It’s 109 degrees in the shade and being a born and bred Southern girl, I don’t do heat.
I do air conditioning very well.
So why in the world during the hottest summer I can remember do I want to make Harissa?
You know Harissa, the North African condiment which sometimes can be so hot, you turn a totally unappetizing shade of red at the dinner table.
Bobby Flay made me want to make Harissa, that’s why.
And I’m so glad he did.
You have options on how hot you want it. You also have options whether you wish to make a paste or more of a thick sauce. I opted for the sauce.
And as a topping for grilled wild sockeye salmon or roasted chicken with chickpeas or grilled flank steak with a splat of Harissa and Tzatziki rolled in pita bread…mmm mmm mmm.
I roasted tomatoes and garlic and red bell peppers to perfection, toasted crushed red pepper flakes, caraway seeds and cumin seeds and coriander seed and threw it all in the blender. Aged sherry vinegar and dash of honey..
Just the right blend of spice and heat to make whatever you’re eating just that much better.
Without sacrificing your good looks at the dinner table.
Harissa
Adapted from Bobby Flay’s Grill It by Bobby Flay
3 fat cloves garlic
1-½ tsp crushed hot red pepper flakes
2 large red bell peppers, cut in half, remove seeds
2 small tomatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
A couple of dashes aged sherry vinegar
1 tsp honey
A quick swirl of extra virgin olive oil
Roast the pepper, tomatoes, and garlic at 400 degrees until done. I did this in a toaster oven and it worked beautifully. Plan on about 20 minutes until garlic is soft.
Toast the cumin seeds, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and crushed pepper flakes in a small dry skillet until the spices are fragrant, about five minutes over medium high heat.
Put the roasted veggies in a blender and chop. Add spices and keep the blender going. Add the sherry vinegar and the honey and a quick swirl of extra virgin olive oil. Season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Makes about a cup and a half.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Two Years Ago on Feeding Groom
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Harissa
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Feeding Groom's Grilled Lobster Provencal
One of the truly great party weekends in Nashville is just around the corner.
The Iroquois Steeplechase.
Visualize yourself on a beautiful sunny day, dressed up in the cutest dress, a faboo hat and totally inappropriate shoes hiking several miles to your box where you’ll spend a delightful afternoon watching horses fling themselves around a track and people slowly turn the color of lobsters.
Which brings me to my subject.
Lunch.
You’ve delegated beverage, nibble and dessert duty to fellow box members. It’s up to you to bring it on and blow them away with the main course.
.
Enter a cold grilled lobster with a knock out baby new potato and haricot verts salad .A divine Dijon vinaigrette, a few toasted pine nuts, Kalamata olives just add to the total outrageousness of this meal. if you don’t want to deal with the shell, make the salad, put it on some mixed baby romaine and top with the chopped grilled lobster and fresh basil. Add a few lemon wedges for a quick squeeze on top and you’ve got one hell of a lunch.
Party on!
Feeding Groom’s Grilled Lobster Provencal
Dressing:
3 tbs Champagne vinegar
1 tsp minced shallot
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ cup roasted garlic olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix the champagne vinegar, shallot and mustard in small bowl. Slowly drizzle the oil into the bowl as you whisk until the dressing emulsifies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
The Lobster Tails:
Preheat your grill to high if gas, or get the charcoal going.
2 large lobster tails
Roasted garlic olive oil for brushing
Salad:
1 pound baby new potatoes, cooked until just tender, cut in half
½ pound haricots verts, also known as French green beans, blanched
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
6 perfectly ripe small tomatoes, quartered ( grape tomatoes work well)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a dab of olive oil. Add lobster tails and cook for six minutes at the boil. Drain and when cool enough to handle, take a pair of kitchen scissors and cut right down the middle of the flesh side of the lobster. Don’t cut all the way through. Clean the hard shell off the flesh side and with the scissors, cut to expose the flesh so it will grill evenly.
When your fire is ready, brush the lobster tails with the roasted garlic olive oil and cook 3 minutes a side.
Remove the flesh from the lobster tail and chop in bite sized pieces. Toss with a bit of roasted garlic oil and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Combine salad ingredients, toss with dressing to taste.
Fill the lobster tail with the chopped lobster. Arrange salad next to the lobster and sprinkle with the fresh basil.
Serves 2.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Two Years Ago on Feeding Groom
Friday, January 29, 2010
Claudia's Baked Ziti
Describing food can be so challenging at times.
Yeah, yeah talk about depth of flavor, ease of preparation.
