tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778255613470486362024-03-13T05:45:46.142-07:00jude's juiceJudehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-82182419139266511082013-06-15T10:50:00.000-07:002013-06-15T10:50:08.738-07:00recipe 22 lobstah<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.foodbuzz.com/" target="foodbuzz"><img alt="Foodbuzz" src="http://www.foodbuzz.com/images/foodbuzz_120x60_badge_tag.gif" style="border: currentColor;" title="Foodbuzz" /></a>Summer, lobster, need I say more...oh yes...yum! I had never made lobster at home before last summer. Dear family and I were on vacation at a favorite lake and decided to tackle the lobster. The kitchen was fully stocked with all the necessary equipment, which were so much fun to use. Now we have all seen Julie and Julia so I half expected the lobster to walk out of the pot and race across the kitchen floor, but nope all was quiet. I have since made lobster a number of times and will again tonight. Happy Father's Day.</div>
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Begin with fabulous fresh lobsters...</div>
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The fishmonger told us to put the lobster in head first.</div>
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He also said that a lobster is done when the antenna turn from brown to lobster pink/red.</div>
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Gorgeous...and delicious. The butter and lemon were not even touched as the lobster is sweet and succulent on its own. Enjoy!!!!</div>
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No book or recipe for this one....just do as above crack open and enjoy.</div>
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Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-37014473866668937812013-06-07T11:24:00.001-07:002013-06-07T17:52:04.549-07:00recipe 21 bar bq sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.foodbuzz.com/" target="foodbuzz"><img alt="Foodbuzz" src="http://www.foodbuzz.com/images/foodbuzz_120x60_badge_tag.gif" style="border: currentColor;" title="Foodbuzz"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yes, it's been a long time since I've written. However it has not been a long time since I have eaten, read about, experimented, played with, cooked, baked, served, shopped, photographed or otherwise enjoyed all the nuances associated with food. I am making pulled pork this weekend and decided it needed homemade Bar-B-Q sauce. I used to make it all the time, but haven't in a while. I'm not sure why I haven't , it's so easy and so good. Here's to more blogging in the near future! Enjoy.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB1ij0aR99g/UbIdipcyYLI/AAAAAAAAAUY/zqGo_af48qY/s1600/stuff+noras+bday+confrmation+etc+264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CB1ij0aR99g/UbIdipcyYLI/AAAAAAAAAUY/zqGo_af48qY/s320/stuff+noras+bday+confrmation+etc+264.JPG" width="320"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Blue Ribbon Cookbook is a great selection from the Blue Ribbon restaurant giants in New York City. It is a collection of recipes that the owners and authors really eat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I modified the recipe a little. (Only because I don't usually have soda in the house but found an ancient can of Dr. Pepper....also I was out of cayenne pepper so I used ancho chili powder instead.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oh...and a jalapeno instead of a serrano.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I didn't chop up the jalapeno...just sliced it as I know it is going into the pulled pork anyway. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PLK5RQHKiHI/UbIeHu6W8lI/AAAAAAAAAU4/GlTNvraWt6E/s1600/stuff+noras+bday+confrmation+etc+260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PLK5RQHKiHI/UbIeHu6W8lI/AAAAAAAAAU4/GlTNvraWt6E/s320/stuff+noras+bday+confrmation+etc+260.JPG" width="320"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bubble bubble.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's really a dark maroon potful of slow heat goodness. The peppers give it just the right amount of heat that fades away and doesn't burn you tongue.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TieFJE_WwQg/UbIiIZPDCoI/AAAAAAAAAVo/ZyoRqGwSoIs/s1600/barbq+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TieFJE_WwQg/UbIiIZPDCoI/AAAAAAAAAVo/ZyoRqGwSoIs/s320/barbq+003.JPG" width="320"></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A perfect summer hostess gift!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Recipe adapted from Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook, by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg and Melissa Clark</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3cups ketchup </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 cup pure maple syrup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3/4 cup light beer (pale ale)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 cup honey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 teaspoons hot sauce</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 teaspoon cayenne pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 serrano chile chopped</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In a heavy non-reactive saucepan over medium high heat, mix together all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered about 1 and 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Strain and if not using right away refrigerate until ready to use. Stores in fridge for a few months.....if it lasts that long.</span></div>
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Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-24153792494858333112012-04-12T13:10:00.004-07:002012-04-12T13:10:55.340-07:00recipe 20...bread...just bread..yummmm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">So the book club is back up and running. I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I love reading books chosen by people around the world. I'm sure I would never have picked up <em>"The Undomestic Goddess" </em>by Sophie Kinsella if the book club didn't lead me to it. I enjoyed it, as much as I enjoy any other chick-lit, as it was an absolute girl book. After my Italian vacation I've been reading Italian fiction as well as cookbooks....(there are many soups in my future), so the trip to England via "<em>TUG</em>"was a nice change of pace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New;">The recipe that grabbed me most was for bread, plain and simple...bread. So I've been baking, and baking, and baking. We have spread butter, homemade nutella (yum by the way), cheese, and marinated tomatoes in oil and garlic (king of the show) on the bread. We have also grabbed hunks and eaten them right down. So easy, so simple, so delicious.</span></div>
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<strong><em>SPEEDY NO-KNEAD BREAD</em></strong></div>
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by: Mark Bittman via <em>The New York Times</em></div>
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<em>ingredients:</em></div>
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3 cups bread flour</div>
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1 packet instant yeast</div>
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt</div>
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oil as needed..(not kneaded...hee hee)</div>
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did I say simple?????</div>
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<strong>Step 1</strong></div>
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Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.</div>
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<strong>Step 2</strong></div>
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Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more.</div>
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<strong>Step 3</strong></div>
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<em></em><br />At least 30 minutes before dough is ready heat oven to 450. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready carefully remove hot pot from oven and slide dough into pot. (I didn't oil up the pot for my first batch and bread stuck to pot....used lots of butter and oil next time and bread popped out). Shake pan once or twice to distribute dough. (mine fell into place just fine)</div>
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<strong>Step 4</strong></div>
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Cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes, remove lid and bake 15 to 30 minutes more, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack......or let slightly cool and pull apart and eat and dip and eat......so good!!!!</div>
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-10919465037721721382012-03-20T18:30:00.000-07:002012-03-20T18:30:25.203-07:00recipe 19 lasagna<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I recently mentioned that dear family and I just traveled to Italy. I now understand why people are transfixed with Italy. I feel that my taste buds are labeled before Italy, during Italy and after Italy. To be perfectly honest the during Italy is my favorite. Our trip was a world wind tour of the Italian Alps. We skied, ate, drank, skied, ate, slept, marveled at the fairytale setting that we were so lucky to be experiencing, and ate some more. I recently read a <em>New York Times </em>article that discussed why food in Italy taste so differently than Italian food prepared in the US. The theory is that all the local proprietors that would supply ingredients to restaurants and markets are just that....local. So the cheese is from the cows a kilometer away. The eggs for the pasta are from the farm 2 kilometers the other direction. The veal. pork. beef are from another nearby merchant...the tomatoes and herbs are...you get the idea. It makes good sense to me. I know the best produce I can get outside of my backyard is from my local farm. So, in turn great local ingredients produce great food. Once preservatives and additives are thrown in the mix quality suffers, as do our taste buds, sadly.<br />
The first day on the slopes we skied into a small cafe in the middle of nowhere. We were all so excited to experience our first real meal (night one was very good pizza). All of our meals were wonderful, but dear daughter ordered the best, lasagna. It didn't have the traditional cheese inside but a bechamel sauce instead. It made it light, airy, and almost cloud like. Oh and did I mention the bolognese sauce.<br />
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Here's the recipe from:</div>
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While the sauce was cooking for hours</div>
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I cooked the noodles and made the bechamel sauce. I made a classic version...feel free to use your favorite or simply google for a sauce that suits you....not too buttery, not too floury etc... Mark Bittman's is great.</div>
