The market had many new things. It was hard to choose what to purchase for my menu. I decided on chicken thighs and a beautiful bunch of kale. The chicken was locally raised and the thighs were very large. The kale was a very bright green and there were samples of a salad, the recipe I brought home and prepared.
The chicken thighs are browned on both sides and placed on a rack on a baking sheet. They are finished in the oven. While they are roasting I made the sauce. Brown onions in the drippings and add garlic for about 30 seconds. Pour in some beer. The recipe called for wheat beer, but I think any kind will do. Stir in a can of diced tomatoes, chopped rosemary, smoked paprika, cumin and salt and pepper. Simmer about 5 minutes. Return the chicken thighs to the pan and simmer until thighs register 165 degrees. Serve some of the sauce and some chopped parsley over the thighs. Rice or pasta would work well with the chicken and sauce.
Kale is a funky green vegetable. The stems are tough and should be cut away from the curly green leaf. If used in a soup or stew or any other dish where it is cooked in liquid, it can be used as is. However, using it in a salad or other raw state, it must be softened. In this recipe the dressing is made and poured over the raw kale. The dressing is EVOO, lemon juice, and sea salt. When it is poured over the kale, with your hands, massage it into the kale. When the leaves are softened and a very dark green. Toss in toasted pine nuts, diced red bell pepper and sliced Kalamata olives.
This was a great dinner. The salad keeps well in a plastic bag and is as tasty the second, third and beyond day.
I saw some other interesting vegetables at the market and will go back and pick them up for next weeks dinner. Have a good week and if you are in the midwest and northeast, stay warm and safe. I see another storm on the way.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Everything Old Is New Again!
Growing up one of the things I learned from my Mom was cooking with 'different' cuts of meat. Lamb Shanks was one of them Over the years I have prepared them in many ways. She always roasted them while I have learned that braising them in a variety of liquids was my favorite. When Mom lived in an assisted living apartment, I would bring a braised lamb shank and mashed potato dinner and we would have it together in her apartment. This week is a celebration of that meal with a new twist.
In a heavy pot thoroughly brown the shanks with salt and pepper and set them aside. In the dripping saute chopped carrot, celery, onion and garlic until softened. Stir in some tomato paste, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add some hearty red wine and bring to a simmer. Add browned lamb shanks back to pan and add beef stock to cover, bay leaves and several sprigs of fresh thyme.. Place covered in a 400 degree oven and cook for a couple of hours turning the shanks half way through. Check every 45 minutes or so and if liquid is low, add more stock. When shanks are tender remove from heat and serve with the gravy over your favorite potatoes or try the following.
Everyone loves mashed potatoes, and there are many recipes. Using different kinds of potatoes and additions; hot buttered milk, cream cheese, and mashed cooked garlic. Skins on or skin off. Lately I have read about substituting mashed cauliflower. I found an interesting recipe that I tried. Clean the cauliflower and separate the florets.. Clean and smash several garlic cloves and cook with the cauliflower in a small amount of water. I cooked the mix in the microwave so I didn't need a lot of water, just enough to steam and soften them. In a bowl, mash the cooked garlic cauliflower mix and stir in some sour cream and plain Greek yogurt. Salt and pepper to taste.I think this will be a new favorite.
I served the shanks over a mound of the mashed cauliflower and topped it with a gremolata. Gremolata is a mixture of orange and lemon zest, minced parsley, garlic and a spoon of prepared horseradish.
Loved this meal....it brought back a lot of memories.
See you next week. I hope to find some inspiration at the market.
In a heavy pot thoroughly brown the shanks with salt and pepper and set them aside. In the dripping saute chopped carrot, celery, onion and garlic until softened. Stir in some tomato paste, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add some hearty red wine and bring to a simmer. Add browned lamb shanks back to pan and add beef stock to cover, bay leaves and several sprigs of fresh thyme.. Place covered in a 400 degree oven and cook for a couple of hours turning the shanks half way through. Check every 45 minutes or so and if liquid is low, add more stock. When shanks are tender remove from heat and serve with the gravy over your favorite potatoes or try the following.
Everyone loves mashed potatoes, and there are many recipes. Using different kinds of potatoes and additions; hot buttered milk, cream cheese, and mashed cooked garlic. Skins on or skin off. Lately I have read about substituting mashed cauliflower. I found an interesting recipe that I tried. Clean the cauliflower and separate the florets.. Clean and smash several garlic cloves and cook with the cauliflower in a small amount of water. I cooked the mix in the microwave so I didn't need a lot of water, just enough to steam and soften them. In a bowl, mash the cooked garlic cauliflower mix and stir in some sour cream and plain Greek yogurt. Salt and pepper to taste.I think this will be a new favorite.
