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Archive for the category “garlic”

Lemon Infused Artichokes

lemon infused artichokes

I found some beautiful artichokes at the store and whisked them home. Instead of preparing them in the more nostalgic way I have in the past, I wanted to try something a little different. To get more of the lemon and garlic flavor deeper into the artichoke I thought cutting them in half and baking would be useful, so chop chop! I did not want them to dry out, so I surrounded them with moisture and covered it all up. Since they are already divided into individual servings it is easy to rely on them for an appetizer course of a dinner party, or have them cooked and ready for whenever you can get the family sat down at the dinner table. The fun thing about making these for a dinner party is watching the guests try to be dainty and tidy while eating them. Although some (like fancy schmancy restaurants) discard every bit of the artichoke except the heart (which can be cut into about four dainty bites) many like pulling off meat from the leaves of the vegetable with their teeth. We fall in the category of pulling off meat from leaves, so it can get a bit messy. That’s okay – either way, conversations can get started over the nuances of artichoke consumption. Have fun with them and don’t forget the dipping sauce!

Lemon Infused Artichokes

4 medium artichokes
1 cup water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt

Butter
1/2 cup salted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a five quart pot add the water and about 1 Tbsp of lemon juice. Cut the stems off the artichokes then cut them in half. Drizzle the halves with oil and lemon juice, then sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Arrange halves loosely in the pot. Cover and place in oven. Cook for about 45 minutes until tender. If the heart, above the stem, is not tender, then cook them for 10 – 15 minutes longer. While the artichokes bake prepare the butter – in a small sauce pan over low heat add the butter, garlic powder and lemon juice. When butter melts stir, cover and let simmer for about one minute, then turn off heat. Add salt as desired and stir. Serve as a dipping sauce with the artichokes. When you serve the artichokes make sure to remove the hairy choke portions of the vegetable, right above the heart, and discard. Spooning it out should be easy, since it is exposed when the artichokes are cut in half. In the picture above you can see the dark line where the choke ends and the heart begins, right above the stem. If you want more about the basics of eating artichokes check out the step by step guide here.

Portabello Pizza

portabello pizzaThe first time I ever cooked with portabello mushrooms was about 15 years ago. At the time I was making a lot of pizzas closely following my discovery of pizza stones. They make the crust crispy all around and are  great for even cooking. I got into the habit of topping each pizza with two to three veggies and a meat. On some occasions my dinner guests were vegetarians, so minus the meat, but what to add to make the pizza hearty? I explored the produce section of the grocery store and came upon the portabellos – huge caps sitting over a sign that described them as meaty. Well, why not? If they don’t eat meat, why not serve them meaty mushrooms? The pizza with portabellos turned out great, and marinating the mushrooms added an extra layer of flavor. Since my last pizza stone broke and I started leaning toward low carb, I never replaced it. One recent tendency has been to make pizzas with low carb crust, and another is to reach back into my pizza past and snatch up the portabellos. This time I used them as the crust. They are quick and of course Little B can help with every step. Using tomato paste adds a spike of tomato flavor without adding much liquid. The one flaw, but not really, in this recipe is the wetness of the mushrooms. I will continue to explore how to dry out the mushrooms, because they soaked up a bit of liquid and the result is not what I would call hand pizza, but it tasted great. Grab a fork and knife for this flavorful rounds and dig in!

Portabello Pizza

4 large Portabello mushrooms, stems removed
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 small can Italian herb tomato paste (or plain past mixed with 1 Tbsp Italian herbs)
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 tsp dried parsley leaves
2 tsp dried basil leaves
2 tsp garlic powder
8 ounces pepperoni, sliced thick
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Place caps stem side up on baking sheet, then sprinkle with lime juice, salt and pepper. Spread tomato paste on mushrooms, followed by a layer of basil, oregano, parsley and basil leaves, along with garlic powder. Place a layer of pepperoni slices and top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until mushrooms are tender and cheese is melted and browning.

Non Vodka Chicken

non vodka chicken

I have been absent for a bit, and so has chicken from my blog. I am always trying to find variety, because chicken is always chicken, and absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? Busy work and busy weekends made for a quiet kitchen lately, and the repeating of old, reliable recipes. Also, Big D has been on a culinary swing while I go about other things. Work is busy, and spending a bunch of time outside in the heat makes me groggy, so hanging out reading books to Little B is much more appealing than a hot oven or stove. This recipe I almost called pizza chicken, because when Big D first took a bite he said it reminded him of pizza. Did the same for me! I was inspired by my hankering to inhale a bowl full of pasta with vodka sauce. The thing about vodka sauce is not necessarily the vodka, but what it does to the flavor of the tomatoes. The vodka, when used, actually soaks into the tomatoes and enhances their flavor with a tart tanginess. The alcohol itself evaporates. If you have had the sauce before you know what I mean. If not, then imagine a mild bloody mary – a skidge of pepper and hot sauce – not to ferocious, but an extra bite beyond plain tomato. I decided to try to find the same flavor as the vodka sauce, but without the vodka. What else could I do with a hankering for vodka sauce while experiencing an absence of vodka? It was my own fault. I used the last of it from our stash to make a Greyhound (vodka and grapefruit juice with a twist). A little bit of this, a little bit of that resulted in the sauce taste I was looking for to go on top of chicken, and then I made it chunky, a la pizza. Yum!

Non Vodka Chicken

1 Tbsp butter
8 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 onion, finely diced
4 ounces chopped black olives
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 – 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp dried parsley leaves
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
6 – 8 chicken thighs, skin trimmed, but some left on meat
4 ounces cream cheese
2 – 3 tsp Crystal hot sauce

In medium sauce pan over medium high heat melt butter. Add mushrooms, salt, olives and garlic. Saute for about five minutes until mushrooms and garlic soften and butter browns a bit. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, parsley and oregano. Stir and lower heat. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. While sauce simmers place chicken thighs in frying pan over medium high heat, skin side down. When skin is crispy flip thighs, turn down heat to medium and cover. While chicken cooks finish the sauce. Add cream cheese to the sauce and stir occasionally until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth (except for vegetable chunks, of course). Sprinkle one to two teaspoons hot sauce and stir. Taste to confirm there is a tang in the sauce, but not necessarily a bite. If no tang, then add more hot sauce. Simmer for about 15 more minutes. When chicken is cooked through and juices run clear, remove from heat and let rest. Remove chicken from pan and place on serving dish. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Salmon Patties

salmon patties
I got nostalgic on this one, in many respects. I was craving salmon and began remembering the patties my mom used to make with the canned stuff when I was little. I liked them, but always got a little shiver when I came across one of the soft, yet still crunchy pieces of bone from the canned salmon. I still recall not being able to decide whether the shiver was fun or not. The soft bone was easily chewable but always a surprise in the otherwise non-chewy dish. Another nostalgia point was from my time living in Juneau, Alaska. In late summer and early fall the salmon pile up on each other in an effort to swim upstream and practically jump out of the water into your arms. You have to make sure they are not aiming for bear arms, but after the all clear on the bear front, you can just grab the slippery suckers. Needless to say, even if you don’t fish there is a bounty of salmon, from ‘dogs’, also known as chum salmon, to the sweet, naturally bright red meat of the sockeye salmon. Living in Juneau you are surrounded by fisherpeople who get their maximum catch as often as they can and they share share share. It can be smoked, steamed, grilled, marinated, chopped, dried, jarred, canned….which brings me to this recipe. For this recipe I used canned pink salmon, which in this case is wild caught from Alaska. Not ideal, compared to the taste of the stuff that was swimming in the creek this morning, but effective in my effort to combine the nostalgie, and the fact that the only fresh salmon found in Maryland is Atlantic. Sigh. And as Big D said, these were the first salmon patties he ever had that were not dry and Little B enjoyed them, too. Score!

Salmon Cakes

1 can pink salmon, drained with spine and other bones removed
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 eggs
1 lemon, juiced with meat included
½ – 2/3 cup golden flaxseed meal
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp dried parsley leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup coconut oil

In medium bowl add salmon and break it up into small flakes. Make a pool in the middle of the salmon and drop in yogurt, eggs, salt, thyme, parsley, garlic and dill. Whisk together egg, lemon juice and yogurt mixture with a fork until eggs are broken up. Toss egg mixture with salmon until combined. Add ½ cup of the meal and stir. Let sit for a minute or two. While you wait add the coconut oil to a medium skillet and heat to medium high. If the salmon mixture is not thick enough to drop into the oil and hold shape as patties (thicker than pancake batter, thinner than, say, tuna salad) add some more meal and stir it in until thicker. Drop a large spoonful of mixture into the skillet and gently flatten so it is of even thickness and about two inches in diameter. Cook until the patties set and begin to brown on the edges, about 2 minutes. Gently flip the patties and cook for another minute or two. Repeat process until all the patties are cooked. Serve with zucchini wedges or other veggies.

