Archive for ‘recipes’
34 items.
Dec26
Have you ever sat down for a meal–with friends, family or even alone–even though you didn’t think you were all that hungry? But, somehow, after a few bites you realize you’re ravenous and finish a meal as usual?
That is the power of the appetite. And appetizers exist to wake up that appetite and get you in the mood for food.
As I’ve mentioned before, though, many night I’m quite happy to have lots of little things and variety over a single-entree meal. This can take some doing, however, as the preparation of many smaller bites usually outweighs the pleasure in eating them.
Which is why, when I browse through 750 Best Appetizers
Many avid cooks–myself included–say that reading a new cookbook is like reading a novel. It’s more than merely a reference book to be kept in the kitchen. What I love most are cookbooks that support this sort of reading and 750 Best Appetizers does just that by including a snippet of information alongside each recipe and many feature additional tips relating to sourcing of ingredients and serving suggestions.
But the true test of any cookbook is in the recipes themselves: how are they? I tried out three of them this holiday season, shared below, all with very good results.
The falafel recipe included below was astounding–I’d always thought of falafel as dense and dry, these are spicy and, even after chilled, quite moist. For the tortilla I substituted a baked sweet potato that I happened to have on hand and the recipe was just as wonderful for the substitution (and the colors were very appetizing together). Finally, the meatball recipe yielded over 50 1-inch meatballs when I made it, I believe the 30 1/2-inch morsels mentioned in the recipe to be a typo. But if there’s going to be a typo, I’d rather it be so much in our favor! We actually served the meatballs and their sauce over egg noodles for dinner rather than use them as an appetizer that night.
With New Year’s Eve coming up and the year ahead full of entertaining possibilities, this might be a good book to check out–the Salsa chapter alone would be enough to keep a different dip on the table each week for almost a year!
Mini Falafel Sandwiches
Makes 36 sandwiches / Vegetarian Friendly, Middle-Eastern / pg [276]
These crispy Middle Eastern balls are just wonderful for a lunch or dinner appetizer party.Although we have created the perfect sandwich, these balls are just lovely all on their own tooor dipped into Easy Hummus (page 52) or any of the hummus recipes.
Tip: Mini pita bread, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter, can be found in select stores. Regular size pitacan work here too by slicing into quarters forpie-like shapes.
• Candy/deep-fry thermometer
2 1⁄2 cups cooked drained chickpeas (625 mL)
3⁄4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves (175 mL)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt (5 mL)
3⁄4 tsp ground cumin (3 mL)
1⁄2 tsp hot pepper sauce (2 mL)
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided (250 mL)
6 cups vegetable oil (1.5 L)
3⁄4 cup Easy Hummus (page 52) or store-bought (175 mL)
36 3-inch (7.5 cm) pita bread, tops opened to form pocket, cut in half (see Tip)
1⁄2 cup shredded carrot (125 mL)
1⁄2 cup diced cucumber (125 mL)
1. In a food processor fitted with metal blade, pulse chickpeas, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin and hot pepper sauce until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer to a bowl and fold in about 21⁄2 tbsp (37 mL) of flour. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes, until chilled, or for up to 1 hour.
2. When you’re ready to cook, place oil in a deep saucepan or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat until temperature reaches 350°F (180°C). (You can also use a deep fryer;follow the manufacturer’s instructions.) Form chickpea mixture into about 36 balls, about2 tsp (10 mL) each and lightly dredge in remaining flour. Add falafels to hot oil in batches and fry until balls rise to the surface and are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
3. Add a dollop of hummus on the inside of each pita bread half. Place 1 falafel ball inside.Garnish sandwich with equal amounts of carrots and cucumber and serve immediately.
Potato Tortilla with Peppers
Makes 12 to 16 pieces / Vegetarian Friendly / pg 365
If there is one item that is ubiquitous in tapas bars in Spain, it is the tortilla — an omelet that contains potatoes and is usually served at room temperature or cold. Here spicy chorizo sausage bumps up the flavor.
Tip: To microwave potato for this recipe: Place scrubbed potato in a microwave-safe dish. Add cold water to a depth of about 1⁄2 inch (1 cm), cover and microwave on High for 2 minutes. Leave the lid on and let cook for at least 5 minutes before running under cold water.