How the meatiness of something tickles the fancy of something else in the dish and it all comes together in one big explosion…your taste buds are flipping out…
Whatever.
Well, as far as this Baked Ziti goes, it has all of the above but why bother when one word describes it.
Outstanding.
This recipe is from a dear friend who is new to the blogging world and has taken on Beard on Bread by James Beard and is baking her way through it.
Check her out here.
And check out those fabulous bowls the bread is rising in.
Her husband is a potter extraordinaire.
Check him out here.
And then start your ziti.
Claudia’s Baked Ziti
With a bit of adaptation by me
1 lb. ziti (cook as directed on package, drain)
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage , removed from casing
1 lb. fresh mozzarella cheese, grated
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 C parmesan reggiano, cheese
2 eggs
6 fat garlic cloves, chopped
I large yellow onion, chopped
½ large fennel bulb, chopped
A couple of dashes crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish
28 oz. plum tomatoes
½ cup red wine
Preheat oven to 375.
Combine eggs, ricotta and parmesan.
In a large skillet, heat a couple of good swirls extra virgin olive oil til wavy. Add the Italian sausage and cook until brown. Remove from pan and set aside on paper towel to drain. Add onion, crushed red pepper flakes and fennel to the pan and cook til golden. Add the garlic and cook about five minutes. Add red wine and let cook down to half and then add tomatoes. Cook for about 30 minutes until reduced, thick and yummy. Add the cooked Italian sausage and season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Layer into lasagna pan starting with sausage and tomato sauce, then cooked ziti, parmesan mix and mozzarella. Repeat using up all ingredients and ending with sauce and top that with mozzarella.
.
Bake covered for 1 hour, uncover last 10 minutes to brown top a little. Sprinkle chopped Italian parsley on top for garnish and enjoy.
Serves 6 generously.
Click here for a printable recipe.
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Two Years Ago on Feeding Groom
Monday, November 23, 2009
Feeding Groom Daube a` la Vin Rouge
Never met a beef stew I didn’t like.
Seriously.
But the French version, called daube takes beef stew to a whole new level.
Marinate it overnight or 45 minutes.
After that, plan for a couple of hours on top of the stove.
Serve over noodles, smashed potatoes and turnips or by itself with crusty French bread and butter.
Use your imagination.
What’s not to like?
By the way, this is a celebratory post.
Feeding Groom’s Daube a` la vin Rouge
1.5 boneless beef short ribs, cut into bite sized pieces
½ sweet red onion, cut into slivers
½ sweet yellow onion, cut into slivers
2 large carrots, peeled, sliced on the diagonal
6 fat cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock or chicken in a pinch
½ orange, zested
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh Italian parsley, about a handful, chopped for garnish
Put the beef, onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, red wine, orange zest and rosemary in large bowl.
Let marinate overnight or at least 45 minutes.
Add the reserved wine and a cup of beef or chicken stock. Let cook 1-½ to 2 hours, til the beef is tender. Remove the veggies and beef, and raise the heat to reduce the sauce down a bit to your taste.
Serve over what you like…pasta, smashed potatoes and turnips or alone with crusty French bread. Garnish with freshly chopped Italian parsley.
Serves 3 generously.
Click here for a printable recipe!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Chicken Liver Pate
Round the Red Brick Ranchero, we like to celebrate “the Golden Hour.”
It’s the time right before sundown when Groom and I sit down with a glass of wine or a cocktail and reconnect.
Friday nights, the “Golden Hour” becomes “Order and Structure” as we visit with my mother and let the week fade away into the weekend.
Sometimes we have an hors d’oeuvre.
Sometimes not.
This week, Chicken Liver Pate.
Smooth, buttery, hints of nutmeg and Marsala.
Quickly made and travels well.
Make French bread toasts to accompany
One bite and I’m back at the Elegant Red Brick Ranch Home of my parents, cocktail party in full swing, Ella Fitzgerald singing the Cole Porter Songbook on the stereo, lots of chatter and clinking of glasses, Pops making his infamous vodka martinis and my mother’s wonderful food passed on trays to appreciative guests.
I hate to admit it, but I’ve eaten pounds of this in my lifetime.
And as long as chickens are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, I’ll continue.
Chicken Liver Pate
½ pound chicken livers, rinsed and patted dry
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large shallot, chopped
2 good splashes Marsala
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Heat a medium skillet over medium high head and add butter. When foamy, add the shallots and the chicken livers. Cook until done, probably takes five to seven minutes. Add the Marsala, cook for a couple of minutes, remove from heat and season with coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper.
