Recipes That Rock: 2008

[Anna N]

This is just an awesome topic! Thanks Maggie.

Tonight I made these shrimp as an appetizer and they will be in my permanent file to be forever known as Silver City Shrimp.

and this mushroom accompaniment to a steak. Hubby is not a fan of mushrooms but when I tried to remove his plate with a few of these mushrooms still on it I almost lost a hand!

I also made the chicken sausage from Happy in the Kitchen. They have been poached and are resting comfortably in the 'fridge until tomorrow. These, too, were inspired by this topic.

[maggiethecat]

Very interesting Maggie -- glad you posted this as it sounds interesting but I would have been skeptical of the no stock part... Did you use canned beans or dried?

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I was skeptical about the no stock part too. ( Santa Marcella disapproves of stock in Italian cooking, and favors light broths. She has been known to specify a Maggi cube.)

But it was a what the heck, why not try it thing. And the barley water was surprisingly savory. (Actually, wasn't barley water a good-for-whatever-ails thing you back in the day?)

Yes, I used canned beans. The soup was nutritious, cheap, easy and rockin'. I wish I'd taken a picture.

[Bella S.F.]

Great thread. I have a list of magazines to go and find around the house.

Sadie 4232, could you please give a little more information for the Tuscan Chicken. I went to Epicurious but could not find it.

I will definitely think about other recipes to add to this one, but I wanted to get this down. Nigellas Lawson's Roasted, Butterflied, Lemon Chicken with Rosemary is the best roasted chicken I have ever made. I don't see the need to try any others since making this. (And we have been making it practically every week.)The leftovers are amazingly moist, which is not always the case with roasted chicken. We serve the chicken with roasted potatoes or potatoes that have been boiled till almost tender, and then smashed in your hand and sauteed in a cast iron frying pan until golden. If you cut up the golden potatoes and then serve them mixed with the chicken you are in for a real treat.

Edited April 5, 2008 by Bella S.F. (log)

[maggiethecat]

  I will definitely think about other recipes to add to this one, but I wanted to get this down. Nigellas Lawson's Roasted, Butterflied, Lemon Chicken with Rosemary is the best roasted chicken I have ever made. I don't see the need to try any others since making this. (And we have been making it practically every week.)The leftovers are amazingly moist, which is not always the case with roasted chicken. We serve the chicken with roasted potatoes or potatoes that have been boiled till almost tender, and then smashed in your hand and sauteed in a cast iron frying pan until golden. If you cut up the golden potatoes and then serve them mixed with the chicken you are in for a real treat.

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I can lend an endorsement here -- it's just really really good eating. (I love the idea of the smashed sauteed potatoes.)

Anna: Those mushrooms will happen in my house this week.And I'm checking out everyone else's suggestions. (Susan, did you stick to the thirty minute timing for the Clay Pot Pork?)

I confess that when I started this topic the obvious escaped me. Where in the world could I have found a more knowledgeable set of recipe testers than my fellow Society members? I'm grateful, and my cooking will take me places I didn't foresee. For me, a new recipe that rocks can make my day.

[Marlene]

Tis nice to know you are cooking again, Dark Lady.

Crispy pork chops. Crispy smashed and roasted potatoes. Both simple, but rocked our world.

I made a challah bread in class this week and an Umbrian parmesan bread that I will make over and over again. Plus a swiss butter dough that is fabulous for dinner rolls.

[eldereno]

I love this thread and expect it to be around for a very long time!!!

A wonderful recipe that I made for Easter...a side dish for a leg of lamb was Savory Spinach and Artichoke Bread Pudding, an Emeril recipe. It made a ton so I had loads of leftovers to take to work. Everyone who tried it loved it. Also made Sauteed Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas, an Ina recipe. This I have made before. A very easy and tasty combo.

BTW, the roasted leg of lamb turned out good, too.

I find and frequently love many of the recipes I try from the Food Network website, though I also find and frequently love recipes from other sources.

Looks like there may be some new cookbooks in my future, though!!!!!

Can't wait to try some of the recommendations you all have given.

Edited because my first link did not work.

Edited April 5, 2008 by eldereno (log)

[dockhl]

This thread is a gem, thank you Maggie !

And hearty thanks to all of you who are linking to or providing recipes. It kind of is the point of this type of thread, isn't it?

[snowangel]

(Susan, did you stick to the thirty minute timing for the Clay Pot Pork?)

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No, Maggie, I didn't. 30 minutes just didn't seem long enough, and the sick child wanted a cuddly nap on the couch...

I'll add that this recipe has all of the makings of a great "put it in the crock pot in the am and come home to a wonderful dish" meal...

[Pierogi]

Tis nice to know you are cooking again, Dark Lady.

BTW.........Ditto !

