I *heart* Sausage Rolls
I found this recipe on the Recipezaar website: a virtual, user driven, ever expanding recipe box.
An Aussie woman submitted this recipe, and i figure, they knew their sausage rolls in AUS!
Ingredients
6 pre-rolled puff pastry sheets, halved
1 kg ground sausage
1 cup fresh breadcrumb or dried breadcrumbs
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
Directions
1 Pre-heat your oven to 220c.
2 Lay all the sheets of pastry out on your counter top.
3 In Australia, this pastry comes interleaved with plastic, which I still leave on at this stage.
4 Mix together the meat, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, milk and salt and pepper.
5 The mixture will be quite sloppy-this keeps the sausage rolls moist.
6 Whisk the egg and 2 tablespoons of milk together in a small bowl.
7 Fill a large piping bag (no nozzle) with the mix and squeeze out a long line of mix down the long edge of the pastry-about 1/2 an inch in from that edge.
8 Roll up, peeling the plastic away as you roll.
9 Seal the inner edge with a little of the egg mix.
10 Cut each of these rolls in half.
11 I like to make an indent with a sharp knife in the middle of each of these smaller rolls to make them easier to eat.
12 Prick each roll a couple of times with a fork.
13 Repeat this until all the pastry and mix is used.
14 Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg mix.
15 Place in the oven and cook for 5 minutes.
16 Reduce the heat to 200c and cook for a further 20 minutes.
17 Remove to a tray to cool a little before serving them with ketchup or (my favourite) BBQ sauce.
My Notes:
We use a mix of ground pork and ground veal for our "sausage". I've also tried ground white turkey and ground pork which was very taste (and heart healthy.) ;O)
So, i figure we will not need 6 sausage rolls tempting our bellies, so i make 6 and save the rest of the meat mix for tomorrow night's dinner. The meat mix, with a little parmesan and an egg and a splash of milk, is ideal for Italian meat balls.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sunday, March 08, 2009
My Favourite Chocolate Frosting
The stuff Mom made ever since i started having birthday cakes. :O)
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa (but my secret ingredient is Wondercocoa brand cocoa)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
When using Hershey's, you'll get the average tasting homemade chocolately frosting. When i use Wondercocoa, the frosting tastes like your eating fudgy brownie batter! It all depends on your taste. :o)
The stuff Mom made ever since i started having birthday cakes. :O)
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa (but my secret ingredient is Wondercocoa brand cocoa)
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.
When using Hershey's, you'll get the average tasting homemade chocolately frosting. When i use Wondercocoa, the frosting tastes like your eating fudgy brownie batter! It all depends on your taste. :o)
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Dry Bean Preparation
I acquired this "back to basics" recipe a few years ago visiting Cd'A. Preface: some areas of ID have higher percentage of Mormon families in the city populations than SLC, and Cd'A is one of those places. There is a great store next to the WW in Hayden called Wishful Kneads. It is run by a Mormon couple that share the experience of their teachings when it comes to food prep, self sufficiency, and storage by offering tons of classes ranging from homemade canned soups to sandwich bread to good ol' beans and rice (and other grains). Their store is great-it's all local as can be, floor to ceiling shelves loaded with flour, grains, yeast, jams and syrups made locally from MT, relishes, kitchen tools for efficiency.
Other basic preparations to follow for the common food staples.
I acquired this "back to basics" recipe a few years ago visiting Cd'A. Preface: some areas of ID have higher percentage of Mormon families in the city populations than SLC, and Cd'A is one of those places. There is a great store next to the WW in Hayden called Wishful Kneads. It is run by a Mormon couple that share the experience of their teachings when it comes to food prep, self sufficiency, and storage by offering tons of classes ranging from homemade canned soups to sandwich bread to good ol' beans and rice (and other grains). Their store is great-it's all local as can be, floor to ceiling shelves loaded with flour, grains, yeast, jams and syrups made locally from MT, relishes, kitchen tools for efficiency.
Trying to decide what to buy there is a huge problem for me. I'd love to order the whole store and bring it back home with me.