Put in food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Add the nutmeg and pulse until smooth. Adjust seasoning.
Makes about a pint of pate. Lasts a week in airtight container if you’re not a chicken liver pate freak.
French Bread Toasts
1 loaf French bread, thinly sliced
Extra virgin olive oil or roasted garlic oil or melted butter or nothing
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 400.
Arrange slices on cookie sheet. Brush with oil or butter or leave plain.
Grind pepper over the slices.
Put in oven for about 10 minutes until done.
Remove from oven and let cool on rack. Makes about 20 -30 slices. (Depends on the size of the loaf, you want these thin).
Keep in airtight container. Do not store in plastic bags.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sweet and Dark Chocolate Sorbet with Crystallized Ginger
****** UPDATED**********************September 7, 2009
I have been thinking about this Dark Chocolate Sorbet all weekend. It was calling to me from the past!
Seriously, how can one resist when something so delicious, so easy and so divine calls.
You don't.
You do the 2009 version....with a few added ingredients that make this even more memorable.
Sweet and Dark Chocolate Sorbet with Crystallized Ginger
Adapted from Cuisinart Recipe Booklet: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Sherbets and More!
4 cups water
1-2/3 cup vanilla sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1-1/2 cups unsweetened Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1 whole tablet Ibarra sweet Mexican chocolate, ground to a powder
1/2 cup crystallized ginger
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Combine water and sugars in 3-¾ non reactive (stainless, ceramic or glass) saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the cocoa, the ground Ibarra chocolate and ground chipotle pepper and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and transfer to medium bowl. Stir in vanilla and chill in refrigerator 2 hours.
Stir chilled mixture. Add to freezer bowl of ice cream maker and follow the instructions. With the Cuisinart model, let mix til thickened, about 30 minutes.Add the crystallized ginger and let it mix in thoroughly.
The sorbet has a soft creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer sorbet to airtight container and place in freezer for 2 hours or more. Best done day ahead.
Makes 14 ½ cup servings.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Feeding Groom Pimiento Cheese
Pimiento Cheese.
Two little words that can cause casual discussions about food to get all high-pitched and in your face and my momma’s better than your momma’s recipe type of thing.
Yea, well, my pimiento cheese kicks your momma’s pimento cheese where the sun don’t…
Wait a minute.
I’m just writing my blog here, I’m not actually arguing with anyone about this.
Yet.
Feeding Groom Pimiento Cheese
½ pound each Monterey jack and extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1-½ cups Hellmann’s mayonnaise…no light, non fat hoody hoo here. The real thing.
A bit of grated onion, not much
A good pinch cayenne and a dash of Tabasco
A good squeeze fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt is a fave in the South, but not to worry if you don’t have it.
½ cup diced roasted red peppers, the ones in a jar, people. They do best for this, not ones you have just roasted and diced.. You need the jarred ones.
Mix the mayo, cayenne, Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste, lemon juice and diced peppers together.
Add to the cheese in a large bowl. Mix with your hands. If you want more creamy pimiento cheese, add a bit more Hellmann’s.
Makes a bit over a pound of pc.
Serve on your finger, apples, make a sandwich, a spoon, a celery stick, on top of a hamburger, in a patty melt, on a piece of French bread at 2 in the morning..
The possibilities are endless.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Nectarines with Fresh Thyme and Cream Sherry
I am not sure that many people start out writing about salad and end up writing about dessert, but that’s exactly what has happened to me.
I was so inspired by Marie's Nectarine and Fresh Basil Salad last week, I decided to do a version of same and take to a dinner party which I knew was leaning towards the fried chicken, devilled egg arena. And there is nothing wrong with that arena at all…I just didn’t want to do the normal potato salad or coleslaw and these eaters were sophisticated enough to get what I was doing with the Nectarine Salad.
I decided to use fresh thyme instead of basil . I didn’t have decent sherry vinegar so I substituted Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry. A little extra virgin olive oil, a little vanilla sugar, a squeeze of fresh lime, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste…this was spectacular.
Of course I didn’t take a picture.
C'est la vie.
It was a hit. The Harvey’s brought out the sweetness of the nectarines, the lime balanced that out.
It was just superb.
.
I woke up the next morning thinking about the leftovers.
I couldn’t wait to have them for breakfast. But then I started thinking about ice cream.
At six in the morning.
Nectarine ice cream.
With thyme in it.
And a bit more Harvey’s.
It really doesn‘t matter what time you make ice cream, does it?
