Spanish Style Paella March 31, 2009

I had a few friends over to thank them helping us move. It was time to make paella! I’ve been wanting to make this dish since I saw it on Michael Chiarello’s show ages ago.  The recipe is just huge, huge I tell you! It makes so much food. I cut down and it still made two big pots of food. Delicious, meat, vegetables and rice. Check out the full recipe at the link, I’ll just post what I made.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 mild Italian sausages, roughly chopped into 1-inch rounds
• 5 chicken breasts, seasoned to taste with paprika, salt and pepper on both sides, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 20 peeled, iced uncooked shrimp seasoned to taste with paprika, salt and pepper
• 2 carrots, finely minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely minced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups arborrio rice/risotto
• 2 cups white wine
• 1 box beef broth & 1 box chicken broth (8 cups total)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Sea Salt

In a large paella pan over medium heat, add olive oil and then fresh sausage. Saute for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until sausage is well browned. Add chicken to pan and saute 5 to 8 minutes, or until chicken starts to brown. Add the shrimp and saute just until the shrimp begin to turn red and curl, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove all meats from paella pan, using a slotted spoon, and place them on cookie tray to cool.

In the now empty paella pan, sweat the carrots, onions, and celery for about 15 minutes. Add garlic and saute with vegetables for another 2 minutes. Add the risotto rice, stir and saute until the grains are a pearly white. Add white wine, and allow to cook down until almost completely gone. Then begin to add broth, about 2 ladles at a time, every 7 to 8 minutes unti1 35 to 40 minutes have passed, or until broth is fully incorporated into rice and vegetables and rice is tender but al dente.

Stir meat and seafood back in before serving.

Notes: I added some saffron at the end. It was delicious food, just way way too much!

Servings: 8 and a big container of leftovers. BIG.

Chocolate Bundt Cake March 28, 2009

Chocolate cake! I made this for a dinner party a few weeks ago. I followed this recipe on The Kitchen Sink. It looks very pretty, doesn’t it? It smelled lovely as well. Will I make it again? No. We ate it in the evening after baking it in the morning. and it was somewhat dry and maybe a little boring… But I don’t know, maybe it just needed some ice cream or whipped cream. It certainly didn’t taste bad!

• Cooking spray
• 3/4 C. whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C. Dutch processed cocoa
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 2 T. butter, melted
• 2 T. canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 C. lowfat yogurt
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 3/4 C. granulated sugar
• 1 T. espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water
• 2 ounces good-quality dark chocolate
• 1 T. powdered sugar, optional

“Arrange rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together flours, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl, then sift ingredients through a fine mesh strainer.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and oil. Add eggs and egg whites and whisk to incorporate. Fold in yogurt, vanilla, sugar and dissolved espresso powder. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds; do so in 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals and stopping when it’s melted and smooth. Fold chocolate into batter.

Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated; do not over beat. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until cake has risen nicely and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, in the pan. Place the wrack, upside down, on the top of the pan (the open end) and carefully invert the cake onto the wrack.

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.”

Notes: As I said, it was fine, but I won’t make it again.

Servings: 10-12 servings

Potato Leek Pastry March 23, 2009

This dish is actually called “Zelnik”. Mmmm, I love me some zelnik! I had some left over fillo dough along with some leeks and potatoes from our weekly produce delivery. Cheese carb filled dough seemed like the perfect option. I found and followed this recipe off a random food blog.

• For the filling-
• 1/2 pound mashed potatoes
• 2 ans 1/2 C. cleaned and cut leek
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. paprika
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 C. grated mixed cheese

• For the topping-
• 2 eggs
• 4 T. yogurt
• 4 T. water
• 1/8 t. baking soda

Boil and mash potatoes and let them cool for 20 minutes. Add paprika, salt, nutmeg and eggs, mix together. In a pan, saute leeks in a little oil for a few minutes, until they just start to soften and turn bright green. Combine the potato mixture with the leeks. Now you can preheat the oven at 350F. Spread couple of spoons of the potato-leek mixture over the phyllo dough and sprinkle the cheese on top. Roll 3-4 sheets of phyllo dough together. You can add as much sheets as you like, I like to roll 3 at first and then “close” it with 2 more on top of the opening of the roll. Place the rolls in a spiral in the pan. Spread the topping over the pastry and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Servings: 4-6 big servings

Notes: Delish. Hearty European inspired food.

Salmon with Grapefruit Sauce March 16, 2009

Most of the fish I’ve prepared has involved soy sauce. It’s delicious, let me tell you, but I wanted to do something different. I came across Je Mane la Ville’s grapefruity creation and made it last week. I did not have shallots though, so I used red onion instead. I’m sure it changed the flavor, but it still tasted great.  A nice alternative and very healthy.

• 2 skinless salmon fillets, 7 to 8 ounces each
• Salt & pepper
• 2 ruby red grapefruits
• 1 orange (I didn’t have this so didn’t use it, but you should!)
• 2 t. olive oil
• 1/2 minced red onion
• 1 T. freshly grated ginger
• 2 1/2 t. honey
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 t. lemon juice
• 1 T. dried basil (use 2 T. fresh if you have it.)

“Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until almost done, about 13-14 minutes. Turn on the broiler and finish cooking salmon for about 2-3 minutes, until there is a little color on the top.

While the salmon is cooking prepare the sauce. Cut off the top and bottom of one of the grapefruits. Then standing it on end, cut down the skin to remove the pith and peel. Remove each segment of fruit from its casing and cut the segments in half. Set the segment pieces aside. Juice the other grapefruit and the orange (if you have it!) and set the juice aside. It’s okay, you can co-mingle the juices.

In a skillet, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the red onion (or shallot) and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the ginger, juices, honey, and cayenne pepper and bring to simmer. Cook until sauce is reduced by about half about, 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and season with salt, to taste. Right before serving, toss the grapefruit pieces and basil into the sauce. Put the salmon onto a serving dish. Spoon sauce over the salmon and serve.”

Notes: Chris liked it, I liked it. Not mind blowing, but it was good.

Servings: 2 dinner servings

Kale – Sweet & Sour March 14, 2009

Greens, greens and more greens! Each week we get a batch of some hearty green, be it kale, swiss chard or mustard greens. I end up falling back on similar recipes or simple preparations, so it’s nice to look around for different recipes sometimes.  I found this recipe for kale and it turned out very well. It made a really great side dish with some interesting flavors.

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 small onion – diced
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 4 t. white sugar
• 1 T. cider vinegar (I didn’t have this so I just left it out, but I would add it next time)
• 1 1/2 C. chicken broth
• 4 C. stemmed, torn and rinsed kale (one big bunch)
• 1/4 C. dried cherries
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 C. sliced almonds

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, sugar, vinegar, and chicken stock, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the kale, cover, and cook 5 minutes until wilted.

Stir in the dried cherries, and continue boiling, uncovered, until the liquid has reduced by about half, and the cranberries have softened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Notes: I actually boiled the kale for a minute or two and then just used a little broth to saute everything. But next time I’d try this way of preparation since I’m sure it’s more flavorful.

Servings: 2 big sides

Smashed Chickpea Sandwich March 11, 2009

Easiest, most delicious and healthy sandwich EVER. Thank you Smitten Kitchen! I knew I’d like this recipe when I first saw it, but it was even better when we finally made it. Simple! Fast! Delicious! You should make this.

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas – drained and rinsed
• 2 T. pitted, halved and very thinly sliced black olives (Um, I used green!)
• 1 T. finely chopped red onion
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley
• Zest and juice from half a lemon
• Couple good pinches of salt
• A few grinds of black pepper
• A few glugs of olive oil (Smitten Kitchen said “the original is quite oily, like bread-soaking oily, I went a little lighter. Both ways are delicious.” I went the less bread-soaking oily route.)

“Mix everything but the olive oil in a small to midsize bowl. Very lightly smash the chickpea mixture with the back of a fork or a potato masher. You’re not looking for a hummus-like puree but something closer to a coarse chop with a few smaller bits to hold it together. Add the glugs of olive oil, mix it lightly and enjoy.”

Notes: I toasted some sesame seed bread and ate this as an open faced sandwich, nothing else on it. The original recipe mentioned how you could doll it up with roasted red peppers and a tahini spread, but this was flavorful enough for me!

Servings: 4 big open faced sandwiches

Fennel-Apple-Munster Panini March 5, 2009

Panini time! I got some really great, thick sliced bread at the store along with some fennel in our weekly box. This recipe was so simple and very filling (due to the huge pieces of bread). I also tried out some crazy “Basil Pesto” grape seed oil. I think it made it better, although it was bright green…

• Thick sliced whole grain sourdough
• slices of munster cheese
• slices of green apple
• 1 head fennel – sliced

Start by heating the oven up to 375 degrees. Slice the fennel thinly and lay out on a cookie sheet. Spray liberally with oil and roast for 20-25 minutes to allow the fennel to carmelize. then heat up the panini pan and oil one side of the bread. Lay on some cheese, then fennel, then apple topped with a little more cheese. Top with the final piece of bread and spray on oil on the other side. Panini press it! Cook until nice and toasty.

Notes: Great sandwich. Vegetarian too.

Servings: 2 sandwiches. So big!

FAVORITES: Microplane Zester March 4, 2009

I totally forgot that I’d been sharing my favorite kitchen devices with you until my friend Karla mentioned it on her blog. Ooops. Let’s pretend it was all a plan.

This post is about a favorite little tool called the Microplane Zester. See below:

When I worked at the Chopping Block they used these all the time. It’s one of the first things I bought there since it was so cheap (should be around $10). I use my zester to: zest lemons/oranges and grate ginger. I don’t have many kitchen tools that only do a few select things, but this zester is one of them. I use lemon zest and ginger often, and this zester is by far the best way to break through all the tough fiber in fresh ginger. It also cleanly collects the lemon zest underneath.

There is also this larger microplane.

I never bought it since I can do the same things with the smaller version. But I think this may be the original microplane. While working at the Chopping Block, they’d tell a story about how some woman needed to zest something in her kitchen and went out to her husbands tools (women cook! men use tools!) and borrowed a sanding/grating tool that looks exactly like this. The story could be true too! The end.

Swiss Chard and Butternut Squash Bulgar March 3, 2009

It’s still cold outside, so this meal is still a perfect week night dinner. Originally from Heidi at 101cookbooks.com, this recipe added on a bit, based on the recipe found here.  Also, I couldn’t find farro at my little local grocery store, or at Trader Joe’s, so I substituted bulgar instead which seemed to work out well.

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 onion – sliced
• 1 clove garlic – minced
• salt
• 1 bunch swiss chard – washed and cut into 2″ pieces
• 1/2 C. almonds – chopped coarsely
• 2 C. butternut squash pieces
• zest of one lemon
• 2 C. bulgar
• 5 C. chicken or vegetable stock (I used 4 cups plus 1 cup water)

In a large pot, cook olive oil, onions and garlic until translucent. Add the butternut squash and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and the bulgar. Cook, stirring often, for 30 minutes or until the squash is cooked through.  Add the zest, swiss chard and almonds. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat and serve.

Notes: This was a warm, creamy dinner. It was also great as a lunch the next day on top of a green salad.

Servings: 4-6 main entree servings