tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30057961745823900512024-03-13T11:21:21.976-04:00Live from VoorheesvilleAnyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-79565714852135662632013-04-28T14:49:00.003-04:002013-04-28T14:55:42.799-04:00Tortolloni (or "Ravioli") Stuffed with Spinach, Proscuitto and Ricotta and Tomato Butter Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Gdq5miaayo/UX01LDeq4bI/AAAAAAAAEVE/_z2G4x1SSjk/s1600/DSC06407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Gdq5miaayo/UX01LDeq4bI/AAAAAAAAEVE/_z2G4x1SSjk/s640/DSC06407.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Everyone knows homemade pasta is of another breed than storebought pasta... it is impossible to express in words... just try it and you will understand.<br />
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This reminds me of the pasta Brandon and I ate while sitting on the terrace at the villa we stayed in in Tuscany on our honeymoon... ahh I wish I could go back...<br />
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This recipe, from Marcella Hazan's <i>Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking</i>, calls for Swiss Chard or Spinach. I used frozen, thawed spinach, which was fine and saved a lot of work. The filling also had prosciutto, onion, ricotta, egg, butter, grated Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of nutmeg. So good.<br />
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Here are instructions on how to make <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/homemade-pasta-dough-with-three-eggs.html" target="_blank">Homemade Pasta Dough with Three Eggs</a>, which this recipe calls for. This is fun and relatively easy project, although it does take some time. It is a great way to spend an overcast Sunday afternoon (especially if you can convince your husband to help you! :-))<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u>:</b></div>
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<b>Filling:</b></div>
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2 pounds Swiss chard, if the stalks are very thin, or 2 1/2 pounds if the stalks are broad, or 2 lbs fresh</div>
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spinach (NOTE: I used 2 10-oz packages of frozen spinach, thawed, which I cooked for about 3 minutes in boiling water, drained, and then squeezed the excess water from). </div>
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Salt</div>
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2 1/2 Tbs onion, chopped very fine</div>
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3 1/2 Tbs chopped prosciutto (or pancetta or unsmoked boiled ham)</div>
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3 Tbs butter</div>
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1 cup fresh ricotta (see how to <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/holy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">make your own!</a>)</div>
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1 egg yolk</div>
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2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese</div>
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1/8 tsp ground nutmeg</div>
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<b>Tomato Butter Sauce:</b></div>
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1 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, cut up with their juices </div>
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5 Tbs butter</div>
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1 medium onion, cut in half</div>
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salt</div>
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4 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving</div>
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<b>Pasta: </b></div>
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<a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/homemade-pasta-dough-with-three-eggs.html" target="_blank">Homemade yellow pasta dough</a> with three eggs, 1 2/3 cups unbleached flour, and 1 Tbs. milk.</div>
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<b><u>Instructions</u>:</b></div>
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<b>Filling:</b></div>
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1. If using Swiss chard or fresh spinach: Remove stalks from Swiss chard or stems from fresh spinach and then soak the leaves in a several changes of cold water. Gently scoop out the leaves without shaking them, and put them in a pot with just the water that clings to them. Add large pinches of salt to keep the vegetable green, cover the pot, turn on the heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes, depending on the frehshness of the vegetable. Drain, and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, squeeze it gently to drive out as much moisture as possible, and chop it very fine. </div>
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If using frozen spinach: cook thawed spinach in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, and as soon as it is cool enough to handle, squeeze it gently to drive out as much moisture as possible. Chop it fine.</div>
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2. In a small saute pan, put the onion, prosciutto, and butter and turn on the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until onion becomes translucent, then add the chopped chard or spinach. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until all the butter is absorbed.</div>
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3. Turn out the contents of the pan into a bowl, Add the ricotta, egg yolk, grated Parmesan, and a grating of nutmeg (about 1/8 tsp) and mix with a fork until ingredients are evenly combined. Taste and correct for salt.</div>
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<b>Sauce:</b></div>
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Combine tomatoes, butter, onion, and salt and cook at a slow, steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free of the tomato. Stir from time to time, mashing any large pieces of tomato in the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion before tossing with the pasta.</div>
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<b>Pasta:</b></div>
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Make <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/homemade-pasta-dough-with-three-eggs.html" target="_blank">Homemade Pasta Dough</a><b> </b>with three eggs. Roll it into sheets approximately 4 inches thick. Place approximately 1 tsp. of filling every 2 inches<b> </b>along one side. Fold the dough over the filling, creating a long tube that encloses the filling. Use a fluted pastry wheel to trim the joined edges of hte tube, to seal it all around. With the same wheel, cut across the tube between every mound of stuffing, separating it into squares. (SEE PICTURES ABOVE). Spread the squares out on clean, dry, cloth towels, making sure they do not touch while the dough is still soft. Turn the squares from time to time as they dry. Cook the ravioli in a large pot of salted boiling water until edges are <i>al dente</i>. </div>
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Drain and put into a warm serving bowl.</div>
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Toss gently with the sauce, and 4 Tbs. Parmesan cheese.<br />
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Serve with more freshly grated Parmesan.</div>
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Enjoy!!<br />
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~ AnyaAnyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-81713854147687682922013-04-28T14:04:00.002-04:002013-04-28T14:53:40.639-04:00Homemade Pasta Dough with Three Eggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is nothing like good homemade pasta. I remember my dad making sheets of pasta when I was little and hanging them over the backs of kitchen chairs and across tables, spread on kitchen towels. I use a hand-cranked manual pasta machine to roll out the dough, which takes virtually no skill at all.<br />
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Every time I make this I am amazed by how easy it is and how worth it for the fresh pasta. This time I made <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/tortolloni-or-ravioli-stuffed-with.html" target="_blank">Tortolloni Stuffed with Spinach, Prosciutto and Ricotta</a> from Marcella Hazan's <i>Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking</i>. They were fantastic.<br />
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Marcella uses these basic measurements for pasta dough:<br />
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<u>For yellow pasta dough</u>: 1 cup APF + 2 large eggs = 3/4 lb homemade pasta (3 standard or 4 appetizer portions<br />
<u>For green pasta dough</u>: 1 1/2 cups APF + 2 large eggs + 1/2 of a 10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed or 1/2 pound fresh spinach = 1 lb pasta (4 standard portions) <br />
NOTE: cook the spinach, drain, and cool it and then squeeze out all excess water before chopping fine.<br />
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Here is the recipe for 3 egg yellow pasta dough, which I used for the ravioli:<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
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3 large eggs at room temperature<br />
1 2/3 cup (+ more as needed) all-purpose flour<br />
[1 Tbs milk (only if making stuffed pasta)]<br />
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<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
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Measure 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour onto a work surface and form into a mound, and scoop a deep hollow in the center. Break the eggs into the hollow. I you are making a stuffed pasta, also add 1 Tbs milk to the mixture. (If you want to make green pasta, add spinach now too -- see instructions above). Beat the eggs lightly for a minute or so, as though you were making an omelet.<br />
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Draw some of the flour over the eggs, mixing it in with the fork a little at a time, until the eggs are no longer runny. Marcella makes this sound easy but it takes practice to not break the walls and let the eggs run off. I made it through about half the flour and then started to lose some egg -- But I just sort of grabbed it and mounded the rest of the flour around it and began to knead it together at this point. <br />
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Draw the sides of the mount together with your hands, leaving some flour to the side, and work the eggs and flour together, using your fingers and the palms of your hand, until you have a smoothly integrated mixture. If it is still moist, work in more flour. NOTE: I had to add quite a bit more flour during this process. The dough should be neither sticky nor dry -- knowing the feel takes time but the dough is pretty forgiving. <br />
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When the mass feels good to you and like it does not need more flour, wash your hands, dry them, and run a simple test: press your thumb deep into the center of the mass; if it comes out clean, without any sticky matter on it, no more flour is needed. Put the mass to one side, scrape the work surface absolutely clear of any loose or caked bits of flour and crumbs, and get ready to knead.<br />
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This is the most important step, and one I will not pretend to have mastered. I have read over and over again that you cannot cheat and get good homemade pasta by kneading in a machine -- you gotta use them hands! Marcella says to do it like this:<br />
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Push forward against the mass using the heel of your palm, keeping your fingers bent. Fold the mass in half, give it a half turn, press hard against it with the heel of your palm again, and repeat the operation. Make sure that you keep turning the ball of dough always in the same direction, either clockwise or counterclockwise, as you prefer. When you have kneaded it thus for 8 full minutes and the dough is as smooth as a baby skin, it is ready for the machine.<br />
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Here's me in action: <br />
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Here is my smooth-as-baby-skin dough:<br />
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Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 20 minutes, or overnight.<br />
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When you are ready to roll the dough out, cut the ball into 3 parts per egg used -- so for 3 egg pasta, into nine pieces.<br />
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To make most pastas, the process is simple. Spread clean, dry, cloth dishtowels over the counter near where you will be using the machine to put the pasta on. Flatten each piece; feed one piece at a time through machine at widest setting and lay on towels; reduce the setting by one notch, and feed each through again. Repeat this process until all are at their thinnest setting and then cut pasta in whatever shape you are making (you should let the sheets dry about 10 minutes before cutting them).<br />
<br />
If you are making stuffed pasta, wrap all but one piece in plastic wrap to they do not dry out and thin one piece at a time, stuff it as directed, cut it, and then proceed to the next piece, like so:<br />
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That's pretty much it! Worth the effort entirely! Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-60110877059695059552013-04-14T15:02:00.000-04:002013-04-14T15:04:12.992-04:00Pineapple and Green Peas in Almond Broth, Rice and Cauliflower Pilaf, and Green Beans in Yogurt-Poppy Seed Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The combination of flavors in this Indian soup -- saffron, pineapple, peas, coconut, almond, cashews, sesame, coriander, ginger, green chili, mustard seeds -- was so surprising and remarkable. I made this last night along with a rice and cauliflower pilaf and green beans in a yogurt-poppy seed sauce.<br />
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Everything was delicious, but the soup definitely stole the show. I would definitely make the cauliflower rice pilaf again, but next time I will serve it with a main that has more sauce -- perhaps a masala or curry. The green beans (which were very spicy!) would also make a good side dish for something. Together these weren't perfect, as they both felt a little like side dishes, but with the soup it was plenty of food! The soup is the star of this post though -- I will be making it again for sure!<br />
<br />
The recipes all come from the cookbook <b>The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking</b> by Yamuna Devi.<br />
<br />
<b>Pineapple and Green Peas in Almond Broth</b><br />
