Posts Tagged ‘cooking’
14 items.
This recipe was super awesome, but honestly I would change a few things about it. I’m not normally a seafood guy, so limiting that taste appeals to me. I would use less clam juice, and instead of canned crab I would use fresh lobster. Also, I would skip the tarragon completely (use chives or green onion, instead). I’m not a fan of it.
Creamy Crab Bisque
INGREDIENTS:
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup diced leeks
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups bottled clam juice
3 cups half and half
1/4 cup dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste
3 cans jumbo lump crab meat
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots, and celery; sweat until carrot softens, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add flour and cook 1 minute.
2) Deglaze pot with wine and simmer until nearly evaporated. Whisk in clam juice, half and half, and sherry. Cook bisque just until it boils, stirring occasionally, then season with salt and pepper.
3) Off heat, puree bisque with a handheld blender.
4) Heat bisque over medium just until foam subsides, about 5 minutes
5) Divide bisque among soup bowls. Top each serving with crab, and garnish with tarragon
”Comment
Barley and Potato Soup
INGREDIENTS:
10 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup dry pearled barley
1 lbs red-skinned potatoes, quartered
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced fennel bulb
1 cup sliced leeks
1 package arugula (5 oz)
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp kosher salt
black pepper to taste
lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Boil broth and barley in a large pot over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer 50-55 minutes
2) Add potatoes, carrots, fennel, and leeks and simmer until fork-tender, 15-20 minutes
3) Stir in arugula, dill, lemon juice and salt. Season soup with pepper and garnish each serving with lemon zest
Beth and I love to cook, and so my mother got us Cuisine Magazine. We found some excellent recipes in there and tried them out over the weekend.
Asparagus Wraps with Proscuitto & Marinated Mozzarella
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1 tsp dijon mustard
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced (at least 8 slices)
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
4 flour tortillas
12 thin slices prosciutto
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Preheat oven 425 degrees
2) Whisk Italian and dijon mustard together, then pour over mozzarella slices in a shallow dish. Turn mozzarella to coat with marinade. Set mozzarella aside to marinate while preparing asparagus
3) Toss asparagus spears with oil and season with salt and pepper; transfer to a baking sheet. Roast asparagus until crisp-tender (approx 8-10 minutes).
4) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high
5) Brush inside of the tortillas with the marinade, then top with 2-3 slices marinated mozzarella, 3 slices proscuitto, and a quarter of the asparagus.
6) Tightly roll up wraps; brush outsides with marinade. Brown wraps in hot skillet (I used a George Forman grill) until golden and mozzarella slightly melts. Remove wraps and slice in half on the bias.
I found this recipe here, and decided to give it a try at home.
Now, I will say two things about this recipe up front:
1) It was damn time-consuming to make. In fact, I gave up after the first rack was full and decided to stir-fry the remaining chicken, add broccoli, and use the sauce.
2) It was damn tasty! And I mean the breaded stuff, the way they want you to make it below.
If I could do it again, I would apply this coating to a full chicken breast and add in coconut flakes. Something about breaded coconut chicken just sounds awesome. Bake that, add the sauce to the side, slice and serve with stir-fried veggies – bam! You have an awesome meal.
I will also say I added broccoli to this recipe, which worked out pretty well. Just stir-fried with the chicken and then added to the sauce.
Vegetable oil spray
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
5 cups (5 ounces) Kellogg’s Corn Flakes cereal, finely crushed
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 2/3 cups water
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, top with wire rack, and spray rack with oil spray. Spread flour into shallow dish. Whisk egg whites until foamy in second shallow dish. Spread Corn Flakes crumbs into third shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg whites, then coat with Corn Flakes, pressing gently to adhere; lay on prepared wire rack.
2. Spray chicken with oil spray. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees and coating is brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk water, soy sauce, apricot jam, hoisin, cornstarch, and vinegar together in bowl. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in soy sauce mixture, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
4. When chicken is cooked, return sauce to simmer over medium-low heat. Add cooked chicken and toss to coat. Serve.
How about some gluten-free dessert to go with this meal we’ve prepped? Check this action out:
INGREDIENTS:
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 stick butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
1 cup light brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon fine seat salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Heath or Skor bars, crushed into small pieces
DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Brush an 8×8 inch baking pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. Brush the parchment with butter
3) Place the chocolate and butter together in a saucepan over low heat. Gently stir until melted and smooth
4) In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the brown sugar, almond meal, brown rice flour, salt and baking soda
5) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten eggs, vanilla extract and chocolate / butter mixture
6) Using a handheld mixer, beat on medium speed until the batter becomes thick and smooth
7) Fold the crushed toffee bars into the batter and pour into the prepared baking pan
8) Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top has cracked and the brownies are set
9) Cool to room temperature, cut into squares and enjoy!
Here’s the main course everyone was asking me about when I originally posted about this cooking class. Damn tasty, indeed.
INGREDIENTS:
1 3-4 lbs chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces*
2 cups buttermilk
Oil for frying
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons cajun creole spice blend
2 cups corn flour**
DIRECTIONS:
1) Place the chicken pieces in a sealable bag (freezer bag will work) and cover with buttermilk. Allow chicken to marinate, refrigerated, for about 12 hours (or overnight)
2) Place about 1 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy, deep cast iron pot (you need just enough oil to completely submerge the chicken). Heat oil, uncovered, over medium heat until it reaches 325 degrees.
3) While the oil is heating, remove the chicken from the buttermilk and place on a sheet tray
4) In a small bowl, mix together the salt and cajun creole spices. Season both sides of the chicken with the salt and spice mixture
5) Dredge the chicken through the corn flour, shaking off any excess.
6) Place the thighs, skin side down, in the center of the pan of oil. Place the breasts, legs, and wings around the edge of the pan
7) Fry the chicken until the skin is golden brown and crisp, 10-12 minutes. Flip and repeat
8) Continue to cook the chicken until the white meat reads 155 degrees and the dark reads 165 degrees on a meat thermometer (NOTE: If you feel like you’re burning the chicken, you can also bake after you’ve fried the outside. However, make sure you bake on something so the chicken is elevated – otherwise, it will get soggy)
9) While the chicken is frying, set up a rack set over a sheet tray. Once the chicken is done, set it on the rack to rest. You can keep the chicken warm in a 200 degree oven if needed
*NOTE: Leave the bone on the breast meat. Will not add more flavor, but will cook at a more event rate with dark meat
**NOTE: Corn flour has a similar flavor to corn meal, but it has a finer texture. Rice flour could also be substituted
Adding the corn meal to the chicken before frying
Frying all of the chicken pieces
Continuing the gluten-free cooking blog post series, below is the recipe for a very delicious homemade slaw:
INGREDIENTS:
2 ears corn, shucked
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 bulbs fennel, thinly sliced on a mandoline (we used a knife)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tender celery stalks, thinly sliced on a bias
2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce, or more to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
DIRECTIONS:
1) Heat a grill pan over medium heat
2) Brush shucked corn with grapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the corn on all sides until slightly charred. Allow to cool a bit, and then cut the kernels off the cob. Place in a large mixing bowl
3) Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the grilled corn. Mix well and allow the flavors to blend for 20 minutes before serving
My mother came to visit me in the city over the weekend, and she 1) loves to cook, and 2) has a gluten allergy. So in looking for something for us to do, Beth and I opted to attend a gluten-free cooking class. Over the week I’m going to post some of the recipes we did and photos of the event.
Herbed Flatbread with Roasted Vegetables and Goat Cheese
INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough:
1 cup millet flour (we used amaranth flour)
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup potato starch
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, rough chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons garlic grapeseed oil
For the Roasted Vegetables:
1/2 lbs cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced
1/2 bunch asparagus (cut into 1/2 inch slides on the bias, and tough ends removed)
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, rough chopped
1/2 – 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 cup goat cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a sheet tray and dust with a little cornmeal. Line another sheet tray with parchment
2) In a large mixing boal, mix together the millet flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, salt, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder and yeast
3) Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the olive oil, honey, and water. Mix with a wooden spoon until smoothly combined. The dough will have a wet, sticky consistency like a thick cake batter
4) Scoop out the dough onto the cornmeal-dusted sheet tray. Wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them (it will still stick), and press the dough to the edges of the pan. Smooth the top. Set the dough aside to rest while roasting your vegetables
5) Toss the vegetables with the olive oil, oregano, red chili flakes, salt and pepper. Spread out on the parchment-lined sheet tray and roast until they are starting to wilt (approx 10 minutes). Set aside
6) Reduce the oven to 375 degrees
7) Gently brush the flatbread dough with garlic grapeseed oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until the dough is firm and no longer sticky (approx 10 minutes)
8) Remove the bread from the oven, scatter the roasted vegetables over the dough, and sprinkle the goat cheese on top. Continue to bake an additional 15 minutes or until flatbread is golden brown and crisp
9) Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and eating
Beth and I are always looking for something new to make in the slow cooker. Sure they take some time to cook, but they are often little to no prep or effort. This dish was a slight exception, but still tons of fun (and very easy to make).
INGREDIENTS:
1 2-lbs boneless beef chuck pot roast
1 tbs cooking oil
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/4 cup black bean garlic sauce
1 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
1 tbs sugar
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 medium white onion, sliced into thin strips
8 ounces green beans, trimmed
3 tbs cornstarch
3 tbs cold water
3 cups hot cooked rice (white or brown)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Trim fat from roast. If necessary, cut roast to fit into a 4 – 5 1/2 quart crockery cooker. In a large skillet, brown roast on all sides in hot oil. Drain off fat.
2) In the cooker, stir together the 1 1/2 cups water, bean sauce, bouillon granules, and sugar. Add sweet pepper, onion, and green beans. Place meat on top of vegetables.
3) Cover and cook on low heat setting for 10-12 hours or on high heat setting for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender.
4) Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter, reserving juices. Cover meat and keep warm. If using low heat setting, turn to high heat setting. For sauce, in a small bowl combine cornstarch and cold water. Stir into cooking juices in cooker. Cover and cook about 15 minutes more on high heat setting or until slightly thickened.
5) Using two forks, separate beef into serving pieces. Serve meat over rice with the sauce and vegetables
It’s that easy. Enjoy!