Not Your Grandma's Thanksgiving Dinner

When we saw these recipes on Giada’s show last year, we both wanted this as a Thanksgiving meal. Fast forward a year and we still had these recipes on our minds.  While we are both celebrating a more traditional Thanksgiving this year with family and friends; we wanted to prepare a dinner that we thought would be an alternate choice. This is so adaptable to whether you are a dark meat or light meat fan, as well as serving any number of people. 

Giada’s original meal featured a whole cut up turkey. We both prefer dark meat, and used turkey thighs in our version. Who would have thought that a week before Thanksgiving, turkey thighs would be so unavailable? After visiting 4 stores on Wednesday, Meg called 8 grocery stores on Friday morning to secure the golden thighs . . . 

We loved the idea of the pomegranate juice in the Cosmo recipe being a good tie-in to the glaze for the turkey.  We substituted Grand Marnier for Cointreau, because that is what we had on hand. This is a killer cocktail and it is a perfect pre-dinner drink. It serves 6, or . . .  you can just forgo wine with dinner and drink the entire pitcher, which is what we did. (Chardonnay for another day.)

Pomegranate Cosmos

2006, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
Prep Time:  5 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  --
Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 drinks

Ingredients

2 cups (16 ounces) good vodka (recommended: Stolichnaya or Finlandia)
1 cup (8 ounces) orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
1 cup (8 ounces) pomegranate juice (recommended: Pom Wonderful)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
Lime peel strips, to garnish

Directions

Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, pomegranate juice, and lime juice in a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to use. Pour the mixture into frozen martini glasses with a twist of lime peel and serve immediately.

Pomegranate Cosmos

Cranberry-Orange Glazed Turkey

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time:  1 hr 0 min
Inactive Prep Time:  35 min
Cook Time:  2 hr 0 min
Level:  Intermediate
Serves:  6 servings

Ingredients

One 11-pound turkey, cut into 6 pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cranberry Orange Glaze, recipe follows
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Assorted fresh herb sprigs, orange wedges and whole cranberries, for garnish
Special equipment: instant-read thermometer

Directions

Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse the turkey pieces and pat very dry with paper towels. Brush the turkey all over with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the turkey, skin-side up, on a baking sheet with the thick end of the breasts and thighs at the corners, the drumsticks in the center. Roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Remove the turkey from the oven and brush with the Cranberry Orange Glaze. Pour the broth onto the baking sheet to prevent drippings from burning and roast the turkey, covering loosely with foil if browning too quickly, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F in thickest part of the thigh (do not let the thermometer touch bone), 20 minutes.
Transfer the turkey to a platter. Brush generously with more glaze and let rest 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, scrape all the pan juices and browned bits from the baking sheet into a large measuring cup. Spoon off and discard the fat that rises to the surface. Heat the pan juices in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk 2 to 3 tablespoons of the glaze into the pan juices (or more if desired) to make the gravy and bring to a simmer for the flavors to blend.
Slice the turkey and arrange on the platter. Garnish with herb sprigs, oranges wedges and cranberries, and serve with gravy.

Cranberry Orange Glaze:

1/2 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small saucepan, bring the cranberry juice, orange juice, marmalade and rosemary to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the glaze thickens enough to coat a spoon, whisking often, 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter, then season the glaze with salt and pepper. Yield: about 1 1/4 cups.

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time:  15 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  40 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 servings

Ingredients

18 red pearl onions, peeled
2 large carrots, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/3-inch-wide pieces
2 large parsnips, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 5-ounce bag baby arugula
1 ripe pear, halved, cored, cut into thin wedges
Apple Cider Vinaigrette, recipe follows
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the onions, carrots and parsnips. Add the oil, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Scatter the vegetables on a large nonstick rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the vegetables over and roast until tender and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Set the vegetables aside.
In a salad bowl, combine the arugula, pear slices and roasted vegetables. Add the Apple Cider Vinaigrette and toss until coated. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and serve.

Apple Cider Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually whisk in the oil. Yield: about 2/3 cup.

Vegetables ready for roasting.

