For supper tonight, two great recipes from August 2015's Chatelaine:
Grilled Jerk pork chops with pineapple salsa
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded*
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp salt
4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2-in. thick
PINEAPPLE SALSA**
1 pineapple, cored and diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
PREHEAT barbecue to medium.
WHIRL jalapenos with lime juice, canola oil, allspice, dried thyme and 3/4 tsp salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and add pork chops. Turn until pork is well coated. Set aside.
STIR pineapple with red onion, bell pepper, mint, lime juice, canola oil and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl.
OIL grill. Barbecue pork chops, lid open, 3 to 4 min. Flip pork chops and brush with remaining marinade. Continue grilling until no pink remains, 3 more min. Let rest, 5 min. Serve with pineapple salsa.
Makes 4 servings.
*I used one jalapeño; that was enough for us
**I made half the salsa for 3 pork chops; that was enough for us too
Quinoa pilaf
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a medium pan over medium. Add 1 finely chopped onion and cook until soft, 3-4 min. Stir in 1 3/4 cups chicken stock and 1 cup quinoa. Boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, until tender, 15-20 min. Stir in 1/4 cup each toasted pine nuts and finely chopped parsley.
Makes 4 servings.
I had a craving for oatmeal cookies and decided to make this recipe yesterday, despite the reviews saying it is not an oatmealy oatmeal cookie. This is correct, but the cookies are still delicious. I did not bother chopping the walnuts, because I was making these late at night and just wanted to go to sleep (but also wanted cookies to eat for breakfast, that’s right, breakfast), but it turns out the big pieces of walnut halves were just plain awesome. I weighed out the amount of chocolate chips required (12 oz) and then used less than half because that looked like way, way too many chocolate chips to me. I prefer my cookies only slightly chocolate chippy. I used coconut oil where it called for vegetable shortening. In future, an additional change I might make is to remove the nutmeg. I have a newly-purchased jar of ground nutmeg and it is so fresh the cookies tasted strongly of nutmeg and I found it to be a bit much. You should make these cookies! Just not when what you really want is an oatmeal cookie. From Epicurious:
Chocolate chip walnut oatmeal cookies
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 3.4-ounce package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (or, like, 5 oz of chocolate chips is PLENTY)
1 1/2 cups walnuts pieces or halves (about 6 ounces)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover cookie sheets with parchment.
Beat coconut oil and unsalted butter in large bowl until light. Gradually add white and brown sugars and beat mixture until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla pudding mix, vanilla extract, baking soda, water, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg (if using) and salt and mix until well blended. Mix in oats, then flour. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Drop cookie dough by large rounded spoonfuls (about 3 tablespoons each) onto prepared cookie sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies appear dry and tops are lightly cracked and soft when pressed, about 12 minutes (do not overbake).* Cool cookies 5 minutes on cookie sheets. Transfer cookies to racks and cool. (Store cookies in airtight container.)
Makes about 30 cookies.
*I baked one pan a little longer to create a stiffer cookie on purpose. I like 'em like that. The softer ones I froze, then I later I can pull them from the freezer and reheat them in the oven and they won’t be dried out because they were moist to start with (I hope).
BAH! I'm sorry. No pictures. :(
September 10, 2015
September 7, 2015
September 7th: oven-roasted tomatoes, rigatoni with pork ragù
Our vegetable garden is exploding with tomatoes, and I've spent three days trying to perfect an oven-roasted tomato recipe. This is a recipe that easily uses up 3-5 tomatoes, depending on their size, and when you do get it right, it's fabulous. My first batch, I completely forgot about in the oven and I was attempting to have a nap and couldn't figure out what the annoying beeping from the kitchen was: my oven timer telling me to get the tomatoes out. They were black, burnt and crispy. I ate half them anyway. My second batch I cooked at a lower temperature and had to take out before they were done because I had to leave the house. They were red, squishy and not quite done. I ate the whole pan in one sitting. My third batch was pretty close to perfection: cooked, crispy, deeelicious. I ate most of them, shared a few with my family, and packed two in a container for a snack at work.
From Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Missing Goat Farm:
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
3-5 ripe tomatoes, any size, thinly sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 225F.*
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay as many tomato slices as you can fit on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in preheated oven for about 2 hours and 20 minutes. They should look dry and should be crispy when you pick them up. You can store these in the fridge to use over a week or so.
*Part of what took me so long to get this recipe right was figuring out the right temperature for my oven, which runs cold. I found 275F to be a good one for me.
I spent a good part of Labour Day labouring (I crack myself up) over a pork ragu sauce. It was worth the labour.
