17 Ocak 2012 Salı

FOOD RECIPES


Beef Kebabs
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How is it that two people can remember things so differently? If you ask my mother she'll say she's only made beef kebabs a couple times in her life. If you ask me, one of my favorite childhood memories is my mother's kebabs, cooked over the little cast iron hibachi grill my parents had on the back porch. My most vivid memory of them was the time I was recovering from pneumonia, hadn't eaten anything for 3 weeks, and was allowed for the first time to sip some broth. And sip I did while the rest of the family ate beautiful, smoky, meaty, hearty, beefy kebabs. It. Was. So. Unfair. I can still smell them now. There was nothing I wanted more in the world at that moment than those kebabs. Sigh.

Funny, the emotional ties we can have with food, isn't it?

I love, really truly love beef kebabs. Why? They're fun, they're on a stick. You can make your own, just they way you want them (lots of mushrooms please). If you've marinated the meat properly (several hours or preferably overnight), they're the most juicy wonderful morsels you could possibly eat.

A few tips that will help ensure your kebabs turn out well. Marinate the meat, the longer the better. Use double skewers to make them easier to turn. Use bamboo or wooden skewers so that the inside of the steak pieces stay nice and pink. Keep a little space between the items (more space than shown in the photo above, I sort of forgot that part when I did the batch pictured), so that the food grills versus steams. And most important, keep an eye on them! Do a finger test for doneness, or if the grill is too hot, tap the meat with the end of your tongs to see how much its giving. The meat and veggies will continue to cook a little once you've taken them off the grill and they are resting, so keep that in mind.



Beef Kebabs Recipe


Using bamboo or wooden skewers instead of metal will help keep the steak from getting overcooked on the inside. Metal transfers heat, so is useful to use for chicken, or a meat that you want to cook all the way through, but not so useful for steak that you want done rare or medium rare.

Ingredients

Marinade Ingredients:

·         1/3 cup olive oil

·         1/3 cup soy sauce

·         3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

·         1/4 cup honey

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

·         Freshly ground black pepper to taste


Kebab Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 large bell pepper
  • 1-2 medium red onions
  • 1/2 to a pound button mushrooms
  • About 20 bamboo or wooden skewers

Method

1 Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add the meat. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours or even overnight. (Heck, I've kept the meat marinating for a couple days, still great.)

2 Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. This will help prevent them from completely burning up on the grill.

3 Cut the vegetables into chunks roughly the width of the beef pieces. Taking care not to poke yourself, thread the meat and vegetables onto double bamboo skewers. One way to do this safely is to put the piece that you are trying to pierce on a cutting board, and then push the skewers through the piece to the board. Using double skewers will help you turn the kebabs on the grill. If you keep a little space between the pieces, they will grill more evenly. Paint the kebabs with some of the remaining marinade.

3 Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is, and how done you would like your meat, turning occasionally. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.


Beef Stroganoff
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According to the Wikipedia, Beef Stroganoff was invented by a chef working for a Russian general, Count Pavel Stroganov, in the 1890s. It became popular in the U.S. in the 1950s from servicemen returning from Europe and China after WWII. Beef Stroganoff is basically tender strips of beef and mushrooms cooked in a sour cream sauce and served over noodles, rice, or even French fries. You will want to make this with a tender cut of beef, such as tenderloin or top sirloin. For a quick version you can use ground beef instead of beef strips. You can also easily substitute yogurt for sour cream and leave out the mushrooms entirely.


Beef Stroganoff Recipe




It helps to cut thin strips of the beef by putting the meat into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes first.

Ingredients


·         6 Tbsp butter

·         1 pound of top sirloin or tenderloin, cut thin into 1-inch wide by 2 1/2-inch long strips

·         1/3 cup chopped shallots (can substitute onions)

·         1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

·         Salt to taste

·         Pepper to taste

·         1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

·         1/2 teaspoon of dry tarragon or 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon

·         1 cup of sour cream at room temperature

Method

1 Melt 3 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Increase the heat to high/med-high and add the strips of beef. You want to cook the beef quickly, browning on each side, so the temp needs to be high enough to brown the beef, but not so high as to burn the butter. You may need to work in batches. While cooking the beef, sprinkle with some salt and pepper. When both sides are browned, remove the beef to a bowl and set aside.

2 In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook the shallots for a minute or two, allowing them to soak up any meat drippings. Remove the shallots to the same bowl as the meat and set aside.


