Simply Recipes: Recipes Only

Portobello Mushroom Burger

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:17:07 -0800

Hello portobello mushroom burgers! I grew up seeing these as a vegetarian option in restaurants and cafes. But here's the thing, for mushroom lovers (that would be me, you too?), portobellos are perfect for burgers, whether you are vegetarian or not. The cap of this ginormous cremini is the perfect size and shape of a burger. The mushroom is meaty and juicy and umami-y. Paint the caps with a little olive oil, put them on the grill for a few minutes each side, and you have a perfect grilled mushroom to put between two burger buns. In the following rendition, we've layered on grilled onions, some saut�ed spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes, but it's just as good plain, with a little salt and pepper.

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Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Lemon Cream Sauce

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:52:12 -0800

Some recipes are just so good I can't wait to share them with you, and this is one of them. It's simple. Just peeled shrimp, cooked just through in a sauce of cream and lemon juice, and tossed with herbs, angel hair pasta, and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. My dad was over when we were making it and kept looking up from his bowl saying, "oh, this is a good one." I've been poking into the fridge all afternoon sneaking more tastes from the leftovers, a small bowl of just a couple bites reheated in the microwave.

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Skillet Tortilla Pizza

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:19:19 -0800

When I was a kid, Home Ec was a required course in junior high, and we all had to learn how to make English muffin pizzas in a toaster oven. Did you make English muffin pizzas? Or bagel pizzas? This is the same thing, but made with a flour tortilla, or "wrap" as they are called in some parts. Easy peasy. A cast iron skillet works best for the stove top, as it has a more even distribution of heat and holds the heat well. Once the tortilla is bubbly, sprinkle on the cheese first, and then spread with sauce. This way the thin tortilla bottom is more likely to stay crisp. In this recipe we are using the most basic of ingredients�shredded mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil. But you could easily use other favorite pizza toppings, such as caramelized onions or basil pesto. Just use a light touch. The tortilla is thin and can be easily weighted down.

Do you like making tortilla pizzas? If so, please tell us about your favorite version in the comments.

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Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:42:12 -0800

Are you an oatmeal lover? Recently I started adding strawberries to my breakfast oatmeal and thought the combination would make a pretty good muffin too. Several experimental batches later I now have a strawberry oatmeal muffin that I'm proud to share with you. Here's the deal, you don't just want to toss some chopped strawberries into an oatmeal muffin batter. You can if you want, but they won't turn out as well as they could. Macerate the strawberries first in a little sugar with some balsamic vinegar, to concentrate and intensify the flavor of the strawberries. Macerating the berries first also releases some of the strawberries' moisture, which will go into the batter where you want it.

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Cajun Chicken Salad

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:35:35 -0800

This little chicken salad went to the market. This little chicken salad stayed home. This little chicken salad took a tour through Louisiana and ran off with some cheeky spicy remoulade sauce and who knows where they'll end up?

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Seared Sugar Snap Peas

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:35:46 -0800

Sugar snap peas are a garden staple in the spring. At least around here you plant them in November or December and see them poking out of the ground late February to early March, depending on how warm or cold a winter it has been. In my garden they snake their way up a loosely put together bamboo trellis and if I'm not paying attention, climb over the fence into my neighbor's yard. As soon as it really starts to get hot, usually sometime in May, the pea vines dry up, telling me it's time to plant green beans.

And just so we are clear, I don't cook my garden peas. Why? Because I'm greedy. I snap the peas off their tendrils and eat them fresh and fresh right in the garden as soon as they get big enough. It's my garden snack bar. One of these days I'll compost and fertilize and mulch enough to have a harvest big enough to cook and/or share. Still, peas in the garden means local peas at the market, and this easy stir-fry with green onions, lemon zest, and mint, is a great way to prepare them.

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Crema di Limoncello

Sun, 06 May 2012 12:13:56 -0800

With the warming weather, our lemons are practically falling of the trees. Here's a lovely way to use them, homemade limoncello from guest contributor Garrett McCord. Enjoy! ~Elise

Limoncello is a traditional digestif (a drink served after the meal to theoretically aid in digestion, but also an excuse for another nip) served throughout Southern Italy, particularly in the area surrounding the Gulf of Naples. It's produced by infusing a strong alcohol with the zest of plenty of lemons and then adding sugar, resulting in a sweet, floral, and citrusy spirit. It's a bright and memorable end to a genial meal with friends and family. While there are many producers who have been making it for years, many families make their own. And why not? It's so easy to do!

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Smoked Salmon Hash

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:41:27 -0800

Try this one for breakfast. A reader from Alaska recently mentioned to me that instead of fried with corned beef or ham, the way he likes his potatoes in the morning is as smoked salmon hash, potatoes cubed and fried with onions and mixed in with flakes of hot smoked salmon. Uh, yes, please! I love them with a runny egg and extra sour cream.