From Epicurious:
Rigatoni with Pork Ragù
1 medium onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1" pieces
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 tsp dried)
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound mezzi rigatoni or penne rigate
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano plus more
Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.
Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.
Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water.* Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged,** until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt.
DO AHEAD: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce; stir to coat. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan.
*I used up some leftover white wine in place of the water.
**I had to add quite a bit of water, probably two cups.
Supper, with Greek salad.
From Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Missing Goat Farm:
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
3-5 ripe tomatoes, any size, thinly sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 225F.*
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay as many tomato slices as you can fit on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in preheated oven for about 2 hours and 20 minutes. They should look dry and should be crispy when you pick them up. You can store these in the fridge to use over a week or so.
*Part of what took me so long to get this recipe right was figuring out the right temperature for my oven, which runs cold. I found 275F to be a good one for me.
I spent a good part of Labour Day labouring (I crack myself up) over a pork ragu sauce. It was worth the labour.
From Epicurious:
Rigatoni with Pork Ragù
1 medium onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1" pieces
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 tsp dried)
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound mezzi rigatoni or penne rigate
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano plus more
Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.
Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.
Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water.* Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged,** until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt.
DO AHEAD: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.
Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce; stir to coat. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan.
*I used up some leftover white wine in place of the water.
**I had to add quite a bit of water, probably two cups.
Supper, with Greek salad.
September 2, 2015
September 2nd: Packet-baked mushrooms with thyme & Summer vegetable hash
Breakfast for supper!
I took a wee gander back in time to see if I had blogged about this recipe in the past and yes! I have. Not sure if I’ve made it in the intervening years but was ready to give it a go again. Sadie has become a mushroom lover, while Olivia, sadly, has turned away from the joy that is mushrooms. Perhaps she’ll work her way back. I do recall, as a child, I enjoyed canned mushrooms only. Disgusting.
Although my notes of years ago said not to bother eating this recipe with toast, (a) I decided to make this a full-on breakfast for supper meal (with no meat), and (b) Greg has been on a bread-making kick recently so I wanted to take advantage of his latest cheese bread. Good choice! Toasted cheese bread is a delicious accompaniment to this meal. I did take my years-ago advice and added pepper to the goat cheese coating. Good choice.
To round out the meal, I made eggs (over-hard [oops] for me & G, scrambled for Olivia, her favourite, presuming they are served with ketchup) and a vegetable hash. Sadie is my non-egg-eating child. I have tried every form of egg under the sun, with no luck. Even French toast, if it is at all eggy, will be turned away. She’ll eat most other things though, so I let her get away with this. No eggs for Sadie, no mushrooms for Olivia. When did my one-bite rule fall apart?!
I would make and eat both these recipes again tomorrow.
From September 2010's Chatelaine: Packet-baked mushrooms with thyme
3 228-g pkgs button or cremini mushrooms
130-g log soft goat cheese
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp melted butter
8 slices country bread (or homemade cheese bread, should you have some handy)
Position rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 450F. Cut out 4 14-in. squares of parchment. Fold each square in half diagonally then open up and lay flat.
Slice mushrooms in half and divide among parchment squares. Fold each into a triangular-shaped packet. Fold and crimp edges and twist ends to seal. Place packets on baking sheet.
Bake until packets puff up, about 20 to 25 min.
Roll goat cheese in thyme and pepper to coat. Slice into 4 rounds. When mushrooms are done, snip open tops of packets. Drizzle mushrooms with butter and top with cheese. Serve with toast.
From August 2015's Chatelaine: Summer vegetable hash
Cook 1/2 red onion, finely chopped, in 2 tbsp butter in a large pan over medium until soft, 3 minutes. Add 1 finely diced zucchini and cook until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups corn kernels and continue cooking until warmed through, 1 minute more. Stir in 1/4 cup finely chopped basil.
I took a wee gander back in time to see if I had blogged about this recipe in the past and yes! I have. Not sure if I’ve made it in the intervening years but was ready to give it a go again. Sadie has become a mushroom lover, while Olivia, sadly, has turned away from the joy that is mushrooms. Perhaps she’ll work her way back. I do recall, as a child, I enjoyed canned mushrooms only. Disgusting.
Although my notes of years ago said not to bother eating this recipe with toast, (a) I decided to make this a full-on breakfast for supper meal (with no meat), and (b) Greg has been on a bread-making kick recently so I wanted to take advantage of his latest cheese bread. Good choice! Toasted cheese bread is a delicious accompaniment to this meal. I did take my years-ago advice and added pepper to the goat cheese coating. Good choice.