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I started with a layer of sauce, added noodles, bechamel, sauce, noodles,bechamel, sauce, noodles, until my pan was full. A little fresh mozzarella rounded everything off on top.</div>
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We added a green salad, bread and of course vin rosa. Buon appetito.</div>
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-50468704766058192472012-03-08T17:54:00.001-08:002012-03-08T18:46:44.851-08:00blog continued recipe 18...kale<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So I've been thinking about kale lately. I know, I know "very exciting life" you may be thinking. Actually I just spent an unbelievable week in Italy. The food was amazing. I have been itching to make a few yummy based on the trip...polenta, various pizzas, veal dishes, crepes, and I am curious about a homemade Nutella.....hmmmmm getting hungry just thinking about the possibilities. Anyway I digress...today I am focused on kale. I know there are the fancy purple and black kales, which have eluded me at my markets, I'm talking your basic green kale. I threw caution to the wind and threw together my own recipe, (so no cook book attached to this blog). <br />
I love collard greens and broccoli rabe. I feel their flavors improve with pork....(try broccoli rabe with chorizo, you won't be disappointed), so I had some ham and chopped it up, and went from there.<br />
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chop 1 cup or so pork leftovers. </div>
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put 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup olives, anchovy (1 or 2)<br />
crushed red pepper to taste, and lemon juice.<br />
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add mixture to coated pan and saute until browning.</div>
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rinse kale, add to pan and cook, cook, cook. </div>
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Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with grated cheese.<br />
Enjoy!<br />
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-69892527717189189622012-01-29T11:15:00.000-08:002012-01-29T11:26:38.757-08:00Very Good Recipes http://verygoodrecipes.com/breakfasts-of-the-world-challenge breakfast challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em><strong> Very Good Recipes</strong></em> <a href="http://verygoodrecipes.com/breakfasts-of-the-world-challenge">http://verygoodrecipes.com/breakfasts-of-the-world-challenge</a> is holding a breakfast around the world challenge. That alone is exciting, but being a judge is thrilling for me! I have been perusing the recipes and they look and sound amazing. I am dedicating time this coming weekend to preparing some of the recipes. One of the nice aspects of the challenge is the fact that it is a global call to breakfast. It's interesting and something I've never thought of before, but I could conjure up a dinner from Finland, France, and Florida, but would be hard pressed to think of breakfast from Iceland, Iran or Iberia. Thanks to Stephane Gigandet and <strong><em>Very Good Recipes </em></strong>we will be introduced to wonderful foods and ideas.<br />
As a judge I also am required to submit a recipe ( not for judgement). I thought long and hard, made a few flops, looked around for something eggy/omelety and came up with spinach souffle. Well Julia Child came up with the recipe actually, I am just reaffirming its yumminess. I was also thinking about a time-versatile recipe....think breakfast for dinner. Feel free to play around with omelet type ingredients...sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, ham, varied cheeses....<br />
BTW....dear family loved it...no leftovers!<br />
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<strong><em>SOUFFLE AUX EPINARDS</em></strong><br />
<em>from Julia Child's, Mastering the Art of French Cooking:</em><br />
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<strong>Ingredients:</strong><br />
<strong>6cup souffle mold</strong><br />
<strong>enameled saucepan</strong><br />
<strong>1 tb minced shallots or green onion</strong><br />
<strong>1/4 cup blanched chopped spinach (or chopped frozen-which will take several minutes more cooking)</strong><br />
<strong>1/4 tsp salt</strong><br />
<strong>SOUFFLE BASE (see below)</strong><br />
<strong>5 egg whites pinch of salt</strong><br />
<strong>1/3 to 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese ( I used a combo of Gruyere, cheddar, Swiss...actually whatever I had on hand)</strong><br />
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<strong>SOUFFLE BASE:</strong><br />
<strong> 3 TB butter</strong><br />
<strong>2 1/2 quart saucepan</strong><br />
<strong>wooden spatula or spoon</strong><br />
<strong>1 cup boiling milk</strong><br />
<strong>wire whisk</strong><br />
<strong>1/2 tsp salt</strong><br />
<strong>1/8tsp pepper</strong><br />
<strong>pinch of cayenne pepper</strong><br />
<strong>4 egg yolks....</strong><br />
<strong>Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour with wooden spatula or spoon and cook over medium heat until butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning. remove from heat; when mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once. Beat vigorously with a wire whip until blended. Blend in the seasonings. Return over modestly high heat and boil, stirring with the wire whip, for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick. Remove from heat. Immediately start to separate the eggs. Drop the whites into egg white bowl, and the yolk in the center of the hot sauce. Beat the yolk into the sauce with wire whip. Continue in the same manner with the rest of the eggs. Correct seasonings.</strong><br />
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<em>For Spinach Souffle:</em><br />
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Butter the mold and sprinkle with cheese. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Measure ingredients.</div>
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Cook shallots ( I used regular onions) for a moment in the butter. <br />
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Add spinach and salt, and stir over moderately high heat for several minutes to evaporate as much moisture from the spinach as possible. Remove from heat.</div>
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Prepare the souffle base. </div>
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stir in the spinach. Correct seasonings.</div>
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Beat in egg whites and salt until stiff. </div>
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Stir in all but one fourth of them into sauce. Stir in all but a tablespoon of the cheese.</div>
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Fold in the rest of the egg whites.</div>
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and turn mixture</div>
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into prepared mold. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and set on a rack in the middle of preheated oven. Turn heat sown to 375 and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.</div>
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YUM!</div>
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Breakfast from my part of the world.</div>
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-53809620677812668882011-12-27T06:45:00.000-08:002011-12-27T07:49:23.533-08:00blog 20...recipe 17<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have been eating collard greens for years. Whenever I see them on a menu (especially at a Southern place), I immediately know that I need to arrange my meal around the collards. The first time I had them was at Miss Mamies' <a href="http://www.spoonbreadinc.com/miss_mamies.htm">http://www.spoonbreadinc.com/miss_mamies.htm</a> for my birthday. Let's face it nothing screams birthday like fried chicken, collards, and coconut cake. This past birthday we went to a local southern joint and lo and behold my order was the same! <a href="http://www.lldent.com/">http://www.lldent.com/</a> The chef/owner is so gracious and affable. Dear children who enjoy food and were never really part of the chicken nugget sector, were willing and able to try anything off the menu. The owner marveled and was thrilled to see them enjoy their meals.<br />
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Her collards were juicy smokey and flecked with bits of pork, or so I thought. I knew that I needed the recipe. She was more than willing to share her secrets. First off she simmers a smoked turkey leg.....WHAT NO PORK????....nope, the turkey leg is simmered for hours in a broth and the meat is infused with flavors from various spices. I knew I needed to make this....I waited until after Thanksgiving. <br />
As dear husband was carving the turkey I swiped a leg and put it aside. (I did not smoke my turkey, but as I don't see smoked turkey pieces at the market I knew this may be my only chance) The weekend after Thanksgiving I made my first collards with happy results.<br />
Just a side note....Paula Deen amuses me, but I don't use her as a go-to source. However, her recipe was spot on. The seasoning salts, and house seasonings that are needed for the collards have been sprinkled on mac and cheese, roasted potatoes, roasted cauliflower, coleslaw, roast chicken...etc. all with great results. <br />
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<span style="color: black;">1/2 pound smoked meat (ham</span><span style="color: black;"> hocks, smoked turkey </span><span style="color: black;">wings, or smoked neck bones)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">1 tablespoon House seasoning, recipe follows</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">1 tablespoon seasoned salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">1 tablespoon hot red pepper </span><span style="color: black;">sauce</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">1 large bunch collard greens</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">1 tablespoon butter</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">In a large pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add smoked meat, house seasoning, seasoned salt and hot sauce</span><span style="color: black;">. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;">Wash the collards greens</span><span style="color: black;"> thoroughly. Remove the stems that run down the center by holding the leaf in your left hand and stripping the leaf down with your right hand. The tender young leaves in the heart of the collards </span><span style="color: black;">don't need to be stripped. Stack 6 to 8 leaves on top of one another, roll up, and slice into 1/2 to 1-ince thick slices. Place greens in pot with meat and add butte</span><a class="crosslink" debug="543 548" href="http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/butter/index.html" s_oc="null"><span style="color: black;">r</span></a><span style="color: black;">. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done taste and adjust seasoning.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Serve with favorite dish as a side</span>. </div>