I was able to talk with the store owners a bit and glean some insight from them as to how to prep basic supplies. Favouring is totally up to you: spices, herbs (boquet garni being my favourite--especially because you don't have to chop tiny herbs up for what seems like hours!), veggie combos (like "The Holy Trinity"), and depending on the season which cooking liquids you'd use.
Here then is the prep for any dried bean. The only cross reference check i need to make is with Alton Brown's bean prep regarding black beans--apparently they don't need to soak as long.
Other basic preparations to follow for the common food staples.
Popcorn A La Stovetop
And, if you don't salt and butter your popcorn too much, you can use the leftovers for breakfast cereal in the morning.
And to reference Alton Brown again, the best way to pop corn on the stove is in one of those large aluminum baking bowls. Pour in ingredients and top with aluminum foil, place bowl on burner. Not sure how this works with gas stoves, but on my electric burners, it's great!
And, if you don't salt and butter your popcorn too much, you can use the leftovers for breakfast cereal in the morning.
Old Fashion Oatmeal
I found this recipe a reader sent into an issue of Mother Earth News last year. Sub-ing milk for the water we usually use as the cooking liquid really makes a huge difference in the tastiness of the finished product. :o)
Spicin' It Up:
add cinnamon to taste. Serve with 1/2 pear, diced, and drizzle of 1 - 3 tsp honey.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Mom's Salsa is the best--for a really quick salsa.
You have to be thinking ahead though, because it tastes so much better the day after it's made...and the day after that, and the day after that, and especially the day after that. :o)
1 can fire roasted diced toms
1-2 cloves garlic (i always add more cause i was Italian in a former life)
1 small can diced green chilis
crushed red pepper flakes to your taste
1/2 small onion, diced finely
Mix these up the night before tacos, nachos, or your next guacamole craving and you'll be good to go.
If you like salsa a little less chunky, you can whir it up a bit with your whirring instrument of choice.
You have to be thinking ahead though, because it tastes so much better the day after it's made...and the day after that, and the day after that, and especially the day after that. :o)
1 can fire roasted diced toms
1-2 cloves garlic (i always add more cause i was Italian in a former life)
1 small can diced green chilis
crushed red pepper flakes to your taste
1/2 small onion, diced finely
Mix these up the night before tacos, nachos, or your next guacamole craving and you'll be good to go.
If you like salsa a little less chunky, you can whir it up a bit with your whirring instrument of choice.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Roasted Chicken
I love all things Nigella Lawson. One of her books, "How To Eat", is just a super charming book and the reason why i now love reading cookbooks. This book is like a biographical novel; she tells wonderful stories about her experiences and family. One in particular is about how her mom used to roast a couple of fryers a week.
I loved this idea and immediately tried it (now every week, but every other).
And since i am the type that usually would call my mom every time i needed help figuring out how long to cook my birds, i was very excited to see such a hard and fast rule.
Basically,
Dressing your chicken how you like (evoo and herbs or citrus or garlic, what have you...), place it, covered with alum. foil tent, in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes per # + 10 minutes extra. After retrieving it from the oven, you let it to rest for 10 minutes before you carve it.
And the *WHOLE* trick to a moist and tender breast of chicken every time is:
roast it upside down--breasts on the bottom.
I love all things Nigella Lawson. One of her books, "How To Eat", is just a super charming book and the reason why i now love reading cookbooks. This book is like a biographical novel; she tells wonderful stories about her experiences and family. One in particular is about how her mom used to roast a couple of fryers a week.
I loved this idea and immediately tried it (now every week, but every other).
And since i am the type that usually would call my mom every time i needed help figuring out how long to cook my birds, i was very excited to see such a hard and fast rule.
Basically,
Dressing your chicken how you like (evoo and herbs or citrus or garlic, what have you...), place it, covered with alum. foil tent, in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes per # + 10 minutes extra. After retrieving it from the oven, you let it to rest for 10 minutes before you carve it.
And the *WHOLE* trick to a moist and tender breast of chicken every time is:
roast it upside down--breasts on the bottom.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
No Fuss Blue Cheese & Pear salad with Apricot Nectar Dressing
This is the salad i made for Thanksgiving 08, and i have to say it turned out better than i thought. Just isn't a very good "travelling" salad, as you can't combine everything right away (or you can, but the leaves will be sloppy.)
