FAVORITE RECIPES All recipes are for two, but some are for two twice. December 2009 Fish Chowder Poached Salmon with Soy and Ginger Linguine with Tomatoes, Basil, and Brie Spaghetti and Spinach Mexican Oatmeal Soup Stir Fry Yellow Split Pea Soup Beef in Burgundy Phad Thai Bruschetta Chili Scallop Casserole Baked Salmon Provincetown Kale Soup Grilled Portabello Mushrooms Stringbean Stir Fry Jagdschnitzel Braised Country Style Pork Ribs Grilled Salmon Beef Stew Pumpkin Bread Sauerbraten ------------------------ FISH CHOWDER Fry 2 pieces of bacon until crisp and brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Discard bacon fat, add 1 T olive oil or veg. oil to pan. Brown 1 med. onion (chopped) in oil. Add 2 small to medium potatoes (diced), 1 8 oz bottle of clam juice and 2 cups of milk. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-9 minutes. Add 1/2 to 3/4 lb fish cut into chunks, we prefer cod - halibut, haddock, or catfish are also good. Cook for an additional 12-15 minutes. Crumble bacon and use for garnish. This makes a good dinner for 2 - sometimes a litte is left over for lunch. It's even better the second time. ------------------------------------ POACHED SALMON, WITH SOY AND GINGER 1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth 1/2 cup clam juice (or a can of chopped clams with juice) 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2" to 1" piece of ginger, sliced 1 sm. bunch scallions, sliced 1/2 to 2 lb salmon filet(s) fresh pepper put wine in 12" skillet and cook down for 2-3 minutes add clam juice and soy sauce add half the ginger and scallions place filets in broth put remaining ginger, scallions, and a little pepper on top of fish cover with lid or foil and cook on stove top for 6-9 minutes until flakey/done serve with broth and rice. ---------------------------------- LINGUINE WITH TOMATOES, BASIL, and BRIE 2-4 portions 3-4 ripe large tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/2 lb. Brie, rind removed and torn into pieces 1/2 cup cleaned fresh basil, cut into strips 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced 1/2 cup good olive oil 1 t salt 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper 1/2 lb linguine Parmesan cheese (optional) combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large serving bowl. Set aside covered at room temp for at least 2 hours. cook linguine until al dente drain and toss with tomatoes, cheese, and oil serve immediately -------------------------------------- SPAGHETTI AND SPINACH (serves 4, or 2 twice; good with a salad) Rinse, remove stems, and shred leaves of 1 10oz pkg of fresh spinach. Cook for 3-5 minutes in steamer. Remove and drain thoroughly (mash with fork in strainer) Lightly cook 1/4 pound of mushrooms Cook 1/4 to 1/3 pkg spaghetti al dente (we usually use linguini fini) In large bowl combine: 1 beaten egg generous 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup milk 2 T grated Parmesan cheese 2 T minced dried onion (or use a little cooked onion) salt and pepper to taste Add 8 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese and mix well. Stir in cooked spinach and mushrooms, mix well. Stir in cooked spaghetti. Turn mixture into ungreased baking dish. Moisten with small additional amount of milk. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes. Freezes well. Moisten with milk when reheating. ------------------------------------------ MEXICAN OATMEAL SOUP (serves 2; cheap, quick, nourishing, freezes well) 2/3 cup rolled oats (5-minute kind; NOT 1-minute quick oats) 1 1/2 tbs olive oil 1 tbs marjarine 1/2 lg onion 1 lg clove crushed garlic 1 14oz can diced tomatoes 1 14 1/2 oz cans chicken broth 3/4 cups water 1/4 tsp salt Toast oats in lg heavy skillet over med heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until brown but not burned. This is tricky. It takes a long time, then happens quickly. You want it well browned but burned oats don’t taste good. -- You can sift out the burned chaff. Heat oil and marjorine in Dutch oven or heavy pot soften onions and garlic over medium heat Add all ingredients Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes or more We usually have a lunch left over; freezes well. Regular oats would probably work, but we’ve never tried them. We’ve always had 5-minute oats on hand. They break up a little, and the small pieces tend to burn. Best to sieve them out. 1-minutes oats break up badly and burn. ----------------------------------------- STIR FRY (intended to serve two, with