some of whom devote entire blogs to it. The Bacon Show, for example, posts a daily recipe featuring bacon; the site "101 Things Every Cook Should Cook" has an entire section devoted to bacon. Heather, of the site "Bacon Unwrapped", chronicles her adventures with bacon, and "Bacontarian" brings you bacon-y goodness from around the Internet, while "I Heart Bacon" conducts bacon reviews.

For those who’ve spent more time eating it than studying it, bacon is cut from the sides, belly, or back of a pig, near the ribs. It’s the fattiness of the meat that makes it so yummy. After the skin is cut away, the meat is cured, smoked, and sliced. It can be cooked in a pan on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave, until it’s perfectly crisp.

You probably know bacon as the star of the BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, in case you didn’t know), and the bacon cheeseburger. But there are so many other ways we can incorporate it into our diets and our lives! Here are 50 ways to use bacon:

1. Make a good old BLT sandwich, of course.

2. Bacon cheeseburgers will make anyone’s mouth water. Meat topped with more meat? Perfection!

3. Bacon-wrapped tater tots would go perfectly with that bacon cheeseburger!

4. Roast a bacon-wrapped turkey for Sunday dinner.

5. Make delicious bacon pastry slices.

6. Add a punch of flavor to your creamed spinach recipe.

7. Make your own hot bacon dressing to use on lettuce, cabbage, or even potato salad!

8. Entertaining? Whet your guests’ appetites with the bacon-cheese fundido appetizer.

9. Indulge in a bar of dark chocolate infused with the flavor of applewood smoked bacon as a special treat.

10. Maple bacon cupcakes will make your mouth water.

11. And if you liked those, try a bacon chocolate chip cookie with maple cinnamon glaze.

12. It’s not real, southern cornbread unless there’s bacon grease in it.

13. Visit The Plaid Mushroom’s e-shop to smother your lips with bacon lip balm made with real bacon oil, refined from bacon. (The link is to a listing that was reserved for a certain buyer, but contact theplaidmushroom to ask for your own listing.)

14. Join the bacon of the month club to have artisan bacon delivered to your door 12 times a year.

15. The beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina gives us bacon-flavored cotton candy.

16. Enjoy a bacon martini with any meal.

17. Use bacon to dress up your leftovers for a second visit to the dinner table.

18. Whip up a tasty bacon asparagus quiche with Swiss cheese for dinner.

19. Cook bacon into the shape of cups and fill with lettuce and tomato for a breadless BLT.

20. Stay warm by wrapping a giant fleece bacon scarf around yourself.

21. Even if you’re a vegetarian and/or keep a kosher diet, you can still enjoy the taste of bacon salt, because, as the manufacturers say: “Everything should taste like bacon.”