Veggie Meatloaf

 

veggie meatloaf

For the most part I don’t have to hide veggies in food to get Little B to eat them. She goes after most of them with a vengeance or by way of an earnest request. Like her all time favorite snack, frozen broccoli “trees”. Yep. Straight out of the freezer. They started out as something to gnaw on when she was teething, but survived as a favorite long after. We try to offer her vegetables every chance we get, even in restaurants, in spite of the restaurants efforts to fill her otherwise. The kid menus at most places include breaded chicken tenders, pasta, sad little mini burgers or a hot dog. Besides being loaded with carbs and often deep fried, such offerings have little nutritional value or variety to expand little palates. More often than not we end up ordering soup or a side of vegetables for her from the non-kid menu. She dives right in. A few times I have tried to order the kid food, but she finds the food as unappealing as I do. It is refreshing to go to a restaurant and actually see smaller versions of the food offered on the rest of the menu, like 1/4 rack of ribs at a barbeque joint, or a kid size version of seafood at a seafood joint. What a concept! I rant because our travels recently have taken us to new restaurants in new places, and I am reminded that sometimes it is not easy to keep Little B eating our version of healthy away from home. This recipe actually stemmed from my desire to use up the vegetable odds and ends in the fridge. It worked very well, held together like meatloaf tends to not want to do. On top of it all Little B ate it up in spite of not being one of her favorite veggies – frozen broccoli, green beans or squash.

Veggie Meatloaf

1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 stalks celery
1 carrot (or 1 ½ cups mini carrots)
1 small yellow onion
2 cups fresh spinach
4 cloves garlic
3 eggs
½ cup fresh parsley
1 Tbsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

In a blender or food processor add tomato paste, celery, carrot, onion, spinach, garlic, eggs, thyme, cumin, salt, pepper and paprika. Pulse until vegetables are very small pieces and herbs are combined. In large bowl combine beef and vegetable mixture. With your bare hands mix meat and vegetables until all the meat is coated and the vegetables are combined with the meat. Press mixture into rectangular bread pan. Bake at 350 for 45 – 55 minutes, until cooked through. Sprinkle top of loaf with cheese and place in hot oven with heat off for five to ten minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let rest for about five minutes. Slice in pan, arrange on serving tray and serve.

Stuffed Flank Steak

stuffed flank steak

Flank steak, also known as skirt steak, used to be cheap. It was a slightly tougher cut of meat that could be marinated and grilled or broiled, cut up and served south Texas style as fajitas. It still can, but the cheapness is gone. I don’t know what happened. Maybe, like buffalo wings, it got popular and so the price hiked. Did price hike because of demand, or the mere fact the price was higher, and so demand increased? I guess I could go back to my college business textbooks and try to dig deeper, but not gonna do it. The point here is I have turned the once cheap fajita meat into a fancy looking main dish that went POW! Of course, anything with goat cheese tickles my fancy, but the cheese combined with the steak resulted in a tangy, juicy roll. I made a couple and ended up freezing one, and I discovered it froze well, too! Double POW! You can still make old, reliable fajitas with flank steak, but if you want to get a little fancier, you definitely can!

Stuffed Flank Steak

1 – 2 large flank steak (1 ½ – 2 pounds total)
8 ounces bacon
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 – 5 ounces goat cheese
1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped
8 ounces baby spinach leaves
8 – 12 wooden toothpicks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bacon into ¼ inch strips. In a medium skillet over medium heat  cook bacon until it begins to release fat. Add onion and garlic and continuing to cook until garlic slices begin to brown. Transfer bacon, onion and garlic to paper towel to soak up extra grease. Lightly salt and pepper the steak. Place steak between two layers of cling wrap. With a tenderizing mallet or side of a regular hammer flatten steak until about ¼ inch thick. Remove the top layer of wrap. Spread the goat cheese on the steak, leaving about ½ inch border around the edges. Make a layer of spinach leaves on top of the cheese. Sprinkle the bacon, garlic and oregano on top of the spinach. Add another layer of spinach. Sprinkle spinach with a little more salt. To roll the steak, begin by lifting the wrap edge on the long side of the steak, pull the steak off the wrap and begin curling it over the spinach. Continue rolling it, squeezing slightly to keep the roll an even size along the length. When completely rolled, place the seam facing up. Impale the roll every inch along the seam with toothpicks. If it is thin enough on the ends, weave a toothpick across them to seal it – like you would a straight pen through cloth. Place the roll in a shallow baking dish or baking sheet covered with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees and cook for 20 – 30 minutes longer, depending on thickness of steak and desired doneness. I like it more rare, so the shorter cooking time appeals to me.

Gazpacho

20130609-080341.jpgLook at me diving into summery goodness! I am not a real big fan of summer heat, which is only kind of funny, considering I grew up in Texas, where hot and humid are the name of the game for half the year. Maryland has its share of hot and humid, but for only a fraction of the Texas time, thank goodness. After a particularly rainy week we landed ourselves in the RV for a mostly warm, sunny weekend. Such a weather change inspired me to make a nice, cold soup to go with our fire seared meaty dinner. I stocked up on some fresh vegetables, threw them in a blender and waited, not turning on an oven or firing up a single burner on the stove. The meat got cooked over the fire pit as the sun set, making for a beautiful summer meal at twilight and grand evening of simple, refreshing food.

Gazpacho

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1/2 cup parsley, loosely packed
1/2 sweet Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 – 1/4 cup sherry

Combine all ingredients except sherry into a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined and all pieces uniform size. Add 1/8 cup sherry and pulse again to combine. If you like chunkier soup like me don’t pulse further. For smoother soup, continue pulsing to desired texture. Depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes and onion you may need more sherry and/or salt. If you are not sure, chill soup for about an hour and taste before deciding to add more. Chill at least two hours or overnight before serving. Garnish individual servings with any combination of tomato/cucumber/bell pepper/herbs you wish.

Crispy Tuna Melts

20130602-204719.jpgWe found ourselves hanging out in the RV the other day after a hot, hilly hike along a section of the Appalachian Trail. A few years ago Big D did a stint solo from Georgia to Virginia, and has had a hankering to return to the trail ever since. I am keen to spend a few months on the trail with him and Little B, but finding a gooldly chunk of time during the right seasons of the year has yet to happen, so we will continue with it on our radar for now. Living in Maryland, so close to the trail inspired us to dip our toes into the experience. The dip not only reminds us of our desire to dive in, but also to see how our little trooper, Little B, would do. Ever since she was about 2 years old we have taken her on stroller free walks and hikes. To this day she gets excited about going ‘on a dirt trail’, which is much more fun than the more structured ‘asphalt trails’. When given a choice she always chooses the dirtier path. We all did well with the rocky hills and deep drop offs during our hike, but the heat really drained all my extra energy. Hungry, but also melting into our lounge chairs, we tried to figure out what to have for dinner. Wanting something quick, while limited by our decision to pass on a trip to the store, I dug through the fridge and pantry and came up with these guys – crispy tuna melts. When you think of a tuna melt it is probably an image of hot cheese and tuna between two pieces of buttered, crispy toast. To avoid the carbs and wheat of the bread I made some tasty tuna treats without the sandwich part. They were filling, so it did not take much to sate us, and we sank back into our chairs, full and sleepy as the evening air cooled with the setting sun. Nice day and nice food with nice company.

Crispy Tuna Melts

2 cans tuna in water, drained
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese in the pan, followed by half a can of tuna and some garlic. Season with salt and pepper. After a minute or so the cheese will begin to crisp as stick together in a cheese pancake. When the tuna and garlic mixes with the melted cheese it is time to flip. Push spatula under half of the pancake and flip it over the other half, like you would an omelet. Flip the crisp to make sure it is evenly browned on both sides. Remove from pan to a plate for cooling. Repeat the process three more time to use the rest of the ingredients. Cut crisps in half, or strips, or any shape for eating. Can be eaten cold or reheated.

Steak in Tomato Spinach Sauce

sauteed beef with tomato and spinach sauce

We are moving soon. Again. Not a big move for now, just a short term local move before a bigger move. We don’t know when or where the bigger move will occur, but want to be ready, which means not signing a long term lease or making a real estate purchase. A move translates into me trying to clear out the fridge, freezer and pantry. The less I have to move that is perishable or heavy, the better. This recipe used the last big can of tomatoes from the pantry and some stray steak from the freezer. I like never-been-frozen steak straight off the grill, but if it has been frozen I don’t mind baking or broiling or smothering it in sauce. I like how the tomato and spinach made the sauce nice and rich. Serve it next to or on top of some baked spaghetti squash. I ate too much. Roll me on over to the couch!

Sauteed Steak with Tomato and Spinach

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh spinach
12 – 14 ounces tomato puree
½ cup dry red wine
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp sugar or sweetener equivalent
1 ½ Tbsp butter
1 pounds thin steak
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice steak against the grain into bite-sized pieces, then season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside. Roughly chop spinach into 1-inch pieces. In medium pot over medium-high heat add olive oil. When oil is hot add onion and garlic. Cook until onion and garlic begins to brown, about two minutes. Add spinach and toss with onion and garlic until most of it wilts, about three minutes. Add oregano, parsley, thyme, tomato, sugar/sweetener and wine, then stir. Lower heat to simmer, and cook uncovered for about ten minutes until it begins to thicken. Cover sauce and cook for 20 – 30 more minutes. Set aside. Right before the simmer time is over heat a shallow saute pan over high heat. Add the butter. Just before it begins to brown add the meat and toss until coated with butter. Continue tossing until steak is cooked to desired doneness (for me about 3 minutes for medium rare). Remove from heat. Add the meat to the sauce, stir and continue simmering for about five minute. Salt to taste. Serve immediately over spaghetti squash, pasta or rice.

Real Taco Meat

real taco meat

I give up. My nagging of Big D to write a guest post here in my space and talk about some of the awesome meals he makes our family is over. I would love him to update here after he sees it and make fun of all the ‘mistakes’ I make in the ingredients and process. This is the best way I know of to goad him into talking food here. If he does, you will get a taste of his instinctive method of cooking. If he doesn’t take the bait, you still get a recipe from me that reflects a basic version of what we create, eat a lot of and enjoy. I spicing varies with every batch, but it is so easy to make a big pan of it and have it around for quick meals. You can never go wrong using a package of ground beef with this recipe. It reminds me of Texas and the two week party in San Antonio called Fiesta! It happens every April, and seeing the pictures coming out of San Antone recently, along with the memories of partying it up myself when I lived down there, gave me a serious hankering for some good taco meat. Not what you get out of a prepackaged mix, or find in a school cafeteria, but the real taco meat I grew up with, as did Big D. We like it really spicy around here, and achieve an acceptable level of spice with the wonderful smokiness of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They are optional, of course, but add a level of flavor Big D and I  have not found elsewhere. Big D often eats it simply as a pile of meat and cheese, occasionally with some vegetables underneath. You can see from the picture I often surround mine with sauteed veggies underneath (this time with cabbage) and top it with tomatoes, cucumber, olives and sour cream. If you look closely, you will actually see meat! The meat can of course also be served with tortillas, but we don’t keep such things around the house anymore. Take a siesta and enjoy!

Real Taco Meat

3 – 4 Tbsp bacon grease or other high heat fat
3 Tbsp cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp Chili powder
1 tsp red cayenne powder
1 Tbsp cumin powder
2 chipotle peppers with 1 Tbsp adobo sauce (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ – 2 pounds ground beef
6 – 8 ounces amber or dark beer
1 tsp sea salt

In a large skillet over high heat add grease. When it is hot add the cumin seeds, red pepper flakes and optional chipotle peppers. Stir frequently until they begin to darken. After a few minutes add the garlic, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin powder and optional adobo sauce. Stir for about a minute until it too darkens. Add the onion and cook until the onions begin to sweat and brown. Add the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces while also combining it with the onion and spice mixture. Add ½ tsp salt and continue stirring. When about half the liquid has reduced, about five to eight minutes, add the beer. Sip on the rest of the beer in the bottle. Continue cooking over high heat until the liquid reduces again. When most of the liquid is cooked off turn down to medium heat and continue cooking until most of the liquid is gone. The meat should begin searing. Drink some more beer. After searing the meat for about a minute turn down the heat to low and simmer. Taste and add more salt to preferred saltiness. Let sit with the heat off for about ten minutes before serving.

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