You Eat Like That Every Day?

Soda Bread with Herbed Goat Cheese and Bacon Jam

2012-03-11T11:49:00.002-07:00

We are celebrating all things Irish this week, so I am starting out with a re-post of my favorite soda bread recipe. Actually, it's the only soda bread recipe I use anymore, because it comes out perfectly anytime.

I wanted to make something different to top it with, because I am bringing it to my brewing date this afternoon, and introducing a new group of people. I have made bacon jam in the past, but it was fairly labor intensive. I saw a recipe online that required cooking it in a slow cooker, and I liked the ingredient list, but I didn't want to make it in the crockpot. So, I switched it up a bit, and changed a couple of ingredients.

We have a vegetarian in our group, so I also needed a topping for her. I thought the tangy goat cheese would be good with the sweet and smoky bacon jam. They are perfectly yummy together ! So, forgive the long post, there are three recipes here.

Bacon Jam

1 1/2 pounds smoky bacon, cut in one inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3/4 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup (you can use maple also)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a large dutch oven, brown bacon, remove from pan, let drain on towel. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease, and saute the onions and garlic in the grease until soft. Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring frequently. Be careful not to scorch. If mixture becomes too thick, add a little water. When it is very syrupy, add bacon back to the pan, stir completely, and remove from heat. Use immersion blender to mix to a "jam-like" consistency. Put in a glass jar and refrigerate.

Herbed Goat Cheese
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped finely
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey

Mix all ingredients together with a fork, refrigerate overnight.

Irish Brown Soda Bread
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white, all purpose flour
14 ounces buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease and flour a Dutch oven. In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Add the buttermilk gradually to form a sticky dough. Place on a floured surface and knead lightly (too much kneading will allow the gas to escape).

Shape into a round, flat loaf the size of your Dutch oven. Place in the pan, cut a cross in the top of the loaf (the Irish say this will let the "evil spirits" out of the bread). Bake for 30 minutes covered, then remove the cover and bake for 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the loaf is lightly browned. The bottom of the loaf will have a hollow sound when tapped to show it is done.

Remove from the oven, place a damp tea towel over the top of the loaf and cover until cool. Place in an air tight bag. This will only keep a few days, so eat it quickly, and share !

Irish Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Bacon

2012-03-09T05:37:00.001-08:00

This is the start of Irish Food Week at our house, an annual event leading up to St. Patrick's Day !

There is a special place in my heart for Irish cheddar cheese, there is nothing like it. On my first trip to Ireland, one of the things I wanted to do was visit a typical grocery store (because I love grocery stores, anywhere, anytime). We were in Dingle, which is the music capital of Ireland, but there is not much else there. The only store was very small, but it had a tiny "deli", where you could buy freshly made sandwiches, cheeses, meats and bread. I chose the hard, Irish brown bread, some cheddar cheese and a piece of something that looked like canadian bacon. I bought a small jar of Coleman's mustard, and set about making myself a little sandwich. Then, I fell in love with Irish Cheddar...

I found it on sale at the store last week (no doubt in preparation for the upcoming holiday), so it seemed logical to include it in my first dish. Mac and cheese is always a good comfort food, and with the addition of the bacon, this was a nice meal to come home to on a slightly snowy spring day.

Irish Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Bacon

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 cups elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
8 ounces Irish cheddar cheese, shredded
2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of nutmeg

Start a pot of water to boil for macaroni. In a sauce pan, melt butter, then add flour to form a roux. Add milk and whisk until smooth. Simmer sauce until it starts to thicken, then add all but 1/2 cup of the Irish cheddar, reserve the remainder for topping. Stir until sauce is smooth. Stir in bacon. When water comes to a boil, add macaroni and cook 8-10 minutes until just al dente. Drain water, and stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Place entire mixture into a casserole dish, and top with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, until cheese on top is golden. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

The Infamous "Dead Surfer on Acid"

2012-03-08T05:25:00.001-08:00

When I bartended, people would often ask for a special shot. I made a LOT of shots back in the day, many I invented on the fly, and named them many, many silly things. Shots with naughty names were always the most popular.

This is not one I made up, but rather, one that was a specialty of a bar where I worked. It actually makes more than one serving, so we usually made it when a party came in, like a bunch of bachelorettes or a 21st birthday celebration. The secret of this drink, however, was to never tell anyone all of the ingredients involved. If you did, they would never taste it.

So, as you read this, put your prejudice aside, it is a very tasty shot. And, it is a perfect use for these very unusualy skull shot glasses we received as a Christmas gift.

Dead Surfer on Acid

1 ounce Jagermeister
1 ounce Goldschlager
1 1/2 ounce Malibu
1 1/2 ounce Chambord
1 1/2 ounce pineapple juice
1 1/2 ounce cranberry juice

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into shotglasses and enjoy!

Tilapia Over Creamed Spinach

2012-03-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

When we went to Chicago last year, we did the "foodie tour": we literally ate our way through Chicago. One of our stops was The Spice House, where we picked up some unusual spices for our kitchen here at home. One of my favorite purchases has to be the orange pepper. I had never seen it before, and it is such a simple idea. Where we would normally use lemon pepper, just use the orange!

Tilapia is one of those kinds of fish that doesn't have a lot of flavor on its own, so it will pick up seasoning nicely. It was a perfect way to highlight the orange pepper I love so much. And who doesn't love creamed spinach ? Well, maybe not everyone...but I do ! Spinach is my favorite vegetable, and making it this way always reminds me of my grandma, and cooking in her kitchen every Sunday afternoon.

Tilapia Over Creamed Spinach

For the fish:
4 tilapia filets (about 4 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 teaspoon orange pepper (or lemon pepper if you can't find the orange pepper)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs, orange pepper and salt. Lightly bread the tilapia filets on both sides. Place in skillet, and fry for approximately 3 minutes, until golden brown, then turn over and cook another 2 minutes until golden. Remove to a plate with a paper towl to absorb any excess oil.

For the creamed spinach:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed

In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the flour to form a roux. Stir until smooth, then whisk in the milk. Add the nutmet, salt and pepper, and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Add spinach, and continue to cook 2-3 minutes just until spinach is tender. Remove from heat.

Place spinach on your place, and gently place a tilapia filet on top.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Sauce

2012-03-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

Blood oranges are like the Holy Grail at the grocery store. They are so hard to find, that we tend to gorge ourselves on them when we do. And I hit the mother load this year, so I wanted to make something really fantastic with them. I love the combination of chocolate and orange together, and flourless chocolate cake is so easy and decadent, this seemed like the perfect combination.

I went a little sparingly with the sauce for presentation purposes, but you can load it on if you like, the cake can take the extra sauce ! And it's gluten free, for those who are allergic, or cautious.

Please take note of our little pug, Seamus, in the corner of the picture. Of course, he can't have chocolate cake, but he was very interested in the photograhic experience...

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Sauce

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
5 eggs, separated
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275. Generously butter a 9 inch spring form pan. In a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, combine the chocolate and butter. Heat and stir regularly until melted. While chocolate is melting, combine egg yolks and all but 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. When chocolate is completely melted, gradually add chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly until thoroughly combined.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks start to form. Then gradually add the sugar until stiffer peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth over the top. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until cracks begin to form on the top.

For the Blood Orange Sauce

6 blood oranges
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Juice the blood oranges, and place the juice and sugar in a small sauce pan. Simmer over low heat until the mixture has reduced to a thick syrup, then stir in the Grand Marnier.

To plate, decorate the plate with the syrup, place cake on top, and drizzle the top of the cake with the syrup.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini with Sausage

2012-03-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

I was in the mood for tortellini, and my original idea was to make a soup, with italian sausage and tomatoes, maybe spinach. But as I was shopping for my ingredients, I created a different dish entirely. I was so pleased when it turned out exactly as I had envisioned.

This was so simple. I didn't need to pre-cook the tortellini, since they were fresh. I just let them soak up the delicious sauce from the tomatoes and the cream. You wouldn't even need to add the sausauge if you wanted to leave this as a vegetarian dish. If you used the dried, store bought tortellini, just make sure to boil them until al dente.

Creamy Tortellini with Sausage

1 pound fresh, cheese filled tortellini
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
5 large cloves garlic, minced
2 15 ounce cans chopped, fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9 by 13 pan with olive oil. Spread the tortellini in the bottom of the pan. In a large skillet, brown the Italian sausage. Spread the sausage over the top of the tortellini. Add the garlic to the same skillet, and saute using the sausage fat until tender. Add the tomatoes and spices, and bring to a simmer. Spread the tomato mixture over the top of the sausage. Pour the cream over the entire pan, and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Food Porn Class ! At Kitchen in the Market

2012-03-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

For anyone who has following my blog for any length of time, you will know that my recipes are solid, but the pictures ? Well, not so much. I admit it, most of the pictures that appear here are taken with my (not so smart) Smart Phone. I just am not good with anything creative except food. I do, in fact, have "craft-phobia".

But, I wanted my blog to look pretty ! Or at least more professional. So I signed up for a class at the Kitchen in the Market called "Food Porn". I wanted to take this class just for the name, but as it turns out, it is all about plating, and making the most of the presentation of your food, including photography.

Sunday's class was about "action shots" and then plating. I will do my best to describe these dishes, since I wasn't the chef in this case, but I wanted to show off some of my mad, new photography skills! Hopefully I can remember some of them for future photos on the blog.

We started the session with a lovely glass of white sangria, with apples, oranges, limes, kumquats and fresh thyme. It was served in a large, clear jug, which showed off the fruit.

When we arrived, the tables were set with glass cups of spiced almonds, and what appeared to be baba ganoush with pomegranates. It almost tasted like it had mustard added, but I think it was just the combination of garlic and I think perhaps horseradish that made it taste so delicious.

The challenge for the day was to watch the chefs preparing the food, take photographs and then plate the food ourselves.

The first dish was grilled vegetables with a romesco sauce. The romesco was the complicated part of this dish, it was roasted tomatoes, red peppers and garlic, blended with almonds and bread.

I wanted to show the beautiful job Thommi did of roasting the vegetables, so when I plated, I chose this long, narrow blue plate, and was very minimalist in my design.

The next dish was croquetas with manchego cheese and serrano ham. They were dipped in an egg wash, panko bread crumbs and deep fried.

What's not to love about cheese and ham ? Normally I am not a fan of fried foods, but this one was very delicate.

Our main dish was the show-stopped, paella. I was in serious lust with the giant paella pan, and I took lots of pictures of the process.

So many tasty ingredients in one dish, and then the challenge of finding an interesting way to present it ! I wanted to show off the seafood, so I mostly used the crispy rice and veggies as a support for those.

For dessert, we had miniature almond olive oil cakes drizzled a brown butter sauce.

I somehow expected these to be heavy because of the olive oil, but they were very delicate.

Of course, I had to add extra sauce to my plate, so I could drag the sweet cake through some extra frosting. Yummy!

All in all, it was a really great meal, and I am pleased with my photos. Looking forward to the next session!

In Love With S.O.S-from the Crystal VFW

2012-03-03T12:54:00.000-08:00

I was sharing stories about junior high with friends one day, when I confessed an unpopular truth: I loved the SOS they served in the junior high cafeteria. I apparently was the only one in my group of friends, because when I mentioned this, the comments ranged from the very juvenile "Oh, gross!" to the "How could you, you are a gourmet?" I can't answer that, except to say I love comfort food of almost every kind. It is something I never make at home, but much like macaroni and cheese, when I see it on a menu, I want to eat it.

The Crystal VFW has a special the first Saturday of every month of SOS, eggs and hasbrowns for $5.45. You have your choice of the traditional "chipped beef" SOS (or creamed chipped beef on toast, if you want to be more politically correct), or hamburger. I always go with the traditional, and this massive breakfast does not disappoint. In fact, I would say the Crystal VFW is one of the best breakfast bargains in the Twin Cities. The eggs, no matter how you like them, are always perfectly cooked, and the hash browns are crispy with have just the right amount of butter. My only complaint would be the lack of salt and pepper, but knowing that most of their crowd is 65 and over, they are trying to make sure to cater to the "low sodium" customers. I can salt my own eggs, under those circumstances.

But the SOS, oh my! The sauce is perfectly creamy and white. And they do not skimp on the meat. If you order a dish like this or, say, biscuits and gravy most places, you often need a microscope to find the meat. Not at the Crystal VFW! It is always more than I can eat, which is quite alright. I like to take some home and eat it for lunch, and savor the experience a little longer. I usually choose the marbled rye to go with my chipped beef SOS, it is, in my opinion, the perfect addition to this creamy masterpiece.