some left over for lunch) I think after 20 years I have a stir fry for two I really like. Bring a half cup of sushi rice to boil in 3/4 cup water and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes, then off heat for 10 minutes. Stir fry separately, 1-2 minutes each until still crunchy, in vegetable oil and remove to a bowl, some combination of: sliced carrots, onions, zucchini, green peppers, mushrooms, and/or red peppers, cabbage, par-boiled broccoli florets or par-boiled green beans, scallions, etc. No more than 1 medium onion or it takes over. Stir fry in oil for 1 minute 2T (or more) chopped garlic and ginger. Add 2 cups beef bouillion (2 cubes) in hot water. Add 2T corn starch paste (corn starch and vermouth or water), and heat and stir until thick enough to coat vegetables Add 1-2T sesame oil, 2T soy sauce, 2T oyster sauce, and 1 tsp honey. Heat and mix for a few seconds, then add the stir-fired vegetables and mix with sauce. Optionally: add cooked chicken, etc. Bean sprouts would be nice. Serve over rice. Optionally: add a scant tsp hot chile paste to helping, more soy sauce, pepper, hot mustard sauce, etc., sprinkle peanuts or chow mein noodles on top ---------------------------------------------- YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP (this is N's favorite recipe) (for 2 with a lunch left over) 1 cup (1/2 lb) dried yellow split peas 2 14 oz cans chicken broth (beef broth not as good for this) plus water to make 4 1/2 cups 2 strips cooked bacon, chopped 1 lg. onion, chopped 1 carrot, sliced 1 clove garlic, sliced brown bacon and set aside pour off 1/2 fat, as 1 T olive oil soften onion and garlic add carrot for 1 minute add liqued and peas simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours near end mash peas with potato masher add crumbled bacon. ------------------------------------------- BEEF IN BURGUNDY This is a half-sized recipe from "The Frugal Gourmet", 1984. It's much like the Beef Burgundy we had at La Citrouille (The Pumpkin), an inexpensive restaurant in Paris. 3 slices bacon 1 1/2 lbs good stewing beef (chuck) 1 1/2 cups dry red wine 1 cup water and 2 beef bouillion cubes 1 T tomato pase 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/4 t thyme 1 sm. bay leaf salt 1/2 lb mushrooms, browned in butter 2 yellow onions, peeled, chopped, browned in butter roux: 2 T flour cooked gently in 2 T butter blanch bacon in boiling water, fry gently, don't burn or darken fat remove bacon from pan, add a little veg. oil, brown unfloured meat rapidly to a deep brown on all sides. put in 2 qt casserole add wine and beef broth, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, a little salt deglaze frying pan with a little wine, add to casserole. bake casserole in 350 degree over for ca. 2 hours (or in heavy skillet on stove top) when beef is tender, add mushrooms and onions, cook 20 minutes thicken with the roux ------------------------------------------------------- PHAD THAI Start with a packet of Sun-Bird Phad Thai Seasoning Mix. Combine mix with 1/2 cup water and 1 T soy sauce. Set aside. Bring a good sized pot of water to a boil and take off heat. Stir in 6 oz. of A Taste of Thai Thin Rice Noodles, Straight Cut. Let sit 15 minutes. While noodles sit: Softly scramble one egg. Set aside. Stir fry in a little oil in a large frying pan one medium sliced carrot, 1/4 small red bell pepper thin sliced, a few scallions sliced, a clove or two of garlic (minced), and maybe a few snow peas. When noodles are ready, add mix to frying pan, and add ca. 1/2 a cooked chicken breast (cubed, optional). Add noodles (well drained). Stir fry the whole mess over medium heat for 2-3 minuts. Top with 1/4 uncooked red bell pepper (sliced) and a few uncooked sliced scallions. Stir in scrambed egg. Serve, with optional soy sauce. Top with crushed peanuts (optional). ---------------------------------------------------- BRUSCHETTA (pronounced: "brusketta") Soft Italian bread cut into 4 3/4 inch rounds, crushed garlic and melted butter, two diced and drained tomatoes, chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar. [Use amounts as desired.] In a small bowl, mix tomato, basil, salt, pepper, a sm. clove garlic crushed, and oil and let marinate briefly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread slices on baking sheet and toast 5 minutes. Spread garlic and melted butter on bread rounds and return to oven for another 3-5 minutes. Spread rounds with tomato/basil mixture. Place a slice of swiss or cheddar cheese on top of tomato/basil and melt under broiler. (This holds the Bruchetta together.) -------------------------------------------------------- CHILI We've used this chili recipe for 30 years. It's was Jane's. We've found recently that it's greatly improved by using a piece of chuck instead of ground beef, a meatier flavor. 