Roasted garlic mashed potatoes are my husband's absolute favorite food. If it's on the menu as a side, he'll order it. I make them from time to time. I go through garlic so fast that I have to mentally remember to buy an extra bulb when I'm at the grocery store. These will take a little extra time, but the results are well worth it!
If you're making these for your Valentine dinner, make them and hold in a low temp oven until you're ready to serve your main course. The potatoes can be peeled and chopped, then held in a bowl filled with water. Just keep the bowl in the fridge. This is a big time saver because peeling potatoes is a task. If you have teenagers or tweens in the house, enlist them to help you with this!
To make the roasted garlic, take a length of aluminum foil and fold in half. Cut off the top of your garlic bulb using a chef's knife. This makes it easier to get the pulp out once the garlic is roasted.
Drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Twist up the edges. This locks in the steam and flavor. Put in a 400* oven for 45 minutes to an hour.
Pull from the oven and unwrap. Let this cool down a little bit before you try squeezing otherwise you will have hot burning magma of roasted garlic on your hands and you'll be crying like a baby.
Now to extract the roasted garlic, just squeeze from the base of each clove pod. See how it squirts right out the top? You can make this roasted garlic up ahead of time and keep in a little airtight tupperware container in the fridge.
Peel and cut up enough yukon gold potatoes as you need. Here's Paige mid karate chop! She is such a great helper.
Once you've got the potatoes cut, fill the pot with enough water to cover all of the potatoes.
Put the pot on a high burner and boil until the potatoes are fork tender.
Drain the potatoes in a colander. While the potatoes drain, heat 3 Tbsp butter and 1/4 cup milk in the microwave.
Put the potatoes and all of that delicious roasted garlic in a mixing bowl and whip on high for 30 seconds. Don't over beat because it will over work the starch in the potatoes and they'll become very rubbery and glossy. If that *does* happen, add a little more milk and it should correct itself.
Season with salt and pepper and then mix again just until everything is smooth.
Transfer your potatoes to an oven safe bowl, cover with foil and put in the oven to hold (*if you're making this for the Valentine dinner).
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
.roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
.crab cakes.
I have to admit that I was never a big fan of crab cakes. I know! What's wrong with me? It's probably been in the last 3-4 years that I have actually grown to love them. I have even gotten over my fear of mustard... but only enough to use it in this recipe.
There is no wrong or right way to make a crab cake. There are a bazillion different variations out there. If you have a tried and true recipe, then stick with that one. This is one I have used quite a lot and we like it well enough. Serve with a lemon-dill cream sauce (not pictured).
Begin by making the bread crumbs. What I do is set 5 slices of bread on the counter. Let them sit out for at least 5 hours. It's better if you can let them sit overnight to dry out.
You can make these a couple of days in advance. Grate and put in a ziploc baggie.
If you have a food processor, break the bread apart and pulse away until they're "crumby". Otherwise, you have to do it the old fashioned way like I do and use a box grater.
In a blender, put 2 Tbsp parsley, 1 Tbsp red bell pepper, 1 Tbsp onion, 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper, 3 egg yolks, 1 tsp Tabasco, and 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard.
Blend blend blend. With the blender still on, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil.
Transfer the mixture from the blender to a bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup sour cream.
I like different layers of flavor and texture. I put 1 lb lump crab meat (blue crab is the best, but any will work well, except for king crab), a little chopped parsley, a little minced red bell pepper, and a little minced onion. Basically the same stuff I put in the blender, but this gives the crab cake some texture.
Dump in the aioli mixture and stir everything together.
Dump in 2 cups bread crumbs and mix everything together well.
I don't have a picture of me making the cakes because my hands were all gunked up. Not too difficult to figure out though. Just patty up some crab, then coat with the remaining bread crumbs. Put on a baking sheet.
Put these in the fridge and let firm up for at *least* 1 1/2 hours. It's better if you let them set up more than that though. They will be a little firmer before frying.
Melt 4 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Carefully place your crab cakes in the pan and fry for 4 minutes on each side.
Super blurry picture. Flip and cook on the other side.Wednesday, February 4, 2009
.creamy risotto.
Have you ever been stuck trying to figure out what kind of side dish to make? Tired of potatoes? You should try making risotto. This isn't a difficult dish to make. It takes care and time, but the results are well worth it. For those of you who were voting for the Valentine Dinner Cook-along, this was one of the items mentioned for menu #1.
Risotto is made using arborio rice, not regular long grain/white rice. Arborio is a short grain that has a lot of starch, giving it a very creamy texture when it's cooked. You can find it down the rice aisle of your grocery store, or if you have those bins where you can measure your own grains/goodies (think trail mix)... I know I can find it there too.
This dish takes about 30 minutes to make so give yourself enough time to prepare it, otherwise you'll have hard, uncooked rice. NOT what we're going for.
Begin by mincing 1-2 shallots. They give a much milder flavor than onion.
Chop up some flat leaf italian parsley.
Put 5-6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock) in a saucepan. Heat over medium and then turn to simmer. We want the liquid to stay warm.
I used one of the chicken stock boxes that you can find in the grocery store. It was the perfect amount.
Heat 4 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium/medium high heat.
Add the shallots and saute for about a minute. Don't let them burn. If you want to make mushroom risotto, add your mushrooms at this time. You could even add a little minced garlic as well.
Just as the shallots are softening, add 1 cup arborio rice. Stir the rice around so that it gets coated with butter. This will heat up the kernel and get it ready to break open when the liquid is added.
After about 2 minutes, add a ladle of chicken stock into the pan. Now you don't want the heat too high. Too high will evaporate the stock too quickly and not cook the rice enough... so be sure at this point to lower your temp to medium heat.
Stir the rice around.
When the liquid reduces down to where the rice is almost dry, it's time to add more. You don't want to add too much stock at a time. It will ruin the desired texture we're going for.
Keep adding one ladle at a time and let reduce down. Your rice will begin to double and triple, and maybe even quadruple in quantity. Make sure you stir often so the rice can cook evenly.
When you get near to adding all the remaining broth, taste it to see how the rice is cooking. When it's done, the grains will be nice and puffy and the texture of your risotto will be creamy. It will almost resemble a rice pudding consistency.
When the rice is fully cooked and isn't hard, add a handful of good quality grated parmesan cheese and the parsley. Taste the rice again. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
There's no reason to be intimidated by this dish. It is simple to make and elegant to serve. Bon Appetit!
Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_133dp2kc6x8
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
.fettuccine alfredo.
Fettuccine alfredo is one of those great foods that bring me a lot of comfort. How many of you actually make your own alfredo sauce? Do you pick up a jar or one of those DiGiorno kind in the refrigerator section of your grocery store?
I admit I used to do that... but those things cost a lot more than it takes to make your own and it's a lot better tasting because it doesn't need any preservatives to keep it fresher longer.
Let's begin with our roux (pronounced roo). In a saucepan put 1/4 cup butter, 1 clove minced garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Allow the garlic to saute for about 30 seconds.
While whisking, add 1/3 cup flour. You need to whisk so the flour doesn't clump up on you. Turn your burner down to low heat and let your roux continue to cook for awhile. The longer you let this go, the darker it will turn, and the more flavorful it will be. I had mine on th eheat for about 30 minutes. Don't forget about it. You'll need to keep stirring!
While whisking again, add 1 cup cream. If you're not counting calories or fat grams, add another 2 cups of cream. If you're like me and trying to keep things on the healthier side, after you add the 1 cup milk, add 2 cups milk.
Kick up the heat (medium high) and keep stirring while this thickens up. You want a gravy consistency so not too thick, okay?
Season well with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce at this point to adjust seasoning.
Take a BIG handful of parmesan cheese. I use a good quality parm for this because we're not trying to skimp on flavor and parmesan isn't a high fat cheese.
My little soux chef shows how thick this sauce is when it's done. It should coat the back of the spoon.. .or in our case, it is sticking nicely to the wires of my whisk.
At this stage, you can package up your sauce and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. We were having this with our pork chops the other night so I had a pot of fettuccine cooking while we made the sauce. After the pasta is cooked, drain well, and then mix with the sauce.
Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top of your fettuccine after it's been plated. Delicious! Enjoy!
Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_124g3dswxhj
Thursday, January 8, 2009
.herbed gratin potatoes.
Potatoes are such a comfort to me that I am going to have a very difficult time easing up on them this year. It's part of my New Year's resolution.. the whole weight loss thing. I have mentally chosen (CHOSEN!) to reduce portions if I make something that might not be healthy for me, chosen to work out EVERY DAY (minus weekends), and chosen to eat healthier. My family will revolt if I change everything at once so I am taking baby steps.
I am not a fan of diet programs. I have more success when I do it my way.
So anyway.. throwing all of that out the window, I made herbed gratin potatoes to go with roast chicken. I love these so much. Traditionally gratin potatoes are made with gruyere and a nice browned crust on top. I mix it up by adding tarragon, thyme, and some parmesan cheese.
Start by peeling and thinly slicing 5 white or yukon gold potatoes.
