Fava Beans Sautee

Fava Beans are a success. See my posting below:

It is so satisfying to be able to create a meal or side dish with fresh ingredients that you have grown yourself. With the exception of the tomatoes, which are not yet ripe and the olive oil which I conveniently buy at Costo and didn't press myself or the Asiago Romano Cheese from Costco (the best I have ever found), the ingredients come from my own garden.

/pats self on the back

FAVA BEAN SAUTEE

• 3 cups of prepared fava beans (I tell you how below)
• 1 whole large french shallot, chopped (not minced)
• 3 coarsely chopped roma tomatoes
• 1 tbsp fresh minced tarragon
• 2 cloves minced elephant garlic
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• shaved slivers of Asiago/Romano cheese

To prepare the beans: Plan on this taking some time. First pour yourself a glass of wine to sip on while shelling the bean pods. A nice Chianti? Or in my case a chilled Gewürztraminer. Split the bean pods apart and place the beans in a large bowl. This is actually kind of neat. The insides of the bean pods are fuzzy and white, almost like the beans have been lovingly encased in soft cotton.

Meanwhile start a pot of water, liberally salted with Kosher salt to boil. Once you have shell the beans put them into the boiling water and simmer at a low boil for about 4 to 5 minutes. Scoop the beans out of the boiling water and dump them into a large bowl full of ice water. This will shock the beans and stop the cooking. Let the beans cool.

Fava beans have a very tough skin covering the delicate green bean inside. To shell them, just pinch off a section of the tough sking and gently squeeze the inside bean into a bowl. They should just slip right out. If you moosh a bean or two. No problem......eat them while you are shelling the rest.

At this point, you can freeze the beans like Lima Beans are done in the grocery store or set aside covered in plastic wrap for maybe a day in the fridge. But the best way is to cook them immediately.

Preparing the dish: This part goes really fast. Coat a small sautee pan with a tbsp or so of olive oil and over medium low heat slowly cook the shallots and garlic until it is soft and slightly caramelized. Turn the heat up a bit and toss in the beans and tarragon. Toss them around in the pan. Maybe do a few Emeril Lagasse flips of the pan and contents to show off. Season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Throw in the chopped tomatoes and stir/flip the contents of the pan over medium heat until the tomatoes start to wilt.

Serve with some shaved slivers of cheese on top of the warm beans.

Very pretty with the red and green coloring. Tasty. I served these as a side dish to some sauteed Red Snapper with a fresh green salad and warm french bread.

Growing Fava Beans

• This year we really got cracking on our vegetable garden. The Dumbplumber, at my constant urging or nagging as he would say, put in some great raised beds. 6 beds that are 4 feet by 8 feet by 24 inches high and spaced just wide enough to run the wheel barrow through. We lined them with chicken wire on the bottoms and up the sides and then installed 1 inch PVC pipe at intervals along the sides before filling with dirt. This was so that I could use smaller size PVC and make hoops over the beds.
  
  Because it is cold here in the spring time due to the elevation, it is very hard to plant early. With the hoops running the length of the bed and covered with plastic it creates a tunnel/greenhouse to get an early start on planting. The other advantage is that to discourage the birds and deer, we covered the hoops with deer netting to keep the critters from gobbling up all of the young shoots.
  
  
  

There is no point in planting things that you can easily and cheaply get at the local grocery store. So, I try to plant things that are unusual or that are good trading stock with other local gardeners. This year I had a great crop of French Shallots (which are very expensive) and Elephant garlic. I'm trading with a friend who has a lot of Torpedo and Sweet Walla Walla onions. Yum Yum.

This was the first year that I had grown Fava Beans, so I didn't plant to many, as I wasn't sure if we were even going to like them. Picking the last of the crop today at lunch, we are planning to have them with dinner tonight.



Probably something with Garlic, Shallots, Lemon, Thyme (which I also grew) and shaved Assiago Cheese. If they are a success, next year I'll plant a LOT more as they were probably the easiest thing I have ever grown in the garden.

Next year I will be urging (nagging) my husband to put ground cloth and gravel between the planting beds to keep the mud and weeds down. I'm sure he is really looking forward to it. :-D

Peach BBQ Sauce

Have too many peaches? Peaches that are on the too ripe side and starting to get gooshey? Never fear. Peach Barbeque Sauce is here. This is a delicious sauce and is especially good on pork. It seems to last forever in the refrigerator and freezes well.

PEACH BBQ SAUCE

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3 cups chopped peaches
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beer
• 1 cup catsup
• 1 cup mustard
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbs cider vinegar
• 2 tbs worchestershire sauce
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the peaches, pepper, salt and garlic. Cook for a minute stirring frequently. Add the beer and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Drink the rest of the beer while stirring as it comes to a boil....oh heck...drink another one too. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes

Cool the mixture until it is just warm. Place half of the sauce in a blender. Remove the center piece of the blender lid so the steam can get out. You don't want your sauce and blender to explode. *Puree until smooth. Repeat with the rest of the sauce. Refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze.