• Large nonstick ovenproof skillet
1 potato (8 oz/250 g), cooked in its skin,cooled and cut into 1⁄2-inch (1 cm) cubes (see Tip, left)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 mL)
1 red onion, thinly sliced on the vertical
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 long red chile or jalapeño pepper,seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs
1 cup shredded sharp (aged) cheese, such as Cheddar (250 mL)
1. In a large nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add potato, red onion,red and green bell peppers, chile pepper and garlic and cook, stirring, until peppers are softened and potato and onion just begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat broiler. In a bowl, beat eggs. Pour over onion mixture and sprinkle cheese evenly over top. Reduce heat to low, loosely cover and cook until eggs are set, about 6 minutes. Place under preheated broiler and broil until top is nicely browned. Unmold and cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Variation: Potato Tortilla with Chorizo: Substitute 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) shredded Manchego cheese and 6 oz (175g) cured (hard) chorizo, diced, for the cheese.
Oh-So-Retro Swedish Meatballs
These were a cocktail party standard way back when. Serve them in a shallow serving dish or a deep platter, speared with cocktail toothpicks. They will disappear in a flash. Make sure your guests have napkins or a plate to catch any drips.
Tip: You may want to use a whisk while combining the flour mixture and hot stock, to minimize the possibility of lumps.
Makes about 30 meatballs / Beef , retro cocktail party staple/ pg 503
• Small to medium (2 to 31⁄2 quart) slow cooker
1 lb lean ground beef, preferably sirloin (500 g)
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs (250 mL)
1 onion, grated
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (10 mL)
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (30 mL)
1/2 tsp salt (2 mL)
1/2 tsp allspice (2 mL)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil (30 mL)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour (45 mL)
1⁄2 tsp cracked black peppercorns (2 mL)
2 cups beef broth, heated to the boiling point (500 mL)
1⁄2 cup sour cream (125 mL)
1⁄2 cup finely chopped dill fronds (125 mL)
1. In a bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, egg, lemon zest and juice, salt,allspice, and pepper to taste. Mix well. Using your hands, shape into balls about 1⁄2 inch(1 cm) in diameter.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add meatballs in batches and cook,stirring, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware as completed. Add flour to pan and cook, stirring, until frothy but not browning, about 2 minutes. Stir in peppercorns. Add beef broth and cook, stirring, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 2 minutes (see Tips, left). Pour over meatballs.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or on High for 3 hours, until meatballs are cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Add sour cream and dill to stoneware and stir well. Pour over meatballs and serve.
Excerpted from 750 Best Appetizers by Judith Finlayson and Jordan Wagman © 2011 Robert RoseInc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Photo credit: Colin Erricson, www.robertrose.ca
I was supplied a copy of the book for review, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.
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Dec19
If You’re Looking for a Christmas Breakfast Idea…
December 19th, 2011 |Posted In: holiday food, recipes
This waffle recipe I was sent, recently, might be one to try.
As it happens, I was making up my Christmas list when a recent submission came in and it got me to thinking: I love waffles but haven’t owned a waffle iron in years. (I think I gave Mom’s old waffle iron to my brother at least 5 years ago.) After reading Rose Levy Beranbaum’s
Normally I’m not one to pass along someone else’s recipe without testing it myself (especially since it’s in service of promoting an appliance/manufacturer I’ve never used), but Ms. Beranbaum’s recipes hold major sway with me–her Cake Bible
Burst of Cranberry Topping
(includes weight measurements for key ingredients)
- 1 cup water (8 fluid oz.)
- 1 ½ cups sugar (10.6 oz.)
- 3 tbsps. Cornstarch (1 oz.)
- 4 cups fresh (or thawed frozen) cranberries (400 grams)
In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, sugar, cornstarch, and cranberries. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stop stirring, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 minute, swirling the pan occasionally. The mixture will be thickened but pourable. Keep it warm or reheat it before serving.
Orange Waffles:
(Serves 4) served here with Chef’sChoice® WafflePro® M852
- 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (4 oz.)
- 2 cups cake flour (lightly spooned into cup and leveled off) (8 oz.)
- 4 tsps. Baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. orange zest
- 2 large eggs (3 fluid oz.)
