Blog Archives
B.E.L.T. Tacos
B is for bacon but this one is sous vide pork belly, sliced about a quarter inch and crisped a bit. SVPBLET just doesn’t roll off the tongue quite right.
I really like this taco rack. I bought it thinking to use it to oven crisp store bought tortillas but it’s perfect for holding these home made tortillas for dressing. My perfect BELT would have the egg yolk still runny, this time I scrambled and chopped a couple of eggs to make them easy to build with.
The sauce is half mayo/half sour cream and that seems to work pretty well, it is spread on the tortilla about like you would spread mayo on toast for a traditional BLT sammich.
Enjoy!
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Dill Potato Salad
I have a nice bit of dill coming on out on the herb bench so I took some and made a nice potato salad. It won’t be long before it starts going to seed or some critter starts munching on it so I’ll be looking at some more dill recipes. Dill buttered fish sounds good! Dill butter!
I think I cut the potatoes to big and the eggs too small but I do have plenty of dill. For some reason I followed the recipe directions and boiled the potatoes whole instead of cutting them up first and then boiling them. There may be a good reason for the former method over the latter but I don’t see it. Leaching out the nutrients, maybe?
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
This soup was recommended in a comment at another blog. I’m a big fan of mushroom soup so I dived right in. It’s easy and delicious. I used those brown button mushrooms in mine because they were cheap and available. The picture on the recipe page shows a yellow soup, almost as if it was made with turmeric. The tamari soy sauce is in no way yellow. This is delicious soup!
Chicken Enchiladas in a Sour Cream Sauce
We usually cook chicken enchiladas in a green sauce but this recipe caught my eye – it’s very nearly a chicken gravy with lots of sour cream. Make a roux and stir in chicken broth, let it cook until thick and smooth then remove from the heat and whisk in sour cream and green chilies. Pour the sauce over filled tortillas, top with more cheese, and bake at 400 for twenty minutes or so. (I used the new toaster oven for these, it’s working well.)
The filling is chicken and onions fried together in a little oil, plus cheese. The recipe called for flour tortillas so I used them rather than corn tortillas but those would have been fine. The flour kind hold together much better. We both liked the sauce a lot and will be doing it again.
Hamburger Noodle Bake
Like I said before, a family favorite. This one uses those ridged elbow macaroni we found at the local Amish store, the only place we’ve seen it aside from pictures online. We made a mornay sauce of Swiss cheese and added a goodly dollop of sour cream. The ground beef was browned with celery and onion. We added a generous slug of buttermilk to the white sauce before mixing in the cheese, and stirred in a cup of the pasta water, too. I think it baked for a half hour at 350, covered, and then was topped with some shredded “pizza style” cheese and baked for another 10-15 minutes to toast that off. That cheese was a mix of mozzarella and provolone plus others I can’t recall at the moment.
Dinner Menu: Carne en su Jugo
I had big plans for cooking this week, which all went to hell by the end of today. So perfect time for a Men Who Cook/Guest Recipe.
Tonight we have a guest menu from my friend Alton Gunn, who has provided us with several good recipes. It’s delicious, I’ve been lucky enough to have it several times (good are the friends who feed you).
On the board tonight:
- Carne en su Jugo
- Pico de Gallo
- Tortillas
- Margarita Melon Salad
Carne en su Jugo
- ½ lb bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
- 1 lb sirloin steak, sliced thin and then cut in 1-inc pieces
- 1 can (28oz) tomatillos
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- salt
- 2 can pinto beans
- sour cream for garnish
- shredded cheese
- chopped onions for garnish
- fresh lime juice for garnish
- Brown the bacon in a large dutch oven. Add the beef and cook until brown (leave the bacon grease in the pot).
- Blend the tomatillos in your food processor and strain well to remove the seeds. Add about a cup of the tomatillo liquid back into the food processor and blend with the cilantro, and garlic.
- Add the tomatillo/cilantro/garlic sauce and the rest of the strained tomatillo liquid to the beef and bacon. Add salt to taste.
- Stir in pinto beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beef is tender, about 1 hour.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with pico de gallo (recipe below), fresh lime, sour cream.
- Serve corn or flour tortillas on the side.
Al’s Notes: I’ve made this with beef and pork. The basic sauce is good for stewing pretty much any meat. Will try chicken next. Works well in the crockpot
Pico de Gallo
- chopped onion
- chopped tomato
- chopped cilantro
- splash of lime
Mix together 20 to 30 minutes or more before meal.
Margarita Melon Salad
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 shots tequila
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (I used Triple Sec)
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- ½ cantaloupe, seeded and cubed
- ¼ honeydew melon, seeded and cubed
- ¼ small watermelon, cubed
Many markets sell halved melons and wedges of watermelon, making it easy to prepare this salad closer to desired amounts.
Combine lime juice, tequila, liqueur, and sugar in a bowl. Add melons and toss to coat with tequila and lime. Serve in shallow bowls.
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Originally posted July 2010
Potato Salad Pr0n – Potatoes with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
We were quite taken with the store-bought baked potato salad we bought the other day at the market. I was determined to make some and today seemed like a good day. Alas! I could only turn up a handful of small yellow potatoes. I did have a little bag of Brussels sprouts so I thought “why not”? I quartered the potatoes and halved the sprouts and set them to roasting on a tray at 400 in the oven, drizzling a little olive oil over them first. When they had a little brown on them I dumped the lot into a big bowl, adding sour cream and mayo, about a cup each. Also add chopped crisp bacon, I used six slices, and a fair measure of cheese. I have about one and a half cups of mixed cheddar and jack cheese. Chopped green onions are in the classic recipe but I had none, and judged the sprouts sufficient. I did rethink and add a bit of chopped parsley for a garnish. The crisp outer leaves of the sprouts go great in this, don’t try to pick them off!
Some roasted chicken thighs set the salad off perfectly, I brushed them with bbq sauce at the end, and glopped a little more on them for the table. Yes, we keep napkins at the table. LOL
Friday Recipe Exchange: Thanksgiving Non-Traditional Side Dishes
JeffreyW’s Roasted Brussels Sprout and Potato Gratin
This is the time of year when we get a lot of blog visits from people looking for side dishes. And I have a lot of recipes for the traditional holiday sides, desserts and instructions on the various ways to cook your turkey. JeffreyW has a ton of mouthwatering photos. All of that can be found at at this link.
I thought it would be nice though, to focus on some non-traditional sides for tonight’s recipe exchange. In case you were looking for something different to showcase this year.
Soups make a nice starter at for any meal and tonight’s featured recipe is a savory winter soup. I also have a nice Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, (click here)
JefferyW favors brussels sprouts and came up with this wonderful recipe, Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin pictured above. (click here)
Roasted Brussels sprouts are pretty easy, and leave it to Emeril Lagasse to “kick it up a notch” with his Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Grilled Onions. (click here)
I’m not big on the whole candied sweet potatoes, so I went looking for alternatives and found three I like, African Sweet Potato Salad, Cajun Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes and Apples, click here for all the recipes. You can also just roast them in the oven, and I found two really good recipes here (honey roasted) and here (thyme roasted).
What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you doing the cooking or does someone else have the honors? And most importantly, what are your favorite Thanksgiving recipes?
The Thanksgiving featured recipe is one that works great as an appetizer:
Need to keep everyone out of the kitchen while you finish up dinner prep? Set up a buffet table with a raw vegetable tray and dip, a bowl of nuts (in their shells) along with a couple of nutcrackers and this soup in a slowcooker to keep it warm and that should keep your guests occupied while you cook.
Winter Squash Soup
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3-1/4 pounds butternut or acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large pieces
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 1 carrot, quartered
- 1 celery stalk, quartered
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried sage
- Salt and pepper to taste
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- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Chopped chives (for garnish)
Large sauce pan
Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the squash, onions, carrot, celery and garlic; sauté until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, apple juice, thyme and sage. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from stove. Puree the vegetables until smooth with a hand blender or in batches in the food processor or blender. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if desired.
***Soup can be made to this point 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.***
Return soup to pot and bring to a simmer. Add the sherry and simmer about 2 minutes. Stir in the cream, sour cream and nutmeg until well combined. Place soup into large soup tureen and garnish with chives. Place on appetizer table with small bowls & spoons and let everyone help themselves.
That’s everything this week. There won’t be a recipe exchange next Friday, but next week I’ll be featuring more recipes for the holiday. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. – TaMara
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Dinner Menu: Lemon Nut Pork Chops and Raspberry Poppyseed Cake
I had a request for a Poppyseed Cake, so I thought it was a good enough reason to use it for the menu this week. These are some of my favorite pork chops (the other being my peach chutney pork chops) and a breeze to make. If you want some good baked potato ideas, head on over to last week’s recipe exchange.
On the board tonight:
- Lemon-Nut Pork Chops
- Baked Potatoes
- Steamed Asparagus
- Raspberry Poppy Seed Cake
Lemon-Nut Pork Chops
- 4 boneless pork loin chops (approx. ½” thick)
- ½ tsp crushed garlic
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans or hazelnuts (the finer the grind, the better this works, if you have a coffee grinder that’s best)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 lemon, quartered
skillet
Rub chops with garlic, salt, pepper, & zest. Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. Brown chops, 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Spread 1/4 nuts on plate. Remove chops 1 at a time and press 1 side into nuts. Add ¼ more nuts each time. Sprinkle any remaining nuts over chops. Stir lemon juice into pan drippings, deglaze, heat for 1 minute and spoon over chops. Serve with lemon wedges.
Baked Potatoes – scrub well, rub with olive oil and kosher salt. If you have them, use metal skewers to speed up cooking. You can place two potatoes per skewer. Bake at 450 degrees, for about 30-45 minutes, depending on size of the spuds.
Asparagus – snap ends off each stalk by grabbing the lower, tougher end of the stalk and then tugging on the flower end until the tough bottom stalk snaps off. I use a skillet to steam with just enough water to barely cover stalks, cover and cook for 2 to 8 minutes, until stalks are bright green, but still slightly crisp. Serve with butter or vinaigrette.
Raspberry Poppy Seed Cake
- 2/3 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp poppy seed
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cup flour
- ½ cup sour cream
Filling:
- 2 cup raspberries (about 12 oz)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp flour
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
10” springform pan, greased & floured and 2 bowls
In one bowl, beat sugar & butter until fluffy. Add zest and egg. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. In second bowl, mix together poppy seeds, soda, flour & salt. Add to butter mixture. Add sour cream. Mix well. Spread batter in springform pan. Combine filling ingredients with a fork, mashing slightly and spoon over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before removing from pan.
Shopping List:
- 4 boneless pork loin chops (approx. ½” thick)
- 2 oz finely chopped pecans or hazelnuts
- 2 oz lemon juice
- 1 lemon
- 4 baking potatoes
- 1 lb asparagus
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 sticks butter
- 2-1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp poppy seed
- 4 oz sour cream
- 1 ¾ cup flour
- 12 oz raspberries
Also: baking soda, salt, nutmeg, pepper, crushed garlic, olive oil, kosher salt
Originally posted January 2010
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