thx to elise. have to try this.
Have extra basil in your garden right now? Here's a quick and easy vinaigrette dressing you can make with it that you can use not only as a salad dressing, but also as a sauce for fish, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, or white beans. Here's an idea, use this dressing with some chopped fresh tomatoes and drained canned garbanzo beans. Presto jammo, instant basil-y bean salad. Enjoy.
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1 shallot, chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/2 cup roughly chopped basil leaves
* 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
* 3/4 cup olive oil
Method
1 Place the salt, sugar, mustard, shallot and basil in a blender or food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Scrape the sides of the blender down with a spatula. Add the vinegar and pulse again.
2 Turn the blender on low and take off the cap in the center of the blender’s lid. Slowly pour in the olive oil. It may sputter a little out of the open cap, so hold you hand over it to minimize splashing.
3 When the olive oil is incorporated, turn off the blender and scrape the sides down one more time. Cover and purée everything for 1-2 minutes.
Store covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Makes a little more than one cup.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Fideos with Shrimp and Clams
I had a ham bone in the freezer. Making the broth now. might make this at the beach...
1. 4 smoked ham hocks
2. 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
3. 12 scallions
4. 1 1/4 pounds fideos or angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch lengths
5. 1 pound large shrimp
6. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
7. 1 pound abalone or oyster mushrooms—stems trimmed, caps sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
10. 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
11. 1 cup Spanish green olives, pitted and chopped
12. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
13. 1 cup dry sherry, such as fino
14. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15. 2 dozen Manila or littleneck clams, scrubbed
16. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Directions
1. In a large pot, cover the ham hocks with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the hocks to a large bowl. Strain the broth into a very large glass measuring cup and skim off the fat; you should have about 6 cups of broth. Crumble the saffron threads into the broth and reserve. When the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and coarsely chop it; discard the hocks.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the scallions over high heat until lightly charred all over, about 2 minutes. Coarsely chop the scallions. Spread the fideos on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until browned.
3. Using scissors, cut down the back shell of each shrimp. Remove the dark intestinal veins, leaving the shells intact.
4. Heat 2 large skillets and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each. Add half of the mushrooms to each skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillets. Add the garlic and shallots to the skillets and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes; stir in the chopped ham, olives and crushed red pepper, then stir in the fideos. Add the sherry to the skillets and cook over moderately high heat until reduced by three-quarters, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ham hock broth and the lemon juice, then add 1 cup of hot water to each skillet. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the shrimp and clams to the skillets and simmer over moderately high heat, turning the seafood a few times, until the fideos have absorbed most of the liquid, the shrimp are cooked and the clams have opened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the grilled scallions and sprinkle with the cilantro. Drizzle the fideos with olive oil and serve right away.
Make Ahead
The recipe can be prepared through Step 3 up to two days in advance. Refrigerate the ham hock broth, chopped ham, scallions and shrimp separately. Store the toasted fideos in an airtight container at room temperature. Warm the ham hock broth before using.
1. 4 smoked ham hocks
2. 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
3. 12 scallions
4. 1 1/4 pounds fideos or angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch lengths
5. 1 pound large shrimp
6. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
7. 1 pound abalone or oyster mushrooms—stems trimmed, caps sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
8. Salt and freshly ground pepper
9. 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
10. 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
11. 1 cup Spanish green olives, pitted and chopped
12. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
13. 1 cup dry sherry, such as fino
14. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
15. 2 dozen Manila or littleneck clams, scrubbed
16. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Directions
1. In a large pot, cover the ham hocks with water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the hocks to a large bowl. Strain the broth into a very large glass measuring cup and skim off the fat; you should have about 6 cups of broth. Crumble the saffron threads into the broth and reserve. When the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, remove the meat and coarsely chop it; discard the hocks.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Grill the scallions over high heat until lightly charred all over, about 2 minutes. Coarsely chop the scallions. Spread the fideos on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake in the upper and lower thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until browned.
3. Using scissors, cut down the back shell of each shrimp. Remove the dark intestinal veins, leaving the shells intact.
4. Heat 2 large skillets and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to each. Add half of the mushrooms to each skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillets. Add the garlic and shallots to the skillets and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes; stir in the chopped ham, olives and crushed red pepper, then stir in the fideos. Add the sherry to the skillets and cook over moderately high heat until reduced by three-quarters, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ham hock broth and the lemon juice, then add 1 cup of hot water to each skillet. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the shrimp and clams to the skillets and simmer over moderately high heat, turning the seafood a few times, until the fideos have absorbed most of the liquid, the shrimp are cooked and the clams have opened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the grilled scallions and sprinkle with the cilantro. Drizzle the fideos with olive oil and serve right away.
Make Ahead
The recipe can be prepared through Step 3 up to two days in advance. Refrigerate the ham hock broth, chopped ham, scallions and shrimp separately. Store the toasted fideos in an airtight container at room temperature. Warm the ham hock broth before using.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Spicy Zucchini Soup
from elise's blog. reminds me of my stepmother's chilled zucchini soup, but it wasn't spicy.
If you are using extra large zucchini, scoop out and discard the seeds first. And if the skin is thick or tough, peel it and discard the peels.
Ingredients
* 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 jalapeno chile (seeds, stems and ribs removed), chopped
* 3 chopped garlic cloves
* 2 pounds chopped zucchini (skin on), about 5-6 cups
* 1 1/2 cups chopped day-old bread
* 3 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
* Salt
* Pepper
Method
1 Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeno chile and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic and zucchini and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle with salt.
2 Add the bread, broth, and water, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
3 Remove from heat. Add the mint and cilantro (if using). Purée in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Or use an immersion blender.
If you are using extra large zucchini, scoop out and discard the seeds first. And if the skin is thick or tough, peel it and discard the peels.
Ingredients
* 4 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 jalapeno chile (seeds, stems and ribs removed), chopped
* 3 chopped garlic cloves
* 2 pounds chopped zucchini (skin on), about 5-6 cups
* 1 1/2 cups chopped day-old bread
* 3 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
* Salt
* Pepper
Method
1 Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and jalapeno chile and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic and zucchini and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle with salt.
2 Add the bread, broth, and water, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
3 Remove from heat. Add the mint and cilantro (if using). Purée in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Or use an immersion blender.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Anadama Bread
i made this after i got married in the 80s from a cookbook i got at a wedding shower. i'll compare the two recipes. i always have cornmeal, molasses and yeast.
From Simply Recipes:
The dough is very sticky and is not kneadable; just spoon it into the loaf pans. It will also take some time to rise properly – sometimes 3-4 hours. Just give it time, it’ll rise.
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 2 cups water
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 3 Tbsp butter (at room temperature)
* 1 Tbsp salt
* 1/2 cup warm water
* 1 package dry yeast
* 4 1/2 cups bread flour
Method
1 Place the cornmeal in a large bowl. Boil the two cups of water and pour the hot water into the cornmeal, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Let sit for 30 minutes.
2 Add the molasses, salt and butter and stir to combine. The cornmeal water should still be warm enough to melt the room temperature butter.
3 Put 1/2 cup of warm water (slightly warmer than body temperature) into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit for a few minutes. Then stir it to gently combine. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
4 Add the yeast and the water to the bowl with the cornmeal and everything else, and mix to combine. Add the bread flour, a cup at a time, stirring after each addition. You will end up with something of a gloopy mess.
5 Butter a couple of 5x9 loaf pans. Spoon the dough mixture into the pans as best you can; it’ll be sticky. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for several hours, until it doubles in size.
6 Heat the oven to 350°F and bake the breads for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer or knife blade comes out clean. Let the loaves cool for a few minutes, then turn them out onto racks to continue cooling.
Makes 2 loaves
From Simply Recipes:
The dough is very sticky and is not kneadable; just spoon it into the loaf pans. It will also take some time to rise properly – sometimes 3-4 hours. Just give it time, it’ll rise.
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 2 cups water
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 3 Tbsp butter (at room temperature)
* 1 Tbsp salt
* 1/2 cup warm water
* 1 package dry yeast
* 4 1/2 cups bread flour
Method
1 Place the cornmeal in a large bowl. Boil the two cups of water and pour the hot water into the cornmeal, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Let sit for 30 minutes.
2 Add the molasses, salt and butter and stir to combine. The cornmeal water should still be warm enough to melt the room temperature butter.
3 Put 1/2 cup of warm water (slightly warmer than body temperature) into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit for a few minutes. Then stir it to gently combine. Let sit for another 5 minutes.
4 Add the yeast and the water to the bowl with the cornmeal and everything else, and mix to combine. Add the bread flour, a cup at a time, stirring after each addition. You will end up with something of a gloopy mess.
5 Butter a couple of 5x9 loaf pans. Spoon the dough mixture into the pans as best you can; it’ll be sticky. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for several hours, until it doubles in size.
6 Heat the oven to 350°F and bake the breads for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer or knife blade comes out clean. Let the loaves cool for a few minutes, then turn them out onto racks to continue cooling.
Makes 2 loaves
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments