Real Food Fast!

Chorizo, rice, and whitefish

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Any type of whitefish will do just fine for this close cousin to Paella. No tomatoes and no peas in this dish, so you'll need to serve some veggies on the side.

Chorizo, Rice, and Whitefish

Olive oil
4 oz chorizo, sliced thin
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-1/4 c Arborio rice
1/2 c dry white wine
2 1/4 c chicken or vegetable stock
Whitefish fillets, chopped into bite-sized pieces or left whole

Heat olive oil a large skillet (with a cover) and cook the chorizo for a few minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat with oils. Add wine to deglaze the pan and bring to a boil. Let the wine absorb and add the stock. Bring it to a boil and place skillet, covered, in a 400 oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover the skillet and add the fish to the top, stirring down in slightly. Continue cooking uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

White bean and rosemary stew

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Don't let the white beans fool you...this is a powerfully wonderful soup with great flavors! We'll be having it again soon for sure.

White Bean and Rosemary Stew

2 bell peppers, red and yellow
Olive oil
Onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 c of vegetable broth
19 oz can of white beans (we like great northern or Goya small white beans)

2 t fresh rosemary or 1 t dried plus additional for garnish if desired

1 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Roast the peppers on a piece of foil under your broiler until the skins are black. Let cool, peel, julienne, and set aside.

In a dutch oven, cook the onion and garlic until softened. Stir in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the drained beans and rosemary. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the peppers and vinegar and cook for a couple more minutes to heat through. Add salt and pepper as desired. Garnish the top with an additional sprig of rosemary if desired.

Pizza with prosciutto

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sweet and salty together...oh the joy! I made our Goat Cheese, Fig, and Prosciutto Pizza awhile ago with fresh figs, a bit of olive spread, and without the scallions. Very very satisfying!

Braised lamb with red wine and dates

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

I found a recipe for lamb chops braised in red wine along with figs, but since figs were unfortunately no longer available for the season, I used dates instead. We liked it quite a bit, so I may never even bother to use figs! Along with that substitution, I also used a leg cut instead of a shoulder chop, but otherwise followed the Martha Stewart recipe. Oh yeah, and I added pomegranate seeds too, which gave a nice tangy note to the sweetish dish.

On the plate below, you'll see that we also tried Martha's parsnips and potatoes. Very tasty.

Artichoke and shrimp pizza

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

No, I am not trying to see what weird combinations I can come up with! We just like to try out new things, and this turned out really well. I used our thin crust recipe and made two small rounds.

Artichoke and Shrimp Pizza

1/4 to 1/2 lb small cooked shrimp
Small bunch of scallions
1-1/2 T cornstarch
3/4 c milk
3/4 c (3 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 c dry white wine
Dash of garlic powder
15oz can of artichoke hearts, chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Thin crust pizza shells, 2 small or 1 large

Bake the pizza shells at 450 for 7 or 8 minutes and remove from the oven. This can be done ahead of time if desired.

Slice the shrimp into half or thirds lengthwise, and slice the scallions (white and pale green parts) thinly crosswise. Set aside.

Mix the cornstarch and cold milk and begin to heat in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, wine, and garlic powder. Spread the sauce over the pizza shells. Spread on the artichokes, shrimp, and white parts of the scallions. Bake at 450 until bubbly and browning slightly. Top with the green parts of the scallions and some Parmesan cheese before serving. You can return it to the oven to melt the cheese slightly if desired.

Interrogating a Foodie

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

via MightyWombat

Honey-mustard skillet chicken

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Skillet chicken is so fast and easy on a week night. I especially like this one, because the chicken doesn't need to marinate...you just coat it with the good stuff and go! I added the Brussels Sprouts (pre-steamed in the microwave for a few minutes) right to the skillet.

Honey-Mustard Skillet Chicken

6 skinless boneless chicken thighs

1 T honey
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T soy sauce
1 t grated orange rind
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 - 1/2 c panko bread crumbs

Put the chicken into a zip-loc bag along with the honey through the orange rind, and mix it around until the thighs are fully coated. Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove and sear each side of the chicken in a little oil, adding a bit of salt and pepper. Sprinkle both sides with panko crumbs. Place the skillet into an oven heated to 350 and cook for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Cooking off-the-grid

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Winter storms do not daunt us! We have a campstove with compressed LP gas, some containers of sterno, and a regular gas grill outside that keeps us in coffee, stews, omelets, and lots of other essentials! Oh, and the antique coffee grinder in the back...yes, it really works!

