Sausages and Waffle Chips

I love our deep fryer!

While I planned on grilling sausages and making baked beans, I originally planned to make a bit of potato salad.  And then I looked across the room to the fryer.

Waffle Chips!

Waffle chips are easy to cut with your trusty mandoline.  Using the ripple cutting edge, it's just a matter of doing a half-turn after each cut.

Accompanying the chips were grilled Hungarian sausages and Phoebe's Baked Beans.

I really do like the fact that I can make something like waffle chips without a lot of effort - or waste.  Stove-top frying has never been something I've enjoyed.  Everything thus far has come out crisp and not even remotely greasy.

I like.

I am trying to be reasonably responsible with this thing.  I have this vision of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution where the house he went to had a deep fryer that was in constant use.  They were not a petite family.  I think if I keep that in the forefront of my mind, I won't go overboard.  I don't want to have to bury this one in the yard like they did.


Peach Pie

The baking gods were smiling down upon me for this one.  This came out just like they always should - and rarely do.

The crust was perfectly flaky (just like me!)  and the filling was rich and flavorful -and- held its shape without being pasty.  Just like it's supposed to!

I used 4 peaches and 2 apricots - because that's what was in the house.  But any combination would work.

A bit of pastry flour helps to lighten the crust a bit and make it more tender.  If you don't have any, just use the flour you have.

Peach Pie

Crust:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup pastry/cake flour
  • 2  sticks butter, frozen
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup ice water

Using a food processor, add flours, salt, and sugar.  Pulse to mix.

Chop up frozen butter and add.  Pulse until butter is incorporated and mixture looks grainy.

Slowly add ice water and pulse until mixed.

Turn out onto counter.  Press and form mixture into two disks - one larger and one smaller (bottom crust, top crust).    Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about an hour to allow the flour to properly absorb the water and to relax the gluten.

Roll out bottom crust and place in pie plate.

Make Filling.

  • 4 peaches and 2 apricots (or any combination)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut peaches into chunks.  (I very rarely peel fruit.)  Place into bowl and then add sugar, flour, and spices.  Mix very well - until filling is a bit gluey.  Add melted butter and mix well.  Pour into crust.

Roll out top crust and place over top.  Seal edges and make a decorative crimp, if desired.

Cut vent holes in top crust and bake about 1 hour to an hour and 10 minutes or so.

Cover crust with a bit of foil if it gets too brown.

Guaranteed good!

The food processor really does make the quickest and easiest pie crust.  I used to use 3:1 butter to shortening back in the day, but I've found that the all-butter food processor crust is every bit as light, flaky, and tender without the partially-hydrogenated fats.  2 tbsp butter per serving isn't exactly health food to begin with.

But boy was it good!


Stuffed Zucchini

I had a big ol' zucchini from our neighbor that was just calling to be stuffed.  I thought something simple, bround beef and a bit of cheese, some fresh herbs, would be a nice filling.  And maybe some rice on the side...

But there was that basket of tomatoes...

I didn't want to make a tomato sauce, per se, but I did want to use some of them.

A recipe was born!

Stuffed Zucchini

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 5 plum tomatoes, sliced
  • 8 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
  • asiago cheese (slices and grated)
  • 1 egg
  • fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley)
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • zucchini

Hollow out zucchini for stuffing, leaving 1/4" shell.  Add 2 tbsp (approx) shredded asiago cheese to zucchini.  Set aside.

Cook onion in a bit of olive oil until translucent.  Add garlic, then ground beef.  Cook.  Remove half the beef/onion mixture and allow to cool, a bit.  When cool, add 1 egg, salt, pepper, fresh herbs and mix well.  Stuff into zucchini on top of cheese.

Meanwhile, add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and herbs to pan with ground beef.  Cook well.  Add red wine and continue cooking.  Stir in rice, herbs, beef broth, and salt and pepepr.  Bring to boil.

Place zucchini atop rice mixture, cover, reduce heat, and let cook about 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked through.

Remove cover, place sliced cheese atop zucchini and recover for cheese to melt.

Uncover and serve.

It really was an easy meal and came out pretty good.  I probably could have seasoned the stuffing beef a bit more - maybe added some tomato paste or chopped olives, or something.  It was good, but not spectacular.

The rice, on the other hand, was stellar!  It more than made up for the blander zucchini filling - and once they were cut up, things all mixed together, anyway.

I have some couscous from Sardinia that I almost used for this, but decided I needed something a bit more special than stuffed zucchini.

