Everyday Good Eats

Beef Stroganoff (Pressure Cooker)

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:33:00 +0000

This is pressure cooker recipe - good recipe for a dinner party that doesn't take too long to cook up.

In the cooker, brown 2 lbs of beef stew meat or round steak (cut into 1" cubes) in 3 TBLS of oil. Add 2 TBLS of flour and mix well. Then stir in the following and blend thoroughly:

1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp of garlic
1/4 lb of sliced mushrooms
2 TBLS tomato paste
3/4 cup of beef broth
1 TBLS Worchestire sauce

Close the lid and bring to pressure; cook 20 minutes. In a separate pot, boil water and cook 1 pkg of egg noodles. After 20 minutes, release the pressure and remove the lid. Stir in 1 cup of sour cream and blend well. Serve over hot egg noodles.

Risotto with Peas

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:23:00 +0000

This recipe is for a pressure cooker - 13 min to a pretty decent risotto on a cold night when you need some comfort food to go with that roast chicken.

In the cooker, heat 2 TBLS of butter over medium heat. Saute 1 small onion - finely chopped - for 4-5 minutes, until soft. Stir frequently so the onion does not brown. Add the 1 cup of Arborio rice (or other short grained rice) and saute until light brown. Add 1 cup of frozen peas and 2 1/4 cup of chicken broth; stir well. Close the lid and bring to pressure. Lower the heat and cook for 7 to 13 minutes. (some cookers have two positions the times are for Position 1 and 2 respectively)

Release the pressure and open the lid. Stir in an additional 1 TBLS of butter, 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/8 tsp of black pepper. Let sit until butter and cheese melts then stir thoroughly.

White Beans and Chard

noreply@blogger.com (Chez54) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:50:00 +0000

This is with many thanks to my good friend Diane N. We came home to my house for dinner one night with a whole fish to cook (a Shad I think.) We were tired after a whole day of cooking at Alberta's, and this is what Diane came up with for a side dish that combined vegetables and stick to your ribs carbs all in one. I think that we used spinach, but I love it with swiss chard best. Really any green is great.

Clean your greens. If you are using chard or kale tear the leaves into bite sized pieces save the stalks and chop coarsely.

Put a couple of tablespoons of good (extra virgin) olive oil in a deep sauté pan on low heat. Crush a few cloves of garlic and cook very slowly till garlic is light golden. Add the stalks add to pan with a pinch of crushed red pepper. Sauté a few more minutes and then add a drained, rinsed can of cannellini beans. Squeeze in juice from a lemon and add a couple of tablespoons of water. Salt and pepper to taste. When the beans are bubbling add the greens. Cover and cook until just tender, taste for seasoning and add a little more oil.

This is good as a leftover. So far everyone has loved this, even kids.

Squash Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Chez54) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Cleaning up my office uncovered this delicious bread recipe. Makes 1 big loaf of tender bread, perfect for sandwiches or toasting.

Easily vegan with the use of soy or almond milk and margerine or oil.

Preheat oven to 450

1 cup of pureed squash

2 tsp sugar

11/2 cups of milk

1TLB butter

1 package of dried yeast dissolved in 1TLB of warm water

31/3 to 41/3 cups of bread flour. You can substitute some whole wheat here but the bread will be heavier.

Scald the milk, then mix in the pureed squash, butter, sugar and salt. When this mixture cools to lukewarm add the yeast and enough flour to make a soft supple dough. It should be slightly tacky.

Knead well. (My mother used to say that a well kneaded dough should be as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom. As funny as that sounds it's actually a perfect description)

Let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch it down and shape your loaf. Place in a well oiled bread pan that has been sprinkled with a little cornmeal of whet germ, and let sit in a warm place until it is well risen over the top of the bread pan.

Place in the oven to bake lowering the temp to 425 after the first 15 minutes.

Cathy O'Brien's Irish Soda Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:21:00 +0000

This is a recipe from mother procured from a family friend a long time ago and that I make quite often. Luis loves raisin toast in the morning for breakfast and this makes two loaves so it lasts a couple of weeks.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Sift together:
6 cups flour
3 TBLS baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
Add:
1-2 cups raisins
Mix together and add:
1 egg
2 TBLS oil or melted butter
2 cups milk

Grease and flour two bread pans. Separate dough as equally as possible and bake until tops are brown. Test doneness by tapping the bottom of the loaf for a "hollow" sound.

* This recipe is a good way to use milk that might be a bit sour.

Vegan Feast; Baked Tofu and Vegetable Medley

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Luis and I are by no means vegan but every once in a while I forget to defrost meat and have to make due. More and more of my friends seem to be discovering they have food allergies or just want to try to go vegan for awhile, so this meal is for you.

I recently discovered a recipe for Oven-Baked Tofu that is incredibly easy and tasty. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a typical package of tofu, remove from water and pat dry with paper towels. Place block of tofu on a pie dish (or something oven safe with sides) and brush with soy sauce. (If you don't have soy sauce you can just salt the block.) Let bake for 1 hour; then slice to serve.