I served the shanks over a mound of the mashed cauliflower and topped it with a gremolata. Gremolata is a mixture of orange and lemon zest, minced parsley, garlic and a spoon of prepared horseradish.
Loved this meal....it brought back a lot of memories.
See you next week. I hope to find some inspiration at the market.
Friday, February 7, 2014
FRENCH DINNER AND MORE.....
I have been lax in keeing up with the blog....I apologize. Today I plan to 'catch up'. First is the last class at the French Cooking School. The best of the 4 classes. I have learned so much about food and wine parings with the instructors. Last Tuesday we made a lamb dish with a wine paring. It was amazing and very simple. The Ratatouille was simple but carefully constructed. First in the pot are chopped tomatoes, then green peppers, zucchini, eggplant and onion is similar size pieces. A bay leaf, garlic, Italian seasoning ( no rosemary) and olive oil are added to the pot. Cook on high for about 15 minutes. Gently stir and reduce heat to simmer an cook for another 45 minutes to one hour until cooked. Add salt and pepper. Garnish with grated parmesan and minced flat leaf parsley. I chose lamb chops instead of cutting a rack of lamb. Rub chops with EVOO, S&P and Italian seasoning (no rosemary) Grill 3 - 5 minutes on each side. Serve with a dish of Ratatouille and a glass (or two) Puech-Haute Shiraze. Excellent!
In the last weeks I have prepared several dishes that were excellent and some......not so much. I will send the successes. First for Super Bowl I made a fabulous chicken wing dish. Most wings are served with BBQ /hot sauces. This one does not. These wings are basted with a mixture of vegetable oil, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, honey and Siracha sauce. Baste and turn twice. Serve with a dipping sauce of: chopped shallot sauted in melted butter. Stir in Apple butter, plain Greek Yogust, Dijon mustard Apple cider Vinegar, salt and pepper. This is my new favorite. I will try this again with boneless, skinlees chicken strips.
The previous week I prepared a Panko crusted salmon. The crust is Panko, minced parsley, grated lemon zest. The fillets are brushed with a mixture of EVOO and Dijon mustard. Pat the Panko mixture and saute on bottom side. Finish in oven at 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
The last dish is a Warm French Lentil Salad. The recipe had one error in it and the first mixture needed to be dumped.. One sliced leek and one diced carrot are sauted in EVOO.. Add minced garlic, cook 1 minute and set aside. The recipe calls for French Green lentils, not sure why they are different except they are smaller. Simmer the lentils in water and add a whole onion studded with cloves and half a turnip. lower heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are almost tender. Remove onion and turnip. Drain and toss with cooked lentils. Dressing is EVOO, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, S&P. Mix and serve warm. Excellent.
I hope not to get so far behind again, however, I plan ton keep up. Stay tuned to the next weeks. I have some graeat meals planned. Stay tuned.. I do take requests for recipes.
In the last weeks I have prepared several dishes that were excellent and some......not so much. I will send the successes. First for Super Bowl I made a fabulous chicken wing dish. Most wings are served with BBQ /hot sauces. This one does not. These wings are basted with a mixture of vegetable oil, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, honey and Siracha sauce. Baste and turn twice. Serve with a dipping sauce of: chopped shallot sauted in melted butter. Stir in Apple butter, plain Greek Yogust, Dijon mustard Apple cider Vinegar, salt and pepper. This is my new favorite. I will try this again with boneless, skinlees chicken strips.
The previous week I prepared a Panko crusted salmon. The crust is Panko, minced parsley, grated lemon zest. The fillets are brushed with a mixture of EVOO and Dijon mustard. Pat the Panko mixture and saute on bottom side. Finish in oven at 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes.
The last dish is a Warm French Lentil Salad. The recipe had one error in it and the first mixture needed to be dumped.. One sliced leek and one diced carrot are sauted in EVOO.. Add minced garlic, cook 1 minute and set aside. The recipe calls for French Green lentils, not sure why they are different except they are smaller. Simmer the lentils in water and add a whole onion studded with cloves and half a turnip. lower heat and simmer uncovered until lentils are almost tender. Remove onion and turnip. Drain and toss with cooked lentils. Dressing is EVOO, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, S&P. Mix and serve warm. Excellent.
I hope not to get so far behind again, however, I plan ton keep up. Stay tuned to the next weeks. I have some graeat meals planned. Stay tuned.. I do take requests for recipes.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Lighter Fare in the New Year!
I have made some food goals for the New Year and my menues will reflect this. I will prepare more seafood and poultry, less red meat and Monday's will be meatless. We shall see how this works out!