More ideas to come.

And peach pie.


Braised Chicken

Fresh tomatoes from the garden, zucchini from our neighbor down the street, fried peppers in the fridge, a chicken just waiting to be braised...  A dinner was born!

I knew last night that I was making a braised chicken today.  I even had the recipe pretty much figured out.  Basic, throw-in-the-pot stuff.

I chopped an onion and sauteed it in a bit of olive oil.  I added the cut-up chicken, garlic, and red wine and let it cook down a bit.  I then added about 4 fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, chopped, chunks of zucchini, and about a cup of hot and sweet fried peppers.  On went the lid and into the oven for about 45 minutes.

I added some basil and oregano form the garden, salt, and pepper.  That was pretty much it.

I cooked up some mini rigatoni and called it dinner.

And there  were plenty of leftovers for Victor's lunch.

The peppers were really spicy and added a nice amount of heat without being overpowering.  And I  baked off the last loaf of the Olive Oil Bread .

It was a bit unseasonal, but we're still living under air conditioning.

I think tomorrow might be stuffed zucchini.


Deep-Fried Snickers Bar

If it hadn't been my birthday, I probably wouldn't have done this.  I mean, as low as they are, I do have my standards.

But standards be damned, this is one I had to try.  I'm thinking that I had one of these at the Iowa State Fair something like 17 years ago, but the old mind is kinda foggy.  I've certainly seen them made enough times, though.

The secret is to freeze the candy bar before frying and use a thicker batter than the thin beer batter we used for dinner.  I reworked it a bit - added a bit more flour, a pinch of baking powder, a bit of sugar and a drop of vanilla.

I have to admit that it was pretty good.  Not "stellar" or "fantabulous", but pretty good. The batter was good, the filling was good.  Gooey, peanuty, chocolaty...

I did enjoy it, but not enough to make one, again, I don't think.  The concept is great, but it just lacked that "wow" that I was kinda hoping for.  I'm just not sure it was worth the calories.

But that's okay.  I can now say I have made a deep-fried Snickers bar.

Another one to scratch off the bucket list.


The Birthday Boy Gets Fried

Thirty years ago, the statement would have been the same, but the means would have been quite different.  My, how things change!

Last night, Victor gave me a brand new deep fryer.  All because I had made an offhand comment that if I could have but one commercial piece of kitchen equipment at home, it would bee a deep fryer.

Now...  we have a standing rule that we don't buy each other birthday presents and we don't buy single-use kitchen gadgets.  He broke two rules.  I am quite pleased!  I was also quite oblivious.  Victor wrapped the present while I was in the office and placed it right in the middle of the living room.  I walked right through the living room into the kitchen and didn't even see it.

Clueless.

My first thought after opening it was to fry some chicken.  But I quickly changed my mind.  Onion rings, zucchini, jalapeños stuffed with cheese, and shrimp ended up being the menu.

We made a really classic batter of cake flour, beer, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley - the same recipe Victor used when he owned his restaurant on South Street.  I floured the items before battering them, and used corn flour on the onion rings.

Yum.

Everything was crispy-crunchy.  I had actually forgotten just how good - and not greasy - fried foods can be.  Hot oil is the trick, and it's hard to manage on a stove.

Everything came out perfect except the jalapeño poppers.  I put them in too fast and they stuck together a bit.   Patience has never been one of my strong points.  Oh well.  They tasted fantabulous and that's what matters.  Just hollowed out peppers with monterey jack cheese.  As basic as one can get.

This has been one of the most fun presents!  I'm thinking there's just a bazillion things we can make.  I love fritters - corn, apple, peach...  Fried calamari... Definitely more jalapeño poppers .  I'll probably come up with a different batter for those.  There's a lot of fun experimenting in store.

But tonight the final piece is something I am making once and will probably never make again.

A Deep-Fried Snickers Bar.

Because it's my birthday.


Ribs

Ribs.  Love 'em.

This afternoon, I put a rack of ribs topped with Gates Extra Hot Bar B Q Sauce into a 250° oven for about 3 hours.  They then spent aboiut 15 minutes on the grill with even more sauce.

Finally! A BBQ sauce with some heat!  I think I'm in love!

These were some smokin' good ribs!

I made up a batch of baked beans with a chopped onion, a tsp of chipotle powder, a half-cup of Memphis BBQ sauce (I have to use it up - can't throw it away!) and a can of Bush's baked beans.  They went into the oven with the ribs for about 3 hours, also.