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-19915552514094163942011-11-25T04:24:00.000-08:002011-11-25T04:51:26.053-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The colors, sights, sounds, and smells are all distinctively autumn. I am always sad for the passing of summer, yet look forward to Thanksgiving as it is my favorite holiday. When I was a young girl my dad would take us in to NYC after midnight to see the balloon inflation for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He would wake us up and we would eagerly jump out of bed and get ready for our night on the town. Once we arrived at 79th street any residual sleepiness was abated as the parade was coming to life. The balloons were inflated and being readied for their flights, the floats were being positioned for their journey toward Herald Square. The best part of the adventure.....the were so few people. This was NYC'S best kept secret. On our way home we needed a snack and would stop at an all night ice cream shop called The Flick. I remember the dark walls, the waffles with ice cream and the feeling of Thanksgiving. Waking to the smells of the day the next afternoon, we left my mom the entire morning to prepare the feast. Dear husband and I take our kids in to see the balloons every year, I wonder how they will remember their Thanksgivings.<br />
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-91991700052121052402011-09-30T12:24:00.000-07:002011-11-25T05:04:24.154-08:00blog 19 recipe 16<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The book club that I belong to, <a href="http://thisbookmakesmecook.blogspot.com/">http://thisbookmakesmecook.blogspot.com/</a> is so enjoyable. While I enjoy the books that I actually get a chance to read, the real reason why I enjoy it so much is that the people in the club are from all over the world. That said...the members choose the book of the month, thus I am introduced to authors and books that I would never have stumbled upon on my own. Two months ago many members were so excited to read a story that many remember from their childhood. I of course had no idea what they were referring to, and had a 3 week wait for the book to be delivered from a remote sender in England. I missed the deadline for the book club, however dear daughter was thrilled with the read, and was thrilled to read the posts based upon the book. </div>
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Not being familiar with the author or local of the plot was the theme for me this read. <em>Beach Cafe </em>by Lucy Diamond was a fun romp on the beaches of England. I can certainly relate to a beach vacation (aka holiday), and life on the beach so my imagination wasn't stretched to the gills, but I was unfamiliar with one of the particular food item that was mentioned throughout the book....pasties.</div>
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Now my memory chip was a bit sketchy and my lovely shots went missing so please envision crusty triangles of warm, melty goodness.<br />
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I am going to be completely honest and tell you that I used all left overs for my pasties, and refrigerated pie dough. I can only imagine how much tastier it would have been with homemade dough, but I am not good at making rolled out dough so I opted out. There is really no recipe involved as I believe anything that is considered yummy warmed up would work....savory or sweet. The fillings were all homemade even though they were leftover. I rolled and stuffed ...meatballs and fresh mozzarella, sausage peppers and onions, steak fajitas, and ham and Swiss with sauteed onions. Dear family were picking up the crumbs!!</div>
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-46660593009395985062011-09-03T21:25:00.000-07:002011-09-03T21:36:10.752-07:00blog 18...... recipe 15<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So I had the birthday, and as hoped for a camera was wrapped up in a bow. It was a lovely birthday, nothing too over the top, a just right kind of day. "What did I have for dinner?" Well, thank you for asking. A new Peruvian place opened up not too far away, and I've been interested in trying it. So we go and they were still without power 5 days after the hurricane. (side note....I had called the day prior and they were up and running, so something went wrong in a 24 hour period) No problem, there is a local bar/restaurant along the way so we'll just go there. Lo and behold it was a 40 minute wait. ( picture in your mind the dinkiest place around your neighborhood with a 40 minute wait...hot and sweaty too, and you've got the picture) Ok...I say let's hit that Chinese place that I've been interested in going to. Noooo, the sign on the door says "Opening on Thursday". Hey, let's go to the diner. So a burger and a glass of wine was the Bday meal. I was with Dear family so all in all it was a swell night.</div>
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Dear friend gave me a subscription to <em>food network magazine</em>. <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-magazine/package/index.html">http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-magazine/package/index.html</a> The pictures are so inviting. This was the first time that I had ever flipped through it, and I was really glad I did. So this is not a cookbook, but it is a resource. The July/August issue (page 175), has a beautiful photo of Emiril Lagasse's <strong><em>Strawberry Crumb Pie.</em></strong> I decided to check it out.</div>
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<strong>For the crust: </strong></div>
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1 stick cold unsalted butter</div>
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3 ounces cold cream cheese</div>
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1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting<strong> (</strong> <strong><em>I didn't need any extra, it rolled out fine)</em></strong></div>
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pinch of salt</div>
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<strong>For the crumb topping:</strong></div>
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3/4 cup rolled oatmeal</div>
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1/2 cup all purpose flour</div>
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1/3 cup sugar</div>
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4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled</div>
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<strong closure_uid_xip8zu="227">For the filling:</strong></div>
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2 pounds hulled quartered strawberries <em><strong>(I would think mixed berries or stone fruits would be nice as well)</strong></em></div>
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1/2 cup sugar</div>
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2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice</div>
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2/1/2 tablespoons cornstarch</div>
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1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest <strong closure_uid_xip8zu="229"><em>(forgot to pick the orange up so I just poured a shot of carton OJ)</em></strong></div>
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1. Make the crust. Combine the butter and cream cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour and salt and process just until the mixture comes together into a ball. Scrape out the dough, shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.</div>
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2. Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping: combine the oatmeal, flour and sugar in a small bowl and toss to combine. Add the melted butter and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Refrigerate the topping until chilled, at least 30 minutes.</div>
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3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working on a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick and fit into a 9-10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom (you can use a springboard pan) <strong><em>(I used a pie plate as my springboard had sprung, Dear husband fixed it though!!) </em></strong>Trim the excess dough. Return the pie crust to the fridge for 20 minutes. Line the crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until lightly golden, about 18 minutes. Remove foil and weights and let crust cool on wire rack. Increase the oven temperature to 375.</div>
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4. Making the filling: toss the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and orange zest in a mixing bowl. Spoon the strawberry filling into the crust and spread the crumb topping evenly over the berries. Bake in the middle of oven for 1 hour, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust and topping are golden brown. transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature before serving.</div>
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Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-36402207796036786782011-08-29T11:35:00.000-07:002011-08-29T17:18:28.470-07:00blog interupted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TM1JclTZp0/TlvcDZcmJrI/AAAAAAAAAEE/yqD6li8M0H0/s1600/P6300250.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TM1JclTZp0/TlvcDZcmJrI/AAAAAAAAAEE/yqD6li8M0H0/s320/P6300250.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Let's see this summer has brought about; a broken fridge, a computer virus, a broken camera, hurricane, earthquake, countless days at the beach, and a series of good intentions. Don't get me wrong I've been cooking, just not writing about it. (truth be told I may have perfected my cole slaw) I have the blog-bug back and a birthday approaching, I'm hopeful for a camera. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My book club's next read is the wonderful <strong></strong><em></em>Like Water for Chocolate<em></em><strong></strong>. I may plan a birthday dinner around something inspired from Mexico. Hopefully I'll be cooking, snapping photos, eating and blogging all very soon. Enjoy the waning days of summer!!!!!! </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: 0% 50%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.foodbuzz.com/" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="foodbuzz"><img alt="Foodbuzz" src="http://www.foodbuzz.com/images/foodbuzz_120x60_badge_tag.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" title="Foodbuzz" /></a></div></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-21166109995655117312011-06-12T11:26:00.000-07:002011-06-12T11:29:38.156-07:00Blog the 17th...recipe the 14th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="padding: 5px;"><img alt="Foodbuzz" src="http://www.foodbuzz.com/images/foodbuzz_120x60_badge_tag.gif" style="border: currentColor;" title="Foodbuzz" /> My book club read<em> The Owl and Moon Cafe </em>by Jo-Ann Mapson. It was not a food intertwined with life type of read, but rather a life sprinkled with food book. It is, simply put, a story of a family of four generations of women. Their lives are intertwined by the cafe, the customers, and the life that breathes from the cafe itself. It was a quick read...very much a beach book..for anyone interested in a summer reading idea. There were many food connections throughout the book, however there were no out and out recipes mentioned. Baked goods, (cookies, lemon bars, cakes) were a primary focus, yet one of the first dishes mentioned was an artichoke soup.<br />
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So my focus never strayed from the artichokes. I love the plump meat from the leaves and the inner prize of the heart. I am happy to eat them marinated, grilled, sauteed, on a train, in a box, with a fox, well you get the idea. While visions of artichoke were dancing in my head, dear husband took me out for a date night. Just to digress for a moment...we have the standard date night, local restaurants, out for a drink etc., but this was full blown dress-up he was taking me out for the night. The best part for me was he made all the plans (with me in mind) and I sat back and enjoyed. We began the evening at a swarmy, charming bistro called Raoul's, <a href="http://raouls.com/">http://raouls.com/</a>. We started off sharing a pate, and an artichoke, (with a vinaigrette dipping sauce) dear husband had a steak au poivre, and I ordered (literally the best I've ever had) sauteed soft-shell crabs. They were layered on marble-sized potatoes which exploded in our mouths....really a fabulous meal. I was whisked off to a jazz show, and then we meandered around NYC on a gorgeous late spring evening. Alas I digress...back to the artichoke. I have never had an artichoke so moist and dripping with flavor, so I knew I had to experiment with them that weekend.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is what I did:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Trim outer leaves (bottoms especially), slice tops off, open artichoke and scoop all of the pointy parts and hairy parts out. (when you look into the artichoke you will clearly see each of these parts).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you don't have a steamer do as I did with lovely results. Place a colander into a larger pot that has some water in it. ( not so much that it is touching artichokes) Squeeze some lemon juice on the artichokes so they don't brown. Steam the artichokes upside down for a solid 45 minutes. Keep checking the water levels refill as needed. You know when artichokes are done when a knife can easily pierce through. Let cool and serve with dipping sauce</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The vinaigrette is as follows:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 cup good olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 tablespoons mustard (anything you have on hand but the nicer the mustard the nicer the dip)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">salt and pepper to taste</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">whisk until it emulsifies...it should look velvety</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Artichoke part 2....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My kids loved stuffed artichoke so here is what I did this weekend:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a food processor add</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1-2 garlic cloves</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">fresh herbs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">the stem of the artichoke </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">one thick slice of tomato</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup bread crumbs ( I prefer seasoned)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">a drizzle of olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">salt and pepper to taste</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Process until crumbly. Add olive oil in chute until bread crumb mixture is moist but not drenched.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Trim outer leaves( bottoms especially), slice tops off, open artichoke and scoop all of the pointy parts and hairy parts out. ( when you look into the artichoke you will clearly see each of these parts) Stuff the artichoke with the bread crumb mixture, over stuff the artichoke if you need to. Place artichokes into a pot with about 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil making sure water doesn't evaporate, add more if needed. Simmer covered for 45 minutes. Place entire covered pot in oven for another 30 minutes at 350 degrees. (Keep checking water levels) Take cover off and cook for another 10 minutes or so to crunch up tops. Serve with above dipping sauce, or sauce of choice. Enjoy.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S_ROs97TAFQ/TfUCgn6olpI/AAAAAAAAAC8/t2JZnzerXRU/s1600/artichokes+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S_ROs97TAFQ/TfUCgn6olpI/AAAAAAAAAC8/t2JZnzerXRU/s640/artichokes+003.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the fruit of our labor</td></tr>
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</div></div></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-67074715496827087632011-05-30T18:32:00.000-07:002011-05-30T18:32:03.533-07:00Blog the 16th ...recipe the 13th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="padding: 5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJXoYbbsa-I/TePdDk-APKI/AAAAAAAAACo/wftjwz-tr8k/s1600/wasshington+dc+053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CJXoYbbsa-I/TePdDk-APKI/AAAAAAAAACo/wftjwz-tr8k/s200/wasshington+dc+053.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><a href="http://www.foodbuzz.com/" target="foodbuzz"><img alt="Foodbuzz" src="http://www.foodbuzz.com/images/foodbuzz_120x60_badge_tag.gif" style="border: currentColor;" title="Foodbuzz" /></a>It's been awhile since I've put fingers to keypad, but I have been cooking, reading, eating and thinking. Last month I visited Washington DC with dear family. We had a wonderful time visiting monuments and familiar sites galore. <em>The National</em> <em>Museum of American History</em> <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/index.cfm">http://americanhistory.si.edu/index.cfm</a> is a must visit. It houses many interesting artifacts ranging from a sleeve with Abe Lincoln's blood stain to Dorothy's ruby red slippers (dear daughter's highlight of the vaca). My personal favorite was Julia Child's kitchen. Her own cookbooks are seen here. I loved her gadgets, photos,magnets on the fridge...really all of it. It was a glimpse into culinary genius. However I could envision sitting and gossipping over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wyrAYB2llVI/TePf1lZZNpI/AAAAAAAAACw/fuj9BOFoefY/s1600/noras+bday+cake+and+memorial+day+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wyrAYB2llVI/TePf1lZZNpI/AAAAAAAAACw/fuj9BOFoefY/s200/noras+bday+cake+and+memorial+day+001.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Dear daughter's birthday rolled around again this year as it always seems to do. I can't believe my babe is nine!! My family gets to choose their meal and cake for the birthday. Daughter chose a local pub for dinner and a chocolate cake for dessert. We decided to let Julia guide us using <em>Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol.1. </em>Here are before and after shots of the cake.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9obx33jQPw/TePhBrh8z9I/AAAAAAAAAC0/lqsUzUfrQQk/s1600/noras+bday+cake+and+memorial+day+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9obx33jQPw/TePhBrh8z9I/AAAAAAAAAC0/lqsUzUfrQQk/s200/noras+bday+cake+and+memorial+day+008.JPG" width="200" /></a>We all enjoyed her cake very much....yet it was better the next day served at room temperature, as it should be stored in the fridge. In the words of the immortal Julia Child "Bon Appetit." <br />
<br />
<em>Le Marquis (Chocolate Spongecake)</em><br />
<br />
For an 8 inch cake serving 6 to 8 people<br />
<br />
A round cake pan 8 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches deep<br />
3 1/2 ounces of semi sweet baking chocolate<br />
2 tablespoons strong coffee<br />
A small covered pan<br />
a pan of simmering water<br />
a wooden spoon<br />
3 1/2 tablespoons softened butter<br />
a wire whip or electric beater<br />
3 egg yolks<br />
a 3 quart mixing bowl<br />
1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />
3 egg whites<br />
pinch of salt<br />
1 tablespoon granulated sugar<br />
a rubber spatula<br />
1/3 cup cake flour (scooped and leveled, turned into a sifter)<br />
a cake rack<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
Butter and flour the cake pan. Measure out the ingredients.<br />
place the chocolate and coffee in the small pan, cover, and set in the larger pan of simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so while you proceed with the recipe. then beat in the butter. <br />
Beat the egg yolks in the mixing bowl, gradually adding the sugar, until mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms the ribbon.<br />
Beat the egg whites and slat together in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.<br />
Fold the tepid chocolate and butter into the batter, then fold in one fourth of the egg whites. When partially blended, sift on one fourth of the flour and continue folding, alternating rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.<br />
Immediately turn batter into prepared pan and run it up to the rim all around. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cake has puffed 1/4 inch above rim and top is cracked. A skewer or straw should come out clean when plunged 1 1/2 inches from edge, but should be slightly oily with a few specks of chocolate clinging when plunged into the middle are.<br />
Let cool 10 minutes; cake will sink slightly. Run a knife around inside of pan, and reverse onto a rack. Let cool 2 hours before icing.<br />
<br />
The icing of choice was also from <em>Mastering the Art of French cooking Vol.1.</em><br />
<br />
<em>Glacage Au Chocolat ( Chocolate Icing)</em><br />
<br />
2 ounces (2 squares) semi sweet baking chocolate<br />
2 tablespoons rum or coffee<br />
a small covered pan<br />
a larger pan of almost simmering water<br />
5 or 6 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
a wooden spoon<br />
a bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them<br />
a small flexible-blade metal spatula or a table knife<br />
<br />
Place the chocolate and rum or coffee in the small pan, cover, and set in the larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth. Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Then beat over the ice and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency, At once spread it over your cake with spatula or knife.<br />
<br />