Notes:

*I use a hand held immersion blender , as long as it is just a single recipe. If our peach trees are especially generous, I will make a double batch for the freezer.

Leave the skin on the peaches. Don't waste your time trying to peel them. You are just going to puree them anyway.

Generally, I despise "Ball Park" type mustard and substitute Dijon whenever possible, but in this case you should use the inexpensive French's or other yellow mustard. You really want that harsher mustard flavor and will be wasting your money if you use Dijon. I haven't tried it yet, but adding whole mustard seeds to the mix or using a grainy brown mustard might be good here if a bit more expensive.

For a BBQ pork butt, roast or chops, I will marinate my meat in this sauce for a few hours before cooking. Discard the marinade and use fresh sauce for basting during the last part of the cooking process.

How to Organize a Zillion Recipies Without Going Nuts

Being an admitted Recipe Junkie and not about to reform or repent, the other option is to try to get organized.

You know what I mean.... don't you, you other Recipe Junkies. First we start out with a few cook books, some clippings and a couple of recipes that Grandma or Mom was good enough to let go of, written on 3 x 5 cards. A nice little index box with some tabs. A shelf on the book shelf or maybe even a spot in the kitchen for those few books.

Soon, we are browsing magazines for more good sounding recipes that we will certainly make in the near future. (uh huh...sure) Garage sales have lots of great old recipe books that are well used, cheap and absolutely must be saved. Goodwill, Salvation Army, Antique Stores: all treasure troves of fabulous recipes, cooking history, memorabilia and books. The really bad news is when your inner Recipe Junkie merges with your book collecting mania.

Now, instead of a few books and small recipe box, you have a whole book CASE devoted to cook books, Bon Appetite, Gourmet and a lateral file cabinet full of files containing recipes optimistically torn out of magazines.......even magazines while waiting in the doctor's office. /Embarrassed

So, smartie, how are you going to actually find a recipe that you want to try or that you really would like to make again in this clutter? You have some peaches and you remember (vaguely) that there is a recipe you read (somewhere) for a peach flavored barbeque sauce. Where IS IT and I want to find it before I am completely out of the mood and just eat the damned peaches.

Here is what I have done and I now use the world's best cook book software. Living Cook Book by Radium Technologies. If anyone else has other ideas, I'm all ears.

Clippings: I read the magazine first. Put pencil checks or dog-ear the page where the recipes sound good. THEN....put....the ....magazine.....down. Come back later read again and see if it still sounds interesting. Often a recipe that sounds good at first glance isn't so great or I realize, I already have several just like it. If I still think the recipe (or decorating or gardening idea) is interesting, tear it out of the magazine and throw the magazine away, and get rid of the clutter. Then it either goes into the files that are categorized by type or directly into my software program.

Books: First I read and browse the new or new/old cook book from cover to cover and use post its to mark the most interesting places for later data entry.

Living Cook Book is the best program that I have ever used!!! You can sort and print and more importantly FIND what you want. It can copy from the internet. So many great features. Check it out.



I have several virtual cookbooks

• My Favorites: recipes that I have made, will make again and really like. Those are printed out on 4 x 6 cards and kept in a file or can be printed out in cookbook form and put into a binder


• Untested #1: those that sounded good from the clippings or books and that I might want to make soon.


• Untested #2: sound interesting, might be a bit complicated or unusual but worth consideration if I have some time to really experiment

Once I make an 'untested' it either goes into the virtual trash can or into My Favorites and printed on the card.

SO .....when I want to find my Peach BBQ Sauce recipe, I merely search for the ingredients and ta dah: PEACH BBQ SAUCE

Pasta Puttanesca

Wow. Where does the time go? I haven't posted here in months. I can make the excuse that I've been busy. Busy with non fun things like work. Preparing for an office audit that is required by the SEC once a year. Non fun things like being in the middle of a power struggle on the Water District Board of which I am a member. I won, by the way. We have a new board and fired the manager, but man was that stressful and scary. I even began packing at work and my husband acted as body guard a few times at meetings. We are still in the middle of a LOT of work reconstituting the District and trying to save it from bankruptcy.....but that is a story for my other blog.

Busy with fun things. My hubby made some wonderful raised garden beds for me out in the orchard area. Since he did such a great job, I had better grow something. Soon I will be harvesting French Shallots and Elephant Garlic. There is no point in growing things you can get in the grocery store, so I also planted Fava beans and Endame and some interesting varieties of tomatoes.

Busy entertaining/distracting myself on the Blogs arguing with the trolls on one particular blog and realizing that is a colossal waste of time. Also realizing that there are much more entertaining and friendly places to visit like Trooper York's blog. where they talk about among other things FOOD.

Trooper has requested a pasta recipe and so...in line with my burgeoning tomato crop that I expect to have soon. Here is an easy easy, cheap, fast and fool proof pasta dish.


PASTA PUTTANESCA

• 2 or 3 large tomatoes *seeded and coarsly chopped
• 2 tbsp capers crushed
• 1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped calamata olives
• 1 small tin of anchovies in oil
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 pound linguini
• fresh parmesan or asiago cheese

In a medium sauce pan over low heat saute the garlic anchovies in the olive oil. Don't over cook, just smoosh the ancovies and garlic and oil around to make a paste and to release all the yummy flavors. Add the chopped tomatoes, capers, chili flakes, olives and simmer on low for about 10 to 15 minutes, stiring occaisonally.

Meanwhile. Cook the linguini to al dente in a large pan that has been salted with about 1 tbsp kosher salt.

Drain the pasta. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss in the Italian Parsley (bet you thought I forgot about it, didn't you?). Mix the linguini with the sauce and parsley.

Top each serving with a bit of shaved Parmesan or Asiago cheese.

Serve with a green salad, fruit (cantelopes are really good right now), crusty french bread .....oh and of course a good wine.

My husband hated the Kalamata Olives. He thought they were too salty with the anchovies so you might substitute milder ripe olives. For those of you who don't like hot/spicy dishes you can also lighten up on the chili flakes (weenies). I also like this sauce over Farfalle pasta. Soon, I plan to try it with a mixture of yellow and red tomatoes from my garden.

* to seed tomatoes: cut the tomato in half crossways and simply squeeze the seeds and juices into a bowl. You want as much of the juice removed from the tomatoes or else your sauce will be watery and you will have to cook it much longer which will ruin the delicate flavor of the capers.

Lazy Day Oatmeal Cake

I've had this recipe for at least 30 years and have no idea where it came from but I can tell you it is easy easy to make. Always turns out great and is a bit hit at pot lucks.

Lazy Day Oatmeal Cake

1 cup rolled oats (NOT quick cooking oats)
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda

TOPPING:
6 Tbs butter
2 Tbs milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup shredded coconut meat
1 cup chopped walnuts

Bring water to a boil and add oats. Let stand for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cream eggs, butter and sugar. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixtures. Stir in the oats. Bake in a greased sheet cake pan at 350 for 35 minutes. Let the cake cool just a bit before putting on the topping.

Topping: Mix the 6 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp milk in a sauce pan. Heat until warm. Add the brown sugar and heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Add the chopped nuts and coconut. Spread on the still warm cake.

Roasted Corned Beef with Mustard Brown Sugar Glaze

Saint Patricks day is coming up and the corned beef is on sale. Buy one and get one free!!! I bought four. Going to cook one and plan to freeze the others. After all, why should we only have corned beef just once a year?

I used to cook the meat the way my Irish Mother learned it from her mother and so on. Boil the crap out of the meat, skim some fat and add the potatoes and cabbage. It is always good with a creamy horseradish and lots of leftovers for sandwiches and corned beef hash. However, I have found that I much prefer my corned beef done in the following manner. It also has the stamp of approval by my husband.

This recipe is rather free form as is most of my cooking.

Oven Roasted Corned Beef with Mustard Brown Sugar Glaze

• 5 pound piece of corned beef.
• One head of cabbage, cored and cut into quarters and then the quarters cut into halves
• 8 to 12 small to medium sized red new potatoes
• 4 to 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch sections
• One onion cut into eights
• Dijon mustard
• Brown sugar
• Fresh bread crumbs

FIRST: Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat the corned beef for a couple of hours until it is fork tender but not falling apart. Be sure to pour the corned beef juices and spices into the water to get all those good flavors.

Remove the corned beef and put into a foil lined shallow roasting pan or oven proof casserole, fat side up. Cover with foil and refrigerate until you are ready to proceed. You can even do this part early in the day or the day before.

Let the broth cool and skim off any foam and excess fat. Don't take ALL the fat out. The cabbage is best when it has a light coating of the fat. Yummy flavor.

SECOND: Make a paste of mustard, brown sugar. If you don't have Dijon use a nice stone ground brown mustard. Please... please! do NOT use that ballpark yellow mustard crap. Save that for your hot dogs. Notice the vague instructions? I don't know.....Depending on how large your piece of meat is about half and half of each to equal about 1/3 to 1/2 cup. You want it to be pretty thick so start with the brown sugar and add the mustard gradually until you get a thick paste. Too thin and it will just run off of the meat. Set this aside.

NEXT: Preheat the oven to a low temp. About 275 to 300. Roast the meat covered for about an hour or hour and half. Again. Vague and imprecise.

THEN: Raise the temperature to about 375, uncover and spread the mustard/brown sugar paste on the top surface of the meat. Sprinkle on the bread crumbs and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes or less. Check the meat to make sure it isn't drying out. You can always take it out of the oven and cover until the crisping process.

