Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms, Cranberries, and Pecans
'Tis the season for Brussels Sprouts!
I do realize that gastronomically speaking, I can be a bit strange. It's not really my fault, though. I blame my mother. The very first solid food I ate as an infant was a chili bean. Yes, I was a second child. As is typical, my mother was your basic neurotic with my older brother - the firstborn. By the time I came along three years later, she had relaxed, a bit.
That chili bean led to a life of gastronomic debauchery. My favorite vegetable growing up was the lowly brussels sprout. The came in a flat square box - Lady Lee brand - probably something like 10 boxes for a dollar. They were over-cooked little orbs of cabbageness. Fabulous.
Imagine my delight when I found fresh brussels sprouts that could be cooked in so many different ways than those frozen squares. Practically miraculous.
Yesterday I bought a huge stalk of fresh sprouts and tonight did a quick saute of sprouts, mushrooms and some other fun things. Served with creamy cheesy polenta and a simple chicken breast. Gastronomic Heaven.
Measurements are a bit loose because I just pulled a few off the stalk, but the method works for any amount.
Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms, Cranberries, and Pecans
- 2 cups brussels sprouts, sliced thin
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup broth
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
Thinly slice sprouts. Add to skillet with a bit of olive oil and saute a few minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms begin to brown. Add broth, bring to boil, and then simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Drizzle a tsp of apple cider vinegar. Add cranberries and pecans. Heat through. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.
The chicken was started in a skillet and finished under the broiler. The polenta was 2 cuops of milk, 1/2 cup polenta, and when cooked, a bit of cheese stirred in.
Simple and tasty!
Steaks on the Barbie
An absolutely gorgeous day. Low 70s and a slight breeze. No humidity. I could get used to this. Alas, it shan't last, but I'm taking advantage of it while it's here. Windows are open and the grill has been used.
Tonight was a couple of strip steaks. Salt and pepper - nothing else. A couple of potatoes, cubed and roasted in the oven - with olive oil, salt, and pepper. And French-cut green beans with butter, salt, and pepper.
It was a salt-and-pepper sort of night.
We both bemoan single-use kitchen gadgets, yet we seem to have an awful lot of them. Tonight I broke out one of my more favorite ones - a string bean slicer and stringer.
I do have to admit I haven't seen a string bean in quite a while. They've mostly been bred out of existence, I think. I remember stringing beans as a kid. It was some tedious work. Not difficult, but every damned bean had to be done by hand. I got pretty good at it pretty fast. Fast-forward many years, and I'm still doing beans by hand - but this time with a French green bean cutter.
I really have no idea where I got it or how long I have had it, but it's one of the best single-use kitchen gizmos around! Just feed the bean in and pull it through. If you have string beans, it will string it for you as it goes through. Way cool.
The beans come out great and besides a great side dish, make for a great cold bean salad.
And I think at some point I'm going to have to soften my stance on single-use gadgets. We just have too many of them to be taken seriously about it...
Homemade Bread and Soup
The weather was juuuuust cool enough yesterday to warrant a pot of soup and a loaf of bread. Every season has its food benefits, but Fall has soups and stews - some of my favorite things. Soups around here are clean-out-the-refrigerator meals, for the most part. While I do have a few soups that call for specific ingredients, they usually are concoctions of what is in the house. They're fun, because they're never quite the same from batch to batch.
I strained that big batch of pumpkin puree and had close to a quart of pumpkin juice left. (I drained it overnight in a cheesecloth-lined colander.) That went into the broth right off the bat. Along with some beef, beef broth, carrots, rice, black and white barley, celery, beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, garlic, spinach, yellow hominy, and pasta. I added a bit of French herbs, salt, and pepper.
It came out great.
And then we had a great loaf of bread...
It's a really easy James Beard recipe I've used for years. And years. Really versatile, I braided this loaf and added the sesame seeds.
James Beard French-Style Bread
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/2 cup rye flour
- 3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
- 1 egg white, mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
Directions
Combine the yeast with sugar and warm water in a large bowl and allow to proof. Mix the salt with the flour and add to the yeast mixture, a cup at a time, until you have a stiff dough. Remove to a lightly floured board and knead until no longer sticky, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1½ to 2 hours.
Punch down the dough. Turn out on a floured board and shape into a long, French bread-style loaf. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal but not buttered. Slash the tops of the loaf diagonally in two or three places, and brush with the egg wash. Place in a cold oven, set the temperature at 400°, and bake 35 minutes, or until well browned and hollow sounding when the top is rapped.
It takes no time at all to make and always is a hit!
I see a lot more of this in our future...
Fairytale Pumpkin
In a few hours it will officially be Autumn. Time for pumpkin!
I do have to admit that I like my pumpkin - in soups, stews, pies, breads, cakes - you name it, I like it! So... It actually makes sense to buy a pumpkin, roast it and puree it. For seven bucks I can get pumpkin for most of the year.
Contrary to popular belief, these strange pumpkins you may see in the grocery store are very edible. The two most popular varieties are Cinderella and Fairytale. Both are French heirloom pumpkins and both have a deep orange flesh and slightly-sweet taste.
Those big orange pumpkins you see are raised to be jack-o-lanterns. They are edible - but barely. They're not going to make a decent pie or soup, so skip them for eating - they're for cutting up and decorating.
Speaking of cutting up...
Here's the inside of the pumpkin. You need a big, sharp knife.
I cut it into wedges, scooped out the seeds, and placed them on sheet pans. They went into a 350° oven for about an hour. I didn't salt, oil, or otherwise do anything to the pumpkin at all. I was just looking for puree at this point. The flavorings will come from whatever I decide to make.
They really filled the house with the smell of Fall.
When they completely cooled, I scraped the flesh into the food processor and smooshed away. It took about six batches to get it all.
It made a huge bowl of puree that I will freeze tomorrow in about 2-cup portions. Unfortunately, canning pumpkin is not recommended at home, otherwise I'd be filling Mason jars right now instead of typing.
Let's see how long this lasts.....
Butternut Squash Risotto
I didn't have a plan for dinner tonight, but when I saw a big ol' display of butternut squash, an idea started forming... I know it's not quite fall, but I was really jonesin' for butternut squash. It's the perfect fall food. With an almost-chill in the air, it was time. I made a butternut squash risotto last year at this time. It was time for another.
I still have Vialone Nano rice from Italy, so that was my risotto rice of choice. It is seriously a fool-proof risotto rice. Perfect every time.
I'm thinking a butternut squash soup in the near future. Maybe Sunday on the first full day of autumn.
Butternut Squash Risotto
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 chicken breast, chopped
- 2 chopped shallots
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano)
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 6 cups hot chicken broth
- sage
- salt and pepper
Coat cubed squash with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on sheet-pan in 425° oven for about 25 minutes. Set aside.
Saute shallots in a bit of olive oil and butter in a risotto-style pan. Add chicken and brown. Add, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until vegetables are wilted and fragrant.
Add 1 cup rice and continue sauteing until rice is slightly translucent. Add 1 cup broth and stir until most of broth is absorbed. Continue stirring and adding broth until about 3/4 has been added.
Add roasted butternut squash, mashing some with spoon as you stir.
Continue adding broth until rice is tender.
Stir in parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.
It was another hit. Creamy, rice with just the right bite to it, and enough different flavors and textures to make it interesting.
Lovin' the weather!
Not Quite Italian Ravioli
This is one of those meals that was created because of the ingredients I had. And I'm thinkin' I should have these ingredients around all the time!
There has been one rather large strip steak languishing in the freezer for a while. All by itself, I'd just move it out of the way as I added or removed things. Until last night. I decided it was time to cook that sucker.
My first thought was making a simple beef stroganoff - I had the ingredients - but after starting, I decided beef, mushrooms, and mushroom ravioli would be more fun! I had those ingredients, too.
I sauteed the beef in a bit of olive oil and then added the mushrooms. I let it all cook down really well, and then added a splash of soy sauce and a splash of worcestershire sauce. I then added maybe a cup of beef stock and let it all heat together. When it was boiling, I added a bit of cornstarch to thicken.
In went the cooked ravioli, mixed well - and yum.
A pretty quick off-the-cuff dinner.
Freezing Greens
As Kermit told us so many years ago... It's not easy being green.
It's especially not easy if you're a big, green, leaf. Outside of the South, collards and other greens just don't have the appeal - or history - that other foods have. In the grocery stores, the big, fresh, leafy greens passed over for pre-cut, pre-chopped, and pre-washed bags of limp lettuce that probably have less nutritional value than the plastic they're packaged in. Because we know all about "today's busy lifestyles."
So I was thrilled to receive a big bunch of collards and brussels sprout leaves from our neighbor and friend, Anne. Fresh from her garden.
I knew I wasn't going to be using them right away, and I also knew I wasn't letting them go to waste. This is where the FoodSaver comes into play!
We bought the FoodSaver years ago so we could vacuum-pack things in manageable quantities as well as take advantage of sales and deals on things that a mere two people could not immediately consume. It has paid for itself over and over.
Taking care of the greens was easy. First, I removed the tough center rib. Then, I chopped the leaves into manageable sizes. I dropped them into a pot of boiling salted water to blanch and set their color. I let them cook a few minutes to help reduce their natural bitterness.
From the pot they went into the food processor.
They received a really good chop - just short of a puree - and from there, went into freezer bags.
These are going to be excellent in pots of soup this winter. When my body is craving greens and vitamins k, a, and c, we will have the perfect ingredient right in the freezer.
And this works for anything that comes out of your garden, neighbors, or CSA. We have tomatoes for later in the winter - I refuse to buy Florida tomatoes - and a few other odds and ends that make the winter soups and stews interesting!
And ya know... if you don't have a vacuum sealer, you can still freeze things with ziplock freezer bags.
No excuses.
Apple Upside-Down Cake
One of my most-favorite cakes is Pineapple Upside-Down cake. Well--- just about any upside-down cake will do. There's something about that caramelized fruit-and-cake combination that just gets me every time.
So you can imagine my delight when the latest issue of Fine Cooking magazine arrived and it had a recipe for an Apple Upside-Down cake. I knew at some point I would have to make it.
That point became today since we're heading over to Victor's family for Sunday Dinner.
We've been eschewing the desserts around here in an attempt to cut out sugar and lose a few pounds - and it's been working. But once a baker, always a baker. I want to bake even if I'm not going to devour the whole thing. besides - bringing a dessert means I can have a taste and leave the rest...
The recipe was a bit convoluted and I made a mess that impressed even me - the Mess King (or Queen depending upopn your take...)
But it cake out great. It's worth the several dirty pots, bowls, pans, and other paraphernalia!
Apple Upside Down Cake
adapted from Fine Cooking magazine
For the apples
- 2 lb. (about 4 large) sweet apples that hold their shape when cooked (such as Braeburn, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold), peeled, quartered, and cored, each quarter sliced into 3 wedges
- 1 large lemon, finely grated to yield 1 Tbs. zest (reserve for the cake) and squeezed to yield 1 Tbs. juice
- 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- Pinch table salt
For the topping
- Unsalted butter, softened, for the pan
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
For the cake
- 4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp. table salt
- 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and slightly softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Prepare the apples
In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice.In a heavy skillet, cook the butter over medium heat about 4 minutes. Add the apples and salt and toss gently until well coated. Cook, stirring gently, until some of the apples begin to brown and any liquid has evaporated about 10 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Make the topping
Butter a 9x2-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment, and butter the parchment.Put the sugar, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup water in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the caramel begins to color; then swirl the pan until the caramel turns an even, deep amber, about 3 minutes. Immediately pour the caramel into the prepared cake pan, swirling to evenly coat the bottom. Let cool.
Starting in the center of the pan, arrange the cooled apple slices on the caramel in slightly overlapping circles. Set aside.
Make the cake
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350°.Blend the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt.
Beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl and beater. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl and beater.
With the mixer on medium speed, slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, taking 20 to 30 seconds to add it. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until pale and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping once to scrape the bowl and beater.
Add the egg and beat on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the yolks and beat until incorporated, 1 minute. (It’s OK if the batter looks curdled.)
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and the milk in two additions; scrape the bowl and beater as necessary and mix each addition just until smooth.
Spread the batter evenly over the apples. Tap the pan down on the counter once or twice to settle the batter. Bake until the cake springs back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes.
Invert the cake onto a cake plate and slowly remove the pan and the parchment. Let the cake cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Slightly convoluted, but worth it!
Cheese Tortellini with Chicken
I had a hankerin' for pasta but had taken a couple of chicken breasts out of the freezer. The only sensible thing to do in a situation like that is to take the chicken and make a nice, creamy sauce to go with the pasta.
And being the ever-sensible person that I am, that's exactly what I did!
Yes, sensibility abounds in the Dineen/Martorano household. Well... at least it does in my mind - and that's really the only thing that matters, right?!? Right.
So... donning my sensibility cap, I started out.
Into the pot went the tortellini. They take about 8 minutes to cook.
I cut up the chicken into small cubes - maybe 1/2" - and quickly sauteed them in a drizzle of olive oil. I minced a garlic clove and added that to the skillet, and then chopped a couple tablespoons of sun-dried tomatoes in oil and added them.
I then added about 3/4 cup of heavy cream and a pinch of salt and pepper. I let it boil and thicken while I drained the pasta.
I added a hefty handful of freshly-grated pecorino romano, stirred it in, and then added the tortellini.
Simplicity.
It definitely came out good. The sauce thickened nicely and the tomato and cheese - and garlic - added a nice bite.
And it took less than 15 minutes to get it on the table!
So sensible.
Pork Tenderloin
After making a ton of Apricot Pepper Jelly, the question ofttimes asked is... "What do I do with it?" Why... you top a lovely pork tenderloin with it, says I!
And that is precisely what I did!
This stuff came out good! It packs juuuuuust enough of a punch to be interesting, without searing your taste-buds to smithereens. I didn't do anything special to the pork - just a bit of S&P before putting it on the grill.
I'm thinking there are a lot of things that can be done with this stuff... And I'm already working on a Thanksgiving hors d'oeuvre...
I'm lovin' me some peppers!
Canning Peppers
We definitely have a bumper-crop of peppers, this year! Jalapeños, cowhorns, cayenne, bell... They've just been doing great. of course, two people can only eat so many peppers at one time - and they're ripening faster than we can consume.
The obvious thing is to can them. And that's just what I've started doing.
Monday, I started with a concoction of cowhorns and cayennes. I sliced them up - seeds and all - packed them into 1/2-cup jars, and pickled them. Really easy...
Canning is not difficult. You just need to pay attention and make sure everything you're using is clean.
Hot Pickled Peppers
(makes about 10 1/2-cup jars
- 4 lbs assorted hot peppers
- 4 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 tsp kosher salt
Wash and cut peppers to desired size. (I made rings. )
Pack peppers into mason jars leaving about 1/2" headroom.
Combine and heat sugar, salt, vinegar, and water. Bring to boil and then simmer about 5-6 minutes.
Pour over peppers, leaving the same 1/2" headroom.
Wipe rims of jars, top with lids and rings.
Process in a boiling water bath about 10 minutes.
That's it!
I had some on a hot dog today and they came out G-O-O-D! Some of them may be going out as Christmas presents...
There's a lot more peppers. I know I'll be canning more...
Another thing I wanted to make was a pepper jelly. Our friend, Trevor, made an excellent pepper jelly a while back - you can read all about it here and here - and I've been thinking about making a version ever since. With our current plethora of peppers, I decided today was the day.
Since apricots are one of my more favorite fruits, I though an apricot pepper jelly would be fun. When cooking or baking, I generally go for a California slab apricot because they're so sweet, but because I was going to add a ton of sugar, I went for an organic Turkish apricot. A lot of flavor but not quite as sweet.
This was fun because again, all the peppers came from our backyard.
Apricot Pepper Jelly
(makes about 14 1/2-cup jars)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped jalapeño peppers
- 2 cups white balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 pkg powdered fruit pectin
Cover apricots with boiling water and let sit for about 10 minutes. Drain.
Finely mince apricots and peppers in food processor along with 1 cup of the vinegar.
Mix pectin with 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add it, along with the pepper mixture and remaining vinegar to saucepan. Heat to boil, stirring occasionally.
Add remaining sugar, stirring well, and let boil at a full rolling boil about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, skim foam from top, and place in hot sterile jars.
Wipe rims, top with lids and rings, and process in boiling water bath about 15 minutes.
This one also came out stellar!
I'm going to serve it atop a pork tenderloin tonight... More on that, later.
If you're new to canning or need some tips, here's a good place to check out... The National Center for Home Food Preservation.
And have fun!
Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Escarole and Cannellini Beans
I decided to do my weekly grocery shopping this morning, since I have things to do tomorrow. Instead of a clean-out-the-refrigerator meal, we had a real one from scratch. What a concept!
I had recently seen a recipe for escarole and cannellini beans and as I was browsing the fresh produce, there was a head of escarole. Part of dinner was done!
I then noticed a really small piece of fresh farmer's cheese and the rest of dinner fell into place.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts and Escarole and Cannellini Beans.
Can we say "yum" boys and girls?!?
The chicken was totally no-brainer. I took the cheese and added some fresh chopped parsley and a clove of minced garlic - and a bit of black pepper. I made a deep slit into the chicken breasts and packed the cheese in... At the last minute I sprinkled panko breadcrumbs on top, but they weren't really necessary. Into a 375° oven for about 30 minutes.
The escarole and beans was even easier! I rinsed the leaves, did a rough chop, and placed them into a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of butter - and a clove of minced garlic. When they had cooked down a bit, I added a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans and a pinch of salt and pepper. That was it.
They went on the plate, the chicken went on top, and we had a mighty fine meal!
Other than bean salads now and again, we don't really eat a lot of beans during the summer - and I miss them. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather and a pot of beans simmering on the stove!