Green Mussels in Tomato Paste

Cooked mussels (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

13-Feb-2013

This green mussel in tomato paste recipe has passed hands, so I decided to post it, so others who are very fond of eating green mussels, if they don’t have this dish already, may try it. Now this isn’t entirely mine – this was passed on by a fellow engineer while we are on training in Ireland, when we are on our own, away from our spouses. Some good things can come out in such situations, you see.

Now don’t think that this is a very complicated recipe, hard to prepare, and even harder to cook. It is all the contrary. So go ahead and try it. I’m sure you will enjoy it. Bon appétit!


Green Mussels in Tomato Paste

Ingredients:

Onion – 1 whole is small, half if big
Garlic – 5-6 cloves
Ginger – about the size of the onion used
Tomato – ripe, very ripe preferred for easier cooking into paste
-    1 big piece for each kilo of green mussels (min 2)
Mussels – small to medium easier to cook, and tastier, too
-    Empty shells easier to manage during disposal also…

Method:

Preparation:
1.    Buy green mussels in the morning when you are going to eat for lunch.
2.    Put in the ref, not in the freezer, if not cooking immediately.
3.    Do not wash. Wash only just before adding in the wok.
4.    Mince the onion and garlic.
5.    If desired, the onion can be sliced sideways to keep it visible.
6.    Wash, then cut the tomatoes into small pieces.
7.    Wash the ginger. If not removing skin, wash very well.
8.    Slice like a thick potato chips (quarter of an inch or so).

Cooking:
1.    Heat up wok in medium fire.
2.    Add in enough oil, not too much.
3.    Drop in onion, stir until semi-transparent, then add in garlic.
4.    Stir until garlic turns medium brown, then put in tomatoes.
5.    Stir, then cover. Leave for a minute or two.
6.    Repeat step 5 until tomatoes get pasty (halfway into becoming paste).
7.    Drop in ginger.
8.    Do step 5 until tomatoes are fully cooked and pasted. Cover.
9.    Clear everything away as you have to do this quick:

• Wash under running water the mussels.
• Drain away in a container.
• Wash again, and drain away.
• Make sure no mud or dirt stays on the shells.
• However, never submerge the shells in the water so the mussels don’t lose their juice.

10.    Open wok and put in the mussels, stirring vigorously, making sure paste covers as much mussels as possible.
11.    Do this carefully so nothing spills out of the wok.
12.    Cover. Leave for 2 mins. Stir. Repeat.
13.    When boiling starts, add in some salt (and MSG, if you please). Just enough.
14.    Let it boil for another 5-10mins.
15.    Best served right after cooking.
16.    Enjoy!

Related articles

• Chilli and garlic steamed mussels
• What's For Dinner?
• Sweet Chili Garlic Mussels
• Steamed mussels
• Dinner in 40 Minutes: Pumpkin Turkey Pasta
• Tomato Soup, Homemade Tomato Soup, Tomato Soup Recipes | Pottery Barn
• Recipe: Garlic Mussels and Penne Pasta
• Tasting Party Recipes & Food Tasting Party Recipes | Pottery Barn
• Beans & Greens " six-oh-eight kitchen
• Chinese New Year

French sojourn in Provence nourishes a cook's soul and palate

Image via Wikipedia

Oct. 18, 2011

Written by

Ron Mikulak | The Courier-Journal

I have just returned from a “busman’s holiday,” a vacation during which I did pretty much what I do during my workaday life. I spent two weeks with friends in a house in a Provencal village south of St. Remy, France, during which one of my deepest pleasures was cooking meals for the group, using ingredients from local groceries and the weekly village market.

I didn’t prepare every meal, of course. We ate at local restaurants a few times, and one of the other couples was enthralled by French markets, and had ideas for making a couple of dinners.

While I am adept at winging it in the kitchen, I thought I should bring with me at least one cookbook to get me focused on Provencal food. I thought immediately of Elizabeth David.

I have briefly written about David before. She traveled extensively around the Mediterranean after World War II, living for extended periods in southern France and Italy.