A good accompanying dish is a variety of vegetables - also baked. For this combination, I used the following;

3 medium zucchinis, sliced
3 small summer squash, sliced
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
2 green peppers, sliced
half large onion, sliced
10 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 teaspoon celery flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Coat the bottom of the baking dish with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the vegetables, spinkle with herbs, salt and pepper and toss with 2 TBLS to 1/4 cup of olive oil. (Use more or less olive oil per your preference.) Place in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees and bake for an hour.

You can use any combination of vegetables and herbs you want here. It is all about what you have around and want to mix.

Finally, I cooked up some quinoa - which a grain-like seed that is high in protein and has a pleasant, nutty flavor. It's easy to cook; boil 2 cups of water or stock, add 1 cup of quinoa, lower temperature and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the liquid is gone.

Orange Juice Small Grain

noreply@blogger.com (Marnie) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Let me preface this by first saying that while this turned out delicious, there are many things I would have done differently. So, I wasn't sure what the title for this post should be.

I stole this idea from my friend, Cinzia, who brought this to a dinner party last night. She used Israeli couscous, but since I didn't have any on hand and had some orzo pasta, I thought, why not?

Things I Would Have Done Differently #1: Use a grain not a pasta. I think the difference is that there was A LOT of starch in the pasta and since you aren't draining it, the starch stays in the dish and makes it gummier than if you stick to a grain. Cinzia said she made hers in her rice cooker, too. Much easier I would think. The trick she taught me is to cook the grain/pasta in orange juice instead of water or stock. She used half orange juice half carrot juice.

Things I Would Have Done Differently #2: Do not use all orange juice. Orange juice is made up of a lot of sugar, right? When you boil it (and combined with all the starch in the pasta) it gets very thick. Cinzia's dish was more creamy than thick OR gummy. Actually, I think depending on your taste and price range (because carrot juice is pricey, man) you could just use a combo of water and OJ. I think 2/3 OJ to 1/3 water would work. I ended up adding water in the end to finish cooking the pasta.

Next are the shallots. Cinzia just said she fried some shallots. I sauteed them in butter.

Things I (maybe) Would Have Done Differently#3: I might use olive oil next time. It occurred to me that since I plan on serving this cold for my lunch tomorrow and olive oil is a liquid at room temp, using olive oil instead of butter might also have helped the texture of the dish. It's only a LITTLE bit compared the rest of the dish, but it couldn't hurt. The shallots, I think, are the key to this dish. The garlicky/onion taste combined with the sweetness of the juice make the dish. So, whatever else you do, don't forget the shallots.

Cinzia's dish was: Israeli couscous cooked in half OJ, half carrot juice, shelled edamame, sauteed shallots and sliced almonds. It was absolutely delicious!

My pantry's substitutions: Orzo cooked in OJ (eventually slightly diluted with water), shelled edamame, sauteed shallots, chopped peanuts and diced cilantro. Still pretty darn good.

I wish I could give you exact measurements, but I eyeballed everything. Here's a guess:

1 1/2 cups orzo

2 cups orange juice (I would suggest 1 1/2 cups oj and 1/2 cup water or stock)

Extra water to add while stirring the cooking orzo (I ended up cooking it like a risotto, stirring often)

1 cup edamame

2 large shallots sauteed in 3 tsp butter

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Can be served hot or cold.

Italian Style Chicken Sautee and Polenta

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Still experiencing cold and foggy weather in San Francisco so the need for comfort foods continues. Wanted to do something a bit different with boneless chicken thighs since I seem to be continually oven-baking them. So tonight decided to saute boneless thighs in a tomato sauce. As sides, I made polenta and steamed zucchini.

Set up all your ingredients;

thinly sliced onion (approx 1/3 cup)
2 minced cloves of garlic (vary per your preference)
package of boneless chicken thighs (clean and cut to more manageable sized pieces) [approx 6 or little over a pound]
can of tomatoes (DO NOT DRAIN and if they are whole cut them up)
2 tablespoon red wine
salt, pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Took out my cast iron pot, and heated approx 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. When it was slightly smoking, tossed in onion and garlic. Let those cook for about three min, until they just started to brown, then pushed to the side and gradually added pieces of boneless chicken thighs to brown.

You want to do this slowly to keep the heat high enough to brown, so added a few pieces, brown on one side, turn over, move the onions/garlic to cover and add more chicken. Do this until all the chicken has been added and turned over. Now add the red wine, salt, pepper and oregano; scrap the brown bits off the pan a bit and then add the tomatoes. Let this all simmer for approximately 25 min.

Polenta - a cornmeal mush really - becomes a rich, creamy side dish with a bit of butter and cheese added. I set up the zucchini (approximately three) in a steamer and then start on the polenta. In a heavy pan boil 3 1/4 cups of water. As it starts boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt and turn the burner to medium low heat so that the water is just simmering. Add one cup of coarse-grained cornmeal in a fine stream - so that you can really almost see eat grain hitting the water - stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring while adding all the polenta and then for the next 10 minutes. (Remember in the last five minutes turn on the burner under the zucchini.) The polenta is done when it tears away from the sides of the pot as you stir. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

This made four servings so increase as needed.