Roasted Root Vegetable Salad

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004
Prep Time:  15 min
Inactive Prep Time:  3 hr 0 min
Cook Time:  1 hr 0 min
Level:  Intermediate
Serves:  8 servings

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar, plus 4 teaspoons
8 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Arrange 8 (1/2-cup) ramekins or custard cups in a large metal baking pan.
In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until frothy and lemon-colored. Slowly add 3/4 cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Add the egg mixture to the remaining hot cream, and whisk. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin, and whisk until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Divide among the prepared custard cups.

Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake until the custards are just set in the center but not stiff, 45 minutes to 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle each custard with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining sugar. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. (Alternately, preheat the broiler, and broil until the sugar melts and caramelizes, watching closely to avoid burning and rotating the cups, about 1 to 2 minutes.) Place on small dessert plates and serve.

Our biased and unsolicited opinions:

Talk about a do-ahead meal! With the exception of actually roasting the vegetables and the turkey, everything can be prepped ahead.  This dinner allows you to enjoy your guests and still serve a wonderful meal. Plus, it only uses one rimmed baking sheet. You can’t get much easier than that. People might actually volunteer to do the dishes!

We loved everything about this meal. We used frozen cranberry-pomegranate juice in place of plain cranberry with excellent results. We prepared 4 turkey thighs and had about ¾ cup of the glaze for serving. If you are cooking for more people, adjust the glaze accordingly. (You will want the extra glaze.)

The salad is seasonal, hearty and wonderfully delicious. The combination of the roasted vegetables and the slightly bitter arugula fills in for all the usual side dishes.

If you like pumpkin pie, you are going to love pumpkin Crème Brulee! The caramelized sugar crust makes this dessert! Meg happened to have a propane torch on hand and voila, brulee!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Almost Stroganoff . . .

One of our followers, Mary Ann, visited “the Tasteful Olive” in Overland Park, Kansas and sent us the most wonderful lavender balsamic vinegar and herbs de Provence olive oil. We thoroughly enjoyed them with slices of country French baguette and some herbed olives on Sue’s porch - possibly our last al fresco dining  for the season. However, if this temperate weather continues, we will happily sit on the porch, eat hors d’oeuvres and drink wine. 

Portabellas, stroganoff with goat cheese – we have been looking forward to this meal for at least two months. We generally don’t think that far ahead about a meal, but knew this was a “fall” dish and have anxiously anticipated preparing this recipe. 

Time-wise this could be a week night meal or a company dinner. The addition of a salad with a simple vinaigrette provides a good balance to the pasta. We constructed our vinaigrette with lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon, herbs de Provence and Frantoia EVOO from Italy via the Bella Italia store here in Reno.

Mushroom Stroganoff with Goat Cheese

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2012

Prep Time:  10 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  30 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
12 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 portabella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch green onions, sliced and white bottoms and green tops separated
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
14 ounces beef broth
8 ounces sour cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, plus more for garnish

Directions
Add the noodles to 4 quarts of cold water in a 6-quart pot, cover and place over high heat. Cook to al dente, 18 to 22 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Melt the butter in a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Increase the heat to high, add the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute until they darken in color, soften and give off their liquid, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the white bottoms of the green onions and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Cook until the flour disappears and the fond on the bottom of the pan turns dark brown, about 1 minute. Deglaze with the beef broth. Bring to a simmer and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, and then add the sour cream, goat cheese and black pepper. Stir to combine, and then partially cover and bring to a simmer to warm through, 2 to 4 minutes.

Drain the noodles, add to the pan and stir to combine. Garnish with the green onion tops and additional black pepper. Serve immediately.

Weight Watchers: 6 servings, 11 points -  8 servings 8 points 

We chose a cabernet to compliment the richness of the stroganoff and were pleased with the pairing.

 

It has been awhile since we had an elusive ingredient, and then came star anise. Not only was it hard to find, but also pricey. After tasting this dessert, we consider it an essential ingredient, and you will too. We are determined to find further uses for this “golden spice”. 

Baked Maple Pears

Recipe: Prevention magazine, November 2012
Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 firm-ripe pears
1/3  cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp. coarse sugar
4 quarter slices of fresh ginger
1 star anise

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim the bottoms of the pears. Standup-right in baking dish just large enough to hold them. Drizzles with maple syrup. Sprinkle sides of pears with coarse sugar. Add slices of fresh ginger and star anise to syrup.

Tent pears with foil and bake until tender, 50 minutes. Discard star anise. Drizzle pears with syrup.

Weight Watchers: 5 points

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

This recipe immediately captured our attention, because it was a spinoff on a childhood memory, and we anticipated the creamy richness we remembered. While it tasted good, we wanted more depth of flavor and more sauce.

The goat cheese was completely lost; so either more was needed, or perhaps adding a bit of bleu cheese would boost the flavor. We also think that adding garlic while sautéing the mushrooms would enrich the overall flavor. Don’t’ get us wrong – it was good, and we both ate two servings – we just kept talking about what we would do differently.  Also, don’t start the noodles until you are half way done with the mushrooms. The mushrooms will hold, and the noodles won’t! We added extra salt and pepper at the table.

We fell in love with the baked pears. We used both Comice and Anjou pears, which were equally suited to this recipe. The ginger and anise combined with the maple syrup make this dessert! Our only change would be to dice the ginger before adding it to the sauce; so you can have a bite of ginger with each bite of pear.  This dessert is best served warm. We licked our plates. It is that good.

If you are doing a dinner party, we think a Prosecco or champagne would be really great with the pears. 

Enjoy!

My, Oh My, Chicken Pie

We are having a glorious Indian summer here in northern Nevada - warm days and cool evenings. Despite the temperate weather, our thoughts are turning to fall comfort foods, and who doesn’t like chicken pot pie? This one doesn’t include the traditional vegetables but is rich and satisfying.
 
Sue initiated the discussion for this meal after seeing this chicken pie on the PBS “Cook’s Country” show. They refine recipes through extensive testing and provide the best recipe for any given dish. After tasting this chicken pie, we applaud their process.   Despite the simplicity of the seasonings in this dish, it has a wonderful depth of flavor.

We had decided on roasted carrots to go with this pie and came up with the glaze to bring out their sweetness. A picture and recipe in the latest “Whole Living” magazine persuaded us to not roast Brussels sprouts as planned, but to “go raw” with a Brussels sprout salad.

We started off our cooking adventure this week with some very fine cheese and fruits. This meal is a labor of love and we needed sustenance. Meg had a Gouda she wanted to share, along with some brie and an American creamy blue cheese. This all went really well with a nice California merlot.

Moravian Chicken Pie
From Cook's Country
December/January 2012
Serves 8

If you get less than 2 tablespoons of fat from browning the chicken in step 4, supplement it with butter. The pie may seem loose when it comes out of the oven; it will set up as it cools.

INGREDIENTS

Crust
1/2 cup sour cream, chilled
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

Pie
2 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
3 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 large egg, lightly beaten

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CRUST: Combine sour cream and egg in bowl. Process flour and salt in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until only pea-size pieces remain, about 10 pulses. Add half of sour cream mixture and pulse until combined, 5 pulses. Add remaining sour cream mixture and pulse until dough begins to form, about 10 pulses.
2. Transfer mixture to lightly floured counter and knead briefly until dough comes together. Divide dough in half and form each half into 4-inch disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before using.)
3. Remove 1 dough disk from refrigerator and let sit for 10 minutes. Working on lightly floured counter, roll into 12-inch round and transfer to 9-inch pie plate, leaving 1/2-inch overhang all around. Repeat with second dough disk and transfer to parchment–lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover both doughs with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. FOR THE PIE: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour fat (you should have 2 tablespoons) into small bowl; reserve. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Add broth, chicken, and bay leaf to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into second bowl and reserve (you should have about 2¾ cups); discard bay leaf.
5. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat butter and reserved fat in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of reserved broth and half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gravy until thickened and reduced to 1¾ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine 1 cup gravy with shredded chicken; reserve remaining gravy for serving.
6. Transfer chicken mixture to dough-lined pie plate and spread into even layer. Top with second dough round, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Cut four 1-inch slits in top. Brush pie with egg and bake until top is light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes.
7. When ready to serve, bring remaining ¾ cup reserved gravy and remaining ¾ cup reserved broth to boil in medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve pie with gravy.

We use gravy to form the base for the filling in our Moravian Chicken Pie and also to serve with slices of the pie.
GRAVY FOR FILLING Combine 1 cup of thick gravy with the shredded chicken for a sliceable filling.
GRAVY FOR SERVING Thin the remaining thick gravy base with fortified chicken broth to make gravy for serving.

Weight Watchers: 17 points

Glazed Carrots
Recipe developed by Meg
For Saturday Night Specials 10/20/2012
Serves:  4
8 medium carrots, scrubbed
Olive oil for roasting
Salt & pepper for roasting

Glaze:
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
½ tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. orange zest

Rub carrots with olive oil. Place on cookie sheet. Salt & pepper to taste.

Roast carrots in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, baste the carrots in the glaze and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Weight Watchers: 6 points

Brussels Sprout Salad with Avocado & Pumpkin Seeds

Recipe: Whole Living, November, 2012
Serves: 6

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (1 tsp.)
1  ½ Tbsp. lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, leaves separated
2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 avocado, sliced

Whisk lemon zest and juice and mustard in a small bowl. Gradually add oil, whisking to emulsify, and season with salt and pepper.

Toss dressing with Brussels sprout leaves and pumpkin seeds. Gently stir in avocado and adjust seasonings.

Weight Watchers: 5 points

 

We had this Riesling for the first time with the Tandoori chicken and knew immediately that it would also be a great complement to this meal. (Those wine classes at Total Wine are paying off.)

Baked apples are a standard fall dessert. It took Meg five minutes to pick the prettiest apples from the store display. The clerk stocking the produce was watching her closely. After the apple selection she moved on to gourds.

Baked Apples
Recipe developed by Meg & Sue
For Saturday Night Specials 10/20/2012


Serves:  4
4 Macintosh apples
 ½ cup bourbon
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup walnuts, toasted
2 Tbsp. Honey
 Dusting of cinnamon and ground ginger
1 Tbsp. melted butter

Pour bourbon over raisins. Heat in microwave for about 30 seconds. Cover and let sit for at least 3 hours.

Wash apples and hollow out leaving bottom intact, and peel about ½ inch from top. Place in an oven proof dish. Stuff the apples with soaked raisins and walnuts, alternating until generously filled. Pour some of the bourbon from soaking the raisins over the filling. Drizzle the honey into the cavities.
Brush the exposed apple flesh with melted butter and dust with cinnamon and ginger.

Pour enough water into the baking dish to come up the sides of the apples about ½ inch. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit until ready to serve.

Toppings of choice:
1-2  Tbsp. bourbon sauce per apple
Whipping cream
Vanilla ice cream

Bourbon Sauce
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Serves/Makes: 1.5 cups

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup bourbon whiskey

Directions:
Melt butter over medium heat, add sugar and water and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually add butter and water mixture to egg, beating constantly. Slowly stir in bourbon.



Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

We loved this chicken pie. We recommend that you do all the chicken prep the day before, including the gravy. This is not a week night dish, but it is totally worth the time investment for a special occasion.  The crust is wonderful.

If you like carrots, you will love this dish. The smoked paprika and the orange juice elevate them from “just roasted” to something special. Watch them closely after adding the glaze.

We really liked the concept of the Brussels sprout salad, however the raw sprouts were tough and didn’t really have much taste. We like Brussels sprouts cooked a variety of ways and were disappointed in this recipe.  Great vinaigrette, though. We are going to try this again and will blanch the sprout leaves briefly in salted water and then immerse them in ice water. We anticipate that this will develop more flavor.

The baked apples were like the best of  an apple pie. Total comfort food. Sue's only change to the bourbon sauce recipe was to cook the sugar mixture longer, about 4 minutes total, before adding the sugar to the eggs.

Right now we are very full and happy and glad we spent the time on this meal. Cheers!