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Avgolemono Soup

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:04:37 -0800

Please welcome Hank Shaw as he shares his quick and easy version of the Greek classic avgolemono soup, a chicken soup with lemon and egg. ~Elise

The mixture of eggs, lemon and hot broth is a classic combination in Greek cooking. And if there is a classic dish that highlights this combination, it is the chickeny avgolemono soup. Avgo-wha? Ah-vo-LEMEN-o, or at least that's how I remember the Greeks at the local diner in New Jersey saying it. The "g" isn't always pronounced.

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Buttery Tomato Pasta

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:28:57 -0800

About once a week, for my entire upbringing, my mother would prepare a very simple side of pasta with a sweet, buttery tomato sauce. Usually she used elbow macaroni pasta, because usually a small bowl of tomato pasta would be served alongside tuna macaroni salad, our standard Catholic fish-on-Fridays family meal. Mom would just make extra macaroni and stir in the tomato sauce for it. She did this because my dad requested it, and he wanted it because that's what his mother in Minnesota used to make for him. Oddly, the hot buttery tomato pasta was, and still is, a perfect taste complement to the cool, crunchy, acidic tuna salad.

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Saffron Rice Pilaf

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:19:01 -0800

When my friend Kerissa Barron first told me about this buttery rice pilaf, I couldn't wait to try it. Then she told me it had saffron in it. Uh oh. For some reason, saffron is a spice that sort of tastes like soap to me. Not a big fan. But, I'll try just about anything once, and in this case, thank goodness. I couldn't stop eating this rice. Browned in clarified butter, with cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, cooked in a saffron infusion, and tossed with nuts and raisins, this rice is the bomb.

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Creamy Asparagus Soup

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:17:16 -0800

Here's another recipe from the archives while I'm on vacation. Enjoy! ~Elise

Spring here means strawberries and rhubarb, sweet peas and asparagus, and dreams of the summer bounty to come. Asparagus are everywhere, big, fat, and fresh. And yes, although we can get them all year round, I'm especially happy to eat them in Spring. Not only are they likely to have been grown in the same Hemisphere, and could even be local, their very abundance signals the renewal of the season and a good-bye to Winter. Here is a fresh and easy asparagus soup recipe, a perfect excuse to buy more than one bunch.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:51:09 -0800

I'm on vacation for a couple of weeks and away from our kitchen. So I will be posting a few recipes from the archives, like this lemon poppyseed muffin recipe, originally posted in 2007. Hope everyone is having a fabulous Easter! ~Elise

I love lemon poppy seed muffins. This recipe is based on the same Cook's Illustrated master muffin recipe on which I based our blueberry and lemon ginger muffins. The balance of flour, leavening, eggs and yogurt results in a light and fluffy muffin. The important things to remember with making these muffins is to make sure your baking powder is no older than 6 months (it may not work if older), and to not over-mix the batter.

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Green Gumbo

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:01:40 -0800

Another hearty stew from Hank Shaw. Enjoy! ~Elise

Green gumbo, or gumbo z'herbes, is a Lenten tradition in Louisiana. Ironically, it is not always vegetarian, as this hearty stew is often served on Holy Thursday to fortify the faithful for the Good Friday fast. Our version includes a ham hock and smoked andouille sausages, but you can leave them out to make a vegetarian gumbo.

The tradition for gumbo z'herbes is to include many different kinds of greens in the gumbo�and to always include an odd number. Why? Apparently for every different green you add, you will find a new friend in the coming year. Why and odd number? Not really sure, although I bet it has to do with old West African or French folklore. Gumbo zav, which is how its pronounced in Louisiana, appears to be related to the French potage aux herbes, or the West Indian callaloo, which in turn has its origins in West African cooking.

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Spinach Gratin with Hard Boiled Eggs

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:36:02 -0800

My father recently celebrated his 82nd birthday. In our family, we aren't big on presents or cards, instead we honor the occasion with a dinner and family gathering. For dad's birthday, we prepared a wonderful Provencal fish soup (recipe to come later) and this spinach gratin with hard boiled eggs dotting the surface. Certain foods I associate with my dad, beets for example, or sauerkraut, and then of course spinach. When we were kids, we always had cans in the pantry (Popeye!). Later, he turned to fresh spinach from the farmers market. Because of my father, we are a family of spinach lovers. This gratin is a popular side dish served in the south of France. I would never have thought to add hard boiled eggs to spinach, but it's a fabulous combination. The gratin is made with lots of spinach, either fresh and blanched or frozen and drained, mixed in with a simple white b�chamel sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper. Halves of hard boiled eggs dot the surface, and the whole thing is sprinkled with grated gruyere cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs. This gratin would make an excellent side for an Easter dinner, and you can easily make it a day ahead and heat before serving. Enjoy!

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