Category Archives: recipes
beer-cheese pimento – from being dead is no excuse
8 oz. grated extra-sharp cheese *
8 oz. red rind cheese (colby) or mild American cheese, grated *
2 cloves fresh garlic
1-1/2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup beer (not “lite”)
Several splashes of Tabasco
4 oz. jar diced pimientos
Mayonnaise to taste and to make spreadable +/- 2 tbsp.
Using a food processor, blend the above ingredients. Chill. This always improves with age. Makes 1 quart.
First time I made this is used 1/2 tbsp salt it was WAY TOO MUCH, try starting with 1/4-1/2 tsp. if it is too salty add 2 tbsp sour cream and more tabassco
NOTES: * I used 16 oz sharp cheddar and it was fine.
Spinac, Mushroom and Feta Pasta
Crab cakes with spicy avocado sauce from epicurious.com
Japanese bread crumbs, called panko , give these cakes a light, crisp coating. Panko is sold at Asian markets and can often be found in the seafood section of large supermarkets. But if it’s unavailable, plain dry bread crumbs are an acceptable substitute.
For sauce
1/2 ripe medium California avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 fresh jalapeño or serrano chile (including seeds), stemmed and quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
For crab cakes
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over and coarsely shredded
3 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Make sauce:
Pulse avocado with mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, sugar, and one fourth of chile in a food processor until chile is finely chopped. Add milk and purée until smooth. Add more chile if desired, processing until smooth. Transfer sauce to a bowl and chill, covered.
Make crab cakes:
Stir together crabmeat, mayonnaise, chives, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and 1 tablespoon panko in a large bowl until blended well, then chill, covered.
Melt butter in a medium nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add herbes de Provence, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a plate to cool. Discard garlic.
Divide crabmeat mixture into 4 mounds on a sheet of wax paper. Form 1 mound into a patty, then carefully turn patty in crumb mixture to coat top and bottom. Transfer to a baking sheet and repeat with remaining 3 mounds, then sprinkle remaining crumbs on top of crab cakes. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve crab cakes with sauce.
Salad Dressing by Phyllis
3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Honey
1/4 tsp. roasted sesame oil, optional ( I used it)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
I put it all into a small jar and mixed it up…I tossed it onto Romain lettuce, diced red onion, and sliced celery!! YUMskies!!
Heaven and Hell Cauliflower Pasta
adapted from Judy Rodgers’ “Zuni Cafe Cookbook”
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
Extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tin of anchovies, chopped (I know, I know, it’s a lot: trust me)
1 – 2 Tbs fennel seeds
Red pepper flakes to taste (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 pound pasta (ziti works best)
Grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. In a large saute pan, coat the bottom with olive oil and turn up the heat to medium-high. Leave it for a minute or two until adding a piece of cauliflower makes it sizzle.
3. In a bowl, combine the garlic, the anchovies, the fennel seeds and red pepper. This is your bowl of flavor.
4. When the oil is hot enough, add half your cauliflower: or just enough so it’s all in one layer. Leave it for a bit (a few minutes) then toss around until the cauliflower is a deep, golden brown all over. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove the caramelized cauliflower to a plate and add the other half of the raw cauliflower and repeat this step. You may need to add more oil too, depending on how much the first batch absorbed.
6. Cook the rest of the cauliflower until golden brown (don’t forget to season it too; taste, so you know if it tastes good), add the rest of the cauliflower back in and then add HALF your spice mixture.
7. At the same time that you add half your spice mixture, your water should be at a boil. If it’s not, wait to add the spices or the garlic might burn. If your water’s at a boil, add a LOT of salt (the water should taste salty, like the sea) and then add a box of penne or ziti to the boiling water. Stir around so it doesn’t stick together.
8. As the pasta cooks, stir the cauliflower around along with half the spice mixture: about 30 seconds or so. Then ladle in a big ladleful of the pasta cooking water to the cauliflower pan. This’ll be your “sauce.” If the water sputters and spurts when you add it, lower the heat. How much water really depends on how long it takes the pasta to cook and how much water the cauliflower absorbs. Suffice it to say, you don’t want it to be soupy; just thickish liquid at the bottom of the pan.
9. When the pasta’s done cooking (start tasting it after 5 minutes; it should be pretty al dente when you add it to the cauliflower mixture) lift the cooked pasta into the cauliflower using a slotted spoon or, much better, a spider. (You can buy them in Chinatown for $5.)
10. Stir the pasta together with the cauliflower with the heat still on until you’re happy with the amount of liquid in there (the pasta tubes will carry some water with them too). I usually do it until there’s no liquid left at the bottom of the pan.
