Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Hashed Brussels Sprouts with Poppy Seeds and Lemon

1 ¼ lbs Brussels sprouts
1 ½ Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs poppy seeds
¼ cup white wine
¼ tsp salt

Cut the stems from the Brussels sprouts and remove any blemished leaves. When all the sprouts are trimmed, you should be left with about 1 pound total. Halve each sprout lengthwise, and slice each half into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick.

In a large bowl, toss the hashed Brussels sprouts with the lemon juice. In a large skillet or sauté pan, warm the olive oil over high heat, almost to the smoking point. Stir in the hashed sprouts, garlic, and poppy seeds. Add the wine, and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sprouts are bright green and lightly softened but still barely crunchy. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt, and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the pan from the heat, and serve.

Yield: About 4-6 servings.

Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad

We had this with lamb chops for Easter dinner -- it makes a nice Sunday after-church meal because you can make everything ahead of time. You can make it #vegan by swapping the chicken broth for vegetable broth.  The salad is twice as good the next day.

1 1/2 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 lb zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup chopped scallion (from 1 bunch)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/4 cups pearl barley (8 oz)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (14 oz)
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Roast eggplant and zucchini: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F. Toss eggplant and zucchini with 5 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then spread in 2 oiled large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pans. Roast vegetables in oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Cook barley: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook scallion, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add barley and cook, stirring until well coated with oil, 2 minutes more. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all of liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Cool, uncovered, to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Make dressing and assemble salad: Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients to bowl with dressing and toss until combined well.

Butterscotch Ice Cream

Makes one quart
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half-and-half (light cream)
6 large egg yolks

In a 1- to 2-quart pan over medium heat, stir brown sugar and butter until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and mixture is bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup whipping cream until smooth; remove butterscotch mixture from heat. Add vanilla and bourbon, if using.

In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium-high heat, combine remaining 1 cup whipping cream and the half-and-half; bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat egg yolks to blend. Whisk 1/2 cup of the warm cream mixture into egg yolks, then pour egg yolk mixture into pan with cream. Stir constantly over low heat just until mixture is slightly thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Immediately remove from heat.

Pour through a fine strainer into a clean bowl and whisk in butterscotch mixture. Chill until cold, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours; or cover and chill up to 1 day.

Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve softly frozen, or transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 1 week.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Jamaican Curry Goat

Note: This recipe is a work in progress, I still need to fuss with it a little but it makes good goat! In the Boston area I get my goat at the Market Basket in Somerville -- great store! This is a pressure-cooker version -- if you don't have a pressure cooker, you're going to need to simmer this for at least 2 hours, maybe longer.

2 tablespoons Cooking Oil
1 Large Onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons Jamaican Curry Powder
3 lb. Goat Meat (cut up in bite sized pieces)
2 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper (chopped and seeded)
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp. Salt
1 tsp Thyme
6 whole allspice seeds
1/4 cup Vinegar
Water to almost cover

Note: I substituted 2 tsp of Walkerswood dried jerk seasoning for the hot pepper, black pepper, allspice and thyme -- it is excellent and saves you the dangerous process of seeding and chopping a scotch bonnet pepper!

In the pressure cooker, heat the oil on high. Add curry powder and onion to the hot oil and stir for 1 minute. Add the goat meat and stir for two or three minutes, until nicely browned; be careful not to burn the meat.

Add the rest of the ingredients and enough water to just about cover the goat meat.
Cover the pot and follow the pressure cooker instructions for cooking on high (15 psi) for about 40 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and let the pressure decrease naturally.