1 lb chuck, cut into very small pieces, dry well (the original recipe calls for 2 lbs ground beef) 3 chopped medium onions, 1 chopped sm. gr. pepper, 2 cloves garlic (sliced) 3 T chili powder, 2 t cumin 1 20 oz can tomatoes, 1 6 oz can tomato paste (1 4 oz can chopped green chillies - but we've never used this) 2 t salt, 2 15 oz cans black beans (drained) (orig recip. called for red kidney - black seem better) In a large saucepot, over medium heat, cook beef in small amounts a few minutes until browned. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic and cook until softened. Add tomatoes and their liquid, tomato paste, and remaining ingrediants except beans. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add beans. Simmer additional 1/2 hour. For us this makes enough for three dinners; maybe two for heavier eaters. ----------------------------------------------------- SCALLOP CASSEROLE (based on Cape Cod Fish and Seafood Cookbook) .6 pound scallops cut into bite-sized pieces 1/2 cup cracker crumbs (low salt Ritz) milk to cover paprika, salt, pepper 2 oz. butter 2 oz. grated cheese. Place scallops and crumbs in a 1 qt caserole and pour enough milk to cover scallops. Add seasonings. Scatter a few pieces of butter on top. Sprinkle with more crumbs, and top with more butter. Sprinkle with a little paprika. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese about 10 minutes before it has finished cooking. When finished, let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Has a good scallop flavor. --------------------------- BAKED SALMON Great Flavor! 1/2 lb. filet of organic farm-raised salmon cover with 1 teaspoon each: olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, and sprinkle of dill bake in middle of preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until done garnish with a little sour cream with pinches of: dill, salt, sugar, and a few drops of lemon juice -------------------------- PROVINCETOWN KALE SOUP amounts are aproximate: 1 lg onion chopped 1 clove garlic minced 2 tbsp olive oil 6 cups beef broth 1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes and juice 3 medium potatoes halved 1/2 lb linguica or chorizo bunch of kale, washed and chopped 1 can kidney beans in a large pot fry onions and garlic in oil until yellow add broth, tomatoes, potatoes, and linguica bring to boil, lower heat, simmer until potatoes are tender about 15-20 minutes - remove potatoes and dice, slice sausage, and return to pot [some recipes call for pureeing potatoes before returning to pot; we don't] add kale and beans, simmer covered until kale is tender, about 10 minutes --------------------------------------------- GRILLED PORTABELLO MUSHROOMS ------------------------ STRINGBEAN STIR FRY (1 dinner for two) 1/2 frozen cooked chicken breast, thawed and cut bite-sized two generous helpings fresh string beans 1 small zucchini, 1/4 inch slices 1 small or 1/2 medium onion, rough chopped 4 or 5 mushrooms 1/4 inch slices 1 small carrot, 1/8 inch slices 2-3 med-lg cloves garlic, chopped teaspoon of fresh ginger, chopped two helpings cooked Japanese rice (1/2 cup uncooked) 1 cup beef bouillion (cube) 1 tbsp oyster sauce soy sauce chow mein noodles 1-2 tbsp corn starch in vermouth stir fry one by one, in veg oil with a little sesame oil, until just al dente and set aside: onion, carrot, zucchini, mushrooms steam beans until al dente, then stir fry 30 seconds in a little sesame oil with part of the garlic and ginger and dash of soy sauce and set aside stir fry chicken 30 seconds in a little oil, garlic, ginger, and dash of soy and set aside stir fry remaining garlic and ginger in sesame oil for 20 seconds, add bouillion and oyster sauce, stir in corn starch until right thickness add vegetables and chicken and stir serve over rice, with optional soy sauce, chinese hot chili paste, sprinkling of chow mein noodles, chinese hot mustard Notes: The bumper bean crop from our garden was the instigation. The zucchini was mostly for N. The chicken is leftover from a 3-4 lb. store-bought barbequed chicken (eaten twice for supper, one breast saved and frozen for two stir fries, remaining carcus frozen for soup. Reducing the