Category: recipe

Minted Pea Salad

This is another recipe that I developed for an after funeral light supper.  Uncle Jerry really liked it….

Ingredients

  • 1 10 oz bag frozen peas (petite peas are best for this as they are generally more tender and less starchy)
  • 1 bunch fresh mint, (or about 1/3 cup chopped)
  • 1/2 bunch fresh celantro (or about 1/3 cup chopped)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 cup lite sour cream
  • 1/4 cup lite mayonnaise

Procedure

  • Bring two cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan
  • While the water is heating remove the mint and celantro leaves from stems and roughly chop
  • Add the peas to the boiling water and remove from heat. Allow the peas to sit in the water for about 1 minute.
  • Drain the peas and place in a bowl.
  • Add the mint, celantro, salt and pepper to the peas and gently toss with a spoon or spatula
  • Add the sour cream and maionnaise; gently combine.

Variations

One could add thinly 1 cup of sliced button mushrooms, or 1/2 cup sliced almonds to the salad for interesting variations.

Broccoli Slaw

I prepared a cold supper for the family after the funeral of my father-in-law. Family from the surrounding region had traveled that day for the funeral. We wanted a relaxed time to visit before everyone returned home. I prepared four salads and a platter of sliced ham.  We had crudités and a variety of cheeses ready when everyone arrived.  The salads were prepared the day ahead. Rolls were ready to heat in the oven. And naturally, there was an abundance of cookies and cakes brought in by friends and neighbors. This recipe and the next three are for the salads.

Ingredients

  • 1 10 oz. bag brocolli slaw (This is often found in the fresh produce section and sometimes includes grated carrots) or 10 oz of shredded brocolli stalks.
  • 1/2 head green cabbage grated or sliced thinly
  • 1/4 vidalia onion, minced
  • 1/2 pound bacon cooked crisp and drained
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup maple syrup (to taste)
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Procedure

  • Mix brocolli, cabbage, onion, bacon, and raisins in a large mixing bowl
  • Add 1/4 cup vinegar
  • Add 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • Add 1/3 cup lite sour cream
  • Add 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • Mix all incredients and taste.  Adjust sweetness/acidity to taste by adding more maple syrup or vinegar if desired.
  • If additional creaminess is desired, add remaining mayonnaise and sour cream.

One could easily substitute dried cranberries for the raisins, red onion for vidalia onion, or red cabbage for green cabbage.

Last-minute Corn with Tomatoes

All the guests had arrived for the pot-luck dinner. There was plenty of food, but the menu was a little unbalanced. There was a lovely baby spinach salad with roasted pecans and dried cranberries and a squash and sausage casserole. Another vegetable, preferably not green would be nice. The following creation emerged from a well-stocked pantry.

1-2 T Olive Oil
3 Cups Frozen Corn
¼ Cup Water
3 Scallions roughly chopped
½ can (about six) peeled plum tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped
2-3 T pesto
½ t salt
¼ - ½ t black pepper Red pepper flakes (optional)

[Note: If fresh corn and/or tomatoes are available, by all means use them. The fresh vegetables would add to the quality of the dish, but would obviously increase preparation time.]

  1. Heat skillet. (I used a 12 inch skillet to gain as much surface area as possible.)
  2. Microwave the corn with about ¼ cup water for about 5 minutes.
  3. While corn is cooking, chop the scallions and garlic.
  4. Sauté the scallions and garlic in the olive oil until they soften, about one minute.
  5. If you wish to add a little spiciness to the dish, add red pepper flakes to taste. I would start with ¼ - ½ teaspoon.
  6. Add the corn and stir or toss.
  7. Add the tomatoes. (I just crushed the tomatoes in my hand as I added them to the skillet.
  8. Add pesto. ( I make pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. I added a single cube of pesto. You can adjust the amount to your own taste.)
  9. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook only until heated through.
  10. Add most of the parsley at the last minute, stirring it into the corn and tomato mixture.
  11. Reserve a small amount of parsley to spring on the top, or garnish with a couple nice sprigs of parsley.

Eating Outside…

Saturday morning a colleague arrived having taken a "red-eye" flight from Los Angeles. It would be a warm day, but the morning was cool. I rose early and decided to make baked oatmeal. It would hold easily until Gerardo arrived. We added some fresh fruit and ate on the deck. It was a lovely morning, soon to be very hot (100 degrees), but the conversation was great and I met a new friend....
Baked Oatmeal

2-1/4 cups oats, uncooked
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-1/3 cups skim milk
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended. Pour into greased 8" square baking dish. Bake 55-60 minutes.

Sunday Night Pizza

It began with blue berries......

Nancy loves blue berries on her granola, and they were at last in season. A quart container was just $4.99. But, I had just returned from South Africa and still didn't have any American cash in my pocket. I know Stop and Shop would probably take my credit card for the $4.99, but I always feel a little funny using my card for less than $15. So, I began looking for what we might have for dinner....

I walked by a case with pizza dough. Pizza on Sunday night is a natural. (We proposed to each other in the parking lot of a pizza parlor the night Nixon landed in China.) But pizza dough is so easy to make. I would need cheese, though. The cheese section and the fresh produce section were adjacent. I found some provolone that would go well. Mozzarella was a must. But red peppers would be good. I had onions and mushrooms at home along with Parmesan and fresh herbs.

Crust:

1 Cup white flour
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Water (about 1 cup)

In a food processor (mixer or by hand) Mix dry ingredients together. Add oil and water to make a soft dough. (The amount of water will vary according to the amount of humidity.)

Knead dough in food processor until it forms a ball. Remove from container and knead by hand until it forms a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl to rise until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).

Form dough into a circle and place on pizza an oiled pan.

Pizza:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 /2 pound sliced Provolone Cheese
1 /4 pound grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 pound grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms sliced and sauteed
1 tomato thinly sliced
12 leaves of fresh oregano
8 leaves of fresh basil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Spread the olive oil on the dough
Distribute the provolone cheese, pepper, onion, mushroom, and tomato on the crust. Scatter the herbs and sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on the pizza. Add freshly ground black pepper.

Place in 450 degree oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Scallop pancakes

This is inspired by a recipe I saw on the tube, but far enough back that I can't remember where. It made a really nice Sunday evening supper on Valentines Day weekend...

Serves two

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb scallops (small scallops are fine)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  • about 1/4 cup water
  • 4 scallions sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch slices
  • Oil to grease a griddle or pan

Directions

  1. Purée scallops in a food processor
  2. Add eggs to the pureed scallops and process until blended
  3. Add flour and process until blended
  4. Add salt and pepper and pulse the mixture just to mix
  5. Pour the mixture from the food processor into a bowl.
  6. Add enough water to bring the consistency to a thick batter
  7. Stir the chopped scallions into the mixture with a spatula
  8. Add about 1 Tbs oil to a griddle or pan heated to medium low
  9. Pour about 1/3 cup of the scallop batter onto the griddle to make each pancake
  10. Cook each pancake for approximately 2-3 minutes.
  11. When bubbles begin to appear in the pancake, flip and cook for approximately 2 minutes.
  12. Remove from heat and place in warm oven to retain heat while you cook the remaining pancakes

Serving suggestions

I served two pancakes per serving over a salad of young spinach greens, red bell peppers, sliced avacado dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and lime juice.

Shrimp, chicken and rice medley

Inspired by a paella recipe, this made a really nice weekend evening meal. If I had made it during the week, I might have used a quicker cooking rice. It is intended to be only mildly spicey. For those who like it hot, additional peppers or hot sauce could be added.

Ingredients

1 poblano pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (or more to taste)
2 chicken thighs
1/2 pound turkey chorizo sausage (or other spicy sausauge)
1 cup brown rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 pound shrimp (shelled and de-veined)
1 lime (zest and juice)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

Suggested garnishes:

Cilantro, chopped scallions, wedges of lemon or lime, garlic bread

Directions:

  1. Chop into a medium dice the peppers (red and pablano) and onion.
  2. Mince the four cloves of garlic on a cutting board. Add a pinch of salt for an abrasive. Using the flat side of a knife, make a paste of the garlic and salt. You could also use a garlic press to accomplish the same thing, but then you would have one more thing to wash.
  3. Add the olive oil to a pot and heat over a medium-high flame until the oil shimmers.
  4. Add the onions, peppers and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until the vegetables soften (about 3-4 minutes).
  5. Add the ancho chili powder and black pepper to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
  6. In the pot, move the vegetables to the side of the pan so there is space for the chicken. Place the chicken thighs skin side down. Cook covered for 3-5 minutes until the skin begins to brown.
  7. Remove the casing from the chorizo sausage and cut into bite-sized chunks. Add to the pot.
  8. Add the rice and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil.
  9. Add the rice and allow to cook for 40-45 minutes, maintaining a slow simmer. (You could substitute a white rice that would cook more rapidly if you choose).
  10. Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool slightly.
  11. Use a grater or microplane to remove the zest of the lime. Add the zest and the juice of the lime to the rice mixture.
  12. The desired consistency is loose, almost soupy. Add more stock or water to reach the desired consistency.
  13. Stir the shrimp into the rice mixture and cover for five minutes.
  14. While the shrimp is cooking, remove the skin from the chiken thighs. Remove the meat from the bones of the chicken thighs and add to the rice mixture.
  15. Check seasoning. Add more salt or pepper if desired.
  16. Add the chopped cilantro.
  17. Serve in bowls with desired garnish.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

Ingredients

1 butternut squash
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup frozen roasted corn or 2 ears of fresh corn (I get it frozen at Trader Joe's)
1 chipotle pepper and canning sauce
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 cup milk

Possible Garnishes: Sour cream, Yoghurt, roasted pumpkin seeds, mint, celantro, quesa fresca

Procedure

  1. Peel the butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds from the center. Cut into pieces equal in size.
  2. Toss the squash with 2 Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan.
  3. Roast the butternut squash in a 350 degree oven until soft.  (40-50 minutes)
  4. If using fresh corn, remove the husks and roast along with the squash, removing after 15-20 minutes.
  5. Heat a 2 quart pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic in one Tbs olive oil until aromatic and softened (3-5 minutes).
  6. Add 1/2 cup pumpkins seeds to the onion and garlic mixture and sautee until the seeds swell and begin to pop.
  7. Add one cup frozen corn and one chipotle pepper with 2 Tbs canning sauce to the onion, garlic, and corn mixture. (Adjust the amount of peppers to suit your taste).
  8. Add the roasted squash.
  9. Add enough chicken stock to cover.
  10. Cook until the mixture just begins to boil.
  11. Remove from heat and puree the soup with a food mill, blender, or stick blender.
  12. Add 1/2 cup of milk and enough chicken stock or water to reach a desired consistency.
  13. If you roasted fresh corn, remove the kernels from the cob with a knife.
  14. Add the roasted corn to the soup and heat until the soup just comes to a simmer.
  15. Possible garnishes:  Sour cream or yoghurt, pumpkins seeds, fresh cilantro or mint.

Serve with a rustic whole grain bread or corn tortillas.