Monday, September 01, 2008
An All American Meal, With a Twist
This meal was our riff on meat and potatoes with salad.
Fennel Salad
Fresh and unexpected.
Roasted Garlic and Horseradish Crusted Ribeye Roast
We basically used a ribeye roast and gave it the same treatment as our standing prime rib roast. The main difference was that it took a lot less time to cook because there was no bone.
Roasted Beets and Carrots
Sweet, filling and so easy.
Plum Pie
I'm not sure why plums are not used more frequently in pies. Plums are sweet and tart and hold up well to baking.
Serve with freshly whipped cream.
Fennel Salad
Fresh and unexpected.
-1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
-1/2 onion, thinly sliced
-2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
-homemade vinaigrette
Stir all ingredients to combine.
-1/2 onion, thinly sliced
-2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
-homemade vinaigrette
Stir all ingredients to combine.
Roasted Garlic and Horseradish Crusted Ribeye Roast
We basically used a ribeye roast and gave it the same treatment as our standing prime rib roast. The main difference was that it took a lot less time to cook because there was no bone.
Roasted Beets and Carrots
Sweet, filling and so easy.
-6 beets, peeled and cut in chunks
-4 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
-salt and pepper to taste
-a bit of olive oil
Toss the beets and carrots with the olive oil and the salt and pepper. Spread in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake on 400 for about 45 mins. Uncover and continue to bake, turning occasionally until caramelized.
-4 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
-salt and pepper to taste
-a bit of olive oil
Toss the beets and carrots with the olive oil and the salt and pepper. Spread in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover with foil and bake on 400 for about 45 mins. Uncover and continue to bake, turning occasionally until caramelized.
Plum Pie
I'm not sure why plums are not used more frequently in pies. Plums are sweet and tart and hold up well to baking.
-2 1/4 cups flour
-2 stick butter
-20 Italian plums, pitted and quartered
-1/3 cup sugar
Cut the butter into cubes and work it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembled cornmeal. Add water 1tb at a time until you can form the dough into a ball. Split the ball in two. Press one ball into a pie pan for the bottom crust. Pre-bake on 375 for about 10 minutes. While the crust is pre-baking, toss the quartered plums with the sugar. Roll out the other dough ball fo rthe top crust. When the bottom crust has been in the oven for about 10 minutes, take it out and pour in the plum/sugar mixture. Then place the rolled out top crust over the top and pinch the edges to secure it to the bottom crust. Poke a bunch of holes in the top crust to release steam while the pie is baking. Bake at 375 for about an hour, or until the crust is golden brown.
-2 stick butter
-20 Italian plums, pitted and quartered
-1/3 cup sugar
Cut the butter into cubes and work it into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembled cornmeal. Add water 1tb at a time until you can form the dough into a ball. Split the ball in two. Press one ball into a pie pan for the bottom crust. Pre-bake on 375 for about 10 minutes. While the crust is pre-baking, toss the quartered plums with the sugar. Roll out the other dough ball fo rthe top crust. When the bottom crust has been in the oven for about 10 minutes, take it out and pour in the plum/sugar mixture. Then place the rolled out top crust over the top and pinch the edges to secure it to the bottom crust. Poke a bunch of holes in the top crust to release steam while the pie is baking. Bake at 375 for about an hour, or until the crust is golden brown.
Serve with freshly whipped cream.
Labels: beef, beets, dessert recipes, dinner recipes, fennel, homemade, plums, salad
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Dinner at Home
Pea Shoots with Garlic
Alexis cooked these a bit too long and she didn't add enough salt, so what can be a standout dish was a fairly lackluster, unfortunately.
-1 lb pea shoots
-1 tb rice vinegar
-1 tb rice wine
-salt to taste
-1 head garlic, minced
Sautee the garlic in a little olive oil until just beginning to brown. Add the other ingredients and sautee until tender, but still bright green. You can see from the color in this picture that these were cooked too long.
-1 tb rice vinegar
-1 tb rice wine
-salt to taste
-1 head garlic, minced
Sautee the garlic in a little olive oil until just beginning to brown. Add the other ingredients and sautee until tender, but still bright green. You can see from the color in this picture that these were cooked too long.
Spicy Sesame Noodles with Pickled Cucumbers
This very tasty noodle salad is served at room temperature. Usually rice noodles are used for such a dish, but we substituted shirataki noodles with great success for a low carb option.
-6 packages shirataki noodles, boiled for 1 minutes and drained
-1 red pepper, julienned
-1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
-1 tb sesame seeds
Sauce:
-3 tb dark soy sauce
-2 tb Chinese black vinegar
-1/3 cup tahini or sesame paste
-1 tb chili powder
-8 cloves garlic
-1 inch nub of grated ginger
-1 packet Splenda
Puree all of the above sauce ingredients in a food processer until smooth.
Pickled Cucumbers
-5 baby cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut in 1/2 rounds
-3 tb rice vinegar
-1 ts chili powder
-1 packet Splenda
Mix the chili powder, vinegar and Splenda together and pour over the cucumbers in a shallow bowl. Occasionally, stir and spoon the vinegar mixture collecting at the bottom of the bowl over the cucumbers. Leave for at least an hour, then drain off the excess vinegar.
To Make the Salad:
Place the drained noodles in a large mixing bowl. Add the sauce paste and mix into noodles thoroughly with your hands until fully incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to mix with your hands until the cucumbers, cilantro, sesame seeds and red pepper are evenly studded throughout the noodles. In my experience, you really do have to use your hands for this.
-1 red pepper, julienned
-1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
-1 tb sesame seeds
Sauce:
-3 tb dark soy sauce
-2 tb Chinese black vinegar
-1/3 cup tahini or sesame paste
-1 tb chili powder
-8 cloves garlic
-1 inch nub of grated ginger
-1 packet Splenda
Puree all of the above sauce ingredients in a food processer until smooth.
Pickled Cucumbers
-5 baby cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut in 1/2 rounds
-3 tb rice vinegar
-1 ts chili powder
-1 packet Splenda
Mix the chili powder, vinegar and Splenda together and pour over the cucumbers in a shallow bowl. Occasionally, stir and spoon the vinegar mixture collecting at the bottom of the bowl over the cucumbers. Leave for at least an hour, then drain off the excess vinegar.
To Make the Salad:
Place the drained noodles in a large mixing bowl. Add the sauce paste and mix into noodles thoroughly with your hands until fully incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to mix with your hands until the cucumbers, cilantro, sesame seeds and red pepper are evenly studded throughout the noodles. In my experience, you really do have to use your hands for this.
Korean-Inspired Short Ribs
Once we discovered we could make these in the broiler, we were hooked. You can only get the thin-cut shortribs at Asian grocery stores, we've found. Costco does carry these cross cut ribs, but they are about twice as thick and don't cook up as nicely, getting charred well before the inside is cooked. We broil these on high for about 5 minutes on each side and we make sure to use a rack inside a rimmed cookie sheet so that the copious amount of fat the drips off is caught and doesn't start to burn in the oven.
Marinade for 2 lbs short ribs:
-1/2 cup dark soy
-3 packets Splenda
-1 Tb granulated garlic
-1/8 cup rice vinager
-1/tb chili powder
-1 Tb sesame oil
-1 in nub fresh ginger, grated
Marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
-1/2 cup dark soy
-3 packets Splenda
-1 Tb granulated garlic
-1/8 cup rice vinager
-1/tb chili powder
-1 Tb sesame oil
-1 in nub fresh ginger, grated
Marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Plum Tart with Freshly Whipped Vanilla Cream
This tart was tart, but in a good way. We aren't too fond to too-sweet desserts, so the acidity of the plums suits us well. This is a perfect dinner party dessert because it takes only minutes to prepare, contains only 3 ingredients and everyone loves it. You can use any kind of fruit that's in season.
-8 plums, sliced
-1 cup flour
-1 stick butter
Cut the cold butter into chunks and work it into the flour with your hands until the mixture resembles course corn meal. Form into a ball by adding a touch of water and smooshing--in summer, you should be able to form the dough into a ball with no water at all, in winter it might take a couple of tablespoons. Press the dough into a greased pie pan and prebake on 400 for 10 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to get a bit of color. Pour in the sliced fruit and put back in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the fruit is soft and bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Serve with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
-1 cup flour
-1 stick butter
Cut the cold butter into chunks and work it into the flour with your hands until the mixture resembles course corn meal. Form into a ball by adding a touch of water and smooshing--in summer, you should be able to form the dough into a ball with no water at all, in winter it might take a couple of tablespoons. Press the dough into a greased pie pan and prebake on 400 for 10 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to get a bit of color. Pour in the sliced fruit and put back in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the fruit is soft and bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Serve with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
Labels: beef, cucumber, homemade, pea shoots, plums, shirataki noodles
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