- 1 cup buttermilk (8 fluid ounces)
- 1 cup whole milk (8 fluid ounces)
In a small saucepan over low heat, or microwave safe container, melt the butter. Allow it to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and orange zest until evenly blended. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk, and whole milk until well blended. Add this mix, to the flour mixture and mix with a fork just until all the flour is moistened. Stir in the butter just until evenly blended. The batter should be lumpy. Use batter immediately after preparation. For best results, use the Chef’sChoice Model 852 wafflemaker
Since we do presents on Christmas Eve with my family I’ll be hoping the waffle iron is one of the presents with my name on it so I can give these a try. If not, I’ll be hitting up the after-Christmas sales for sure.
Recipes and image provided by Chef’sChoice.
Dec12
Last week I showed you how I made an off-limits food available again by a good recipe and a smart substitution. This week I’m sharing a better recipe for a holiday supper staple: the Green Bean Casserole.
It’s a simple side dish to prepare, made so by canned cream of mushroom soup, beans and fried onions. All that’s usually needed is a can opener, some milk and some pepper.
For all that the flavor of the dish is palatable to most diners and it does add a token green vegetable to the holiday table, the highly-processed ingredients leave much to be desired. So, this year, I set out to make the dish that we all enjoy in a way that did not make me ashamed to bring it to table.
I began with the onions. From my experience with the Indian Cooking Challenge I’d fallen in love with a certain coating for fried onions that would make the humble ring or blossom blush. With that taken care of, it was simply a matter of devising a substitute for the condensed soup. The answer? A mushroom veloute (aka white sauce made with stock, not milk). While this version takes a few moments longer to prepare, the end result was far superior to the pre-fab original.
We opted to use flat Italian or Pole beans as they have more surface area to collect flavor and are easier to spear with a fork. The chili powder in the onion batter can be increased or decreased to taste and adds a wonderful dimension to the finished dish. Of course, if you’re a fan of onion rings you might want to make extras to allow for, uh, quality control 
Yes, we still fry the onions–this is, after all, a recipe best saved for holidays–but our sauce is miles better than the preservative-laden canned stuff that would otherwise be used.
A Better Green Bean Casserole
| 2 lb Green Beans, fresh or frozen
Fried Onions 2 Onions |
Mushroom Veloute
2 Tbsp Butter |
Serves 6-8
Prepare the Onions
Heat oil to 350° Fahrenheit while you prepare the onions for frying.
Peel and quarter the onions, slicing each quarter into quarter-rings. You want pieces up to 2 inches long and no more than 1/4 inch thick.
Combine the gram flour and spices and then the water, a little at a time, until a thin paste is formed, like that of pancake batter. You may not need all the water, then again you may need more. Use your discretion.
Toss the onions in the batter enough that the batter evenly coats all the onion pieces.
Fry in batches (I suggest dropping 3 tong-fuls at a time, depending on the size of your fryer). With either the frying basket or a spider-strainer, break up any clumps of onions that appear to form and fry until the onions are a light golden brown. (Remember that fried foods darken by 2 shades after removing from the fat.)
Drain the onions on paper towels until cool.
Make the Veloute
In a sturdy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook the roux over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, but do not let the roux darken.
Whisk in a small amount of the vegetable stock and stir until smooth. The first addition will cause the roux to bubble up or clump, this is normal, just keep stirring until it smooths back out.
Keep stirring in the stock until half has been incorporated, then add the minced mushrooms. Continue adding the stock until it’s all in, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until thickened.
**Both the onions and the veloute can be made ahead and stored in the fridge until needed. The veloute can even be frozen for longer storage.**
Assemble the Casserole
Steam the green beans until tender. 10-15 minutes in the microwave does the job well, but use the method you’re most comfortable with.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, veloute and half the fried onions.
Butter a casserole dish and pour the combined ingredients into it.
Bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, until heated through and bubbling. Sprinkle the remaining fried onions on top of the casserole and put back in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the onions are crispy around the edges.
Dec05
I’ve mentioned in the past that my body doesn’t get along with tomato products very well. And while I can sometimes get away with a little bit here or there without too many problems, shortly after Thanksgiving I was due to take some tests and tomatoes (as well as several other foods) were on my no-no list for several days beforehand so as not to skew the results.
So I had two options: forgo the wonderful crab dip made with cocktail sauce or find a clever way around it.
I went with the latter, of course–denial really isn’t in my make-up–and researched some plausible cocktail sauce recipes. The condiment is pretty simple, really: tomato sauce, horseradish and chili sauce. One recipe I found, however, presented a more creative ingredient list and a more promising flavor. The way I see it: the more interesting the recipe, the more opportunity to hide my red bell pepper substitution.
Tomato-less Cocktail Sauce
3/4 cup Roasted Red Bell Pepper Puree
3/4 cup Chili Sauce
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Prepared Horseradish
1 1/3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Chill until needed. Makes approximately 16 oz.
For a previous sushi dinner I’d purchased a bottle of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce often seen in various restaurants sporting a rooster on it’s bottle. This is what I used for the chili sauce and it made for a very VERY spicy cocktail sauce. Alternately, a Thai chili sauce or your standard store brand could be used for a milder heat level or you could use, say, 1 cup of puree to 1/2 cup of chili sauce. Feel free to play with it to suit your preference.
As spicy as it was, though, once layered on top of cream cheese and crab claw meat it was the perfect level of spice and all of our guests enjoyed it on both occasions we served it that weekend. No one could tell that it wasn’t “normal” cocktail sauce and those that were told were intrigued and wanted the recipe.
And now we have half a bottle of cocktail sauce ready for the next time we have seafood!
But cocktail sauce wasn’t the only staple to get a make-over this past Thanksgiving; next week I’ll share my take on a popular side dish sans canned convenience products.
Nov28
Like many others, this past Thursday, we prepped our Thanksgiving turkey and loaded him into the oven in plenty of time to allow the recommended 15-20 minutes per pound, plus resting and carving in order to have dinner ready at a respectable 5:30ish that evening.
Like previous years we brined it and then slathered it with an herbed butter and stuffed it’s cavity with onion, apple and lemon wedges, and in it went at precisely 11 a.m.
What was different this year? This year we got to use our 18-quart Roaster Oven. While we used it last Christmas for the duck and last Easter for the stuffed leg of lamb, this was it’s inaugural turkey and we were so excited to be able to have the oven free all day to use for side dishes and the like. From previous experience we thought the roaster ran a little hotter than a full-sized oven (we figured from the smaller space it had to heat and closer proximity of the food to the element) so we only heated it up to 325 to begin with, then decided to bring it down another 25 degrees when it continued to sizzle and pop (probably from the butter rub, but we wanted to be careful). We thought that would be enough to compensate.
(Hamilton Beach 18-Quart Roaster Oven
There I was, happily going about my comprehensive to-do list (a must, I’ve discovered, for stress-free party and holiday prep) and checking things off right and left as the turkey roasted. I peek in to make sure everything is going according to plan and…
The turkey? Our 16 pound turkey? Was done.
After only 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Sure, it wasn’t golden-brown and picturesque done, but it was most certainly done in the sense that the leg meat was starting to pull away from the bone. And, just to be certain, we checked it’s temperature–definitely done. In fact, we used 2 thermometers (1 dial, 1 digital) just in case one was off.
Nope. Stick a fork in it–that bird was done!
And we were still 3 hours away from dinner.
Now, you might wonder, as we did, what is the best way to proceed when you’ve got a cooked turkey that needs to be held 3 hours. First of all, letting it rest for so long wasn’t a good idea as it would have cooled down too far and spent too much time in the temperature danger zone (40-140 degrees Fahrenheit, where most of the icky bacteria thrives). Completely cooling it off and reheating it before supper was also dicey as we could end up with dry, mealy meat. Not a tasty treat!
Instead we opted to turn the roaster down to 200 and hold it there for most of the afternoon. This way the turkey would be kept plenty hot (and, yes, we checked periodically) but shouldn’t dry out. And it was a success, as far as we can tell (still hot and tasty at dinner and not a bit of it was dry).
Of course, I didn’t think to take a picture until after dinner, but the next day when I used our first bit of leftovers, I did sneak a quick shot of our brunch:
Between plenty of leftover turkey and the dozen egg whites I had after using the yolks in the pumpkin pastry cream for pies, I concocted this quick dish of Herbed Turkey Scramble.
Simple whisk together any available egg whites (you could easily use whole eggs, too, if you didn’t have spare whites) along with salt, pepper, sage, parsley and garlic powder and pour them into a hot frying pan. Cook until beginning to set then stir in diced turkey and crumbled cheese of your choice (we used farmer’s cheese). Serve with some Spiced Cranberry Sauce, another leftover.
Simple and delicious.
So, has anyone else encountered a super-fast roasting oven?
And what do you do with all of your leftover turkey?
Jul18
Or choice morsels to treat yourself and guests too.
Minted Pea and Mushroom Beggar's Purse
I mean beggar’s purses, of course, like the kind I made for this year’s Fairy Fest. They most likely get their name from the Medieval-style cloth purses made from a circle of fabric and a simple drawstring. Whether made from pastry, as below, or crêpes or pasta, the fillings can be sweet or savory–really, anything goes.
Personally, I love the pastry ones best and prefer to use square pieces as a base as as not to have any waste. Puff pastry doesn’t do too well re-rolled (though if you’re going to try it, stack the scraps together and then roll out to the desired thickness–this keeps the layers intact the way just smooshing the bits together will not). Plus, when the sides are gathered up, the pointed corners make a delightful petal shape on top of the purse that is quite decorative.
Minted Pea and Mushroom Beggar’s Purses
Makes 36
8 oz Frozen Peas
1 stick (4 oz) Unsalted Butter, diced
8 oz Mushrooms, diced
2 Tbsp chopped Mint
1 Tbsp dried Thyme
1 Tbsp dried Parsley
1 tsp Sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 packages Puff Pastry Dough (4 sheets)
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water, for egg wash
Fresh Chives, optional, for ties
To Make the Filling:
Cook peas according to package directions; drain off any remaining water.
Stir together the cooked peas with butter, mushrooms and seasonings, allowing the heat from the peas to melt the bits of butter. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 375° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide each sheet of puff pastry dough into 9 equal pieces, about 3 inches square. On a lightly floured surface, roll each square out, gently, to about 4″ squares.
To Make the Purses:
To each square of puff pastry add 1 heaping tablespoon of filling to the center.
Brush a circle of water or egg wash around the filling (this will help the pastry stick together up top).
Draw together the centers of each side and then the corners, leaving the ends of the corners free to lay to the side like tissue paper out of a gift bag.
Squeeze together the top of the newly-formed pouch, just under the corner-points and finish with a tie of chive around the neck of the pouch. (See illustration below)
How to Form Beggar's Purses from Puff Pastry Squares
Brush the tops of the purses with egg wash and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown.
Either serve warm or let cool and refrigerate until needed. They keep very well and will reheat in about 30 minutes in a 350°-oven. They do okay in a microwave, too, but it’s not my first choice for reheating.
(adapted from the recipes “Sweet Peas with Mint” and “Mushrooms in Cream” from Celtic Folklore Cooking
This filling would also be excellent pureed smooth and used as a filling for ravioli. They smell divine when baking and taste even better!
Jun30
Lemon Hart
This month’s recipe comes to us from (the translated) The Sensible Cook: Dutch Foodways in the Old & New World (relatively speaking, of course), and dates back to 1669.
To Prepare a Lemon-Hart
Take minced veal just like for meatballs, add to it nutmeg, pepper and salt as well as peels of a fresh lemon cut into small pieces, for each pond of meat an egg yolk, a crushed rusk and mix it all together, shape it in the form of a large meatball or in the form of a heart, stew it with a little water. When done take off the fat, add Verjuice, butter, and peels of a salted lemon which has been boiled together, then dish up; a sauce is poured over made from Verjuice beaten with egg yolks.
Medieval Vocabulary 102
pond = approx. 430 grams which is, roughly, 15.16 oz–close enough to a pound that we’re going to call it even
rusk = the heel end of a loaf of bread, toasted
Verjuice = a tart condiment from unripe grapes, we substitute apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar (though it can be ordered online)
salted lemon = a type of preserved lemon; I have a quickie version of this that I’ll put below, but you can find preserved lemons at some specialty stores, too.
Basically we’re making a meatloaf, here, with ground veal if at all possible. If you can’t get or prefer not to use veal for whatever reason, very lean beef–the best quality you can afford–will be fine. You can also use venison (hart is another name for deer, after all), though it may be a little drier. The thing to notice with this recipe is that they made meatloaf much the way we would: mix up the meat with seasonings, an egg and some breadcrumbs and “bake”. Instead of ketchup or tomato sauce on top, it uses a tart egg sauce and also comes with it’s own gravy* thanks to the liquid added during and just after cooking.
Ingredients, to serve 6-8
| 2 lbs ground veal 1 tsp nutmeg ½ tsp pepper 1 tsp salt 2 Tbsp lemon zest 2 egg yolks 2 heels of bread, toasted and crumbled, or more as needed 1 cup warm water |
For the gravy
1 Tbsp apple cider or wine vinegar
For the topping 2 tsp apple cider or wine vinegar |
This manuscript describes a sort of basic stove one could fashion in the mid 1600s so while we might make this meatloaf in the oven, an alternative is to cook it on the stove over a low heat (hence the water added to the cooking vessel, making this more of a braised loaf). I’ve little doubt such loafs were made in a pot over flame (as minced meats won’t very well stay on a spit unless otherwise contained) as a large meatball for many years before we had modern stoves and ovens. If you have a Dutch oven or other vessel that can be used in both the oven and on the stove-top, you could split the difference and bake it in the oven per your usual meatloaf and then finish it on the stove.
Method
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Combine the ground meat, seasonings, eggs and coarse bread crumbs. Shape into a large ball or decorative heart-shape and place in the bottom of a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Add 1 cup warm water to the bottom of the pot or pan and place over medium heat on the stove, covered, or in a 350°F oven for 1 hour or until the center of the load has reached 160 degrees Fahrenheit. |
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Remove the lid and skim off any fat that may have accumulated in the pan. Add the apple cider or wine vinegar, butter and salted lemon zest and bring to a boil. (This is akin to modern chefs de-glazing a pan to make a rich gravy from the caramelized bits on the bottom.) |
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Whisk together the topping ingredients (apple cider or wine vinegar and egg yolks) and pour over the loaf while still warm. (Between the heat of the load and the acid in the vinegar, the egg yolks will be cooked enough for safety. If you’re still concerned, you can whisk the topping over steaming water (a double boiler) until warm and the egg yolk coats the back of a spoon.) |
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Carefully transfer the Lemon Hart to a serving dish (I used 2 large spatulas and had a person standing by with the plate to quickly slip it under) and the gravy to a bowl. Let rest a few minutes before slicing and serving. |
In the past I’ve baked this but decided to give the stove-top method a try this go ’round. On my electric stove I had to keep the heat down medium-low to prevent the liquid from boiling furiously and, even then, it took barely an hour to reach the right temperature.
Served with roasted new potatoes it made an excellent supper–the lemon is obviously there but not so overpowering as to make it unpleasant. You do want to make sure you only use the lemon zest and avoid the pith of the salted lemons–the preserving softens it a lot, making it much easier to remove.
Meat and Potatoes Supper
*Because I let it go a smidgen too long, the gravy was non-existent, but the Lemon Hart was still moist and tasty so it wasn’t a great loss.
The next recipe for the Medieval Cooking Challenge will go out this weekend: sign up to get in on the scoop!
~~~oOo~~~
Quick Salted Lemons
There are several recipes out there for salted lemon preserves that are a common condiment in Middle Eastern food but they take several weeks to prepare. When I first did this recipe I didn’t have that kind of time so here’s what I came up with, instead.
Lemons, scrubbed clean of any waxes or residue
Kosher Salt
In a baking dish just larger than the lemon(s) you want to “preserve”, pour in a layer of Kosher salt, arrange the lemon(s) on top and pour more salt around them. Cover and bake in a 250F oven for 2 hours. Remove and let cool.
Pack the lemon(s) and salt in a fridge-safe container with a tight lid and they’ll keep for months.
Or, if you’re really in a hurry, split each lemon in quarters, lengthwise, but don’t cut all the way through one end. Sprinkle salt into the cut lemons, place in a microwavable container with additional salt, microwave for 2 minutes and then let cool. Store 1 night in the fridge, shaking or turning the container at least once, before using.
Jun14
It’s June 15th and time for another foray into the Indian Cooking Challenge! This month we have a spicy, savory shortbread called a Khara Biscuit from the recipe files of Champa. Unlike the fluffy, leavened biscuits we’re familiar with, this unleavened biscuit is more of a cookie. Studded with chiles and cilantro they make a nice snack or accompaniment to a meal.
Iyengar Bakery-style Khara Biscuit
Ingredients:
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
6 Green Chiles, finely diced
3 Tbsp chopped Cilantro
6 Tbsp Butter, softened
4 tsp Sugar
3 Tbsp Plain Yogurt, plus more as needed (I used a total of 6 Tbsp, I think)
Putting it all together:
Preheat your oven to 325° Fahrenheit and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Toss in the chopped chiles and cilantro until both are coated with a fine layer of flour and set aside. |
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the yogurt and continue to beat until fully incorporated. |
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With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix slowly, adding more yogurt as needed to get a dry but workable dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough as it could become tough. |
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The original recipe suggests rolling out to dough to 1/4″ thick and cutting them with round cookie cutters. I found the dough difficult to roll so opted to scoop even portions of the dough and flattened them with my hands. |
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Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. They’ll stay pretty pale but the bottoms will turn golden brown. Depending on the thickness of your biscuits, they may need a little more than 20 minutes (mine took about 25). |
The original recipe mentioned using mint in place of the cilantro and I might have to make them again, just to try it out. The spicy cookies were a nice counterpoint to the sweet-garlic-eggplant we had that evening for dinner.
May26
MCC: A Tarte of Proines (aka Spiced Plum Spread)
May 26th, 2011 |Posted In: Medieval Cooking Challenge, recipes
It’s the second month of the Medieval Cooking Challenge, an experiment where we take real Medieval recipes and prepare them in our modern kitchens, bringing the past into the present.
Spiced Plum Spread on Olive-Oiled Toast, garnished with Lemon Zest
After last month’s Andalusian Lamb (which was a little complex), we’re going later within the Medieval period and a bit simpler in method of preparation. This recipe for a dried plum (aka prune–but don’t let the connotations of the word scare you off!) spread that is great on slices of baguette as an appetizer or an afternoon snack or used, as the name would suggest, as a tart filling or topping.
The original recipe is from 1587 England, from a book known as The Good Huswifes Jewell, 1587
To make a Tarte of Prunes [alternately spelled Proines]
Put your Prunes into a pot, and put in red wine or claret wine, and a little faire water, and stirre them now and then, and when they be boyled enough, put them into a bowle, and straine them with sugar, synamon and ginger.
Gotta love that creative spelling from back then!
The redacted recipe quantities I’ve taken (and adjusted ever so slightly) from a fabulous modern book: Shakespeare’s Kitchen
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Spiced Plum Spread
1.5 cups Red Wine
9 oz Pitted Dried Plums (aka prunes, about 30)
3 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp minced Ginger
2 Cinnamon Stick (2 inches or so)
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer until most of the liquid has either been absorbed or evaporated and what’s left is very thick. Remove the mixture from the heat and remove the cinnamon stick. Mash the cooked mixture until a fairly smooth consistency is reached.
Makes approximately 1 cup.
Originally I’d suggested using crystallized ginger and adding it to the mixture between the cooking and mashing stages but decided to go with the minced ginger since I had it on hand. (I buy it in the tubes from the produce section–comes in very handy and keeps wonderfully!) You can use more or less of the ginger and cinnamon to suit your own preferences.
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At this point what you do with it is up to you. You could go old-school and fill a single large or several small tarts shells with the mixture and serve it as is. Or you can serve it, warm, in a small crock with fresh bread and soft butter like you would a marmalade or jelly. Based on the rich flavor this dish provides, I’m thinking a topping for a cream cheese tart would be fabulous–the cream cheese only slightly sweetened so as to cut the richness of the plum topping the way vanilla ice cream can cut through the richness of a double-chocolate cake.
If you have fresh plums available (I know we have a few left over from a recent farmers’ market trip) you can use them in addition to or instead of the dried variety but you’ll need to use more of them to start with as well as more sugar (drying concentrates the fruit’s flavor and sweetness) and it will probably need to cook longer to give it enough time to thicken properly.
I’ve got a party coming up next month so I’ve stashed mine in the freezer to save until then–it’ll be a nice addition to the menu I’ve got planned.
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Did you try this month’s Medieval Cooking Challenge? Make sure to leave you link in the comments!