Thin and chewy molasses cookies

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

These cookies share some of the same spices with gingersnaps, but they are soft and chewy rather than hard and crispy. Even though they flatten out as they bake, the butter, oil, and eggs give them a wonderful mouth feel!

Thin and Chewy Molasses Cookies
(makes 45 cookies)

1/2 c butter, at room temperature
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar, plus more for rolling
2 eggs
1/2 c molasses
2 T canola oil

1 t baking soda
1 t each cinnamon, ginger, and allspice
1/2 t salt
2 c flour

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugars until fully incorporated, about 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, and then the molasses and oil. Stir in the baking soda, spices, and salt. Mix in the flour and cover with plastic wrap to refrigerate for at least an hour.

The dough will still be sticky, but rolling it in sugar will help. Preheat the oven to 325 and place parchment paper on baking sheets. Using a small (1-1/2") scoop, scoop up flat bottomed balls from the dough. Roll in sugar and place far apart, only 9 on each baking sheet. Flatten the tops slightly and bake for 17 minutes, turning sheets after 9 minutes. At this size, you will get 5 batches of cookies, 45 total.

Gingersnaps

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have tried more gingersnap recipes than I can possibly tell you, but have never been completely satisfied with any of them. Either the texture was wrong, or the spices were wrong...the cookies just never had the right snap! Well, that changed when I found the Cook's Illustrated recipe. If you don't have a subscription, you'll have to sign up for a free trial in order to copy it from their site. Trust me, it's worth it.

Orange and pistachio stir fry

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Really really good! And easy, even though it takes a bit of prep to cut up and soften up the vegetables. You can use just about any stir fry-able vegetables that you choose, but I stuck with all greens other than the onion. Add bread or basmati rice and you've got a complete meal.

Orange and Pistachio Stir Fry

Brussels sprouts, halved
Green beans, ends trimmed
Broccoli florets
Butter
Onion, chopped
Juice from one orange
Cayenne pepper flakes
Pistachios, chopped

Pre-cook the vegetables except for the onion in a microwave for a few minutes to soften. Stir fry the onion in some butter and then add the rest of the vegetables. Season with the orange juice and pepper. Add the pistachios just before serving.

Spicy lamb and black bean chili

2012-01-02T09:42:00.000-05:00

I made our favorite lamb chili last week, but I wasn't able to find ground lamb. Not to fear...cut up a leg slice and brown it up. Delicious!

Merry Christmas to all!

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Love you all! I'm taking the week off and will see you in 2012!!

More tasty treats for Christmas

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Cookies cookies cookies!!

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am of the opinion that you can never have too many cookie recipes. So, even though I mostly make the traditional cookies for Hanukkah and Christmas at our house, I like to add something different from year to year. Here are some suggestions if you feel your cookie list is getting a bit stale!

Grammy's chocolate cookies

Hamantaschen

Chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies

Lavender biscotti

Lemon and lavender shortbread

The world's best brownies

Lime and basil shortbread

Chocolate shortbread

Homemade Oreo cookies

Perfect vanilla sugar cookies

Perfect chewy chocolate cookies

Bourbon balls

Fudgy chocolate cookies

Mandelbrot

Matzo toffee

Cream cheese-raspberry brownies

Chai-pistachio sugar cookies

Mexican chocolate cookies

Cream cheese-apricot brownies

Amish raisin cookies

Peanut blossoms

Italian cornmeal cookies

Lime swirl cheesecake bars

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

...or in a 450 degree oven! Use a heavy serrated knife to make a small cross cut on the rounded tops (just press down, don't try to slice) and pop them into the oven on a cookie sheet. Serve in a dish towel!

Gingerbread

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

There's a reason that almost all traditional gingerbread recipes have you mix in boiling liquid near the end of the mixing phase, just before placing the batter into the oven. I recently tried a method that skipped the boil, and I was extremely sorry that I did! Even though the flavor of the bread was excellent, the middle was wet and the edges were tough and dry. Nope. Back to boiling for me, but I'll be using milk instead of water from now on!