</div></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-36296680541708681882011-04-23T11:11:00.000-07:002011-04-23T11:11:43.283-07:00Blog the 15th......recipe the 12th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><img alt="Foodbuzz" src="http://www.foodbuzz.com/images/foodbuzz_120x60_badge_tag.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" title="Foodbuzz" />This post is dedicated to the home cookbook. We all have one...and it contains our own family favorites. The recipes range from meatballs, to fish and chips, to brisket, to sauerbraten, to breads to desserts, to, well you get the idea. These books are dogeared, and ring stained from many years of love and devotion for the history of the family foods, the family that the food is prepared for, and the food itself. I am fortunate enough to have a mom who is a great cook. I've learned many tricks and techniques from her, and she still is my go to person when I am stuck with an inane question. She learned her secrets from her mom, who in turn learned them from her mom and so on, and so on. A word or two is in order here about my grandmother, Rosie. She was an active 95 when she went on to making her sauce for the angels. To this day I'm sure none of the winged ones have her original recipe, as she was notorious for omitting bits and pieces from her note cards. Her meatballs were everyone favorites, (except mine as I always ranked my mom's as number one). Her sauce on the other hand was another story. It was dark, velvety, rich with bits of meat accenting the pastas. Her younger sister is still alive (the youngest of 18!) and has told me about her mother's sauce. I make it the same way, but alas it doesn't hold a candle to Rosie's. However, the family Easter Pie recipe is excellent every time. It is so easy to make, and quite yummy. I only make it around Easter, ( as does my great aunt....although after having a taste today I don't know why). It is not for the calorie conscious... and if you can't find leaf lard, a mixture of butter and Crisco is fine. Enjoy and Hoppy Easter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_311yDpcbUQ/TbMWGtldhSI/AAAAAAAAACg/3QyJFmxRWCA/s1600/easter+2011+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" i8="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_311yDpcbUQ/TbMWGtldhSI/AAAAAAAAACg/3QyJFmxRWCA/s200/easter+2011+006.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><em>Easter Pie</em><br />
1 1/2 lbs. assorted pasta<br />
leaf lard<br />
salt and pepper<br />
10 eggs<br />
1 pound grated Romano or Locatelli<br />
<br />
Boil pasta until cooked, drain and let cool enough to work in the following steps.<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Coat your hands with lard and run them through the pasta.</li>
<li>Add eggs one at a time and mix into pasta.</li>
<li>Add cheese a little at a time.</li>
<li>Add salt to taste.</li>
<li>Add black pepper. (we like alot so adjust amount to please you)</li>
<li>Grease lasagna tin with leaf lard and fill with pasta mixture.</li>
<li>Bake at 350 degrees until baked through and slightly browned along edges.</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">Enjoy with your favorite red sauce or as is.</div></li>
</ol><div style="text-align: left;">Feel free to add bits of cooked sausage or meatball to pasta mixture before baking.</div></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-10587794628981394672011-04-19T14:33:00.000-07:002011-04-21T13:07:13.403-07:00Blog the 14th...recipe the 11th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.foodbuzz.com/" target="foodbuzz"><img alt="Foodbuzz" src="http://www.foodbuzz.com/images/foodbuzz_120x60_badge_tag.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;" title="Foodbuzz" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We just spent a few relaxing days touring our nation's capital. I have not been to Washington DC in years, and we decided it was high time that our kids saw all that DC has to offer. Dear family and I were very impressed with; how clean the city proper was, how family friendly, easy to maneuver, all in all how delightful of a getaway it was. A few highlights: we toured Arlington National Cemetery in the midst of a thunderstorm. (I will say it was a highly dramatic way to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), as the weather improved we hit many museums and monuments, took many touristy photos, and ate some very good crab cake. As we sampled various crab cakes it was decided that more crab and less filling is the way to go. Everyone seemed to have their own version, from the frilliest restaurants to the corner delis. I came home and googled a few recipes, but am an old-fashioned girl and love a good cookbook so I went to <em>The Gourmet Cookbook </em>edited by Ruth Reichel. <a href="http://www.gourmet.com/">http://www.gourmet.com/</a> I've even included photos this time around....Enjoy. The visit to Julia's kitchen will be forthcoming...stay tuned.</div><br />
<em>Crab Cakes</em><br />
1/4 cup mayonnaise<br />
1 1/2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg<br />
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard<br />
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage<br />
accompaniment: lemon wedges<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ow1sCRc9LQM/Ta3973oGsKI/AAAAAAAAACU/UDlSAueYINM/s1600/wasshington+dc+084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" i8="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ow1sCRc9LQM/Ta3973oGsKI/AAAAAAAAACU/UDlSAueYINM/s200/wasshington+dc+084.JPG" width="150" /></a></div></div>Put a rack on middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a small baking sheet.<br />
Whisk together mayonnaise, egg, and mustard in a medium bowl. Fold in crabmeat until just combined. Gently form mixture into four 1 inch thick cakes and transfer to baking sheet.Bake crab cakes until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. let stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aRd_2hn_Is/Ta3-5v0wy2I/AAAAAAAAACY/HO18Wee1Uzs/s1600/wasshington+dc+086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" i8="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--aRd_2hn_Is/Ta3-5v0wy2I/AAAAAAAAACY/HO18Wee1Uzs/s200/wasshington+dc+086.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-16159678288699628232011-04-13T16:40:00.000-07:002011-04-21T13:07:48.090-07:00blog the 13th...recipe the 10th..ninety more to go!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> We were slammed with a week of tummy troubles. As all of us know a stomach virus is ugly as well as ironically generous sharing itself. Four out of five of us were down for the count. I was lucky enough to have my daughter join me just a mere few hours into y reign. We did alot of snuggling and movie watching! The youngest of the bunch remained unscathed! I am so adverse to stomach bugs that I don't look to ask any questions, but I believe she may be a medical marvel. <br />
As for the movies we all watched together; <em>127 Hours</em>, (which I highly recommend even for the squeamish), <em>Tangled</em>,(very fun), <em>Stripes</em> ( a classic), <em>Kate and Leopold</em> ( a nice little love story). We also viewed countless hours of <em>Friends</em> and <em>Dharma and Greg</em>. As stated it was a looooong week!<br />
When I felt as though the black shroud could be lifted from the house, I knew it was time to cook. I figured potatoes were a safe bet. The only caveat I made to this recipe was that I used grated cheese as opposed to mozzarella, as I wasn't sure we were ready for the real stuff.I will try it as written, and possibly add olives...and maybe fresh basil. Also I had some free time the night before and knew I would be pressed day of , so I made the mashed and stored them in the fridge overnight. It was a snap to put together, Enjoy!!!<br />
<br />
Taken from <em>Cucina Rustica </em>by: Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman.<br />
<em>Pizza di Patate ( Potato Pizza)</em><br />
2 pounds russet potatoes of similar size<br />
1/4 cup evoo, divided, plus extra for pizza pan<br />
salt to taste<br />
2 tablespoons toasted bread crumbs<br />
1/4 pound shredded Romano cheese<br />
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into small dice<br />
1 teaspoon dried oregano<br />
<br />
Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover until tender. Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel them. Put potatoes through a ricer. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt to taste. Very lightly grease a 12 inch pizza pan with the oil. Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs. Spread the potato mixture over the pan to form a thin crust that is slightly thicker at the edges. Distribute the smoked mozzarella, and sprinkle with the grated cheeses, tomato and oregano. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden.</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-72275777962180144312011-04-06T19:19:00.000-07:002011-04-21T13:19:30.885-07:00Blog the 12th....recipe the ninth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://thisbookmakesmecook.blogspot.com/">http://thisbookmakesmecook.blogspot.com/</a> is the book club that propelled me in the right direction for my blog. I've been loving the books! The current read is <em>The Language of Baklava </em>by Diana Abu-Jaber, a food memoir of the author's Jordanian-American family. The family lives vacillate between their American life and their Jordanian roots. They live in upstate New York. If anyone is unfamiliar with the upper regions of New York let's take a moment together. I feel that full disclosure here may be necessary, as I must confess that I am not a big fan. Now don't get me wrong the land is beautiful, peaceful and filled with serenity, yet many of the towns are quite rundown, almost forgotten. I've often driven around and wondered how and why the towns get this way. Is it lack of industry...wanning farms...state aid issues....or some combination of the above. Not all of upstate is like this, however there is a percentage in the land that time forgot. <br />
I apologize for the digression from the book, but I feel it is important to understand that two completely contrasting worlds have converged into this family. There is quite a bit of cultural conflict occurring especially for Bud, Diana's father, who is Jordanian. Diana's story is the tale of her relationship with her family and food. Her father's semi-erratic behavior had a profound effect on her. Her dad is a man who loves food and it's mystique for people. The stuffed cabbage chapter (which I plan on trying at a later date) was particularly moving. In thinking about the last three books...Ruth Reichel was heavily influenced by her unbalance mother(whose food knowledge was highly questionably), while Molly Wizenberg's dad was a strong positive influence and fabulous cook. They all had their catalyst. <br />
On a side note...I made the Tabbouleh salad and was very disappointed with the results. I followed the recipe to the letter! I really enjoy tabbouleh salad and was wondering if anyone had a sure fire recipe.<br />
Dear family loves cream puffs so I was hoping for success here...and it happened....they enjoyed them.<br />
<br />
<strong>Mona Lisa Cream Puffs</strong><br />
Filling: <br />
2 cups heavy cream<br />
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding<br />
<br />
Choux Pastry:<br />
1 cup water<br />
1/2 cup butter<br />
1 cup flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
4 large eggs<br />
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar<br />
<br />
Topping<br />
1 dark chocolate bar<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the filling ingredients and put aside to set.<br />
Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the butter and boil until melted.Add the flour and salt all at once and stir until it forms a dough, then scrape into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs one by one and beat in with a wooden spoon until smooth.<br />
Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes, until lightly brown. Let cool, then split open each pastry into equal halves.<br />
Spoon the filling onto the bottom half of each pastry, shave the chocolate over the filling, then top with the other half of the pastry. You can also conserve some of the chocolate bar, melt it, and pourthis over the top of the cream puff, for those who like the crowning touch.<br />
Makes 8 to 10 cream puffs.</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-6805778843153000302011-03-29T17:38:00.000-07:002011-04-21T13:08:36.601-07:00blog the eleventh...recipe the 8th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I have been thoroughly enjoying the act of revisiting some of the cookbooks on my shelves. However, I decided to venture out of my home library and visit my town library to see some of their offerings. I was very pleased by what I found. First, I need to explain that I live in a very small town. My public library is housed in a former church built two hundred or so years ago. There is only one musty floor, a few computers, and big chairs to take up space. When a hot new interesting book comes out, inevitably you are put on a wait list because it has to be ordered from another library. So hopefully I've painted a clear picture, we are not dealing with a thriving metropolis. Now, please don't get me wrong.....I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I love the small town feel and unbelievable quirkiness that the community exudes.<br />
On Saturday I dropped off my daughter at basketball practice. I knew I would only have twenty minutes until her game began. So I am sitting on the floor tucked between two rows of cookbooks, lost in recipes. I heard a familiar voice as one of my best friends strolled past me with a variety of her family members. They were headed upstairs to the meeting room where a lecture was being held. The point of the lecture was for community members to stroll down memory lane, and discuss the days of olde in our little hamlet. (sounded a bit witch-hunty to me). My friend and I took it in stride that I was on the floor surrounded by books as she was attending the lecture.<br />
During my search I came across a great book, <em>Parisian Home Cooking: C</em><em>onversations, Recipes and Tips from the Cooks and Food Merchants of Paris </em>by Michael Roberts. He talks about a concept that is near and dear to my heart; buying food that is local, fresh, and shopping for the meal. The Parisians have the art of grocery down to a science. Shoppers have their favorite stall for eggs, cheese, breads, meats, asparagus, etc. People are experts at their craft and the markets with their customers reflect that. Now if I can only transport my beloved town closer to the Paris markets.......<br />
<br />
<strong>Gratin d'Aubergine</strong><br />
<strong>Eggplant and Onion Gratin</strong><br />
<br />
1 1/2 pounds large eggplant<br />
kosher salt<br />
3 tablespoons olive oil<br />
2 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
1 onion finely chopped<br />
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour<br />
1 cup milk<br />
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg<br />
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme<br />
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper<br />
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese<br />
<br />
<br />
1. Peel the eggplant and slice it into 1/2 inch rounds. layer the slices in a colander, sprinkling each layer with a little kosher salt. Set the colander in the sink or over a plate and leave for 1 hour. Press down occasionally to help rid the eggplant of its liquid.<br />
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.<br />
3. Firmly press each slice of eggplant between kitchen towels to get rid of the salt. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the oil and arrange in a single layer on baking sheets Place in the oven for 25 minutes, turning once. Remove from the oven and set aside. (leave the oven on.)<br />
4.Meanwhile prepare the bechamel: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Mix in the flour and cook for another minutes. Add the milk, nutmeg, thyme, and pepper. Simmer, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes.<br />
5. Lightly oil a 6 by 8 inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant in the bottom of the baking dish and spread with a little of the bechamel. Sprinkle with some grated cheese. Repeat until all the eggplant is layered, using about half the cheese and ending with a layer of bechamel. Sprinkle the surface of the gratin with the remaining cheese.Place the baking dish in the oven for 40 minutes, or until bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.<br />
<br />
</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-16986001079013461422011-03-25T22:20:00.000-07:002011-04-21T13:09:09.262-07:00blog the tenth....recipe the seventh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><strike><strike></strike></strike><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It is Spring right? My calendar isn't failing me?!?! I just am not so sure these days. The remnants of the new fallen evening snow is nestled on the lawn. The daffodils who dared show their yellow crowns were cloaked a downy white. My idea of Spring is something completely different. I am still waiting for the buds to bloom, all the flowers to emerge from their winter sleep and sun to warm my face. Ahhhhh....someday soon. But until then I'll cook. (Who is kidding who? I'll cook anyway!)<br />
So I realize that the cookbook that I used is one that I have referenced before. However in my defence, the caveat to this blog is 100 recipes from 100 different cookbooks. It was prior to this decision that I used said cookbook. So in my defence it is legit. Also, the book is wonderful and is a go to for sooo many unbelievable choices. That being said the recipe is Baking Day Chicken with Black Olives and Red Peppers and from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's <em>The Italian Country Table home cooking from Italy's farmhouse kitchens</em> enjoy! <a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/">http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/</a> (the recipe may look wordy...but it was really a snap)<br />
<br />
<strong>Baking Day Chicken with Black Olives and Red Peppers</strong><br />
leaves from 4 branches fresh Italian parsley<br />
leaves from a 6 inch branch fresh rosemary<br />
8 large fresh sage leaves<br />
8 large basil leaves<br />
1 small leaf kale (6 inches long, with stem removed) or 3 whole leaves curly endive<br />
8 large clove garlic<br />
1 medium red onion<br />
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil<br />
3 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (if possible hormone-and antibiotic free), skin removed (or equal amount of rabbit)<br />
2 medium red sweet peppers cored, seeded, and cut into 2 inch wedges<br />
2/3 cup oil-cured or Kalamata olives<br />
2 medium delicious ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or 4 whole canned tomatoes, drained<br />
salt and freshly ground black pepper<br />
1 cup dry white wine<br />
1 1/2 cups homemade broth or canned low sodium chicken broth<br />
1 medium lemon, halved<br />
<br />
1. The day before cooking, mince together the herbs, kale or endive, garlic, and onion, then blend with the oil. Rub the mixture over the chicken, layering the pieces and seasonings in a deep bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.<br />
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the chicken in a large shallow pan ( a half-sheet or jelly-roll pan, not non-stick). Tuck the peppers among the chicken pieces. Scatter the olives, tomatoes (crushing canned ones with your hands), and any leftover herb mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.<br />
3. Roast 30 minutes, then pour 1/2 cup of the wine over the chicken. Baste with the pan juices. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Roast another 35-40 minutes, basting frequently and adding a little water if the juices threaten to burn. Turn the chicken and vegetables for even browning.<br />
4. When the temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, add 1/2 cup of the broth to the pan. Turn the oven to broil and brown the chicken by placing it under the broiler about 7 inches from heat. Cook about 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving platter and keep warm.<br />
5. Set the roasting pan on two burners and add remaining 1/2 cup wine. Boil down by two thirds while scraping up the glaze from the pan. Stir in 1/2 cup wine. Boil stock and boil down to almost nothing. Add the rest of the stock and simmer to blend. Taste for seasonings. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve hot, squeezing the lemon juice over the dish at the last minute.</div></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-25445834223172895792011-03-21T19:33:00.000-07:002011-04-21T13:09:33.915-07:00blog the 9th-recipe the 6th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Dear husband travelled to California with the fellas. He goes away skiing yearly and loves every minute of it. As the years have gone on however the evenings get shorter, and the skiing not as extreme, or at least that is what I'm told. As one may have read in a previous post, I am not the avid fan of skiing as say Picabo Street. So hubby gets to go play without be slowed to a crawl.<br />
Inevitably dear husband brings home the "guilt gift". They are always beautiful, thoughtful and wearable. This year he asked what I would like, and I requested a cookbook. He looked high and low and came across a local, fabulous, and bonus...autographed copy of <em>placer county real food from farmers markets</em> by Joanne Neft with Laura Kenny. <a href="http://www.placercountyrealfood.com/">http://www.placercountyrealfood.com/</a><br />
The concept is great....52 weeks of recipes and menus...one for every week of the year...all seasonal offerings. The authors had a weekly meal, with friends and family (certainly the most enjoyable way to share a meal) based upon what was available at their local farmers market. The recipes are written as whole menus, and I have thus constructed this recipe as such. We began with Spinach and Apple Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Mustard Crusted Pork Loin, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Rutabaga, Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Chile Flakes, the evening was finished off with Cheesecake with Pecan Crust and Mandarin Honey Sauce. (truth be told dear family literally devoured every bite of this!!! Not a crumb in sight.) So even though there are many offerings I am considering this one recipe.....all sooooooooo good. I really can't stress how nicely these all turned out. Enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Spinach and Apple Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette</strong></em><br />
preheat oven to 350 degrees F<br />
<br />
2 bunches spinach, cleaned and torn into pieces<br />
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced<br />
2 apples, thinly sliced<br />
1/4 cup pecans or almonds<br />
<br />
Mustard Vinaigrette<br />
1/4 cup whole grain mustard<br />
1/4 cup Dijon mustard<br />
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar<br />
1/2 cup olive oil<br />
1 Meyer lemon, juiced<br />
1 tablespoon shallots, minced<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
Toast nuts until slightly browned. Toss salad ingredients together. Add vinaigrette to salad just before serving and toss together,<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Mustard Crusted Pork Loin</em></strong><br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F<br />
<br />
1/4 cup whole grain mustard<br />
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard<br />
2 teaspoons fennel pollen (side note: I used crushed fennel seed as I couln't locate fennel pollen)<br />
1 tablespoon minced garlic<br />
2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped<br />
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped<br />
1/4 cup olive oil<br />
2 teaspoons salt<br />
1 teaspoon pepper<br />
4 pounds of pork prime rib ( pork loin with ribs attatched)<br />
1/2 cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)<br />
<br />
Combine mustards, fennel pollen, garlic, herbs, oil, saly and pepper. Set aside.<br />
Butterfly the loin, keeping the ribs attatched. Spread half of the mustard mixture on inside of pork and roll back up. Tie with twine to secure pork loin, spread the rest of the mustard on the top and sides.<br />
Roast 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Remove roast from pan and deglaze pan with wine. Pour over slices pork and serve.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Rutabaga</em></strong><br />
Preheast oven to 375 degrees F<br />
<br />
2 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved<br />
1 pound rutabaga, peeled and quartered<br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Seperatly toss potatoes and rutabaga with oil. Season with salt and pepper. bake seperately on sheet trays 15 to 25 minutes. Combine and granish with parsley.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Sauteed Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Chile Flakes</em></strong><br />
2 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped<br />
3 bunches broccoli rabe<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes<br />
In a large saute pan. heat oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Add broccoli rabe and season with salt, pepper and chile flakes. Continue to cook until tender and crisp.<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Cheesecake with Pecan Crust and Mandarin Honey Sauce</em></strong><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F<br />
<br />
Crust<br />
1/2 cup pecans<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed<br />
2 cups all purpose flour<br />
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces<br />
1 teaspooon ground ginger<br />
3/4 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
In a food processor, pulse pecans with sugar<br />
until finely ground.<br />
Add flour, butter, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.<br />
Pulse until mixture begins to form large lumps.<br />
Press mixture onto bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan.<br />
Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven.<br />
Turn oven up to 475 degrees F.<br />
<br />
Cheesecake<br />
5 eight-ounce packages cream cheese<br />
1 3/4 cups sugar<br />
1/4 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 teaspoon lemon zest<br />
3 tablespoons all purpose flour<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
5 eggs<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
1/4 cup heavy cream<br />
<br />
Beat cream cheese until smooth. In a seperate bowl, combine sugar, vanilla, lemon peel, flour and salt and slowly add to cream cheese. Add eggs, one at a time and then stir in the cream.<br />
Pour into pie crust.<br />
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 200 degrees F and continue baking 1 hour..<br />
<br />
Mandarin Sauce<br />
2 cups mandarin juice]1/4 cup honey<br />
2 oranges, cut into segements<br />
<br />
To cut orange segments, cut ends off oranges, and, using a knife, cut away the rind and pith.<br />
Carefully cut out each sgement avoiding the pith in between. Set aside.<br />
On medium heat, reduce mandarin juice to about 1/4 cup (the consistency of syrup or a glaze).<br />
Reduce heat to low, and add honey to reduced juice. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.<br />
Drizzle sauce over sliced cheesecake, and top each slice with a couple of orange segments.</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-63025897548231083512011-03-06T09:14:00.000-08:002011-04-21T13:10:02.613-07:00Blog the 8th- recipe the 5th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The book club's pick this month was<em> Tender at the Bone, </em>by Ruth Reichel. <a href="http://www.ruthreichl.com/">http://www.ruthreichl.com/</a> I read this book a few years back and remember enjoying it. I had this vague notion that Ruth was much older than she actually is. Originally I read it right after one of dear children was born. So perhaps blearyeyedness clouded my memory. <br />
Ruth had an amazing food journey. Her early food memories are peppered with hilarity yet the underlining disease that fueled these recollections is devestating. Her life has certainly never been mundane, and her prose is quite enjoyable. If you are searching for a food inspired voyage this would be a great choice. <br />
The passages when she is being babysat were my personal favorites. This is perhaps why I chose Mrs. Peavey's Wiener Scnitzel.<br />
(The recipe chosen isn't the one I really wanted to do, but I was seemingly pressed for time throughout the whole month. I would have liked to have tried a dessert.) However, dear family was delighted by the results. I had just made veal the week before and the butcher had just cut pork cutlets so that was my substitution. They really were fabulous...simple, but fabulous.<br />
<br />
<strong>Wiener Scnitzel</strong><br />
<strong>1 1/2 pounds veal cutlets</strong><br />
<strong>1/2 cup flour</strong><br />
<strong>1 egg beaten</strong><br />
<strong> 1 cup finely ground bread crumbs</strong><br />
<strong> salt and pepper</strong><br />
<strong>6 tablespoons butter</strong><br />
<strong>1 lemon</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Pound each cutlet thin between two pieces of waxed paper. </strong><br />
<strong>Place flour in a flat dish or plate large enough to hold cutlat. Place beaten egg in another dish, bread crumbs in a third. Season with salt and pepper.</strong><br />
<strong>Dredge cutlets in flour. Dip into beaten egg. Dip into bread crumbs until thinly but thoroughly coated. place on waxed-paper-covered platter and place in refrigerator for about an hour.</strong><br />
<strong>Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet. When sizzling, brown cutlets quickly on each side until golden. Remove to platter.</strong><br />
<strong>Melt remaining two tablespoons butter in the same pan. Squeeze lemon juice into butter, stir, and pour over cutlets, Serves 4.</strong></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-88083464302255187112011-03-06T08:47:00.000-08:002011-04-21T13:10:29.422-07:00blog the 7th...recipe the 4th<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I need to confess that I really do not enjoy skiing. When I say that I really mean it. Now that that is out on the table I can continue. My family LOVES skiing. Dear husband has the bug and dear children possess it as well. It probably has to do with genetics. We spent a week skiing as a family. I did my best one day and packed it in half the second day after dear daughter said, "I know you fell Mom, but we were waiting down the mountain for a long time." The funny thing is I thought I hurried after the fall.<br />
<br />
With that behind me I was now able to hit the bookstores and pick up cookbooks. We were up in the North East region of the US so I picked up an Adirondack cookbook, and a Vermont cookbook. I'm in love with the Vermont book entitled<em>, Out of Vermont Kitchens</em>. It was compiled in the early 1930's by a group of church women from St. Pauls' Church in Burlington Vermont. I marvel at the fact that this book is still in circulation and a revised edition was published in 1990.I prefer the first edition due to the fact that the recipes are penned in the women's handwriting not a computer type. You can hear the individual voices in each recipe. I searched for an actual website for this book but was unable to find one. If anyone stumbles across one let me know. Thanks.<br />
<br />
This was my chosen recipe...<br />
<br />
<strong>Potatoes O'Brien (by Mary Lowe)</strong><br />
<strong>1cup white sauce (2 tablespoons butter-1 cup milk-2 tablespoons flour-1/4 teaspoon salt-dash of pepper)</strong><br />
<strong>cook until thick and smooth in top of double broiler</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>3 cups cooked potato cubed or sliced</strong><br />
<strong>1 large onion</strong><br />
<strong>3 pimentos cut into strips (</strong><em>I omitted these)</em><br />
<strong>finely cut parsley</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Grease baking dish and alternately add potato, onion, pimento and white sauce until all is used. Bake in 375 degree oven, 40 minutes-or until onion is well done. Sprinkle top with parsley and serve.</strong></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-81616858246055457362011-02-16T19:32:00.000-08:002011-04-21T13:19:48.867-07:00Blog the sixth---recipe the third<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I usually enjoy the <em>Moosewood Series</em> cookbooks. I enjoy the healthy vibe that Mollie Katzen radiates through her pages. Just reading it one feels a bit more earthy, slightly more crunchy, a tad more organic. However, for blog the sixth-recipe the third I was quite underwhelmed by one of her cookies recipes. I won't go into detail regarding which cookbook or which cookie, but suffice to say that dear children were quite dear and gentle. Dear husband on the other hand was honest. I was grateful too because on one level I couldn't believe that a Katzen recipe failed me, yet on the actually eating level...yikes...I was failed.<br />
<br />
I felt the need to try another Katzen untried recipe and was headstrong that it be another cookie recipe. I went to <span id="btAsinTitle"><em>Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table, </em>and came up with a winner. It was Valentines Day and I made a great dinner for dear family. Dessert was Butterscotch Icebox Cookies. The only caveat was that they seem to "melt" on the cookie sheet while cooking. Perhaps the cookie sheet was warm when I put them on...that's the only thing I could think of for the "melting". They tasted great, and we all agreed. <a href="http://moosewoodrestaurant.com/">http://moosewoodrestaurant.com/</a></span><br />
<br />
Butterscotch Icebox Cookies<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">1 cup butter, at room temperature </div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">2 cups packed brown sugar </div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">2 eggs </div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">1 teaspoon vanilla </div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon salt </div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">3 cups unbleached white flour </div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">For crispier cookies, add 3/4 teaspoon baking soda with the flour. For puffier cookies, add 1 Tablespoon baking powder with the flour.</div>In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar with an eletric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Mix in the flour until well blended. <br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">Divide the dough into 3 parts. Shape each third into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in waxed paper or plastic wrap and place in the dreezer until firm, at least 1 hour. (If dough will be stored more than a day, place the wrapped logs in a sealed freezer bag, label, and date. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;">When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice the logs into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes, until the cookies retain a slight indentation when lightly touched in the center and are golden brown on the bottom. Remove the cookies form the baking sheet when still warm.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 7px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-7257023989824078262011-02-09T19:29:00.000-08:002011-04-21T13:11:14.193-07:00Blog the fifth...recipe the second...muffuletta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Muffuletta....funny sounding word. Perhaps not one that comes up in most conversations...."Honey, where did I leave my muffuletta?" or the even lesser uttered, "Did anyone walk the muffuletta today?"<br />
But when speaking of sandwiches in New Orleans the muffuletta tops the list in chatter.<br />
<br />
We were having friends over for the Superbowl. For those of those who aren't familiar with the Superbowl I will explain. Superbowl Sunday is an American tradition of watching the top two football teams vie for the victory title. Actually what happens is people get together to eat and drink and watch overpriced commercials. Usually the commercials are what is spoken about the next day. (BTW by football I mean American football, not soccer. And really the commercials are usually top-notch.)<br />
<br />
Getting back to the muffaletta....Years ago I was reading the classic cookbook, <em>The Joy of Cooking, </em>by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker. <a href="http://www.thejoykitchen.com/default.lasso">http://www.thejoykitchen.com/default.lasso</a> Yes, yes I am one of those people who read cookbooks. I have been known to read one cover to cover before preparing a single recipe. However, I digress...I was reading through <em>Joy</em> and stumbled upon the muffuletta recipe, I was intrigued, yet for some reason unmoved to make the sandwich. I would revisit the page every so often with interest.<br />
<br />
I wanted to know more about the sandwich, yet found very little on my Internet search. The most I can say is that it originated at the Central Grocery in New Orleans in the early 1900's. Italian immigrant farmers would stop in for lunch asking for a little bit of this or that with some crunchy bread. The owner Salvatore Lupo suggested putting the odds and ends on muffuletta bread to make it easier to eat and thus the sandwich was born.<br />
<br />
A classic American cookbook, for a classic Sunday tradition, with what should be a more well known classic sandwich.<br />
<br />
MUFFULETTA: (as per <em>Joy</em>)<br />
<br />
combine well in a small bowl:<br />
1 cup finely chopped pitted brine cured green olives, such as Picholine<br />
1 cup finely chopped pitted brine cure black olives, such as Kalamata<br />
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil<br />
1.3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley<br />
2 teaspoons minced fresh oreganso, or scant 3/4 teaspoon dried<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
1 red bell pepper, roasetd, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped<br />
juice of 1/2 lemon or to taste<br />
Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Split horizontally in half:<br />
1 large round loaf (8-9 inches) Italian or French bread<br />
Remove most of the soft inner bread, creating a cavity inside each half. Drain olive mixture, reserving the marinade. Brush the insides of both halves of the loaf generously with the marinade, then spread half of the olive mixture in the bottom half. Add in layers:<br />
About 2 cups shredde lettuce, arugula, or othe salad greens<br />
About 4 ounces thinly sliced mortadella or other soft salami<br />
About 4 ounces thinly sliced sopressata or other hard salami<br />
About 4 ounces thinly sliced provolone, fontina, or fresh mozzarella shees<br />
1 cup coarsely shopped fresh tomatoes, or 1/2 cup drained sun dried tomatoes in oil<br />
Top with the remaining olive salad, cover with the top half of the loaf, and wrap tightly in plastic. Place on a large plate, cover with another plate, and weight with several pounds of canned goods. Refrigerate sor at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. To serve, unwrap the loaf and cut into wedges.<br />
<br />
</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-477825561347048636.post-88963404250429006422011-02-01T18:14:00.000-08:002011-04-21T13:11:46.250-07:00Blog the fourth...recipe the first...meatloaf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well this is it recipe number one, meatloaf. You know the basic hunk of meat thrown together at the last minute for a quick meal. However, this being <em>recipe the first</em>, the meatloaf was treated as the king of loaves. I believe it is ruler of it's own small country at this point. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The recipe was taken from a lovely book entitled <strong><em>White Dog Cafe Cookbook</em></strong>, by Judy Wicks and Kevin Von Klause. <a href="http://whitedog.com/home.html">http://whitedog.com/home.html</a> I purchased the book years ago after listening to the authors on a radio show. I believed and still believe in their approach to food...sharing food around the table of family and friends... the food also happens to be the freshest of ingredients. I have made many of the recipes in the book in the past, but as this "project" of mine is for 100 new recipes from 100 different sources I knew I needed a never before tried recipe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The recipe is <em>White Dog Cafe Layered Meat Loaf.</em> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A few disclaimers before I write the recipe... I used a combo of veal/pork/beef. Also I used bottled red peppers as I was tired when I was assembling the loaf. I spoke ad naseum to dear family about the loaf during dinner. the comments ranged from "perfect, don't change a thing", to "a little too soft". So perhaps I added too much wine and not enough bread crumbs, but the flavor was really nice for meatloaf, and it had a neat tricolor design when sliced into.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2 tablespoons olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">3 teaspoons minced garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2 cups sliced mushrooms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">s/p</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2 tablespoons dry marsala wine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1 1/2 lbs. lean ground veal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">4 cups tightly packed fresh spinach leaves, stemmed and well washed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1/4 cup minced yellow onion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1/4 cup dry red wine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2 eggs, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2 tablsepoons chopped fresh parsley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">12 thin slices proscuitto</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2 red bell peppers, peeled, seeded and cut into thin strips</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">2. Heat 1 tablspoon of the olive oil in a non-reactive saute pan set over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 pepper and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and cook until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Reserve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in another non-reactive saute pan set over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the remaining garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. remove to a colander and let cool to room temperature. Squeeze the excess moisture from the spinach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">4. Combine the veal, onion, red wine, eggs, bread crumbs,sage, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remining 1teaspoon garlic in a large bowl; mix well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">5. Line the inside of an 8x 4 inch loaf pan withh 11 slices of the proscuitto, allowing 2 inchess of the ham to overhang the sides.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">6. Press 1/4 of the meat mixture into the bottom of the pan. With your fingers, make a trench about 2 inches wide down the canter of the pan. Press the spinach into the trench. Top the layer with 1/3 of the remaining meat. make a trench in the middle of the leat and fill it with mushrooms. Top with half of the remaining meat. make another trench and fill it with the roasted peppers. Top with remining meat. Fold the proscuitto over the top of the meat loaf; arrange the remaining slice over the top to encase it entirely. Cover tightly with foil. Bake the meat loaf for 55 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">7. Remove the foil. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">8. Let rest for 5 minutes. Unmold the loaf onto a serving platter and cut into 1 inch thick slices.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I served this with farfalle with a left over pot roast gravy, roasted cauliflower, and a green salad.</span><br />
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</div>Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00811674254937355794noreply@blogger.com1