Another Tweed Kettle Pie

Bubby's in New York City - Recipe is in Bubby's Homemade Pies - A Fabulous Book

Check out the cook book here: http://www.amazon.com/Bubbys-Homemade-Pies-Ron-Silver/dp/0764576348 

Zucchini Sauce

Zucchini Sauce

For 4

from Pasta! by Evelyn Gendel, Pasta!, 1966, New York: Simon & Schuster, p. 42

1 pound zucchini

4 TBS butter

1 cup hot bouillon

1-2 tsp lemon juice

pepper, nutmeg

a handful of chopped parsley

1-2 TBS cream (optional)

1. Thinly slice or chop the zucchini. 
2. Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the zucchini and stew gently over a low heat until they are very soft, nearly melted (15-20 minutes).
3. Stir in the hot bouillon, and season with lemon juice, pepper, and a dash or two of nutmeg.
4. Add parley and simmer, covered, for another 5 minutes.
5. If you like, stir in a spoonful or so of cream, and serve at once over hot, drained egg pasta.

Report from the Klondike Highway in the Yukon

View on the Klondike Highway in the Yukon - Skagway Expedition to White Pass and then the Yukon.

It's was my first cruise, on the Holland America Line (HAL), M.S. Zuiderdam - 7 day inside passage to Alaska.  What a wonderful trip!  Other than a bump in the middle when I got sick, the 5 days up and running were great.  Lots to see and do even at sea.  Favorites include tai chi (qigong for detox was especially great), cooking class, movie, crow's nest, ipod art tour of the ship, the Juneau drive through/ Glacier Gardens and Mendenhall Glacier of the Tongass National Forest, Twisted Fish for dinner in Juneau, the Skagway to Emerald Lake and Yukon territory tour on the Klondike Highway, ambling on Creek Street in Ketchikan and the little museum of history there, brews from Alaska, shipboard dining, and all the walks all over the ship!

OK, we know cruise = food.  So for the religious foodies out there, not to disappoint!
I've brought back a couple of recipes and snagged some from various sources, so here goes:

My favorite tops the list:

• The Dungeness Crabcakes with the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce from the Pinnacle Grill on board
• Halibut Caddy Ganty from the onboard cooking class
• Chocolate and Raisin Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce, also from the onboard cooking class
• The regular HAL Bread Pudding
• Creme Brulee
• People raved about the morning Muesli, though I stuck to smoked lox, poached eggs florentine, and omelettes.
• Good soups on board - Roasted Shallot and Butternut Squash Soup with Beet Crisps (I'd probably skip the beets steps for ease)

Mangia! Some photos from the week!

Emerald Lake, Klondike Highway, Yukon, Canada

Glacier Gardens, Juneau, AK

Dungeness Crabcake Appetizer at the Pinnacle Grill on board

3 Kinds of Creme Brulee at Pinnacle Grill on board

Baked Alaska before the flame

Baked Alaska being served

Baked Alaska delivered

For a Cold Weekend in B'ham: Persian Eggplant Stew

Recipe: 'Mitra Stricklen's Khoresht Bademjoon'

Chicago
by Molly O'Neill
November 19, 2010

Mitra Stricklen, a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Chicago, a gardener, cook and local food advocate, adores eggplant, particularly her mother's Persian-style sweet-and-sour eggplant. Ms. Stricklen says she carries the recipe for khoresht bademjoon in her head to farmers markets and modifies the basic formula to suit what is best in the market that day.

Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 yellow onions, sliced
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
• One 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes or 6 large tomatoes, roasted and peeled
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup water or vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Persian Herbed Steamed Rice (Chelo; page 63), for serving

Instructions:

1. Cut the eggplants into thick slices. Generously salt both sides of each eggplant slice and let drain in a colander for 15 minutes so the salt can pull out the bitterness.
2. Rinse the slices and pat dry.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over low heat and add the onions. Cook until soft and golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and fry the eggplant slices until golden brown on each side. Remove from the oil and drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet or paper towels.
5. In a large saucepan, combine the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, the cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, water and lemon juice and mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the eggplant slices and cook for 5 minutes more.
6. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the fried onions. Serve with chelo.

Excerpted from One Big Table: 600 Recipes from the Nation's Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Fishermen, Pit-Masters, and Chefs by Molly O'Neill. Copyright 2010 by Molly O'Neill. Excerpted by permission of Simon & Schuster.

One Big Table: 600 Recipes from the Nation's Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Fishermen, Pit-Masters, and Chefs 
By Molly O'Neill 
Hardcover, 880 pages
Simon & Schuster 
List price: $50

Off of Daylight Savings Time and a Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

So last night we gained the hour, and this morning it was light earlier.  I'm glad I went to bed early and got up with the start of daylight.  At 5pm tonight it was dark, and by 6pm absolutely "pitch black". Soup for a Sunday:

• 1 cup celery, sliced
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 cup onion, sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini)
• 1 can (15 1/2 oz.) chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 bay leaf
• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-2 TBS rosemary (1 sprig fresh)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 TBS parsley flakes
• 1-2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
• 1 cup barley
• 2   32 oz. cartons chicken broth (or I used 1 carton chicken broth, 1 carton mushroom broth)
• salt and pepper to taste (I also threw in some whole peppercorns. Remove them and bay leaf before serving.)
• OPTIONAL: grated cheese sprinkled on top bowl when serving, or TBS of sherry in bottom of bowl before spooning in soup

I put it all in a crock pot and cooked on high for about 4 hours (or until carrot and barley are done). So good.

FACEOFF: Links to Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes

You compare.

Nutella + Chocolate Chips + I would also add the 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts:

Sugar Cooking's Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

OR

The Culinary Chronicles Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lamb and veggie kebabs on the deck

Played golf even though it was too hot to, especially given this summer cold/cough.  But it seems to have done some good.  I woke up in better shape today...less depth to the cough.  We'll see what happens after two more days of serious rest.

After golf I had three friends over, and oh what a splendid repast I prepared! I wanted things to be easy since I had this cold. The evening before I shopped for lamb in town and found a nice leg of lamb at Costco - $21.  At the Mediterranean Store and Cafe I picked up Baba Ghannouj for an appetizer and Baklava for dessert (with gelato, of course, my dessert of choice).  Here's the recipe for the lamb kebabs:

LAMB KEBABS WITH YOGURT SAUCE, VEGGIE KEBABS

Lamb Kebabs:

• 2 pounds lean lamb, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 or 2 onions, chopped in large pieces 
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 TBS ground coriander
• 1 TBS  ground cumin
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Freshly ground salt and pepper

Directions for Lamb: Place all ingredients (except lamb and onion) in a blender. Puree until smooth. Place lamb pieces and onion pieces in a plastic bag or glass bowl, add spice mixture and toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator, for example, up to 8 hours. Place onion pieces and lamb pieces on skewer interspersed. Set grill 6 inches from heat. Grill, turning, until lamb is browned and firm, 12 to 15 minutes (3 or so minutes/side - meat thermometer at 165 I think); serve warm.

Veggie Kebabs

• 1  small eggplant (about 12 oz.), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1  red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1  yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2  pint cherry tomatoes
• marinade is similar ingredients as above (I was low on cumin for the veggies, so I put in some fresh rosemary and thyme) 

Veggie Kebabs:  Thread vegetables on skewers, dividing evenly and alternating with red pepper, eggplant, yellow pepper, tomato. Brush marinade on veggie kebabs and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Yogurt Dipping Sauce:

• 3/4 cup  plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2  TBS  lime juice
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Freshly ground salt and pepper

To make dipping sauce: In a small serving bowl, combine yogurt, cilantro, lime juice and cumin; mix well (Some folks like garlic here too). Stir in salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Garnish kebabs with cilantro sprigs. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

I served the kebabs on brown basmati rice which I cooked in my slow cooker.  And questions?

Easy Cookies - Student Employee Appreciation Week Coming Up

The WWU Viking Union/Dean of Students unit has a cool tradition on our campus.  For one week in April we have a week to appreciate student workers.  That's next week and special things will happen all week, but I like how it starts...  Staff (those inclined to bake or purchase that is) bring in 2 dozen cookies.  They are distributed across several display  trays and then put where our student workers are in the VU for them to enjoy. So for me, it's this question: what is the yummiest, easiest cookie I want to make this Sunday?

This year I am going to try a variation on the variation described at the Bake or Break blog (BoB) of the Double Delicious Cookie Bar, except I'm going to use chocolate toffee chips instead of caramel chips.  And I'm staying with graham cracker crumbs (not the chocolate grahams) and thinking about coconut: 

Traditionally, I make these with chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Because Quinn was my reason for baking these, I let him have his say this time, and he wanted chocolate chips, caramel chips, and hazelnuts (about 3/4 cup). For an extra variation, I also used chocolate graham cracker crumbs.

Looking at BoB, you may think that I bake all the time. I do bake frequently, and I love doing it. But, there are days when I’m just not up for it. That’s when recipes like these can be your best friend. While these are certainly not a culinary masterpiece, they are definitely good. And, what a great return on your time and effort!

Here's the original version with the baking instructions and ingredients from the Eagle Brand recipes website:

Double Delicious Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 cup (6 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (6 oz.) peanut butter-flavored chips

Instructions

1. HEAT oven to 350°F (325°F for glass dish).
2. COMBINE graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
3. POUR sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.
4. BAKE 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars.
5. For perfectly cut bars: Line entire pan with a sheet of foil. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. When bars are cool, lift up edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into individual squares. Lift off foil.
6. You may substitute butterscotch flavored chips or white chocolate chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or peanut butter chips.

Online Food and Shopping Tools

Recipe Key is a location where you can enter the items of food you have around in your refrigerator, pantry, and so on, and then you can find recipes that match what you have on hand. I actually don't use it for my shopping list as much as for recipes, but I can check my pantry items here and then put what I'm missing on my Cozi shopping list(s). Here's The Official Recipe Key Blog

I submitted three recipes to Recipe Key, a quiche, an echiladas, and a chicken salad. Two of them have already been improved and are here. The Chicken Salad recipe is my newest and yet to come. The Florentine Quiche is a recipe from the Gainesville Sun circa 1978; that's how much a love this recipe...ricotta and spinach pie....who could resist? The other is that great Spicy Chicken and Hazelnut Enchiladas from the Oregon Hazelnut Farmers website.

As I said, I use Cozi for my shopping lists; it's a cool tool and I can access my list from my phone when in the store. I really like the combination of the two online products for my tastes.

What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine: Italian Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Pasta Marinara

What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine: Italian Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Pasta Marinara

New Year's eating for good fortune

LUCKY FOODS TO EAT

Epicurious writes about what foods get eaten for luck around the world.  In Italy it's cotechino (zampone) con lenticchie or sausages and green lentils.  Here's a recipe that I got from Vietri, who are the North Carolina women who import Italian dinner and house wares; I'm on their email list:

 

Sausage with Lentils

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups green lentils
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound prosciutto, pancetta, or bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small fennel bulb, diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage with fennel
• 1 medium can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 small dried chili pepper, or red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Place lentils in a pot of boiling, salted water; when the water boils again, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Sauté bacon, onion, carrot, fennel, shallot and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet. Remove vegetables from skillet when soft and brown sausage in the same skillet. Set sausage aside on paper towels.
3. Remove all fat from skillet and return bacon and vegetables to pan; add tomatoes, hot pepper, and bay leaf, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the sausage and heat through, simmering for 5 minutes or more.
4. Season with salt and pepper and serve on a large platter accompanied by mashed potatoes.
   

Chianti is a good wine to enjoy with this dish. Enjoy!
Serves 4 to 6 people

I was a Phyllis and Jeannie's for the holidays, and with some leftover lentils from Aladin's Mediterranean, Phyl whipped up a similar version for us to have with rice at New Year's Eve.

While we are on the topic of lentils, here's an Epicurious lentil stew recipe I made for my staff before the holidays:

Lentil Stew with Spinach and Potatoes

I subbed the kale for the spinach, and doubled the recipe. I made it in the crock pot which meant no early saute, and I held back the kale, lemon juice, and lemon peel until after 8 hours on low. One hour or less on low at end was enough to cook kale. Don't over mint and don't over cook kale.


You can view the complete recipe online at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/349

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 cups canned vegetable broth
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed, picked over
• 8 ounces red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 lemon
• 6 ounces torn fresh spinach leaves (about 8 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• Crumbled feta cheese (optional, though I think it's essential)
  

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add vegetable broth and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add potatoes; cook uncovered until potatoes and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grate 1/2 teaspoon peel from lemon; squeeze enough juice from lemon to measure 2 tablespoons. Add lemon peel, lemon juice, spinach and cayenne to stew. Cover and simmer stew until spinach wilts and is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Mix in mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat before serving.)
3. Spoon stew into large soup bowls. Sprinkle feta cheese over, if desired.
   

Bon Appétit
May 1995

Soup's On - Crock Pot Golden Chicken and Crimini Mushroom

I awoke one day this week to the wonderful smell of soup.  Okay, I didn't think when I started this blog, that it would show me out as a foodie, but I can't resist sharing this recipe I concocted with the items on hand:

CROCK POT GOLDEN CHICKEN AND CRIMINI MUSHROOM

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 stalks celery, sliced to the size you like in soup
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced (I bought them already sliced)
• 1/3 cooked chicken, cut in bite size pieces (I used leftover from rotisserie chicken I bought at market)
• 8 cups broth (I used half chicken and half vegetable, because that is what I had on hand)
• 1 tsp garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 TBS thyme (I had some freshly dried thyme sprigs and just loaded it in.  I liked the result)
• 1 can evaporated milk

Directions

1. Put all ingredients but milk into crock pot.  Cook on low for 8 hours or until celery is done or done slightly less than you like.
2. Pour in evaporated milk and let cook for another 30-45 minutes on low.
3. Enjoy with some toasted crusty bread.  YUM
   

Yes, I had this soup for breakfast and for lunch.  First time I have had soup for breakfast I think.  But I could not resist.

One of the tastiest things I ever made...

September 30, 2009
New York Times
Fig Tart With Caramelized Onions, Rosemary and Stilton

Time: 1 1/2 hours

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions (1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 sprig rosemary, more for garnish
• Pinch sugar
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• Flour for dusting
• 3/4 pound prepared puff pastry (I used Peppridge Farms, required minimal rolling out)
• 1 pint fresh figs ( 3/4 pound), stemmed and cut in half lengthwise (I used half black mission and half Kadota which are less sweet. Liked both)
• 1 1/2 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled (about 6 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (no way photo represents 2 TBS but I liked just this amount)
• Good-quality honey for drizzling, optional. (I skipped this...how sweet does it need to be?)

1. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil. Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Stir in the onions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.

3. Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs. Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.

4. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings.