FSU Chefs Unite (Recipes Thread Part II)

[Jenny]

Since the traditional mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes are already mushy, how about skipping the cream sauce on the green beans altogether? Instead, blanch them, then toss them into the serving dish with an interesting topping? If the beans are al dente, they can sit around for awhile and not lose texture - just get them into a warm serving dish when it's time to eat.

* melted butter with lemon zest
* a "gremolata" of finely diced almonds (toasted in a dry frypan earlier as an option), garlic and either lemon zest or parsley
* slivered onions and celery that have been softened in butter

Sprinkle on some sea salt at the table, and voila gourmet but easy update to Thanksgiving favourite!

[BigB08822]

My carrot cake cookie sandwiches were a hit! Everyone loved them and asked for the recipe.

[AragornElessar]

No Thanksgiving thread so far this year I'm a big fan of American Thanksgiving, but sadly not celebrating this year - it's a Thursday, just another workday here - and usually look forward to reading everyone else's menus to live vicariously through our American friends.

That, and given that we have no hockey this season, means I've decided to use the 100th Grey Cup (Canadian Super Bowl) this Sunday as an excuse to create a themed food and drink menu. Sadly the teams and game location don't offer much inspiration. The hometeam and stadium are in Toronto, which doesn't have its own food identity or signature dishes. It's a very multi-cultural town, so you get everything in Toronto, but nothing comes to mind that is uniquely Toronto. Ideas welcome!! The other team is from Calgary - so steak and Caesars I guess. Not my favourite drink though, so I might whip up a bath of Earl Grey Martinis in honour of the Cup's namesake. Again, ideas welcome

Well...I've heard the Dome referred to as the Concrete Pizza Pocket in the past, so if all else fails, you could do turnovers of some sort to look like the Dome when you're looking down on it from the air...

Not all that helpful, I know, but all I could think up of. At least w/Calgary being in the game, there's all that Western/Cowboy type of stuff if you want to go in that direction. Other than that...

I'm still thinking.

[TheGirlCanSkate]

Studding the ham...

Do you score and poke cloves into your ham? Just curious! I normally don't do anything to a ham, but decided to try an orange glaze and the recipe said to score and stud.....

[Vagabond]

Pumpkin-Chestnut Soup (Easy and Divine)

You start with equal parts cooked pumpkin and chestnuts (can be baked or boiled, with an X cut into each nut). I bake the pumpkin and roast my own chestnuts, then take off the skin/shells and chop the pumpkin in fairly small pieces, the chestnuts into smaller pieces. Here we can get packaged chestnuts as well and they are preferable because you don't have to cook and shell them. But they are also way more expensive than fresh. And I don't know if this recipe would work well with canned pumpkin.

I had about five cups each of pumpkin and chestnuts for my last soup. First, I chopped a small onion and several cloves of garlic, then sauteed them in butter. Then I added the pumpkin and chestnuts and add chicken stock to the mix, which is very thick. I bring the stock to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer - add a few bay leaves and some fresh ground pepper, simmer for five-ten minutes. Then puree in a food processor. The mix may still be too thick for soup, so you can thin it down with more chicken stock to the desired consistency. Vegetable stock would work just as well as chicken stock for vegetarians.

You can freeze some of the puree as well, then add more stock when you are ready to eat it.

This dish could be spiced all sorts of way but really needs nothing more, as the chestnuts have such a wonderful flavour. I usually add some shredded parmesan reggiano to the soup and serve with a baguette.

I made this recently, using one part chestnuts, two parts pumpkin, and four parts stock. The stock was a combination of store-bought chicken and vegetable stocks. It certainly was not too thick, but it was also a bit bland, so I added some parsley and salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. The resulting mixture was very well received.

Next time, I will probably use a 1:1:2 ratio for the three main ingredients and some homemade chicken stock, which will be more seasoned than the store-bought equivalent.

[jeffisjeff]

Does anyone have a good recipe for Pasta Fajioli?

[Artemis@BC]

I don't have a recipe but I do know you have to wait for the stars to make you drool.

And afterward, be prepared to dance down the street with a cloud at your feet.

[BigB08822]

I just made one of my FAVORITE meals ever. I've only had it this once but I already can't wait to make it again.

I found a recipe online for a crock pot meal that was something along the lines of Chicken Cheddar Brocolli over rice. Basically, can of cream of chicken, can of cream of cheddar, chicken stock, chicken breasts and serve it over rice. I wanted to make it but with less sodium and the old fashioned way instead of using the crock pot. It turned out AMAZING. I accidentally made an incredible brocolli cheddar soup that goes amazing over rice.