Emily_R , regarding Nigella's roast chicken & sausage, on the episode of her show (don't remember which, want to say it was Nigella Bites??) she threw some potato pieces into the pan, and the oil, after the chicken and sausages had an initial roast. So everything cooked together in the same pan, and the potatoes sort of soaked up (and exploited !) the excess oil and got roasty-crunchy brown. That was how I did it. The recipes *were* on Food Network's web site, if you can't find them, let me know and I'll either PM them to you or finally figure out how to post a link.........errrrrrrr.

Which brings me to Dockhl ......sorry (hanging head, shuffling feet), adding links is still a skill which escapes me on this site. If you want any of the recipes I alluded to, let me know, and I will either try again (and again, and again) or PM it to you.

[petite tête de chou]

The Cook's Illustrated recipe for "The Best Oven-Fried Chicken" has been incredibly popular in my household. I use crushed garlic Melba toast instead of plain and it's just wonderful!

[mizducky]

I made an absolutely killer tom yum goong based on the recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's Far Eastern Cookery, only substituting head-on shrimp for headless, and omitting the chicken broth because I now had the heads as well as the shells to make broth with. The resulting broth had an intense flavor and color that really stood up to all the hot/sweet/spicy/sour going on, producing a soup that totally kicked the butt of all the insipid tom yum goongs I've had in Thai restaurants in this town. (Plus I developed a really bad nam prik pow obsession--never was a seasoning more ironically transliterated into English. )

[Emily_R]

Thanks for that note Pierogi -- that makes more sense, and I did find the recipe -- here's a link to those who are interested...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_34751,00.html

And now I've got a question for snowangel -- that clay pot pork sounds interesting, but I blanched at the idea of cooking hardboiled eggs in there with it... How did those turn out?

[snowangel]

And now I've got a question for snowangel -- that clay pot pork sounds interesting, but I blanched at the idea of cooking hardboiled eggs in there with it... How did those turn out?

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Actually, I was suspect of this, too, but they turned out wonderfully -- sort of like Master Sauce eggs. But, the dish would be wonderful without the eggs, and for that matter, would work well with chicken thighs too.

[judiu]

Neat thread! 

I am actually trying to be better about actually trying new stuff instead of redoing all of the old stuff.  Although I have 2 ring binders full of clipped recipes!!

One thing new that I did make recently that was just spectacular was the fennel cured salmon out of the Ruhlman/Polcyn Charcuterie book.  It was absolutely awesome!

I recently made the shrimp & grits method from the Lee Bros cookbook and even though I am a failure at grits, the shrimp was great!

But the thing that rocked absolutely was Nigella Lawson's chicken & sausage bake, I posted pics here,it was so good I made it again 2 weeks later for a bigger crowd.  I think the marination overnight is the key to this for sure.

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I looked at the recipe, and have a question; when Nigella says 2 tsp English mustard, does she mean dried mustard, or prepared? I have Coleman's dried mustard as a pantry staple but 2 teaspoons worth? That seems like an awful lot to me! That would probably take the top of my head off! Help, please!

[Anna N]

Neat thread! 

I am actually trying to be better about actually trying new stuff instead of redoing all of the old stuff.  Although I have 2 ring binders full of clipped recipes!!

One thing new that I did make recently that was just spectacular was the fennel cured salmon out of the Ruhlman/Polcyn Charcuterie book.  It was absolutely awesome!

I recently made the shrimp & grits method from the Lee Bros cookbook and even though I am a failure at grits, the shrimp was great!

But the thing that rocked absolutely was Nigella Lawson's chicken & sausage bake, I posted pics here,it was so good I made it again 2 weeks later for a bigger crowd.  I think the marination overnight is the key to this for sure.

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I looked at the recipe, and have a question; when Nigella says 2 tsp English mustard, does she mean dried mustard, or prepared? I have Coleman's dried mustard as a pantry staple but 2 teaspoons worth? That seems like an awful lot to me! That would probably take the top of my head off! Help, please!

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I think, from a brief google of Nigella + mustard, in this recipe that she means mustard ready to use from a jar. She seems to indicate "powder" when that's what is required. Or you can just reconstitute the powder to make the mustard.

Edited to make better sense, I hope!

Edited April 5, 2008 by Anna N (log)

[Pierogi]

I looked at the recipe, and have a question; when Nigella says 2 tsp English mustard, does she mean dried mustard, or prepared? I have Coleman's dried mustard as a pantry staple but 2 teaspoons worth? That seems like an awful lot to me! That would probably take the top of my head off! Help, please!

←

I think, from a brief google of Nigella + mustard, in this recipe that she means mustard ready to use from a jar. She seems to indicate "powder" when that's what is required. Or you can just reconstitute the powder to make the mustard.

Edited to make better sense, I hope!

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!! It IS dried Coleman's mustard. Realize its only 2 teaspoons of mustard for FOUR POUNDS of chicken, that's really not a lot. Especially since its esentially in a marinade which will become the sauce (sort of......) and then there's sausages thrown in the mix. It is NOT overwhelming hot as is. Really. It's not.

