Beth's Quick Potato Casserole

Beth Dineen Engel

I made this up after eating potato casseroles at a local restaurant.

  • 1 bag hashbrown potatoes or diced potatoes
  • oil
  • 1 whole tomato
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 package of polish kielbasa (I use lite) You could also use ham or sausage of your choice.
  • vegetables of choice. ( I usually use broccoli partially cooked, carrots, zucchini, or whatever I have on hand)
  • 3/4 cup cheese of choice (I have used monterey jack, cheddar, and mozzarella)

Brown kielbasa and remove from pan. Cook hashbrowns in a small bit of oil until almost done. Add all remaining ingredients and cover. Cook on medium heat until the cheese melts which is not long. I sometimes top the plate of potatoes with a fried egg depending on how much cholesterol we want that night.

by Tim Dineen

Crab Cioppino

Tim Dineen

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
  • 750ml bottle Red wine
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • a 28-to 32-ounce can whole tomatoes including juice, pureed coarse
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 lb fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • 2 live Dungeness crabs
  • 12 small hard-shelled clams
  • 1/2 pound medium shrimp
  • 1/2 pound sea scallops
  • 1 pound scrod or other white fish fillet, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

In a heavy kettle cook garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened. Add pepper flakes and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened. Add vinegar and boil until evaporated. Add wine, oregano, and bay leaf and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in tomato puree and tomato paste, fish stock or water and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes.

Add crabs and clams and simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, transferring clams as they open to a bowl (discard unopened ones).

Transfer crabs to a cutting board and remove top shells, adding any crab liquid to soup. Halve or quarter crabs (depending on size) and reserve, with any additional liquid, in a bowl.

Add shrimp, scallops, and fish to soup and simmer, covered, 5 minutes, or until seafood is just cooked through. Stir in crabs, their liquid, and clams and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with warm, crusty sourdough french bread.

by Tim Dineen

Not Quite a Cassoulet

11-2-beans

Okay.  It's not really a cassoulet.  A cassoulet is a three-day process if you make one of the classic recipes.  As fabulous as a classic cassoulet is (and they're pretty darn fabulous!), this was done in a couple of hours - and it worked quite well.  Here is a traditional recipe that I didn't even come close to following:

Toulouse-Style Cassoulet

* Recipe by Paula Wolfert

Although there are innumerable versions of cassoulet, most are based on a stew of white beans and various forms of pork. The dish gets its name from the pot it's traditionally baked in, the cassole, which is often shaped like a wide inverted cone to insure the greatest amount of luscious crust. This version includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse.

* ACTIVE: 2 HRS 30 MIN
* TOTAL TIME: 7 HRS plus 2 days soaking and resting
* SERVINGS: 10 to 12

Ingredients

1. 2 fresh ham hocks
2. 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
3. 6 ounces fresh pork skin with 1/4 inch of fat attached
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. 2 pounds dried Tarbais or cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed
6. 2 ounces salt pork, skin removed
7. 1/3 cup duck fat (see Note)
8. 3 small carrots, thinly sliced
9. 2 medium onions, diced
10. One 5-ounce piece of pancetta
11. One 5-ounce piece of prosciutto
12. 1 head of garlic, unpeeled, plus 4 small garlic cloves, peeled
13. 1 large plum tomato, chopped
14. 2 quarts plus two cups chicken broth
15. Bouquet garni: 4 parsley sprigs, 3 small celery ribs, 2 thyme sprigs and 1 bay leaf, tied with string
16. 6 duck confit legs
17. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
18. 1 pound French-style fresh pork sausages, such as saucisses de Toulouse, pricked with a fork
19. 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Directions