Dressing:
1/2 c. apricot nectar
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard (maybe a honey dijon might be nice too? or mix with a seeded mustard?)
1/2 tsp. salt
Wisk together, in a rather large bowl, these ingredients until they are well blended. Then add:
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 c. dried apricots, snipped
6 pears (i used a mix of Barlett and Seckel) cored and cut into wedges
Toss to coat pears and cover to refrigerate for 30 minutes to 3.5 hours. (any longer, the vinegar will start to break down the pears making them mushy.)
To serve:
On a large platter place:
10 cups of mixed greens (mesclun, romaine, etc.) and 1/2 head of radicchio (or herbed salad greens).
Then remove pear slices from dressing and arrange on greens, reserving vinaigrette.
Arrange 8 to 10oz cambazola or other blue cheese (use wedges or crumbles) or goat cheese (cut into rounds) over the salad.
Sprinkle with 3/4 c. coursely chopped toasted almonds (or nuts of your liking)
Drizzle with reserved dressing or serve on the side.
Makes 12 servings.
242 cals, 16 g fat, 4 g fiber
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Corn Muffins
Cooking spray (or parchment for pan liners)
3 T butter
1 c. plain yoghurt
1 large egg
1 cup cornmeal (i use a mix of course ground and regular ground for a grittier effect)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1T white sugar (i forgot to add this--and sprinkled just a pinch on the top of each muffin and it was sweet enough--you can probably just leave it out.)
1 c. unbleached white flour (i use whole wheat)
2 tsp baking pwdr
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
topping: butter, jam, or real maple syrup
Preheat oven 375. spray a 6 muffin capacity muffin tin with the cooking spray.
Measure out yoghurt in a small bowl. Beat egg and add to yoghurt. Add melted butter to this. Whisk until all ingredients are blended.
In another bowl, combine cornmeal, brown sugar (and white sugar), flour, baking pwdr and soda, and salt. Combine well. Make a dent in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Add yoghurt mix to the flour mix and stir with wooden spoon until everything is wet and well blended. Use spoon to transfer batter to muffin cups.
Cook for 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes. Extra muffins freeze well. Also great to reheat in the toaster.
(recipe found in one of Molly Katzen's cooking with children books)
Cooking spray (or parchment for pan liners)
3 T butter
1 c. plain yoghurt
1 large egg
1 cup cornmeal (i use a mix of course ground and regular ground for a grittier effect)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1T white sugar (i forgot to add this--and sprinkled just a pinch on the top of each muffin and it was sweet enough--you can probably just leave it out.)
1 c. unbleached white flour (i use whole wheat)
2 tsp baking pwdr
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
topping: butter, jam, or real maple syrup
Preheat oven 375. spray a 6 muffin capacity muffin tin with the cooking spray.
Measure out yoghurt in a small bowl. Beat egg and add to yoghurt. Add melted butter to this. Whisk until all ingredients are blended.
In another bowl, combine cornmeal, brown sugar (and white sugar), flour, baking pwdr and soda, and salt. Combine well. Make a dent in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Add yoghurt mix to the flour mix and stir with wooden spoon until everything is wet and well blended. Use spoon to transfer batter to muffin cups.
Cook for 20 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes. Extra muffins freeze well. Also great to reheat in the toaster.
(recipe found in one of Molly Katzen's cooking with children books)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Mike's Mom's Famously Coveted Granola (recipe)
Mike's mom's granola is perfectly plain jane...you just taste the toasted oatie goodness and barely the sweetness of the honey, etc.
Mike's mom's granola is perfectly plain jane...you just taste the toasted oatie goodness and barely the sweetness of the honey, etc.
8 c. old fashioned oats
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oat bran
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. canola or olive oil
1/4 c. molasses
3/4 c. honey or maple syrup (i tried it with fruit syrup sweetener made of peaches and pineapple and it was pretty good)
3/4 to 1 c. water
mix till flour is incorporated (add up to 1 c. more water for big clumps of granola) Place in two HUGE corningware roasting pans. Cook in oven 350 degrees for 25 min, then stir and cook at 325 for another 25 minutes.