[Anna N]

I looked at the recipe, and have a question; when Nigella says 2 tsp English mustard, does she mean dried mustard, or prepared? I have Coleman's dried mustard as a pantry staple but 2 teaspoons worth? That seems like an awful lot to me! That would probably take the top of my head off! Help, please!

←

I think, from a brief google of Nigella + mustard, in this recipe that she means mustard ready to use from a jar. She seems to indicate "powder" when that's what is required. Or you can just reconstitute the powder to make the mustard.

Edited to make better sense, I hope!

←

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!! It IS dried Coleman's mustard. Realize its only 2 teaspoons of mustard for FOUR POUNDS of chicken, that's really not a lot. Especially since its esentially in a marinade which will become the sauce (sort of......) and then there's sausages thrown in the mix. It is NOT overwhelming hot as is. Really. It's not.

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I stand corrected! Thanks!

[Doodad]

The Skate Grenoblaise from Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook. My first really sucessful fish dish from both a presentation and taste standpoint. We made it again recently with halibut, meyer lemons and homemade croutons. It just works and is simple.

[pax]

I made Marcella Hazan's Pork Loin braised in milk. My family licked their plates clean. I am not kidding. I modified it to do it in the slow cooker and now they won't stop asking for it!

I was inspired by Rick Bayless' appearance on Top Chef to pull out his cook book and I made my first ever refried beans from scratch. I don't know why I was so reluctant for so long. Fabulous and so much better than opening a tin. Also, his gauc rocks, I've never made good gauc but I'm going to be watching for good avacados like a hawk now. How did I get to be this old without knowing about deflaming onions?

And last but not least, two weeks ago my 6 yo came to me with Buster's Challah Recipe. That's right, Buster, the animated rabbit, bakes rockin' Challah bread. I'd never made challah before, so I had no idea what a great recipe it was until I baked a couple of comparison loaves from some well known baking books, and I have to tell you, Buster the PBS Rabbit is my new culinary hero. I hope it's ok to include this link, Buster says it's good to share.

[Muffinzz]

The Balsamic Sauteed Mushrooms from Fine Cooking, Feb/Mar 2008 (recipe's on their website, but you have to be a member to view it). These were, quite literally, plate-licking good. We've made them three times already.

[judiu]

I looked at the recipe, and have a question; when Nigella says 2 tsp English mustard, does she mean dried mustard, or prepared? I have Coleman's dried mustard as a pantry staple but 2 teaspoons worth? That seems like an awful lot to me! That would probably take the top of my head off! Help, please!

←

I think, from a brief google of Nigella + mustard, in this recipe that she means mustard ready to use from a jar. She seems to indicate "powder" when that's what is required. Or you can just reconstitute the powder to make the mustard.

Edited to make better sense, I hope!

←

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!! It IS dried Coleman's mustard. Realize its only 2 teaspoons of mustard for FOUR POUNDS of chicken, that's really not a lot. Especially since its esentially in a marinade which will become the sauce (sort of......) and then there's sausages thrown in the mix. It is NOT overwhelming hot as is. Really. It's not.

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Thanks! I did not bother to "pre-think" the quantity of meat per the amount of marinade. I love Coleman's in most things eggy or cheesy, like my mac and cheese and my deviled eggs, but in much smaller amounts... Thanks for setting me straight!

[Bella S.F.]

Muffinzz, I logged on to mention the Balsamic Sauteed Mushrooms from February/March's Fine Cooking. I saw that you just beat me to it. We had them last night with a steak. They are really amazing. I added a little extra balsamic vinegar and cooked it down to a nice glaze. I am looking forward to having them again tonight.

[Bella S.F.]

For Nigella Lawson's Chicken and Sausage Bake... what kind of sausages did you folks use? I was thinking Italian, but I wondered what else may have been used.

[Priscilla]

Inspiring topic.

And it just happened to me yesterday.

Creamed Spinach and Basil, from a Tivo'd Jean-Georges Vongerichten appearance on Martha (which happened to have been from my b.d).

I have hardly met a creamed spinach I didn't like, but wow what a great preparation.

The basil flavor is supported by a little bit of fennel. Reminded me of the various spinach dishes which get a hit of Pernod. So good! The fresh spinach, and basil, and fennel, and celery, and shallot, all from my favorite vendor at the farmer's market, certainly helped, but the idea is an excellent one to begin with.

[Emily_R]

Ok, I thought of another one that has blown me away this year... Finally found what I believe is the perfect lentil soup... I follow it to the letter (though I don't even think it needs the cilantro), and I basically just can't get enough of it...

From the NY Times -- Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/dining/0...xprod=permalink

On another note, Pax -- I've always wanted to make that milk braised pork loin, but have been confused -- did you strain the sauce to get out the clumps of curdled milk, or does it get served *with* the clumps?