11. Take the pan off the heat and add, in no particular order: a splash of cold olive oil (it’s an Italian trick via Mario Batali’s show), the rest of the spice mixture and then your grated cheese. Stir all around and taste.
Lazy Chiles Rellenos, Ree Drumond
8 whole Roasted, Peeled, And Seeded Green Chiles
1-1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
5 whole Large Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne.
Cut chilies in half and add a single layer of chilies on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Top chilies with half the grated cheese.
Repeat with another layer of chilies and another layer of cheese.
Pour egg mixture all over the top.
Place into a larger baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Pour in 1/2 inch of water and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until completely set.
Cut into squares and serve with warm corn tortillas!
Warm Lentil and Potato Salad with a Garlicky Mustard Vinaigrette, smitten kitchen
2 large shallots, 1 halved, 1 finely diced,
4 sprigs of thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 cup dry small green lentils (see Note up top for varieties)
1 small bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 pound fingerling potatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed to a paste (I use less)
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1/4 cup of your favorite olive oil
2 teaspoons capers, rinsed if salted, drained if brined, and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cornichons or other sour gherkins, roughly chopped
1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Cook lentils: Pick over and rinse lentils. Place them in a small/medium saucepan with the halved shallot, thyme branches, bay leaf, some salt and 4 cups of water. Simmer the lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding shallot, thyme and bay leaf) and keep warm.
Meanwhile, cook potatoes: In a separate saucepan, cover potatoes with 1 to 2 inches cold water. Set timer for 15 minutes, then bring potatoes to a simmer. When the timer rings, they should be easily pierced with a toothpick or knife. Drain and keep warm.
Make the dressing: Place the chopped shallot and red wine vinegar in the bottom of a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in minced garlic, dijon, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and olive oil. Stir in chopped capers, cornichon and scallions.
Assemble salad: Slice potatoes into 1/2-inch segments and place in serving bowl. Add lentils, dressing and all but 1 tablespoon parsley and combine. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Scatter salad with remaining parsley.
Serve alone, with a soft-cooked egg on top, or as a side to a larger roast, chop or sausages. Reheat as needed. If you plan to make this at the outset of several meals and would like to eat it warm, I’d keep the dressing separate, warming only the lentils and potatoes and stirring in the cold dressing to taste.
Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days. Makes 4 lunch servings, 6 servings as a side dish
Sour Cream Apple Walnut Cake, Christine Babcock
3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1. HEAT oven to 325º F. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan. Whisk together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl. Set aside. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in butter, oil, sugar, sour cream and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in apples and walnuts until well blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
2. BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely. NOTE it took a lot longer than time listed!!
3. BEAT cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add enough milk to make desired consistency to spoon over cake. Store in refrigerator.
NOTE: cake required much more than 1 hour and 10 min., next time I may increase the oven temp to 350. Perhaps my oven temp is off I will check this as well.
It came from the Martha White recipe site.
Caesar Salad, Ree Drumond
Salad Dressing:
4 whole anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons (and up to 3 tablespoons) Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic or red wine vinegar (balsamic makes it nice and rich)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1/2 whole lemon, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 dash salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Croutons:
1/2 loaf crusty French bread
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
Salt
Salad:
Hearts of romaine lettuce
Fresh Parmesan wedge
For the dressing: Place the anchovies into a blender or food processor. Throw in the Dijon mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse the processor or blend on low speed for several seconds. Scrape down the sides.
With the food processor or blender on, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture in a small stream. Scrape down the sides. Add the Parmesan, salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Pulse the whole thing together and mix until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the dressing for a few hours (it just gets better!) before using it on the salad.
For the croutons: Slice the bread into thick slices and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Throw them onto a baking sheet. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan or skillet over low heat. Crush-but don’t chop-the garlic and add them to the oil. Use a spoon to move the garlic around in the pan. After 3 to 5 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the garlic from the pan. Slowly drizzle the olive oil over the bread cubes. Mix together with your hands, and then sprinkle lightly with salt. Toss and cook in the pan until golden brown and crisp. (Add a little butter for more flavor!)
For the salad: Wash and dry the hearts of romaine lettuce. Leave them whole. Use a vegetable peeler and shave off large, thin slices of Parmesan. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the top of the hearts. Throw in a good handful of the Parmesan shavings. Give it a good initial toss, just so you can evaluate how much more dressing you need. Add more dressing and Parmesan to taste. Add the cooled croutons. Toss gently.