The service is a little slow some days, they usually only have 2 servers on for the entire place, so if it is busy, be prepared to wait. And, if you or your companion want to venture onto some of the other menu items, the omelets are also very generous portions, and perfectly cooked. Other weekends you may also find cinnamon roll french toast on the specials menu, or corned beef hash, all are excellent. The regulars will probably be upset that I have exposed their hidden secret, but this place is too good to be ignored any longer.

Fire Roasted Tomato Pasta

2012-03-01T05:30:00.001-08:00

When I participated in the Bloody Mary Battle a few weeks ago, Muir Glen was kind enough to donate some delicious fire roasted tomatoes to the cause. I had several cans left over, and I wanted to make sure and use them in a way that highlighted their texture and flavor.

The dish that came to mind is one I often prepare in the summer, when we have fresh tomatoes from the garden. I was a little apprehensive, as I had not tried this with canned tomatoes before, but the addition of the fire-roasted taste was perfect. And now I know can bring that fresh garden taste to the kitchen all winter long !

Fire Roasted Tomato Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 15 ounce cans Muir Glen Fire Roasted Red and Yellow Tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly grated parmesan, for topping
Fresh basil, cut in strips, for topping
Any fresh pasta you have on hand

Start your pasta water to boil, salt generously. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over meduium heat. Add garlic and saute until soft, being careful not to burn it. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and reduce to a simmer. Cook pasta according to package directions. Just before pasta is ready, add parsley and lemon juice to the tomato mixture, and remove from heat. Drain pasta and add to the tomatoes, and toss gently. Spoon into serving bowls and top generously with parmesan and basil.

Braised Oxtails over Polenta

2012-02-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

This was definitely a labor of love. Believe the instructions when is says cooking oxtail is a two day process, but oh my goodness, what a treat!

Oxtail is a bit of a misnomer. It is actually a tail of a cow, and requires quite a bit of cooking to make it tender, and to remove some of the fat. There really is no shortcut for this, I tried just leaving it in the refrigerator for a few hours, but the fat did not become solid enough to remove. This particular recipe I created really intensified the flavors from the long cooking process, and serving it over polenta was the perfect complement.

Braised Oxtails over Polenta

2 pounds oxtails, cut up
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 bottle good quality red wine
2 cups beef, veal or pork stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme

In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over high heat. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the oxtails, and brown in the olive oil. Remove from pan. Lower heat, and saute onions, celery and carrots until tender, and remove from pan. Add red wine to the dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer and reduce down until one cup remains. Return oxtails to the dutch oven, add stock, thyme and add additional water just until meat is covered. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3 hours, adding the vegetables back in for the last half hour. You can also do this in a 350* oven for three hours if it is easier.

Remove the oxtail from the oven, let it cool, then refrigerate overnight. A layer of fat will rise to the top, you will want to remove this before you continue to the next step.

The next day, remove the fat layer from the top of the oxtail braise, and place the mixture in a crockpot. Heat on low for 4-6 hours. Remove the oxtails from the braising mixture, and remove the meat from the bones. Stir the meat back into the crockpot. Serve over polenta, potatoes, noodles or rice.

Now, the polenta ! I asked my fellow food bloggers for a different polenta recipes, and this one comes from Stephanie Meyer, and appeared in the Minnesota Monthly magazine. I changed it a bit, substituting chicken stock instead of water, but it was the perfect accompaniment to this rich oxtail dish.

Polenta

5 cups chicken stock (if you use water, add 2 teaspoons salt)
1 cup coarsely ground corn meal
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup parmesano reggiano cheese (plus more for topping)

In a large pan, combine chicken stock and corn meal. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer gently for 40-50 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes to avoid lumps. If the mixture becomes too thick, add additional water. Once cooking is complete, add butter and cheese. Top with additional cheese.

Pomegranate Molasses and Pine Nut Cookies

2012-02-26T17:10:00.000-08:00

I bought a bottle of pomegranate molasses on clearance at the grocery store, and I have to admit, I had NO idea what to do with it. I opened it, tasted it, and loved the citrus taste it had. I looked on line, and I mostly found barbeque recipes. I wanted to find a way to make it into a cookie. So I decided to substitute it into a regular molasses cookie, but it didn't quite work.

After some experimentation, I came up with this version, and I really like how unusual it tastes. I made this batch as a thank you to a friend for a car repair, I think it will suffice!