Corn off the cob on the side.

It was mmm, mmm, good!

I think I've changed my mind on the veal scallopini tomorrow, but the pineapple cream pie is still on.


Another Cheeseburger in Paradise

Today was a fun day.

It started out with me dropping Victor off at the train so he could travel up to NYC for the day.  Since I was already in Paoli, I continued along Lancaster Avenue to Malvern - and the newest Wegmans in the neighborhood.

Great store - really shitty entrance, parking lot, and exit.  The designers really had their heads placed firmly where the sun don't shine.  There is nothing logical or intuitive or the least bit instinctive about it.  It's almost annoying enough to travel the extra time to Collegeville.  I need to make one trip down the freeway to see if it's an easier trip.  Crazy.

But I did get our shopping done, did a bit more running around, and then worked on a couple of websites for most of the day.

I'm actually teaching myself Joomla - a content management system - for a friend of mine who is a travel writer.  I'm thinking that it may be a good program for our family website, too. Later.

So...  Since Victor didn't get home until 7:30pm and I spent the day doing everything except being in the kitchen, it was burgers and fries for dinner.

Little ciabatta rolls for buns, lots of cheese, pickles, onions, tomatoes...  A sloppy, gooey mess.

Perfect.

And I'm actually off for the next two days.  Ribs and baked beans tomorrow and I need to think of something fun for my birthday on Wednesday...

Hmmm...  maybe veal scallopini and pineapple cream pie!  That was my childhood birthday dinner.  It was the one time we actually got to request a specific meal.

My mom actually made a beef marsala - veal for 6 kids was unheard of.

And speaking of... when I was older and living on my own, I asked her for the scallopini recipe.  She gave it to me and I made it a couple of times, but it was never quite like hers.

I've always been notorious for not following recipes, but I followed hers exact - but it just wasn't the same.

And then I found out why.

She left out an ingredient.  A bit of sage.

My own mother purposely left out an ingredient so mine wouldn't be as good as hers. I was shocked!

Of course I had to call her on it.

She stammered, turned every shade of red imaginable - and denied it.  DENIED IT!  Like guilt wasn't written all over her stammering blushing face.

Over the following 30 or so years, I'd bring it up every now and again just to see her squirm and turn red, again. It was always good for a few laughs.

Of course I've lost that recipe over the years  and it never made it into her cook books because of the fraud she conferred upon us, so I'll make a close approximation - with sage over extra wide egg noodles.

And laugh once again at the best mom in the world.


Caramelized Peach Upside-Down Cake

I've been lovin' the peaches.  Plums and apricots used to be my favorite summer fruits, but I just can't abide the things being sold back here.  Dry, flavorless, and never-ripening.  The peaches - yellow peaches - on the other hand, have been pretty good.

I had just a couple left and wanted to use them up for dessert tonight, so I thought I'd peruse some old Gourmet magazines.  I found a good one from 2004.

Caramelized Peach Upside-Down Cake

To prevent the caramelized peaches from sticking to the parchment paper, unmold these flavorful little cakes while they're still warm.

Active time: 50 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
  • 6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cake flour (not self-rising)
  • 1 1/4 lb medium peaches (about 4)
  • 9 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Special equipment: a muffin tin with 6 large (1-cup) muffin cups; parchment paper

preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt 2 teaspoons butter, then brush muffin cups with some of it. Chill muffin tin 2 minutes to set butter. Line bottom of each muffin cup with a round of parchment paper, then brush cups and parchment with remaining melted butter and chill 2 minutes more. Divide 1 teaspoon flour among muffin cups and shake to coat, knocking out excess flour.

Cut an X in bottom of each peach and immerse peaches in a large pot of boiling water until skins loosen, about 15 seconds. Transfer peaches with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to cool. Peel peaches, then pit and halve lengthwise. Cut peach halves lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then cut slices crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces.

Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, then stir in 3 tablespoons brown sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Carefully add a scant 2 cups peaches (caramel will splatter and sugar will seize), reserving remaining 1/3 cup peaches, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peaches are tender and caramel is syrupy, 6 to 8 minutes. Spoon cooked peaches and caramel evenly into muffin cups.

Purée reserved peaches in a blender until smooth. Beat together eggs, salt, almond extract, and remaining 6 tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until mixture is creamy and tripled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld. Reduce speed to low, then add puréed peaches and mix until just combined. Sift remaining 6 tablespoons flour evenly over egg mixture and fold in gently but thoroughly until just combined.

