Recipes for Cook

Karinas Crustless Quiche with Roasted Vegetables Recipe

Ingredients:

Light olive oil, as needed
2 cups roasted veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, onions
1 cup shredded Swiss, Jarlsberg or sharp cheddar cheese
4 large organic free-range eggs
2/3 cup light cream
A dash of nutmeg
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired
1-2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan for the top


Serves 4 to 6.

I know, I know, Ive been a bad girl. I havent posted a recipe in weeks! Ive been pretty busy with parties and showers and all kinds of things going on. All happy celebrations so I dont mind it. With all the craziness that went on I did remember to snap a photo so I could blog about this wonderful dish. I made this for Steves Aunts Baby Shower last week and everyone liked it which makes me very happy!

Before I go on to post this recipe I just want to say Congratulations Melissa and Salvatore and Congratulations to Dana and Lenny!!! Both couples will be parents for the very first time!!!

Okay so here goes...its really very easy and you can add as much or as little garlic as you like or even use hot sausage or a mixture of sweet and hot. This recipe was written to feed a crowd but you can certainly make this for one pound of pasta and use only one bunch of broccoli rabe and half the amount of sausage. I hope you like it! Id love to hear your variation on this very popular dish so feel free to comment!

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (6 links)
2 bunches, broccoli rabe
4-5 cloves garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Salt and peppr
Romano cheese, to taste
2 lbs pasta

Directions:

1. Remove stems from broccoli rabe and discard. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Boil broccoli rabe in a large pot of salted water for about 8-10 minutes. Drain (reserve 2 cups of water) and put into an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking process and set aside.

2. While broccoli rabe is cooking, remove sausage from casing and crumble. Saute sausage in oil with garlic and red pepper, constantly breaking it up. Once sausage is cooked add in broccoli rabe and toss to coat with oil. Let it cook together with a few minutes so the broccoli rabe picks up the flavors. At this point you can refrigerate overnight or until ready to cook the pasta.

3. Boil pasta (chose one that won’t fall apart such as orrechiette, cellantani, cavatappi, etc.) in salted water while reheating sausage and broccoli rabe mixture. Add some reserved water from the broccoli rabe to moisten the mixture. Add cooked pasta and toss while continuing to add more water as needed. It shouldn’t be soupy but should not be dry. Toss with cheese and a little more extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!

I LOVE tapas! Here is the Wikipedia definition: Tapas (pronunciation: TAH-pas) are a variety of Spanish appetizers, such as mixed olives, cheeses, or an elaborate creation like battered and fried baby squid. In Spain, tapas are usually given for free to accompany a drink before dinner. In the United States and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine where patrons order many different small Spanish dishes and combine them for a full meal.

Well, this clip you’re about to watch is my favorite all-time tapas plate. The amazing Piquillo pepper stuffed with cumin and orange scented goat cheese. Words really don’t do it justice. By the way, these just aren’t any roasted red peppers. They are the world famous piquillo peppers!

They’re sweet, slightly piquant, and unlike anything you’ve had before. They come from the Ebro River Valley, in Northern Spain. They are slow roasted over charcoal, where they lose almost 60% of their weight in water, which results in their legendary intense flavor. Find these! And eat these! These are very common in any decent gourmet store or of course online.

By the way, I’m going to show you how to make the Almond and Parsley Salsa Verde that I top these with in another post.

Download Printable Recipe (You will go to MediaFire.)

Duck. It really beats me why venison has such a bad rap. As far as "gaminess" is concerned, wild duck packs the bigger punch (if not prepared correctly, of course). Rick usually throws it on the grill wrapped in bacon, and thats how I first had it. I was completely surprised by its texture and taste, having been used to domesticated duck widely found in Asian cuisine (i.e. Peking duck). For one, wild duck meat looks very dark. It almost has a blue-ish tinge. Two, unlike farmed-raised duck, the texture is not like chicken at all. Its more like red meat. And three, it CANNOT be overcooked. Fascinated, I searched online to learn more about this popular water fowl. 

The complaints I mostly found for cooking wild duck is that it can taste fishy and/or tough. The "fishy" taste varies from species to species, depending on the birds diet. This is especially true for fish-eating ducks. There are a few ways to tame this taste, but one popular way is to use fruit. The acidity helps to mellow the flavor. 

Wild duck should also be cooked only to medium-rare, and not recommended anywhere beyond that. Unlike farm-raised duck and even venison, wild duck is much less forgiving if pushed too far.

So weve been scratching our heads about a duck recipe, but did not want to do the usual wrapped-in-bacon bore. Its been a challenge for us, having run into the usual obstacles described above. But I think we have a winner here. The spices go great with the duck and the orange sauce adds a kind of balance. 

- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tbs. cornstarch
- 1 cup orange juice 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Assemble the seasonings. Chop the chives, like so. In a small bowl, mix together chives, poultry seasoning, parsley, garlic salt and cinnamon. 





3. Remove any silver skin and fat from the duck breasts.
4. Place a piece of aluminum foil big enough to envelope all four breasts on a cookie sheet. Lay the breasts on the foil. 
5. Rub the seasonings from step one into the breasts, bottom and top. Crack black pepper over the breasts, if you desire, at this time.


6. Dot pieces of butter on top of the breasts. Then place a bay leaf on each. 

7. Crimp up the sides of the aluminum foil, making a packet. Place in preheated oven for 45 minutes. 



8. Half an hour into baking, combine sugar, nutmeg, cornstarch and a little bit of the orange juice in a small sauce pan. Mix well. Then add the rest of the orange juice.

9. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Take off heat when the sauce is slightly thickened. Since theres corn starch in it, the sauce will thicken by itself. Dont try reducing it too much, or else youll end up with jello as it cools.
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2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground sausage meat or 6 sweet sausage links removed from their casing
6-7 basil leaves (or 2 frozen cubes)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
Mrs. Dash Table Blend
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp sugar

Directions:

Break up sausage with you fingers and add to a preheated pot with 1 tablespoon oil.  Add ground beef.  Saute beef ans sausage until browned. Sprinkle with garlic powder, Mrs. Dash, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to break up the meat so you dont have any large chunks. Drain oil from meat and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in EVOO. Return meat to pot and add tomatoes. Swish water in the cans and add about ½ can of water or as needed so it’s not too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add basil. Let cook for ½ hour, stirring occasionally so sauce does not burn. Taste again for seasoning. Add 1 tsp of sugar or a little more if needed. Allow sauce to cook for ½ hour more and taste again.

Serve over your favorite pasta.

Click here for a Printable Recipe of Sausage and Beef Ragu.

Here is something we ate a lot of in Turkey. Soup was almost always lentil, or tomato, or lentil with tomato, which this kind of is. You can add your pepper or tomato element as you see fit, using canned tomatoes or peppers if you have them. I used dried because I have a lot we saved from the garden last year. Everyones soup recipe varied a little, so you should feel free to tweak it to your liking as well.

One of the reasons we ate so much soup in Turkey was the Unfortunate Chicken Incident. We had left one town very early in the morning, skipping breakfast. When we were set up at a hotel in the next town, we went out and wandered around. When we saw a restaurant with chickens cooking on a rotisserie, we decided to have an early lunch. I ignored the little voice in the back of my head saying, "Who has cooked chickens by 11:30 in the morning? I hope they arent left from yesterday."

You guessed it. They almost certainly were, and had not been handled properly in any case.  After that we spent most of the next week on the çorba diet. The çorba diet, as you may suppose, consists of çorba; çorba for lunch; çorba for dinner, and yes, çorba for breakfast. You can nibble on a little of the bread that comes with it if you want, but you mostly wont want.

We noticed, in one bus terminal we had breakfast in, that we werent the only ones having it for breakfast. In fact everyone in that cafe ignored the sad little breakfast plates in the glass display case, and ordered soup and tea. Its a perfectly civilized way to start the morning, and we may start doing it regularly even though our tummies are now fine.

6 to 8 servings
1 hour prep time, better served next day



1 large onion
1 large carrot
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup red lentils
1/3 cup dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
OR 1/3 cup dried sweet red peppers
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 cups water
1/4 cup fresh mint
OR 1 tablespoon dried mint

lemon wedges to serve

Peel and chop the onion and carrot. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook them gently in it until they are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. If you are using the paprika, add it about halfway through this process.

Meanwhile, put the lentils, dried tomatoes, dried peppers if using, dried mint if using, cumin and salt in a large soup pot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the lentils are very soft. Add more water if the level drops noticeably.

When the onions and carrots are ready, add them to the soup as it cooks.

Let the soup cool, and purée it in a food processor or blender with the fresh mint, if using. It will take 2 patches, Im sure. To serve, reheat the soup and pass a wedge of lemon with each bowl to be squeezed in. As ever with legume-based soups, it gets better after sitting in the fridge for at least a day.




Last year at this time I made Vietnamese Beef and Carrot Stew (Bo Kho) and Smoked Salmon or Trout Loaf.

A ethnic dish that has a complexity of flavors, spices, and textures that compliment each other, which you are simply going to love...

Servings: (2 to 4)
Prep: Marinade 2 hrs. |
Cook: 1 Hr. - 15 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

4 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts

***Marinade
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

***Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 (15 oz. can) diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
¼ cup calamata olives, quartered lengthwise
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Pinch saffron threads (soaked in ¼ cup hot tap water)
2 tablespoons honey (for recipe, click here: Sandras Homemade Alaska Fireweed Honey)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

***Garnish & Serving Options:
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted (for garnish)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (for garnish)
2 to 4 slices of pita bread, each cut into quarters, forming triangles for serving

METHOD

Combine the chicken with the marinade ingredients in a shallow non-reactive baking dish, covered, and leave in refrigerator to marinate for two hours.

Drain the chicken, and pat dry with paper towels, and remove all the garlic pieces (or else they will burn during the following searing process.) Melt the butter and olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add the chicken and sauté, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil, and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the saffron threads into 1/4 cup of hot tap water, and set aside to let soak for 20 minutes (reserving both liquid and threads).  In a small dry and nonstick skillet, toast the pine nuts over low heat, just until fragrant, and set aside to cool.

After chicken is seared, reduce the heat under dutch oven to low, and add the onion to caramelize by slowly cooking, stirring often, until onions are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, ginger, kosher salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the black olives, chicken broth, saffron with soaking water, honey, lemon juice, and the reserved chicken (including any juices the chicken has given off on the plate), and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover the dutch oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and continue simmering to reduce the sauce for another 15 minutes. Taste sauce for seasonings, adding kosher salt and ground pepper, if need be.

Serve the Moroccan Chicken on a rimmed platter, and garnish with toasted almonds and cilantro, including placing pita triangles along the perimeter for sopping up the sauce (BTW: This dish is meant to be eaten with clean fingers and pita bread as your utensils. – Enjoy!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Tips: For an even heartier meal, you might also wish to serve this dish with couscous, orzo, or steamed rice.


Also, most moroccan recipes call for raisins to be added at the end of the cooking process, although I do not particularly care for them, but feel free if you choose to do so ;-)

Because I have been eating the Bulgar Salad for lunch, I havent had my usual sandwiches and therefore we have not used as much lettuce as before.  I was blissfully unaware of this when I ordered the shopping online and ordered up another pack of Romaine lettuces.  We also seemed to have a head of broccoli left over.  I know, I really should check the fridge before doing my shopping.

The No Waste Food Challenge run by Kate at Turquoise Lemons also asked us to use up left over Fennel.  Now,  I love fennel and rarely have any left over, but it was a good excuse to go and buy some so I have included at little of  it in this recipe.



 Put the oil in the pan at a medium heat, add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes until soft.  Add the chopped broccoli.


and stir to coat with the oil and onion.  Add the stock, I use Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon but you can use any stock.

Season and cook until the vegetables are soft.  Take off the heat for about 10 minutes and then blitz with a stick blender or in a liquidiser.  Add the milk and the Blue Cheese to taste and blitz again.

I turned to my standard scone recipe from Mary Berrys Fast Cakes, its never failed me yet, even when I change the ingredients as much as I have here!

Gluten Free Special Scones
225g White self-raising Gluten and Wheat Free flour
1 level tsp gluten free baking powder
50g Pure Sunflower dairy free margarine
1/2 tsp Colemans mustard powder
50g grated cheese
1 egg
milk or natural yogurt

Heat the oven to 220C and lightly grease a baking sheet
Put the flour and baking powder in a bowl and add the margarine, rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Stir in the mustard powder and the grated cheese.

 Crack the egg into a jug, lightly beat it and then make up to 150ml with milk or yogurt. Stir the egg mixture into the flour and mix to a soft dough.


Turn onto a lightly floured table and pat out to about 1.25 (1/2 inch) thickness.
Cut into rounds, I made my big as we were having them as rolls with our soup.  Place spaced out on the baking sheet and brush the tops with milk or yogurt and sprinkle with a little more cheese.

Im showing you this so you can see how thick they are cut.

Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (depending on how big you made them)  until they are pale golden brown.  Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.




 Not only was the soup good, although dominated by the broccoli and blue cheese flavours, but the scones were excellent.  A little more chewy in texture than the wheat flour ones, but definitely good and a very acceptable substitute.  They could also be adapted to be dairy free by using substitutes for the milk/yogurt and cheese.

A great twist to a very traditional recipe: white beans, which are generally referred to as the national dish of Turkey.




























1 medium size eggplant, diced
1 cup of dry cannellini beans, soaked over night or 1 can of cannellini beans
1/4 lb stew beef [for a meatier stew you can use more stew beef and for a vegetarian version skip it completely]
1 big onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, diced or 1 can of diced tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 green chilies (slightly spicy anaheims?), finely chopped
3 tbsp butter
frying oil, ~1/2 cup
salt
red pepper flakes

-Heat frying oil in a pan and fry eggplant until golden brown. Let fried eggplant cubes soak on a paper towel. If you want to keep the oil level low, you can bake the eggplant in stead of frying. Brush an oven tray with oil and place eggplant cubes. Bake ~20-25 minutes at 390F.
-Heat butter in a pot. Add onion and garlic. Stir until soft.
-Add pepper and stew beef. Cook until beef releases and then soaks its juice.
-Add diced tomatoes, 1 cup of hot water, salt, and red pepper flakes--optional, [and if you are using dry beans, add them now, too.] Cook for 30 minutes.
-Add fried eggplant cubes and beans [if you are using canned beans] and cook for another 15-20 minutes on low-medium.
-Serve hot with crusty bread and rice.

A light and creamy pasta bake recipe for Spring.

Mac and cheese gets a makeover. Just in time for swimsuit shopping (also affectionately known around here as the annual Parade of Shame). It's time to start cooking light again, and give your body a break from all that white rice pasta, butter, and double cheese. It's time to kiss bacon good-bye. Hot weather is coming, Babycakes. The beach and poolside beckon. And I am not prepared. Are you?

I've been lax with my downward facing dogs (actually, I'm forbidden to do downward facing dogs these days, but that's another story). My lumbo-pelvic complex is cranky. My core is catnapping. And my biceps need curling. Or something like that. What it basically means is I've got some flab I need to banish. Remember that roll around my middle I call Doris? She's still here. She has not skedaddled. My usual winter weight gain of five hibernation pounds is eight this year.

I could blame those Raspberry Coconut-Almond Bars my husband keeps making (he who can eat cookies and brownies and still sport flat abs). I could blame fructan and fructose, and various unfriendly members of FODMAPs who may be the bottom line bloat culprit in my ongoing emulation of my halcyon pregnancy days (those of you with IBS symptoms despite going gluten-free might want to look into this fructose and polyol thing- it appears to have some merit).

But mostly I blame how much time I spend on the iMac. Sitting. Typing. Sitting some more. Social networking. The Internet is an amazing gift. But it is damn hard on the body. I'm vowing to get up and move more frequently. Shake my booty. Feel the burn. Or at least feel some heat.

So just in case you're in the same mood, too. I've made a lighter version of the classic baked mac and cheese.

I used gluten-free brown rice penne with rice bran for the pasta. Organic soy milk and Smart Balance vegan "butter" for the cream sauce. Zucchini and garlic and chives for a flavor boost. And it was fab. Light. Creamy. Perfect for Spring.


Read more + get the recipe >>

Besan Burfi with Condensed Milk

Ingredients
Besan/ Kadalai Maavu - 2 cups
Condensed Milk - 400 gms
Ghee - 8 tbsp
Cardamom powder - less than 1/4 tsp

Easy Besan Burfi

Method
1. Roast besan flour with ghee in a pan for 15 mins on low heat until raw smell leaves.
2. When besan flour is well roasted add cardamom powder and condensed milk to the pan.
3. Keep stirring until mixture thickens and forms to big mass leaving sides of pan.
4. Transfer mixture to greased plate and cut into desired shapes.
5. Allow completely to cool and enjoy.

Besan Burfi