Since moving to Asheville I have found a supermarket Ithat has a great fish market. Lots of choices and knowledgeable staff. This week the halibut looked especially good so I purchased a 6 ounce portion for the paapillote I have planned. A sauce is made of artichoke heart quarters, garlic, grape tomatoes, fresh mint and sauteed with white wine and a bit of butter. The sauce is poured over the fish and sealed in the parchment paper. It is baked in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. The fish is flakey and moist. It looked good as well. I will use this sauce and method often with fish.
Celery is an underused vegetable. This salad is composed of thinly sliced celery and diced Granny Smith apple.It is tossed with a bit of the dressing to moisten and then chilled until serving time. Spoon the salad in a small dish, top with chopped parsley, toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan. Light and refreshing and went well with the halibut.
The dressing is going to be a new favorite. EVOO, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, minced shallots, celery salt and anchovy paste. Shake and chill. The dressing will likely last the rest of the week
I hope to continue with the lighter meals so I hope you stop by. Have a good week.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
NEW BEGINNINGS
I know it is been a long while, biut I have retired from my career in library manangement and moved from my home in suburban Chicago to the south, Asheville North Carolina to be exact. Beginning in the new year I will restart my food blog and focus on the style of Southern food. I hope you enjoy the new information and please do ask questions as you need.
Have a Happy Holiday and a Very Happy New Year
Marilyn
Sunday, May 19, 2013
I Love Thai Food
I know it's been a while since I posted, but life has been hectic. A week ago, I attended a Thai Dinner Party cooking class. I have always loved Thai food and discovered that it is not as difficult as I had expected to prepare.. A lot of preliminary cutting and chopping but it comes out excellent. For my Table, I changed the menu a bit from what we did and made some adjustments in the recipes. Overall I liked this and the spicy heat did not make my lips numb as they did in class. Here is what was on Marilyn's Table:
MANGO SORBET 'MARTINI' WITH BASIL SUGAR RIM
CHICKEN SATAY WITH SPICY PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
SHRIMP PAD THAI
The martini is very simple and done in a blender. Chopped mango, simple syrup, and lime juice in a blender until smooth. If it is too thick, add a bit of water. Run a lime around the rim of a martini glass and dip in a plate of sugar and finely minced basil. Rum or Vodka is optional and I chose to leave it 'virgin'. A nice and sweet, but not too sweet drink to serve with the satay and peanut sauce.
Chicken strips are woven on to wooden skewers that have been soaked in water. They are marinated in lime juice, canola oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and a bit of red pepper.
While they marinate, make the dipping sauce.. Peanut butter, lite coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and a bit of red pepper flakes are mixed together. The chicken strips are removed from the marinade and grilled until done. The dipping sauce is excellent with the chicken.
Pad Thai was a new experience for me. I had not worked with dried rice noodles before, but found them to be easy to work with. The noodles are soaked in hot water until they soften, drain and cut up or leave whole, your choice. In a wok heat peanut oil and saute garlic intill golden, add beaten egg and stir until egg is cooked. Mung bean sprouts, chopped scallion greens, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and chili-garlic sauce are added.. Heat through. I had oven roasted a pound of shrimp earlier so I did not add the shrimp until the end and just to heat thourgh. Plate and top with more green scallions and chopped peanuts. I will do this again, but perhaps add another egg and more green scallions. The roasted shrimp were perfect and I was happy I had not cooked them in the mixture.
My original plan was to also have a spring roll, but the papaya I bought was very bitter, so perhaps another time. Thai food is a new favorite and soon I will prepare more from this Asian country.
Next week I will travel north to visit family in Middleton. Grand daugher is home from her first year in college and I am anxious to here about her adventures. I will take a Whoopy Pie Cake to celebrate. We also will visit Mineral Point for an outing. I hope to be back in a couple of weeks with another Table.
Enjoy the nice weather, I think winter is finally finished with us.....
MANGO SORBET 'MARTINI' WITH BASIL SUGAR RIM
CHICKEN SATAY WITH SPICY PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
SHRIMP PAD THAI
The martini is very simple and done in a blender. Chopped mango, simple syrup, and lime juice in a blender until smooth. If it is too thick, add a bit of water. Run a lime around the rim of a martini glass and dip in a plate of sugar and finely minced basil. Rum or Vodka is optional and I chose to leave it 'virgin'. A nice and sweet, but not too sweet drink to serve with the satay and peanut sauce.
Chicken strips are woven on to wooden skewers that have been soaked in water. They are marinated in lime juice, canola oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and a bit of red pepper.