I've experimented with: 3/4 c. flax seed (maybe less is better, but we need all the fiber we can get around here), 1-2 tsp of cinnamon...nutmeg, you name it.
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oat bran
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 c. chopped nuts
1 c. canola or olive oil
1/4 c. molasses
3/4 c. honey or maple syrup (i tried it with fruit syrup sweetener made of peaches and pineapple and it was pretty good)
3/4 to 1 c. water
mix till flour is incorporated (add up to 1 c. more water for big clumps of granola) Place in two HUGE corningware roasting pans. Cook in oven 350 degrees for 25 min, then stir and cook at 325 for another 25 minutes.
I've experimented with: 3/4 c. flax seed (maybe less is better, but we need all the fiber we can get around here), 1-2 tsp of cinnamon...nutmeg, you name it.
Because there isn't a thousand different flavours going on in here like with some of the store brands, this is super with all flavours of yoghurt and fruit!
Jeanette's Chuck Wagon Beans
I remember these most delicious beans when Jeanette surprised us with lots of homemade food when Mike was ill. I've been pining for the recipe as of late, and sent this is my new "recipe file", now you get to share in it's yummy goodness!
1 lb sliced bacon
6 lb ground beef
6 cups finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped celery
4 beef boulllion cubes
1 1/3 cups boiling water
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups catsup
1/4 cup plus 2 TB prepared mustard
1 TB salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cans (1 lb 13 oz) baked beans
Heat oven to 375'
Cook bacon until crisp in large heavy roaster; remove and drain on paper towels.
Drain bacon fat from pan. In same pan, cook and stir ground beef, onion, and celery until ground beef is browned and onion tender. Dissolve bouillion cubes in boiling water; stir boullion and remaining ingredients into meat mixture. Cover and bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Before serving, crumble bacon on top of beans. Serves 24
I remember these most delicious beans when Jeanette surprised us with lots of homemade food when Mike was ill. I've been pining for the recipe as of late, and sent this is my new "recipe file", now you get to share in it's yummy goodness!
1 lb sliced bacon
6 lb ground beef
6 cups finely chopped onion
2 cups finely chopped celery
4 beef boulllion cubes
1 1/3 cups boiling water
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups catsup
1/4 cup plus 2 TB prepared mustard
1 TB salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cans (1 lb 13 oz) baked beans
Heat oven to 375'
Cook bacon until crisp in large heavy roaster; remove and drain on paper towels.
Drain bacon fat from pan. In same pan, cook and stir ground beef, onion, and celery until ground beef is browned and onion tender. Dissolve bouillion cubes in boiling water; stir boullion and remaining ingredients into meat mixture. Cover and bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Before serving, crumble bacon on top of beans. Serves 24
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes with Tangy Vanilla Frosting
Nona made these great cupcakes for her Uncle T's 40th birthday present. Very flavourfull!
Frosting:
Add #c. pwdr'd sugar to 1 stick softened butter and cream together with mixer. Stir in 2 tsp vanilla, 2 TBSP milk, and 1 tsp orange flower water. Beat until smooth and spreadable. Add more milk or sugar as needed.
Note: to make fabulous vanilla frosting, skip the orange water. to make licorice frosting, sub 2 tsp licorice or anise extract for the vanilla.
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together 1 stick softened butter, milk, and vanilla with mixer until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Mix in 2.25 c. all purpose flour, 1 TBSP baking powder, & 1/2 tsp NaCl until integrated. Stir in 1 2/3 c. sugar and beat with mixer on low for 30 seconds. Turn up mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add 3 large egg whites. Beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in 1 cup sandwich cookies lightly crushed (we used ginger creme cookies, recipe calls for chocolate, you could use nutter butters--yum!)
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick test works. Cool in pan.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Peanut Butter Granola Bars
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9x9 pan.
In a large bowl mix, combine:
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. oat bran
1/4 c. dry nonfat milk powder
1/2 c. raisins (or we've used dried blueberries, currants, etc with success)
Mix well to insure that raisins are separated.
In a small saucepan, combine:
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1/4 c. extra light (in flavour) olive oil
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Stir the mixture well for a few moments over very low heat. Do not let the mixture get hot. Remove from heat and add:
1 egg
then mix well. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture. With a wooden spoon, blend well until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Pour into pan and distribute the batter evenly. Bake 20 minutes.
Once removed from oven, score into bars with the edge of a spatula. Let the bars cool in the pan, and then invert them onto a plate and cut thru to separate. Store in air tight container.
from The brown bag lunch cookbook
ps: not sure why the recipe would call for specifically using a wooden spoon for stirring. if you know, please leave it in the comments!! ;O)
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9x9 pan.
In a large bowl mix, combine:
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. oat bran
1/4 c. dry nonfat milk powder
1/2 c. raisins (or we've used dried blueberries, currants, etc with success)
Mix well to insure that raisins are separated.
In a small saucepan, combine:
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1/4 c. extra light (in flavour) olive oil
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Stir the mixture well for a few moments over very low heat. Do not let the mixture get hot. Remove from heat and add:
1 egg
then mix well. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture. With a wooden spoon, blend well until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
Pour into pan and distribute the batter evenly. Bake 20 minutes.
Once removed from oven, score into bars with the edge of a spatula. Let the bars cool in the pan, and then invert them onto a plate and cut thru to separate. Store in air tight container.
from The brown bag lunch cookbook
ps: not sure why the recipe would call for specifically using a wooden spoon for stirring. if you know, please leave it in the comments!! ;O)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough!
Wahooy!! Thankfully, my friend, Jeanette shared this recipe with me. It's a health-nut's pizza dough dream!
Ingred:
1 pkt yeast
1 c. warm H2O
2 TBS. olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 - 3/4t. salt
mix and leave to bubble for 5 mins
then mix in:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. all purpose white flour
Use another 1/2 c. white flour for kneading dough into a big lump.
Cover with towel and let rise in warm spot (over the heating vent, in a 200 degree preheated oven--just make sure that you turn off the oven before you put the dough in to rise, or you'll cook it--or wherever you normally leave your breads to rise.)
Jeanette's hubbie is a master grill chef, so he grills the dough (pre-topping assembly) on both sides. Then after the dough is just crispy, J puts on the toppings and return them to the grill to melt the cheese.
If you're not as adventurous, then place them in a 425 degree oven and cook till your liking. Just make sure to check for bubbles in the crust and deflate them!
Enjoy!
Toppings: of course, one's preferred pizza toppings are a very personal thing! Might i suggest one of my favourites (just make sure everyone else in the house eats it too, or you might find yourself the odd man out because you reek of glorious garlic.) Lately, i've been hooked on Whatever-chu-got Cheese and Garlic pizza: i cook 2 bulbs of garlic (cloves separated and peeled) in about 1/4 c. of olive oil (Trader Joe's has a fabulous Australian OO that has a hint of citrus in it--it's so tasty one could drink it straight from the bottle!) I am Emeril's worst nightmare because i don't use my knob very well--i cook the garlic on med low (and sometimes with some sweet onions thrown in) they come out very yummy and caramelly and nutty--oooooh! But you have to babysit them or they'll get too brown, too fried, and kinda tough. I've found a recipe from the Stinkin' Rose that makes it a little more of a science--2 c. garlic cloves to 1 c. olive oil in saucepan. Cook for 40 min on low heat stove, stirring once at the 20 minute mark. Once they begin to soften, transfer just the cloves to a baking pan and bake in 250 degree oven for 25-30 minute until golden and slightly wrinked.
I've been experimenting with all different kinds of cheeses too and we like a combo of mozz, smoked gouda or smoked provolone, and dollops of ricotta. Sauce is optional, we just use some yummy Aussie olive oil for our sauce, usually. We also have been throwing a few roasted red peppers (roasting directions are in the Real Tamale Pie recipe in this blog) on the pie along with some onions and heaping spoonfuls of garlic. Man, it's a tasty treat!!!
Enjoy!!