MEANWHILE: Put the whole potatoes in the broth along with the onion and bring to a boil. When the potatoes are about half way done about 10 minutes or so (firm but not hard as rocks when a fork is stuck into them) toss in the carrots and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Then at the last toss in the cabbage and cover the pot if you can. Shove those puppies down into the broth and cook for only 5 minutes. Shut off the heat and leave covered while you are crisping the corned beef.

CRISP THE MEAT: If it isn't already looking a bit brown and crispy on the crumbs, turn the heat up to 450 or better for about 5 to 8 minutes. Take out of the oven and let set for a bit while you are scooping the vegetables out of the broth.

Be careful though...Don't crisp for too long...you don't want dried out corned beef. That is why we par boiled and cooked it, covered at a very low temperature. On the other hand....what the heck, we're going to slather it in a creamy horseradish sauce and drown the potatoes in butter.

How I serve this: Cut the meat into slices and layer like shingles down the middle of a platter. Lift the potatoes and other veggies from the broth and arrange on each side of the meat slices. Horseradish in little cups for each person. Lots of butter for the carrots, potatoes and cabbage.

Good dessert for this is the Lazy Day Oatmeal Cake.

Comfort Food: Macaroni and Cheese

Ultimate comfort food? The winner is........macaroni and cheese. So creamy, salty, slightly sweet, inexpensive and yummy. Anyone who makes macaroni and cheese from a box (other than a starving college student) should be ashamed. It isn't hard to make. It is inexpensive. And the best part is that you can customize your recipe to suit your mood. Got leftover ham? Extra broccoli? Half of a red pepper? Odds and ends of cheese? All can go into a great Mac and Cheese casserole


Here is a simple version. The extra touches that I like to add at the end. Hint.....smoked Gouda cheese.


Basic cooking techniques used: making a roux, chopping, boiling water

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter
2 Tbs flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt

8 oz cheddar cheese cut into dice sized cubes (see below for cheese substitutions)
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 Tbs butter

1 Tbs chopped parsley

First: heat the oven to 350. Cook the macaroni according to package directions slightly under cooking the pasta. If you cook the pasta all the way done it will be mushy in the final casserole. Al dente is your friend here. Pour the pasta into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and also to keep it from becoming a big stuck together glob of pasta.

Now the roux and basic cream sauce Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in 3 quart saucepan until sizzling, stir in flour. Cook the flour butter mixture over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth and bubbly ( I minute) Add milk and salt. Continue cooking stirring frequently until the sauce is thickened about 3 to 4 minutes. Drink a glass of wine and stir occasionally..you will be standing there for several minutes, might as well make good use of your time. You don't want the sauce to burn on the bottom and you do want the flour to be completly cooked. Take your time. Who knows....maybe another glass of wine?

When the cream sauce is done, stir in the chopped cheese(s) until completely melted and smooth.


Next, stir in cooked and cooled macaroni (and any additions suggested below). Spoon the entire glop into an ungreased 2 quart casserole.

(At this point, you can refrigerate the casserole for a bit if you are preparing for company or just want to get a jump on dinner. )

Toss the bread crumbs, with 1 tbsp butter and the parsley. Sprinkle this over the casserole.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through and golden brown crispy on top


This is the basic recipe and makes a creamy and satisfying mac and cheese.

Oh....and a green salad and wine goes well. Fruit salad for dessert.

Now let's ratchet it up a bit.


Instead of just plain old Cheddar, substitute one third of a good high fat Smoked Gouda Cheese. (Come on ....are we counting calories here??? It's comfort food people!) If you don't have Gouda add some cream cheese and liquid smoke.

If you have old/stale french bread make some crumbs with that in a food processor instead of using that pasty pre-packaged crumb stuff that comes in a can. (Sorry Contidina). Panko crumbs work really well too, for a really crunchy topping.

Additions

Chop up some red peppers and sautee them in butter along with some green onions and add to the mac and cheese glop.

or

Have some broccoli?...chop it up and sautee with butter (can't have enough butter and fat in your comfort food you know) Left over ham? Absolutely! Throw it in with the broccoli.

Use your imagination. Use your leftovers.

What would I NOT put in this casserole? Mushrooms. They have too much water. Peas...yuck. Serve those on the side as a fresh vegetable.

Ricotta Spinach Gnocchi

These tasty little dumplings are a great side dish with roasted chicken or any other roasted meat. We are having prime rib for Christmas dinner and in addition to the traditional baked potatoes I plan to have these on the side. For those who are watching their carbohydrates, these are a nice substitute because they are high in protein due to the cheeses.

When cooked and served in a broth and topped with a bit more grated cheese they make a great and satisfying soup. Easy to make and yummy to eat.