Pomegranate Molasses and Pine Nut Cookies

1 /2 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Preheat oven to 375. Cream together butter and sugar. Add pomegranate molasses and vanilla and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients, and add gradually, mixing just until combined. Stir in pine nuts. Form into small, 1 teaspoon size balls and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet. Let completely cool on baking rack.

Wasabi Snack Mix

2012-02-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

I love snack foods. There, I said it. Salty ones in particular. If I could, I would eat chips all day long. But I know they aren't good for me. So I am always looking for a snack that is better than chips, but still tasty.

I saw a recipe similar to this in Food and Wine magazine, but I couldn't find all of the ingredients it called for, and I wanted to add my own textures and flavors to it, as well. I am so ecstatic with the results ! Especially because I made it for a meeting of my Bitches Brew Crew, and it will pair nicely with a hoppy IPA.

This reminded me of making Chex mix with my Grandma. In fact, I used her technique of putting the ingredients in an ice cream bucket to make sure they were all coated with the yummy sauce. And, I have enough left over ingredients to make another batch, which I am certain I will need to do again tomorrow. Quick, easy and delicious, three of my favorite words !

Wasabi Snack Mix

2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons wasabi powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ponzu
1/4 cup canola oil
3 cups wheat Chex cereal
3 cups multi grain Cheerios
1/2 cup roasted soy nuts
1/2 cup roasted pepitos
5 sheets roasted nori, crumbled
1 cup wasabi peas

Preheat oven to 350. Using a small food processor or immersion blender, mix together the honey, wasabi powder, soy sauce, ponzu and canola oil. Place remaining ingredients, except wasabi peas, in a large bowl or ice cream bucket (I like the ice cream bucket because it makes for easier mixing). Pour half of the liquid mixture over it, and toss to coat. If using the ice cream bucket, I just put the lid on it and give it a gentle toss for a few minutes. Pour the remaining liquid over the dry ingredients, and toss to coat well. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in wasabi peas after cool.

Slow Cooked Pork Chops with Apple and Rosemary

2012-02-23T05:39:00.000-08:00

I saw a recipe on line for crockpot pork chops, it sounded like it tasted good. As I recall, it had lots of black pepper and I remember apples, always a good combination. When I went to search for it, you had to brine the chops a day ahead of time, then pan sear them, saute all the veggies...that's WAY too much prep for a crock pot recipe.

So, I simplified it. I kind of hate wasting these beautiful pork chops we got from butchering our first hog this year, but I was really hungry for pork. I did end up pan searing these first before putting them in the crock pot, but I improvised the rest. This was only a portion for two people, but you could expand as needed.
Slow Cooked Pork Chops with Apple and Rosemary

2 pork chops, thick cut (about one inch)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 large apple, diced
4 springs rosemary
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Montreal Steak Seasoning

Season both sides of the pork chops with steak seasoning. Place olive oil in a medium saute pan, and sear the pork chops on high until golden on both sides (about 3 minutes each side). While pork chops are cooking, put carrots, onion, apples and rosemary in crockpot, in that order. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top. Place the seared pork chops on top, and pour the white wine over all. Cook on low 4-6 hours, until pork chops are tender. Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles.

Pickled Grapes

2012-02-21T16:22:00.000-08:00

This recipe came to be from 2 sources. I tasted them when my friend Jen brought them to a party. They are one of the most unusual treats I have experienced in a long time. They are just lightly pickled, and the grapes retain enough of their texture that they gently burst in your mouth when you bite down.

Of course, I had to ask for the recipe ! She sent me a link to an NPR site, but the orignator of the recipe was Mollie Wizenberg, and her blog is http://orangette.blogspot.com. And they are fairly simple to make, except for the trimming of the grapes. Even with that, it only took about a half hour to prepare. This might be a weekly treat for us....well, for awhile anyway!

Pickled Grapes

1 pound seedless red grapes (works best with smaller grapes)

1 cup white wine vinegar (I also used regular white vinegar and they were fine)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon salt

Rinse and dry the grapes, remove them from the stems. Cut just a small part of the top part off (where the stem was) to expose some of the "flesh". Place grapes into a glass bowl and set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then immediately pour the mixture over the grapes. Stir the grapes well and let them come to room temperature.
Cover the bowl, or put the grapes in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and let them marinate at least 8 hours or overnight. Serve cold.