The left over nectarine salad was smushed with vanilla sugar and another splash of Harvey’s and a splash of vanilla extract, thrown into the ice cream maker.
I took a picture this time.
Nectarines with Fresh Thyme and Cream Sherry
This is your eyeball recipe.
As many nectarines for as many people as you are serving, sliced
A good splash of Harvey’s Bristol Cream
A good pinch of vanilla sugar
A good swirl of extra virgin olive oil
A big pinch of fresh thyme leaves, crushed
A good squeeze of fresh lime juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine and serve as a salad course or as an accompaniment to grilled pork chops.
Click here for a printable recipe!
Nectarine Ice Cream with Fresh Thyme and Cream Sherry
2 cups vanilla soy milk, or half and half, or 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup half and half
¼ cup vanilla sugar
a squeeze of fresh lime juice
4 nectarines, sliced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Good splash Harvey’s Bristol cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
Smush the nectarines with the sugar, add the thyme, sherry, lime juice, vanilla extract. Stir in the vanilla soy milk and pour mixture into electric ice cream maker. Freeze according to directions on your machine.
When done, remove to a plastic container with airtight lid and freeze.
If you have made the above salad, mash the leftovers with the ¼ cup vanilla sugar and thyme and add the sherry. Continue with the above directions.
Serves 4.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Groom's Gazpacho
Now, as you know, Groom’s idea of a good meal in the summer is a cold soup.
And he pretty much has it down, when it comes to whipping one up.
His Gazpacho is as easy as it is delicious.
There are no measurements, it’s an eyeball thing.
The sign of a born cook.
Make this sometime. It’s great to have in the fridge for a snack, for lunch with a knocked out chicken salad sandwich or get a cup or two of the Gazpacho and whirl it in a blender with a roasted tomatillo, a little fresh cumin, a handful of fresh cilantro and a dash of Tabasco for a quick fresh salsa for a divine snack with chips.
Groom’s Gazpacho
Ripe tomatoes, chopped
Cucumbers, peeled and chopped
Celery hearts, peeled and chopped
Carrots, peeled and diced
Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (you decide how hot you want this….)
Red bell pepper, seeded and diced
Yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
A couple of limes or lemons, squeezed over the veggies
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large can tomato or V-8 juice
Large dash of balsamic vinegar
Large dash of Worcestershire sauce
Large dash of Tabasco
Handful of fresh basil and fresh Italian parsley, chopped
So, get a big bowl out and chop as much of each veggie as you would like to use and put into bowl. Once you’re done, add the tomato juice or v-8 to cover, season and stick in the fridge to chill. If you like it chunky, don’t use as much juice.
Additions are always welcome. We've done marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms, a bit of feta on top,a bit of Greek yogurt. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!
Serves as many as you decide.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Mrs.Whitson's Banana Bread
Now I know each and every one of you has a recipe for banana bread.
But this banana bread is different.
It means something to me.
I think of all the times I’ve made this recipe, when I’ve been in college in Virginia, at a friend’s house in Florida, one late night in Cincinnati during a snowstorm…impressing easily impressed people, comforting others, but always bringing familiar feelings of security and happiness and providing just the right touch of sweet at the perfect moment.
It comes from the Nashville Seasons Cookbook, a must have for every cook’s collection. More cake-like than bread, but divine with peanut butter, or toasted and drizzled with a bit of pure maple syrup or just on its own.
Easy, tasty, feel good banana bread.
These days and times, we could all use some.
Mrs. Whitson’s Banana Bread
Adapted from Nashville Seasons Cookbook
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup vanilla sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 almost ready to throw away bananas…fess up you’ve got these around. I’ve even used frozen ones, thawed
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp vanilla soy milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup chopped nuts (I’ve used those great sweet and salty pecans that you get for Christmas presents. I had wonderful results with those.)
Preheat oven to 350.
Butter a loaf pan well.
Cream butter with sugar and add the egg.
Mash the bananas.
Add the baking soda and vanilla extract to the vanilla soy milk and stir into the bananas.
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder and add slowly to the banana mixture.
Add the nuts.
Pour into buttered loaf pan and bake for40 minutes or til a tester comes out clean.
Cook for 10 on rack before slicing it.
Makes one glorious loaf.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Groom’s Knock Your Socks Off Ground Pork, Linguica, Bell Pepper, Onion Enchiladas Topped with Grilled Salsa, Cheddar Cheese and Cilantro
A dot and a line.
Chuck Jones...brilliance in cartoons.
Doesn’t this describe cooking and its creativity?
The straight line is following a recipe word for word.
You’re playing it straight.
In cooking.
So , take a recipe and make it your own.
That’s how you cook. That’s how you live.
Straight lines are great. But versatility and expression of how you want something to taste or be is better.
Go on.
Try it.
Seek the dot.
Groom’s Knock Your Socks Off Ground Pork, Linguica, Bell Peppers Onions Enchiladas Topped with Grilled Salsa, Cheddar Cheese and Cilantro
…HELLO DOT!!!
Here’s how the Dot happens…..
So the other night…Monday….wanted something easy…Groom likes to grill sausages and onions and peppers, maybe we had about a cup of this left in the fridge.
Last week I made a roasted salsa…tomatillos, poblanos, red bells, sweet red onions, green onions, garlic….in the oven til roasted nice and squishy and then throw into the blender with fresh cilantro and Italian parsley…because it’s lying around….maybe a cup and a half of it….
So those two things are in the fridge.
Come home…act pitiful…don’t want to cook…sweet Groom says, not to worry….and what does he do….
He seeks the dot.
Iron skillet gets heated up with a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil. Sweet yellow onions are chopped and sautéed til golden…..he takes them out for a bit, adds maybe a pound ground pork, drains the fat out.……adds the onions back …adds a can of black beans, drained and rinsed well because he hates that goopy stuff that‘s in the cans…tbsp ancho chile pepper freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt to taste…….add ¼ cup water…cook down. Take out of skillet and sets aside. Preheat oven to 350.
.
Adds the grilled salsa to hot iron skillet, over medium low heat…with a bit of olive oil…. then dip flour tortillas in hot salsa, fill with the ground pork. Roll and put back in iron skillet….fill enough to go into the skillet shred cheddar cheese on top, smush salsa on top, if you have extra… cook 30 minutes…top with sour cream and fresh cilantro…sit around and talk about how amazing this is..
Serves 5 generously,…really generously….
Click here for printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Frank's Chicken Pot Pies
There are lots of chicken pot pie recipes.
None like Frank’s.
It's easy.
Chock full of fresh carrots....
sauteed onions, peppers, celery....
and shredded chicken.
A killer homemade white sauce
seasoned with celery seed, crushed red pepper, bouquet garni.
And your choice of pastry to top them.
And so good.
Every single time.
He makes them in quantity.
And freezes them.
Someone moves to a new house and you want to take them dinner.
Done.
Need comfort food fix.
Done.
Surprise guests drop in.
Done.
Couldn't be easier.
Thanks Frank!
Frank’s Chicken Pot Pies
8 whole chicken breasts, boiled in homemade chicken stock, shredded
8 stalks celery, sliced in half, then chopped in bite size pieces
3 lb bag carrots, peeled, sliced in half, sliced into bite size pieces
3 large sweet onions, chopped into bite size pieces
6 mixed green, yellow and red bell peppers, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 stick plus ¼ stick unsalted butter
1 and ½ cups all purpose flour
2 quarts roasted chicken stock
1 to 2 tbsp Bouquet garni
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 to 2 tbsp dried parsley
1 to 2 tbsp Celery seed
Crushed red bell pepper flakes to taste
4 pkg prepared pie crust (2 boxes unrolled pie crust) or if you’re industrious, make your own or use phyllo or puff pastry dough. It’s your call.
4 square aluminum baking pans
Boil carrots, drain and rinse with cold water.
Cook celery, onion, bell pepper in butter til soft, not brown.
Two large bowls…divide the carrots, peppers, onions among them.
Divide chicken between bowls.
Melt butter add flour, make paste, add 2 quarts chicken stock, seasonings and stir til thick .
Divide between two bowls, season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir. Put in baking pans, top with pastry. You can get creative on the how you do the top with the pastry. Or just roll it out, cover and poke with fork …. Wrap with clear plastic wrap then aluminum foil.
Freeze.
To cook: Don’t thaw.
Preheat oven 375 degrees. Remove foil and saran wrap and place on cookie sheet. Cook for an hour and 15 minutes, cover with foil if browning too quick.
Makes 4.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Hollandaise
Hollandaise.
A word that can put fear into even the most seasoned cook’s heart.
But fear not.
Hollandaise can be made the old fashioned way, in a double boiler on top of the stove, it can be done in the food processor and it can be done in the blender.
Put down that package of Hollandaise mix.
You can do it .
Courage.
You just need this technique.
It works every time.