While they marinate, make the dipping sauce.. Peanut butter, lite coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and a bit of red pepper flakes are mixed together. The chicken strips are removed from the marinade and grilled until done. The dipping sauce is excellent with the chicken.
Pad Thai was a new experience for me. I had not worked with dried rice noodles before, but found them to be easy to work with. The noodles are soaked in hot water until they soften, drain and cut up or leave whole, your choice. In a wok heat peanut oil and saute garlic intill golden, add beaten egg and stir until egg is cooked. Mung bean sprouts, chopped scallion greens, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and chili-garlic sauce are added.. Heat through. I had oven roasted a pound of shrimp earlier so I did not add the shrimp until the end and just to heat thourgh. Plate and top with more green scallions and chopped peanuts. I will do this again, but perhaps add another egg and more green scallions. The roasted shrimp were perfect and I was happy I had not cooked them in the mixture.
My original plan was to also have a spring roll, but the papaya I bought was very bitter, so perhaps another time. Thai food is a new favorite and soon I will prepare more from this Asian country.
Next week I will travel north to visit family in Middleton. Grand daugher is home from her first year in college and I am anxious to here about her adventures. I will take a Whoopy Pie Cake to celebrate. We also will visit Mineral Point for an outing. I hope to be back in a couple of weeks with another Table.
Enjoy the nice weather, I think winter is finally finished with us.....
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Chinese New Year
I hardly know where to begin. I usually do Mardi Gras, but since the Chinese New Year came at the same time, I thought I'd attempt a Chinese menu. This is the year of the snake, but not a chance I was going to prepare a snake in any meal. I did some research and learned some interesting things. Did you know it's bad luck to break crockery to begin a New Year? All dead houseplants should be replaced with fresh live ones? My favorite is to settle all debts and start the New Year with a clean slate...good luck with that! When it comes to food and cooking the New Years' meal some foods are symbols for the year. When cooking noodles, don't cut them and you will have a long life. Serving Chinese Tea Eggs on New Years' indicates a year of wealth, but my favorite is prepare a whole fish in order to have more than enough of everything in the coming year! Works for me and so this is what is on Marilyn's Table in celebration of Chinese New Year:
Ginger Ale Cocktail
Dan-Dan Noodles
Chinese Tea Eggs
Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms
Braised Sea Bass in Chili Bean Sauce
This was a very labor intensive meal; lots of chopping and slicing. The cocktail is made with a ginger simple syrup, club soda, orange and lime juice and rum over ice. Quite refreshing but I wish I had purchased a regular size bottle of rum instead of the single serving one. The ginger simple syrup took the longest to make. Simmer sugar and water together and add lots of sliced fresh ginger and simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain and refrigerate. The aroma of simmering ginger filled the house.
Next came the Chinese Tea Eggs. Eggs are simmered in boiling water for only 3 minutes. Leaving the water in the pan, spoon out the eggs and run under cold water until they can be held. With the back of a spoon, gently crack the eggs and return to the pot of water along with, soy sauce, star anise, black tea (in bags), stick cinnamon, peppercorns, sugar and strips of orange peel. Simmer for another 40 minutes and set aside to cool for at least 5 hours, turning the eggs occasionally so all the cracks are exposed to the broth. When they are cool, peel and (surprise) the egg white has a lovely brown pattern. The white takes on just a bit of the flavor of the simmering liquid.
The Dan-Dan Noodles are more of a soup than a noodle dish. Toasted sesame seeds are blended with sesame oil a bit of sugar and salt to form a powder. This is sprinkled over the finished dish before serving. Diced dill pickles, garlic, ginger, scallions, salt and sugar are stir fried in a wok. A mixture of vegetable broth and soy sauce is added. In a small skillet brown ground pork with vegetable oil and add soy sauce at the end. Add to the mixture in the wok along with the whole noodles. I used soba, because they are my favorite. Add more broth if needed as noodles cook. Stir in some chopped baby bok choy and simmer until just wilted. Serve in a bowl and drizzle with a bit of sesame oil and the sesame seed powder.
I guess you would call the next dish a salad? Baby bok choy has the tough stems removed and lightly steam the leaves. Set them aside. Slice shitake mushroom caps (not the stems, they are tough and thrown away) and saute in oil with chopped garlic, and ginger. Add a bit of vegetable broth, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Spoon over the bok choy leaves and garnish with sliced scallions. Serve with one of the eggs.