Dinner Club - Rendang

noreply@blogger.com (Marnie) — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:51:00 +0000

Jennie gave me access to post our Dinner Club meals here a long time ago, but I just remembered about it. Luckily, we just had a Dinner Club, so here's my first posting. This is not an Everday Good Eat - Dinner Club meals are usually time-consuming and labor intensive, which is why we team up for cooking. But they are always delicious and fun, and ususally from a particular country or region of the world! Karen and I decided to try to make Rendang, a Singaporean coconut beef stew. Spicy, too!

We tripled the recipe below, which fed 11 with leftovers (we were told this tastes better the next day or the next week, even!). I'll write the recipe as it is in my friend, Weelit's, recipe book and put our substitutions next to it.

570 g (20 oz.) coconut, white WE USED FROZEN, SHREDDED

605 g (21 oz.) beef brisket or topside WE USED TOP ROUND

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp msg WE DIDN'T USE THIS;INSTEAD ADDED EXTRA TAMARIND PASTE

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp tamarind, remove seeds WE USED PASTE

10 shallots UH, REALLY? WE USED 3 LARGE ONES

6 fresh red chillies WE COULD ONLY FIND THAI CHILLIES

14 dried chillies WE GOT SCARED, SO ONLY USED ABOUT 5, AND SHOOK OUT ANY LOOSE SEEDS

30 g (1 oz) ginger

1 stalk lemon grass

2 thin slices galangal

2 cloves garlic

2 tblsp fried coconut

1-1 1/2 tsp palm sugar WE JUST USED REGULAR SUGAR

1 level tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp msg YOU CAN ADD A BIT EXTRA SALT IF DESIRED

2 tsp dark soya sauce WE ASSUMED THIS WAS SOY SAUCE

2 tblsp oil WE NEVER USED THIS...I WONDER WHERE IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO?

170-225 ml (6-8 fl oz.) boiling water

THE RECIPE CALLS FOR FRESH COCONUT AND GETTING THE MILK FROM THE MEAT, BUT WE JUST BOUGHT 2 CANS OF COCONUT MILK.

Dry-fry 115 g of the cocnut till dark brown. Cool. (You'll need an extra 2 tblsp later. We forgot it and just added it fresh. I think it was ok).

Season beef with first 4 ingredients and coconut and leave for 2 hours.

Grind the third set of ingredients (from shallots to 2 tblsp coconut) to a fine paste. A food processor is VERY useful at this point. I have no idea how else it could have ever been done!

Squeeze remaining coconut for milk and set aside. Set aside. Add 225 ml water and squeeze for more milk. Set aside. (WE TOTALLY SKIPPED THIS)

Combine the rest of the ingredients, except the oil and water, in a large saucepan. Add watery milk and bring to a boil. Add meat and boil, uncovered, over moderately high heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Add coconut milk and stir well. Reduce heat, cover pan and cook for 3/4 - 1 hour til gravy mixture turns oily and fragrant.

WE ADDED THE MILK ALL AT ONCE, AND IT WAS THICK, NOT WATERY. IF WE DID IT AGAIN, I'D ADD ONE CAN THICK MILK AND ONE CAN COCONUT WATER, LATER.

We also didn't add all of the paste mixture, because we were afraid it would be too spicy. But we kept it and think it will make a great starter for a chicken dish or something. Smells sooo good!

Dinner was the Rendang served over rice, a jicama and papaya salad and broiled gailan (chinese broccoli) with oyster sauce. If you're looking for a challenge, this one was delicious!

Sausage, Shallot & Spinach Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Another quick dinner can be fresh pizza - you can purchase dough pre-made and just add toppings. Set 1 package pre-made pizza dough (used garlic & herb version from Trader Joe's) out for 20 min as you gather your ingredients. Set the oven to 450 degrees.

In a skillet, cook 2 silcilian sausages (with casings removed) as the meat browns, add one, small, thinly sliced shallot. Spread your dough out on a lightly floured surface and when it is stretched out to the size and shape you want. Cover the dough with about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, add the sausage and shallot evenly on top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chopped, fresh spinach on top and finally put 1/2 cup of shredded cheese on top.

Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and a bit browned.

Variation on Quick Vegie Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:48:00 +0000

This is a variation to my inital posting - Quick Vegetable Soup.

To start, rough cut all your vegetables - they don't have to be pretty because you will be pureeing them all. (I wash the carrots, zucchini and potatoes with vegetable wash but do not peel anything.) Use the following amounts for a vegetables will produce roughly 10 cups of soup;

1 small onion
2-3 cloves garlic
3 medium-sized carrots with skin
2 medium-sized zucchini
1.5 cups of fresh spinach
5-6 medium-to-large baby potatoes with skin

In a larger, deep-sided pot heat about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute all the vegetables for about 5 minutes - stirring intermittently. Then add 1 quart of broth - I tend to use vegetable but chicken is also good. You want the liquid to just cover the vegetables so you might have to add another cup or so of water. Cook over medium to low heat until the carrots and potatoes are soft - about 20 minutes.

