The Joy of Cooking

Sometimes I think the best part about knowing how to cook is just being able to create something.  I enjoy Meatloaf, not the food although I like that too, but the singer.  Some of his songs go on way to long, but I can imagine him sitting there playing the Piano and not wanting to stop just for the joy of it - Anything for Love and Everything Louder than Everything Else come to mind.  I also have some good friends that can play the guitar, passing the lead back and forth to each other without a word.  Just playing for enjoyment for themselves and those listening.

I can strum a guitar to a limited set of songs and can't play the piano at all but when it comes to food my creative abilities kick in and I can create if not a masterpiece at least something enjoyable and tasty.

This is not really going to be a recipe per say but the process I went through on making dinner last Saturday.

I started with some canned tomatoes I had from my garden, I grew some San Marizinos and wanted to see how they were.  I opened the jar and poured them into a pan with a little white wine and set them to simmer and reduce the liquid a little.

Next I poured some olive oil in my trusty cast iron pan and let it heat up.  Last summer I had some left over sliced peppers and onions from the church fair that I had bagged and froze so I took a handful out and chopped them a little more and added them to the oil.

Meanwhile I had found some dried morels in the pantry so I crushed those and added them to my tomatoes to reconstitute and add some flavor.  Once my onions started to brown I added my tomatoes so I was down to one pot.

I had a gift card from Sur la Table and back in august I purchased a Miracle Grow Aero Garden and had quite a bit of basil, both Thai and Genovese, so I made a pesto with some Manchego, pine nuts and olive oil, which I stirred in to my tomato sauce.  In the back of my fridge I found some half an half that hadn't expired yet so I poured it into a pan and let it reduce by half and then poured it with everything else.  Finally with my trusty immersion blender I gave everything a thorough mix, leaving some recognizable pieces of tomatoes and morels.

A quick boil for some artisan pasta and then mix it all and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and dinner was ready. 

Of course during all this there were a couple games of chess with William, he won 1 out of four games, listening to Jonathan practice piano and raking, bagging and tilling some leaves into my garden... a fabulous fall day.

Now, Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!

From Picture to Reality!

I have had subscriptions to various food magazines, Bon Appetite, Food and Wine, Food Network, Saveur, at various times in my life.  Some of the issues I still have but more often than not I look through them as soon as I get them, I love the beginning of the month!  More recently I have started going through them a second time and folding over the pages of recipes that I find interesting.  Finally, a couple days later, I go through and rip out the recipes that I might actually try.  This usually helps but every once in a while, I have to search online for something that I kind of dimly remember but didn’t make the cut.

Last month in Bon Appetite there was an ad for their Cooking School or a cooking school or something that showed this beautiful fish dish.  Unfortunately, there was no recipe, cause well, it was an ad I guess.  Nevertheless, I tore the page out and hung it up in my kitchen to look at.  I really enjoy creating recipes and sometimes a picture, a name, or just an idea can trigger one.

So, I bought some salmon, and some fresh fennel and tried to figure out what to do.  I started by slicing the fennel about a sixteenth of an inch thick on my mandolin and then adding some lemon juice and lime juice, then a little mayonnaise and sour cream, a dash of salt.  For a little extra zip a threw in some Old Bay seasoning.  That I stuck in the refrigerator and prepped my fish.

I have several of these thumb press pepper grinders that I fill with different whole spices.  For the fish, I used a blend of fennel seeds, dill seeds (I found these at Penzy’s Spice), coriander seeds and course sea salt.  A light sprinkle on the fish and a little old bay seasoning. And then into the broiler.

The picture from the add looks like an entrée, server over a cream sauce of some sort, I decided to do more of a salad and serve it cold.  It was a big hit, I hope you enjoy it!

Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!

Broiled Salmon and Fennel Slaw Salad

     For the Slaw
            1 Bulb Fresh Fennel
            Juice of 1 Lemon
            Juice of 1 Lime
            1 t Kosher Salt
            ½ c Mayonnaise
            ½ c Sour Cream
            ½ t Old Bay
     For the Salmon
            4 – 6oz Salmon Fillets
            1 t Salt
            1 t Pepper
            1 t Old Bay
            Fresh Ground Coriander, Fennel and Dill Seed – optional
     For the Salad
            Mixed Lettuce
            Assorted vegetables, I used beets, artichoke hearts, green olives, garbanzo beans,
            radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes and butternut squash.  Apples and peaches are
            also nice.

1.      In a mixing bowl, combine the fennel, lemon and lime juice, mayonnaise, sour
       cream, salt and Old Bay.
2.      Mix well and transfer to a container and refrigerate.

