Entries from December 2007
Mmmm… now that’s some delicious photography.
I’m not sure how the tasty, but humble, meatball made the leap from “the sauce” into this greener dish. But I don’t care; it just really works. And, unlike some of my recipes, this one has veggies built in. As that Red Stripe spokesman would say: “Hooray veggies!”
Like a cooking version of The Da Vinci Code, this meatball recipe was cleverly hidden inside my Stuffed Peppers recipe from way back. However, instead of stuffing peppers with the meat mixture, you just need to form it into balls and fry ‘em up. Instant gratification.
Well, not exactly “instant.” No matter how hard I try, browning the meatballs in oil still leaves the inside raw. That’s why most people throw them into the tomato sauce while it’s still percolating. It finishes off the cooking process of the meatballs, as well as thickens the sauce.
The same thing goes in this recipe. In fact, instead of removing the meatballs in order to saute the onions, it doesn’t hurt to just push the balls to the side. Then, covering up the whole thing with peas will trap the heat, and cook the meat some more.
A note of caution: always make sure the meatballs are actually done. I usually select the thickest meatball to cut into when I’m ready to serve, just to make sure it’s cooked through.
There’s nothing that can flip your stomach faster than an undercooked meatball. Trust me.
Categories: Cooking · Recipes - Observations
Tagged: meatballs, onions, peas, Recipes, stuffed peppers
Ingredients
- Meat mix
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup dry Vermouth
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 package frozen peas
- salt & pepper
Directions
Shape meat mixture (same as Stuffed Peppers) into small balls, and brown on all sides in olive oil in a coverable skillet. Remove meatballs from pan and saute onion until soft. Return meatballs to pan.
Add Vermouth and cook 2 - 3 minutes. Add package of frozen peas, and salt & pepper to taste. Cover and cook until meat & peas are done, about 15 minutes.
Serve over rice.
Read my observations.
Categories: Recipes
Tagged: meatballs, one skillet meal, onions, peas, rice
December 28, 2007 · 1 Comment
I hope you all had a happy holiday break, whatever (and however) you celebrated. There’s a lot to catch up on, so let’s get to it.
The first dish up is a huge, hardy gumbo, made once again from a recipe appearing in Bon Appetit. I don’t remember exactly how I arrived at this Cajun stew for a Christmas potluck party, but, then again, there were a lot of drinks that night.
Gumbo is a dish of huge proportions in every aspect: volume, prep time, expense and taste. Be prepared to spend upwards of $40 or more to put together all the ingredients (including some not-so-easy-to-get items like clam juice and frozen okra). You’ll be in the kitchen at least an hour (including a huge amount of chopping time) and will be doing a load of stirring.
For a party of upwards of 20, I halved the recipe and still took almost half home at the end of the night. I made six cups of cooked rice to accompany it; I would suggest more like 10 cups for the halved recipe.
It may be a lot of effort, but you’ll eat like a king for days. The stew has amazing resiliency and really does taste better in the days subsequent to its marathon preparation.
As for substitutions, I did use some pre-cooked chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s instead of the andouille (in order to appease my favorite vegetarians). Just remember that since they are pre-cooked, you should only add this kind of sausage at the very end to warm it up. The same rule applies if you’re using already-cooked shrimp, as I did.
Categories: Cooking · Events · Recipes
Tagged: andouille, cajun, chicken, Christmas, clam juice, gumbo, rice, sausage
Foodood will be taking a break this holiday season for a little rest and relaxation. We will be back to semi-regular posting after Christmas.
As for gift ideas, remember: nothing says “I love you” like a religious toast stencil.
Categories: Announcements
Tagged: break, Christmas, happy holidays, toast stencil
December 18, 2007 · 1 Comment
No, I’ve never heard of a klatch before either.
But when I looked it up last week after receiving an invitation to the above office event, I immediately dug the idea. After all, who doesn’t love an informal gathering, as for conversation?
For my cookie contribution, I used a recipe from a Mrs. Field’s cookbook that I’ve had forever (I think I stole it from my mom). Although I’ve tried a couple of the book’s other concoctions - with varying degrees of success - I’d never attempted the classic Blue-Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Unlike the delectable, store-baked Mrs. Fields, these didn’t turn out so great. They had a good, chewy consistency (I finally got the butter part right!), but the taste was a bit off. I think there was too much brown sugar.
Other klatch batches included:
- Holiday shaped sugar cookies
- Other chocolate chip cookies
- Peanut butter-chocolate fudge
- Linzer tort cookies
- Butter cookies topped with cream cheese icing and red sugar
- Pizzels
- Key lime cheesecake squares
Needless to say, the afternoon sugar rush had me working at not-quite-full mental capacity. And I’ll tell you what: the employee handbook doesn’t quite cover this dilemma.
Categories: Baking · Recipes
Tagged: chocolate chip cookies, Christmas, holidays, klatch, mrs. fields, sugar rush, work
This is another easy, one-skillet meal. Again, probably not as many veggies as one would like, but it’s packed with protein and will satisfyingly fill your belly on a cold winter’s night.
The process is pretty straightforward, though you may need to pay extra attention to the liquid and couscous to make sure they’re in the correct ratio.
Depending on supermarket sales, I sometimes pick up the 10 oz. box of Near East couscous and use the whole thing in this dish. Realize that if you want to make this extra fluffy version, you will need to compensate for the extra couscous with more liquid and more bouillon.
It ain’t easy being extra fluffy.
Categories: Recipes - Observations
Tagged: chickpeas, couscous, filling, simple
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken tenders, cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 can chickpeas (ceci beans)
- 3/4 cup couscous
- 1 bouillon cube
Directions
Saute chicken in oil until browned slightly. Remove from pan with slotted spoon.
In leftover oil and juices, saute onion until soft but not browned. Return chicken to the pan; then add chickpeas with liquid and bouillon cube. When chickpeas are sufficiently cooked, add couscous following the directions on the box.
Additional liquid and/or bouillon may be needed, depending on preference.
Read my observations.
Categories: Recipes
Tagged: bullion cube, chicken, chickpeas, couscous, onions
Why buy grocery store salad dressing when you can easily make some of your own? Except for the oil and vinegar, which should stay in a 2-1 ratio, the below ingredient amounts are just guidelines. Change the mix at your own discretion.
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 clove garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Directions
Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Serve over salad (duh).
Categories: Recipes
Tagged: balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, recipe, salad dressing, vinaigrette
December 12, 2007 · 1 Comment
The above meal may look normal, but don’t be fooled. One of these things is not like the others.
I’ll give you a hint: it’s not the fish or broccoli.
Yes, the rice at the top of your picture did not exist before I invented it. Like a mad scientist of the microwave arts, I combined two different leftovers to create a tasty new monster. I call it… Cacciatorice. (Copyright: me)
The recipe is simple. Take leftover chicken cacciatore stew (which is what results when you don’t use enough chicken and run out of Italian bread) and combine it with the flavorless, yet overabundant pints of rice from your last Chinese takeout meal.
Add some salt and pepper, expose it to the mysterious forces of the microwave and poof!
It’s alive!!!
Categories: Leftovers
Tagged: cacciatorice, chicken cacciatore, chinese rice, frankenstein, Leftovers, microwave
As you may have already surmised, I’m not the only cook in my family. Here’s a recipe sent to me by a cousin who really knows her way around an Italian kitchen. I haven’t tried making this yet, but anything with bread and melted cheese always gets my attention!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf (donut-shaped) Italian pizza bread - available from most Italian delis
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 - 10 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 bunch broccoli di rabe
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella, sliced
Directions
Take the round pizza bread and cut it through the middle horizontally to create two round pieces. Sprinkle chopped garlic and olive oil on each half and bake in the oven at 375 degrees until hot and just starting to crisp.
In the meantime, saute broccoli di rabe in lots of garlic and some olive oil. When cooked, transfer mixture to the bottom half of bread and spread over the surface. Cover the rabi with slices of fresh mozarella and then place top half of bread on top.
Place loaf back in oven and heat until cheese melts. Cut like pie and serve.
* Make sure to squeeze some of the oil out of the rabi or it will be too messy to eat. Also, you can substitute just about anything in for the rabi: spinach, slices of fresh tomato, or just mushrooms cooked in garlic and oil.
Categories: Recipes
Tagged: broccoli di rabe, fresh mozzarella, garlic, round Italian loaf