Turn off the burner and remove the pot from the stove (or to a cool burner). The fastest and least messy way to puree the soup it to use an immersion hand blender. However, if you only have a traditional blender you will have to puree in batches. I suggest using a slotted spoon to scoop out vegetables and using only a bit of your broth - this will minimize the danger of the lid of your blender "popping" off with the pressure from the heat. You might even consider letting the soup cool a bit before pureeing in a traditional blender.

When you have pureed the soup, salt and pepper to taste. If you want the consistency to be a bit thinner simply add more broth or water.

Granola

noreply@blogger.com (Chez54) — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:45:00 +0000

Here is a good and tasty Granola recipe adapted from Jane Brody.

Granola

1/4 cup butter or extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup of honey

3 cups of oats

1 cup of shredded of flaked unsweetened coconut

1 cup of untoasted sunflower seeds

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup of wheat germ

2/3 cup of dried fruit

Melt the butter or oil and honey together.

Mix everything together Except the wheat germ and dried fruit and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes stirring several times. Add the wheat germ and bake about ten more minutes until golden.

This is the recipe from Jane Brody. I change it a little as I like to add nuts too, and I use dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots and some ground up crystallized ginger.

I have also made it with a multigrained oatmeal style cereal.

Fennel and Apple Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:37:00 +0000

This recipe is a collaboration of my mother and her good friend, Diane. It is a light and refreshing change to your everyday salad

2 fennel roots
2 green apples
1/2 cup chopped mint
2-3 TBLS lemon juice
drizzle of olive oil

Cut fennel roots in half, cut out the heart, then slice as thinly as you can. Quarter each apple, cut out the core, peel and then slice thinly. Layer the fennel and apple as equivalently as possible, toss with lemon juice, olive oil and sprinkle chopped mint on top. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper for a bit of taste.

Optional: if you have lemon infused olive oil you won't need the lemon juice.

Brown Rice & Lentil Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:41:00 +0000

This is a recipe that I made off the cuff this weekend to take to a BBQ and it was a good complement to burgers.

I pre-cooked 4 cups brown, basmati rice (or any type of long grain) in my rice cooker. If you refrigerate it just put it in a bowl and break it up so there are no rice clumps.

Then I cooked 1 cup of dry lentils in enough water to cover them and added a bay leaf and clove of garlic. I cooked until they were soft enough to bite into without any crunch and had to add water periodically so they didn't burn. (You can purchase pre-cooked lentils at Trader Joe's that would work perfectly here.) I didn't end up using all the lentils that I cooked - I used approximately 1.5 cups of cooked lentils.

A few hours before I wanted to serve the salad, I added a medium-sized onion minced; approx 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegarette (Melanie's One Cup Salad Dressing); 2 TBLS of salt and 1 TBLS of pepper (add more or less to taste). Seasonings are mostly to allow the rice and lentils to grab some flavor. You might have to add more of each when you add all the final ingredients.

Before you serve, add the following; two bell peppers, minced; 1 cup chopped italian parsley. (For color I added a yellow and orange to contrast with the browns of the rice and lentils however, they are also a bit sweeter tasting than a green bell pepper.) Mix it all together and taste for proper seasoning - add more as needed.

Options: if you don't have the vinegarette made you can just use 1 part olive oil, 1/2 part balsamic vinegar and touch of dijon mustard. Also, I think this needed some scallions to add more kick and boost the greenery.

fast and delicious guilty pleasure

noreply@blogger.com (Chez54) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:58:00 +0000

This is a great trick for a quick gourmet shoestring potato fix without the pain.

Buy organic frozen shoestring potatoes. The Whole Foods 365 brand costs about $1.99 a bag, and with no junky additives is perfect. Now preheat you oven to 400 degrees, and place a cookie sheet inside it to preheat. Here's the trick, take the frozen potatoes and toss them in a bowl with about 2 tsp olive or a great flavored oil you may have and some seasoning ( garlic powder, smoked paprika, pepper, chili powder are some suggestions). Now pop onto that preheated pan and bake until crisp.

The difference is a very homemade flavorful potato worth the calories vs. a mediocre oven fry.

Quick and Tasty Pork Tenderloin

noreply@blogger.com (Chez54) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:02:00 +0000

I used to love pork chops, but these days they are so tough that I end up using a pork tenderloin. It cooks in about 30 minutes, and you can add a lot of flavor with a simple rub. Here is what I did last night.

I used a small tenderloin and I rubbed it with a mixture of chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and horseradish, then let it sit at room temperature while I got everything else ready. Thinly slice some onions or leeks and saute them in a little olive oil. I used some sliced fresh fennel here too, nice but not necessary. When the vegetables are soft and pale golden, scrape the chopped garlic off the roast and to the pan stirring for a minute or less. Put everything into the pan you are using for the roast, preheat oven to 400, wipe out the saute pan and brown the pork loin. When the meat is browned put it on top of the vegetables. Deglaze the pan with some white wine and pour it over the roast, then pour about 1/2 cup of apple juice over everything and pop it into the oven. Cook for about 30 minutes, less if it's tiny. You want the apple juice reduced to a syrup, and the pork still with a tinge of pink to it.

This is good with mashed or roast potatoes. If you are roasting the potatoes, preheat your pan while you preheat the oven. Use baking potatoes cut into quarters or sixths and start them in the microwave. Cook in the wave for about 4 minutes then take your pan out of the oven, add olive oil and the potatoes (watch out for spattering). Salt and pepper them and then roast them until crisp and golden.

This tastes good with some spinach, and apple sauce on the side is a must.

Comfort Food Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:35:00 +0000

Oven baked chicken thighs, acorn squash and risotto - a soul warming dinner that can be accomplished in under forty minutes. The risotto is done in a pressure cooker which makes this easy and quick; a perfect solution for a weeknight.

Set the over to 400 degrees, cut the acorn squash in half, spoon out the seeds and place cut side down in 1/4 inch of water. Bake for 35 minutes.

While this is baking you can set up the chicken thighs. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with olive or canola oil. Whisk 1-2 egg(s) with a bit of water, rinse the thighs and soak in the egg wash. For four chicken thighs, use 3/4 cup of bread crumbs, 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of tarragon. Remove the thighs one at a time and coat with the bread crumb mixture. Place in the oven when the squash has approximately 15 min remaining - turning once.

Heat two tablespoons of butter in a pressure cooker and saute half an onion that has been minced. Cook for approximately five minutes without letting the onion brown. Add one cup of arborio rice and saute until lightly browned. Add 2 1/4 cup of chicken broth and 1 cup of frozen peas. Cover and let the pressure build, cook for 7 min. turn off the heat and let the pressure off. Once the pressure cooker can be opened, add and stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the risotto is cooking, the squash should be ready. Remove the water, cut each half to again and brush with a glaze; 1 teaspoon of melted butter with 1 tablespoon of cherry sauce (or marmalade). Place under a broiler for five minutes until nicely browned.

Mole Poblano

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:50:00 +0000

Every year in the Fall many of my friends and family get together to make Mole Poblano – a recipe of Luis’ mother. If you are not familiar with mole, it is a pungent sauce used in Mexico for meats and fish; this version contains chocolate and several varieties of red chiles – plus a whole lot more. There are numerous varieties of mole using different chiles, different nuts and tweaking all kinds of ingredients. This version is wonderful with roast poultry, chicken enchiladas, and pork. It also adds complexity to chiles or sauces for tamales. The version we make isn't spicy and the flavor of chiles and other ingredients is wonderfully balanced.

The process is time consuming; with all the ingredients in hand it can take you six hours to make this. However, it makes the perfect gift and keeps well so you can have a supply through the year. The portions of the ingredients are based on estimates while my mother-in-law was cooking. She is flexible with the ingredients changing portions as dictated by availability of certain ones. For example, chiles below are for heat and color - if you want more heat add more guajillos, negros and mulato chiles.

The following dried chiles (any of the below can be replaced by its powder form although I don't have a conversion for that);
3 chile negros
10 chiles california
10 chiles anchos
5 chiles mulatos
7 chile pasillas
5 chile guajillos
The following nuts, seeds and other dried ingredients:
1 cup almonds
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1 cup peanuts
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
2 cups sesame seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1 cinnamon stick
salt, pepper and sugar (for taste)
Fresh ingredients;
3 red tomatoes, roasted on the comal, peeled and cored
10 cloves of garlic
1 onion
1 plantain
Things you would probably have taking up space in your fridge/cabinets;
4 pieces of stale french/sourdough bread
2 stale corn tortillas
4 sweet biscuit cookies
Things you will need;
1 tablet of mexican chocolate
bottle or more of vegetable oil
endless supply of chicken broth (boullion helps add salt as well but is optional)
one roast chicken

With all the ingredients on hand you are now ready to start the process. Using rubber gloves (surgical type are best) de-stem and de-seed all the chiles. If you have two people working together you can have person start frying the nuts, chiles, etc. and the other peel garlic and prep the other vegetables. All the ingredients must be fried in the oil except the tomatoes and the chocolate. There is no order to what you fry when but for ease of clean up fry the sesame seeds last. [Frying the sesame seeds should be on a very low setting because they can sizzle and pop everywhere.]

After frying everything, the ingredients will then be pureed in a Cuisinart. The endless supply of broth will help here to keep the ingredients moist enough to form a smooth paste as you grind it down. The frying and grinding take the most time but eventually you will have this thick paste - the consistency of cookie dough. You then put the paste in a large pot, melt the chocolate in some chicken broth and add this with enough extra broth to brng it to the consistency of a thick soup. You will cook this mixture for an hour - adding more broth as needed. You will see towards the end the flavors fuse together and the mole will take on a darker hue.