Asian Pepper Pot Bloody Mary Mix

2012-02-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

This is the prizewinning recipe from the Minnesota Food Bloggers get together, held this afternoon at Toast Wine Bar in Minneapolis. I am giddy with delight, because this is the recipe I made up on the fly. My idea started with using wasabi instead of the traditional horseradish, and I just added ingredients from there. This is a truly unique bloody mary, and definitely not for the faint of stomach!

Asian Pepper Pot Bloody Mary Mix

3 14.5 ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 Thai hot chiles
2 6 ounce cans tomato juice
1/3 cup ponzu
1/4 cup sriracha
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons wasabi powder
2 tablespoons Chinese mustard
1 tablespoon honey

Process tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Add chiles and blend until there are no pieces of chiles remaining. Serve over ice with your favorite vodka. Garnish with soy glazed water chestnut, pickled ginger and pickled baby corn.

Surf and Turf Bloody Mary Mix

2012-02-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

The Minnesota Food Bloggers held a get together today at Toast Wine Bar, including a Bloody Mary battle. I created this recipe for the competition, and I have to say,I really like this mix. I combined two recipes I have used in the past, one that traditionally used Clamato juice (I know, it sounds strange), and one we used at a bar where I worked, which included steak sauce.

For your imbibing pleasure...

Surf and Turf Bloody Mary Mix

3 14.5 ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 6 ounce cans tomato juice
1 8 ounce bottle clam juice
3 tablespoons horseradish
1/2 cup Tabasco brand steak sauce
1/3 cup green Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon smoked salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

Process tomatoes in blender until smooth. Mix together remaining ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Serve with a garnish of shrimp, a small piece of grilled steak and a marinated mushroom.

Pizza Crust with Spent Grain

2012-02-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

So hello all you beer brewers! What the heck do you do with all that left over grain when you have finished brewing beer?

I was sent a recipe for this pizza crust, and we LOVE pizza. It is bready, and we added honey so it is a bit sweet. I am already thinking of all the amazing combinations I can come up with for this crust, and some amazing toppings(from http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/category/spentgrainchef).

Pizza Crust with Spent Grain

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup spent grain
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
Olive oil

In a mixer bowl, combine yeast and water, and stir together gently. Let it rest for 5 minutes, until the yeast starts to bubble. Add the remaining ingredients, and use dough hook to knead for 8-1 minutes, or you can also knead by hand.Remove from bowl, and add a few drops of olive oil to the bowl. Place dough back into the bowl, and turn it in the oil to coat. Cover with a towel and let it rest for two hours. Punch the dough down, and let it rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 475, remove dough from bowl and place it on a half sheet pan. Press dough into pan. Top with your favorite toppings, and bake for 20 minutes, until crust is golden.

Chilean Sea Bass with Polenta, Olives and Blood Orange

2012-02-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

This is, admittedly, a bit fancier than I normally do. But heck, it was Valentine's Day, right ? I had been to the fish market this weekend and picked up some Chilean sea bass, it was so beautiful looking (and expensive), that I wanted to do something really special with it.I saw this recipe posted on another blog, http://sweetandsavorykitchens.com, using halibut. I knew I could make it work with this sea bass.

The next challenge was what to serve on the side, and for some reason, polenta made sense to me. The original recipe recommended potatoes, but I wanted to make it my own. It was a really beautiful plate. And surprisingly easy! Pictures don't lie, it was impressive.

Chilean Sea Bass with Polenta, Olives and Blood Orange

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 fennel bulb thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3/4 cup sauvignon blanc (or any dry white wine)

1/2 cup orange juice

6 pieces orange peel, about 1-inch square

2-6 ounce Chilean sea bass filets

1 blood orange

1/2 cup large, mild green olives, pitted

4-5 bay leaves

Polenta (see recipe below)

In a large, oven proof saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the fennel until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and saute 1-2 more minutes, making sure not to brown the garlic. Add the wine and boil for 1 minute, then add the orange juice and peel, simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

Season the fish with salt and pepper and place on top of the fennel mixture. Drizzle the fish with a little of the olive oil. Remove skin and pith from the blood orange, then slice cross-wise in 1/3-inch slices. Add the orange slices, olives and bay leaves to the pan, on top of and around the fish.

Roast, uncovered, in the oven until the fish is opaque, 15-25 minutes depending on thickness of the fish. To plate, put a large spoonful of polenta in the center of the plate. Place sea bass filet on top of the polenta, then surround with fennel, olives, blood orange and sauce, being careful not to scoop up any of the bay leaves or orange peel. Garnish with fennel fronds.