Gingerbread

2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t allspice (or half cloves, half allspice)
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t dark cocoa powder
8 T butter, softened
3/4 c sugar
3 T grated fresh ginger
3 T crystallized ginger, minced
3/4 c mild molasses
1 egg
1 c milk
1 t white vinegar

Prepare an 11 x 7 glass baking dish with cooking spray and parchment paper. Heat the oven to 350.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour through the cocoa powder. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Mix in the gingers, molasses, and egg, stirring well. Stir in the flour mixture, scraping the bowl well, but not over-beating. Heat the milk to boiling (glass measuring cup in the microwave helps to prevent burning) and add the vinegar. Stir the liquid into the batter, stirring until just combined. Pour into the baking dish and bake for 42 to 45 minutes. The top should spring back; a test toothpick will not always come out completely clean. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Lime swirl cheesecake bars

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Nicole from Baking Bites posted this amazing recipe for Key Lime Swirl Cheesecake Bars awhile ago, and I've made it several times since. Oh yum! Thank you, Nicole! The lime zest shown above is my own addition, but frankly, the recipe is perfect without it.

Italian cornmeal cookies

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is a great cookie recipe to get the kids involved. It's easy to mix up and to roll out, and after it's baked and cooled, it's soooo much fun to break into pieces!

Italian Cornmeal Cookies

3/4 c cornmeal
3/4 c flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1-1/2 t anise seeds
3 T butter
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 T lemon zest
Extra egg white
1/4 c sliced almonds
Extra sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk the cornmeal through the anise seeds together. In another medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light in color. Beat in the egg and zest. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture. Roll the dough out to a 1/4 inch thick oval on a parchment covered sheet. Brush lightly with the egg white and add the extra sugar and almonds to the top. Press down lightly with hands or rolling pin. Bake for about 22 minutes at 350; try to avoid too much browning. Cool on a wire rack and break into pieces. These keep very well since they are fairly dry.

Peanut Blossoms

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Almost everyone I know has a version of this cookie recipe! I don't know where they originated, but whether you call them Peanut Blossoms, Witches' Hats, or something else, they are tasty little treats. My mother passed this version of the recipe on to me.

Peanut Blossoms
Makes 3 dozen

1-3/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c Crisco
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
Extra sugar for rolling
Hershey Kisses

In a small bowl, whisk the flour through the salt. In a large bowl, cream the Crisco and peanut butter together. Gradually add the two sugars and cream well. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture and shape into balls by rounded teaspoons. Roll balls in sugar and bake on parchment covered sheets at 375 for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top each cookie with an unwrapped Hershey Kiss, pushing down to crack the cookie into a flower shape. Return to the oven for 2 or 3 more minutes until cookies just begin to brown.

Hippy fruitcake

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love all different types of fruitcake, with the exception of the kind that's just basically sweet bread and contains nothing but candied diced citron. I have nothing against candied citron, but fruitcake is better when it contains a mixture of non-sweetened fruits like currents, dates, dried apples, cherries, raisins, and figs. Chopped prunes are good too.

My Hippy Fruitcake is the type that most fruitcake jokes revolve around: it's dark, dense, heavy, and loaded with brandy. You've been warned.

Hippy Fruitcake

5 c of mixed dried fruits and nuts:
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c walnuts, chopped
1 c currants
1 c dates, chopped
3/4 c dried apples, chopped
1/2 c golden raisins
3/4 c dried cherries

1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1/2 c butter
1/4 c honey
1 T molasses
3 eggs
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves
Brandy (optional)

Mix all the dried fruits and nuts together and toss with 2 T all-purpose flour to prevent sticking. In a large bowl, cream the butter, and then beat in the honey, molasses, and eggs. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the rest of the flour with the other dry ingredients, and then beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the fruit.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper that can be folded over. Fill the pan and bake at 275 for 2 hours. Place a baking pan filled with hot water on the oven floor to keep the cake from drying out. Cover the top with the parchment paper and foil once it begins to set. Cool the cake in the pan. Remove it carefully from the pan and peel off the parchment paper, setting it aside. Wrap the cake in cheesecloth, soak the cloth in rum, and re-wrap in the parchment paper back inside the pan. Cover then entire cake with foil and let it age for about a month.

Triple O Bread

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our Triple O Bread goes really well with all the Italian food we've been enjoying lately!

Butternut squash filling for ravioli

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Quite a bit of work, and much easier with help, especially since you'll probably want to have other vegetables with this meal. We had it with Sesame Asparagus, Beet Greens, and Triple O Bread. Three people was the perfect number to handle the cooking. Good thing too, because my kitchen might not have handled more!