After all that work, make sure you savor what you made - warm the roast chicken and slather it with some mole.

I purchase canning jars and fill with the mole and freeze once they are cooled down. This makes it easiest to give as gifts. Another good way to store is to pour into ziplok freezer bags, seal and lie flat so they freeze into little pallets.

I will share other ways to use mole seperately.

Chile Rellenos - A Labor of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:36:00 +0000

Chile Rellenos have to be one of my favorite foods. It is time intensive to make but always worth the effort. The flavor of the Poblano Chiles and the complement of the melted Monterey Jack Cheese offset by the tomato garlic sauce makes it a party in your mouth.

When I buy produce I keep my eye out for Poblano Chiles that are on the larger size and nice and firm. Then I have to make sure when I purchase of them that I will have time within the next few days to make this recipe.

I typically purchase six to eight Poblano Chiles at a time to make it more worth the effort. In order to peel the skins nicely from the chiles, I roast them Italian-style. I set the oven to 400 degrees. Then I wash the chiles, dry them, place them on an oiled cookie sheet and rub oil on each one. I place them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes - turning them occasionally to blister them evenly. When the skins seem to be bubbling away from the chile, I remove them from the oven, place into a large brown paper bag, close it and let sit for 20 minutes.

As I wait, I start setting up the next part of the process - setting up the souffle batter and frying oil. In a pie plate, I mix 1 cup of unbleached flour, 1/2 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. I separate 4-6 eggs (depending on the egg size) and place the whites in a medium-sized bowl for beating. I keep the yolks to the side at the moment and hold off on whisking the egg whites just yet.

I empty two, 15-oz cans of chopped tomatoes into a saucepan and add half a chopped onion, two cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons of oregano and some salt and pepper. I set this on the stove with the burner set to medium low. I will let this sauce simmer while continuing with the recipe. I set up a large, deep-sided skillet (about three inches deep) and fill it about an inch deep with vegetable oil. Lastly, I shred 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese and set aside.

With everything setup, I return to the chiles. I cut the bag down one corner and around the bottom to have a flat surface in which to peel and seed the peppers. If the peppers have roasted long enough and steamed in the bag nicely, the skins will be a thin film that can be easily pulled off each chile. As you peel the chiles, you want to be careful that you don't tear the flesh underneath or pull out the stem. When they are each peeled, you then make a slice on one side, carefully open the chile and slice away the seed ball again trying to keep the stem intact. If you have extra seeds in the chile, you can gently rinse in cool water. [Be careful after doing this to avoid touching your eyes. You never know if one of the chiles is spicy.]

I turn on the oil to get it ready to fry the chiles. Using an electric beater, I whisk the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. I stir up the egg yolks and gently fold them into the egg whites until they are well mixed. Next, I fill each chile with shredded cheese. They will be of varying sizes so I do my best to fill them equally. I sprinkle a pinch of flour over the oil and if it sizzles I start coating each chile with flour, gently coating them all over - even taking care to get it around the stem well. Next I put a chile into the souffle batter and gently placed it in the hot oil. I repeat this process fitting four chiles into the pan and cook on each side until the batter is golden brown.

When the chiles are cooked, I remove them to a separate plate with paper towels. I puree the tomato sauce in a blender and remove the oil from the pan. I let the pan cool slightly and then quickly add the tomato sauce and pop a lid on top. There will be a whole lot of spattering so the lid helps keep the mess down a bit. When the bubbling has died down, I add each battered chile to the sauce, turn the burner to medium low and carefully turn each chile to make sure they are coated with the sauce. I let this all simmer for a few minutes while I make sure everything else is set up for dinner.

I typically serve the rellenos with steamed rice and warm tortillas. As an extra, you can also fry plantains and/or serve with beans.

Pork Chops with Fried Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:35:00 +0000

I love buying pork chops in the Mission District because you can get them cut real thin. The thinness of the cut allows you to cook them fast but without the worry of the center being raw.

I set up the pork chops to fry them. I dip each of them in an egg wash and coat them with breadcrumbs. Then I set them aside and let them dry a bit before frying them.

For a side dish, decide to make an Americanized fried rice with some leftover rice. I also had purchased some small pale - almost white - chiles in the Mission as well. I have used them before and they have a mild flavor. I take three of the peppers; de-seed and de-vein them then cut them into small pieces. I heat two tablespoons of oil in a skillet and saute the peppers with two chopped scallions (including the green tops). When the scallions are a bit wilted, I add the rice (about two cups worth) and when it is heated through I add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of water. Finally, I add a pinch of smoked salt (a Rainbow Grocery find) and 1 cup of frozen corn, cover it, turn the burner very low and then let it steam.