Creamy Oven Baked Polenta

2012-02-15T05:43:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make polenta for our Valentine's Day dinner, but I needed it to be something I could set aside while I prepped the main dish. I have never made polenta before, but being an avid food TV watcher, I have seen it done many times, and it always seemed to require a lot of stirring. Short of asking Ray to cook his own dinner (which kind of takes away from the "gift" part of the evening), I had to find another way.

So, off to the internet I went, and found an oven-based recipe, courtesy of Alton Brown. I doubted the wisdom of this preparation, as the mixture seemed a bit sticky as I placed it in the oven, but it all came together in the end, with the addition of the butter and cheese (I added extra cheese, because, well, I like cheese). You will see the picture of the finished product in the recipe above. But here is the polenta:

Creamy Oven Baked Polenta
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup coarsely ground corn meal
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In a dutch oven, saute onion in olive oil until just translucent, then add garlic, and saute for 1-2 minutes longer, being careful not to brown. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the corn meal, being careful not to cause any lumps. When corn meal is completely combined, cover the dutch oven and place in the oven. Stir every 10 minutes for 30-40 minutes until the mixture is creamy. Remove from oven, and add butter, cheese, salt and pepper.

Goat Curry in the Crockpot

2012-02-13T05:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted to plan something I could leave in the crockpot all day while I attended a brew date with the Bitches Brew Crew. I had to make a stop to South Minneapolis, which of course means a stop to the Global Market ! Ray wanted to try goat, so I picked some up at the Holy Land deli, and set about crafting a recipe to use it.

The meat was supposed to be "tenderloin", but quite honestly it was all kinds of cuts, and a lot of silver skin and ligaments, and I was worried about how tender it would be. I decided a long, slow stew would be best. Goat curry sounded smart to me, and we love the flavors of Indian cuisine. I was, however, a little disappointed when looking for a recipe, as most of them called for curry powder, and I know from previous recipes that very little actual "curry powder" is used when making curries. So, I made up my own combination, combining recipes for tikka masala and vindaloo.

Goat Curry in the Crock Pot

Make a paste of:

4 tablespoons chopped garlic
4 tablespoons chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon canola oil

For the curry:
1 1/2 pounds goat (you could also use lamb or venison)
1 cup greek yogurt
4 cups chopped tomatoes
1 large red onion, diced
2 large red chiles, diced
2 tablespoons chile powder
4 tablespoons coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

The night before, start to marinate the goat in 1/2 of the garlic ginger paste and 1/2 cup of the yogurt. In the morning, combine all of the other ingredients except the yogurt in the crockpot, and set on low. Cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is tender. Just before serving, stir in the remaining yogurt. Serve over basmati rice.

Smoked Pork Bread Pudding with Leeks

2012-02-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

I originally created this recipe because we had a lot of left over pork after our wedding. And we still do, in the freezer. We had been eating left over pork on small sandwich buns for days and days, and I wanted a way to use the leftovers, but not eat any more sandwiches.We enjoyed it so much, I wanted to make it again. And since we are coming up on our six month anniversary, it was time to get the pork out of the freezer.

I realized the pork had lost some of its smoky flavor in the freezer, but we are lucky enough to have a handy gadget called a smoking gun. This is a hand held device that can infuse smoke flavor in a short period of time. So, Ray loaded it up with some applewood, hickory and a little bit of rosemary, and we put some pork in a bowl and covered the bowl with plastic wrap. We did get a little smoke in the kitchen (something like a campfire!), but the pork now tasted nice and smoky, so I could begin the cooking !

Smoked Pork Bread Pudding with Leeks

4 cups diced bread
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked pork (or ham)
2 medium leeks, sliced thin and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1/4 cup spicy mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

Saute leeks in butter and olive oil.

Combine together with bread, pork, and red peppers. Put mixture in a greased 9x13 pan.In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper. Pour over bread mixture.

Press down,cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with cheese, and bake 10 more minutes until golden and cheese is melted. Remove from oven, let rest, and serve.

Stout Brownies

2012-02-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on another food bloggers site (http://nimmow.blogspot.com), and being a home brewer, I love any recipes than incorporate beer. We also had some oatmeal stout left from our recent tript to Fitger's Brewery in Duluth, so the timing was perfect.

