My dad can be a bit extreme. Where two or three zucchini plants can provide more than enough zucchini for the average family to not only use, but also as super exciting gifts to eager neighbors, my dad insisted that we plant fifteen hills. Keep in mind: a hill had 3 seeds in it. So what the heck do you do with zucchinis from 45 plants? People started getting smart and locking their car doors--- not to keep thieves from stealing their belongings, but to prevent unexpected bags of zucchini from appearing in their vehicles.
Anyone who has grown zucchini can also attest that if you are not fastidious about checking the plants, they can quickly get out of hand. Even with the one zucchini plant I planted this year, a few days of not paying attention landed me with a 30-inch-long vegetable. Fortunately, years of having extreme excess had gifted me with great recipes for zucchini, and my mom's recipe for the giant variety sounded like the perfect solution to using it.
I called my mom to send the recipe to me, and I promptly (and accidentally) sent it to the trash bin. So, after another call, I got the recipe. It's currently roasting in the oven.
Stuffed Zucchini
by my awesome mom (Denise Jones)
1-2 large zucchini
1 small onion
2 stalks celery
dash of olive oil
1 lb hamburger
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
3/4 cup rice
Italian seasoning (I added this just for flavor)
salt and pepper for seasoning
Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the zucchini in half, and scoop out the seeds. Salt and pepper it, and put it on a cookie sheet covered in tin foil in the oven. (It will need to cook for about an hour and a half, so it's good to get it started early.) Chop up the onion and the celery and soften them in the olive oil in a large skillet. When the onions are transparent, add the hamburger and brown. When the hamburger is browned, add the cans of soup, using 1/2 can of water in each can to swirl out the soup from the cans. Season to taste--- I used Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, but garlic salt or other herbs could be good. Then add the rice (uncooked) and stir. Simmer for 1/2 hour until the rice is tender.
When the rice/meat is done, pull the zucchini out of the oven and pile the mixture in the hollowed out zucchini. Put back in the oven and cook for another 45 minutes or so, until the zucchini is tender. Cover with tin foil, removing for the last 10 minutes to brown. Serve. Just a note: don't feel obligated to eat the skin--- we would just scrape the zucchini off, as the skin tended to be a bit tough.
Remember, those gigantic zucchinis are still good--- and you don't need to make a ton of zucchini bread with it either. It makes a good main dish that is pretty easy to make and is really tasty. And it brings back memories of the hordes of zucchini that we grew.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Zucchini soup
I went to my cousin's the other day for dinner, and she had made this really good soup. I asked her if it was hard to make--- she said it was really easy. Apparently she'd gotten it from her mother, who had gotten it from a restaurant somewhere in Southern Utah. I'm not sure who to give the credit to, but I really enjoyed it, and enjoyed making it.
Just a note. When you're making this soup, it calls for you to blend it. Use a blender. You might think that if you just used a mixer for a long time, that it would eventually be somewhat pureed. You'd be quite wrong. You would probably end up with a fairly lumpy soup, with the onions not being blended at all, and with bits of soup splattered all over the kitchen. Of course, this is all conjecture, I'm sure.
Zucchini Soup
from Raelene Hall
2 medium onions
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken broth (2 cans)
1/2 cup half and half
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
Dice up the onions, then sauté them in the butter until they are transparent. While they're sautéing, peel and dice up the zucchini into cubes. Put the onions, the zucchini, and the broth in a large pot and boil. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. After it's simmered, put the spices in, and then blend it all in a blender. (See note above.) When it's thoroughly puréed, pour it back into the pot, and add the half and half.
Just a note. When you're making this soup, it calls for you to blend it. Use a blender. You might think that if you just used a mixer for a long time, that it would eventually be somewhat pureed. You'd be quite wrong. You would probably end up with a fairly lumpy soup, with the onions not being blended at all, and with bits of soup splattered all over the kitchen. Of course, this is all conjecture, I'm sure.