3.      Meanwhile, turn on the broiler

4.      Combine salt, pepper, old bay and other spices if using

5.      Sprinkle evenly over the salmon

6.      Heat a large skillet over medium heat

7.      When pan is hot, arrange salmon in it in a single layer

8.      Cook for about 2 minutes then transfer the pan to the broiler for 6 minutes

9.      To serve hot, arrange the fish on a plate and top with the fennel slaw

10.  To serve cold, place the salmon in a container and cool it down in the refrigerator

11.  Arrange lettuce on a plate

12.  Place Salmon in the middle of the lettuce

13.  Arrange the remaining vegetables around the salmon

14.  Top the salmon with some of the fennel slaw.

Pistachio Fig Stuffed Pork Loin with Hasselback Butternut Squash

I had some pistachios and figs in the freezer and I wanted to do something with them and came up with this.  It was a success, all four boys and Jennifer said they would eat it again... and again.

I started by cutting the loin into a roll and then cut

It into two even pieces, topped with some figs cooked in white wine and some toasted pistachios. Then I rolled them up and placed them in a pan with a little chicken stalk and 5 whole cloves of garlic.  Why five?  I heard somewhere that odd numbers are more common in nature and it looks more natural... maybe I am a little OCD... I don't know.

Next was the Hasselback Squash.  I saw this in Bon Appetite and knew I wanted to do it.  Their version was stuffed with bay leaves but I wanted to something different.  I started by peeling the squash and laying chopsticks on either side to keep me from cutting all the way through.  Then I was able to open the squash up and slide slices of apple inside, using the left over apples to fill the hollow bottom where the seeds were.  I topped it with bacon pieces, butter and maple syrup and then baked it with the pork for 1 hour at 375 degrees.

The pork was served with a creamy mead reduction and I made some mashed potatoes.  Then I served the Apple sauce from the previous post on the side....

Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!


Hasselback Squash
     1 Butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in half
     1 Apple, cored, halved and sliced thin
     1/4 c Cooked Bacon Pieces
     1/4 c Butter
     1/4 c Maple Syrup
     Salt and Pepper To Taste

     1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
     2.  Lay chopsticks down along side of the squash and using a sharp knife cut vertically through the squash leaving it in one piece.
     3.  Carefully open the slices and stuff apple slices into the squash
     4.  Sprinkle with bacon and butter and drizzle with Maple syrup
     5.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake 1 hour.

 Fig Pistachio Stuffed Pork Loin (Pig Newton)
     1 4# Pork Loin Roast
     6  Fresh Figs, 4 chopped and 2 sliced thin
     1/2 c White Wine
     1/2 c Toasted Pistachios, chopped
     5 Whole Garlic Cloves
     22oz Bottle of Mead or Riesling
     16oz Chicken Stock
     1 c Heavy Cream
     Salt and Pepper To Taste
     Fresh Herbs for Garnish

     1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
     2.  In a small saucepan, combine figs with white wine
     3.  Bring to a simmer and cook until it is quite thick
     4.  Using a sharp knife, slice the pork line and in roll it into a rectangular piece
     5.  Cut across the grain to give you two pieces and season with salt and pepper
     6.  Spread with the Fig mixture and top with all but two tablespoons of the figs.
     7.  Roll the pork up tightly and place in a baking pan. 
     8.  Arrange the sliced figs on top, sprinkle with reserved Pistachios
     9. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 1 hour
     10.  Meanwhile pour the mead or Riesling in a saucepan with the chicken stock and reduce to about one cup.
     11.  Stir in the cream and keep warm
     12.  To Server, slice the pork on a diagonal and arrange on a platter with the garlic cloves and spoon some sauce over.
     13.  Garnish with fresh herbs and serve remaining sauce on the side.

I got some magnificent Northern Spy and Cortland Apples from the Oakland County Farmers Market on Saturday and had to make some fresh apple sauce.  The kids aren't big fans of the chunks but I love a homemade apple sauce with big pieces of apple in it.  It's great as a side dish for any dinner.

Apple Sauce
     8 Large Apples, I used 1/2 Northern Spy and 1/2 Cortland, peeled and cut into chunks
     1 c Water
     2 t Cinnamon, more to taste
     1/2 c Sugar, more or less, it really depends on personal taste and the tartness of your apples
     1 t Vanilla Extract

     1. Combine the apples, water, cinnamon and sugar in a large pan on medium heat
     2. Stir often to bring the cooked apples to the top and send the raw apples down to cook.
     3. As the apples cook, smash them against the side of the pan with your spoon
     4. When the apples are a uniform color, turn the heat down and cook to desired consistency.
     5. I use a spoon test and when a good mouthful will sit on a spoon I remove the sauce from the heat.
     6. Cool slightly and stir in the vanilla.  This was my Grandfather's secret to a good apple sauce.
     7. Refrigerate and serve with anything.

Enjoy,

Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!

Farmers Market Curry

Well, it was a typical Saturday morning, I woke up thinking about the dinner I wanted to make for Sunday.  We are on a budget but I still like to do something special on Sunday's when the family can all be together.  More on that in a future post.

So I woke up and knew the litanies of "what's for breakfast?" would start soon so I made some waffles, bacon and sausage. Saturdays are also the day that Anthony has to be to school for band by 9 so I like him to have something to start the day off right.

On the way back I got a message from Jennifer, "Want to go to the Oakland County farmers market?".  To quote Jonathan I answered "Well YeaAhh!". So we went...

It has been a gorgeous fall day, a little cool but I think it should be.  I still wore my Birkenstocks though and only one person asked if my toes were cold.  I bought some Cortland and Northern Spy apples, (More on what I did with them later!) as well as some purple and golden beets, some heirloom tomatoes, fairy tale eggplant, butternut squash and purple cauliflower.

Jen has been asking me to try to make more vegetarian meals and meals without cheese.  For some reason I have a hard time doing both at the same time but this turned out great.

Farmers Market Curry
   2 T butter
   1/2 c Onion, diced
   1 Red Pepper, diced
   1/2 c Eggplant, large diced
   2 c Cauliflower, chopped
   1 14oz Can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed.
   1 c Cherry Tomatoes, halved
   2 T Patak's Mild Curry Paste
   1/2 c White Wine
   1 t Cumin
   1 t Coriander
   1 t Turmeric
   1/4 c Tomato Paste
   2 c Kale, chopped
   1 c Water
   Kosher Salt TT

   1. Melt butter in a large saute pan
   2. Add onions and peppers and saute five minutes.
   3.  Meanwhile, sprinkle eggplant with salt and set aside.
   4.  Add tomatoes, cauliflower, and garbanzo beans and saute 5 minutes.
   5. Add curry paste and saute 5 minutes.
   6. Add white wine and stir up the brown bits in the pan
   7. Rinse the eggplant and drain well, add to the pan with the cumin, coriander, turmeric and tomato paste.
   8. Add the chopped kale.
   9. Add some water and bring to a simmer for 30 minutes, adding water as needed.
   10. Serve over rice



Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!

Last week I dug up the rest of my beets and carrots from the garden.  I don't usually plant beets or carrots as I am to impatient to wait until Late fall to harvest them.  Also, they take a lot of water I am told to get them to a decent size.  Anyway, this year I had some left over seeds so I planted a two foot row of Carrots as well as two short rows of beets.  It wasn't a bumper crop but it was a successful experiment and I ended up with a handful or two of both.  Most of the carrots were the definition of baby carrots although oddly deformed and mutant looking but still delicious.  The beets were more normal looking although on the small side.


I carefully peeled them and placed them in a pan of water, added a little salt, pepper and about a third of a cup of honey.

Then I let them come to a low boil and watched as they slowly cooked and the water evaporated, leaving behind a sweet glaze.  This took about 30 minutes.

then a little fresh basil snipped from my Miracle Grow Aero Garden and we had a succulent side dish.

My plans for next years garden include more space for carrots and beets.  Wish me luck.

I saved some of the leftovers to slice and serve in salads.  Delicious!
Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!

The other night I wanted to make something with chicken and some fresh sage from my garden. The results were fantastic.

Lemon Sage Chicken with Prosciutto
Ingredients:
4 - 6oz Chicken Breasts
Fresh Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Fresh Sage, rubbed or chopped
2T Olive Oil
1/2 c White Onion, julienned
1 c Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
2 c Chicken Stock
3 slices Prosciutto
Juice of 1 Lemon
Paprika for garnish

 Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Sprinkle pepper, salt and save over chicken and set aside
3. Heat olive oil in a oven safe frying pan
4. Sauté onions until they start to sweat
5. Add mushrooms and saute 5 minutes
6. Push the mushrooms and onions to the sides of the pan and add the chicken seasoning side down and cook for 4 minutes
7. Turn the chicken over and spread the onions and mushrooms over top of the chicken
8. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil
9. Cut the Prosciutto in half and arrange over top of the chicken.
10. Place the pan in the oven and cook 15 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven, cut the lemon in half and squeeze over the chicken.
12. Sprinkle with paprika. I served this with says but rice or potatoes would be good too.
Get in the kitchen and cook something!

Well, it is 2016 and I haven't posted in a while, one of these days I will get a little bit more consistent... Yeah Right.

School is about to start again and Nathan and Anthony are both in highschool which brings a whole lot of after school activities, the fall musical, marching band, center stage, girlfriends... and Nathan may be buying a car... today... Yikes.

