Confident Kitchen

Our goal this year is to eat simple meals.  We’re off to a good start.

• 1 package tofu, marinated
• 1 zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 sweet potato
• olive oil
• salt, pepper, thyme to taste

Tonight’s dinner consisted of 3 parts.  I peeled and cubed a sweet potato, then tossed it with half an onion, a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.  I baked this at 350 for 25 minutes.  I then used metal skewers to bake for 15 minutes cubes of tofu that had marinaded in a hoisin garlic teriyaki sauce for an hour in the fridge.  Ten minutes to bake skewers of sliced zucchini and bell pepper.

Comments(1)

These are chewy, but with a bit of crispiness on the outside. Wonderful, deep brown, rich, share with others to be the most popular person at the office!

Skill: Medium
Prep: 25 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup Irish Whiskey
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon Irish Whiskey
• 1-1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 to 4 tablespoons brewed coffee
• Chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Heat granulated sugar, butter or margarine, and 1/2 cup cocoa powder in a large saucepan over medium heat until butter or margarine melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla; beat lightly just until combined,
2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl; set aside. Stir together milk and 1/4 cup whiskey; stir in coffee crystals. Add flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to the chocolate mixture, beating by hand after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into a greased 15×10x1-inch baking pan.
3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, for the Irish Coffee Glaze, stir together sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon Irish whiskey, and 1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla. Stir in 3 to 4 tablespoons brewed coffee until of drizzling consistency.
5. If desired, sprinkle with additional chopped nuts. Makes 36 brownies.

Comments(3)

This recipe is probably going to be our default for nights when I have no inspiration.  Quick, healthy, and easy…what more could you ask for?

Skill:  Easy
Prep:  10 minutes
Total:  25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 package soba noodles
• 1/2 package extra firm tofu, cut into bite-size cubes
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1/2 bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, quartered
• 1 egg per serving
• 2 teaspoons cooking oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon hoisin
• 1/4 cup reserved pasta water

Boil pasta and eggs while preparing vegetables.  When the noodles are done, drain.  Heat wok over high heat, then add oil.  Add vegetables and tofu and saute for 4 minutes.  Add liquids (soy sauce, dry sherry, hoisin, pasta water) and noodles.  Stir for 1 minutes.  Serve with a boiled egg cut into halves.

Comments(1)

I’ve been collecting cheese for the last few weeks.  I can’t explain why, but I found 6 different types in the meat drawer a few nights ago.  Time to use it up!

Skill:  Easy
Prep:  5 minutes
Total:  15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup Feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• pasta
• pepper to taste

Grate 1 cup Gruyere cheese.  Start pasta boiling.  In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream and garlic on medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add small amounts of Gruyere until melted.  Add small amounts of crumbled Feta until melted.

Serve pasta with a small portion of cheese sauce.  Add pine nuts and pepper.

Comments(3)

Delicious. I can’t emphasize that enough. Fabulous. The best cookie ever. Better than chocolate chip. Better than peanut butter. Fantastic. Make these cookies!

Skill: Medium
Prep: 15 minutes (plus a minimum of one hour to chill the dough)
Total: 30 minutes (plus a minimum of one hour to chill the dough)

n a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and set aside. (I used a small saucepan resting in a large saucepan.)

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale and fluffy. (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) At this point beat in the vanilla extract and then stir in the melted chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls, at least 1 hour (preferably several hours or even overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the confectioner’s sugar in a shallow bowl. With lightly greased hands, roll a small amount of chilled dough to form a 1-inch ball. Place the ball of dough into the confectioner’s sugar and roll the ball in the sugar until it is completely coated and no chocolate shows through. Gently lift the sugar-covered ball, tapping off excess sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue forming cookies, spacing about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. If you find the dough getting too soft for rolling into balls, return to the refrigerator and let chill until firm.

Bake cookies 10-13 minutes or just until the edges are slightly firm but the centers still soft. For moist, chewy cookies do not overbake. Overbaking will cause them to be dry. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Comments(6)

Tips:

• Always have a back-up plan. You can never go so wrong that a late-night pizza can’t fix. Whether you keep a stash of Lean Cuisines in the freezer, a jar of spaghetti sauce and noodles in the pantry, or $20 hidden in the cookie jar…screwing up a recipe isn’t the end of the world.
• Read the entire recipe before starting. I can’t remember how many times I didn’t read the full recipe and had to scramble at the end to make sure it came out edible.
• Prep as much as you can before starting. Chop veggies, sort ingredients, measure out spices (those little glass cups are great for this step), and have everything you’ll need within easy reach. This is also useful to ensure that you won’t have to stop in the middle for a quick run to the store when you realized you were out of olive oil.
• Take chances. This builds your confidence. Confidence in the kitchen is key. When you have confidence, you can improvise if something goes wrong.
• When in doubt, look it up. Google is an amazing tool. You can find out what it means to “julienne” or “fold”, or check out the final result of a recipe by searching for an image.

Comments(0)

From Orangette.

Skill:  Easy
Prep:  5 minutes
Total:  15 minutes

• ¾ lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 3 Tbsp. pine nuts
• ½ lb. dried pasta, preferably fettuccine or another long noodle
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. heavy cream
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

In a food processor fitted with the slicing disk, slice the Brussels sprouts into a fine hash. Set aside.

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat.

While the water is heating, prepare the pine nuts. Place a large heavy skillet over medium heat. When the pan is warm, add the pine nuts and, shaking the pan frequently, toast until golden and fragrant. (Careful: they burn easily.) Transfer to a bowl or small plate, and set aside. Set the pan aside as well, but do not wash it: you’ll use it again in a minute.

When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Return the skillet to the stove, and place over medium-high heat. You want it to get quite hot. Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted – it’s okay if it browns a little; mine did – add the Brussels sprouts and salt. Sauté, stirring frequently, until bright green and just tender, about 4 minutes.

If the pasta is ready at this point, drain it, reserving ¼ cup cooking water, and add it to the skillet with the cooked Brussels sprouts. Alternatively, if the pasta is not yet ready, transfer the sprouts to a large bowl. (You don’t want them to sit in the hot pan too long.) Either way, when the pasta is ready, toss it with the sprouts. Add the pine nuts and cream, and toss again. If the pasta seems a bit dry, add a splash or two of the cooking water.

Serve immediately, with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and additional salt at the table.

Yield: 4 servings

Comments(1)

I’ve been moving toward making simple meals with fewer ingredients, less prep, and better quality.  This soup fits that description and will likely become my favorite “standby” for days when I have no inspiration.  From “A Beautiful Bowl of Soup” cookbook.

Skill:  Easy
Prep:  5 minutes
Total:  30 minutes

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
•  1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup milk or half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the carrot, celery, and onion, stirring occasionally, until the carrot is tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the flour and stir until smooth.  Gradually add the vegetable stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the pre-cooked rice and cranberries.  Reduce the heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are softened and plumed, about 15 minutes.

Stir in all the remaining ingredients.  Stir occasionally until warmed through.  Season to taste.

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One branch of my family is Hispanic. Holiday meals always include homemade tortillas, beans, and tamales made by my Grandmother. She recently taught my sister how to make tamales, who then showed me the basics. They are actually pretty easy to make though time consuming, and is a great group activity if you want to host a Tamale Party. Definitely put a batch away for the next day, as these are even better the second time around

Skill: Medium
Prep: 30 minutes
Total: about 4 hours

Filling:

• 1lb pork, chicken, or beef (I made one batch with pork, one with elk)
• 1 med. white onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 package dried chilies
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. oregano

Other ingredients:

• 1 6 oz. pkg. dried corn husks
• 6 cups masa harina
• 2 cups oil
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 4-1/2 cups water or more as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place meat and onion in med. baking dish and cover with water. Bake for approx. 1-1/2 hrs. or until meat pulls apart easily. Remove meat from broth. Refrigerate broth. When cool, shred meat with 2 forks or with dough blade of food processor. Strain broth after fat has solidified on surface. (All of this can be done day before.) If the broth doesn’t measure 2 cups, add water to make 2 cups of liquid. Reserve pork and liquid.

In large skillet, heat oil, add minced garlic and pork. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir constantly for about a minute as the flour begins to brown. In a pot, bring bag of chilies to a simmer, then puree the chilies with half a cup of water in a blender.  Add chili mixture, broth and seasonings. Cook over med.-low heat until thickened and almost dry, stirring regularly, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Prepare corn husks by submerging in bowl or baking pan of hot water for 30 min. Separate husks and rinse them under warm running water to wash away any grit or brown silks. Soak them in warm water until ready to use.

Prepare masa. Measure masa harina in large bowl. Add water, while stirring. Add oil and salt and stir well. Use spoon, powerful mixer, or your hands. When well blended should have the consistency of moist cookie dough. If it begins to dry out, add more water. Cover with damp cloth if necessary.

Assemble tamales. Spread dough on smooth side of husk with back of spoon to about 1/2″ from side edges, 1″ from top edge, and 2″ from bottom edge. Spoon about 2 Tbsp. of filling down center. Roll husk over so that masa covers filling and should come loose from husk. Then roll up husk and fold bottom end under. Repeat until all masa and filling is used. Stand tamales loosely packed in a steamer/blancher/spaghetti cooker, or lay flat in a criss cross pattern so steam can penetrate effectively. Cover pot and steam for about 1 hr. to 1-1/4 hrs or until the masa is firm and pulls away from husk easily.

Comments(3)

I based this recipe off a yellow split pea soup that I found online. I find that most split pea soups tend to be overcooked, and the chana dal worked really well in this variation. **Chana dah is split chickpeas without seedcoat.**

Skill: Easy
Prep: 5 minutes (plus overnight soaking)
Total: 90 minutes (plus overnight soaking)

• 2 cups of dried chana dal
• 5 or 6 cups of water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped small
• 1 small turnip cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon Hot Madras curry powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Soak chana dal overnight. Place chana dal in a large saucepan and cover well with water. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about an hour or until the peas are soft and starting to go a bit mushy. Add the onion, carrots, turnip, and curry and cook for a further 20 minutes until everything is tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Comments(1)