Butternut Squash Ravioli

One batch of fresh pasta dough

Filling:
Small butternut squash (around 1 lb)
1 T butter
1 onion, chopped
2 t sage

1 clove of garlic, minced
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Sauce:
1/2 c salted butter
1/3 c hazelnuts, chopped coarsely

Pre-cook the butternut squash in a water-filled baking dish at 400. It will take between 40 and 60 minutes to be soft enough. Remove and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, mix up the Fresh Pasta Dough, and set aside to rest. In a small skillet, cook the onion, sage, and garlic in butter until golden brown; remove from skillet and set aside. In the same skillet, melt the butter and heat the nuts until the butter has browned slightly. Pour into a glass measuring cup and cover with foil to reheat later.

Scoop the butternut squash flesh into a bowl and add the other ingredients. Mix together by hand.

Roll out the pasta dough into long strips. Place teaspoons of filling about 1 1/2 inches from the long edge and about 1 1/2 inches apart from each other. Fold the edge over and use a crimping wheel to cut out the raviolis. Press the edges together to seal well before cooking.

In a large pot, bring water to a gentle boil. Cook the ravioli in batches, removing with a slotted spoon when ready. It takes between 6 and 10 minutes to cook them. Remove to a baking dish and cover until ready to serve. Reheat the sauce in the microwave and serve.

Making fresh pasta

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't know how easy it is to make fresh pasta! Sure, like anything else, it takes a lifetime of practice to get it perfect, but the basics are really easy. And your results will (almost certainly) be edible. I found that without a pasta roller, the biggest challenge was getting the dough thin enough. You'll need to roll it thinner than you think it needs to be. A friend told me that you need to pick it up and look at a light through it to see if it's almost translucent.

All I really know is that it's fun to make and it gives your arms a good workout!

Fresh Pasta

2 c all-purpose flour
3 eggs
Additional flour for dusting

Make a circle on your counter top with the flour and break the eggs into the middle. Use a fork to start stirring the flour into the eggs, working outward until all is combined. Add either teaspoons of water or flour if the dough is too dry or too wet. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for at least 15 minutes.

Roll out, shape, cut, fill or let dry, and cook as desired. My first adventure was with plain old fettucine, so I rolled out the pasta into sheets, rolled them up to cut them into strips, and hung the strips over a plastic-wrapped handle to dry. The pasta only needed about 5 minutes in the well-salted boiling water later to be cooked perfectly.

This is only one sheet worth of fettucine. The recipe above makes 4 or 5 sheets. These are a little too thick...I got better as I went along!

Golden brandy fruitcake

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's another total treasure from my mother, RuthAnn Lavin, just as she sent it to me. She's been making this fruitcake forever, and even people who claim to hate fruitcake like this one. Mostly I think that's because the cake is more dominant than in most recipes. My old hippy fruitcake recipe is much more fruit than cake, dark and HEAVY, but this cake actually has cake in it. Imagine that! It's not devil's food light, but it's really good and moist.

I'm sure the brandy doesn't hurt either ;-)

Golden Brandy Fruit Cake

1 1/2 C Golden Raisins
2 C Blanched Slivered Almonds (1#)
1 C Sliced Dried Apricots (8oz)
1 C Halved Candied Cherries (8 oz) - I use both red and green when I can get both
1 1/2 C Dried Candied Pineapple
4 Large Eggs
1 C Shortening
1 C Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
1 C Apricot Brandy
2 1/2 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix almonds and fruit together and soak in a little brandy. Set aside. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Grease Bundt pan well and flour lightly. Cream shortening and sugar and then beat in eggs. Add vanilla. Blend flour mixture alternately with creamed shortening and sugar mixture and then blend in Brandy. Add almonds and fruit and mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 2 hours. Keep a shallow pan of hot water on lowest shelf of oven while cake is baking. Let cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out cake and cool completely. Wrap cake in brandy-soaked cloth and store in air tight container in refrigerator.

I was given this recipe from a woman who grew up in California and she said it came from a California Cook Book of some kind.

Good Luck when you make this cake. The cake is not a cheap one and sometimes I have trouble finding the dried fruits before Thanksgiving, which is when I prefer to make this cake because then the Brandy has time to really penetrate the cake mixture.