So for the last week I have been making dinner and then portioning and freezing the leftovers in mini bread loaf pans that can easily be wrapped, labeled and then reheated as a quick dinner.  so far my freezer meals include Gnocchi with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Beef Curry and Cumin Potatoes, Knorr Soup Mix Chicken and Noodles and Pork Picadillo with Rice, Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Sauce
            2 T Olive Oil
            1 c Onion, chopped
            4 Cloves Garlic, minced and divided
            1 c Red Wine
            1 c White Wine
            10 c Tomatoes, chopped
            Salt and Pepper TT

                 1.    Heat oil in a four quart pan   
                  2.     Sauté onions and two tablespoons garlic until soft      

                  3.   Add wines and cook until almost dry    

                  4.   Add tomatoes and simmer 1 hour

                  5.   Blend with a hand blender or cool and puree in a blender then return to the

                        stove
                  6.   Add remaining garlic

      7.   Season with salt and pepper to taste
      8.   Simmer until it is reduced by one third

Parmesan Gnocchi

            4 c Potatoes, cooked and mashed

            1 c Parmesan Cheese

            2 Eggs

            3 c Flour

            Dash Nutmeg

            Salt and Pepper TT

            Fresh tomato Sauce

            Cooked Italian Sausage

            Fresh Basil and Parmesan for serving

1.      Mash Potatoes when hot until fluffy

2.      Add Parmesan, eggs and a dash of nutmeg

3.      Add flour to mix until a semi firm dough forms

4.      Season to taste with Salt and Pepper

5.      Roll into logs about ½ inch thick and cut into 1 inch pieces

6.      IQF or drop into boiling water until they float

7.      Drain and toss with sauce and sausage

8.      Serve with Parmesan and Fresh Basil

Beef Curry

            2 T Butter
            ½ c Onions, sliced
            3 T Patak's Mild Curry Paste

            1 lb. Beef Tips, diced

            ¾ lb. Fresh Tomatoes, diced
            1 Green Pepper, diced
            ½ c Sour Cream
            1 t Sugar
            2 T Cilantro, chopped
            ½ c Water
            Salt, to taste

1.      Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy based pan and fry the sliced onions for 5 minutes. Add curry paste and sprinkle in some water, cook for 2 minutes.

                  2.      Add the beef and sauté for a further four minutes.
                  3.      Add the fresh tomatoes, green pepper and water and bring to the boil.
                  4.      Cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes or until the beef is cooked through. 
                  5.      Stir in the sour cream and sugar.
                  6.      Season to taste with salt. 
                  7.      Stir through the cilantro and serve over rice or potatoes.

Cumin Fried Potato

            2 lb. Potatoes, diced
            ½ c Butter
            1 t Cumin Seeds
            Salt To Taste

1.      Pre-heat oven to 375°

                  2.      Cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil
                  3.      Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about twelve minutes
                  4.      Drain potatoes and set aside
                  5.      In a small pan, melt butter with the cumin seeds until the froth subsides
                  6.      Toss potatoes with butter and a pinch of salt
                  7.      Pour onto a baking sheet and bake until crispy about twenty minutes, stirring
                        after ten minutes

Knorr’s Creamy Chicken and Pasta

            6 Chicken Breasts

            Salt and Pepper TT

            ½ Cup Flour

            2 c Chicken Stock

            1 c Water

            1 Package Knorr’s Soup Mix

            2 T Olive Oil

            1 c Sour Cream

            1 lb. Pasta of Choice

            Parmesan Cheese, grated

1.      Season Chicken with Salt and Pepper

2.      Dust Chicken with Flour

3.      Bring broth and water to a boil in a pan

4.      Add Knorr’s soup mix and reduce to a simmer for 8 minutes

5.      Add Pasta and cook until al dente

6.      Heat oil in a skillet and cook chicken until cooked through, about 8 minutes per side

7.      Stir Sour Cream into pasta and mix well

8.      Season to taste

9.      Arrange pasta on plates

10.  Slice Chicken and arrange over pasta

11.  Garnish with parmesan cheese

Pork Picadillo

            2 T Olive Oil
            ½ c Onion, chopped
            2 Cloves Garlic
            ½ lb. Ground or Chopped Pork
            ½ t Cinnamon
            2 t Cumin
            Dash Cloves
            Dash Nutmeg
            2 c Diced Tomatoes
            Salt and Pepper TT
            ¼ c Dried Cherries
            ¼ c Cilantro, chopped
            ¼ c Scallion, chopped
            ¼ c Green Olives, chopped

1.      Heat olive oil in a skillet

                  2.      Sauté onions and garlic until soft about ten minutes
                  3.      Add Pork and cook through
                  4.      Add chili mild cinnamon, cloves, cumin and nutmeg
                  5.      Add diced tomatoes and simmer five minutes
                  6.      Season to taste with salt and pepper
                  7.      In a separate bowl, combine cherries, cilantro, scallions and olives
                  8.      Serve over rice with olive mixture for garnish

By the way... I just found out Nathan did get the car....