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May15
It’s time for another installment of the Indian Cooking Challenge! And this month the authentic recipe I bumble my way through is the traditional Maharastrian Pudachi Wadi (aka Coriander Rolls). Now, for those who don’t know, in the United States coriander refers to the seeds (whole or ground) of the plant we call–in it’s leafy state–cilantro. Since we’re using the leaves, they’d be called Cilantro Rolls in our neck of the woods.
For many years I was not a huge fan of cilantro, and I’m not alone. The flavor was too pronounced, almost soapy in some instances and really was not my cup of tea. But the more worldly one eats, the more one is likely to encounter different flavors and, in time, I became more tolerant of the herb.
Good thing, too! Because these rolls are delicious and it would have been a shame to miss out on them if I’d never been willing to try cilantro again.
Pudachi Wadi
from Archana of Tried & Tested Recipes
| Dough:
1 cup Gram Flour Paste: 3 tsp Oil |
Filling: 3 Tbsp Shredded Coconut 1.5 Tbsp Poppy Seeds 1.5 Tbsp Sesame Seeds 1.5 Tnsp Oil 2 bunches Cilantro, chopped fine (approx. 2 cups) Oil, for frying |
This one takes a little time, mostly because of the different steps, but it’s worth a few hours on a weekend afternoon to give it a try. A large part of the time required goes into rolling and forming the dough. While it wouldn’t be quite the same, I’m betting the paste and filling would be fabulous inside regular spring roll wrappers and steamed or fried.
I did have to finagle one ingredient: the ginger-green chilli paste. I substituted equal amounts of minced ginger paste and green salsa. Having never had the original, I can’t say how close I came but it seemed a logical substitution. If we’d had any in the house, I probably would have used Recaito, as it’s cilantro-based.
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Make the dough.
Mix the dry dough ingredients together and then stir in the warm oil. Depending on things like your flour’s water content and the humidity in your kitchen, the amount of water you’ll need to add to the mixture to make a smooth dough will vary. Just mix it in a teaspoon or two at a time until the dough is firm. Set aside. |
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Make the paste.
Combine the oil, garam masala and tamarind concentrate into a smooth paste and set aside until it’s time to |
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Make the filling.
Toast the coconut, poppy seeds and sesame seeds in a non-stick skillet until the coconut and sesame seeds are golden brown. Allow to cool. |
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Meanwhile, saute the onions in the oil until tender.
Add the ginger-green chilli paste and garlic and saute briefly—just a few seconds–before removing from the heat to cool off a bit. |
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Process the now-cool coconut, poppy and sesame seeds until coarse. Really all you’re doing is breaking up the coconut as the others are already pretty small to start with. |
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Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and add the ground and toasted mixture, the chopped cilantro and the rest of the ingredients for the filling. Mix well and season to taste with additional salt as needed. |
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To Assemble the pastries:
Divide the dough into 16 even pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Roll each ball into a circle (about 3 inches wide). |
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Brush a bit of the paste onto the center of the dough… |
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Then place a spoonful of the filling mixture in the center. |
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Fold the edges of the dough over the filling and press them together to make a tight seal. It may help to add a little water to the edges of the dough.Apparently these rolls can either be round tubes–like a traditional spring roll–or triangles. I did some of each just to see if it made a difference. For what it’s worth, the triangular ones seemed to have a better distribution of dough and filling per bite. |
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Toast each roll or triangle lightly on a griddle. I almost skipped this step but am grateful I didn’t: the toasting firms us the dough so that they don’t fall apart so easily when you fry them. And electric griddle set on 250° worked perfectly for this as I could put one on, roll the next and flip the first when the second was added. |
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Deep fry the rolls just before serving. Frying goes quickly and, unlike a lot of fried foods, these do not float to the surface and bob around, they just sit there and cook so you need to turn them over after a few moments to keep them from getting too dark on any one side. |
I think you’d also be safe making these up ahead of time through the toasting step and then refrigerating or even freezing them so you can fry as many as you need at any given time. Get a few people in the kitchen with you and bang out several batches at a go so you’re ready for anything. Because they don’t really hold all that great, we found, and reheating doesn’t do much for them once they’re fried.
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I enjoyed participating in the monthly Indian Cooking Challenge so much that I created a monthly challenge of my own! For more details, check out the Medieval Cooking Challenge and sign up for the mailing list.