Next, I heat about three tablespoons of oil in a skillet and when it is hot, I fry the pork chops so that they are crisp and brown. When fully cooked, I serve a pork chop with a bit of the fried rice. The grilled frozen corn and smoked salt add the perfect hint of smokiness to the rice. All together it took about forty minutes to cook this dinner.

Falafels - Middle Eastern Fast Food

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:10:00 +0000

I always enjoy a good falafels and it is really disappointing when you get one that is dry and overcooked. If you are not familiar with falafels - they are a made from garbanzo beans primarily with spices added and the mixture is fried.

For an instant dinner, I purchased falafel mix from an organic food store called Rainbow Grocery. With the mix, I merely had to add the requisite amount of water, whisk it up and form my falafels. Since they only take a few minutes on each side, I left them to dry while I made a side salad to compliment them.

I chopped 1 fresh tomato, 1/2 yellow bell pepper and two scallions. I tossed this in 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar with a bit of salt and pepper. Another short cut for this meal is that I purchased some tzatziki sauce, which is actually a Greek side/dip made with yogurt, cucumber and garlic or dill.

After setting up the salad and putting everything out on the table, I heated the oil in a skillet to fry the falafels. I cooked them about 2 minutes per side and then served everything up quickly. If I had planned a bit better, I would have had some pita bread on hand but they were very tasty even without the bread.

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If you ever want to make falafels from scratch rather than a mix, I have listed a recipe I found online below;

1 cup dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons flour
Salt
Pepper

Turkey Meatballs and Fried Polenta

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:05:00 +0000

Sometimes I buy pre-packaged meatballs but really there is no substitute for freshly made ones. There actually isn't much difference between meatloaf and meatballs except shape, so if you mix well and don't overcook your meatballs will be light and fluffy.

Mix the following ingredients together;

4 large eggs
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped spinach
3 large, cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 pounds of ground turkey

Dig your hands in to mix all the ingredients well as with the meatloaf, if you mix it well and get enough air into it they will be light and fluffy. Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch diameter meatballs. (You are free to make them larger or smaller as you prefer or time allows.)

Pour enough oil into a heavy skillet to coat the bottom; heat over medium-low heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and fry until brown and cooked through, turning frequently. Approximate 10-15 minutes per batch. If serving with pasta sauce, undercook ever so slightly and add the meatballs to a pot with marinara sauce (about 2-4 cups depending on your party size - I sometimes freeze half of them for another night) and turn the heat to simmer.

Typically these are ideal served with rice or pasta. However, since I made polenta last night and pressed the leftovers into a bread pan. I am going to slice the polenta and fry the pieces. So as your meatballs are simmering, grab another skillet and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Remove the polenta from the bread pan and make about half inch slices. Gently add to the hot oil but have a lid handy as the water in the polenta will cause the oil to spatter. It can be very uncomfortable getting spattered with minute dots of hot oil but also it is very messy.

As a side vegetable, I merely boil some organic peas. Your side really should be whatever you have handy and like.

Polenta to Keep You Warm in the Cold Summer Nights

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 03:04:00 +0000

I have been craving warm and creamy polenta since San Francisco weather has been colder and foggier than is even typical in July and August. So believe it or not, summertime in San Francisco is the time for comfort foods.

I decide to repeat a recipe from just a few weeks ago marinated chicken. I cook this part of dinner first since the meat cooks quickly and marinates after you broil it. The polenta will be quick but will require constant stirring. It will give the chicken plenty of time to marinate nicely.

I decide to round out the meal with steamed zucchini which will cook very quickly once the water boils. For now, I merely cut bit-sized pieces of zucchini and set up in the steamer. I won't turn it on until I have about five minutes left on the polenta.

Polenta is fairly neutral - a cornmeal mush really - but with a bit of butter and cheese added becomes a rich, creamy side dish. In a large, heavy kettle boil 6 1/2 cups of water. As it starts boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt and turn the burner to medium low heat so that the water is just simmering. Add two cups of coarse-grained cornmeal in a fine stream - so that you can really almost see eat grain hitting the water - stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring while adding all the polenta and then for the next 20 minutes. (Remember in the last five minutes turn on the burner under the zucchini.) The polenta is done when it tears away from the sides of the pot as you stir. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

The marinated chicken is a bit sweet; the polenta is creamy and cheesy; and the zucchini is completely neutral. Together they complement each other nicely and satisfy the craving for comfort food - bonus dinner took less than forty minutes. There will be quite a bit of polenta leftover, put it into a bread pan and refrigerate. In this shape you can easily slice and fry the polenta which is what we will cover next.

Meatloaf Rediscovered

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:43:00 +0000

I grew up insisting that I didn't like meatloaf but that was after trying it just once at the age of six. The memory of rubbery ground beef slathered with ketchup lingered for decades until I finally decided to find a recipe to that would replace it. It is great to have another option with ground beef.

This is another stand by recipe from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. (pg 495) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then the first step is to soak 1/2 cup of plain breadcrumbs in 1/2 cup of milk. Since it takes about 5 minutes for the crumbs to soak up the milk, I use that time to gather all my ingredients.