Spoon batter over caramelized peaches and bake until golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of a cake comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in muffin tin on a rack 2 to 3 minutes, then invert a platter over muffin tin and flip cakes onto platter while still warm. Reposition any peaches that have stuck to parchment and serve cakes warm or at room temperature.

In typical Gourmet fashion, the recipe is a bit convoluted and unnecessarily complex.  I reproduced it verbatim, so read through it first.  It's actually quite easy.

And yummy.


Moroccan Chicken on the Barbie

The temperature has dropped 30 degrees.  It's almost bearable outside.  Time to do some more grilling.

Earlier, when it was a mere 95° outside, I decided to do something Moroccan.  It was feeling like the fringes of the Sahara outside...  Well...  a Sahara with a lot of humidity, that is.  Time to visit Northern Africa.

I marinated the chicken in a Moroccan-inspired marinade...

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

And then grilled...

Side dishes were green rice and green peas with garlic and thyme. I'm doing the weekly shopping tomorrow so we're using up what's here...

But the semi-star of the show was a lovely loaf of bread.

I've been making the no-knead breads for a while now and finally got the book.  There was one recipe that really jumped out at me - Olive Oil Bread.  It's the exact same recipe - except it uses 1/4 cup olive oil for 1/4 cup of the water.

What A Difference!

I'm hooked.  I now have a new go-to recipe that I'll be playing with and tweaking as time goes by.

The crumb is much more tender.  It just made an overall better loaf in my never-humble opinion!.

Olive Oil Bread

  • 2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp yeast (2 packets)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 6 1/2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients.  Let proof about 2 hours.

Refrigerate. (Dough is ready at this point but handles better when chilled.)

Preheat oven to 450°.

Form grapefruit-sized ball of dough into loaf.

Let rise about 30 minutes.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Cool before slicing.

I can see a lot of variations on this theme coming up!


Shepherd's Pie

We eat a reasonably seasonal diet.  The heavier sauces, soups, and stews of winter give way to grilled foods, fresh produce, and generally lighter fare during the summer.  But every now and again something strikes a fancy and seasons be damned.  We're having it.

I had pulled some ground beef out of the freezer this morning thinking I would stuff zucchini for dinner.  After work today, I decided hamburgers and fries were in order.

The temperature outside is hovering just around what I imagine the third level of Hell to be.  Burgers definitely sounded better.

Victor had other ideas...

When I got home, he said he was making shepherd's pie for us.  Never being one to question someone cooking dinner, I immediately jumped on the idea.  You're cooking, I'm eating.  End of discussion!

It had tomatoes, celery, carrots, Italian green beans, peas, corn, garlic, onions, fresh herbs, and ground beef, topped with mashed potatoes and parmesan cheese.

I cleaned my plate and went back for seconds.

I contemplated thirds, but common sense roared its ugly head and I acquiesced.

Damn, it was good!

And there should be enough for lunch tomorrow and on Monday when Victor's in NYC.  I won't have to eat hot dogs all day long like I normally do when he's out of town...


Pork Chops and Peaches

I just love peaches.  And peaches on the grill just take them to another level altogether.  Love 'em.

Many moons ago, my grandmother's next door neighbor, Mrs. MacNamee, had a peach tree in her yard.  Grandma would get fresh peaches and make the best peach pies - and then give me peach pie with vanilla ice cream at breakfast.  When my mother balked, grandma would simply say "Peach danish and a glass of milk".  Grandma always won.

Years later, my sister, Arlene, lived on a peach orchard in Marysville, CA.  We would get lugs of peaches and make peach jam, peach shortcake, peach ice cream, peach pie, peach cobbler, peach salsa...  Peach anything.  And we never tired of them.  I just totally took them for granted.  And boy do I miss them.

Fast-forward to the east coast and the peaches just aren't the same.  They're good, but just not as good as getting them honestly and truly tree-ripened from the tree.

The peaches I picked up today, though, were pretty good California peaches - and they grilled really well.  They held their shape but were perfectly soft and juicy.

I filled them with Sweet Peach Chutney I got from the Virginia Chutney Company. It was pretty good.  And it's made with good, clean ingredients.  They were like having a bit of dessert with dinner.

I also topped the pork chops with a bit of the chutney after rubbing them with Sarah's Savory Sea Salt with Caribbean Spices. Peaches are a natural with Caribbean flavors.  They just work.

I heated the pasta salad I made yesterday for a side dish and dinner was served.

If only there was a piece of grandma's peach pie for dessert....