Braised Red Potatoes with Lemon and Chives from America’s Test Kitchen Season

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For a simple, one-pot potato side dish that featured the benefits of both boiling and roasting, we had to get creative. We combined halved small red potatoes, butter, and salted water in a 12-inch skillet and simmered this mixture until the potatoes turned creamy and the water fully evaporated. In the then-dry skillet, the potatoes and butter were left alone to fry and develop great flavor and color. Subtle aromatics like thyme and garlic balance well with last-minute additions like lemon juice.

Use small red potatoes measuring about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
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1 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved
2 cups water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter|
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Arrange potatoes in single layer, cut side down, in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add water, butter, garlic, thyme, and salt and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove lid and use slotted spoon to transfer garlic to cutting board; discard thyme. Increase heat to medium-high and vigorously simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until water evaporates and butter starts to sizzle, 15 to 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, mince garlic to paste. Transfer paste to bowl and stir in lemon juice and pepper.

Continue to cook potatoes, swirling pan frequently, until butter browns and cut sides of potatoes turn spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Off heat, add garlic mixture and chives and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve immediately.  Serving Size: 4

Terry’s notes:

i believe I posted this the other day but I made them last night and they were fabulous! Okay, Aside from the fact that they have nicely brown crispy bits that make them good the BEST is the garlic.

The garlic is cooked until soft in the water, then after 15 minutes it is wonderfully sweet and so soft. I put the cooked garlic into a little cup, mashed it up and added a teaspoon of lemon juice. A bit of salt and pepper. It’s wonderful on the potatoes but it’s going to be great on steamed green beans or broccoli. I liked the SteamFresh brand green beans and brussels sprouts since you just put the bag in the microwave five minutes and they are cooked. I usually then pop them into some butter and season. Tonight I’m doing them but I’m going to use the soft garlic and lemon.

Quinoa Chili from Nettie Cronish

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Use organic diced tomatoes for best flavour. The crunch from celery compliments sautéed thinly sliced purple eggplant. Great cabbage roll filling. Delicious hot or cold.

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1 cup quinoa, rinsed
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced or sweet mini peppers
2 Japanese eggplant, chopped (about 2 cups) OR 2 c. regular eggplant
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tbsp. chili powder & dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. salt & pepper
2 x 28 fl.oz. diced tomatoes USE 1 can rotel and 1 can crushed
2 green onions, sliced

  1. In a skillet over medium heat, roast the rinsed quinoa for 5 minutes or until fragrant and the quinoa begins to pop. In a small pot bring 2 cups water and salt to boil. Add roasted quinoa . Cover and simmer over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, until water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, stir and let stand covered 5 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic 5 minutes or until softened Stir in green pepper, eggplant, celery, chili,oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in the quinoa and green onions.  Serves: 6

Quinoa, white bead and kale soup from chelseasmessyapron.com

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Kale-Soup1
  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 container (32 ounces) Tuscan Chicken Flavor-Infused Broth (Swanson makes this)
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 cans (15.5 ounces each) cannellini beans, undrained
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 3 cups chopped kale
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly and add it to your slow cooker with 2 cups of the broth.
  2. Add in the undrained petite diced tomatoes, and one can of undrained cannellini beans.
  3. Add in the garlic, chopped yellow onion, Italian seasoning, and some salt and pepper.
  4. In a blender or food processor, combine the remaining 2 cups broth with the remaining can of cannellini beans. Blend until smooth. Pour into the slow cooker.
  5. Give everything a good stir and cover the slow cooker.
  6. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
  7. Remove the stems, wash the kale, and finely chop the kale.
  8. About 15 minutes before ready to serve, adjust any seasonings (add some salt and pepper if desired), and stir in the finely chopped kale.
  9. Garnish each bowl with a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Spiced Crazy Wacky Cake (No Eggs, Milk or Butter)

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  • Spiced Crazy Wacky Cake No eggs Dairy 11 1/2 Cups flour + 2 Tablespoons (all-purpose)
  • 1 Tbsp. pumpkin spice
  • 1 Cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp.  salt
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
  • 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 Cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan.  Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression.  Pour water over all.  Mix well until smooth.

Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes.  Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.  Cool.  Top with your favorite frosting ( I used vanilla). Enjoy!

Frosting Recipes
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (contains dairy)

Other flavors:  http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/p/recipes.html

Beurre Monté from Thomas Keller

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Water
4 tablespoons to 1 pound of butter, cut into chunks

  1. Beurre Monté can be made in any amount using the same cooking method. Bring the water to a boil in an appropriate size saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and begin whisking the butter into the water, bit by bit, to emulsify. Once you have established the emulsion, you can continue to add pieces of butter until you have the quantity of beurre monté that you need (the French Laundry makes 20 pounds at a time). It is important to keep the level of heat gentle and consistent in order to maintain the emulsification.

NOTES

Make the beurre monte close to the time it will be used and maintain it in a warm place. If you have extra beurre monte, it can be refrigerated and reheated to use as melted butter or it can be clarified.

The Workhorse Sauce

Roasted Sausage with Broccoli and Fennel

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72d1ba53-43c5-45cf-a6cd-d74b87f36488--2014-0127_CP_roasted-sausage-broccoli-fennel-00912 ounces (about 3 or 4 links) good quality pork sausage, removed from casings and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 small heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and cut into thin slices, about 1/4-inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
Finely grated zest and one 1 teaspoon of juice from 1 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or a lesser amount of red pepper flakes or cayenne (omit if you’re using spicy sausage)

Heat oven to 425° F. Combine broccoli florets and sliced fennel in a shallow casserole or baking dish.

You want them to fit snugly in a single, even layer. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, whole-grain mustard, lemon juice and zest, and Aleppo pepper.

Add to broccoli and fennel and toss well to coat evenly. Nestle the pieces of sausage among the broccoli and fennel.

Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the broccoli and fennel are tender and the sausage is no longer pink. For extra security, you can toss about halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.

Optional but highly recommended: Heat broiler, and place the pan under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the sausage and slightly char the broccoli and fennel in spots. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4

Hot Spinach Dip from Martha Stewart

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2 teaspoo11edf04_e_vertns olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds spinach, cleaned, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup milk
6 ounces reduced-fat bar cream cheese
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Baguette slices, breadsticks, or crackers, for serving

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.

  2. Add spinach in two additions, letting the first batch wilt before adding the next; cook until completely wilted, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid.

  3. In the same pot, warm milk over high heat. Whisk in cream cheese until melted, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and 1/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 1/2-quart shallow baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

  4. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot with accompaniments, as desired.

Cashew Shrimp Stir-fry from thewoksoflife.com/

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8 oz. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar, divided
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
salt and white pepper
4 stalks celery, sliced at a 45 degree angle
1/2 of a red bell pepper, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
2 slices ginger, minced
1 scallion, chopped
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
3/4 cup roasted cashews

First, prepare the shrimp. Toss the shrimp with 1 teaspoon sugar, baking soda, and 1/4 cup water, gently mixing everything together for a couple minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and then rinse under cold running water for 5 minutes to wash away any sugar and baking soda. Pat the shrimp dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Marinate the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pinch of white pepper and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Now, since the dish comes together very quickly, and you want to avoid overcooking the shrimp, it’s time to blanch the celery and red bell pepper. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop the celery and red bell pepper in. After 30 seconds, drain the vegetables and shock them in ice water. Drain completely and set aside.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the minced ginger and chopped scallion and cook for 1 minute. Then turn up the heat to high and add the shrimp. Once the shrimp have just begun to turn pink, add the blanched celery and red bell pepper, along with the last 1/4 teaspoon sugar, the oyster sauce, and the cashews. Mix everything well, and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve.

Note: It’s ideal to use roasted cashews for this recipe, but I only had raw cashews, so I just wok-roasted them for about 10 minutes. I’ve learned that cashews burn easily, so when roasting, start with a cold wok and medium low heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and then the cashews. Toast the cashews for about 10 minutes, stirring often and taking care not to burn them. Then spread them out and let cool until they’re ready to go into the dish.

Christmas Carol Cake  from Patty Foust  

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2 cups sugar
1 cup veg. oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup golden raisins
1 ½ cup peeled and chopped red delicious apples(about 1 ½ apples)

Mix in each ingredient at a time in order given above.

Makes a very stiff batter.
Pour mix into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
Cool before removing from pan.