Zucchini Soup
from Raelene Hall
2 medium onions
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs zucchini, peeled and cubed
3 cups chicken broth (2 cans)
1/2 cup half and half
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
Dice up the onions, then sauté them in the butter until they are transparent. While they're sautéing, peel and dice up the zucchini into cubes. Put the onions, the zucchini, and the broth in a large pot and boil. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. After it's simmered, put the spices in, and then blend it all in a blender. (See note above.) When it's thoroughly puréed, pour it back into the pot, and add the half and half.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Taco Soup--- a Jones family favorite
I like to multi-task. Right now I'm on my way to a wedding rehearsal barbecue dinner. Now don't panic: I'm not driving. Like I'd blog and drive. And I'm still trying to figure out what exactly we're rehearsing. Especialy when the bride told me she's wearing a baggy shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. And growing up, we used to call that particular type of footwear 'thongs'. After a rather embarrassing encounter, I now call them flip-flops (though my instinct is still to call them thongs). I hate when people change vernacular on me.
Well that was a tangent. This was a recipe my mom made us because it was so darned good and so darned fast. You basically chuck everything in a big pot and heat it up. What could be more attractive about a dish? And it's fairly healthy (at least healthier than, say, a cheeseburger and fries). This is her version:
Taco Soup
a Jones family recipe
1 lb hamburger, ground
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
4 14 ounce cans stewed diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, not drained
1/2 packet taco seasoning
A couple pinches of Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp salsa
Sour cream
Grated cheddar cheese
Sliced black olives
Tortilla chips
In a big pot, brown the ground beef. Then add the chopped onions and green pepper and cook until the onions start to turn transparent. Then add the tomatoes, beans, corn, and seasonings. Cook it until it simmers. Look! it's ready to eat. When serving, add sour creamcheese, olives, and/or crushed chips, whatever your heart's dearest wish is. Beware: you'll probably want seconds.
I'm almost to my barbecue.
Well that was a tangent. This was a recipe my mom made us because it was so darned good and so darned fast. You basically chuck everything in a big pot and heat it up. What could be more attractive about a dish? And it's fairly healthy (at least healthier than, say, a cheeseburger and fries). This is her version:
Taco Soup
a Jones family recipe
1 lb hamburger, ground
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
4 14 ounce cans stewed diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, not drained
1/2 packet taco seasoning
A couple pinches of Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp salsa
Sour cream
Grated cheddar cheese
Sliced black olives
Tortilla chips
In a big pot, brown the ground beef. Then add the chopped onions and green pepper and cook until the onions start to turn transparent. Then add the tomatoes, beans, corn, and seasonings. Cook it until it simmers. Look! it's ready to eat. When serving, add sour creamcheese, olives, and/or crushed chips, whatever your heart's dearest wish is. Beware: you'll probably want seconds.
I'm almost to my barbecue.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Fresh Cherry Cake --- a Swiss recipe
For some reason, this year has been a boom for cherries. The last month or so, I've seen the prices for cherries drop to a dollar a pound. ONE dollar. Naturally, the prudent financial person I am, I immediately bought 6 pounds of cherries, ate a bunch, and then decided I needed to do something else with them before they wasted away in the fridge. I found this cake recipe in my Swiss cookbook, and because it called for two pounds of pitted cherries, I thought that'd be a good way to use some of the excess I'd purchased. And this time, I actually ended up using them all before the mold demons killed them.
Just a note: When I was making this cake, some of the things it asked me to do seemed really strange. I wasn't quite sure why it asked me to do them, but I decided, what the heck, and voilà! it ended up pretty dang tasty.
Fresh Cherry Cake
from Culinary Art and Traditions of Switzerland
500 grams white bread rolls (I used Wal-mart brand hamburger buns, and 11 1/2 buns was exactly enough)
200 ml milk (my pyrex measuring cup has milliliters, but if you don't have one (which you should!) use a little more than 3/4 cup milk
120 g butter, softened -- 1 full stick. Remember, margarine is nasty. Use real butter for cooking.
200 g sugar (1 cup sugar)
7 egg yolks (keep the egg whites, you'll need them later)
100 g almonds and hazelnuts (whole) -- this equates to about 2/3 cup of nuts. I used a full cup of nuts because, well, I like nuts.
pinch of cinnamon
7 egg whites stiffly whipped
10 g baking powder (2 1/2 tsp)
900 g black cherries, stoned --- I used 2 lb 8 oz of unstoned fruit, and ended up with about 100 grams too many (which I used anyway). I'd say about 2 1/4 lbs of cherries should give you about 2 lbs of stoned cherries.
20 g flour (about 3 Tbsp)
100 g sponge crumbs (I used those little sponge cakes they sell for individual strawberry shortcake servings---I used 4 of them.)
First you soak the bread rolls in the milk for at least 2 hours. I tore up the bread into big chunks, and kinda stirred it around every half hour or so. (This is one of the bizarre things I wondered about, but trust me, it all works out.)
Next I stoned the cherries. I learned the hard way that you should not use a shirt you particularly care for while stoning them unless you really enjoy red flecks all over your best clothes. Also, do not keep works of art in the general vicinity--- the cherry juice splatters. Look under my Cherry Clafouti recipe for directions on stoning cherries --- it's really rather easy once you get the hang of it.
At this time I also crumbled up the sponge cake and decided to toast it so it wouldn't be soggy, it'd be more crumbly. I popped it in the oven at 250 for about 10 minutes. Make sure you watch them, you don't want burned crumbs in your cake, I'm sure it wouldn't enhance the flavor. You'll want to make sure to change the temperature of the oven to 350, in preparation for the baking.
Next, I creamed the butter and sugar, and added the egg yolks, one at a time. When I was separating the whites from the yolks, I just set aside the whites for a little bit, and let the whites warm up to room temperature. Apparently when you whip the whites at room temperature they stiffen better. After creaming the yolks with the sugar and butter, I dumped in the nuts and mixed those in (with the beater). I then mixed the dry ingredients together, and beat those into the batter.
Now came the weird part. I put the big pile of soggy bread into the mixing bowl. I sat there and wondered, how do I mix this in? Just put the mixer right in the middle, and start on slow, but mix it all together until the dough is this kind of thickish pasty stuff. The soggy bread will mix in completely and you won't have weird chunks. After that, the recipe splits. If you are making an actual cake, save about half of the sponge crumbs, if you're just making muffins, dump all the sponge crumbs in and mix them all together. Next, *stir* the pitted cherries into the mix (don't use the beaters anymore, you want to keep these whole).
The dough is going to be pretty thick, but that's what the egg whites are for -- to lighten them up. Whip the room temperature egg whites until they are stiff, and fold them into the dough. I couldn't get them to fold very well, it ended up being a mix between folding and stirring, but the egg whites made the batter a lot more fluid once I got it all stirred/folded in. Now you're ready to bake.
If you're doing muffins (it'll make around 24-28), just put the batter until it's slightly over the top of the muffin pan. The batter really doesn't rise a whole lot, so if you only fill it halfway full, you'll get these tiny muffins. Bake that at 350 for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. You could use the paper, but I got this really nice muffin tray that is silicon, and I love it, because they just pop out. Let them cool, and enjoy!
If you're making the cake, I'd use an 8-10 inch springform pan, make sure the bottom and sides are fairly well greased. I used butter. Then put the sponge crumbs you saved in the bottom of the pan as a sort of base crust for the cake. pour the batter in to a depth of about 1 1/2 - 2 inches (not super thick or it'll take 3 days to cook), and pop it in the 350 degree oven. The book said it would take 30 minutes to cook, but mine took over an hour--- I just kept checking it with a toothpick until the batter was cooked. Let the cake cool, and then run a knife or what not around the edges, so it doesn't stick (it can stick sometimes). When I made the cake version, I ended up using a little more than half of the batter for the cake; that's when I discovered that the muffins ended up being a bit easier to make and handle. So in theory, you could do both.
These ended up being pretty dang good. The cherries tasted super good, against the delicious baked almonds and hazelnuts--- all in all it tastes like a good European type cake. I think they make really good muffins, and I'd make this recipe again.
Just a note: When I was making this cake, some of the things it asked me to do seemed really strange. I wasn't quite sure why it asked me to do them, but I decided, what the heck, and voilà! it ended up pretty dang tasty.
Fresh Cherry Cake
from Culinary Art and Traditions of Switzerland
500 grams white bread rolls (I used Wal-mart brand hamburger buns, and 11 1/2 buns was exactly enough)
200 ml milk (my pyrex measuring cup has milliliters, but if you don't have one (which you should!) use a little more than 3/4 cup milk
120 g butter, softened -- 1 full stick. Remember, margarine is nasty. Use real butter for cooking.
200 g sugar (1 cup sugar)
7 egg yolks (keep the egg whites, you'll need them later)
100 g almonds and hazelnuts (whole) -- this equates to about 2/3 cup of nuts. I used a full cup of nuts because, well, I like nuts.
pinch of cinnamon
7 egg whites stiffly whipped
10 g baking powder (2 1/2 tsp)
900 g black cherries, stoned --- I used 2 lb 8 oz of unstoned fruit, and ended up with about 100 grams too many (which I used anyway). I'd say about 2 1/4 lbs of cherries should give you about 2 lbs of stoned cherries.
20 g flour (about 3 Tbsp)
100 g sponge crumbs (I used those little sponge cakes they sell for individual strawberry shortcake servings---I used 4 of them.)
First you soak the bread rolls in the milk for at least 2 hours. I tore up the bread into big chunks, and kinda stirred it around every half hour or so. (This is one of the bizarre things I wondered about, but trust me, it all works out.)
Next I stoned the cherries. I learned the hard way that you should not use a shirt you particularly care for while stoning them unless you really enjoy red flecks all over your best clothes. Also, do not keep works of art in the general vicinity--- the cherry juice splatters. Look under my Cherry Clafouti recipe for directions on stoning cherries --- it's really rather easy once you get the hang of it.
At this time I also crumbled up the sponge cake and decided to toast it so it wouldn't be soggy, it'd be more crumbly. I popped it in the oven at 250 for about 10 minutes. Make sure you watch them, you don't want burned crumbs in your cake, I'm sure it wouldn't enhance the flavor. You'll want to make sure to change the temperature of the oven to 350, in preparation for the baking.
Next, I creamed the butter and sugar, and added the egg yolks, one at a time. When I was separating the whites from the yolks, I just set aside the whites for a little bit, and let the whites warm up to room temperature. Apparently when you whip the whites at room temperature they stiffen better. After creaming the yolks with the sugar and butter, I dumped in the nuts and mixed those in (with the beater). I then mixed the dry ingredients together, and beat those into the batter.
Now came the weird part. I put the big pile of soggy bread into the mixing bowl. I sat there and wondered, how do I mix this in? Just put the mixer right in the middle, and start on slow, but mix it all together until the dough is this kind of thickish pasty stuff. The soggy bread will mix in completely and you won't have weird chunks. After that, the recipe splits. If you are making an actual cake, save about half of the sponge crumbs, if you're just making muffins, dump all the sponge crumbs in and mix them all together. Next, *stir* the pitted cherries into the mix (don't use the beaters anymore, you want to keep these whole).
The dough is going to be pretty thick, but that's what the egg whites are for -- to lighten them up. Whip the room temperature egg whites until they are stiff, and fold them into the dough. I couldn't get them to fold very well, it ended up being a mix between folding and stirring, but the egg whites made the batter a lot more fluid once I got it all stirred/folded in. Now you're ready to bake.