(Optional) A lot of people add potatoes to this dish, or breadcrumbs to thicken the sauce. I haven't tried either. I like to serve it over rice.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Swiss Chard Quiche

I haven't actually tried this yet, but I was looking for a quiche recipe that used chard, and this is what I found. The combination of chard and goat cheese sounds interesting -- if you try it tell me what you thought.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 small yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2 thick slices
10 ounces swiss chard, coarsely chopped
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup nonfat milk
2 eggs
2 egg whites
salt
pepper

1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 350°F Add potato slices to a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chard and cook until stems are tender and leaves are wilted, stirring often (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook one minute more. Turn off heat, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fill pie crust with a layer of potatoes and top with chard. Sprinkle goat cheese on top. Whisk together milk, eggs, salt and pepper and pour over quiche. Can also bake this "crustless" in an oiled baking dish.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Slice and serve.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

King Cake

2 envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup warm milk (about 110°F)
5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
4 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 plastic king cake baby or a pecan half
5 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Purple-, green-, and gold-tinted sugar sprinkles

Combine the yeast and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and warm milk and beat well. Add the egg yolks, then beat for 1 minute at medium-low speed. Add the flour, salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest and beat until everything is incorporated. Increase the speed to high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, forms a ball.

Remove the dough from the bowl. Using your hands, form the dough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a bowl with the vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to oil all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1 cup of the confectioner's sugar. Blend by hand or with an electric mixer on low speed. Set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your fingers, pat it out into a rectangle about 30 inches long and 6 inches wide. Spread the filling lengthwise over the bottom half of the dough, then flip the top half of the dough over the filling. Seal the edges, pinching the dough together. Shape the dough into a cylinder and place it on the prepared baking sheet seam side down. Shape the dough into a ring and pinch the ends together so there isn't a seam. Insert the king cake baby or pecan half into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Cover the ring with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm, draft-free place. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the top of the risen cake with 2 tablespoons of the milk. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the icing: Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons milk, the lemon juice, and the remaining 3 cups confectioner's sugar in medium-size mixing bowl. Stir to blend well. With a rubber spatula, spread the icing evenly over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the sugar crystals, alternating colors around the cake.

The person who gets the slice with the baby in it has to throw the party next year!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Gin-Cassis Fizz

Quantities for one drink:
2 1/2 oz Gin
1 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1 tsp Superfine Sugar
4 oz Club Soda
1/2 oz Creme de Cassis

Blending Instructions:
In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the gin, lemon juice, and sugar
Shake well
Strain into a collins glass almost filled with ice cubes
Add the club soda
Stir well
Drop the cassis into the center of the drink

Collection of Cynar recipes

Cynar cocktail
1 oz white vermouth
1 oz Cynar
1 orange wedge

Cynar Martini
2 ounces Cynar
6 ounces vodka
Splash of orange juice


Cynar Breeze
1 ounce Cynar
3 ounces vodka
1 ounce grapefruit juice


Sicilian Iced Tea
4 ounces Prosecco sparkling wine
2 ounces Cynar
Splash of lime juice

Trident
1 ounce Cynar
1 ounce aquavit
1 ounce dry sherry
2 dashes Fee's peach bitters

Muffaletta

For the olive salad:
1 gallon large pimento stuffed green olives, drained and chopped
1 quart jar pickled cauliflower, drained and chopped
2 small jars capers, drained
1 whole stalk celery, sliced diagonally
4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
1 small jar celery seeds
1 small jar oregano
1 large head fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 jar pepperoncini, drained (small salad peppers) left whole
1 jar cocktail onions, drained

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or pot and mix well. Place in a large jar and cover with 1/2 olive oil. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Allow to marinate for at least 24 hours before using.


For the sandwich:
1 round loaf italian bread (muffaletta bread is basically just pizza dough, shaped into a flattened round a little thicker than a pizza and sliced in half) 
1/2 pound mortadella, thinly sliced
1/2 pound hard Genoa salami, thinly sliced
1/2 pound capicola, thinly sliced
1/2 pound Provolone cheese,sliced
1 cup olive salad with oil

Monday, March 3, 2008

Chicken Curry with Cashews

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup cashews (1/4 lb)
3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

Accompaniment: cooked basmati or jasmine rice
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Heat butter in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. (If making ahead, see cooks' note, below.)

Just before serving:Pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Cooks' note: Curry, without yogurt and cashews, can be made 5 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat before stirring in yogurt and ground cashews.