1. Put the ham hocks, pork shoulder cubes and skin in a large dish; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In a bowl, cover the beans with 3 inches of water and soak overnight.
2. The next day, in a medium saucepan, cover the salt pork and the seasoned skin with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over moderate heat until the skin is supple, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool. Refrigerate the salt pork. Cut the pork skin into 5 long pieces, roll each piece into a bundle and tie with string.
3. Dry the ham hocks and pork shoulder cubes with a paper towel. In a very large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the duck fat. Add half of the pork cubes and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned all over; transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pork cubes. Add the ham hocks to the casserole and brown them lightly. Add the carrots and onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden, about 7 minutes. Add the pancetta and brown it lightly. Add the prosciutto, the head of garlic and the tomato and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 2 quarts of the broth, the bouquet garni, pork skin bundles and the browned pork and its juices and bring to a boil. Cover the casserole and gently simmer the ragout over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Drain the beans. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with water and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer the beans for 3 minutes, then drain. Add the beans to the ragout and simmer until the beans are just tender, about 2 hours. Let the ragout cool, then refrigerate overnight.
5. Remove as much of the solidified fat as you can from the surface of the ragout; reserve 1/4 cup of the fat. Let the ragout return to room temperature. Pick out the ham hocks, pancetta and prosciutto. Cut the meats into bite-size pieces; discard the bones, skin and gristle. Pick out the pork skin bundles and the head of garlic and reserve. Discard the bouquet garni.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°. Bring the ragout to a simmer. Cut the blanched salt pork into small pieces. Squeeze the cooked garlic cloves into a food processor. Add the salt pork and the raw garlic cloves and process to a smooth paste. Stir the paste into the ragout and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in all of the cooked and cured meats.
7. Meanwhile, arrange the duck confit legs in a baking dish and roast just until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the bones in large pieces. Cut the skin into strips. Discard the bones.
8. Turn the oven down to 325°. Untie and unroll the pork skin bundles. Line the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart earthenware casserole with the pork skin, fat side down. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer half of the ragout to the earthenware casserole. Top with the duck confit in an even layer, then cover with the rest of the ragout. Add the remaining 2 cups of broth to the cooking liquid in the cast-iron casserole and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour the liquid over the ragout and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved skimmed fat. Bake the cassoulet for 1 1/2 hours.
9. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet. Add the sausages and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over. Let cool, then cut the sausages into 3-inch pieces.
10. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°. Gently stir in the skin that has formed on the cassoulet. Nestle in the sausages and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved fat. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour longer, until it is richly browned on the surface. Transfer to a cloth-lined rack and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

That's the long version.  Duck fat.  Duck confit.  Sausages, prosciutto, pancetta, pork shoulder, ham hocks... You know it has to just rock.  But realistically?!?  I don't see myself gathering the ingredients to make it at home.

So...

Into my cassole, I put 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks, 2 chopped shallots, a handful of sliced mushrooms, and 2 sliced sausages in a bit of olive oil.  I cooked the veggies and sausage until shallots were translucent and added a half-cup of white wine.

After cooking it down a bit, I added 2 cans of white beans, a can of diced tomatoes, and some herbs d'Provence, salt, and pepper.

On went the lid and into a 250° oven for about 3 hours.

I did plan on adding breadcrumbs to the topping, but time got away from me and I totally forgot.

Not exactly a French classic, but the concept was there.  And it was simple, warming, nutritious - and quite good!

Victor has luncheon leftovers!

by Tim Dineen

30 Minute Paella

9-12-paella

Hot out of the oven paella!  It doesn't get much better than this - unless it was hot out of the oven chocolate gooey something.  But since that's not really a huge part of the diet regime right now, I'll go with the paella!

And I'm rather glad we did.  It was really good!

I really did try to make just enough for the two of us, but ended up with dinner for two - plus lunch.  I even had to get a larger pan.  But... we didn't eat it all, so that's a good thing!

30 Minute Paella

  • 1 boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
  • 2 links chorizo, sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas

Heat oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole or paella pan over high heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken and chorizo and cook until browned.

Add rice smoked paprika, saffron, and cayenne. Stir well to coat rice. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add frozen peas, and tomatoes.  Bring back to a boil.

Transfer pan to oven and cook uncovered until rice is tender and no liquid remains, about 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!

It really was simple - and the smoked paprika really makes the difference!  I received a small shipment of goodies from Atlantic Spice on Friday - cocoa powder and coconut to get ready for the holidays, garlic powder (because I use it in everything) and smoked paprika, because I was out - and only having Hungarian and Spanish paprikas without having a smoked Spanish variety as well is... well...  it's just sad.  Besides, a full pound of smoked paprika is only $8.20.  It's a deal.

Splitting this into three portions, a quick nutritional analysis brings it to under 600 calories per portion - definitely not bad for us.

I'm starting to like this cooler weather.

by Tim Dineen

Beef Pot Pie

We had pie crusts at work yesterday for the first time in forever, so I had to pick up a couple of packages.  I know I constantly and continually rant and rave about scratch cooking and processed foods, but every now and again I have to eat my words, so to speak.  Good-quality pie crusts are a great thing to have in the freezer.

The filling was pretty much a basic beef stew simmered for several hours and then ladled into a crust-lined plate, topped with another crust, and brushed with an egg.

It went into a 400° oven for about 30 minutes and dinner was served!

2-22-pot-pie-2

There's enough left for at least another meal.

Life is good.

by Tim Dineen

Pheasant with Figs and Apricots

Back when we lived in San Leandro, our next door neighbor, Bruce, belonged to a hunting club.  Every now and again during season, he would show up on our doorstep with fresh pheasants.  I LOVED those birds.  They were all cleaned and dressed.  All I had to do was figure out how I was going to cook them.  I loved it.  We found one particular recipe from Lidia Bastianich that we liked and made it often.  We made it for my family one holiday and my nieces and nephews asked for it every time we had them over for dinner.  It was a hit.

Alas, we moved and the free birds were no more.  Until today.

I've been chatting with one of our customers, Bob, for quite a few years, now.   Bob is a fairly local guy who has been hunting locally all of his life.  He's watched the area go from wide open and wild to housing developments, and the animals go from free range and wild to hemmed in by housing and traffic.  He's a fun guy to talk with.  I'm not a hunter myself, and am generally anti-gun, but understand the difference between hunting and eating the catch, and shooting animals out of airplanes and helicopters.  Hunting rifles and AK-47's are different.  And I most definitely like the taste of food that didn't come from a refrigerated dislpay case in a supermarket.

So... enter Bob today, with six beautiful pheasant breasts!  I was psyched!  There was no question that we were eating pheasant tonight.  My only dilemna was how...

The Lidia recipe is fairly time consuming, I think - it's been a while since I made it (Victor's mom's 75th Birthday party.  I paid $20 bucks a piece for 4 pheasants at Genuardi's...)  Soi I did a quick search on Epicurious.  This recipe came up:

Roasted Scottish Pheasants with Apricots and Dates '21' Club

Gourmet | November 1995

  • 1/2 cup dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 large limes)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • two 2 1/2- to 3-pound pheasants (preferably wild Scottish)*
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
  • 2 bay leaves
  • vegetable oil for brushing pheasants
  • 1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped
  • Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs

In a small heatproof bowl cover apricots with boiling water and soak 10 minutes. Drain apricots and cut into quarters. In a small saucepan simmer wine, liqueur, lime juice, and sugar 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cut off legs of pheasants and reserve for another use. Sprinkle pheasants inside and out with pepper and salt to taste. Put 1 teaspoon thyme and 1 bay leaf in cavity of each pheasant and close cavities with skewers or toothpicks so that pheasants hold their shape.

Brush pheasants with oil and in a roasting pan arrange, breast side down. Roast pheasants 20 minutes and discard any fat in roasting pan. Turn pheasants over and to pan add apricots, wine mixture, and dates. Roast pheasants, adding about 1/2 cup water if all liquid evaporates, 25 minutes more, or until thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast registers 160°F. Let pheasants stand 10 minutes.

Transfer pheasants to a cutting board and cut each in half. Serve pheasants with apricot date sauce and garnish with thyme.

A typical Gourmet recipe.  Convoluted and time-consuming.  But I liked the sauce concept.  I'm a sweet/savory kind of guy.

So.....  here's what I did:

I pulled the meat from the bone, checking for shot (Bob said there may be a little, so be wary.)  Into a skillet it went with a bit of olive oil and shallots.

After it browned a bit, I added:

  • 2 cups red wine
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • juice of 1 orange
  • splash of lime juice
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup dried figs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp herbs d'provence

I let it simmer a bit but it wasn't quite there.  I added an 8oz can of tomato sauce and a handful of oil-cured olives to cut the sweetness a bit, and let it cook down and thicken.

All I can say is "wow."  It came our really good!  I wanted to serve it over spaghetti - and didn't have any in the house!  (I had angel hair, 2 types of fettuccine, ziti, mostaccioli, and half a dozen others - but no spaghetti.)  So, fettuccine it was.  And a damn fine choice, I might add!

There is enough left for Victor to have lunch tomorrow, too.  Always a bonus.  Thanks, Bob!

Now I think I'm going to go in and make a pumpkin pie.

by Tim Dineen