If you're doing muffins (it'll make around 24-28), just put the batter until it's slightly over the top of the muffin pan. The batter really doesn't rise a whole lot, so if you only fill it halfway full, you'll get these tiny muffins. Bake that at 350 for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. You could use the paper, but I got this really nice muffin tray that is silicon, and I love it, because they just pop out. Let them cool, and enjoy!
If you're making the cake, I'd use an 8-10 inch springform pan, make sure the bottom and sides are fairly well greased. I used butter. Then put the sponge crumbs you saved in the bottom of the pan as a sort of base crust for the cake. pour the batter in to a depth of about 1 1/2 - 2 inches (not super thick or it'll take 3 days to cook), and pop it in the 350 degree oven. The book said it would take 30 minutes to cook, but mine took over an hour--- I just kept checking it with a toothpick until the batter was cooked. Let the cake cool, and then run a knife or what not around the edges, so it doesn't stick (it can stick sometimes). When I made the cake version, I ended up using a little more than half of the batter for the cake; that's when I discovered that the muffins ended up being a bit easier to make and handle. So in theory, you could do both.
These ended up being pretty dang good. The cherries tasted super good, against the delicious baked almonds and hazelnuts--- all in all it tastes like a good European type cake. I think they make really good muffins, and I'd make this recipe again.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Ceviche de tilapia --- a Venezuelan delicacy
I learned a great lesson tonight. When chopping up really spicy peppers, you might think you've washed your hands good enough, but you'd probably be very wrong. Oh, when you rub your eyes, you'll find out VERY quickly. The burn eventually goes away--- give it a couple of hours. Also, watch what you eat after chopping them up. Cherries that you think would taste really fresh end up burning your tongue. Super special.
Painful burning aside, this tilapia dish is super DELICIOUS and really quite healthy --- no processed foods, it's all vegetables and fish. Be aware that it's not a spur-of-the-moment dish. It takes a good 24 hours to complete, but is WELL worth the wait. And it's SUPER easy to throw together. The 24 hours is required because the lime juice needs the time to fully cook the fish. The fish comes out quite tasty, and really tones down the sourness of the limes, making a good delicious mix of sweet from the tomatoes, avocado-ish, and tart from the limes.
Ceviche de Tilapia
a Friderici family recipe
10 tilapia filets (approximately 4-5" in length)
15 limes (yes, you need this many, and it's not going to taste like fish swimming in limeade)
2 large garlic cloves, finely diced (I just squish mine through a garlic press, easier)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 Tbsp cilantro, finely diced
2 large serrano peppers, finely diced (this ingredient was the source of my pain for the evening)
1/4 cup orange juice
5 large tomatoes, diced
3 large avocados, diced
salt to taste
Make sure to clean and dry the fish thoroughly. I like the tilapia filets from costco, though this time I just got some frozen ones and thawed them in the sink. After drying the fish, you chop up into 1/2 inch cubes. Mine ended up being more like 1/4 inch cubes, but that's because I get overzealous and kept chopping them just a tad smaller. I also wanted more bite-sized pieces, and wanted to make sure the lime juice cooked the fish all the way through before I served it.
After I chopped up the fish and put it in a bowl (make sure it's a GLASS or PLASTIC bowl--- the lime juice may corrode a metal bowl), I used a lime press (definitely worth the 5 bucks) and squeezed the limes (yes, 15 limes) into the bowl. Add the garlic, yellow onion, cilantro, serrano peppers (make sure to dice them finely--- I'm not a fan of a gigantic piece of hot pepper myself) and the orange juice. Cover with plastic, and put it in the fridge overnight.
Right before you serve it the next day, add the tomatoes and avocados. Add salt to taste. It can be served with chips like a dip or a salsa, or served up in bowls. Everyone will be amazed that you produced a great tasting dish, and you can secretly smile at how easy it was.