The main event is the fish. The sea bass was sprinkled with salt and allowed to sit for about 15 minutes. Wipe the fish dry. In a wok heat oil until very hot. Add whole fish (watch out for splattering). Spoon the hot oil over the fish being sure the whole fish is golden. Remove to a platter and discard the oil in the pan. add a bit more of oil and stir in chili bean paste and stir. Add minced ginger and garlic. Then add some chicken broth and bring to a boil. Return the fish to the pan. Turn the pan and spoon the broth over the fish until it is cooked through. Stir in some sliced scallions and turn off the heat. Serve the fish on an oval dish and spoon the broth over the top. Another drizzle of the sesame oil and it's ready to serve.
As I said at the beginning this was a very labor intensive meal, but on the whole I thought it was worth the effort.....once! Some of the dishes I will prepare again, just not anytime soon. The drink was good. The tea eggs were fun to make, but not something I will likely do again. I prefer plain old deviled eggs. The noodle dish was excellent and reheated very well for lunches this week. I will make the bok choy salad again and the fish? It was good, but too tedious. I will oven roast the sea bass next time.
If I am to believe the superstition that goes with the food, I will have a long life since the noodles where whole, I will be wealthy because of the tea eggs and I will have more than enough of everything I need for preparing the fish. We shall see. Just don't bring any snakes into the mix.
Have a great week and next week will be much simpler.
Ginger Ale Cocktail
Dan-Dan Noodles
Chinese Tea Eggs
Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushrooms
Braised Sea Bass in Chili Bean Sauce
This was a very labor intensive meal; lots of chopping and slicing. The cocktail is made with a ginger simple syrup, club soda, orange and lime juice and rum over ice. Quite refreshing but I wish I had purchased a regular size bottle of rum instead of the single serving one. The ginger simple syrup took the longest to make. Simmer sugar and water together and add lots of sliced fresh ginger and simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain and refrigerate. The aroma of simmering ginger filled the house.
Next came the Chinese Tea Eggs. Eggs are simmered in boiling water for only 3 minutes. Leaving the water in the pan, spoon out the eggs and run under cold water until they can be held. With the back of a spoon, gently crack the eggs and return to the pot of water along with, soy sauce, star anise, black tea (in bags), stick cinnamon, peppercorns, sugar and strips of orange peel. Simmer for another 40 minutes and set aside to cool for at least 5 hours, turning the eggs occasionally so all the cracks are exposed to the broth. When they are cool, peel and (surprise) the egg white has a lovely brown pattern. The white takes on just a bit of the flavor of the simmering liquid.
The Dan-Dan Noodles are more of a soup than a noodle dish. Toasted sesame seeds are blended with sesame oil a bit of sugar and salt to form a powder. This is sprinkled over the finished dish before serving. Diced dill pickles, garlic, ginger, scallions, salt and sugar are stir fried in a wok. A mixture of vegetable broth and soy sauce is added. In a small skillet brown ground pork with vegetable oil and add soy sauce at the end. Add to the mixture in the wok along with the whole noodles. I used soba, because they are my favorite. Add more broth if needed as noodles cook. Stir in some chopped baby bok choy and simmer until just wilted. Serve in a bowl and drizzle with a bit of sesame oil and the sesame seed powder.
I guess you would call the next dish a salad? Baby bok choy has the tough stems removed and lightly steam the leaves. Set them aside. Slice shitake mushroom caps (not the stems, they are tough and thrown away) and saute in oil with chopped garlic, and ginger. Add a bit of vegetable broth, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Spoon over the bok choy leaves and garnish with sliced scallions. Serve with one of the eggs.
The main event is the fish. The sea bass was sprinkled with salt and allowed to sit for about 15 minutes. Wipe the fish dry. In a wok heat oil until very hot. Add whole fish (watch out for splattering). Spoon the hot oil over the fish being sure the whole fish is golden. Remove to a platter and discard the oil in the pan. add a bit more of oil and stir in chili bean paste and stir. Add minced ginger and garlic. Then add some chicken broth and bring to a boil. Return the fish to the pan. Turn the pan and spoon the broth over the fish until it is cooked through. Stir in some sliced scallions and turn off the heat. Serve the fish on an oval dish and spoon the broth over the top. Another drizzle of the sesame oil and it's ready to serve.
As I said at the beginning this was a very labor intensive meal, but on the whole I thought it was worth the effort.....once! Some of the dishes I will prepare again, just not anytime soon. The drink was good. The tea eggs were fun to make, but not something I will likely do again. I prefer plain old deviled eggs. The noodle dish was excellent and reheated very well for lunches this week. I will make the bok choy salad again and the fish? It was good, but too tedious. I will oven roast the sea bass next time.
If I am to believe the superstition that goes with the food, I will have a long life since the noodles where whole, I will be wealthy because of the tea eggs and I will have more than enough of everything I need for preparing the fish. We shall see. Just don't bring any snakes into the mix.
Have a great week and next week will be much simpler.
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