Remember one thing. Clarify the butter. It makes for a smoother sauce and less chance of the Hollandaise separating.
Hollandaise
Melt one stick unsalted butter over very low heat. The milk solids will rise to the top and skim those off with a spoon. Take 3 egg yolks at room temperature, put into blender with a ½ tsp salt and a good pinch of cayenne, and squeeze 1 large lemon (about 2-1/2 tbsp ) in as well. Turn the blender on and add the melted clarified butter slowly and let rock for a few moments until smooth. Add ¾ cup boiling water slowly to the blender while it’s running and blend again til smooth.
Pour Hollandaise into a heavy ceramic saucepan and put over low heat. Stir til the Hollandaise thickens, may take about ten minutes. (if you don’t have the ceramic saucepan, put in double boiler over medium heat and stir til thick.) You can make this ahead and keep in the refrigerator. I am not speaking from experience here, but it can be done. If the sauce curdles while it is heating over low, add an ice cube and remove from heat. Beat til sauce goes back together. It has gotten too hot and the butter has melted.
Adjust seasoning, lick the spoon and serve with a perfectly steamed artichoke for a decadent dinner.
Makes 1 pint.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Anchor Bar Buffalo Chicken Drummettes
What better way to celebrate the possibility of snow last weekend than with two people who grew up in knee deep snow. Both from upstate New York, adventurous cooking buddies who know how to eat.. witness other feastings with them. This time the decision was made to do casual food ahead of time. Sit around and munch and laugh and will it to snow in a place that when it does time stops and grocers celebrate.
Well, we willed it to snow, but apparently our aim was off. We got a dusting and one county to the south of us got 9 inches.
I guess we need to do a bit of adjusting on our mental "wishforsnownometers."
The food was divine: Buffalo chicken wings perfectly cooked.. the recipe from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo…crispy hot spicy and divinely cooled off with celery sticks and creamy blue cheese dressing.
And….the best ribs ever…which seem to taste better in the dead of winter than in the summer..spicy, sweet, sticky … a chunky potato salad and wine, red and white and flowing in all directions.
Snow?
Who needs it!
Anchor Bar Buffalo Chicken Drummettes
from Charley's recipe box
36 chicken drummettes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp coarse salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1-½ tbsp white vinegar
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp coarse salt
6 tbsp Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce
6 tbsp unsalted butter
Celery sticks
Blue Cheese Dressing (we used Marzetti’s Gorgonzola because we love it)
Preheat oven to 425.
Toss the drummettes in a large bowl with the oil and a tsp of salt. Put the drummettes into a large plastic bag and add the flour. Shake well, and remove the drummettes from the bag. Shake off excess flour and place on foil lined baking sheet making sure you don’t crowd them. Bake for 20 minutes, turn and bake for 20 more minutes until the drummettes are golden brown and cooked through.
Mix sauce ingredients and heat over low til simmers, and remove from heat.
Transfer drummettes to large bowl and pour sauce over, coating well and serve.
Can be reheated for 15 minutes in 350 oven before serving.
Serves 6.
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Queen Creole Sauce
I think Paul Prudhomme rocks.
He does.
Think about it.
However many years ago he wrote Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and changed the way people thought about food.
Louisiana food.
He made it accessible, he made it easy and you know the dairy farmers had to be happy about the amount of butter he called for in every recipe.
Wallpaperers were happy too. I had to rewallpaper my kitchen after blackening redfish one night.
Surely other people had the same experience I did.
Red beans and rice became a staple all over the country.
Jambalaya too.
But for me, the best thing Paul Prudhomme did was introduce me to Creole Sauce.
It’s happy with chicken, shrimp, sausage, pork, fish…it’s universal. It takes the great triumvirate of green bell peppers, onions and celery to a whole new art form. And when you throw in bay leaves, white pepper, sweet hot smoked paprika (my touch), cayenne, basil, oregano, thyme (another triumvirate unto itself) you can turn a plain old dinner into something to behold.
That’s why I call her the Queen.
Make some soon.
Keep it in the freezer for a night when you don’t want to cook but want to impress.
For example a little chorizo, a little shrimp, a little rice and the Queen Creole Sauce. you’ll knock ‘em dead.
God save the Queen.
Queen Creole Sauce
Adapted from Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen
A couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil ( you can use 4 tbsp butter like Paul, but if not….)