Ricotta Spinach Gnocchi

1 Tbs minced onion
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs finely
chopped ham
1 package frozen chopped spinach thawed
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2/3 cup flour

1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp pepper

Saute onion in butter until translucent. Add ham. Squeeze water from spinach and add to onions. Saute 5 minutes or until very dry. Place in large bowl.

Add the flour and ricotta. With a wooden spoon blend. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. It will be like cookie dough.

Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Dust with flour. Bring a large amount of water to boil. Drop the gnocchi into the water and simmer at a low boil for 4 minutes or until the gnocchi float. Drain

Serve with melted butter and fresh grated Parmesan. Or....place the cooked gnocchi's in a shallow casserole, dot with butter and parmesan and bake in the oven until warmed through and bubbly.....OR use the dumplings in a soup made with browned beef bones and onions.

Armageddon Pantry Part 2

A while back I posted about the stockpiles of food and other items that I have been putting into our pump house. It really isn't that I think the end of the world is coming, but hey... why not be prepared. We go to Costco and purchase in bulk. It cost much less to purchase in bulk, by the case lot.

Because we live in a rural area and often in the winter there is snow, it is so handy to go out to the well house and pull some staple or even a luxury like liquor or wine off the shelf.

When I use something from the pump house, we replace it so the stock is always the same. The pump house stays basically the same temperature year round because it is a block building that is well insulated and sided. In the winter the temp is about 40 -45 degrees. In the hot summers the cool water from the well keeps the temp in th 50 degree range. Our well water is very very cold, even in the summer.

Freezer storage is in another building along with most of the non food items. I'm ready.

No Knead Yeast Rolls

I've loved baking ever since I was a small child and used to make cookies and yeast bread for my family. Here I am in our 1950's kitchen checking on the latest experiment I was already infliciting on people. ...bread, I think, in this photo.

The following recipe is one that I've had for years, probably since the 70', so I have no clue where it came from. It has been a holiday staple because it is so easy to make. As it says, no kneading, simply shaping the dough into balls and plopping into prepared pans. We have enough to do on Thanksgiving, so let's take it easy with the rolls.

No Knead Yeast Rolls

1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 large egg, beaten
4 1/2 cups flour, sifted

Sprinkle yeast over the 1/4 cup water and set aside in a warm place. Combine shortening, salt and sugar in boiling water. Stir and cool to 105 to 115 degrees. See Notes Add shortening mixture to the yeast then beat in the egg.

Mix in the flour about 1 cup at a time to make a soft dough. Place in a warm place in a greased bowl and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Divide each half into 12 equal portions. Shape gently into rounds (like golf ball sized) and place into 2 cake pans. 12 rolls in each pan. Let rise again for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes

Makes 24 rolls.

NOTES: Be sure the mixture is cooled to at least that temperature or you will kill the yeast and have dough balls instead of fluffy rolls. Believe me, I've learned this from experience and by being impatient. If you don't have an instant read thermometer, test it like you would a baby formula. Opps!! I guess I just dated myself since people probably don't boil their baby's formula anymore. LOL

In the olden days, I would use a big wooden spoon and beat the dough until my arms were sore. Probably good excercise, but now, I just use my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer. My husband bought one for me for Christmas several years ago and I couldn't live without it. Love love love it. Everyone who is a serious cook should have one. I use it with the paddle attachement to mix the dough which basically is the substitute for the actual kneading process.

Thanksgiving Part One

Thanksgiving is a big cooking holiday and it is always good to get as much of the preparation out of the way in the days leading up to the big event. Planning will keep you from going insane and trying to cook everything last minute. Plus if most things are done ahead, I can relax with a glass of wine or a cocktail.

Day before Thanksgiving: I made the marinade for the Brined Turkey, used the last (thank God) of the Asian Apple Pears for a Gingered Pear Pie and made seasoned broth from the turkey neck and giblets to be used as a base for gravy.

The turkey is happily marinating in a small ice chest and sitting on the back deck where the temperature is just as good as any refrigerator in the evening.

Tomorrow- Thanksgiving: In the morning start the No Knead Yeast rolls that are a favorite every year. Very easy to make and as it says. No kneading. Those take about 4 hours from start to finish. It doesn't hurt if they are done early, just wrap in foil and keep warm on the back of the stove.

Mid day. Assemble the stuffing casserole. Assemble the green bean casserole. Sometime around 2pm put the turkey in the oven. Have a glass of wine. Make the glaze and let it sit on the stove. About half way through the turkey....pop in the casseroles. Three quarters of the way through the turkey, cut up the carrots and par boil, set aside and mix up the orange glaze ingredients for the carrots. Hmmmm ....maybe a glass of wine would be in order here to reward me for my hard work.

Sometime during the day, set and decorate the table.

While the turkey is resting, cover the casseroles in foil. Finish off the carrots. Have another glass of wine. Whip up some gravy. I don't want it but if we don't have gravy it just isn't Thanksgiving for my hubby. I refuse to have cranberry sauce this year.

Carve the turkey in the kitchen. Mound the stuffing in the middle of the platter and arrange the turkey around the stuffing. Carrots in a decorative serving bowl and bring out the gravy boat. Schlepp it all over to the table... MORE WINE for everyone.

Dinner is served.

Whew.....now....who is going to do all these dishes and clean up this mess????

Smoked Brined Turkey

Brining your turkey will keep it moist and full of flavor. As I mentioned in my post about our smoked deli operation, we would brine the chicken and turkey before smoking, deep frying or baking by using a commercial vacuum brining machine.This is a recipe that I think came from a Sunset magazine. But who knows, I clip and keep so many recipes I can't remember. I just know it is very good.

It must be prepared early in the day before you plan to cook because the bird should brine overnight at least. I use a small clean ice chest. Since it's pretty cold at night here (20 degrees this morning), I can just put the bird the the ice chest,fill with the cooled brine and set outside on the deck.

Smoked Brined Turkey

6 quarts water
2 large onions quartered
1 cup coarse salt (non-iodized)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped fresh ginger
4 bay leaves
4 star anise
12 whole peppercorns

1 whole turkey (10 -12-lbs)
2 oranges quartered

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbs sesame oil

4 cups hickory chips soaked in water

3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup dijon mustard
3 tbs butter

BRINE: Bring to a simmer in a very large pot ,the water and all ingredients up to the turkey in the list. Simmer until sugar and salt are completely disolved. Cool brine COMPLETELY. Do a day ahead if needed. Completely thaw turkey. Rinse and pat dry. Submerge in brine and chill. Marinate overnight or longer. Turn turkey twice.

Before smoking, place oranges inside bird. Brush with oils. Smoke at a low temperature according to your smoker or BBQ directions, (about 220) breast side up unitl reaches 160 degrees. Approx 3 hours. Brush with glaze and cook until temp reaches 180 in the thigh areas, about 1 to 2 hours or longer...be patient. Cover any parts of turkey that are getting too dark with foil

GLAZE: Mix syrup, wine, mustard and butter and simmer, stiriing in a small pan until thickened. Brush over the bird for the last half hour or so.

If your bbq has a temperature gauge, check occaisonally to make sure the temperature doesn't rise over 22o and use an instant read meat thermometer after an hour or so. Depending on the size of your turkey it could take several hours to cook to the desired temperature. I use a Polder temperature gauge like this one.

Pot Luck Worry? Ricotta Pineapple Pie. No Problem

It's a pot luck for the holiday and YOU have been asked to bring a dessert. Panic!!!

Don't like to bake? Can't make pie crust. Don't have much time? No problem. Here is a dessert that is a snap to make and is impressive. No need to tell everyone how easy it is......just bask in the praise that will be heaped upon you.

After watching the Soprano's on television for a while and watching them shovel food into their faces after they had committed some horrible crime or two.... I discovered that there was an actual cookbook The Soprano's Family Cookbook. Carmella Soprano's solution to everything was food: either some nice manicotti or a ricotta pie.


Ricotta Pineapple Pie

1 tbsp butter softened
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla

20 oz crushed pineapple
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan or springform pan. Add the crumbs, turning the pan to coat the bottom and sides. (note: I usually use 1 to 2 tbsp butter. Spread it thick and pat in lightly the graham craker crumbs)

In a large bowl stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Ad the ricotta, eggs, cream, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until the pie is set around the edges but the center is stll slightly soft. Cool on a wire rack to room temperture.

TOPPING: Drain the pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup of the juice. In a medium saucepan, stor together the sugar and cornsatrch. Stir in the 1/2 cup of pineaple juice and lemon juice. Cook, stiring constantly, until thickened... about 1 min. Add the pineapple. Remove from the heat and let cool until just warm. Spread the topping over the pie. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.

TIPS: Use whole milk ricottoa cheese that has been aged a bit in the refrigerator. I let it age until after the experation date, which is usually just a suggestion anyway. The skim type of cheese will make a pie with a grainy texture. If you have a diabetic in the family, you can use Splenda in place of sugar in this recipe and it won't have any affect on the pie.

The texture of this pie is even better if refrigerated overnight, without the topping if you can. I found that the ripened pie is smoother and the topping tends to 'weep' a bit if you refrigerate for too long.

A few thinly sliced strawberries strategically placed on the pie as decoration makes a lovely presentation.

Our Adventures in Smoking

Smoking meat, fowl and fish that is.

For several years, we owned and operated a deli that specialized in smoked foods. Our specialty was a hot smoked trout and the name of our little establishment was Rainbow's End. Every other week we would go directly to the hatchery, about 20 minutes away, and obtain hundreds of pounds of trout that were all about 1 1/2 pounds. The hatchery could sort them by size with a screen. The fish were then transported alive in tanks of water to the "fish shop". You can't get product any fresher than that!!

My poor husband was the "gut and cut" part of the operation and processed the fish by gutting and filleting the fish. We figured he was the best man for that operation since he is a plumber and used to ick. LOL. Guts and fish remainders were sold to a local ranch that used them as a fertilizer source. The next step was to season the fillets with our own secret special recipe and marinate them in our cold room until ready for the smokers that we had designed specially for the fish. They were cooled and vacuum sealed in packages of one to two fillets.

Everyone loved the fish and we actually won first prize in Seattle for the hot smoked category. We sold many to a local restaurant who also loved the fish because they could reheat them and serve as an entree. The fish could be served as appetizers or processed into a tasty trout pate. Andronico's in the Bay Area carried our products.

We then branched out into hickory smoked hot wings (very very popular with the resorts in our area for their bar snack menu), brine smoked turkey, deep fried turkey, smoked whole and half chickens. Commercial vacuum tumblers and commercial smokers were used for the meat and chickens to get the brine and marinades deep into the meat to create a juicy and flavorful product.

Hooking up with a local buffalo rancher, we soon started serving smoked buffalo tri tip type roasts, barbequed buffalo burgers, and smoked pork ribs in sauce every Friday. The staff would prepare various side dishes (corn bread, cole slaw, potato salad, beans) and a dessert (giant cookies, sheet cake cut into individual serving squares) People would order ahead and pick up an entire meal to take home Friday after work or just stop in and have an early dinner.

We sold the business after 5 years. Why did we stop?? Oh my God, were we ever tired!!! Not only were we doing the deli, I was operating a full time financial planning office and my husband was still operating his plumbing/pump/water system business. Operating a restaurant, overseeing employees, marketing product is a full time occupation and anyone who plans to go into business needs to be able to devote their full attention to it and be prepared to NOT make any money for the first couple of years.

Every now and then I miss the business, and then come to my senses. I do miss the product. Loved the hickory smoked wings and occaisonally we make a small batch for ourselves. This year for Thanksgiving, I'm making a smoked and brined turkey that was very popular in our brief deli career.

Anchovy Bell Pepper Spread

If you are going to host an early afternoon cocktail or wine event, it is a wise idea to include finger food, nibbles, appetizers to accompany the alcohol. We keep the event rather small and have only 6 to 8 guests. I like to have a cheese and cracker plate with wedges of Brie, Smoked Gouda and various types of spreadable or sliced cheeses. Sliced fruit: like pears or apples to go with the cheese. Perhaps some salami or prosciutto. Bowls of olives of different types, garlic stuffed are very popular, pimento, blue cheese, Kalamata and your basic black olives. Pickled asparagus spears. All available from your local grocer and require nothing more than slicing and arranging on serving plates.

Small tartlets of mushrooms or mini quiches baked in those tiny muffin pans can be prepared early in the day and reheated in the oven.

Dips and spreads are nice to have for dipping fresh crunchy veggies and spreading onto sliced baguettes. Here is a tasty spread that is one of my favorites.
Anchovy Bell Pepper Spread

2 large red bell peppers
2 oz can of anchovies with olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Char the bell peppers over a gas flame or on the barbeque turning until blackened on all sides. Place in a paper bag and let stand for about 10 minutes. Peel and seed the peppers and coarsely chop.

Place peppers, anchovies and oil ,onion , parsley and vinegar in a food processor and process until the onion is finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in small serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to mellow.

Serve with baguette slices and/or cucumber rounds.

TIP: If you don't have the time or access to fresh red bell peppers, you can also buy roasted red bell peppers in jars. Just be sure to drain well and blott off as much of the oil as you can or esle your spread will be less spreadable and more like a thick soup. I highly recommend doing the bell peppers yourself. While I'm taking the time to roast a mere two peppers, I go ahead and make more roasted peppers than I need for just this recipe and slice or chop the remainder, place them in olive oil and refrigerate for a few days to use in other recipes during the week.

Tis the Season to Cook

For a person who likes to cook, this is the best time of the year. The Holiday Season!!! Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. The season for entertaining and having friends over for cocktail and hors d'oeurves (also known as appetizer) parties. A chance to create interesting and tasty morsels like Anchovy-Bell Pepper Spread on Baguettes, and try them out on your tipsy friends. Tiny savory tartletts of sherried mushrooms and cheese.

Giving gifts of food, cookies, candies, jams. Dry mixes for soup or quick breads in decorative containers, gaily wrapped up with the recipe card attached. Wonderful gifts that don't cost much money and are a thoughtful gift of time and love.

The weather is cool and baking not only warms the soul, it also warms the home. Cakes, pies, cookies, cheesecake, bread. Baking a turkey, ham, leg of lamb or even that most wonderful cut of meat....a prime rib of beef.

In the next few months, I'll be posting some of my favorite holiday recipes and sharing what we are cooking for the season.