Painful burning aside, this tilapia dish is super DELICIOUS and really quite healthy --- no processed foods, it's all vegetables and fish. Be aware that it's not a spur-of-the-moment dish. It takes a good 24 hours to complete, but is WELL worth the wait. And it's SUPER easy to throw together. The 24 hours is required because the lime juice needs the time to fully cook the fish. The fish comes out quite tasty, and really tones down the sourness of the limes, making a good delicious mix of sweet from the tomatoes, avocado-ish, and tart from the limes.
Ceviche de Tilapia
a Friderici family recipe
10 tilapia filets (approximately 4-5" in length)
15 limes (yes, you need this many, and it's not going to taste like fish swimming in limeade)
2 large garlic cloves, finely diced (I just squish mine through a garlic press, easier)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 Tbsp cilantro, finely diced
2 large serrano peppers, finely diced (this ingredient was the source of my pain for the evening)
1/4 cup orange juice
5 large tomatoes, diced
3 large avocados, diced
salt to taste
Make sure to clean and dry the fish thoroughly. I like the tilapia filets from costco, though this time I just got some frozen ones and thawed them in the sink. After drying the fish, you chop up into 1/2 inch cubes. Mine ended up being more like 1/4 inch cubes, but that's because I get overzealous and kept chopping them just a tad smaller. I also wanted more bite-sized pieces, and wanted to make sure the lime juice cooked the fish all the way through before I served it.
After I chopped up the fish and put it in a bowl (make sure it's a GLASS or PLASTIC bowl--- the lime juice may corrode a metal bowl), I used a lime press (definitely worth the 5 bucks) and squeezed the limes (yes, 15 limes) into the bowl. Add the garlic, yellow onion, cilantro, serrano peppers (make sure to dice them finely--- I'm not a fan of a gigantic piece of hot pepper myself) and the orange juice. Cover with plastic, and put it in the fridge overnight.
Right before you serve it the next day, add the tomatoes and avocados. Add salt to taste. It can be served with chips like a dip or a salsa, or served up in bowls. Everyone will be amazed that you produced a great tasting dish, and you can secretly smile at how easy it was.
Alton Brown's brussels sprouts delicious-style
About a year ago, I had a roommate named Jesse. He and I would watch the Food Network sometimes. One of our favorite shows was called Good Eats, hosted by Alton Brown. Alton is a bit of a nerd (probably why I feel an affinity to him), but really knows his stuff, and makes the foods he talks about really interesting. I'd recommend watching --- it's kinda fun to see how cheesy goofy he can be.
One week, Alton did a show on brussels sprouts. I don't know that Jesse had ever had them before, but the first time I had sprouts was when I was living in Belgium. Kinda funny that I had to basically go to Brussels to find brussels sprouts. I liked the slightly bitter flavor they give, and enjoyed them in the many ways they cooked them. However, after Jesse made this recipe, and I tried it, I much preferred them this style. Jesse didn't find them that great, but I thought the flavors Alton had combined really brought out the good flavor brussels sprouts provide. I'd recommend at least trying them out if you are a decent vegetable eater. If you're picky about anything leafy that you put in your mouth, you might want to just go to McDonald's and get some Chicken McNuggets or something.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cheese
Alton Brown, Food Network
6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion, julienned (this just means long strips)
1 tsp salt
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 lb cooked brussels sprouts (see below for how to do those)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 oz blue cheese, crumbled
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Just a note: when I make this again, I'm going to have all my ingredients cut right before I make the dish. I thought I could chop them while I was cooking it, and it turned into a big rush to try and make everything work out right. It'd just be easier to have everything ready to go before you start making the dish.
Cook the bacon in a 10-inch sauté pan with straight sides until it's crispy and brown. Remove the bacon and most of the grease, leaving about 1 Tbsp of the fat in the pan. Turn the heat to low, and put the onions, cooking them until they're almost translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Add the salt and the apple, and cook for another minute or so. Then add the cooked brussels sprouts, heavy cream, and mustard, and I basically simmered it for a minute or two, until everything was heated through. Remove from heat, and stir in the nutmeg, bacon, and blue cheese --- serve right away.
in cooking the brussels sprouts, I prefer to steam them. I got a small stainless steel steamer that just slips into any size pan and fans out or in to fit the pan. I think I paid 4 bucks for it. It really helps when you're cooking vegetables--- I rarely boil vegetables anymore, I prefer steaming them. Anyway, I tried Alton's method for cooking these, and I ran out of water and started charring the bottom of the pan, so next time I'll steam them. I would clean and prepare the sprouts the same way though. His method:
1 lb brussels sprouts, rinsed
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
Cut off the stems and remove any yellow outer leaves. Cut each brussels sprout in half from top to bottom. Place the brussels sprouts, water, and salt in a 3-4 quart saucier and cover. Place over high heat and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
I thoroughly enjoyed this dish--- combines some really good flavors for a unique taste. I think it would go really well with grilled steak or chicken as a good tasting vegetable side.
One week, Alton did a show on brussels sprouts. I don't know that Jesse had ever had them before, but the first time I had sprouts was when I was living in Belgium. Kinda funny that I had to basically go to Brussels to find brussels sprouts. I liked the slightly bitter flavor they give, and enjoyed them in the many ways they cooked them. However, after Jesse made this recipe, and I tried it, I much preferred them this style. Jesse didn't find them that great, but I thought the flavors Alton had combined really brought out the good flavor brussels sprouts provide. I'd recommend at least trying them out if you are a decent vegetable eater. If you're picky about anything leafy that you put in your mouth, you might want to just go to McDonald's and get some Chicken McNuggets or something.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cheese
Alton Brown, Food Network
6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion, julienned (this just means long strips)
1 tsp salt
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 lb cooked brussels sprouts (see below for how to do those)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 oz blue cheese, crumbled
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Just a note: when I make this again, I'm going to have all my ingredients cut right before I make the dish. I thought I could chop them while I was cooking it, and it turned into a big rush to try and make everything work out right. It'd just be easier to have everything ready to go before you start making the dish.
Cook the bacon in a 10-inch sauté pan with straight sides until it's crispy and brown. Remove the bacon and most of the grease, leaving about 1 Tbsp of the fat in the pan. Turn the heat to low, and put the onions, cooking them until they're almost translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Add the salt and the apple, and cook for another minute or so. Then add the cooked brussels sprouts, heavy cream, and mustard, and I basically simmered it for a minute or two, until everything was heated through. Remove from heat, and stir in the nutmeg, bacon, and blue cheese --- serve right away.
in cooking the brussels sprouts, I prefer to steam them. I got a small stainless steel steamer that just slips into any size pan and fans out or in to fit the pan. I think I paid 4 bucks for it. It really helps when you're cooking vegetables--- I rarely boil vegetables anymore, I prefer steaming them. Anyway, I tried Alton's method for cooking these, and I ran out of water and started charring the bottom of the pan, so next time I'll steam them. I would clean and prepare the sprouts the same way though. His method:
1 lb brussels sprouts, rinsed
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
Cut off the stems and remove any yellow outer leaves. Cut each brussels sprout in half from top to bottom. Place the brussels sprouts, water, and salt in a 3-4 quart saucier and cover. Place over high heat and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
I thoroughly enjoyed this dish--- combines some really good flavors for a unique taste. I think it would go really well with grilled steak or chicken as a good tasting vegetable side.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Grandma Gubler's lemon chicken
I just spent an awesome evening talking with my Grandma Gubler, and watching the rain fall in the desert heat. She's 89 years old, and has led a life that frankly amazes me. She raised 11 children, was a registered nurse, and still managed to create what was my childhood fantasy land in her orchard. The orchard is gone now, but she still lives in the 3-story house that my mom grew up in. We just sat and talked on the swing under the back porch, listening to the wind and the rain as they gently came and went. It brought back one of my favorite memories.
I was visiting Grandma, alone, and I must have been eight. There was a terrible storm that blew in that day. We had gone to some fast food restaurant, I forget which, and midway through the power went out. We then went to the store, and I thought it was so weird how some of the lights were on, and some were off. (Coming from a small town, with no backup electrical plan, I thought it was SO strange how the store was powered by two separate power boxes. I had bizarre ideas for the world back then.) We went back to grandma's house, and we sat on her front porch, watching this massive rainstorm blow through the valley, with lightning and thunder everywhere, eating her homemade banana slush.
I don't have the recipe for the banana slush, but when I get it, I'm going to post it. In the meantime, I'll post one of my favorite recipes that she has given me. I don't know where she got it, but I got it from her, so...
Lemon Chicken
from Ella Gubler
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed (I usually cube it into about 3/4" cubes)
1/4 cup butter (please don't cook with margarine. It's not the 80s anymore.)
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp terragon (very important, I bought terragon just for this dish and have never regretted it)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cube chicken bouillon (I use the Knorr powered bouillon, and just add it by taste)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is by FAR the best)
Cube the chicken, and cut off the excess fat. Preheat the pan, and melt the butter in it. cook the chicken in the butter until it's done. I like to fry it a bit after it's cooked in the butter, just to brown the chicken a bit. I then mix the flour, terragon, and salt in a small ramekin until that's blended, then I sprinkle it over the chicken. I coat the chicken with it, and cook it for just a minute, to brown the flour and get a good crust on the chicken cubes. Then add 3/4 cup water to the bouillon and dissolve it to make a chicken broth (I just pour the water in the chicken pan, and then sprinkle the powdered bouillon on until it tastes good), and add the juice. Cook it a few minutes, until you get a really nice gravy going. I love serving it with my really good rice recipe (to follow soon)--- makes a delicious dinner, easy to make, and takes very little time.
Grandma gave me this dish when I asked her for a simple, good meal I could impress a date with. It's never failed. Now I can toss the receipt from Target that I wrote the recipe on.
I was visiting Grandma, alone, and I must have been eight. There was a terrible storm that blew in that day. We had gone to some fast food restaurant, I forget which, and midway through the power went out. We then went to the store, and I thought it was so weird how some of the lights were on, and some were off. (Coming from a small town, with no backup electrical plan, I thought it was SO strange how the store was powered by two separate power boxes. I had bizarre ideas for the world back then.) We went back to grandma's house, and we sat on her front porch, watching this massive rainstorm blow through the valley, with lightning and thunder everywhere, eating her homemade banana slush.
I don't have the recipe for the banana slush, but when I get it, I'm going to post it. In the meantime, I'll post one of my favorite recipes that she has given me. I don't know where she got it, but I got it from her, so...
Lemon Chicken
from Ella Gubler
3-4 chicken breasts, cubed (I usually cube it into about 3/4" cubes)
1/4 cup butter (please don't cook with margarine. It's not the 80s anymore.)
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp terragon (very important, I bought terragon just for this dish and have never regretted it)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cube chicken bouillon (I use the Knorr powered bouillon, and just add it by taste)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is by FAR the best)
Cube the chicken, and cut off the excess fat. Preheat the pan, and melt the butter in it. cook the chicken in the butter until it's done. I like to fry it a bit after it's cooked in the butter, just to brown the chicken a bit. I then mix the flour, terragon, and salt in a small ramekin until that's blended, then I sprinkle it over the chicken. I coat the chicken with it, and cook it for just a minute, to brown the flour and get a good crust on the chicken cubes. Then add 3/4 cup water to the bouillon and dissolve it to make a chicken broth (I just pour the water in the chicken pan, and then sprinkle the powdered bouillon on until it tastes good), and add the juice. Cook it a few minutes, until you get a really nice gravy going. I love serving it with my really good rice recipe (to follow soon)--- makes a delicious dinner, easy to make, and takes very little time.
Grandma gave me this dish when I asked her for a simple, good meal I could impress a date with. It's never failed. Now I can toss the receipt from Target that I wrote the recipe on.
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