Monday, November 22, 2010
Coq au Vin
I'm too lazy to type out the recipe from The Silver Palate Good Times book (why isn't it online?) - but suffice it to say, it delivered! Though I drained pretty much all the bacon fat out (both before and after the chicken was browned) - as it was just TOO FATTY, and I don't think the flavour suffered as a result. I halved the amount of chicken (and used all thighs) and bacon, but cranked the the veggie and wine quotient up to 11, and served it all over smashed potatoes - yumma yumma yumma; and served it with some 2006 La Frenz Shiraz (repeat above mantra) ... Leftovers here we come!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Fridge Foraged Roasted Veggies & Red Lentil Soup
I perused quite a few recipes looking for a way to use up some peppers, veggies and some red lentils (which have been the neglected redheaded stepchild since I found black French ones) – and I came up with the below – to surprisingly amazing results. The colour was perfect – autumn pumpkin orange, and the flavours from roasting the veggies was fab – how great is that?
4 peppers (2 red, 1 orange, 1 green)
1 carrot
1 parsip
1 onion
2 potatoes
2 ½ cups red lentils
1 container chicken stock, 1 container veggie stock
olive oil
s & p
Half the peppers, removing the seeds and membranes, half the carrot and parsip lengthwise – sprinkle all with olive oil, roast in 350 oven under tender. I did this the day before.
Sauté the chopped onion in some olive oil until translucent, add the stock, potatoes, and lentils and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Remove charred skins from peppers, then add the chopped, roasted veggies and simmer for another 5 minutes. Let it cool, then puree in batches in the food processor. Season w/ s & p.
4 peppers (2 red, 1 orange, 1 green)
1 carrot
1 parsip
1 onion
2 potatoes
2 ½ cups red lentils
1 container chicken stock, 1 container veggie stock
olive oil
s & p
Half the peppers, removing the seeds and membranes, half the carrot and parsip lengthwise – sprinkle all with olive oil, roast in 350 oven under tender. I did this the day before.
Sauté the chopped onion in some olive oil until translucent, add the stock, potatoes, and lentils and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Remove charred skins from peppers, then add the chopped, roasted veggies and simmer for another 5 minutes. Let it cool, then puree in batches in the food processor. Season w/ s & p.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
White Bean & Chard Soup with Rosemary Croutons
(from cooking light)
So, I’ve got this odd aversion to earthy veggies (spinach, mushrooms, beets) that reminds me of worms! But usually once the veggie is cooked I’m all in. So it was with great trepidation that I made a recipe with red chard – a gorgeous looking veg, but I was dreading the flavour even before I began (I think perhaps my previous experience was tainted due to undercooking)? Where was my head?! I’m very pleased to announce I’m now a proud card carrying chard member.
The vegetarians who may be perusing this recipe, may want to up the flavour component – as I’m unsure you’d get the same oomph from vegetable stock, but then I’m a smokin’ sister after all, who likely requires additional flavour from years of ciggie abuse.
Oh, and I have no idea why 6 extra cups of water are required in the original recipe – I used perhaps 1 additional cup, after adding all the stock – and it was fine. Also, in lieu of croutons, I added some chopped garlic to some olive oil, along with some chopped rosemary – then ‘spread’ it onto hearty bread, which was then toasted in the oven, and served along side – really nice.
1 lb (2½ cups, okay, I used 3 cups – I love a thick soup!) dried Great Northern beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 medium chopped carrots
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
½ tsp salt
½ tsp crushed red pepper
1 biggie rosemary sprig
6 cups water (??)
4 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (about 2 bunches)
Croutons:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used more)
Remaining ingredient:
½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I don't believe I used any - shocking)
Sort and wash the beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans; set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high. Add wine; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Add salt, pepper, and rosemary sprig; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in beans, 6 cups water (??), and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour and 30 minutes or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add chard; cook 15 minutes or until chard is tender. Discard rosemary sprig.
Preheat oven to 400°: To prepare croutons, combine 2 tablespoons oil and bread; toss to coat. Add chopped rosemary; toss to combine. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until golden, turning once. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls; divide croutons evenly among bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese (if using).
So, I’ve got this odd aversion to earthy veggies (spinach, mushrooms, beets) that reminds me of worms! But usually once the veggie is cooked I’m all in. So it was with great trepidation that I made a recipe with red chard – a gorgeous looking veg, but I was dreading the flavour even before I began (I think perhaps my previous experience was tainted due to undercooking)? Where was my head?! I’m very pleased to announce I’m now a proud card carrying chard member.
The vegetarians who may be perusing this recipe, may want to up the flavour component – as I’m unsure you’d get the same oomph from vegetable stock, but then I’m a smokin’ sister after all, who likely requires additional flavour from years of ciggie abuse.