3 In the same pan, melt another 3 Tbsp of butter. Increase heat to medium high and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. While cooking, sprinkle the nutmeg and the tarragon on the mushrooms.

4 Reduce the heat to low and add the sour cream to the mushrooms. You may want to add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the sauce (or not). Mix in the sour cream thoroughly. Do not let it come to a simmer or boil or the sour cream will curdle. Stir in the beef and shallots. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately over egg noodles, fettucine, potatoes, or rice. (Potatoes, rice, and gluten-free pasta are gluten-free options.)


Beef Wellington


A few months ago my father got an inkling to make Beef Wellington, beef tenderloin smothered with mushroom duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Who knows where he got the idea, maybe just curiosity. Beef Wellington is one of those dishes that was a lot more popular 40 years ago than it is now. But once my dad decides he wants to make something, come hell or high water, it will be made. It also helps that Chef Gordon Ramsey has a video online on how to make his version of Beef Wellington, using Parma ham wrapped around the fillet instead of the more traditional pâté de foie gras. So, we recently set out to make it, dad channelling Chef Ramsey, albeit without the yelling and swearing (though I'm guessing that if dad thought he could get away with acting like Chef Ramsey around the rest of us, he would). It's actually a lot easier to make than it looks, assuming you are using ready-made puff pastry, and the result is fantastic. A great idea for a father's day dinner for the beef-loving dads out there.


Beef Wellington Recipe


Ingredients

·         1 lb beef tenderloin fillet

·         Salt and pepper

·         Canola, grapeseed, or olive oil

·         1 lb mushrooms (we used half cremini, half shiitake)

·         4 thin slices ham (Parma ham if you can get it) or prosciutto

·         2 Tbsp yellow mustard (we used Coleman's Original English Mustard)

·         7 ounces puff pastry (needs 3 hours to defrost in refrigerator if using frozen)

·         2 egg yolks, beaten

Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large pan on high heat. Season the fillet generously with salt and pepper. Sear the fillet in the pan on all sides until well browned (hint: do not move the fillet until it has had a chance to brown). Remove the fillet from the pan and let cool. Once cooled, brush the fillet on all sides with mustard.

3 Chop the mushrooms and put them into a food processor and purée. Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Scrape the mushroom purée into the pan and let cook down, allowing the mushrooms to release their moisture. When the moisture released by the mushrooms has boiled away, set aside the mushrooms to cool.

4 Roll out a large piece of plastic wrap. Lay out the slices of ham on the plastic wrap so that they overlap. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham. Place the beef fillet in the middle, roll the mushroom and ham over the fillet, using the plastic wrap so that you do this tightly. Wrap up the beef fillet into a tight barrel shape, twisting the ends of the plastic wrap to secure. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

5 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet to a size that will wrap around the beef fillet. Unwrap the fillet from the plastic wrap and place in the middle of the pastry dough. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten eggs. Fold the pastry around the fillet, cutting off any excess at the ends (pastry that is more than 2 layers thick will not cook all the way, try to limit the overlap). Place on a small plate, seam side down, and brush beaten egg yolks all over the top. Chill for 5-10 minutes.

6 Place the pastry-wrapped fillet on a baking pan. Brush the exposed surface again with beaten eggs. Score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, not going all the way through the pastry. Sprinkle the top with coarse salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The pastry should be nicely golden when done. (To ensure that your roast is medium rare, test with an instant read meat thermometer. Pull out at 125-130°F for medium rare.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice in 1-inch thick slices.



Swiss SteakPr


Swiss steak is a method of slow-cooking a relatively tough cut of beef, such as a round steak. The meat is browned, and then braised in a tomato sauce. According to The American Century Cookbook, recipes first starting showing up for Swiss steak in the 1930s. Reynolds Wrap Aluminum popularized it in the late 40s by promoting the recipe as a use for its foil. You can cook this steak on a stove-top (which is the method we describe here), or wrap it in foil and place on a cookie sheet and cook it in the oven. The "Swiss" in Swiss Steak has nothing to do with Switzerland, but refers to the process of tenderizing a tough cut of meat. The following is my mother's method for making Swiss Steak.


Swiss Steak Recipe


Ingredients

·         One 2 to 2.5 pound round or top round steak, about an inch thick

·         A couple tablespoons of flour

·         Salt and pepper

·         3 Tbsp grapeseed oil, or other high smoke point oil for browning (canola)

·         1 onion, roughly chopped

·         1 clove garlic, chopped

·         2 cups puréed tomatoes (canned or fresh)

·         2 teaspoons each of fresh thyme, sage, marjoram, or 1/2 teaspoon each of dried

Optional: Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, or green beans

Method

1 Rub flour into both sides of the steak. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a wide, shallow (3 inches), covered pan to medium high heat. Add 2 Tbsp of oil to coat the pan. Place the steak in the pan, and cook for approximately 10 minutes on each side, enough to brown the steak.

2 Remove the steak from the pan and set aside. Add onions and garlic to the pan and another tablespoon of oil. Cook the onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes, using a metal spatula to scrape up any steak drippings, mixing them in with the onions. Add half of the herbs to the onions. Return the steak to the pan, placing it on top of the onions. Crowd the onions around and on top of the steak. Sprinkle the rest of the herbs on top of the steak. Add the 2 cups of puréed tomatoes to the pan.

3 Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Use a high lid if available. A high lid will help circulate the steam and moisture from the cooking juices and keep the steak moist. Bring the steak in the tomato purée to a simmer and then lower the heat to the lowest heat possible to maintain a low simmer (we use the warm setting on our electric range).

4 Cook for 1 1/2 hours. While the steak is cooking, you may want to slightly pre-cook vegetables that you want to serve with the steak. For example, for this dish we steamed 4 small, peeled, quartered russet potatoes and 2 carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into 2 inch segments, for 5-10 minutes. (You could use other vegetables, such as green beans, or no vegetables at all.) After 1 1/2 hours of cooking time for the steak, we uncovered the pan, turned the steak over, added the potatoes and carrots, covered the pan and cooked the steak and vegetables for another 30 minutes.

The reason that you might want to pre-cook the vegetables a bit first is that the steak is cooking at a very low heat. You'll have more control over how cooked the vegetables are if you pre-cook them a bit first.

5 The steak should be done after a total cooking time of 2 hours. To check it, you can poke it with a fork. The meat should be quite tender. To serve, remove the steak and slice it on a carving board. Alternatively, you could have started with individual steaks that were smaller. Spoon the sauce over the steak.


Asparagus Artichoke Salad


Although for the most part we can get asparagus all year long, I usually only get them in the spring, when they are in season. How can you resist, when you see hundreds of them in the produce section, saluting you like bundled, upright green soldiers? "Hello m'am. Please cook me." So, we buy asparagus, and more asparagus. Here is a recipe for what to do with our long green friends, when you're tired of everything else. (Thank you Whole Foods deli section for the idea.) Grill them or roast them (grilling will taste better if you can do it), and toss them in a simple salad with marinated artichoke hearts, shallots, and grape tomatoes. Carry on...



Asparagus Artichoke Salad Recipe


·                          Prep time: 10 minutes

·                          Cook time: 12 minutes

Thick asparagus spears are easier than thin to roast or grill without becoming too dry or over-cooked.

Ingredients

·         1 large shallot, sliced thin (can sub a few thin slices of red onion or some sliced spring onion)

·         2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

·         2 pounds thick asparagus, rinsed, tough ends broken off and discarded (or saved for stock)

·         2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

·         Salt

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

·         1 15-ounce jar of good quality marinated artichoke hearts, quartered or cut in half (depending on the size of the artichokes)

Method

1 Soak the sliced shallots in the lemon juice as you get ready to make the rest of the salad.

2a To roast the asparagus, preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat the asparagus spears with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and salt them well. Lay in a single layer in a foil-lined roasting pan, and cook for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned and fork tender.

2b To grill the asparagus, prepare your charcoal or gas grill for high direct heat. Coat the asparagus with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill them until nicely charred and fork tender, between 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove the asparagus from the oven or grill and cut into bite-sized pieces.

3 Put the asparagus and all the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix to combine. Add as much of the marinating liquid from the jarred artichokes as you like. Serve chilled or at room temperature.




Spring Minestrone Soup


Minestrone is one of my favorite soups, and it is infinitely malleable with the seasons. This version celebrates springtime, when fresh, new vegetables begin to show up at the market. I know to make this soup whenever I can get asparagus, artichokes and peas all at the same time. These vegetables form the backbone to the soup.

Another good thing about this minestrone is that it takes only about an hour to make, from start to finish, including prep time. Classic minestrone takes at least a couple hours to make, and my own recipe for minestrone takes 8 hours. There's something to be said for a quick version.

Keep in mind that the ingredients below are a guide. Minestrone is supposed to be free-form, with whatever looks good at the produce market. Don't like artichoke hearts? Skip them. Despise chickpeas? Use some other bean. Just be sure to use lots of different kinds of vegetables and you'll be fine.

The other key to this recipe is to build the soup like a house. Don't toss everything in all at once, or some vegetables will be overcooked and some undercooked. This is why when you read my recipe below you will see that I add ingredients little by little.

Feel free to use canned or frozen vegetables in some cases. I use canned chickpeas and will often use frozen peas, which are almost as good as fresh. For a special occasion, use all fresh ingredients, though, as you can definitely taste the difference.


Spring Minestrone Soup Recipe


You can either make fresh pesto for this recipe, or you can just buy some high-quality pesto in the market.

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp olive oil

·         6 green onions

·         2 green garlic stalks, or 2 large garlic cloves

·         1 pound baby potatoes, or Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks

·         1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes

·         1 quart vegetable or chicken stock

·         Salt

·         1/2 pound artichoke hearts (fresh or frozen), chopped roughly

·         1 15-ounce can of chickpeas

·         1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)

·         1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch chunks

·         2 cups greens (dandelion, chard, spinach, kale, arugula, etc), sliced into thin ribbons

·         Up to 1/4 cup pesto

·         Grated parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish

Method

1 Chop the green onions and green garlic and separate the white and light green parts from the green tops. If you are using regular garlic cloves, put them with the white parts of the green onions. Slice the potatoes and artichoke hearts into chunks you would want to eat with a spoon.

2 In a large pot set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the green onions as well as the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, stir to combine and cook 1 minute.

3 Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid and the quart of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

4 Add the artichoke hearts and cook another 5 minutes, then add the chickpeas and green peas and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the cover from the soup and add the asparagus. Cook 2 minutes. Add the greens and the green parts from the green onions and green garlic, if using. Stir well to combine and cook 1 minute.

5 Turn off the heat and stir in the pesto. Serve topped with grated cheese.



Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce



A dish doesn't have to be complicated, or take a lot of time, to be good. My father found this recipe for baked shrimp in a tomato sauce with feta cheese in a special publication by Fine Cooking (one of our favorite food magazines) called Eat Smart. Now my dad will be the first to tell you that he doesn't like shrimp. Most shrimp recipes I propose are usually met with that reminder and a change of subject. But this one caught his eye for some reason. We made it early one afternoon so we could get good light for a photograph, and then had to taste it. We kept tasting it, and tasting it, and then we had to call my mother over because we were well on our way to eating the whole pan. The only thing I wish we had at the time was some crusty Italian bread to dip in the sauce.


Baked Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce Recipe

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Ingredients

·         1 Tbsp olive oil

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         2 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes

·         1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

·         1 Tbsp minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill

·         1 to 1 1/4 pounds medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (can leave tails on), thaw if frozen

·         Pinch of salt, more to taste

·         Pinch black pepper, more to taste

·         3 ounces feta cheese (about 2/3 cup, crumbled)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.

2 Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the juices thicken a bit.

3 Remove from heat. Stir in the herbs, shrimp, feta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Place pan in oven and bake, uncovered, until shrimp are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

Serve immediately. Serve with crusty French or Italian loaf bread, pasta, or rice.



Basic Tomato Sauce

A good tomato sauce is the foundation for so many wonderful dishes - pizza, pasta, chicken, and fish. Here is a recipe for a basic tomato sauce that starts with a soffritto of onions, carrots, and celery cooked in a little olive oil, to which garlic, tomatoes and seasonings are added. Simple and delicious. The sauce can be dressed up with mushrooms, sausage, olives, wine, and all manner of vegetables. For a tantalizing version of a tomato-based sauce check out Sean's sauce over at Hedonia. What's your favorite tomato sauce recipe?

Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe
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Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, including the juice, or 1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled,       seeded, and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method

1 Heat olive oil in a large wide skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and cooked through.

2 Remove cover and add the minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium high. Cook for garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, including the juice and shredding them with your fingers if you are using canned whole tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes. If you want you can push the sauce through a food mill, or blend it with an immersion blender, to give it a smooth consistency.

Makes 2 1/2 cups of sauce.

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