22. If pork-covered pork appeals to you, you may also enjoy the bacon-wrapped deep-fried hot dog.

23. Trim your holiday tree with joyful ceramic bacon ornaments.

24. Add a new twist to stuffed peppers by wrapping them in bacon.

25. Get the morning off to a good start with beer cheese muffins with bacon cream cheese frosting.

26. Impress your guests with deceptively simple bacon-wrapped “crabette” appetizers.

27. A bacon-y take on an Asian favorite: bacon and bok choy potstickers.

28. Weave and bake bacon into edible placemats.

29. Then, use the woven bacon to augment your grilled cheese experience.

30. The Bacon Explosion is to die for!

31. Bacon and date appetizers will be the hit of your party.

32. Bacon egg salad croissants put a new spin on an old favourite.

33. Then, have a bowl of bacon ice cream for dessert.

34. Then use an actual bacon bandage to cover your own boo-boos.

35. Or wake up to cooking bacon with the bacon alarm clock, which is appropriately shaped like a pig’s face.

36. Add it to your bathroom in the form of bacon-printed toilet tissue.

37. Then, use it to wash up afterward.

38. Bacon popcorn is a deliciously salty, crunchy snack!

39. Try your hand at making your own bacon.

40. Enjoy barbecue-baked beans with bacon alongside your BLT.

41. Cook up a bacon buffet every imaginable party appetizer you ever dreamed about!

42. Corn and bacon chowder sounds like the perfect soup to warm you up on the last chilly evenings before summer!

43. Strawberry bacon spinach salad will make you the star of any potluck.

44. Salty bacon will complement the sweet honey dressing in this imitation crab salad.

45. Try poached pears stuffed with blue cheese and baked with bacon.

46. Or try the same combo of flavors in a pear, blue cheese, bacon pizza.

47. Take a look at this bacon-filled quiche. It’ll really make your mouth water.

48. See who comes out on top with an action-figure wrestling match between Mr. Bacon and Monsieur Tofu.

49. Smooth caramel topped with crunchy bacon: Does that sound delicious or disgusting? Try it and let us know.

50. Try many other bacon dishes suggested by foodnerd, including bacon fluffernutter sandwiches, bacon cups with macaroni and cheese, bacon-pepper-cheese scones, and more!

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Stir-fry Seasonings

Canned Tomatoes and Sauce

Using Canned Tomatoes

Marinara Sauce Ingredients

How to: Strawberries

Pasta Sauce - Italian Turkey Sausage

Recipe: Pasta sauce: Italian turkey sausage

A Guide to Green Beans

How to Make Pizza

First, the crust!

Tortillas are the base for Humbecue Pizzas -- dressed with hummus, barbecue sauce, spinach, ham and feta cheese. Photo courtesy of Jenn at Eating Bender.

Here, plain old pita gets dressed up with Italian sausage, peppers and carrots. Photo courtesy of Cookthink.com

The Sauce

Spinach, mushroom and goat cheese pizza -- not something you see on a takeout menu!Photo courtesy of Jerry D. Russell at Cooking by the Seat of my Pants.

The Cheese

Toppings

How to Load a Dishwasher

Fettuccine Alfredo

Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo

Fiddleheads

Step 1. Cleaning the Fiddleheads

Step 2. Boiling the Fiddleheads

Step 3. Sautéing the Fiddleheads

Tuna Salad Sandwich

Buying Canned Tuna

Salad Nicoise

Making Tuna Salad

Recipe: Tuna salad sandwich

How To Make Egg Salad

Recipe: Egg salad

How to Cook a Leg of Lamb

Recipe: Boneless Leg of Lamb

How to Make Eggplant Parmesan

Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan

Cod with Salsa

Recipe: Cod with salsa

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic Sauce

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus with Garlic Sauce

How to Cook Corned Beef Brisket

Cow Drawing Source: Wikipedia

Recipe: Corned beef brisket

Chocolate Cake for Beginners

1. Preparing the Pan

2. Preparing the Ingredients

3. Mixing the Ingredients

4. Baking the cake

5. Removing the Cake from the Pan

6. Frosting the Cake

Recipe: Chocolate Cake for Beginners

Guide to Grains

Bulghur

Bulghur, a form of wheat, is the base of taboule salad.

Couscous

The spongy texture of couscous goes well with stews and saucy dishes.

Quinoa

Quinoa is great in savory dishes and as an alternative to oatmeal.Photo courtesy of Susan at Feasts and Fotos.

Barley (also known as groats)

Barley can be used as a base for many side dishes, including Pea Barley Risotto.Photo courtesy of Kevin Lynch at Closet Cooking.

Rice

Brown rice is chewier, nuttier and healthier than white rice.

Wild Rice

What are Whole Grains?

Tips on Cooking Grains

How to: Eggs

How to: The Basics of Cooking Eggs

The Basics on Buying Eggs

Breakfast and Brunch

Recipes Using Hard Boiled Eggs

Hidden Eggs

Sweets and Desserts (my favorite category!)

How to Make Chicken Marsala

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Recipe: Chicken Marsala

8 Winter Soups to Warm Your Belly

How to: Fish

A sashimi plate that includes (from left) salmon, swordfish and tuna - a range of fish texture and color.

Here, plain old pita gets dressed up with Italian sausage, peppers and carrots.
Photo courtesy of Cookthink.com

Spinach, mushroom and goat cheese pizza -- not something you see on a takeout menu!
Photo courtesy of Jerry D. Russell at Cooking by the Seat of my Pants.

Quinoa is great in savory dishes and as an alternative to oatmeal.
Photo courtesy of Susan at Feasts and Fotos.

Barley can be used as a base for many side dishes, including Pea Barley Risotto.
Photo courtesy of Kevin Lynch at Closet Cooking.