3/ 4 cup chopped sweet yellow onion
3/ 4 cup chopped celery
3/ 4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1 large spoonful garlic confit, chopped
1 cup chopped San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup juice from the can of tomatoes (make sure the juice is thick or use a decent jarred tomato sauce)
1 1-/2 cup chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper and coarse salt to taste
1/ 4 tsp ground white pepper
2 bay leaves
½ heaping tsp dried sweet basil
½ heaping tsp smoked sweet paprika
½ heaping tsp dried Turkish oregano
½ heaping tsp dried French thyme
A big pinch of sugar
A good swirl of Tabasco
Put a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and throw in the onion, green bell pepper and celery and cook til onion is translucent. Add all the seasonings, stir and let it cook for a few minutes. Add the garlic confit, tomatoes and cook for five minutes and then add the tomato sauce, sugar, chicken stock and Tabasco. Let cook for about 25 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Makes about 3 cups.
Freezes like a dream!
Click here for a printable recipe!
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Claudia's Osso Buco
I am a huge fan of Osso Buco.
HUGE FAN.
I have made variations of this for years. However, in my entire history of
osso-buco-ing, there is one version that stands out.
In its own field.
And it’s this one from cookeatFret.
You know Claudia, if you don’t, you need to.
This chick can cook.
Especially rustic Italian. Her specialty.
Simple.
Easy.
Legendary.
Follow this recipe to the letter. I did not change one thing. I even served the green beans with it.
You make this, people will talk about it for years.
I know, I made this last year.
They’re still talking.
Claudia's Osso Buco from cookeatFret
veal shank sliced in 2 - 3 inch pieces
2 - 3 T olive oil
flour for dredging
salt and pepper
3 ounces pancetta - finely chopped
6 or 7 anchovies - finely chopped
white wine - 1 cup
veal or chicken stock - about 2 cups
lightly flour the shank pieces and lightly salt and pepper
brown the shanks well on both sides in the olive oil
remove to a plate and set aside
add the pancetta to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on low to medium heat
add the anchovies for about another 3 minutes and then the garlic for another 2
deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce it down almost all the way
add back the veal and cover the meat halfway with the stock
cover the pan and simmer for 90 minutes
remove the shanks carefully - i didn’t tie mine and they held together just fine
strain the liquid that’s left in the pan (i saved the pancetta pieces for a pizza later in the week)
and then return strained liquid - i had about 2/3 cup - to the pan and add about 2 or 3 T butter to make a sauce.
Serves 2 happy humans!
Click here for a printable recipe!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Garlic Confit
Ok it’s true. I’m a nut for garlic confit.
I use it constantly.
I can’t help it.
It’s my most favorite discovery in years…well, other than Groom, but that’s a different story. Yes, I did blog about it last year, but the requests from readers and friends led me to make it the subject of its own post. It is most definitely post-worthy.
It’s quick, easy to make and the benefits are huge.
You get wonderful garlic oil that can go in salad dressings, or drizzled over home fries, brushed on grilled lamb chops…or even swirled through a bit of cream cheese (it was late and we were hungry!).
Not to mention soft sweet garlic cloves that mush beautifully in tomato sauce, or thrown artfully on a pizza, or stuffed in tomatoes topped with grated Manchego cheese and bread crumbs for a quick broiling to accompany roast chicken. I’ve swirled it into macaroni and cheese that is made by someone other than myself and has been known to be a lifesaver.
I could go on forever, but you need to get out and get a bag o’ garlic and start your own love affair with confit.
You’ll thank me for this over and over.
Garlic Confit
Inspired by A Chicken in Each Granny Cart (thank you again, Ann)
You’ll need 20 heads of garlic, separated into cloves, paper husks rubbed off with your fingers, last husk left on.
Put into 2 quart saucepan. Cover with extra virgin olive oil.
Set over medium low heat and bring to a good simmer. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Oil will be cooled and you can test a clove to be sure it’s soft. If not, you can put back on the stove, bring up to the simmer and repeat the process. Drain the garlic, reserving the oil. Take the cloves and squeeze them into a quart jar. When you’re through with this, pour the reserved garlic oil over the cloves in the jar, put the top on it and store in the refrigerator.
I usually call for “a good spoonful of garlic confit” in the recipes on Feeding Groom. At our house, it’s a soup spoon. You’ll get to where you know how much to use. You’ll be making this as much as I do before you know it!
One Year ago on Feeding Groom
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Spinach Lasagna
I have a couple of dishes I used to make often.
Years ago.
Spinach Lasagna and Beef Stroganoff.
Both fabulous, but haven’t really come to mind to make in a long time.
You know how you find other things to cook and old standbys sometimes get lost in the shuffle.
Groom heard about my lasagna. Off and on, since we met, he has asked me to make it for him.
Sometimes not so subtle in his requests.
“ When are you going to make your lasagna?”
“I’m having knee surgery and I’ll recover faster if you make your lasagna, don’t you think?”
“We have some spinach, are you going to make lasagna? “
“Of course, if you’re not in the mood to make lasagna, I could eat Beef Stroganoff instead.”
I gave in.
I made it for him.
Now, I hear “When are you going to make it again. That was too good.”
“I’m feeling like having lasagna, what do you think?”
I froze enough to keep him at bay for a few meals.
He mentioned Beef Stroganoff today.
Help.
Spinach Lasagna
Most Liberally adapted from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas
Make sauce:
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
½ large Vidalia onion coarsely chopped
1 large spoonful garlic confit
A couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil
Handful of fresh basil
1 tbsp dried Turkish oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-½ cups San Marzano tomatoes and their juice , pureed in the food processor
1 glass red wine
Cover dried mushrooms with 1 cup boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes.
Strain through paper towel or cheesecloth, reserve broth and chop the mushrooms. In skillet heat the olive oil and when wavy add the onion. Cook, stirring until transparent and add the garlic confit.
Chop the basil and throw it in the pan with the oregano
Add the mushrooms, their broth, the tomatoes, to the pan and red wine (Beaujolais is the wine of choice for us) and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Make filling:
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
1 small spoonful garlic confit
1-½ lbs fresh baby spinach, chopped
3 large eggs
1 lb whole milk ricotta
grate about a tsp of fresh nutmeg
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ lb grated Parmesan Reggiana,
½ lb shredded whole milk mozzarella
1 pound lasagna noodles, uncooked
Put a couple of good swirls of extra virgin olive oil into a medium saute pan over medium high heat. When the oil is wavy, add the Vidalia onion and cook for about 8 minutes until soft and add the garlic confit. Lower the heat and cook for five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Chop the spinach. Whisk together the eggs and add the cheeses, nutmeg and coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the spinach and set aside.
Take a bit of olive oil and grease a large oblong pan or two small ones.
Put 3 dry lasagna noodles in pan. Then the spinach mix and then top with some tomato sauce. And repeat the layers until you have used all, ending with the tomato sauce.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil to cover the lasagna. Put olive oil on the side of the foil that will be closest to the lasagna. Bake for 45 minutes covered. Remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes or til lasagna is bubbling and hot through.
Big fat yum.
This is best the second day. It also freezes beautifully. To freeze, cut cooled lasagna into serving sizes. Wrap in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Store in plastic freezer bags. When you’re ready for some faboo lasagna, take out of freezer and remove foil and plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 400 and cook for 45 minutes or til hot through.
Serves 6
One Year Ago on Feeding Groom
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Frank's Pickled Okra
The Recipe from Cotton Country, a Junior League Cookbook
The Okra
The Long Red Chiles
The Boiling Jars
Garlic and Dill Seed
The Process Begins..
And Continues..
There's One in Every Crowd!
Ten Minutes in a Hot Bath
We're Done!
Wait for three weeks before eating. Make as many as you can. These go fast.
Happy Labor Day!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Best Ribs Ever
Yesterday I posted on something that was good for you.
Today, in honor of Labor Day, which is rapidly approaching, I am going to provide you with a rub for baby back ribs.
Which probably would not wind up in the Good For You column of foods. Or the Best Looking Food in the world column.
Best Tasting Food in the World column, absolutely.
These ribs are one of those things that you make and those that get to eat them remember them for years.
They ask you to make it.
And if you don’t make it often enough, they figure out how to make it themselves and have you over to dinner to remind you about how good they are.
These ribs are messy, taste fabulous, do not involve a grill and, after years of experience, provide the same reaction across the board from every single person after the first couple of bites.
How did you do this? This is amazing.
Well, now you know.
Enjoy.
The Best Ribs Ever
The Rub:
2-½ tbsp sugar
3 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp ground cumin
1-½ tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp medium hot chili powder
1 tbsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
2 full racks baby back ribs
The Baste:
1-¾ cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp Tabasco
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
1-½ tbsp ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 300. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with Pam. Rub both sides of the ribs with The Rub.
Heat The Baste ingredients on top of the stove and stir til sugar dissolves. Put ribs in oven and cook for 2-½ hours or til ribs reach temp of 140 degrees. Baste about every 20 minutes.
Totally enjoy!!
Serves 5.