onion and eaving out the Hoisin sauce was a good idea. ------------------------ JAGDSCHNITZEL A LA POULET. CHICKEN CUTLETS. I ran across Jagdschnitzel in a novel and looked it up, a pork cutlet with a sauce that looked good. We did it with chicken, and it is good. We buy "Nature's Promise" organic meats when we can. I don't supposed they come from an all-volunteer barnyard of contented foul, but they certainly taste good. Pound two small chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thick cutlets. Dredge in egg and bread crumbs with a little salt and pepper and fry two minutes to a side in two tbsp cooking oil. Set aside in warm oven. Lightly brown 4 or 5 sliced mushrooms and 1/2 a small onion chopped, add 1/2 to 2/3 cup water and 1/2 beef bouillon cube. Simmer 5 minutes. Then stir in ca. 1 tsp cornstarch to thicken and swirl in a couple of tbsp sour cream. Serve sauce over the cutlets. Simple and very good -------------------------- BRAISED COUNTRY STYLE PORK RIBS This is the most aromatic and delicious dish we cook! 1/2 to 3/4 pound of country style pork ribs enough for two modest eaters Marinade: 3 Tb lemon juice 3 TB olive oil parsley 1/4 tsp thyme 1 bay leaf 1 clove mashed garlic rub a little salt and pepper into meat marinate it for 2-3 hours at room temperature pour off marinade (save bay leaf and garlic) dry meat with paper towels brown meat in olive oil remove to casserole 1/4 cup vermouth to deglaze pan - add to casserole add 1 cup beef bouillon and bay leaf and garlic cook in covered casserole at 325 degrees for 2 hours --------------------------------------------------- GRILLED SALMON ----------------------------------------------------- MOST EXCELLENT BEEF STEW 1 1/2 lbs, chuck cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks a little olive oil for browning 1 cup water with 2 beef bouillion cubes 1/4 cup red wine 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes with liqued 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp thyme 2 small to medium onions, quartered 4 stalks celery incl. tops, cut up 4 carrots, peeled and cut up 2 medium potatoes, quartered 1/2 turnip, peeled and cubed salt and pepper brown meat in a little olive oil in batches, set aside deglaze pot with bouillion, wine, and tomatoes add garlic, bay leaf, thyme add browned meat simmer 1/2 hour on stove top add onions and celery simmer 1 hour add carrots, potatoes, turnip, salt and pepper simmer 1 hour thicken with a roue of 2T melted butter and 2T flour --------------------------------------------------- PUMPKIN BREAD WITH STRUESEL TOPPING (from Vegetarian Pleasures ?) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 3 large eggs 1 t vanilla extract 1 15 oz can solid-packed pumpkin 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour 1 1/2 t baking powder 1 1/2 t baking soda 3/4 t salt 1 1/2 t cinnamon 1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg (otional) 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans 2/3 cup raisins Streusel Topping 1/3 cup unbleached flour 1/3 cup sugar 4 T cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9x5 inch (1 1/2-quart) loaf pans 2) In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla using an electric mixer. Beat in the pumpkin until thoroughly blended. Beat in the remaining bread ingredients until evenly moistened. Scrape into the prepared pans. 3) To make the topping: Combine the flour and sugar in a small bowl. With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until coarse crumbs are formed. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of each loaf. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before removing from the pans. Cool thoroughly before slicing. SAUERBRATEN (adapted from the James Beard Cookbook) 2 pounds chuck roast (not cubes) Marinade 1/2 cup wine vinegar 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup red wine 1 onion peeled and sliced 1 carrot peeled and sliced 1/2 stalk celery finely chopped parsley 1 bay leaf 1/2 T crushed peppercorns 1/2 t salt 1/3 cup crumbled gingersnaps Put meat and marinade ingredients in a deep bowl. Cover and put in refrigerator for 3 days. Turn several times. Remove meat from marinade, wipe dry. Pour marinade into a pan and heat. Heat 2 T olive oil in a deep pot and sear and brown meat on all sides. Pour in the heated marinade, cover tightly, lower heat and simmer 2 hours or until meat is tender. Add crumbled gingersnaps. Cover and cook another 1/2 hour. We found that it didn't need additional thickening.