Returning to the still food-rationed England in the early 1950s, David missed the vibrant foods she had eaten in her travels and consoled herself by writing a small book of recipes of dishes she had enjoyed. The success of “The Book of Mediterranean Food” led her to return to France to research her next book, “French Country Cooking,” a survey of regional Gallic cuisine, which starts in Provence.

“Provence,” David writes, “is a country to which I am always returning, next week, next year, any day now, as soon as I can get on to a train.”

The food that is grown on Provence’s “warm, stony, herb-scented hillsides,” she explains, “is not primitive food; it is civilized without being over-civilized. That is to say, it has natural taste, smell, texture and much character. Often it looks beautiful, too. What it amounts to is that it is the rational, right and proper food for human beings to eat.”

Although I did not have to read this to be eager to cook in a Provencal kitchen, with local ingredients, David’s prose certainly gave my eagerness a boost. The fact that our rental house was right next door to a wonderful fruit and vegetable market with a fine little cheese department, a selection of a dozen or so olives and several shelves of wine (crisp local rosés went for 4.95 euros, less than $7) all added to the pleasures of cooking while on vacation.

One of the first truly Provencal dishes I ever ate, in a small restaurant some 30 years ago on my first trip to France, was daube, a beef dish somewhere between a pot roast and a stew. I was eager to try my hand at this quintessential “home-cooking” dish of southern France.

David says this about daube: “There must be scores of different recipes for daubes in Provence alone, as well as all those which have been borrowed from Provence by other regions, for a daube of beef is essentially a country housewife’s dish. In some daubes the meat is cut up, in others it is cooked in the piece; what goes in apart from the meat is largely a matter of what is available, and the way it is served is again a question of local taste.”

In her inimitable, narrative way, David writes her recipe as a sort of essay, with often impressionistic allusions to quantities, assuming that her readers will have enough experience in the kitchen to know to taste before adding more salt or pepper to a sauce. My recipe is a mash-up of David’s instructions and my own approach, couched in the more standard format of modern recipes.

Other characteristic Provencal dishes include tian, a casserole named more for the local style of pottery casserole than for the recipe, which can be various. Tomates provencal farcies — “stuffed” roasted tomatoes — is usually made with ripe tomatoes, but I have adapted a recipe for green tomatoes, which are more abundant in markets at this point in the season.

I was bemused that the “in” desserts in French restaurants, both modest and upscale, were fruit “crumbles,” apple or pear crisps, with a pastry dough undercrust and a streusel topping. My poached pear over crumbles is a sort of deconstructed fruit crisp.

La daube de boeuf provencal | Provencal-style beef stew

• 2-3 pounds beef chuck or shoulder roast, cut into 2- to 3-inch square chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ pound bacon (unsmoked is preferable, but not essential), cut into 1-inch pieces
• ¼ pound salt pork or pork rinds, cut into thin strips
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed flat with the blade of a knife
• Bouquet garni of a bay leaf, a generous sprig of thyme and a few sprigs of parsley, tied together
• 4- to 6-inch strip of orange peel, removed with a vegetable peeler
• 1 cup bold red wine
• 2 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
• 2 carrots, scraped and cut into chunks
• ½ pound new potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• ½ pound grape or small Roma tomatoes, stems trimmed but tomatoes left whole
• 1 cup pitted black olives

1. Season the chunks of beef with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and when shimmery, add the beef pieces, in batches, and sear until nicely browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add half the bacon and half the pork rinds or salt pork. Place the browned beef chunks on top of these, stick the garlic and bouquet of herbs in between the pieces, then add the orange peel and the rest of the bacon and pork rind, scattered over the top of the beef. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, cover first with foil, then with the pot lid and reduce heat so the dish simmers slowly.
4. After one hour, add the onions, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes, and simmer for another hour. Add the olives, and simmer until the meat is very tender — until a testing fork slides into and out of a chunk of beef without catching. Serve with salad, hearty bread or a side of tian or tomates provencal farcies.
5. Serves 6.

Tomates provencal farcies | Provencal tomatoes

In France, these are made with ripe tomatoes. But this late in the season, gardens are bursting with green tomatoes, so I adapted the idea to use one of my favorite late summer vegetables.