Gingered Pear Pie

On my other blog I wrote about these unique and delicious Asian Apple Pears that we have an abundance of this year. We have had them sliced and added to salads tossed with a balsamic vinegarette dressing. On a cheese and cracker plate. They are especially good with brie cheese. Pies, like the one I made last night. And now that they are getting a bit past their prime, tommow will be chopped up and made into Walnut, Pear Muffins and frozen for breakfast treats.

This recipe is from an old Bon-Appetite magazine, November 1991. I know......who keeps these magazines around for 17 years? A recipke junkie, that's who! I am, however, in the middle of a huge project to divest myself of this clutter and still keep the recipies. Using the Living Cookbook program which I highly recommend, I am systematically going through the magazines and copying the recipes that appeal to me and don't seem to be duplicates. Scanning some of the photos and then .....sadly waving goodbye to my old friend the magazine is gone.


Gingered Pear Pie

One recipe of lard pie pastry (see previous apple pie recipe)

3/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

3 pounds pears, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Egg Wash (one egg mixed with a tbsp of water or milk)

Make the pie crust according to the directions in the previous recipe. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Place raisins and ginger in a small saucepan and just barely cover with water. Simmer for about 5 minutes on a very low setting. Set aside and let raisins plump while preparing the filling and crust. The raisins can be done several days ahead. Just cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and slice the pears. I put them in a water bath that has had a bit of lemon juice added to it to keep them from turning brown. When al l pears have been sliced, drain and toss the pears with the remaining ingredients. Set aside while rolling out the crusts.

Mound the fruit in the bottom crust leaving an overhang of about 1/2 inch. I have a handy pair of kitchen scissors that I use. Roll out the top crust and place on the pie and trim to equal the bottom crust for overhang. Roll the two crusts under and flute. Save the scraps and cut out some decorative shapes. Brush the crust with the egg wash and place the decorations. Brush again with egg wash and cut a few slits for steam vents.

Place on a baking sheet, to keep spills from occuring, and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until golden brown. If the edges begin to get too brown, protect them with a strip of foil.

Beef Lemon Shiskebab

The last gasp of Indian Summer is upon us in California. Crisp mornings and warm afternoons in the high 70 to low 80 degrees. Perfect time to use up that last bag of charcoal briquettes and have friends over for an early afternoon barbeque.

This recipe takes a not so tender cut of beef and turns it into a tasty and festive meal that really stretches the food budget. I've cooked this since the Carter years, which it seems we are doomed to repeat. SO .....here goes an inexpensive meal that will easily feed 6 to 8 adults.

LEMON SHISKEBAB

Marinade
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp granualed beef broth
1/2 tsp pepper

Blend all the marinade ingredients in a food processor until a fine puree.

SHISKEBAB

4 pounds of thick cut sirloin steak or london broil
32 large mushroom caps
3 large lemons
3 large red and green peppers

Optional: Zuchinni, yellow squash, eggplant

Cut the meat into 32 squares about 1 1/2 inches. Pour the marinade in a large ziplock bag or bowl and toss in the meat squares. Marinate overnight for optimal tenderness.

A few hours before cooking:

Cut up the pepper into 1 1/2 squares.

If using the optional zuchinni or other squash. Slice into 1/2 thick pieces.

Eggplant cut into 1 1/2 inch squares. Peeling the eggplant is optional. I like the peel because it keeps the eggplant chunks whole.

Thinly slice the lemons.

Bring the meat mixture out and toss in all the ingredients except the lemon. Marinate and bring to room temperature for several hours. Room temperature is important otherwise your skewers will be uncooked and cold in the center.

Place meat on skewers alternating the other ingredients. Broil or grill until meat is desired doneness. Basting with marinade if needed. The meat in the middle of the skewers will be less done than the ends for those (me me me!!) who like their meat on the rare side.

Serve with:
Mixed greens salad and lemon rice or orzo pilaf.
Dessert: pineapple lemon sorbet. If you think you are already overloaded on lemon/citrus then you can't go wrong with plain old vanilla ice-cream and some fresh chopped macerated fruit.

Caramel Apple Pie

Apple pie time!!!. The days are getting short and cooler and baking is in the air.

Here is an unusual apple pie with a caramel sauce poured over the lattice crust. I use lard in my pie crusts to give the most tender and flaky crust.

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup lard (Yes I said lard!!)
6 tbs cold water or more if needed

In food processor or with knives cut in the flour, lard and salt until resembles coarse meal
Remove to a bowl and toss lightly with a fork while sprinkling in the water. Toss until it forms a ball that can be held together when pressed lightly. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water

8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced thinly

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure the sauce is thick.

Meanwhile, cut the pie dough in two and roll out a crust with one half. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. The lattice work crust is non negotiable. You must be able to pour the caramel over and through the crust.Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. Take a pastry brush and spread the caramel over all the pie crust. The crust will become crispy and shiny when cooked.

Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

Let the pie cool before cutting or else the caramel will come running out.