Oh, and I have no idea why 6 extra cups of water are required in the original recipe – I used perhaps 1 additional cup, after adding all the stock – and it was fine. Also, in lieu of croutons, I added some chopped garlic to some olive oil, along with some chopped rosemary – then ‘spread’ it onto hearty bread, which was then toasted in the oven, and served along side – really nice.
1 lb (2½ cups, okay, I used 3 cups – I love a thick soup!) dried Great Northern beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 medium chopped carrots
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup dry white wine
½ tsp salt
½ tsp crushed red pepper
1 biggie rosemary sprig
6 cups water (??)
4 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
6 cups coarsely chopped Swiss chard (about 2 bunches)
Croutons:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used more)
Remaining ingredient:
½ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I don't believe I used any - shocking)
Sort and wash the beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans; set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high. Add wine; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Add salt, pepper, and rosemary sprig; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in beans, 6 cups water (??), and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour and 30 minutes or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add chard; cook 15 minutes or until chard is tender. Discard rosemary sprig.
Preheat oven to 400°: To prepare croutons, combine 2 tablespoons oil and bread; toss to coat. Add chopped rosemary; toss to combine. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until golden, turning once. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls; divide croutons evenly among bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese (if using).
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Meatloaf 'bolognese'
Okay, last wkd's monstrous hit netted an extra loaf, which promptly went into the freezer. I was craving some pasta last night, so took the meatloaf (along with a huge bag of roasted tomatoes) out of the freezer in the morning. The end result later that night, is exactly as I had imagined - rich, flavourful, so absolutely satisfying on a Saturday night - and of course, accompanied with a lovely local cab-merlot, I was in absolute heaven!
Saute some onion, leek, garlic, and some chili flakes in olive oil - add some chopped peppers, and a bunch of chopped brown mushrooms. Add The equivalent of um, maybe 4 cups of roasted tomatoes, a small tin of Italian tomato paste (the roasted tomatoes have a good amount of liquid in them, no need to add more), and some Italian parsley. Season to taste. Simmer until pretty much cooked. Add a big chunk of that amazing meatloaf, crumbled, and toss it into the sauce. Simmer a bit longer. Serve over your fave noodles (had brown rice linguini), a generous sprinking of parm, and more Italian parsley. Seriously, the best bolognese I've ever had.
Saute some onion, leek, garlic, and some chili flakes in olive oil - add some chopped peppers, and a bunch of chopped brown mushrooms. Add The equivalent of um, maybe 4 cups of roasted tomatoes, a small tin of Italian tomato paste (the roasted tomatoes have a good amount of liquid in them, no need to add more), and some Italian parsley. Season to taste. Simmer until pretty much cooked. Add a big chunk of that amazing meatloaf, crumbled, and toss it into the sauce. Simmer a bit longer. Serve over your fave noodles (had brown rice linguini), a generous sprinking of parm, and more Italian parsley. Seriously, the best bolognese I've ever had.
Pork Tenderloin & Broccoli Stir-Fry
A free-styled stir fry, utilizing that delish Chinese pork. So freaking fantastic - I really should stir fry more often.
Some cooked pork tenderloin
vegetable oil
couple cloves garlic, minced
a nub of minced fresh ginger
a bunch of chopped broccoli florets
a couple of sliced carrots
a sliced red pepper
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp tamari
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 green onions, sliced
(Cooked up some brown rice in some veggie stock to serve with).
Slice pork in desired pieces. Heat oil over highish heat; stir-fry pork until a bit browned. Transfer to plate.
Add garlic and ginger to pot - stir-fry over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add broccoli, carrots, red pepper and a bit of water; cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
Return pork and any accumulated juices to wok. Whisk together stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch and vinegar; stir into wok and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with green onions.
Some cooked pork tenderloin
vegetable oil
couple cloves garlic, minced
a nub of minced fresh ginger
a bunch of chopped broccoli florets
a couple of sliced carrots
a sliced red pepper
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp tamari
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 green onions, sliced
(Cooked up some brown rice in some veggie stock to serve with).
Slice pork in desired pieces. Heat oil over highish heat; stir-fry pork until a bit browned. Transfer to plate.
Add garlic and ginger to pot - stir-fry over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add broccoli, carrots, red pepper and a bit of water; cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
Return pork and any accumulated juices to wok. Whisk together stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch and vinegar; stir into wok and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with green onions.
Char Siu Pork
I totally forgot about this! Made it last week, and quite frankly, it didn't have the desired colour or texture of Chinese bbq'd pork, but the meat itself was amazing - really wonderful flavour.
Approx 750g pork tenderloin
1½ tbsp liquid honey, mixed with 1½ tbsp hot water.
Marinade:
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake or dry sherry (I used mirin, as didn’t have any!)
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp chinese five spice powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
dash red food colouring (optional, but gives a beautiful colour) (I didn’t have any – boo)
Combine all marinade ingredients and put into a plastic freezer type bag.
Clean pork tenderloin by removing sinews etc, prick all over with a metal skewer and add pork to marinade in bag. Tie knot in top and massage marinade well into pork. (Okay, I simply plopped my two small tenderoins into the bag, massaged it with the marinade and let it do its thing)
Leave in fridge overnight, massaging occasionally.
Preheat oven to 200c. Half fill a deep roasting tin with water, put wire rack on top and place pork on wire rack. (I can't remember what the farenheit temps were, I wrote it down somewhere; oh, and my rack didn't fit over a deep roasting tin, so I used a cookie sheet - which is now completely destroyed!)
Roast for 15 mins, remove and baste with marinate. Lower oven temperature to 180c and roast a further 10 mins.
Remove and baste with honey/water mixture. Roast a further 10 mins.
Let it rest and slice thinly.
(You can then cook up the remaining sauce and use – I didn’t, as I wanted to use the pork for other recipes)
Approx 750g pork tenderloin
1½ tbsp liquid honey, mixed with 1½ tbsp hot water.
Marinade:
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake or dry sherry (I used mirin, as didn’t have any!)
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp chinese five spice powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
dash red food colouring (optional, but gives a beautiful colour) (I didn’t have any – boo)
Combine all marinade ingredients and put into a plastic freezer type bag.
Clean pork tenderloin by removing sinews etc, prick all over with a metal skewer and add pork to marinade in bag. Tie knot in top and massage marinade well into pork. (Okay, I simply plopped my two small tenderoins into the bag, massaged it with the marinade and let it do its thing)
Leave in fridge overnight, massaging occasionally.
Preheat oven to 200c. Half fill a deep roasting tin with water, put wire rack on top and place pork on wire rack. (I can't remember what the farenheit temps were, I wrote it down somewhere; oh, and my rack didn't fit over a deep roasting tin, so I used a cookie sheet - which is now completely destroyed!)
Roast for 15 mins, remove and baste with marinate. Lower oven temperature to 180c and roast a further 10 mins.
Remove and baste with honey/water mixture. Roast a further 10 mins.
Let it rest and slice thinly.
(You can then cook up the remaining sauce and use – I didn’t, as I wanted to use the pork for other recipes)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Veggie Meatloaf
I can’t think of a funny Meatloaf anecdote – sure, he had moobs and cried real man tears in Fight Club, and Bat out of Hell was the soundtrack in my rocker formative years, but I’m stumped to make a joke … the fact is, this is some hardcore meatloaf (from J’s repertoire!) – pretty much half veggies, half meat = guilt free + healthy. It made 2 medium sized loafs, so the effort paid off nicely. I did the veggie portion the day before, and assembled and baked the next day. As irresistible as the grandly silly, operatic, adolescent, aforementioned album.
1 medium onion
3 inches leek (green part)
1 carrot
1 parsnip
1 medium beet
4 inches celery heart
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Heinz chili sauce
Basil, oregano, handful Italian parsley (I used fresh thyme, parsley and dried oregano)
3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
700 g (1.5 lbs) extra lean ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c fresh bread crumbs
Place the first 6 ingred in a food processor & process until the texture resembles minced veggies. Saute the mixture in some olive oil for several mins (along w/ the minced garlic), then add the sauces, basil, oregano, and some s & p. Saute for another couple of mins, then remove from heat & stir in the parsley; set aside to cool. Once it's cooled a bit, combine the sauteed veggies w/ the sausages, ground beef, eggs & bread crumbs. Place the mixture in the loaf tins, spoon some more chili sauce on top, and place in a 350 oven for 1 hour or so.
1 medium onion
3 inches leek (green part)
1 carrot
1 parsnip
1 medium beet
4 inches celery heart
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Heinz chili sauce
Basil, oregano, handful Italian parsley (I used fresh thyme, parsley and dried oregano)
3 hot Italian sausages, casings removed
700 g (1.5 lbs) extra lean ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c fresh bread crumbs
Place the first 6 ingred in a food processor & process until the texture resembles minced veggies. Saute the mixture in some olive oil for several mins (along w/ the minced garlic), then add the sauces, basil, oregano, and some s & p. Saute for another couple of mins, then remove from heat & stir in the parsley; set aside to cool. Once it's cooled a bit, combine the sauteed veggies w/ the sausages, ground beef, eggs & bread crumbs. Place the mixture in the loaf tins, spoon some more chili sauce on top, and place in a 350 oven for 1 hour or so.
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