• 6 green tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• ½ cup minced parsley

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Trim both stem and blossom end of tomatoes so both sides are flat. Slice tomatoes in half at the equator. Salt the tomatoes lightly, then place upside down on paper towels to drain for about 30 minutes.
3. In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat 1½ tablespoons of olive oil until shimmery. Squeeze the tomatoes lightly to work out excess moisture and some seeds, then pat dry. Add the tomatoes, largest side down, to the pan, and cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully turn tomatoes over with a spatula, and cook other side about 3 more minutes. Then place tomatoes in an oiled baking pan, largest sides up.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, minced garlic, minced parsley and the remaining 1½ tablespoons olive oil, and spoon evenly over the tomatoes. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until topping is nicely browned and the tomatoes are starting to bubble.
5. Serves 6.

Tian of zucchini and rice

• 3 pounds fresh zucchini
• Salt and pepper
• ½ pound rice
• ½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 tablespoons minced parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup cream or half-and-half

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash and trim zucchini, but do not peel. Grate coarsely into a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle the grated zucchini with salt, and let drain for 15 minutes.
3. Bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil, add the rice, stir and cook until al dente, about 12-15 minutes.
4. Drain and fluff with a fork.
5. Squeeze excess moisture out of the zucchini by wrapping and wringing in a clean tea towel. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add the grated zucchini, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or so, until softened. Stir in the minced garlic, parsley and thyme. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Fold in the cooked rice.
6. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then beat in the cream or half-and-half until custard is smooth. Oil or butter a 3-quart baking dish. Spoon in the zucchini and rice mixture, and then cover it with the egg mixture, mixing lightly so custard is evenly distributed. Place in oven, and bake until set and slightly browned on top, about 45 minutes.
7. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish, but is a good basis for a vegetarian main course.

Wine-poached pears in a crumble bed


For the pears:

• 4 cups cold water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 6 firm but ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears (with stems intact)
• 1 bottle light red wine
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 4- to 6-inch strip of orange rind, removed with vegetable peeler
• 1 star anise
• 1 whole vanilla bean, cut in halves
• 1 whole clove
• 1 cinnamon stick

For the crumble base:

• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

1. In a large bowl, combine the water and lemon juice. Peel the pears, keeping the stems intact. Cut a small slice from the base of each pear so the fruits sit without toppling. Drop each one into the water; set aside.
2. In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears, combine the wine, sugar, orange rind, anise, vanilla, clove and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the pears, and simmer for 25 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a skewer, turning as needed to get all sides immersed, and turning the same ruby color. They may need to poach longer if they were not ripe.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave the fruit to cool completely in the poaching liquid.
5. Transfer the pears and their liquid to a large container. Refrigerate for at least several hours and as long as 3 days.
6. Strain about one-third of the poaching liquid into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over high heat, and reduce it by at least half, until it has the consistency of a light syrupy glaze, like thin honey.

To make crumble base:

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix all ingredients until crumbly. Spread in a shallow baking pan in an even layer, and place in oven. Bake 15-25 minutes, until the mixture is nicely browned on top. Let cool.
3. When cool, but before the mixture sets, use a fork or your fingers to break up the mixture into a “crumble” or streusel-topping texture.
4. Spoon a layer of the crumble into a shallow serving bowl. Place cold poached pear in the center. Spoon over some of the reserved reduced poaching syrup, and serve.

Reporter Ron Mikulak can be reached at (502) 582-4618.


Taken from Courier-Journal.com; source article is below:
French sojourn in Provence nourishes a cook's soul and palate

Related articles

• Vegan Provencal meatballs in Provencal sauce (VeganMoFo 2011) (tofuparty.wordpress.com)
• Provencal Chicken with Tomatoes and White Beans (my-imperfect-kitchen.com)
• Bella Brand: La Compagnie de Provence Marseille (bellasugar.com)
• Prawns with Provençal Style Tomato Salsa (hopeeternalcookbook.wordpress.com)
• Bastille Day with French Flavors (friendseat.com)
• Finding Paradise in Provence, Part I: An expat foodie's views on French cuisine for the very young (thedisplacednation.com)
• Day 40 - Aix-en-Provence - Aix-en-Provence, France (travelpod.com)
• You: Smart Mouth: To market, to market in Provence (washingtonpost.com)
• Fenouil, otherwise known as fennel (saffronandhoney.com)
• Pedaling Through Provence Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase ~ Review (blueheroncreek.wordpress.com)

Cooking with Kids

Here is another article on recipes with the particular aspect of having the different age brackets do their part cooking.

Let's cook!
-----


Cooking With Kids on Thanksgiving (Recipes)

• In the Kitchen

November 22nd, 2010  By Julie Negrin

Many people consider Thanksgiving a marathon. For my large family who entertains all year long for the Jewish holidays, it’s more of a brief jog around the block. When I was a kid, my family of six often cooked and ate meals with my aunt, uncle and my four cousins who lived across the street. In my world, cooking a turkey feast for 20 is called Sunday Dinner.

You may think we are a family of trained chefs or, at the very least, had some extra help. But neither was the case. The adults realized early on that they had a crew of sous chefs already in-house. They may be barely three feet tall, but kids are often an incredible source of energy, creativity, and assistance in the kitchen.


People don’t always believe me when I tell them that I teach kids as young as two years how to cook. Yet, historically, children have participated in many aspects of food preparation from planting and harvesting crops to prepping and cooking multi-course meals. The frustration many modern parents feel during meal time, when their kids reject dinner or won’t come to the table, can often be alleviated by simply including them in the meal preparation. Kids feel good when they have a job. And they especially love the idea of feeding other people.

Cooking together is also an excellent way to expand their palates and expose them to nutritious foods.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to get everyone in the kitchen–even the little ones can be given simple tasks like juicing a lemon or mashing potatoes.

It’s a win-win for everyone. The adults have extra help in the kitchen, kids get to feel important while learning something new, and everyone gets to spend quality time together.

Here are a couple of recipes from my new cookbook, Easy Meals to Cook with Kids, along with instructions on how to include kids of all ages in preparing two tasty appetizers.

Tangy Tzatziki (Cucumber and Yogurt Dip)

If kids can dip it, they’ll eat it! This kid-friendly dish tastes better the longer it marinates, so plan on making it a day or two before your holiday meal. Traditional tzatziki calls for draining the yogurt and cucumber for at least half an hour but this is a much quicker recipe and turns out just as good.

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt
½ cup sour cream
½ English cucumber, grated (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
½ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

KIDS 6 and up: Drain the yogurt of excess liquid by carefully tipping the container
over the sink. Scoop the yogurt into a medium-sized bowl, add the sour cream, and stir.

KIDS 2 and up: Gather the grated cucumber into your fists and squeeze out as much liquid as you can until it’s drained of moisture. Add the cucumber to the yogurt and sour cream mixture. Stir in the vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill, salt, and pepper and combine well. Serve immediately at room temperature with Crispy Pita Chips or marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours so that the flavors blend.

Prep time: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes
Yields: 2 cups

Recipe from Easy Meals to Cook with Kids by Julie Negrin © 2010




Crispy Pita Chips

2 whole-wheat or white pita pockets
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt or sea salt to taste
Optional: minced garlic or dried herbs such as oregano, basil, parsley

ADULTS: Preheat the oven to 350ºF degrees.

KIDS 8 and up: On a cutting board, carefully slice each pita into eight triangle-shapes with
a pizza cutter or a knife. Pull each triangle in half so that one pita pocket will yield a total of
16 pieces. Lay the pita pieces close together on a greased baking sheet (or one lined with
parchment paper). Pour the olive oil into a small bowl.

KIDS 2 and up: Brush each piece of pita generously with olive oil using a pastry brush.
Sprinkle with salt (and herbs and garlic, if using).

ADULTS: Bake the chips for 12-14 minutes, or until crispy and golden-brown around the
edges. Store the pita chips in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 25 minutes
Yields: 32 chips

Recipe from Easy Meals to Cook with Kids by Julie Negrin © 2010

Julie Negrin, MS, CN is a nutritionist, cooking instructor, and the author of Easy Meals to Cook with Kids. She has been teaching adults and kids how to cook for over twelve years and writes about how to cook simple meals with real foods on her blog, My Kitchen Nutrition.

This article was lifted from below source:
Cooking With Kids on Thanksgiving (Recipes)

Related articles

• Cooking With Kids on Thanksgiving (Bonus: 2 recipes) (fooducate.com)
• Recipes for Health: Turkey and Rice Casserole With Yogurt Topping (nytimes.com)
• A Chanukah meal, quick and kosher (jta.org)
• Two Unique Yet Familiar Holiday Side Dishes | Bay Area Bites (blogs.kqed.org)
• Rice Soup, Kao Tom Recipe (ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com)
• A Holiday Gift: Three Easy Family Meals (psychologytoday.com)
• Thanksgiving Recipes: Dishes From New Orleans (huffingtonpost.com)
• 5 Vegetarian Holiday Party Recipes (mademan.com)
• Recipes for Health: Turkey and Rice Casserole With Yogurt Topping (nytimes.com)

6 Healthy Foods

Image via Wikipedia

When the weather outside is frightful staying inside is so delightful. Whether the change in season brings rain, wind, snow, or all the of the above, it’s a perfect time to cozy up inside your home and enjoy some of your favorite comfort foods. Resist the temptation to order take-out and choose the healthier and cost-effective route by making them yourself. With these 6 simple recipes you’re only a few steps and ingredients away from warming up your belly and charming your taste buds.

Breakfast: French Toast 

Blend together milk (or non-dairy alternative), bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla to taste. Dip bread into the mix, coating both sides. Fry in well-oiled skillet until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup and fruit.

Snack/Appetizer: Miso Soup 

Dissolve miso paste in hot water. Mix in chopped green onions, chopped garlic clove, some small cubes of tofu, and a few pieces of your choice of seaweed (such as wakame, nori, or dulse). Add in some leafy greens for some extra nutritional satisfaction.

Side dish: Roasted Vegetables

 Choose your favorite veggie(s), such as squash, yams, beets, and broccoli. Slice up vegetable(s), coat with oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and put in single layer on baking sheet. Bake at 400℉ for 20-30 minutes, checking towards the end to see if they’ve browned. If you want some extra flavor, experiment by adding your choice of spices, and/or toss in some nuts and dried fruit after cooking.

Entrée: Lentil Stew

 Sauté 1 onion in a pot until soft and clear (about 5 minutes). Add 2 carrots (chopped) and 2 potatoes (cubed), and continue to cook for a 3-4 minutes. Add in 1 cup of lentils, 3 cups of veggie broth, and 1 cup each of other vegetables of choice (such as tomatoes, spinach, or kale). Simmer until lentils are soft (20-30 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

Dessert: Baked Apples 

Core large apples and place in a baking dish with 1/2 cup of water on the bottom. Fill apples with: chopped walnuts, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg (to taste). Bake at 350℉ until apples are tender (approximately 30 minutes).

Treat: Hot Chocolate

 Heat milk (or non-dairy alternative) in a small pot on low heat and remove from heat before it boils. Whisk in cocoa powder, vanilla, and maple syrup to taste.

This article was lifted from below source:

6 Healthy and Easy Comfort Food Recipes

-----

Related articles

• Joan Nathan's French-Inspired Thanksgiving (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Thanksgiving Recipes for Vegans (Part I) (eatdrinkbetter.com)
• A Vegan Chef Dishes Up Thanksgiving (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Meatless Mondays: Rice, Cranberry, and Pear Stuffing in Roasted Acorn Squash (food.change.org)
• Tree Top Celebrates 50th Anniversary in the Big Apple and Announces "America's Secret Ingredient" Contest Winners (eon.businesswire.com)
• Kid-Friendly Breakfasts (ecochildsplay.com)
• Maria Rodale: How to Get Your Kids to Eat Tofu (huffingtonpost.com)
• How to Eat More Sea Vegetables (dietriffic.com)
• Tony's Table: Pumpkin French Toast, Soup (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• A Collection of Raw Entree Recipes (rawlivingfoods.typepad.com)

Red beans with andouille sausage

Fourth and the last of the series, the final inexpensive recipe from our chefs and food magazine editors.

Hooray!

---

Red beans with andouille sausage

Start to finish: 1 hour 20 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1-pound bag dried, small red beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 pound andouille sausage
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Direction:

1. In a large saucepan over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and water, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary.
2. When the beans are nearly done, heat a grill or grill pan to medium. Cook the sausage until they have prominent grill marks and are heated through, about 4 minutes per side.
3. Season the beans with salt and pepper, then spoon them into 4 serving bowls. Top each serving with a sausage.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 666 calories; 192 calories from fat; 21 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 63 mg cholesterol; 72 g carbohydrate; 46 g protein; 29 g fiber; 1,146 mg sodium.


(Recipe adapted from the November 2009 issue of Everyday Food magazine)

---

Taken from News-leader.com; find the source article below:
Chefs, food magazine editor create inexpensive recipes

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Recipe: Red Beans with Andouille Sausage (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Recipe: Kitchen Sink Stew (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Artichoke Risotto (mycookingathome.blogspot.com)
• Recipes for Health: Soft Tacos With Fish and Spinach (nytimes.com)
• Recipes for Health: Broccoli With Chile and Garlic (nytimes.com)
• Healthy comfort food weekly meal plan (thismamacooks.com)
• New food-oriented books offer road maps for 'going green' (pbpulse.com)
• Southwestern Onion Rings recipe - 171 calories (dietrecipesblog.com)
• BLT pizza (thestar.com)
• Yotam Ottolenghi: Exclusive recipes from his brilliant new book (guardian.co.uk)

Tortilla Espanola

Image via Wikipedia

I think I've seen this Tortilla Espanola before, but my mother's very own recipe at that.

Here's the chefs and magazine editor's version. It should be as equally delectable!

---

Tortilla Española

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes, peeled and finely diced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 eggs
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Direction:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large non-stick skillet over medium, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Fold the onion mixture and potatoes into the eggs, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Heat the oven to broil.
5. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook for 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven about 10 inches from the broiler. Broil for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned on the top and the egg is set.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 197 calories; 99 calories from fat; 11 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 180 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrate; 9 g protein; 2 g fiber; 216 mg sodium.



(Recipe adapted from Jose Garces of Amada restaurant in Philadelphia)

---

Taken from News-leader.com; find the source article below:
Chefs, food magazine editor create inexpensive recipes

Related articles by Zemanta

• Artichoke Risotto (mycookingathome.blogspot.com)
• Recipes for Health: Soft Tacos With Fish and Spinach (nytimes.com)
• Warm Duck and Wild Rice Salad in Lettuce Cups (professorbainbridge.com)
• Recipe: Red Beans with Andouille Sausage (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Recipe: Chicken Marsala Stew With Spring Vegetables (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Recipe: Kitchen Sink Stew (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Healthy comfort food weekly meal plan (thismamacooks.com)
• Bacon, Chicken and Avocado Salad (marksdailyapple.com)
• New food-oriented books offer road maps for 'going green' (pbpulse.com)
• Recipes for Health: Winter's Greens (nytimes.com)

Kitchen Sink Stew

Image via Wikipedia

Second of the four inexpensive recipes, I wouldn't talk much now, but let the cooking do the talking, and the eating later.

Enjoy both the cooking and the food!

---

Kitchen Sink Stew

Start to finish: 1 hour 10 minutes (25 minutes active)

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 8 skinless chicken drumsticks
• Coarse salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1 large yellow onion, large dice
• 1 large carrot, large dice
• 1 large celery stalk, large dice
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 1 large russet potato, large dice
• 1 pound collard greens, stems removed, leaves torn
• 46-ounce bottle vegetable juice
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Direction:

1. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
2. In a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
3. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to pot. Saute until the onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add the potato and collard greens, then cook until the greens begin to wilt, another 3 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the pot. Add the vegetable juice and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken begins separating from the bone and the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the vinegar just before serving.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 245 calories; 81 calories from fat; 9 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 54 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrate; 22 g protein; 4 g fiber; 949 mg sodium.

-----

Related news

• Feeding a family of four for one week on $68.88

-----

(Recipe adapted from the December 2009 issue of Everyday Food magazine)

---

Taken from News-leader.com; find the source article below:
Chefs, food magazine editor create inexpensive recipes

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Recipe: Kitchen Sink Stew (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Oh So Yummy Chicken Salad (momblognetwork.com)
• Artichoke Risotto (mycookingathome.blogspot.com)
• Bonnie Stern: It's not the tools, but the technique (network.nationalpost.com)
• The Lighter Side of Meatloaf (vinessetoday.com)
• Bacon, Chicken and Avocado Salad (marksdailyapple.com)
• Recipes for Health: Soft Tacos With Fish and Spinach (nytimes.com)
• Healthy comfort food weekly meal plan (thismamacooks.com)
• Southwestern Onion Rings recipe - 171 calories (dietrecipesblog.com)
• Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Oxtail (winebookclub.org)

Vegetarian Chilli

Image via Wikipedia

A series of inexpensive recipes, created by chefs and food magazine editors. Would you say that this is timely, or that there has been inexpensive recipes ever since cooking became part of our way of life?

I'm looking at the list of ingredients, and it don't seem to be an inexpensive dish... ok, ok, these aren't inexpensive ingredients.

Nonetheless, then or now, inexpensive recipes are always welcome!

---

Vegetarian chili

Start to finish: 45 minutes (20 minutes active)

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• Salt
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 5 tablespoons (half of a 6-ounce can) tomato paste
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• Three 15-ounce cans black or kidneys beans, drained of about half their liquid (also can use chickpeas)
• Ground black pepper, to taste

-----

Related Side News:

• Feeding a family of four for one week on $68.88

-----
Direction:

1. In a large saucepan over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion, both bell peppers, the jalapeno pepper, the garlic and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
2. Add the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Stir well and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
3. Add the beans and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 370 calories; 104 calories from fat; 12 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrate; 16 g protein; 15 g fiber; 983 mg sodium.


(Recipe adapted from Bill Telepan of Telepan restaurant in New York)

---

Taken from News-leader.com; find the source article below:
Chefs, food magazine editor create inexpensive recipes

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Recipe: Vegetarian Chili (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Southwestern Onion Rings recipe - 171 calories (dietrecipesblog.com)
• Herb Chuck Roasts with Vegetables (momblognetwork.com)
• Healthy comfort food menu plan shopping list (thismamacooks.com)
• My Homemade Chili Recipe via Word 2010 (mexiabill.wordpress.com)
• Fill up for Grey Cup; three delicious recipes for the festivities (canada.com)
• Tasty Tuesday: Stuffed Bell Peppers (cathiefilian.blogspot.com)
• Mezze recipes: Borlotti beans with tomatoes and green peppers (telegraph.co.uk)
• Recipes for Health: Tuna and Pepper Stew (nytimes.com)
• An amazing recipe!! (allaboutmeandabagofchips.typepad.com)

Artichoke Risotto

Talk about health foods, and this recipe comes up. I saw it in the news when I was looking at the recent volcanic eruption and how thousands of air passengers got stranded, and this is part of the news.

Presto! I have another recipe to add in my cooking site.

Here goes!

---

Artichoke Risotto, a.k.a. Risotto Ai Carciofi
(Serves six)
Ingredients:

• 4 cups organic vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup minced shallots
• ½ cup finely diced yellow onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ artichoke heart, quartered
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ teaspoon salt
• pinch of ground black pepper
• ¼ cup shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions:

1. On low heat, warm the vegetable stock and set it aside.
   
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and add the garlic, shallots, and onion. Cook until the shallots and onions are translucent. It should take about three minutes.
   
3. Then add the rice and stir well before cooking for a minute.
4. Add the sage, white wine, artichoke heart, salt, and pepper, and cook until the wine is absorbed by the rice.
   
5. Add the stock one cup at a time while stirring.
   
6. Stir until the rice absorbs all of the liquid, which should take 15 minutes per cup of stock. As the stock is added, the rice should begin to look creamier.
   
7. Remove the rice from the heat when all of the stock has been absorbed. Add in cheese and serve.

Most importantly, enjoy!

---

Taken from all over the web, but particularly The Tartan site here.
Jamie Oliver's version is here.

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Deli meats rescue dull weeknight dinners (pbpulse.com)
• Dinner Diary: Ham and Asparagus Risotto (dailywd.womansday.com)
• Raymond Blanc recipe: tomato risotto (telegraph.co.uk)
• Simple Cooking - Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Balsamic (chicagoist.com)
• Jacob Kennedy's recipes for Mother's Day (telegraph.co.uk)
• Jacob Kennedy recipe: Saffron risotto with gremolata and marrow bones (telegraph.co.uk)
• Pasta, Risotto-style (simplycooking.wordpress.com)
• Warm Duck and Wild Rice Salad in Lettuce Cups (professorbainbridge.com)
• Recipes for Health: Soft Tacos With Fish and Spinach (nytimes.com)
• Spring Newsletter food and wine pairing: Chicken Cacciatore (hahnestates.blogspot.com)

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Image via Wikipedia

I've always been in search of food that are both delectable, and at the same time, can be prepared at home. We've always enjoyed white sauce noodles, or what they serve in the restaurants as fettuccini ala-so and so, or the like, and we were wondering how to cook dishes like these.

Today my colleagues were talking about how to cook chicken rice, and why the chicken, after boiling for a while, gets to a point where the meat is separating. One says, 'overcooked', or that it has been boiling for too long. "There is a way to do it," she said, and still, another is already looking it up in the web.

She passed around the recipe when she found it (from another mother's website), and I'm posting it now.
 
Here goes!


----------

How to make Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice


Ingredients:

Ingredients for Chicken:

• 1 Chicken, preferrably Kampong Chicken
• 8 clove Garlic, lightly smashed with skin intact
• 5 slices Ginger
• 1 - 2 teaspoon Salt
• Water

Ingredients for Rice:

• 3 cup Long Grain Rice
• Broth from cooking chicken
• 4 slices Ginger
• 5 glove Garlic, lightly smashed with skin intact
• 8 Pandan leaves, tied in a knot
• Salt to taste

How to do it (Chicken):

1. Stuff garlic and ginger in chicken and seal with toothpick.
2. Blanch chicken.
3. Boil a pot of water and add salt.
4. Simmer the chicken for about 20 - 25 minutes or till cooked.
5. Retain broth for use on rice, chilli sauce and soup.
6. Plunge chicken in ice water for about 15 minutes or till chicken is no longer hot.
7. Remove from water and drip dry.
8. Cut chicken into pieces.

How to do it (Rice):

1. In a wok, add 2 teaspoon oil, preferably oil from frying chicken skin or the congealed fats you get when you refrigerate your chicken broth. Otherwise, vegetable oil is fine.
2. Saute ginger and garlic till fragrant.
3. Add in washed rice and saute till rice is coated well with the oil.
4. Add salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon is enough).
5. Stir to mix well.
6. Pour rice with ginger and garlic to your rice cooker.
7. Add in broth from chicken you cooked earlier instead of your usual water.
8. Add in the pandan leaves.
9. Let your rice cooker do the cooking. ;)

My recipes for the soup and chilli sauce ... please refer to my site here.

Happy cooking!


----------

Related articles by Zemanta

• Hainanese Chicken With Rice from Mark Bittman Recipe Review (thekitchn.com)
• Recipe of The Week: Chicken and Rice Casserole (momblognetwork.com)
• Recipe: Chinese Chicken Soup (thekitchn.com)
• Dinner Diary: Ham and Asparagus Risotto (dailywd.womansday.com)
• Tamarind Chicken (teabreak.pk)
• Don't tell anyone, but... (head-nurse.blogspot.com)
• Dinner Diary: Chicken and Rice Stew (dailywd.womansday.com)
• Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Did They Eat It: White Bean Chicken Chili (suburbanbliss.net)
• Comfort Food: Soup for Days (ohmyachesandpains.info)