A Taste of Mexico (or any excuse for another margarita!)

Our favorite dish at a Mexican restaurant is always chiles rellenos.  We judge a restaurant by this dish and  are tough critics when it comes to rellenos. We decided to take up the challenge, and this recipe pleased us, but we made a few changes. Are you surprised? 

Summer produce is still readily available, and we took full advantage by sautéing corn on the cob, sweet peppers and yellow summer squash for a side dish.  

Sue lobbied for one more return of the infamous margaritas from our “Cinco de Mayo” posting. Meg did not object.  

Meg had artisan tortillas in her freezer, which we converted to tortillas chips to complement our “how we like it” guacamole.  


Artisan tortilla home made chips

 

 

How We Like It Guacamole
Recipe developed by Sue & Meg
For Saturday Night Specials 10/6/2012

1 large and 2 small avocados, seeded and  coarsely mashed
1 lime juiced
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
Garlic salt and black pepper to taste

Weight Watchers:  8 points

Roasted tomatoes, onion and jalapeno for the salsa.

Roasted Salsa

Roasting the chiles on gas stove burners. Very handy!

A roasted chile, sliced open and seeded.

The stuffed chiles frying.

Stuffed Poblano Chiles ("Chiles Rellenos")

Recipe courtesy Marcela Valladolid
Prep Time:  20 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  15 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 servings

Ingredients

Sauce:
5 red plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 jalapeno pepper (added from the reviews)

Chiles:
1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano
6 poblano chiles, charred, seeded, and deveined *see Cook's Note
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Sauce: Put the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chile rellenos: Mix the cheese and oregano in a small bowl. Cut a slit through 1 side of the charred chiles and fill each chile with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Close with toothpicks to hold the filling in place. In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat for about 1 minute.
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Dredge the filled chiles in flour until fully covered. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the chiles into the egg mixture, until well coated. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels.
Arrange the chiles on a serving platter, spoon the sauce on top and serve.

Notes
To char the chiles (or any fresh chile): Put the chiles over a gas flame or underneath the broiler and cook until they are blackened on all sides. Enclose them in a plastic bag and let stand for 10 minutes to steam, which will make them easier to peel. Peel, stem, and seed the chiles. Once peeled, the chiles may be chopped, sliced or stuffed.

Weight Watchers: 10 points per rellano with sauce

Stuffed chile with roasted salsa.

Pepper, Squash and Corn Sauté
Recipe developed by Sue & Meg
For Saturday Night Specials 10/6//2012 

15 small tri-color peppers, sliced in half and seeded

2 large yellow summer squash, sliced and cut in half
2 large ears, fresh corn on the cob, cut from the cob
3 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped for garnish.

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add corn and suate for 3-4 minutes. Add remianing vegetable and cook until squash and peppers are crisp-tender.

Weight Watchers:  3 points

Sauteed corn, peppers and yellow squash.

To round out the meal we had the most decadent Chile Chocolate Pecan Cookies served with one of our favorites --- Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka.  OMG!


Chile Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Makes: about 3 dozen
From: “Great Desserts of the American West, Frances Towner Gieldt, Lone Star Books

Ingredients:

2 c semisweet chocolate chips
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 c plus 2 T sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 t vanilla extract
1 c plus 2 T unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t ground cinnamon
½ t baking powder
½ t salt
¼ c crushed dried New Mexican red chiles
2/3 c chopped pecans

Place 1 ½ cups of the chocolate chips in a 1 quart microwave-safe bowl, microwave, uncovered, on medium power for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes, until chocolate is melted and smooth.  Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350’.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Beat in vanilla and cooled chocolate.
In a bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually stir into egg mixture, mixing well.  Stir in ground chiles, pecan, and remaining ½ c chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool cookies on a rack.

Weight Watchers:  3 points per cookie

Chili Chocolate Pecan Cookies with Van Gogh Double Espresso Vodka

Our biased and unsolicated opinions:

We changed up the salsa by roasting 7 quartered Roma tomatoes, 1 medium quartered white onion and 1 seeded jalapeno, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. The roasting brought out the sweetness and gave a smokiness to the salsa.  After roasting, we coarsely chopped them in a food processor and added them to the pressed garlic, which we had sautéed in a tablespoon of olive oil.  We served the salsa at room temperature and think it would be better on the chiles served warm. 