I started by saving on the sodium by making my own cream of cheddar. I melted 3 tablespoons of butter and whisked that with 3 tablespoons of flour. I let it cook for a few minutes but not until it began browning. I added in 1 cup of milk and whisked that off the heat until it thickened. I added it back to the heat and added in about a cup and a half of shredded cheddar cheese. I added some reduced sodium chicken broth, about a cup to a cup and 1/4 total. I started with a cup and added a little here and there as it thickened over time. I then whisked in a can of cream of chicken and added pepper, red pepper and garlic powder to season. I didn't need any salt with all the sodium already included but I am a wimp when it comes to salt so most people would probably still add salt. I blanched a bunch of broccoli and added that in and let it sit for a while, making sure to give it a rough stir to break up some of the broccoli so the base was speckled with green bits. I baked some chicken breasts in the oven and when those came out I served the "soup" over rice and over the chicken. It was AMAZING. This was thick enough to perfectly compliment the rice and chicken. You could easily make this and thin it out for a perfect soup. You could also shred the chicken in, which I may try next time. I can not wait to have this for lunch. This probably sounds very basic to most of you experienced cooks but I am quite proud of myself, haha.

ETA: Oh, I also added in a little sour cream but really not very much at all and I honestly don't think it was necessary. Might be a good idea if you make it too thin and need a good way to thicken it up.

[mkats]

I had just a little craving for plain old chard sauteed with a little minced garlic tonight.

(Seriously, it's 99 cents a bunch for the biggest bunch of chard I've ever seen - you could use it for a wedding bouquet - at our local farmer's market!)

[zee703]

Anyone have a nice Thai Mango salad recipe?

Spicy Mango (or Papaya) Salad

¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp sugar
(I like to add a bit of pure maple syrup)

3 mangos, peeled & julienned 1” long (I prefer papaya)
1 large red bell pepper julienned
½ cup onion finely chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup fresh mint chopped
Chopped peanuts

Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Taste; if needed, add a bit of pure maple syrup.

Only add remaining ingredients less than 1 hour before serving. Keep chilled. Top with peanuts.

Source: adapted from a Sue Branch blog recipe

[Nomad]

I spent Sunday afternoon making my riff on Dave Lieberman's beef stew recipe:

Ingredients
2 pounds beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter
Olive oil
3 small onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium carrots, peeled, halved and cut into 1-inch chunks
4 stalks of celery, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans reduced-sodium beef or chicken broth
1 bottle dry red wine (I used a Pinot Noir)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
3 1/2" wide strips orange peel
4 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 handfuls green beans, ends trimmed



Pour a glass of wine. Enjoy a few sips. Season the beef cubes lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with a splash of olive oil in a heavy stock pot over medium heat. As soon as the butter starts to turn brown, add half the beef and raise the heat to high. At first, the beef will give off some liquid, but once that evaporates, the beef will start to brown. Cook, turning the beef cubes on all sides until the pieces are as evenly browned as possible, about 5 or 6 minutes after the water has boiled off. If the pan starts to get too brown at any point, just turn down the heat a little. Scoop the beef into a bowl and brown the rest of the beef the same way, using more butter and olive oil as needed.

Deglaze the stockpot with a 1 cup of wine and pour the reduced wine over the beef. Heat up 1/2 a tablespoon of butter and a splash of olive oil, then add the onions. When the onions are carmelized, add the garlic. When you can smell the garlic cooking (less than a minute) transfer to a bowl large enough to hold the onion, carrots, and celery. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of butter and more olive oil if necessary. Saute the carrots and celery for about 5 minutes. Transfer to onion-garlic bowl and add another 1/2 tablespoon butter/splash of olive oil to the pot. Brown the mushrooms. Add the cooked celery, carrots, and onions. Stir in the flour until it has been worked into the veggies and you can’t see it any more. Pour in the chicken broth, 2 cups of wine, crushed tomatoes, and toss in the rosemary, bay leaves, and orange peel. (I use cheesecloth to make a sachet for easy removal.) Slide the beef back into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.

Turn down the heat so the liquid is just breaking a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 50 minutes. Stir the stew several times while simmering so it cooks evenly and nothing sticks to the bottom.

Stir the potatoes into the stew, cover the pot completely, and cook until the potatoes and beef are tender, stirring occasionally, about another 45 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes until the green beans turn bright green and are cooked through but still have a nice snap to them.

[BigB08822]

That is the exact recipe I used to make every time I made stew. Well, it still is but I just haven't made it in such a long time. It is absolutely delicious.

[AragornElessar]

I had just a little craving for plain old chard sauteed with a little minced garlic tonight.

(Seriously, it's 99 cents a bunch for the biggest bunch of chard I've ever seen - you could use it for a wedding bouquet - at our local farmer's market!)

Have you ever used Swiss Chard to substitute for Cabbage Rolls? Mom does this all the time and they are so very, very yummy!! In fact, I don't even remember the last time she's made them w/Cabbage, as all I've known has been Swiss Chard Rolls. Anyway...The filling she uses is part Browned Ground Meat, part Rice and part Canned Tomatoes w/Juice and as I said, they are so very, very yummy!!

The reason I came over to find the thread though, was to share both a new recipe site *and* what looks to be a really great Bundt Dessert Cake recipe from it...

As some know, my Dad's on Kidney Dialysis and I marked 19 years and 3 months since my Kidney Transplant on the weekend and Tax Time is coming up fast. Since the lady who does our Taxes will be here on either Friday or Monday to go over everything w/us and the forms, Mom asked me to check out the Kidney Foundation of Canada's site to see what or even if we could claim anything when it came to the both of us and turns out there's quite a few things we're eligible for.

What's that got to do w/recipes? Well, it's been quite a long time since I've been at the KFoC's website and they've done a complete and total overhaul of the thing. Which also includes a new off shoot site called The Kidney Community Kitchen. Which is long overdue and a such a great tool for those of us who have a Family Member w/Kidney Disease and/or are dealing w/it in our life. The Kidney Dialysis Diet is one of the most restrictive Medical Diets out there for so many various reasons and that can make even just a plain ol' everyday meal a challenge at times. So to have this site now up and running is such a valuable tool and resource for all of us in the Kidney Community.

Also for anyone else who is interested in going through a recipe site for new additions to our personal cookbooks or recipe boxes, it's a great place to just surf through. The following recipe was featured on the KFoC's Home Page as "Recipe of the Day" and I can understand why. I *love* Citrus baked goods and combine that w/Blueberries in any form and you've got my undivided attention.

Kidney Community Kitchen ~ Glazed Citrus Cake with Blueberry Compote

Didn't realize it's now well after Midnight here, which means it's now March 14th and World Kidney Day!! Maybe giving that recipe a try would be a great way of marking it.

Anyway...I just thought I'd share the links to both the site and cake recipe over here for anyone interested.

[Artemis@BC]

Has anyone used apple sauce as a fat substitute in brownies? I do it all the time for muffins, but I'm not sure if it would work for brownies.

It's actually a brownie mix -- the Trader Joe's one is so amazing it hardly seems worthwhile to make brownies from scratch! But it does call for quite a lot of butter. I was thinking of trying it with half butter half applesauce.

[michiruwater]

How long will homemade salsa last in the refrigerator?

Can I freeze it?

[acraven]

How long will homemade salsa last in the refrigerator?

Can I freeze it?

I've never made salsa, but when I have a question about freezing something, I just Google "freeze whatever" and read the comments on a few websites, giving preference to government sources and industry websites (like the American Egg Board, etc.). From my quick check it appears that you can freeze salsa, but there may be a change in its texture (it may get runny). It sounds as if this would be more of an issue with chunky salsas. Another possible concern is that I've always heard garlic tends to strengthen in the freezer. I try to keep that in mind when I make spaghetti sauce and chili. But perhaps there's no garlic in your salsa.

I have no training in food safety, but my general rule for keeping foods in the refrigerator is to use them by the fifth day (counting the day of original preparation). There are some things I wouldn't keep that long, though, like seafood, cream pie (not that the latter would last that long in my apartment) and homemade mayonnaise. Salsa is acidic, so I don't see any reason why 5 days would be too long.

[Artemis@BC]

Depends very much on the ingredients. A homemade salsa that has raw tomato chunks as the base or a main component will not take well to freezing. The tomatoes will get yucky, to use a technical culinary term.

Other types of fresh salsa can be frozen, though. Particularly fruit ones like pineapple or mango. And if the tomato is cooked, that will freeze okay too. (But IMO if you're going to cook the tomato ... you might as well buy a jar of store-bought!)

[kwanfan1818]

I still haven't gotten the perfect mac and cheese down, but duck prosciutto makes imperfect mac and cheese a lot closer to perfect. (It's salty, so I had to make some adjustments.)

[Jenny]

I grew up on Kraft Dinner/Mac and Cheese, and it's pretty much the only processed food I will still eat on occasion as I just love the taste of it. But, when we want to go gourmet from scratch, here are our two favourites:

From New York's Balthazar restaurant - sounds like a ton of sauce, but follow the recipe as it works out perfectly. Also, I don't bother pre-heating the milk and have no trouble making a great sauce. kwanfan I think you could easily sub in duck prosciutto for the bacon

From Bon Appetit - includes interesting cheeses and a layer of swiss chard - I'm sure you could do other greens as well.

[mkats]

A relatively healthy alfredo sauce - no butter or cream involved. I saw this recipe on Pinterest while in class, emailed it to Boyfriend, and by the time I got home it was already simmering on the stove It was actually remarkably good for relatively little fat in it, although Boyfriend did add some bacon so I'm sure that dropped its nutritional score by quite a bit

We liked it so much we ended up making it again the next night.