Ananas Hari Matar Shorba<br />
(from southern region of Maharashtra) <br />
<br />
serves 6 to 8<br />
prep time: 20 minutes<br />
cooking time: 30 minutes<br />
<br />
<i>Ingredients</i>:<br />
<br />
3 Tbs. blanched almonds, halved<br />
3 Tbs. raw cashew halves<br />
1 tsp. sesame seeds<br />
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds<br />
2 Tbs. grated fresh or dried coconut<br />
1 1/4 cups water or coconut milk <br />
1/2-inch piec of fresh ginger root, scraped and cut into thin julienne<br />
1-2 hot green chilies, stemmed and seeded<br />
3 Tbs. <i>ghee</i> or unsalted butter<br />
1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds<br />
12 high-quality saffron threads<br />
1 1/4 tsp salt<br />
1 small ripened pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
1 cup fresh peas or frozen baby peas, defrosted<br />
3 Tbs. heavy cream<br />
1/8 tsp. frhesly ground nutmeg<br />
1/2 tsp. <i>garam masala</i><br />
<br />
<i>Instructions</i>:<br />
<br />
1. Place 1 1/2 tsp each of the almonds and cashews and all sesame seeds, coriander seeds, and coconut in a blender or food processor, cover and pulse to a coarse powder. Add 1/2 cup of water or coconut milk (I used water) and the ginger and chilies, cover and process until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing out all of the liquid. Reserve liquid. <br />
<br />
2. Heat the <i>ghee</i> or butter in a 3-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Add the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. each of cashews and almonds and stir-fry until golden brown, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drop in the black mustard seeds and fry until they turn gray and pop. Pour in the reserved seed-nut milk and cook, stirring to prevent sticking, for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the remaining 1 1/4 cups water or coconut milk and the saffron threads and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
3. Add the pineapple and peas if using fresh peas, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the pineapple and peas are tender. If you are using frozen defrosted peas, add only 1-2 minutes before serving. Remove pan from the heat, stir in the cream, nutmeg and <i>garam masala</i>, and garnish each serving dish with the fried nuts.<br />
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<br />
<b>Rice and Cauliflower Pilaf</b><br />
Gobhi Pulau<br />
<b> </b><br />
serves 6 to 8<br />
prep time: 30 minutes<br />
cooking time: 45 minutes<br />
<br />
<i>For the Cauliflower</i>:<br />
<br />
1/4 cup fresh or dried grated coconut, lightly packed<br />
1 Tbs. minced seeded hot green chilies<br />
1 Tbs. scraped, finely shredded or minced fresh ginger root<br />
3 Tbs. minced fresh parsley or coarsely copped coriander (cilantro)<br />
1/2 cup plain yogurt<br />
1/2 tsp. tumeric<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper<br />
3 Tbs. <i>ghee</i> or vegetable oil<br />
1 small cauliflower, washed, trimmed, and cut into small florets<br />
<br />
<i>For the Rice</i>:<br />
<br />
1 cup <i>basmati</i> or other long-grain white rice<br />
3 Tbs. <i>ghee</i> or a mixture of begetable oil and unsalted butter<br />
1 small cassia or bay leaf<br />
1 1/2 tsp. black mustard seeds<br />
2 large black or 4 large green cardomom pods, slightly crushed<br />
1 3/4 cup to 2 cups water<br />
1 tsp. raw sugar<br />
lemon or lime wedges for garnishing<br />
<br />
<i>To Cook the Cauliflower</i>:<br />
1. Combine coconut, green chilies, ginger, parsley or coriander and yogurt in a blender or food processor. Cover and mix until smooth. Scrape into a small bowl and add turmeric, salt and pepper and mix. <br />
2. Heat 3 Tbs. of <i>ghee</i> or oil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Drop in the cauliflower florets and stir-fry for about 5 minutes or until cauliflower has light brown edges. Pour int he yogurt mixture and stir well. Reduce heat slightly and fry until the vegetable is dry and half-cooked. <br />
3. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer contents to a small bowl. Wipe the pan clean.<br />
<br />
<i>To Cook the Rice</i>:<br />
1. Heat 1 1/2 Tbs. of <i>ghee</i> or oil-butter mixture in a heavy 2-quart nonstick saucepan over moderate heat. Fry the cassia or bay leaf, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and cardamom pods until the mustard seeds turn gray and sputter and pop. Pour in the rice and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.<br />
2. Add the water and sweetener, raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a full boil. Stir in the seasoned cauliflower and immediately reduce heat to very low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer gently, without stirring, for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy. Turn the heat off and let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes to allow the fragile grains to firm up. Just before serving, remove the cover, add the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. of <i>ghee</i> or oil-butter mixture and fluff the piping-hot rice with a fork. Garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.<br />
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<b>Green Beans in Yogurt-Poppy Seed Sauce</b><br />
Barbatti Tari Sabji<br />
<b> </b><br />
serves 4 or 5<br />
prep time: 30 minutes<br />
cook time: 5 minutes <br />
<br />
(Note: everything can be done ahead for this dish and it can be cooked at the last minute)<br />
<br />
<i>Ingredients</i>:<br />
<br />
3 Tbs. white poppy seeds (or chopped cashews)<br />
2 hot green chilies (I used one Serrano chili and it was REALLY spicy so I wouldn't use two unless using a mild pepper)<br />
1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, scraped and coarsely chopped<br />
1/2 tsp cumin seeds<br />
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or parsley<br />
3/4 cup plain yogurt<br />
1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into 3-inch pieces and steamed until tender-crisp<br />
3 Tbs. <i>ghee</i> or unsalted butter<br />
6 curry leaves, preferably fresh, or 1/2 cassia or bay leaf<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg<br />
<br />
<i>Instructions</i>:<br />
1. Put the poppy seeds or cashews in a food processor or blender, cover and pulse until powdered. Add the chilies, ginger, cumin, half of the fresh herb, and the yogurt. Process until creamy smooth, then combine with steamed green beans in a bowl and toss well.<br />
2. To assemble the dish, heat the<i> ghee</i> or butter in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over moderate heat. Drop in the curry leaves or bay leaf and let sizzle for a few seconds. Pour in the beans and sauce, salt and nutmeg. Stir-fry until the sauce thickens, either slightly or until almost dry. Serve with the remaining herb, piping hot, at room temperature or chilled. <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
<br />
-- Anya<br />
<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-73523269191541148692013-04-14T14:04:00.001-04:002013-04-14T14:04:33.214-04:00Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My favorite Sunday morning food is pancakes and I really love love love cornmeal pancakes. I think that they are the king of pancakes, putting all other pancakes to shame. (yes, even the <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/lemon-ricotta-pancakes.html" target="_blank">Lemon Ricotta Pancakes</a> I made for easter with homemade ricotta). These panckaes are hearty and textured, crunchy on the outside and soft inside. </div>
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They are perfect with just a bit of butter and maple syrup (and OK yes, bacon). Let's face it, cornmeal just makes everything better. These would be good with blueberries too, but they needed nothing extra. I got this recipe from Bon Appetit, but adjusted it by adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour and cornmeal each, and I used half whole wheat flour and half pastry flour because I didn't have any all-purpose flour on hand (this is a shameful fact, I admit, but I have not been baking recently... <i>I know this is shameful too but I am trying to avoid cookies, bread, and other baked goods after a long winter of unhealthy eating... </i>not that these pancakes fit the diet, I know! <i>but I ate them anyway, as I stared out at another burst of snow flakes in the middle of April, thinking </i>"I DESERVE THESE" and "WHEN WILL WINTER EVER END?!"). </div>
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Anyways... um... I think the texture of these is perfect and I will make it exactly this way next time. </div>
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<br />Here's the recipe!<br />
<br />
<b>Cornmeal Buttermilk Pancakes</b><br />
adapted from Bon Appetit (February 1998)<br />
makes approximately 12 pancakes<br />
<br />
<i>Ingredients</i>:<br />
<br />
1/2 cup whole wheat flour<br />
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or white pastry flour)<br />
1 cup yellow stone ground cornmeal<br />
2 Tbs. sugar<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
1/2 tsp. baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp. baking powder<br />
2 eggs<br />
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled <br />
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (make your own by combining scant 1 1/4 cups milk and 1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes before adding to other ingredients)<br />
<br />
oil for pan<br />
butter and real maple syrup for serving <br />
<br />
<i>Directions</i>:<br />
<br />
1. Preheat oven to 300 F. Whisk together first 6 ingredients in large bowl. <br />
2. Combine eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter (make sure butter is cool before adding) in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.<br />
3. Coat bottom of heavy skillet with oil (I used coconut oil which worked wonderfully) and heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour approximately 1/4 cup worth of batter for each pancake and cook until both sides are golden brown and edges are crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to platter in preheated oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm with maple syrup and butter. <br />
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Enjoy!Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-58313731016184433222013-04-07T20:40:00.002-04:002013-04-07T20:40:50.829-04:00Aparagus, Ricotta and Mushroom Pizza<div class="recipeIngred">
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This was another awesome recipe I tried out with my <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/holy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">homemade ricotta</a>. SO yummy. We have been having lots of asparagus these days! Which means spring is on its way... it HAS to be people (longest winter ever in Voorheesville!) <br />
<br />
<b>Asparagus, Ricotta and Cremini Mushroom Pizza </b><br />
(adapted from Real Simple)<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
<ul>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">1
pound </span><span itemprop="name">pizza dough, at room temperature</span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount"></span><span itemprop="name">cornmeal, for the baking sheet</span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">1
pound asparagus, trimmed and halved lengthwise and crosswise </span><a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/ingredients-guide/asparagus-00000000039261/index.html"><span itemprop="name"></span></a></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">5
ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced</span><a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/ingredients-guide/mushrooms-00000000039330/index.html"><span itemprop="name"></span></a></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced</span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">1 1/2 cups ricotta (<a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/holy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">see how to make your own</a>)</span><a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/ingredients-guide/ricotta-00000000039357/index.html"><span itemprop="name"></span></a></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">1/2 cup parmesan</span><a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/ingredients-guide/parmesan-00000000039340/index.html"><span itemprop="name"></span></a></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">2 tablespoons olive oil</span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount"></span><span itemprop="name">kosher salt and black pepper</span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">[optional: arugula tossed in lemon juice to top] </span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><u>
Directions:</u></span><br />
<ol>
<li>Heat oven to 425° F. Roll out the dough to desired shape and place on cornmeal-dusted baking sheet.</li>
<li>Brush dough with some olive oil, top the dough with
the asparagus, mushrooms, and garlic, then the ricotta, Parmesan, and a little more oil. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt
and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bake on pan (or pizza stone) until
the crust is golden
brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.</li>
<li>Optional: top with arugula tossed in lemon juice. </li>
</ol>
<div>
Enjoy!</div>
Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-81594160254326603352013-04-07T20:11:00.003-04:002013-04-07T20:16:13.086-04:00Lemon Ricotta Pancakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I have wanted to make ricotta pancakes for some time and finally had the perfect occasion with some <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/holy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">homemade ricotta</a> in the fridge that needed using. This was a wonderful Easter brunch. These ricotta pancakes are super light and fluffy because of the beaten egg white, and are lower in calories than many other recipes I looked at, containing no milk, butter, and very little sugar.<br />
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This recipe is from Gourmet magazine, which suggested pairing the pancakes with sauteed apples. I chose instead to accompany these pancakes with blueberries, which I submerged in syrup for a little while before serving, along with a little powdered sugar. Delicious! Here's the recipe<br />
<br />
<b>Lemon Ricotta Pancakes</b><br />
(adapted from Gourmet - September 1991)<br />
makes about 10 small pancakes (serves 2)<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
<ul class="ingredientsList">
<li class="ingredient">4 large eggs, separated</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 1/3 cups ricotta <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/holy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">see how to make your own!</a></li>
<li class="ingredient">1 1/2 tablespoons sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (I used a little more and added some lemon juice from half a lemon as well)</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup all-purpose flour</li>
<li class="ingredient">melted butter for brushing the griddle</li>
</ul>
<ul class="ingredientsList">
<li class="ingredient">maple syrup, berries, and powdered as an accompaniment</li>
</ul>
<u>Instructions:</u><br />
<br />
In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, the ricotta, the sugar, and the
zest I also added some lemon juice from half a lemon). Then add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined.<br />
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In a
bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt
until they hold stiff peaks, whisk about one fourth of them into the
ricotta mixture, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.<br />
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Heat a griddle over moderately high heat until it is hot enough to make
drops of water scatter over its surface and brush it with some of the
melted butter. Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle by
1/4-cup measures and cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side,
or until they are golden, brushing the griddle with some of the melted
butter as necessary.<br />
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Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to a
heatproof platter and keep them warm in a preheated 200°F. oven.<br />
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Serve with maple syrup, berries, and powdered sugar. Enjoy!<br />
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Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-88847331099328265592013-04-07T20:10:00.002-04:002013-04-07T20:10:39.698-04:00Penne with Ricotta and Spinach Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This is a great recipe from Marcella Hazan. Simple and wonderful with fresh ricotta (<a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/holy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">see how to make your own!</a>). I used frozen spinach and it worked great -- although I'm sure fresh would be good too if you are willing to put in the extra steps.<br />
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I also halved the butter in this recipe and it did not suffer (the original recipe calls for 1/4 pound or a full stick and I got away with maybe 3 to 4 Tablespoons. Reserve a little of the pasta water to mix in to this at the end.<br />
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Here's how to make it:<br />
<br />
<b>Penne con Spinaci e Ricotta</b><br />
(Penne with Ricotta and Spinach Sauce)<br />
serves 4 to 6<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
<br />
2 pounds fresh spinach* or 2 (10-oz) packages of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed (see note below)<br />
1/4 lb. butter (1 stick) (I used half this amount)<br />
salt to taste<br />
1 pound penne or other short tubular macaroni<br />
1/2 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta (I used more) (<a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/holy-ricotta.html" target="_blank">see how to make your own!</a>)<br />
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese<br />
<br />
<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
<br />
Choose a skillet that can contain all the spinach later without overcrowding. Put in 4 Tbs butter (I used 2 Tbs here) and turn heat to medium high. When buter is melted, add spinach and a liberal 2 to 3 pinches of salt (bear in mind that this and the ricotta will be the principal component of the sauce and ricotta has no salt, so season liberally). Saute spinach for 2 minutes or so, turning frequently, then turn off the heat.<br />
<br />
Cook pasta in 4 to 5 quarts salted boiling water until tender but <i>al dente</i>, firm to the bite. Set aside some pasta water before draining pasta in a colander, shake vigorously and transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl. Add spinach from the pan, ricotta, remaining 4 Tbs (I used 2 Tbs here) of butter, and all the grated cheese. Add pasta water as needed. Mix thoroughly and serve at once.<br />
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*Note: I used frozen spinach. If you use fresh spinach, remove and discard the
stems, soak spinach in several changes of basins of cold water, dunking
it with your hands until no more grit appears, and then cook the spinach
in a covered pan over medium heat with a pinch of salt until no more
water is clinging to the leaves, and then cook until tender, about 10
minutes more. Drain well and when spinach is cool enough to handle,
press as much liquid from it as you can, but do not squeeze too
tightly. Chop spinach fine and set aside.<br />
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Enjoy!Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-52197097876719304052013-04-07T20:08:00.001-04:002013-04-07T20:42:40.466-04:00Holy Ricotta!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_2006750195"></span><span id="goog_2006750196"></span><br />
<span id="goog_2006750195">Wow! Who knew that ricotta was so easy to make and so GOOD when you do it yourself?! Having leftover buttermilk on hand from my <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/03/irish-soda-bread-story-of-how-i-won.html" target="_blank">Irish Soda Bread</a> making days that needed to be used before it went south, and having been told by a friend that buttermilk can be used to make ricotta, I decided to give it a go. It was wonderful and SO SIMPLE. I used it to make a <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/penne-with-ricotta-and-spinach-sauce.html" target="_blank">Penne with Ricotta and Spinach Sauce</a>, <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/aparagus-ricotta-and-mushroom-pizza.html" target="_blank">Asparagus, Ricotta and Mushroom Pizza</a>, and <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/lemon-ricotta-pancakes.html" target="_blank">Lemon Ricotta Pancakes</a>. </span><br />
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All you need to make this is:<br />
<br />
1 gallon of whole milk<br />
1 quart of buttermilk<br />
<br />
Equipment: a large heavy pot, a mesh strainer and some cheesecloth.<br />
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Instructions:</div>
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Combine the milk and ricotta in a large 7 quart pot over low heat, stirring occasionally, very gently until warm. Curds will start to form. When mixture reaches 170 degrees, turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then line a mesh strainer with several layers of cheescloth, place over a bowl or the sink, and scoop curds into strainer. Spoon/pour liquid over until all the curds are in the strainer. Let strain over a bowl or the sink for at least an hour. Put ricotta into an airtight container and keep chilled. Use immediately or within a couple days. </div>
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Check out some of these recipes for ideas of what to use it for:</div>
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<a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/lemon-ricotta-pancakes.html" target="_blank">Lemon Ricotta Pancakes</a></div>
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<a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/penne-with-ricotta-and-spinach-sauce.html" target="_blank">Penne with Ricotta and Spinach Sauce</a></div>
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<a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/04/aparagus-ricotta-and-mushroom-pizza.html" target="_blank">Asparagus, Ricotta and Mushroom Pizza</a></div>
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It is also really awesome crumbled on toast with a bit of honey or slivered nuts. Yum! </div>
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Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-10481407141073052252013-03-30T16:41:00.003-04:002013-03-30T16:41:53.833-04:00Lemony Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is a wonderful and simple risotto recipe from Gourmet magazine. I was thinking of making a shrimp and asparagus pasta, but then stumbled on this recipe, which looked so good and simple and creamy-delicious: I <i>had</i> to try it. <br />
<br />
Although making risotto the real way takes some patience and a willingness to be stuck in front of the stove stirring for about 30 minutes, it is actually incredibly simple and easy, and relatively fast. I will be making this again! Here is the recipe.<br />
<br />
<b>Lemony Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp</b><br />
from Gourmet, May 2009<b> </b><br />
Serves 4 as a main course or 6 to 8 as a side dish<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth + 2 cups water (I used all broth)<br />
3/4 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces<br />
1 small onion, finely chopped<br />
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, divided (I used 3 Tbs. and next time will use 2Tbs. as the full 4 seems unnecessary)<br />
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice<br />
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a savignon blanc)<br />
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used a full pound of large shrimp)<br />
1 Tbs. grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)<br />
1/4 cup grated parmesan<br />
2 Tbs. chopped flat-leaf parsley<br />
<br />
<u>Directions</u>:<br />
<br />
Bring broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add asparagus and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking, then drain. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.<br />
<br />
Cook onion in 2 Tbs. butter with 1/4 tsp salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, I minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed.<br />
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Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture and briskly simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring, and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy and tender but still al dente, about 18 minutes. <br />
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Stir in shrimp and cook, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.<br />
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Then add asparagus, zest, remaining 2 Tbs. butter (if using), parmesan, parsley, and fresh ground pepper to taste. <br />
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Thin risotto with remaining broth if necessary. Enjoy!!<br />
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-- AnyaAnyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-60043888002113796892013-03-24T18:21:00.001-04:002013-03-24T18:21:14.633-04:00Argentine Beef EmpanadasYummy yummy yummy. These are the second kind of empanadas that I made today (see the post for <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/03/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-empanadas.html" target="_blank">Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas</a> for the other recipe). These are some tasty little morsels. <br />
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<br />
They are classic Argentine beef empanadas, with green olives stuffed with pimento and yellow raisins in the filling, along with some cumin, honey, and hot sauce, making for a wonderful burst of sweet and spicy flavors.<br />
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It's like a party in your mouth! WOW yes I did say party in your mouth... (i'm clearly a little off after rolling, filling, folding, crimping, OK?!). Anyways...<br />
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The dough for these is a little intense on the calorie scale... it has 8 oz of cream cheese, 2 sticks of butter, and half a cup of heavy cream...<br />
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Yowzah!.. like I said... it is a bit much. It makes for a very flaky delicious dough... and it rolls out beautifully...<br />
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However, you could use a lighter dough recipe and I may next time... (see dough for <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/03/sweet-potato-and-black-bean-empanadas.html" target="_blank">Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas</a>).<br />
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In any event, these were worth the time and effort. One note is that this recipe makes WAY MORE than 26 to 28 as the recipe suggests. I made 46 before I ran out of dough, and still had quite a bit of filling left over... So beware and consider scaling down the filling by 1/3 if you want. I froze the leftover filling and will make more of these when we run through the 46 that are already in the freezer!<br />
<br />
<b>Classic Argentine Beef Empanadas</b><br />
From RecipeGirl.com (and adapted from <i>Mad Hungry </i>via Serious Eats)<br />
<br />
Makes about 45 appetizer size empanadas <br />
<br />
<div class="ingredient">
<u><strong>Filling</strong></u><strong>:</strong><br />
1 Tbs. olive oil<br />
1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)<br />
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (about 1 large)<br />
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (use 85% lean, not the super-lean)<br />
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin<br />
1 cup pimento-filled green olives, sliced<br />
1 cup golden raisins<br />
2 tsp. honey<br />
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt<br />
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper<br />
several dashes of hot sauce, to taste<br />
3 large eggs, separated<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Pastry</u>:</strong><br />
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, at room temperature (don’t use low fat)<br />
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream<br />
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough<br />
1 tsp. kosher salt<br />
lime wedges, for serving<br />
<br />
<u><strong>Directions</strong></u><strong>:</strong><br />
<strong> </strong> </div>
<div class="instructions">
<strong>Prepare the filling:</strong>
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion &
bell pepper and sauté 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Raise heat to high
and add beef. Cook, stirring constantly, until browned, 5 to 7
minutes. Use a spoon to scoop out some of the liquid; discard. Stir
in cumin, olives, raisins, honey, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook
until the meat is golden brown, liquid has evaporated and flavors have
blended, about 4 more minutes. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
Stir in 3 egg whites when mixture is cool.<br />
<br />
<strong>Prepare pastry:</strong> Process butter, cream cheese
and cream in a food processor or electric mixer. Add flour and salt and
mix just until combined and dough holds together in a ball. Turn the
dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into three pieces.
Flatten into disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at
least 30 minutes before rolling out. If the dough is chilled overnight,
take it out for about 15 minutes before rolling out.<br />
</div>
<div class="instructions">
Dust a rolling pin with flour. Working with one dough disk at a
time, place the disk on a clean, well-floured surface (I use a silpat
mat). Roll gently from the center of the dough to the top and bottom
edges and from side to side. Reflour the work surface and/or rolling
pin, as needed. You want the dough to be thin but not transparent. </div>
<div class="instructions">
<br />
<strong>Assembly:</strong> Use a 3 to 4 inch cookie cutter to cut out circles. Gather scraps together,
re-roll and cut more circles until you’ve used up all the dough. Scoop
some filling into the center of the dough circle (about 1 Tbsp.). Wet
the edge of the dough with water, using your finger to to rub. Fold the
dough over to form a half-circle. Crimp edges with a fork, or fold
over decoratively (using more water, as needed, to act as ‘glue.’)
Repeat the process until all of the filling is used.<br />
<br />
The empanadas can
be frozen at this point, or placed onto a greased baking sheet. If baking right
away, chill the filled empanadas for a few minutes. Prick the top of
each empanada twice with a fork. Beat 2 egg yolks with 2 Tbsp. water
and brush egg wash over each empanada. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven, or until
golden brown.<br />
<br />
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with lime wedges.<br />
</div>
<b> </b> <br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-41509082134372229952013-03-24T17:58:00.000-04:002013-03-24T18:22:39.334-04:00Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I am hosting <span style="font-size: small;">my monthly ladies' night this week and <span style="font-size: small;">decided the theme should be <span style="font-size: small;">Spanish tapas..<span style="font-size: small;">. so</span> today I made 86 empanadas<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">(yes, 86).<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span> OK so I did not mean to <span style="font-size: small;">m<span style="font-size: small;">ake that many. I am not a lunati<span style="font-size: small;">c (<span style="font-size: small;">only borderline people!)<span style="font-size: small;">. Here's what happened. </span></span></span>I made two kinds<span style="font-size: small;">: these <span style="font-size: small;">vegetarian s</span>weet potato and black bean ones, and <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/03/argentine-beef-empanadas.html" target="_blank">Argentine Beef Empanadas</a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>recipe. </span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This<span style="font-size: small;"> particularly</span> recipe said it made 10<span style="font-size: small;">, </span>so I one-and-a<span style="font-size: small;">-halved the recipe<span style="font-size: small;">, figuring 15 was a good number, and then realized this made 15 large <span style="font-size: small;">empanadas... and I wanted smaller guys<span style="font-size: small;"> -<span style="font-size: small;">-</span> empanadillas really<span style="font-size: small;"> -- so, um, yeah, I ended up with 40<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">of these little guys. </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> It wa<span style="font-size: small;">s a lot of work but they are really really <span style="font-size: small;">yummy. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>The g</span>ood news is they freeze well!</div>
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These have sweet potato, roasted pablano, black beans, cilantro, green onion, cumin, and have a wonderful flavor. <br />
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<br />
The dough that this recipe calls for is much lighter than the one I used for the beef empanada and was really good and fairly easy to work with. It has canola oil, water, egg, cider vinegar, and flour, whereas the one I made for the beef empanadas is much heavier, with butter, cream cheese, and heavy cream. I am not sure the high fat content is necessary, although it did make for a very flaky crust. This is less flaky, but also less guilty! <br />
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The only change I would make next time is just to roll out half the dough and cut out circles, rather than separting the dough into balls ahead of time, as the recipe suggests. Separating first might be easier if you are making large empanadas, although I found it difficult to roll the dough out and end up with a shape that was circular... mine were all lopsided and funny looking. So I ended up rolling out the dough and cutting out 3 inch circles (4 inch would be even easier to work with!)<br />
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OK here's how you make these delicious party empanadas.<br />
<br />
<b>Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas</b><br />
adapted from Cooking Light, December 2010<br />
<b> </b><br />
(makes 10 large empanadas, or about 26-28 small empanadillas)<br />
<b> </b><br />
<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
<br />
Dough:<br />
<br />
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)<br />
3/4 tsp. kosher salt<br />
1/3 cup canola oil<br />
1/4 cup cold water<br />
1 Tbs. cider vinegar<br />
1 large egg, lightly beaten<br />
<br />
Filling:<br />
<br />
1 poblano chili<br />
1 Tbs. cumin seeds, toasted in a skillet and ground (I was lazy and just used 1 Tbs. ground cumin -- it worked fine)<br />
1 cup mashed, cooked sweet potatoes<br />
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained<br />
1/3 cup chopped green onions<br />
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro<br />
1 tsp. ancho chili powder (I used red chili powder)<br />
1/2 tsp. kosher salt<br />
<br />
For Assembly:<br />
<br />
1 egg white, lightly beaten<br />
<br />
<u>Directions</u>:<br />
<br />
For Dough: combine flour and salt in large bowl and whisk to blend. Combine canola oil, water, vinegar and egg in a medium bowl. Gradually add oil mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Knead lightly until smooth. Shape dough into two balls, flatten into disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least one hour, or overnight.<br />
<br />
For Filling: Roast poblano under a boiler, or over an open flame, turning until blackened all over. Place in a paper bag; close tightly and let stand 15 minutes. Peel chile and cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes. Finely chop. Put in a bowl with other filling ingredients and mash with a fork until combined.<br />
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<br />
Assembly: Place one disk of dough on a floured surface and using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out from the center, turn a quarter turn and roll again, repeating until dough is thin, but not transparent. Cut 3 inch circles (5 inches for large empanadas). Place 1 tsp. filling (2-3 Tbs if making large empanadas) in the center of each circle. Wet the edges of the circle with the lightly beaten egg white and fold dough over filling. Press edges together to seal and use a fork or your fingers to decoratively crimp edges. Cut two or three diagonal slits across the top of each empanada. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degree for about 16 minutes, until lightly browned.<br />
<br />
Preparing ahead: To freeze, place empanadas in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 1 hour. Transfer to a sealable freezer bag and store up to 1 month. To bake, place frozen empanadas directly on the baking sheet and into the preheated oven. Add about 10 minutes to the baking time. <br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-74181800734033838882013-03-24T17:17:00.002-04:002013-03-24T17:17:53.669-04:00Sweet potato and black bean chili... because winter will not end<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well since winter just will NOT GO AWAY, we have been having more chili... and fires... and cuddling up more in our blankets. <br />
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poor betsi. Look at her express another emotion...<br />
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(yawn)<br />
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(yawn) (winter is soooo boring!! can't we do something else?!). They are too cute. <br />
<br />
Anyways, back to chili. This vegetarian (and vegan) chili has sweet potatoes, black beans, chipotle chilies in adobo and is so delicious. I love the sweetness of the sweet potato and honey against the heat of the chipotle chili. It rocks my socks off. (not sure why I just said that...) but uh, yeah, it's pretty tasty. And simple and fast too -- I have made it after work in time for dinner, no problemo.<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
<br />
1 Tbs. grapeseed oil<br />
1 small yellow onion, diced<br />
3 cloves of garlic, minced<br />
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo from a can, plus some of the sauce<br />
2 Tbs chili powder<br />
1 Tsp. cumin<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
3 carrots<br />
1 very large sweet potato, cut into 1 inch chunks<br />
2 cans black beans<br />
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes<br />
stock or water<br />
maple syrup to taste<br />
salt to taste<br />
<br />
<u>Directions</u>:<br />
<br />
Heat grapeseed oil in large heavy pot (dutch oven is perfect) over medium heat. Add onion and saute until transparent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. Add next 4 ingredients (chipotles, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon) and cook, stirring, until fragrant (1 or 2 minutes). Add carrots, sweet potatoes and stir to combine, and then add balck beans, tomatoes, and stock or water to cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add maple syrup and salt to taste.<br />
<br />
Serve with your favorite toppings. We had it with sour cream, jalepeno slices, green onion, and sliced avacado. Yummy! <br />
<br />
Enjoy!! <br />
<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-87445639716990171102013-03-16T15:34:00.000-04:002013-03-16T15:34:08.151-04:00Irish Soda Bread: the story of how I won a competition and what I learnedSo last weekend I participated in my first ever amateur baking competition at the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany and... drumroll... I WON!<br />
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<br />
The competition had three categories (traditional white, traditional
brown, and untraditional/family recipe) and 52 loaves were submitted. I
submitted loaves for all three (which required that I bake 6 loaves of
bread) and I won the 1st place for prize for traditional white soda
bread <br />
<br />
Here I am receiving my prize: <a href="http://www.irishamericanheritagemuseum.org/component/content/article/9-uncategorised/102-soda-bread-competition" target="_blank">Irish Soda Bread competition winners</a> and here is an post about it from the local newspaper blog, <a href="http://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/36685/winners-announced-for-irish-soda-bread-competition/" target="_blank">table hopping</a>. (my claim to to fame!) <br />
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Here are the award winning loaves before they were packed up to go to the museum: <br />
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In preparing for this competition, I did a ton of research and read a ton of recipes and baked a LOT of Irish Soda Bread (15 loaves total!). What follows is a description of what I learned, as well as some of the recipes and techniques I recommend trying.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>What is Traditional Irish Soda Bread?</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
Although when most people think of Irish soda bread they think of the cakey bread that is studded with raisins and caraway seeds and is sold throughout America on St. Patrick's Day, real traditional Irish soda bread only contains these four ingredients: flour, baking soda (or bread soda), salt, and buttermilk (or sour milk). <br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.sodabread.info/" target="_blank">Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread</a> has a lot of helpful and interesting information about traditional soda bread and its history. It strongly admonishes anything with extra ingredients (raisins, sugar, eggs, butter) as <b><u>NOT</u></b> traditional soda bread. If it has raisins, it is what is known as "spotted dog" or "railway cake." <br />
<br />
The surprise for me is that, as good as the more cake-like soda bread recipes are, I really LIKE traditional soda bread. It is dense and has a pure soda taste that is wonderful toasted with butter and/or jam and is a perfect compliment to a hearty soup, stew, or chili. I think I will be making traditional Irish soda bread many more times in the future than the untraditional cake-like version.<br />
<br />
<b>Tips on Baking Traditional Irish Soda Bread</b><br />
<b> </b><br />
Although traditional Irish soda bread only contains the four basic ingredients listed above, and the competition rules were strict that no other ingredients can be added, there is still a lot of skill to making a good traditional soda bread. The quality of the bread will depend on the quality of the ingredients and how similar they are to Irish ingredients, the measurements, and how the bread is cooked.<br />
<br />
<u>A note on flour</u>: For my award-winning soda bread, I used half unbleached all-purpose flour and half white pastry flour. Pastry flour (or cake flour) is softer and is more similar to flour used in Ireland. You can find pastry flour at whole foods stores or co-ops that have bulk items. Odlums is a distributor of Irish flour and if you have access to that, that is probably even better. Although my traditional wheat bread did not win, I think using part (or entirely) whole wheat pastry flour will result in a more traditional brown bread. <br />
<br />
<u>Measurements</u>: Recipes vary in their proportions of flour, salt,
baking soda, and buttermilk. I used the measurements given on the
website above by the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread (see recipes below). <br />
<br />
<u>Handling</u>: It is important not to over handle or knead the dough. The dry ingredients should be lightly mixed together, and then add the buttermilk slowly, mixing with your fingers or a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just a couple times until the dough is cohesive. Over-kneading the dough allows the gas to escape and will result in a tough bread.<br />
<br />
<u>Heat and cooking method</u>: In my experience, a hotter oven is better for traditional soda bread and, as suggested by the Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread, baking the bread in a cake pan covered with another cake pan for the first part of cooking, and then removing the top to finish the baking process, works wonderfully. I think this results in a moister bread. It also more closely mimicks the "Bastible" pot that was traditionally used back in the day in Ireland. I also tried using a dutch oven for the bread and this worked well too, except for some reason (i'm not sure why - something about the heat distribution) the cake pan method seemed to work a little better.<br />
<br />
<u>Preparing ahead</u>: Soda bread, I'm afraid, is not one of those
things you can prepare ahead. Most soda bread dries out extremely fast
and is not that great the next day. Traditional soda bread seems to
keep a little longer than the untraditional recipes, still tasting
wonderful toasted for a couple days after baking. <br />
<br />
<b>Recipes:</b><br />
<br />
<i><b>Traditional White Irish Soda Bread</b></i>:<br />
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4 cups white flour (2 cups all-purpose + 2 cups white pastry flour, if you have access to it)<br />
1 tsp. baking soda<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
14 oz buttermilk or sour milk<br />
<br />
<u>Instructions</u>: Preheat the oven to 425
F. Lightly grease a 9 inch cake pan. In a large bowl, combine the dry
ingredients. Add buttermilk and mix with fingers or wooden spoon until
a sticky dough forms. Turn onto a floured surface and knead once or
twice, just until cohesive. Pat into a flat round and cut a 1/2 inch
deep cross on the top with a sharp floured knife, going over the edges
of the dough, to "let the fairies out." Cover the pan with another pan
and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. The
dough will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom if it is done. Cover
with a tea towel (you can sprinkle some water on the towel to keep
bread moist). Eat immediately! <br />
<br />
<b><i>Traditional Brown Irish Soda Bread</i>:</b><br />
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<br />
4 cups whole wheat flour (half whole wheat pastry flour, if you have access to it)<br />
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
14 oz buttermilk or sour milk<br />
<br />
<u>Instructions</u>: Follow instructions for traditional white Irish soda bread (immediately above).<br />
<br />
<b>Untraditional Irish Soda Bread Recipes</b><br />
<br />
Over the last several weeks, I also attempted several different recipes for untraditional Irish soda breads. These recipes are as varied as you can imagine -- most have raisins or currants, some have caraway seeds, most have sugar (or honey), many have butter (as little as 2 Tbs and as much as 1 stick), some have an egg, some have 2 eggs, many have baking powder (some have cream of tartar), some have yogurt or sour cream, some even have orange or lemon zest or a bit of cardamom. The variations are endless! 39 loaves of untraditional/"family recipe" breads were submitted at the competition last week and no two loaves looked alike.<br />
<br />
So clearly I did not try all the variations. Here are a few I tried and liked:<br />
<br />
<b><i>James Beard's Irish Soda Bread</i></b><br />
(adapted by me as follows...)<br />
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James Beard's recipe is almost traditional, except for the addition of 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar. <br />
<br />
I made a few changes, namely, adding raisins once (currants another time) and combining some yogurt with the buttermilk to make it thicker (which I read somewhere was more similar to buttermilk found in Ireland). I also used pastry flour rather than regular flour, but regular flour would be fine here if you do not have pastry flour. <br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
<br />
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour<br />
1 cup white pastry flour<br />
1 tsp. soda<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder<br />
1 T. sugar<br />
1 1/4 cup buttermilk mixed with 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt<br />
1 cup raisins (or currants)<br />
<br />
<u>Instructions</u>: Preheat oven to 425 F. Grease a dutch oven or pie pan. Soak raisins in hot water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients. Combine yogurt and buttermilk and add to flour mixture until sticky dough forms. Knead gently on floured surface a few times until dough is cohesive. Pat dough into a 9 inch round, cut a cross on top with a sharp floured knife, and place dough in pan and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Bread is done when dough sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.<br />
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<b><i>My Irish Soda Bread</i></b><br />
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After playing with a number of recipes, I sorta combined what I liked of them to come up with this version, which is what I submitted at the competition. <br />
<b><i> </i></b><br />
4 cups white pastry flour<br />
4 T. sugar<br />
1 tsp. baking soda<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder<br />
4 T. cold unsalted butter, cut up into 1/2 inch pieces<br />
9-12 oz buttermilk + 3-4 oz plain whole milk yogurt<br />
1 cup of currants <br />
<br />
<u>Instructions</u>: Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a baking sheet. Soak currants in hot water for 10 minutes while you prepare other ingredients. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using fingertips, pinch in the butter until a coarse crumbs form. Drain currants and add to flour mixture. Mix to evenly distrubte. Whisk together buttermilk and yogurt and add slowly to dry ingredients, until a sticky dough forms (it should not be too sticky to handle). Turn onto a floured surface and gently form into a flat round, approximately 9 inches in diameter. Cut a cross in the top with a floured sharp kitchen knife. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. <br />
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<i>Other recipes to try: </i><br />
<br />
This recipe from epicurious was good but a little too cake-like for my personal tastes. I made it with part whole wheat flour and part white flour and decreased the sugar to 2/3 of a cup: <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Irish-Soda-Bread-with-Raisins-and-Caraway-107136" target="_blank">Irish Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway</a><br />
<br />
I also intend to try this recipe but haven't yet, as it is the one from Cook's Illustrated and is also featured on smitten kitchen: <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/03/irish-soda-bread-scones/" target="_blank">Irish soda bread scones</a><br />
<br />
Enjoy!!Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-62075071646750508512013-03-10T13:19:00.000-04:002013-03-10T13:19:10.004-04:00Norwegian Cardamom-Almond Tart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As my recipes on this blog suggest, I am a sucker for almond tarts. Like it's kinda scary. I think out of 4 tart recipes on here so far, 3 are almond tarts. I just love almond paste/filling so much I could eat it with a spoon (did I just say that publicly??). Oh well, this is an OK downside to have I think. Anyways, given my love for almond tarts, when I saw this Norwegian Cardamom-Almond Tart recipe in Bon Appetit a few months back, I knew I had to try it. I mean, fresh ground cardamom AND almond?? Ahem, yes please. And it is so pretty with the crust cut outs on top.</div>
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This was my first chance to use these super sweet pie cutters I got for Christmas. Awesome. <br /> </div>
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How pretty?</div>
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This recipe is also super cool in that you don't roll out the crust (which by the way has fresh ground cardamom in it too...amazing). Instead you break the chilled dough into pieces in the tart pan and press it with your fingers to create a crust. Then you use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to smooth the bottom and trim the edges. This is genius, I think. I like it love it dig it. Check it out.</div>
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The filling has slivered almonds, powdered sugar, freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg, egg whites, vanilla, and egg yolk. Super easy! I took the recipe author's suggestion and freshly ground the cardamom. To do this, you toast the whole pods for a few minutes in a dry skillet. Then put them on a cutting board and crush them under the blade of a large knife. Remove the shells and then take the small black hard seeds from inside and grind them in a spice grinder (I use a coffee grinder for this). I think freshly grinding the seeds was worth it. The cardamom flavor was incredible and permeated the entire tart. <br />
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Here's the recipe y'all!<br />
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<b>Yarnell Family's Fyrstekake </b><b>(Norwegian Cardamom-Almond Tart) </b><br />
<b> </b>(pronounced FISH-dehk-kakah)<b><br /></b><br />
Bon Appetit December 2012<br />
<b> </b><br />
<u>Crust</u>:<br />
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 tsp. baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground<br />
1/4 tsp. kosher salt<br />
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />
1/2 cup sugar<br />
1 large egg yolk<br />
2 tsp. whole milk or heavy cream<br />
<br />
<u>Filling and Assembly</u><br />
unsalted butter (for greasing pan)<br />
2 cups slivered almonds<br />
1 cup powdered sugar<br />
3/4 tsp. ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground<br />
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg<br />
3 large egg whites<br />
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract<br />
1 large egg yolk<br />
<br />
<u>Special Equipment</u>: A 9" diameter fluted tart pan with removable bottom, decorative cookie cutters.<br />
<br />
<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
<br />
<i>For Crust:</i><br />
<br />
Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter and sugar in medium bowl until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in egg yolk and milk and then gradually add flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Pat dough into a ball; break off one-quarter of dough. Form each piece into a ball and then flatten balls into disks. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.<br />
<br />
Butter tart pan. Break larger dough disc into small pieces and scatter over bottom of pan. Using fingertips, press dough onto bottom and up sides of pan. Use flat bottom of a measuring cup to smooth the surface and trim the edges. Roll out smaller dough disk to about 1/8" thick. Using decorative cookie cutters, cut out shapes and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover and chill crust and cutouts for 1 hour.<br />
<br />
<i>Filling and Assembly</i>:<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse almonds, powdered sugar, cardamom, an nutmeg in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Transfer dry ingredients to a large bowl. Using an electirc mixer, beat eg whites and vanilla in a medium bowl util medium peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into dry ingredients. <br />
<br />
Whisk egg yolk and 2 tsp. water in a small bowl to blend. Fill chilled crust with almond miture; smooth top. Arrange cutouts on top and brush cutouts with egg wash.<br />
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Bake tart until crust and cutouts are golden brown and filling is set, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. <br />
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Tart can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.<b> </b></div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-83755461068477487992013-03-05T21:00:00.000-05:002013-03-05T21:05:06.304-05:00Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes from Scratch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had pancakes for dinner last Friday night. I had buttermilk on hand and so I made them from scratch. Added some blueberries and BLAM: dinner. Um, this made more than the recipe said... dangerous stuff I tell you... we just kept taking more and more until this platter was almost empty and then lay on the couch, feeling full and syrupy and a little sick. But yum.<br />
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LOVE. breakfast. for. dinner.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-br7diQwnTJg/UTahP0r5v6I/AAAAAAAAEF4/VWCdjfD87QI/s1600/DSC06145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-br7diQwnTJg/UTahP0r5v6I/AAAAAAAAEF4/VWCdjfD87QI/s640/DSC06145.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's the recipe (from Martha Stewart):<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
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<li class="ingredient first">
2 cups all-purpose flour</li>
<li class="ingredient">
2 teaspoons baking powder</li>
<li class="ingredient">
1 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li class="ingredient">
1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li class="ingredient">
3 tablespoons sugar</li>
<li class="ingredient">
2 large eggs, lightly beaten</li>
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3 cups buttermilk</li>
<li class="ingredient last">
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle</li>
<li class="ingredient last">Fresh blueberries (optional) </li>
</ul>
<u>Directions:</u> </div>
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<ol class="content-multigroup-group-steps">
<li class="step first">Heat griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking
powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs,
buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should
have small to medium lumps.
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Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few
drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is
hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter
or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.<br />
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Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in
pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top
and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook
until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.<br />
</li>
<li class="step last">
Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm with real maple syrup.<br />
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Enjoy! </li>
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Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-37202536030956003952013-03-05T20:46:00.000-05:002013-03-05T20:46:14.271-05:00Indian-Spiced Chicken with Chickpeas and Spinach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IY6h1tLyl_E/USpIXYWvlAI/AAAAAAAAEEA/9md6IHjKxpc/s1600/DSC06127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IY6h1tLyl_E/USpIXYWvlAI/AAAAAAAAEEA/9md6IHjKxpc/s640/DSC06127.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Dishes like this make<span style="font-size: small;"> me like chicken again. N<span style="font-size: small;">ot that I am a chicken hat<span style="font-size: small;">er<span style="font-size: small;"> or an<span style="font-size: small;">ything</span>. I used to like roast chicken a<span style="font-size: small;">nd to prefer dark meat </span>but in recent years I <span style="font-size: small;">tend to find dark meat</span> too fatty or too boring or messy or just don't want to deal with <span style="font-size: small;">it</span>. I <span style="font-size: small;">often grill or <span style="font-size: small;">roast chicken breasts and I </span>use ch<span style="font-size: small;">icken sometimes IN things<span style="font-size: small;">. But</span><span style="font-size: small;"> this dish made me <span style="font-size: small;">remember something I had not had in a long time --</span> <span style="font-size: small;">super ridiculously tender</span> fall<span style="font-size: small;">-<span style="font-size: small;">off-the bone dark meat <span style="font-size: small;">that you only get from braising and long cooking. The spice combin<span style="font-size: small;">ation just makes this dish awesome. And I love spinach <span style="font-size: small;">and chickpeas in pretty much everything. <span style="font-size: small;">Here's the recipe.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Indian-Spiced Chicken with Ch<span style="font-size: small;">ickpeas and Spinach</span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">(from </span>Bon Appetit January 2013</span><b>)</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Serv<span style="font-size: small;">es 6 </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Ingredients</u>: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 Tbs. vegetable oil</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">6 bone-in chicken legs (th<span style="font-size: small;">igh and drumstick), skin removed (I used 5<span style="font-size: small;"> and</span> I accidentally left on the<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>skin.<span style="font-size: small;"> Next time I would remove it<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">, as it just got soggy<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>and<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>we pulled it off anyway. but it did not detract from my love of the dish)</span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 Tbsp. unsalted butter</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 large onions, thinly sliced</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">4 garlic cloves, chopped</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1<span style="font-size: small;"> 1<span style="font-size: small;">Tbsp. gr<span style="font-size: small;">ated peeled gi<span style="font-size: small;">nger</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tsp. <span style="font-size: small;">ground cor<span style="font-size: small;">iander</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tsp. ground cumin</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tsp. ground tumeric</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 15<span style="font-size: small;">-oz. can chicpeas, rinsed</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 cups (or more) low-sodi<span style="font-size: small;">um chicken broth</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">5 oz. baby spinach (about 8 cups lightly packed)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 cup <span style="font-size: small;">G</span>reek yogurt</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves <span style="font-size: small;">to garnish</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Basmati rice or flatbread for serving.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Instructions</u>:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Place a rack <span style="font-size: small;">in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Heat oil in large h<span style="font-size: small;">eavy pot over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and working in batches, cook chicken, reducing heat as<span style="font-size: small;">needed to prevent over-browning, <span style="font-size: small;">until gorlden brown on all sides (8-10 minutes). Transfer to a plate.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add butter and oinions to <span style="font-size: small;">drippings in <span style="font-size: small;">pot, season with salt. Cook, string often until onions are soft and golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Stir in garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, tumeric, and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.<br />
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Stir in chickpeas and 2 cups broth, then return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Add more broth if needed to cover chicken about three-fourths of the way up. Bring to a simmer. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise chicken until fork-tender (45-60 minutes). <br />
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(NOTE: The chicken can be prepared up to this point 3 days ahead. Let cool slightly, then chill, uncovered, until cold. Cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing.)<br />
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Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Add spinach to pot, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand until spinach is wilted, 5-7 minutes.<br />
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Stir yogurt into cooking liquid. Season with salt. Return chicken to pot. Warm over low heat (do not boil or yogurt may curdle).<br />
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Transfer chicken to a large deep latter. Pour spnach and chickpea sacue over. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with Basmati rice or warm flatbread. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-19618265916508362482013-02-24T11:51:00.004-05:002013-02-24T12:01:18.434-05:00 Love is in the air... spinach, gruyère and ham quiche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">We <span style="font-size: small;">celebrated our postponed <span style="font-size: small;">Valentine's <span style="font-size: small;">Day yesterday by<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">... well, basically eat<span style="font-size: small;">ing a lot and sitting around</span></span>. It was wonderful. A<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">fter <span style="font-size: small;">s<span style="font-size: small;">tarting the day with some <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2013/02/homemade-granola.html">Homemade Granola</a></span></span></span>, we enjoyed </span> this wonderful quiche<span style="font-size: small;"> for <span style="font-size: small;">lunch</span></span>. It was m<span style="font-size: small;">y first quiche ever and I am very proud of <span style="font-size: small;">the results<span style="font-size: small;">! I<span style="font-size: small;"> guess it is hard to go wrong with homemade <span style="font-size: small;">pie crust, eggs<span style="font-size: small;"> and cream in<span style="font-size: small;">volved. For dinner, we had a braised chicken and chi<span style="font-size: small;">ckpea stew that was also awesome<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">We en<span style="font-size: small;">joyed it with <span style="font-size: small;">a mimosa and <span style="font-size: small;">a <span style="font-size: small;">simple <span style="font-size: small;">arugala, pear and dried cranberry salad.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was creamy and dreamy<span style="font-size: small;"> and a very lovely way to spend our "Valentine's Day<span style="font-size: small;">."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">By the way<span style="font-size: small;">, check out the <span style="font-size: small;">absolutely beautiful earring holder <span style="font-size: small;">Brandon ma<span style="font-size: small;">de me this <span style="font-size: small;">year<span style="font-size: small;"> -- it is <span style="font-size: small;">a piece of mesh screen that he stre<span style="font-size: small;">tched onto an</span> old wind<span style="font-size: small;">ow frame<span style="font-size: small;">. </span> <span style="font-size: small;">I absolutely<span style="font-size: small;"> love<span style="font-size: small;"> it.<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">It is awesome.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>He <span style="font-size: small;">is a wonderful husband<span style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The animals were also in a loving mood yesterday<span style="font-size: small;">...<span style="font-size: small;"> they hung out with us by the fire after lunch...</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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What a pair...<br />
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Sasha gets a Lupa kiss!<br />
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Betsi also was her cute self and enjoyed the fire.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, back to the qui<span style="font-size: small;">che. This recipe was sooo good. We are e<span style="font-size: small;">ating it again fo<span style="font-size: small;">r lunch today<span style="font-size: small;">. <span style="font-size: small;">It <span style="font-size: small;">seems like a very adaptable recipe that you could <span style="font-size: small;">put any</span> number of <span style="font-size: small;">fillings in <span style="font-size: small;">with</span> wonderful resu<span style="font-size: small;">lts. The<span style="font-size: small;"> crust and custard are eas<span style="font-size: small;">y enough. Here's how you make it. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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For the crust, I halved a simple butter crust recipe. I incorporated the butter by hand, rather than in a food processor, to get a flaky dough.<br />
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<b>Pate Brisee</b><br />
(for 1 9 inch tart)<br />
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6 oz all purpose flour<br />
small pinch salt <br />
1 stick very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
1-3 oz. ice water <br />
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Whisk flour and salt. Add cold butter. Using fingers or two butter knives, cut butter into dough so dough resembles coarse meal and chunks of butter are no larger than pea-size.<br />
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Add ice water slowly and mix until moist crumbs form. <br />
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Turn dough onto surface and form into a disc, about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.<br />
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Refrigerate at least 1 hour.<br />
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To pre-bake tart crust, set oven to 400 degrees F. Place chilled dough on floured work surface (use a marble surface if possible) and roll out into a 1/8 inch thick round, 2 inches larger than pan.<br />
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Very gently, fold dough into quarters, place in tart pan, and gently unfold (or partly roll onto rolling pin and unroll into pan).<br />
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Lifting edges, ease dough into pan, flattening along bottom of pan, and pressing dough up sides.<br />
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Use rolling pin and roll over top of pan to cut off excess dough. Press around sides so they stand about 1/8 of an inch above metal pan.<br />
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Use dull edge of knife to decorate edges of dough. Poke bottom of crust all over with a fork.<br />
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Line shell with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.<br />
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Bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans and bake for 3-4 minutes more. Reduce oven temperature to 350 and chill crust on rack while you prepare quiche filling.<br />
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<b>Quiche Filling Ingredients</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1 Tbs. butter <br />
1 small shallot, diced + 1 leek (white part only), thinly sliced.<br />
Most of 1/2 lb. bag of baby spinach<br />
1 cup (4 oz) grated Gruyère cheese<br />
1/2 cup or so of ham, thinly sliced (optional)<br />
4 eggs<br />
approximately 1 cup half-and-half<br />
pinch nutmeg<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and leeks and saute until tender, about 4-5 minutes.<br />
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Add spinach and cook until wilted.<br />
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Transfer spinach to a colander and press excess liquid from spinach. Put bre-baked pie crust on a baking sheet. Arrange spinach mixture in even layer in bre-baked pie crust.<br />
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Top with grated Gruyère and sliced ham.<br />
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In 2 cup measuring cup, lightly beat 4 large eggs. Add half and half so
mixture measures about 1 1/2 cups. Add pinch nutmeg and salt and
pepper. Stir to combine. Pour custard mixture over filling, being
careful not to overfill.<br />
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Bake quiche on baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes, until filling is completely set in center and top is golden. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving. <br />
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Slice and enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh and <span style="font-size: small;">I must share j</span>ust a couple more</span> s<span style="font-size: small;">leepy Lupa picture<span style="font-size: small;">s <span style="font-size: small;">before I go...<span style="font-size: small;"> she is the cutest thing alive...</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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-- Anya<br />
<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-62758855065808028642013-02-24T10:11:00.001-05:002013-02-24T10:11:46.982-05:00Homemade Granola<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been in the habit of making my own granola lately -- I like it because you can customize it, it is really affordable compared to buying your own, and perhaps best of all, you can't read the calories on it!... it is actually calorie-free I think... :-) also it's fun to make. This is a good recipe from Bon Appetit a couple months back... I made a few changes (see notes)<br />
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3 cups rolled oats<br />
1.5 cups assorted chopped nuts (Anya: I used 1 cup)<br />
1.5 cups shaved coconut (Anya: I used 1 cup... you could also use grated coconut but the slivers are nice -- you can get them in the bulk section at some supermarkets)<br />
1 tsp. cinnamon<br />
1 tsp. salt<br />
1 large egg white, lightly beaten<br />
1/4 cup canola oil or coconut oil (I used coconut oil)<br />
1/4 cup agave syrup, maple syrup or honey (I used honey)<br />
2 Tbs brown sugar<br />
(Anya: I added 1 tsp vanilla extract)<br />
Assorted dried fruit such as raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, or cherries. <br />
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Combine oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Add beaten egg white and stir well. In small pan, put oil, honey (or other sweetener), brown sugar, and stir over low heat until combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, if using. Pour over dry ingredients, mix well with wooden spoon. Spread granola evenly on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 325, stirring every 10 minutes, for 35-45 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat and place tray on a cooling rack. The granola will crunch up and form clumps as it cools. Spinkle with dried berries. Serve with milk or over greek yogurt. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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-- AnyaAnyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-71172618701850364892013-02-23T12:48:00.000-05:002013-02-23T13:06:16.968-05:00Rigatoni All'amatriciana ("Rosie's Favorite Noodles")<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was my sister's favorite pasta when we were growing up and is known in my house as "Rosie's Favorite Noodles." We ate this dish at least once a week, and my mom would often rewarm leftovers for us for breakfast, in a cast-iron pan with a bit of oil until the noodles were extra soft and would get a slight brown crispness from the pan. I still rewarm noodles this way and it is an incredible way to reheat most pastas -- turning them into something different and guiltier but extremely satisfying -- sorta like good Chinese food. Yum. Amatriciana is a classic Italian sauce and when my husband and I went to Italy for our honeymoon, it appeared on most menus. It is often served with Bucatini but I prefer it the way I had it growing up, with Rigatoni. The fat noodles are the perfect vehicle for the tomatoes, pancetta and onions. I can make this one in my sleep. Here's what you need:<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
<br />
2 Tbs. butter<br />
3 Tbs. olive oil (or 1 Tbs. grapeseed oil and 2 Tbs. olive oil, reserved)<br />
1 large yellow onion, chopped<br />
1/4 inch thick slice of Pancetta, diced (omit to make a vegetarian version)<br />
1 28-oz. can of Italian whole peeled tomatoes, cut up with their juices<br />
1 generous pinch (or more) red hot pepper flakes<br />
1 lb. Rigatoni pasta<br />
<br />
Parmesan, for serving.<br />
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<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
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1. Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until golden.<br />
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Note: At my father's advice, I have lately been using 1 Tbs. Grapeseed oil -- which has a high smoke point and does not turn to trans fats when cooked -- rather than the olive oil for cooking the onions. I then add olive oil later in the process of cooking the sauce.<br />
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2. Add Pancetta and cook for 1-2 minutes. </div>
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3. Add chopped tomatoes (Tip: I use kitchen scissors to cut them up in a bowl) with their juices).<br />
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And red hot pepper flakes (I add about 1 Tsp. but you can add less or more to your liking)<br />
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And simmer over very low heat for at least 25 minutes. I often leave the sauce 40 minutes or so. The tomatoes will break up and the fat will separate from the juices.<br />
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4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Reserve some pasta water before draining the pasta. Toss pasta, sauce, and a few tablespoons pasta water.<br />
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5. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-14116531408278502072013-02-18T17:21:00.000-05:002013-02-18T17:21:57.031-05:00Quinoa Porridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yummm! I have a new love. This porridge. I went to Philadelphia this weekend to visit my sister and we went out to brunch on Sunday morning before I left. After days of heavy eating, I felt like something light and ordered the quinoa porridge, figuring it would be warm and satisfying and oatmeal-esque. It was, and it was delicious. I came home and browsed recipes last night (don't all people look at quinoa porridge recipes at night??) and made it for breakfast this morning. It is my new favorite thing. It is easy -- done in 20 minutes -- and I made extra which can easily be rewarmed for breakfast before work this week. <br />
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Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is grain-like but is actually a seed and has a wonderful texture and, unlike oatmeal, it keeps you from getting hungry because it is high in protein. It is also high in amino acids, magnesium and iron and is a source of calcium. How cool is quinoa?! Basically, it is really good stuff. <br />
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You can vary this recipe easily. The liquid to solid ratio for quinoa is 2:1 and you can use milk, water, or a combination. Or to make vegan/lactose free, use a milk substitute such as soy milk, almond milk, etc. I used 1/2 water and 1/2 milk, topping off the milk with a bit of heavy cream. You can use any combination of dried fruits, spices, nuts, or fresh fruits. Like oatmeal, the fun is in the toppings!<br />
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<b>Quinoa Porridge</b><br />
(4 large servings)<br />
<br />
4 cups liquid (milk, water, or 1/2 and 1/2)<br />
2 cups quinoa <br />
2 Tbs. maple syrup<br />
1 Tbs. brown sugar<br />
1/2 tsp. cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp. nutmeg<br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
1/3 cup dried fruit (such as raisins, golden raisins, apricots, currants, dates)<br />
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Optional Toppings: <br />
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toasted sliced almonds (or pecans) <br />
fresh fruit (such as blueberries, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries)<br />
warm jam or berry compote<br />
seeds (try pumpkin or sunflower seeds)<br />
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Directions:<br />
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In a saucepan, warm milk and/or water over medium heat until simmering. Add quinoa and bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and let simmer another 5 to 10 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed or texture is to your liking. Serve with toppings of your choice. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-90295100132440022722013-02-18T15:38:00.000-05:002013-02-18T15:38:05.762-05:00Lebonese Chicken and Chickpea Stew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am not a huge fan of winter. I tolerate winter. I don't ski or snowboard or go sledding and the days of snow men and snowball fights and whatever allure they once had are long gone. I mostly just, um, stay inside. But there are a few things I love about winter. One of them is the foods you get to enjoy and feel entitled to eat. Some of my favorite foods are clearly winter foods -- stews, soups, rich pasta sauces -- foods I would never want to eat if I lived somewhere where it was always warm. And that would be sad. <br />
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This Lebonese-inspired chickpea stew with chicken thighs is one of these foods. It is hearty and warm and wonderful. It is from Bon Appetit, February 2012. I changed the original recipe by adding more chicken -- 4 thighs instead of 2 -- and by subbing chicken stock for the water. The cubes of country style bread I toasted after tossing in a little olive oil, salt and pepper to make them crusty before adding them at the end. Here is the recipe.<br />
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<b>Chickpea Stew</b><br />
adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2012<b> </b><br />
serves 4<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
4 T olive oil, divided<br />
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs<br />
kosher salt<br />
3 large garlic cloves, minced<br />
2 Tbs. ground cumin<br />
2 Tbs. tomato paste<br />
3/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained<br />
1/2 cup chopped drained roasted red peppers from a jar<br />
2 Tbs. (or more) fresh lemon juice<br />
2 cups 1" cubes country-style bread<br />
3 Tbs. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley<br />
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<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
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Heat 2 Tbs. oil in medium heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt; add to pot and cook, turning once, until browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. <br />
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2. Reduce heat to low and let oil cool for 1 minute; add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add cumin, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes; stir until a smooth paste forms, about 1 minute. <br />
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3. Add reserved chicken, along with any accumulated juices, bay leaves and cups water (or chicken stock). Scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, occasionally stirring, until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes.<br />
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4. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add chickpeas to pot; bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken. Add shredded chicken to stew. Add red peppers. Stir in remaining 2 Tbs. oil and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice; simmer for 1 minute.</div>
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5. Season with salt and more lemon juice, if desired. <br />
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6. Divide stew among bowls, garnish with parsley. Top with toasted bread cubes (or put bread cubes in bowl and top with stew). <br />
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Enjoy!Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-10311788018004390272013-02-09T13:12:00.002-05:002013-02-09T13:12:39.770-05:00Buttermilk Scones with Currants <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These scones remind me of when I was a little girl and we would visit my grandparents in San Francisco. They lived in a beautiful house in Cole Valley and we would get these wonderful scones from the bakery just down the street and eat them back at the house in their kitchen, or on my grandparents bed if it was a breakfast in bed morning, with jam and butter. They were amazing. </div>
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Here I am one of those mornings enjoying one...</div>
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Or maybe that is a croissant but, hey, those are awesome too (and something I plan to tackle soon!)</div>
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This recipe for buttermilk scones with currants is from the Tartine cookbook:</div>
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Tartine is a fabulous bakery in San Francisco, on the corner of 18th Street and Valencia, near Valencia park. They have one of the best almond croissants I have ever tasted and the recipe is in this cookbook... It is on my agenda to make it before the Spring... I will need to invite a lot of willing participants for a brunch!</div>
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These scones are handsdown amazing. Sooo buttery and flaky. We enjoyed some fresh out of the oven, with some jam this morning. </div>
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It was over too quickly and there are 10 of them left in our kitchen, calling out to be eaten! Anyone want to come over and help us out?</div>
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here's how to make these buttery babies.</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u>:</div>
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3/4 cup Zante currants (also called "black currants" or "dried currants")</div>
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4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour</div>
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1 T. baking powder</div>
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3/4 tsp. baking soda</div>
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1/2 cup granulated sugar</div>
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1 1/4 tsp salt</div>
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1 cup + 1 T butter</div>
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1 1/2 cups buttermilk </div>
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1 tsp. lemon zest</div>
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<u>Instructions</u>:</div>
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a baking sheet. </div>
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Combine currants with warm water to cover in a small bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes until they are plumped. Drain well.</div>
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While currants are plumping, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.</div>
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Add sugar and salt and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes and scatter over dry ingredients. If using a mixer, fit with a paddle attachment and pulse on and off so you don't break down butter too much. I started this way (as you can see below) but decided immediately to cut in the butter by had instead. I do not have a pastry blender (if you do, use that) so I used two table knives to cut the butter in.<br />
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Like so (but using two hands of course.. one of mine is holding a camera..)</div>
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Cut up (or pulse mixer) until you have a coarse mixture and butter is in pea-sized lumps.<br />
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Note on buttermilk: I made buttermilk because I didn't have any on hand. To do this, just measure out your milk, here 1 1/2 cups, and then add 1 T lemon juice per cup of milk (so 1 1/2 T for 1 1/2 cups of milk. Let sit 5 minutes before using.<br />
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Add the buttermilk, currants and zest all at once and combine with a wooden spoon (or mix on low speed with mixer), just until you have a dough that holds together. If mixture is dry, add a bit more buttermilk. Don't overmix the dough! The butter should still be in pieces.<br />
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Dust work surface with flour and turn dough out. Using your hands, pat the dough into a rectangle about 18 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 1 1/2 inches thick. <br />
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Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.<br />
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Using a chef's knife, cut the dough into 12 triangles.<br />
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Transfer triangles to the prepared baking sheet. </div>
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Bake the scones until the tops are lightly browned, 25 to 35 minutes. </div>
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Remove from the oven and serve warm. </div>
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Mmmm so buttery and flaky...</div>
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Enjoy!!</div>
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-- Anya</div>
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Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-43754177803447261002013-02-09T12:13:00.002-05:002013-02-09T12:17:12.653-05:00Lentil Soup with Spinach and Sausage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi! Well we are snowed in here! The wind is blowing the snow about in huge sheets but the sun is out and the world is a beautiful, if uninviting, white. We have a fire going and the animals are all happily sleeping... <br />
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Aww! They look miserable, huh?<br />
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Anyways, it is a good day to share this wonderful lentil soup I made last week.<br />
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So, I have never thought of myself liking lentils. I'm not sure why exactly, they are kinda ugly and seem sorta boring. Boy, I was wrong. This soup is absolutely wonderful and satisfying and hearty. The base recipe comes from allrecipes.com and it is a wonderful starting point. It can be vegetarian, but I added some kielbasa...<br />
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which was smoky and wonderful. I also added potatoes and extra carrots, garlic, spices... <br />
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and extra crushed tomatoes... <br />
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and stock instead of water...<br />
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And finished with spinach and some balsamic vinegar which added a wonderful deep flavor.<br />
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Serve this soup with crusty bread for a filling and satisfying winter meal.<br />
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<b>Lentil Soup with Spinach and Sausage</b><br />
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<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
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2 Tbs. grapeseed (or olive) oil<br />
1/2 lb. kielbasa, sliced (or other sausage)<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
4 carrots, sliced<br />
2 celery stalks, chopped<br />
4 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 to 2 cups potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes<br />
2 tsp. dried oregano<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
2 tsp. dried basil<br />
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes<br />
8 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or combination of stock and water)<br />
4 cups spinach, chopped<br />
2 Tbs of balsamic vinegar (to taste)<br />
salt and ground black pepper to taste<br />
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<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
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1. In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, heat grapeseed oil over medium heat. Brown sausage and remove to a paper towel-lined plate.<br />
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2. Add onions, carrots and celery to pot and cook until onion is tender, about 10 minutes.<br />
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3. Stir in garlic, bay leaves, oregano, basil and cook for two minutes.<br />
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4. Add potatoes, cook for 2 minutes.<br />
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5. Stir in lentils, tomatoes, stock and/or water, and reserved sausage. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Just before serving, stir in spinach, cook until it wilts, and then add vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and more vinegar if desired.<br />
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Serve and enjoy!<br />
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-- Anya<br />
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Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-13608388662087376372013-01-27T15:35:00.000-05:002013-01-27T15:35:06.707-05:00Shells with Green, Red and Yellow Peppers and Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi! It has been a long time and I miss blogging! Life has just been so busy with friends visiting and trips and football. I have (of course) not stopped cooking though and I have saved up some good recipes to share. Here is the first -- Shell pasta with red, green and yellow bell peppers in a cream sauce. It is so delicious and wonderful in winter. I grew up eating this and I always forget how good it is until I make it. This is from Marcella Hazan.</div>
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<b>Conchiglie con Peperoni Verdi, Rossi e Gialli alla Panna</b></div>
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(Shells with Green, Red and Yellow Peppers and Cream)</div>
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<b> </b>Serves 4 to 6</div>
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<u>Ingredients:</u></div>
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3 T butter</div>
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1 T vegetable oil</div>
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1 cup onion chopped not too fine</div>
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1 cup each of green, red and yellow bell peppers, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (if you can't get yellow bell peppers, increase red bell pepper by the same amount)</div>
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Salt</div>
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Ground black pepper</div>
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2/3 cup heavy cream</div>
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1 pound conchiglie (medium pasta shells)</div>
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2 T chopped parsley</div>
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1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan</div>
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<u>Instructions:</u></div>
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1. In a 10 to 12 inch saute pan, put butter, oil and chopped onion and turn on the heat to medium. Saute the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold.</div>
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2. Add all the diced peppers, turn up the heat to medium hight, and cook until tender, turning them from time to time.<br />
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3. Add salt and generous grindings of pepper, stir well, add the cream, and turn up the heat to high. Cook until the cream is reduced by half.<br />
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4. Drop the pasta into a pot of abundant boiling salted water. Cook until it is barely tender but firm to the bite. Drain and toss immediately in a warm bowl with the peppers and cream and all their pan juices. Sprinkle with parsley and grated cheese, toss again, and serve at once.<br />
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Enjoy!!<br />
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-- Anya <br />
<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3005796174582390051.post-21393211799440986702013-01-06T13:35:00.002-05:002013-01-06T13:38:54.975-05:00Penne with Porcini Mushrooms and Tomatoes (and Happy New Year!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy 2013 everyone! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday. New years always feels like a new beginning -- a chance to do something new, or better, or differently. To refocus on what is important. I look forward to this year -- to training for another race, baking new things (I got several pastry books for Christmas and my fingers are itching to try the recipes!), to time with my family and friends, to spring, to new friendships. So before I post this recipe, a few pics of my baby animals being cuter than ever...<br />
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Aren't they amazing?! I love that they sleep together like that... I can't get over it. Anyways, back to food... <br />
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This is a wonderful pasta dish. It is one of Marcella Hazan's recipes and is one that I grew up eating and remains one of my favorites. It is also incredibly simple to make, although it takes some time. The combination of porcini mushrooms, pancetta and tomatoes is rich without being heavy and is very satisfying on a cold winter night. You can omit the pancetta -- I often do -- to make it vegetarian. It is delicious either way. I served it with these homemade <a href="http://anyaendsley.blogspot.com/2012/06/dinner-rolls.html" target="_blank">Dinner Rolls</a>.<br />
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<u>Ingredients</u>:<br />
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4 T. unsalted butter<br />
1 T. olive oil<br />
2 T. finely chopped shallot or yellow onion<br />
2 T. diced pancetta (optional)<br />
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms<br />
1 1/2 cups (or more) whole peeled Italian tomatoes (from a 28 oz can) with their juices, cut up <br />
salt and black pepper, to taste<br />
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Parmesan, for serving<br />
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1 lb. penne rigati or other tubular pasta<br />
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<u>Instructions</u>:<br />
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1. Put dried porcini mushrooms in 1 cup of warm water to soak for 30 minutes. Drain porcini through a strainer lined with paper towels into a bowl, reserving soaking liquid. Rinse porcini in several changes of cold water.<br />
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2. Combine butter, olive oil and onion in a saute pan and cook over medium heat until pale gold. Add pancetta and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, porcini, the reserved liquid from the mushroom soak and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occassionally.<br />
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3. Drop pasta into 4 to 5 quarts boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Transfer pasta to a warm bowl, add sauce, and toss to combine. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Anyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176192870990887055noreply@blogger.com0