We used a combination of Monterey jack and pepper jack for our filling. After reading the comments on the Food Network, we chose not to char the peppers as much as we would have normally and put them in the freezer prior to coating them for frying. They were crisp-tender, and we prefer softer chiles. This calls for a re-do, oh darn.   

After removing the corn from the cob, we started sautéing it first, then added the squash and peppers. These were crisp-tender, which was our intention.  

We used a combination of La Tortilla Factory Green Chili, Corn and Wheat Chipotle, and Mission Flax  Seed & Blue Corn Blend tortillas, sliced into quarters, brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper. We roasted them for 20 minutes per side in a 375 degree oven. The chipotle tortillas were thicker and did not crisp at the same rate as the other tortillas. They should have been started sooner or roasted separately. We really liked the variety of flavors and textures with the guacamole.  

These cookies are like eating a chewy fudge brownie with a slightly spicy kicker at the end. Meg says she is going to start adding chiles to all her brownies. (OK by Sue.) We thought a quarter cup of chiles might be too much, but it seems just right. We didn’t have any New Mexico dried chiles; so Meg selected dried Guajillio chiles after taste testing 4 dried varieties. In the first bite you get the chocolate and the cinnamon. The chiles sneak in at the end. Soooo good, especially with the espresso vodka, although Meg says that they are equally good with a latte in the morning.

 An altogether wonderful meal.

Salud, amor, pesetas y tiempo para disfrutarlos.

 

Soul Satisfying Salad

The threat of imminent rain changed our direction this week, and right now we are so glad the weather made us re-think our menu.  We had contemplated grilling pizza, but thought the dough might not cooperate with the changing weather. Plus, watching dough rise seemed a bit daunting to tell the truth. (Making dough takes a certain state of mind.)

We both happened to watch the same episode of Ina Garten’s “Eat Your Greens” and were drooling all over ourselves at the thought of this salad. It did not disappoint – in fact it is fantastic!!  It will be hard to restrain ourselves when talking about this salad. What could possibly be better than sauteed mushrooms, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese? We cannot think of anything at this moment. We are not even embarrassed to tell you that this salad was supposed to serve four, but we demolished the whole thing. It is that good. Never mind that we had crostini while we were preparing the salad . . . 

We had talked about crostini as an appetizer, and after Sue suggested that Meg try a locally baked potato-rosemary bread, Meg raided her refrigerator and came up with this combination to go on the bread.

The pears came from Sue’s mom’s tree, which is heavily laden with fruit this year. Our good luck!  We’ll share the leftovers with her and be picking  more pears.

All together another super easy and delicious meal.

"On Hand" Crostini

"On-Hand" Crostini

Recipe developed by Meg

For Saturday Night Specials 9/22/2012

 

• 2 anchovy fillets, mashed
• I Roma tomato, diced
• 2 small sweet red peppers, roasted, skinned, seeded and diced
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried chives
• 1 Tbsp. California olive oil
• 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 6 fennel seeds, ground
• 3 stuffed garlic-jalapeno green olives, stuffing removed and olives diced
• Salt to taste 
• Garnish with chopped fresh parsley

Marinate covered at room temperature for several hours. 

Sauteed Mushrooms for the salad

Warm Mushroom Salad

Warm Mushroom Salad

2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved
Prep Time:  10 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  10 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound cremini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 bunches of fresh arugula, washed and spun dry
• 8 slices good Italian prosciutto
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
• Chunk of Parmesan cheese
• 8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and julienned
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

 

Clean the mushrooms by brushing the tops with a clean sponge. Don't wash them! Remove and discard the stems and slice the caps 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

 

In a large saute pan, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until bubbly. Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper to the pan, and saute for 3 minutes over medium heat, tossing frequently. Reduce the heat to low and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked through.

