Monday, August 31

Cauliflower Torte

My Egyptian Grandmother's Kitchen Traditional Dishes Sweet and Savory, By Magda Mehdawy
Cookbook 37, Recipe 1 (Total 76)

I purchased a huge cauliflower from the farmers market on Sunday and we had a little over a pound of ground beef left over from Eppie's Picnic on Saturday. This recipe used both up nicely. I have today and tomorrow only to use this weeks cookbook. Wednesday I will bake Eppie's wedding cake and we head to Madison on Thursday. I'm getting crunched for time so Stephen helped me today.

Did I like it? Well - it's pretty straight forward - beef with cauliflower on the side. I wouldn't make it again. We both enjoyed the taste of cauliflower cooked in cumin water and would try to adapt that method for a different use.

Recipe: Bring water to a boil with 1 tsp cumin and 2 tsp salt. Add 3 cups of cauliflower and boil for 5 minutes, rinse in cold water. Cook 250oz of beef, place in a pan and surround with the cauliflower. Add 2 eggs to 1/2 cup milk and 2T flour - pour over beef. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Wednesday, August 26

Badam Gosht (Lamb with Almonds)

The Turmeric Trail Recipes and Memories From an Indian Childhood by Raghavan Iyer
Cookbook 36, Recipe 2 (Total 75)

I was thwarted throughout the cooking of this recipe:
I couldn't find my whole cloves - I used ground
I couldn't find a red onion - I used white
No water was releasing from the lamb - I added 1/2 a cup
My food processor was broken - I used a coffee grinder which mangled things badly.

Did I like it? It still turned out well despite the substitutions and adjustments from the recipe. The sauce nicely accents the meat.

Recipe: Heat 2T of oil in a pan. Add 1 tsp cumin and cook for 15 seconds. Grind together: 1/2 cup onion, 4 cloves, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp ground cloves. Add to the cumin and cook for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup ground blanched almonds and cook until golden brown. Add 1 lb lamb cut into 1 inch cubes. Recipe then says to cook until it all water that the lamb released is evaporated. (My lamb did not give any water. I cooked the lamb for about 5 minutes - until the sauce looked like it would burn. Then I added 1/3 cup water and cooked until the pan was dry again.) Add 1/2 cup half and half, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp garam masaala. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Monday, August 24

Besan Mirch Subzi (Assorted Bell Peppers with Roasted Garbanzo Bean Flour)

The Turmeric Trail Recipes and Memories From an Indian Childhood by Raghavan Iyer
Cookbook 36, Recipe 1 (Total 74)

Once again, my recipe choice was dictated by the produce I purchased at the Farmers Market this weekend. The red peppers looked fabulous but needed to be used as soon as possible. We also canned 22 jars of tomatoes this weekend - Wee Hoo! I believe I've only purchased 2 cans of tomatoes in the past four years.

Did I like it? Again, I am surprised to say yes. The recipe is weird - throw in toasted flour and then stir in water (to form a mush?). As the commentary stated - the flour forms "delectable clumps" around the peppers. I also decreased the cayenne from 1/2 tsp to 1/4 tsp knowing that I didn't want much pain in my mouth this evening.

Recipe: In a large skillet brown over medium-low heat 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour, also called chickpea flour. This will take about 6 minutes. Remove from the pan and heat 2T oil. Add 1tsp cumin and cook for 15 seconds. Add 1 lb peppers chopped into one inch hunks. Cook until the peppers are blistered. Add the reserved flour, 1T salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne, and 2T chopped parsley. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup water.

Monday, August 17

Orzo Salad with Basil-Sherry Vinagrette

The Spirited Vegetarian Over 100 Recipes Made Lively with Wine and Spirits by Paulette Mitchell
Cookbook 35, Recipe 2 (Total 73)

I purchased this cookbook at Seed Savers on the drive home from visiting Eppie in Alabama. With corn to use up from the Farmers Market, I chose this recipe.

Did I like it? Not so much, it's a little bland for me. Something with heat or more herbs would improve it.

Recipe:
For the dressing: Whisk together: 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 T sweet sherry, 1 T lemon juice, 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves, 1/4 tsp salt and a couple grinds of pepper.

Cook 3/4 cup orzo in boiling water, rinse with cold and place in a bowl. Add: 1 cup cooked corn on the cob (taken off the cob), 1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, and 1/4 cup of the dressing. Set in the refrigerator over night. In the morning add the remaining dressing and eat for lunch.

Saturday, August 15

Poached Pear Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette

The Spirited Vegetarian Over 100 Recipes Made Lively with Wine and Spirits by Paulette Mitchell
Cookbook 35, Recipe 1 (Total 72)

We purchased some lovely pears from the farmers market this morning and I wanted to find a non-dessert recipe feature them. About a month ago I made a current infused vodka which I used today in place of the Creme de Cassis with excellent results - smile.

Did I like it? While eating this I asked myself:
Why did I choose a recipe with blue cheese and walnuts when I know I don't like them and why after choosing this recipe featuring ingredients I don't like, did I not wait to make it when Stephen would be home to enjoy it (he likes blue cheese and walnuts)? This recipe features a very classic pairing of ingredients. It should taste wonderful and does if you like the taste of blue cheese and walnuts. I ate four bites with them and then picked them out. The pears are absolutely delicious! The vinaigrette stayed emulsified and coated the leaves perfectly. An excellent recipe if you leave out the offending cheese and walnuts. Also - the coating of the walnuts does not add anything to their taste - neither sweet nor salt - don't bother.

The recipe called for walnut oil which is extremely pricey - I used olive oil instead. I also discovered that I did not have any red wine vinegar. In looking through my stash of ingredients I found a cassis vinegar that Rachel gave me - it worked out perfectly!

Recipe:
(don't bother with this part) Melt 1 T butter in a pan and add 1T corn syrup, 1 tsp water and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and then add 1 cup of walnuts - stir to coat. Bake the walnuts at 250 for 1 hour stirring occasionally.

Heat together 1 cup creme de cassis, 1 cup Shiraz, zest of 1 lemon, 2T lemon juice, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add six small peeled pears and simmer for 15 minutes or until just softened. Remove the pears and continue to simmer the liquid until syrupy.

For the dressing: Whisk together 2T olive oil, 2 cassis vinegar, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp brown sugar and two pinches of salt. Dress some spinach (I used about 2.5 tsp to a cup of spinach). Top with blue cheese, walnuts, and a poached pear.

Thursday, August 13

Parmesan Risotto

Italian Classics by the editors of COOKS's ILLUSTRATED magazine
Cookbook 34, Recipe 2, (Total 71)

When I started this project I decided it would be a good time to try cooking risotto. It wasn't has hard as I thought - in fact it was pretty darn easy. I've read cookbooks that call for stirring five rotations to the right, then five rotations to the left, back five rotations to the right etc. That I will not do. This recipe took about 45 minutes start to finish.

Did I like it? I'd say it was tasty and cooked correctly. A nice slice of pork roast on the side would have completed the meal.

Recipe:Heat 3 cup water and 3.5 cups chicken stock in a pot and keep at a simmer.

Finely dice one onion and saute it with 1/2 tsp salt in 4 T of butter that has been heated until it stops foaming. Cook until the onion is very soft. Add 2 c Arborio rice and cook until the edges are translucent. Add 1 cup of Chardonnay and cook until it is fully absorbed. Add 3 cups of the heated water/stock and stir every couple of minutes until it is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the liquid and cook until absorbed - repeat until the liquid is gone. Stir in 1 cup grated pecorino and serve.

Wednesday, August 12

Rice Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Parmesan, Peas, and Prosciutto

Italian Classics by the editors of COOKS's ILLUSTRATED magazine
Cookbook 34, Recipe 1, (Total 70)

I started cooking the rice for this recipe at 10:00pm last night. I mention this because I totally screwed it up. Oh well. I just cooked the rice like I normally do: 2 cups water with 1 cup rice - boil - cover - reduce heat - cook 12 minutes. I was supposed to toast the rice and cook it in less water. I'll give you the directions for the method I used - I recommend following the book.

Did I like it? I don't use balsamic vinegar very much but I appreciate it on the occasions that I do taste it. All in all it was OK - I think cooking the rice the suggested way would have resulted in a vastly superior product.

Recipe: Cook one cup of rice and set aside to cool. In a bowl combine: 2 T olive oil, 1 T balsamic vinegar, 1 chopped clove of garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper. Add to this the cooled rice (mine was added warm resulting in a gooey mess:( To this add: 1/2 cup frozen peas, 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, 1 oz chopped prosciutto, 1/4 grated pecorino (I couldn't find parm in the grocery store last night!) and 1/4 cup chopped basil. Refrigerate and eat for lunch.

Monday, August 10

Mexican Shortbread Cookies

Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
Cookbook 33, Recipe 2 (Total 69)

Life gets busy. I baked these last Thursday and am finally posting them. They didn't make it out of the oven until late and we were out of town for the weekend - thus I'm slow at posting.

Did I like it? They are a very pleasant shortbread. After assembling the recipe I thought it was doomed - these are very dry. They cooked up perfect. If you are in the mood for a light shortbread - bake these.

Recipe: In a food processor combine 4 oz butter, 2.5 cups of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 tsp salt - process. Dump into a gallon size plastic bag. Flatten the mixture with your hands until it's 1/4 in thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut into cookies and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar after removing them from the oven.

Wednesday, August 5

Bass with Zucchini and Toasty Garlic Mojo

Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
Cookbook 33, Recipe 1 (Total 68)

Dyanna & Jason gave Stephen & I this book for Christmas - it's even signed by Mr Bayless and addressed to us!

Uncle Dale took Stephen & I on a full day of fishing this past Saturday. We are now officially known as "The Swim Team". Stephen promptly dumped me in the river by flipping the canoe as he got in at the start of the fishing trip. I was extremely successful (thanks to uncle dale) on my first real fishing trip. My catches that we kept were: 3 small mouth bass, 1 northern and 1 catfish. The northern was caught beneath an eagles nest with two eagle babies watching. Yes - I hooked my own worms and released my own fish. No - I did not clean the fish - Uncle Dale did that.

Did I like it? Yes - It was very easy to make and tasted great. I've decided I like fresh caught fish, they taste leagues better than anything store bought.

Recipe: In a large skillet heat up 1/3 cup olive oil. Add 8 cloves of peeled, halved garlic and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic and puree with 2/3 cup chicken stock and 1/2 tsp salt. Using the same olive oil cook 1 lb of fresh caught bass from the Cloquet River until done and remove to a warming plate in a 175 degree oven. To the oil add 1 lb of chopped zucchini and cook until just browned. Add the garlic sauce and 1/2 cup chopped parsley (cilantro if you like it) and bring to a boil. Place the fish on a plate and top with sauce and zucchini.