Put the potatoes in a skillet and put on medium/medium high heat.
Pour some milk into the pan, halfway up the potatoes. Then take some cream and pour enough in to reach the top of the potatoes.
Season well with salt, pepper, tarragon, and thyme.
Bring the cream to almost a boil and then turn to low heat. Stir the potatoes around to ensure they are all cooked at the same time. Let sit on low heat for about 10 minutes.
While the potatoes are on the stove, grate your parmesan cheese a nd gruyere. I use about 1 cup of each.
Butter your baking dish well and then rub a crushed garlic clove all around the edges and bottom. I left the garlic in the bottom of the baker but you can remove it if you want.
Remove the potatoes from the stove. Using a spoon, place some in the bottom of the baker and then spoon on a little of the cream.
Add a layer of parmesan/gruyere cheese. Repeat the process over and over spooning cream whenever you put in some potatoes.
Make sure when you reach the top that you have saved enough cheese to sprinkle on the surface. Put in a 350* oven for 45 minutes.
When it's done, the top will be beautifully golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving or run the risk of burning your tongue with these nuclear hot potatoes. lol
Bon Appetit!
Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_126dm2m8sfw
Thursday, October 23, 2008
.beef and butternut squash couscous.
My car has been in the shop all week so we've been relying on using Jim's car for any running around. He retires from the U.S. Navy in 8 days and has been on job hunting leave the past 3 weeks, but he had to go in this week to assist "the new guy" to get him ready for a big training that's coming up. Did I mention we're moving to New York in a month?
So anyway.. back to where I really mean for this story to go. I have basically been stranded at home with no vehicle and the only available vehicle has been taking my husband to and from work. Meaning I have to figure out meals using ingredients I have in the kitchen. It wouldn't be so bad, but I really do need to go grocery shopping. We had Jim's retirement party this past weekend and most of my good stuff went toward making food for that.
Yesterday I stood in front of my extremely messy fridge, staring into the abyss of nothingness. Can't really make much with condiments, hm? I remembered I had a little beef made for stirfry in the freezer. I didn't use all of it when I made minestrone soup for my friend last week. So I pulled that out and started thawing it.
I also had a butternut squash that I had been debating making soup with, but everybody has been making that recently and I wanted to give you all something NEW to make with it. So. Beef. Butternut Squash. I peeked in my thinning pantry (trying to use things up before the move) and found a box of Pine Nut CousCous. Yum. I'm starting to get an idea!
I noticed a jar of roasted red peppers in my fridge so I grabbed those too. Oh and I had green onion! I began my meal.
I started by making the couscous according to the directions on the package. It doesn't take that long to make, but that's okay. This was a VERY quick meal to make. We're talking under 30 minutes!
While the couscous steams on the stovetop, I sliced up one bunch (about 1/3 cup) of green onion. Slicing on the diagonal so it looks pretty.
I only needed to use the flesh of the neck on the squash. Cut it off just above the bulb part and cut the top off. Use your knife to cut off the rind.
Then dice into bite-sized cubes. Pretty easy. Man this squash smelt soooo good.
What you want to do next is cook the squash a little. Put in a small pan of water and boil for about 5 minutes.
Strain after those five minutes and let sit.
While the squash cooked and drained, I made the dressing. In a bowl put: 3 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed (see next picture), 1/4 tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, and a dash of salt. Mix everything well using a whisk.
To toast the coriander seeds, heat up a skillet. Dump in the seeds and shake to toast. You might hear tiny popping sounds as the oils start releasing. I used the side of a mug to crush them. Once crushed, dump into the dressing.
Using the same skillet you toasted the coriander in (I hate messing up more pans than necessary), put a little olive oil. Start cooking the beef and butternut squash.
Add the green onion. If you don't like onion, I really suggest you try it this time. You'll cook out a lot of the onion flavor that you probably don't like. Cook those with the meat and squash for a couple minutes.
Add a couple spoonfuls of roasted red bell pepper. Season with a little salt and pepper.
Add a small shake of red pepper flakes. You could use red chilies but I didn't have any on hand. I wanted just a little heat so I used one quick shake. Cook another minute. The heat will release the oil from those seeds.
Now add the cooked couscous to the pan and mix everything together.
If you want to get fancy, you can spoon some of this into a round shaped bowl. Press firm, and then release it onto a plate to give you a formed shape. Drizzle with dressing. Otherwise just spoon into bowls and drizzle with dressing.
The box of couscous doesn't make much. We had just enough for Jim, me, and our 7 year old. It was really good. My almost 11 month old loved it so much she ate almost half of mine!
Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_120gbgbrkg8
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