2 pounds of ground meat (I typically use beef)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan/reggiano mix
1/4 cup minced, fresh spinach
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small carrot finely grated
Pinch of dried sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Once the breadcrumbs have fully soaked up the milk, I just throw in all of the above ingredients, take off my watch and rings, and use my hands to mix all the ingredients together. Mixing it well and getting a bit of air in there makes the meatloaf light and fluffy.

When the ingredients are mixed, I then place them in an 11x13 baking dish and shape into a loaf in the middle of the pan. Doing this rather than baking it in a loaf pan allows the grease to roll off a bit rather than just cooking in it. Place it in the oven and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, basting it occasionally. When it is done, the meatloaf will be browned and firm to the touch. If you have a meat thermometer, insert it in the middle of the loaf it should read 160 degrees.

While the meatloaf is baking, I set up about 10 small potatoes to boil for mashed potatoes. I prefer new potatoes because you don't have to peel them. I usually give myself about 20 minutes to cook the potatoes and mash them so I don't start them right after putting the meatloaf in the oven. When the potatoes are cooked, I drain most of the water - just leaving a few tablespoons - I add a couple of tablespoons of butter, a couple of tablespoons of milk, a heaping spoonful of yogurt and mash them with a hand masher. The only other addition is boiling some frozen organic green peas.

A tasty meatloaf is comforting and warming meal. The mashed potatoes and peas round it out but options are serving the meatloaf with a nice side salad.

Plum Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Everyday Good Eats) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Summertime presents a bounty of fruit even within the urban confines of San Francisco. Danielle and I ventured over to my mother's place in the Marina District answering the call to help pick plums. We were more than happy to climb ladders, tree limbs and fences in search of ripe fruit in the upper reaches.

Danielle was definitely more fearless and got right into the thick of things; climbing barefooted and balancing on wobbly fences. The picture here is us reaching over into the neighbors yard for cherry plums. They are small, yellow/pink plums that are like nothing I ever tasted. My mother says that all the surrounding yards used to have those plum trees but when the houses got new owners and re-landscaped they ripped out the trees because the fruit was too messy. I can imagine how the neighborhood was long ago, filled with largely Italian families all harvesting fruit from the trees and making jelly.

You never know what kind of bounty you might have in your own yard if you just moved into a new place. Even if you aren't a gardener, check it out and you might re-discover what fruit is supposed to taste like. Most of what we buy in the stores is not tree ripened and ultimately tasteless. Just one or two generations ago, people used to grow and harvest their own varieties of fruit and vegetables. They canned and preserved what they couldn't eat to keep enjoying their crops through the winter months and to share with friends/family. I am going to try to plant one of those cherry plum trees myself from the pits. I don't care how messy they are too tasty to risk losing. Plus I know my family, friends and the birds will enjoy them if I can get them to grow.

Jam and jelly making isn't a lost art but fewer people I know are doing it. Until recently, Danielle was the only person my age that I knew who did it. I have since met one or two other women but it seems to be a tradition they got from their mothers or grandmothers. (I find it very daunting myself but it really isn't much more than boiling fruit in water, adding sugar, straining the juice then boiling again to the "jelly point.")

I prefer to bake with fresh fruit and I tend to freeze extra for the winter months. I have been eating many plums every day since I picked them but plan to make a plum dessert with more of my bounty. The following are two recipes for plum desserts;

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Plum Clafouti

6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
14 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a 10 inch pie plate, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the bottom.

Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, so that they cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the plums. In a blender, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour over the fruit in the pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

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Plum Cobbler

Preheat to the oven to 425 degrees F.

FILLING

7 cups of pitted plums, cut in quarters
1 1/4 cups of sugar (usually plums are a bit tart but the ones I picked are very sweet so I will reduce this to 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick)

Place the prepared plums in a 8-inch square baking pan and sprinkle with the sugar. Drizzle on the lemon juice and dot the plums with butter. Set aside to make the biscuit topping.

BISCUIT TOPPING

1 cup of flour
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick), chilled
6 tablespoons of milk

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir them together using a fork. Cut the butter into bits, drop into the bowl and work it into the dry ingredients using your fingers, a pastry cutter or two knives. You want it to be a mixture of fairly even and fine crumbs. Slowly add the milk while stirring constantly with the fork.

There are two options for covering the cobbler. My preference is the spoon the biscuit dough over the top so you can see the fruit and juice bubble through. Then you can ignore the need of adding a separate glaze.

However, you can also completely cover the top. So if you prefer this second method, continue with the following steps; gather the dough together and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead 8 to 10 times, until dough it fairly smooth then roll or pat the dough into a shape that will cover your baking dish. Place the dough over the prepared fruit, pressing it down around the edges. For a glazed crust, drizzle 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the top and sprinkle 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar over that.

Bake the cobbler for 35 to 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling, the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender. Remove from the oven and place on a rack. Serve warm or room temperate.

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Happy harvesting!