This was not the easiest recipe to execute. And although Ray is raving about the results, I had to make a couple of modifications to the original to make it work, and I still think I might do some fixing the next time I make these. The "frosting" should be a bit more creamy, or maybe more like a glaze, and maybe a little less fleur de sel on top. But yes, there will be a next time, because they are lush, decadent, and a nice mix of sweet, bitter and salty. Below is the recipe as I made it this time.

Stout Brownies

1 cup stout beer
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, divided
2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
Fleur de Sel, for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 inch square pan with nonstick. Bring the stout to a boil in a small pan, and reduce to 1/2 cup, then let cool to room temperature. Reserve 1/4 cup of the stout.

Place 12 ounces of the bittersweet chocolate in a bowl with 2 sticks of butter, cut into pieces. Place the bowl over a small pan of simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. In the meantime, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl (I just used my stand mixer). Gradually add the chocolate mixture, then add 1/4 cup of the reduced stout. Stir in flour and 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake brownies until the surface begins to crack, and a tester comes out with just a few crumbs attached. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before adding topping.

Put a medium bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and combine the remaining chocolate, butter and stout. Stir just until melted, and then quickly spread across the top of the brownies. Top with a light sprinkling of Fleur de Sel. Let cool completely, then cut into squares with a warm, wet knife.

Shepherds Pie with Stout and Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

2012-02-10T05:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a perk of having a food blog: when you don't feel well, your husband can look up recipes and make you dinner! So, thank you Ray, for making this for dinner last night.

We discussed making my shepherd's pie, because we had some stout that went flat in the refrigerator, and topping it with the horseradish mashed potatoes (decadent, I know). The results were out of this world ! So, here is the new, hybrid recipe, and thanks Ray for putting it together !

Shepherds Pie with Stout and Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

For the potatoes:
4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup whole milk
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
4 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fork tender. Drain water from potatoes, Add milk, cream cheese, horseradish and butter and mash to desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.

For the filling:
Saute in a large pan:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced fine

When onion becomes translucent, add:
1 pound ground beef or venison
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning

Cook until meat browns. Add 3/4 cup stout beer and 1/2 cup beef stock. Cook down until liquid is almost evaporated. Put mixture in a large, deep dish pie pan. Top with 1/2 cup of frozen peas or mixed vegetables.

Spread potatoes on top of the pie, sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

2012-02-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

It was almost a year ago exactly that I first tasted this soup at a Greek restaurant in Chicago. I had never heard of it before. As it turns out, it is a very classic Greek soup, and it is very easy to make. I love the fresh flavors, and most of the ingredients we always have on hand.

It's a good way to use up left over chicken, and quick to prepare on a weeknight. I sent this recipe to my dad after he had heart surgery also, because he is trying to cut back on salt. Other than the salt in the stock, there is really no need for additional salt, unless you feel the need to add some at the end. We never do, it is delicious and perfect just the way it is.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup-Avgolemono

8 cups chicken stock
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cut into chunks
2 eggs separated
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste, if needed

Bring chicken stock to a boil, and stir in rice. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and cook 5 more minutes. In the meantime, whisk egg whites until frothy, then add egg yolks and lemon juice and whisk until smooth. When chicken and rice is finished cooking, remove 1 cup of the stock and gradually whisk into the egg mixture, being careful not to "scramble" your eggs. Add a second cup of the stock in the same manner. Remove the soup from the heat and slowly stir the egg mixture back into the soup. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Sweet Basil Cheesecake with Honey

2012-02-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe awhile back, and was intrigued with the idea of a savory cheesecake. Served as an appetizer, this was a fun addition to our little Super Bowl appetizer buffet.

What is nice about this recipe is the combination of the different kinds of cheese, and the honey really sets off the sweetness of the basil. I found some cornbread crackers to serve with this, and it was perfect. I am thinking we could increase the amount of goat cheese (because we love it) and possible change the kind of herbs, this is really a versatile recipe.

Sweet Basil Cheesecake with Honey

1/2 cup ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup goat cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.Using a food processor, mix cheeses and eggs together until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, and blend until incorporated, but basil is still in pieces.

Line a small ceramic or springform pan with parchment paper, and butter sides of pan. Pour cheese mixture into pan and place in a larger pan, surrounded by boiling water. Bake for 50 minutes, until cheese is no longer "jiggly". Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and refrigerate overnight. Serve with crackers.