 

Meanwhile, arrange the arugula on 4 lunch plates (or on a platter) and cover each portion with 2 slices of prosciutto. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the sherry vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan. Spoon the mushrooms and sauce on top of the prosciutto. With a vegetable peeler, make large shavings of Parmesan cheese and place on top of the hot mushrooms. Sprinkle with the sun-dried tomatoes, parsley leaves, salt, and pepper, and serve warm.

Weight Watchers:  12 points

 

 

Making the Rustic Pear Tart:

 

Ready for the oven, topped with butter and sugar.

The tart in the oven. We couldn't resist peeking -- the aroma was intoxicating!

 

Rustic Pear Tart

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri
Prep Time:  15 min
Inactive Prep Time:  20 min
Cook Time:  1 hr 0 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 to 8 servings

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, diced,
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
• 6 tablespoons buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 cups pears, peeled, cored, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces, tossed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Directions

 

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the bottom blade, add the whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, and the salt and pulse 3 to 4 times to combine. Add in the diced cold butter, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon ginger, and pulse at 3 to 4 second intervals for 6 to 10 times until the mixture resembles sand. Add in the butter milk and pulse until a dough ball forms. Remove from the food processor onto a lightly floured board. Roll the dough into an oval, approximately 16 by 14 inches. Rough edges are okay, but you can trim decoratively if desired. Transfer to a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet.

 

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons flour, sugar, and the remaining spices and mix well. Toss this flour mixture with the pears, gently coating. Pile the pear mix in the center of the tart dough, leaving a 3 to 4-inch border, and then fold the edges up and around the pears, leaving an opening in the center. Crimp any breaks in the dough. Place the baking sheet with tart into the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

 

Remove, allow to cool. Serve at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream.

Weight Watchers: 11 points
 

 

 

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:
More of this salad! What a perfect combination of silky, peppery, sweet and savory. We would not change anything. Every mouthful was sublime. You must make this, and share it with people who love food!

The topping for this crostini started out with gifted home-grown sweet red peppers and was only limited by what Meg had on hand. We strongly encourage you to experiment with what you have in your garden or refrigerator.

Meg, who grinds her own whole wheat flour( really) and is a fan of wholesome foods, thought that this crust with the whole wheat overpowered the pears. It was good, and with stronger flavored fruit would be OK. Using only unbleached white flour would be more to her taste in this recipe. Meg thinks more lemon would be good, too.

Sue is not the baker that Meg is and thought the filling needed more spice.

But when it comes right down to it, when you put ice cream on warm fruit tart . . .

Bogle Vineyard, Old Vine Zinfadel, 2009, $7.99 on sale at Raley’s

We loved the assertiveness of this wine with both the crostini and the salad. As a bonus, the cork had a message that we both loved:

"Over a bottle of wine many a friend is found. "

Yiddish proverb

We will be buying another bottle of Bogle and hoping for another proverb. Salute!

Tuscany Remembered

This is a “new to us” menu, and a trip down memory lane to Tuscany, inspired by Ina Garten’s re-creation of a meal that she shared there with friends.

The Duomo as seen from Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square).

Sue’s favorite city in Italy is Florence and when she saw this episode she declared, “We have to make to this!” Fortunately, Meg just did the bobble head thing and let Sue have her way. Sometimes, an inspiration turns into a plan that comes to beautiful fruition. Such was the case today.

Mary, Sue’s cousin/travel companion on her two trips to Italy was in town for a girls’ weekend. It was the perfect occasion to reminisce while sharing good food and great wine. 

The bonus was a Total Wine “Under the Tuscan Sun” wine tasting this afternoon.  We tasted seven Tuscan (red) wines and learned the history of the region, including family histories going back thousands of years. Meg and Sue were in wine nirvana – seven, count them, seven reds! We chose a wonderful Chianti for this meal. Forget about the candle-melting straw bottle Chianti we all remember from college – this is good stuff! And yes, we blew our wine budget, but it was worth it.


La Castellina Chianti Classico Riserva, 2007 - $19.99 on sale at Total Wine

So on to the Florence inspired meal:

The cod ready to be sealed in the parchment packets.
 

Herb- Roasted Fish out of the oven and ready to eat!