Wahooy!! Thankfully, my friend, Jeanette shared this recipe with me. It's a health-nut's pizza dough dream!
Ingred:
1 pkt yeast
1 c. warm H2O
2 TBS. olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 - 3/4t. salt
mix and leave to bubble for 5 mins
then mix in:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. all purpose white flour
Use another 1/2 c. white flour for kneading dough into a big lump.
Cover with towel and let rise in warm spot (over the heating vent, in a 200 degree preheated oven--just make sure that you turn off the oven before you put the dough in to rise, or you'll cook it--or wherever you normally leave your breads to rise.)
Jeanette's hubbie is a master grill chef, so he grills the dough (pre-topping assembly) on both sides. Then after the dough is just crispy, J puts on the toppings and return them to the grill to melt the cheese.
If you're not as adventurous, then place them in a 425 degree oven and cook till your liking. Just make sure to check for bubbles in the crust and deflate them!
Enjoy!
Toppings: of course, one's preferred pizza toppings are a very personal thing! Might i suggest one of my favourites (just make sure everyone else in the house eats it too, or you might find yourself the odd man out because you reek of glorious garlic.) Lately, i've been hooked on Whatever-chu-got Cheese and Garlic pizza: i cook 2 bulbs of garlic (cloves separated and peeled) in about 1/4 c. of olive oil (Trader Joe's has a fabulous Australian OO that has a hint of citrus in it--it's so tasty one could drink it straight from the bottle!) I am Emeril's worst nightmare because i don't use my knob very well--i cook the garlic on med low (and sometimes with some sweet onions thrown in) they come out very yummy and caramelly and nutty--oooooh! But you have to babysit them or they'll get too brown, too fried, and kinda tough. I've found a recipe from the Stinkin' Rose that makes it a little more of a science--2 c. garlic cloves to 1 c. olive oil in saucepan. Cook for 40 min on low heat stove, stirring once at the 20 minute mark. Once they begin to soften, transfer just the cloves to a baking pan and bake in 250 degree oven for 25-30 minute until golden and slightly wrinked.
I've been experimenting with all different kinds of cheeses too and we like a combo of mozz, smoked gouda or smoked provolone, and dollops of ricotta. Sauce is optional, we just use some yummy Aussie olive oil for our sauce, usually. We also have been throwing a few roasted red peppers (roasting directions are in the Real Tamale Pie recipe in this blog) on the pie along with some onions and heaping spoonfuls of garlic. Man, it's a tasty treat!!!
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Real Tamale Pie
i found this recipe in an awesome book called "Vegetarian Planet" by Didi Emmons. this recipe is the best tamale pie i've ever tried because it uses masa instead of cornmeal!! The book also has some great bread recipes...if i am quick i will get a couple of them tried and posted before the book goes back to the library. :o) Enjoy!!
4 c. sliced onions
2 large bell peppers
2 c. masa harina
1 stick butter
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. water
1 & 1/2 c. (15 oz can) cooked and drained pinto or black beans
4 oz soft, mild chevre (goat cheese)
1 T. chili pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
28 oz can crushed plum tomatoes
2 minched garlic cloves
1 ancho pepper, soaked in hot water (optional)
1 pinch cayenne
1 pinch sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Preheat the oven 450 degrees. Spread the sliced onions on one ungreased baking sheet and the whole peppers on another. Put both baking sheets into the oven. Roast the veggies for 25-30 minutes (stirring only the onions once or twice until brown and soft.) Take peppers out after skin blisters and swells. Lower oven to 375 degrees.
Make the masa dough: mix masa, salt, & butter with your hands, squeezing the dough thru your fingers. Add the water slowly, stirring and squeezing with your hand. Mix until the ingredients are blended.
To assemble the pie:
Remove the skin from the peppers, split them open, and discard the seeds. Cut into strips or leave in one piece. Mash the beans with potato masher, leaving enough texture. Press the dough into a 9x9 inch baking pan. Spread the beans evenly over the dough. Lay the peppers on the beans. Dot with goat cheese, then cover the cheese with the onions. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 40 minutes at 375.
While pie is baking, heat chili powder and cumin seeds in sauce pan over medium heat, shaking the pan constantly, until the seeds have begun to release their aroma (about a minute). Add tomatoes and garilc. If you are using the ancho chili, remove from water, chop it fine and add it to the tomatoes. Simmer the tomato sauce for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Toward the end of the simmering, add the cayenne, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
When pie is finished, cut it into 4 pieces. Spoon a little of the tomato sauce on each of the plates and place each pieceon the sauce. Garnish with teh scallions and serve.
Notes: i found the dough to be too dry when prepared as above, so i think i might try to add a little more water--to the consistancy of pie dough almost. However, if you are making this dish to have leftovers, i would make the dough as recipe states, because if you store the dish with the sauce on it, the water from the sauce makes the tamale dough texture just right (not too dry you need to drink a half gallon of water/slice.) :o)
also, i assembled the dough and the beans in my pan, and made a "half and half". I placed the cherve, onions & peppers on one side and cooked sliced carrots and some colby jack (because i didn't think Riona would like the goat cheese.) The colby jack side was equally as good (but better with onions)--just an idea to make it kid friendly tho.
a fourth of this pie is a huge amount of food (masa is quite hardy!!), so we've found that one can get by with a sixth or an eighth quite nicely!
i found this recipe in an awesome book called "Vegetarian Planet" by Didi Emmons. this recipe is the best tamale pie i've ever tried because it uses masa instead of cornmeal!! The book also has some great bread recipes...if i am quick i will get a couple of them tried and posted before the book goes back to the library. :o) Enjoy!!
4 c. sliced onions
2 large bell peppers
2 c. masa harina
1 stick butter
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. water
1 & 1/2 c. (15 oz can) cooked and drained pinto or black beans
4 oz soft, mild chevre (goat cheese)
1 T. chili pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
28 oz can crushed plum tomatoes
2 minched garlic cloves
1 ancho pepper, soaked in hot water (optional)
1 pinch cayenne
1 pinch sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped scallions
Preheat the oven 450 degrees. Spread the sliced onions on one ungreased baking sheet and the whole peppers on another. Put both baking sheets into the oven. Roast the veggies for 25-30 minutes (stirring only the onions once or twice until brown and soft.) Take peppers out after skin blisters and swells. Lower oven to 375 degrees.
Make the masa dough: mix masa, salt, & butter with your hands, squeezing the dough thru your fingers. Add the water slowly, stirring and squeezing with your hand. Mix until the ingredients are blended.
To assemble the pie:
Remove the skin from the peppers, split them open, and discard the seeds. Cut into strips or leave in one piece. Mash the beans with potato masher, leaving enough texture. Press the dough into a 9x9 inch baking pan. Spread the beans evenly over the dough. Lay the peppers on the beans. Dot with goat cheese, then cover the cheese with the onions. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 40 minutes at 375.
While pie is baking, heat chili powder and cumin seeds in sauce pan over medium heat, shaking the pan constantly, until the seeds have begun to release their aroma (about a minute). Add tomatoes and garilc. If you are using the ancho chili, remove from water, chop it fine and add it to the tomatoes. Simmer the tomato sauce for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Toward the end of the simmering, add the cayenne, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
When pie is finished, cut it into 4 pieces. Spoon a little of the tomato sauce on each of the plates and place each pieceon the sauce. Garnish with teh scallions and serve.
Notes: i found the dough to be too dry when prepared as above, so i think i might try to add a little more water--to the consistancy of pie dough almost. However, if you are making this dish to have leftovers, i would make the dough as recipe states, because if you store the dish with the sauce on it, the water from the sauce makes the tamale dough texture just right (not too dry you need to drink a half gallon of water/slice.) :o)
also, i assembled the dough and the beans in my pan, and made a "half and half". I placed the cherve, onions & peppers on one side and cooked sliced carrots and some colby jack (because i didn't think Riona would like the goat cheese.) The colby jack side was equally as good (but better with onions)--just an idea to make it kid friendly tho.
a fourth of this pie is a huge amount of food (masa is quite hardy!!), so we've found that one can get by with a sixth or an eighth quite nicely!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
BBQ Chicken in a Pot (WW recipe)
This is fab-U-lous!
Toss all these ingredients into a crock pot:
6 - 6oz chicken breast, skinless and boneless
1 1/2 c. slice onion
1/2 of a lemon, sliced
1 - 18oz BBQ sauce of your choice (Trader Joe's natural BBQ sauce is excellent in this recipe!)
1 c. diet soda (or sometimes i just throw in a whole can.)
Cook all day on low till done.
You can remove some of the juices to a pan on the stovetop and reduce liquid to make gravy.
6 servings = 4 pts each (~200 calories each)
Note: i've tried frozen chicken in this recipe to save a little money, but for some reason it just doesn't come out as tasty--it's really dry. Goes to prove that no amount of carbonation can fix frozen meat! :o) When it's made with fresh chicken, you'll want to keep a good eye on it after about 4 - 5 hours, because the chicken gets so tender that you will have a hard time picking it out of the crock pot without it falling apart. :o) When life hands you shredded chicken in a pot, just make BBQ Chicken tacos!! :o)
This is fab-U-lous!
Toss all these ingredients into a crock pot:
6 - 6oz chicken breast, skinless and boneless
1 1/2 c. slice onion
1/2 of a lemon, sliced
1 - 18oz BBQ sauce of your choice (Trader Joe's natural BBQ sauce is excellent in this recipe!)
1 c. diet soda (or sometimes i just throw in a whole can.)
Cook all day on low till done.
You can remove some of the juices to a pan on the stovetop and reduce liquid to make gravy.
6 servings = 4 pts each (~200 calories each)
Note: i've tried frozen chicken in this recipe to save a little money, but for some reason it just doesn't come out as tasty--it's really dry. Goes to prove that no amount of carbonation can fix frozen meat! :o) When it's made with fresh chicken, you'll want to keep a good eye on it after about 4 - 5 hours, because the chicken gets so tender that you will have a hard time picking it out of the crock pot without it falling apart. :o) When life hands you shredded chicken in a pot, just make BBQ Chicken tacos!! :o)
Bumbleberry Pie is a charming name for a pie with mixed fruit and berries in it.
This is a recipe we recieved from our CSA last wk. Pretty tasty! We had these ingredients in our boxes this wk, but Farmer Judy said that she made one with blueberries and cut up plums. Some recipes use strawberries or gooseberries. The actual ingredients and proportions aren't very important, it's that you use 5 cups total of assorted fruits and berries. Farmer Judy also recommends the fruit portion of this recipe to be used in a cobbler recipe!
2-9" unbaked pie crusts
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
2 c. thinly sliced apples
1 c. blackberries
1 c. rhubarb, cut in 1' pieces
1 c. raspberries
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Stir flour and sugar together in large bowl. Add fruit, toss together, turn into the pie shell. Cover with pastry top, trim, seal edges. Cut vents in top. Bake for approx. 45 minutes, until browned and the apples are cooked--bottom line: watch to see that the juices are boiling so that the filling thickens.)
Note: i found that i had to cook it for almost an 1 and half before the juices started flowing and the pastry browned. Just keep a good eye on it!!
This is a recipe we recieved from our CSA last wk. Pretty tasty! We had these ingredients in our boxes this wk, but Farmer Judy said that she made one with blueberries and cut up plums. Some recipes use strawberries or gooseberries. The actual ingredients and proportions aren't very important, it's that you use 5 cups total of assorted fruits and berries. Farmer Judy also recommends the fruit portion of this recipe to be used in a cobbler recipe!
2-9" unbaked pie crusts
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
2 c. thinly sliced apples
1 c. blackberries
1 c. rhubarb, cut in 1' pieces
1 c. raspberries
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Stir flour and sugar together in large bowl. Add fruit, toss together, turn into the pie shell. Cover with pastry top, trim, seal edges. Cut vents in top. Bake for approx. 45 minutes, until browned and the apples are cooked--bottom line: watch to see that the juices are boiling so that the filling thickens.)
Note: i found that i had to cook it for almost an 1 and half before the juices started flowing and the pastry browned. Just keep a good eye on it!!
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