To round out the meal, I made eggs (over-hard [oops] for me & G, scrambled for Olivia, her favourite, presuming they are served with ketchup) and a vegetable hash. Sadie is my non-egg-eating child. I have tried every form of egg under the sun, with no luck. Even French toast, if it is at all eggy, will be turned away. She’ll eat most other things though, so I let her get away with this. No eggs for Sadie, no mushrooms for Olivia. When did my one-bite rule fall apart?!
I would make and eat both these recipes again tomorrow.
From September 2010's Chatelaine: Packet-baked mushrooms with thyme
3 228-g pkgs button or cremini mushrooms
130-g log soft goat cheese
4 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp melted butter
8 slices country bread (or homemade cheese bread, should you have some handy)
Position rack in centre of oven. Preheat to 450F. Cut out 4 14-in. squares of parchment. Fold each square in half diagonally then open up and lay flat.
Slice mushrooms in half and divide among parchment squares. Fold each into a triangular-shaped packet. Fold and crimp edges and twist ends to seal. Place packets on baking sheet.
Bake until packets puff up, about 20 to 25 min.
Roll goat cheese in thyme and pepper to coat. Slice into 4 rounds. When mushrooms are done, snip open tops of packets. Drizzle mushrooms with butter and top with cheese. Serve with toast.
From August 2015's Chatelaine: Summer vegetable hash
September 1, 2015
September 1st: Shrimp Curry
Back in the Saddle Again
There you have it folks: a hiatus from (full-time, paid) work, and a hiatus from the blogosphere.
SHE’S BAAAAAACK!
I spent a couple of days toward the end of August planning my meals for the month of September, to ease my transition to work, and Olivia's and Sadie’s transitions to school and daycare. Then I went shopping and bought all the meat (now frozen) and dry goods I need to make all those meals, with the thought that I can pick up the fresher items I need on a weekly basis. All good, EXCEPT I forgot minor details, like Shannon, Rod, and Jessie are visiting for a week in September. Some tweaks will have to be made.
For today’s easy, back-to-work, first post-work supper, I chose to make a shrimp curry by Ricardo (of Ricardo fame). Luckily, Greg’s garden is producing an abundance of tomatoes, just in time!
Here's the original recipe:
Shrimp Curry
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh ginger, finely grated*
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can 14 oz (398 ml) coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) garam masala
1 green or red chile pepper, chopped (optional)*
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
2 lbs (1 kg) fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined*
The juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
In a skillet, brown the onion in the oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, garam masala, pepper and salt. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the shrimp. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Adjust the seasoning and serve.
*I made a few changes. (a) I rarely use fresh gingeroot, finding it to be persnickety. I used 1 tsp ginger paste for this recipe. (b) I wanted my children to eat the food, so I did not add a spicy pepper. I did add a sweet red pepper, to up the nutrient quotient. In future I would add some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. (c) I used half the amount of shrimp, and my curry was, as a result, a bit soupy.
I served this with basmati rice. It was quite good. Would I make it again? Hm. Maybe.
I'm rusty: I forgot to take a picture.
There you have it folks: a hiatus from (full-time, paid) work, and a hiatus from the blogosphere.
SHE’S BAAAAAACK!
I spent a couple of days toward the end of August planning my meals for the month of September, to ease my transition to work, and Olivia's and Sadie’s transitions to school and daycare. Then I went shopping and bought all the meat (now frozen) and dry goods I need to make all those meals, with the thought that I can pick up the fresher items I need on a weekly basis. All good, EXCEPT I forgot minor details, like Shannon, Rod, and Jessie are visiting for a week in September. Some tweaks will have to be made.
For today’s easy, back-to-work, first post-work supper, I chose to make a shrimp curry by Ricardo (of Ricardo fame). Luckily, Greg’s garden is producing an abundance of tomatoes, just in time!
Here's the original recipe:
Shrimp Curry
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh ginger, finely grated*
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 can 14 oz (398 ml) coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) garam masala
1 green or red chile pepper, chopped (optional)*
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
2 lbs (1 kg) fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined*
The juice of 1 lime
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
In a skillet, brown the onion in the oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, garam masala, pepper and salt. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the shrimp. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Adjust the seasoning and serve.
*I made a few changes. (a) I rarely use fresh gingeroot, finding it to be persnickety. I used 1 tsp ginger paste for this recipe. (b) I wanted my children to eat the food, so I did not add a spicy pepper. I did add a sweet red pepper, to up the nutrient quotient. In future I would add some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat. (c) I used half the amount of shrimp, and my curry was, as a result, a bit soupy.
I served this with basmati rice. It was quite good. Would I make it again? Hm. Maybe.
I'm rusty: I forgot to take a picture.
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