Herb-Roasted Fish

2012, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:  10 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  15 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  1 serving

Ingredients

For each serving:

• 8 ounces boneless fish fillet, such as snapper or cod
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1 large sprig fresh thyme
• 2 Ceregnola or other large green olives with pits

Extra-large egg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the fish fillet on a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle it with the salt and pepper. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over the top of the fillet. Lay the thyme on top and place the olives next to the fillet.

Beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon of water for an egg wash. Brush the egg wash around the edge of the parchment paper and fold it in half. Carefully fold the edge of the parchment paper under and around the fish to make a package. Place the package on a sheet pan and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Serve hot in the parchment paper.

Weight Watchers: 8 points

Celery Salad without the garnish.

Celery Salad with Toasted Walnuts and Shaved Parmesan.

Celery and Parmesan Salad

2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:  15 min
Inactive Prep Time:  2 hr 0 min
Cook Time:  --
Level:  Easy
Serves:  4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 cups thinly sliced celery hearts, tender leaves included, sliced on an angle (about 12 stalks)
• 4-ounce chunk aged Parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• Whole flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

 

At least 1 hour before you plan to serve the salad, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, the shallots, celery seed, celery salt, anchovy paste, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place the celery in a mixing bowl and toss it with the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. (Even though these ingredients are in the dressing, believe me-this step makes a difference.) Add enough dressing to moisten well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the celery to crisp and the flavors to develop.

When ready to serve, arrange the celery on a platter, shave the Parmesan onto the celery with a vegetable peeler, then sprinkle with walnuts, parsley leaves, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.

Weight Watchers: 10 points

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Creamy Parmesan Polenta

2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:  10 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  25 min
Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Directions

 

Place the chicken stock in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon, add the salt and pepper, and simmer, stirring almost constantly, for 10 minutes, until thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly while you're stirring. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, and butter. Taste for seasonings and serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

Weight Watchers: 6 points

 

Affogato Sundae

Affogato Sundaes

2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:  10 min
Inactive Prep Time:  --
Cook Time:  --
Level:  Easy
Serves:  4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pint hazelnut gelato or hazelnut ice cream
• 1 pint vanilla gelato or vanilla ice cream
• 8 tablespoons Tia Maria or Kahlua liqueur
• 8 tablespoons freshly brewed hot espresso
• Sweetened Whipped Cream
• Chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped or whole

Directions

 

Place one scoop each of hazelnut and vanilla gelato in each of 4 dessert or cafe au lait bowls. Spoon 2 tablespoons of Tia Maria and 2 tablespoons of hot espresso over each serving. Dollop some whipped cream onto each serving and garnish with a handful of chocolate-covered espresso beans. Serve immediately.

Weight Watchers:  15 points
 

Our biased and unsolicited opinions:

 

Celery salad? You bet! It is crisp, fresh, full of flavor and nothing like we imagined. This is totally do-ahead, portable and absolutely delicious! If you are hesitant to use anchovies, remember that anchovies are teeny-tiny little fishes and in this recipe they subtly marry the lemon juice and the olive oil. The dressing was tangy and the celery stayed crisp after 5 hours of marinating. Neither of us had celery salt and Meg, being Meg, made her own by combining ground celery seed and salt. We would totally do this again. We think it will keep well, which makes it even better.

The parmesan polenta was rich and gratifying. What’s not to like about butter, cheese and crème fraiche?

We thought our fish was slightly overdone, because it continued to steam in the unopened packets while we were busy taking pictures. If you omit the lemon juice when you make the packets, they can be assembled as early in the day as you would like. The lemon juice will not cook the fish. We think adding long strips of lemon zest and a few red pepper flakes to the packets and a splash of fresh lemon juice when the packets are opened would give a different dimension of lemon flavors. We used cod. It was on sale. It was beautiful.

Affogato is our favorite dessert of the week. Affogato is "drowning" in Italian and the gelato drowning in espresso and Kahlua was sublime. We omitted the whipped cream. (Give us a break! It was eleven o’clock and we were tired.)

 

 Ciao!

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy