Recipes That Rock: 2008

[Kim D]

Trying to eat more veg, so Manjula's Kitchen on Youtube has been a godsend. My favorite is her

. Utterly delicious, and she shows you how to make a yogurt sauce that won't break. The Food Network needs this woman.

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Thanks for this link. So far I've made Potato Curry with Yogurt Gravy, Spicy Potatoes and Chola. Each were winners. Easy peasy and delicious. I think the videos make all the difference.

[mukki]

MSL's Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi with Sage Butter. Absolutely delicious!

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Geezo Pete! Since you posted this suggestion, I've been intrigued, and went to the MSL site to see the video wherein she shows the Sarah (not so) Brightman how to make them. I happened to have all the ingredients and an an hour on my hands, fresh sage from the garden, and with much trepidation, I made them. The "dough" seemed way too soft, and I expected these dumplings to fall apart in the boiling water.

Har. Why should I doubt Martha? These were light, cheesy, spinachey. I used a few new techniques, had that cool suspense -- it wouldn't work, and -- it did!

Don't be afraid, as I was, that the gnudi are too soft when you form them. Give them the flour dust, the refrigeration, and watch them bob from the bottom of the stock pot ready to be sauced.

Mukki, U rock. Thanks.

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I'm glad you liked them! I usually pass on Martha's recipes, but I'll be more inclined to try them after this one.

[Kim D]

I've never eaten okra but I've always wanted to cook with it. And now I have.

Bhindi Masala from Manjula's kitchen rocks.

[Pierogi]

I finally, finally made the Tomato Gorgonzola Pasta recipe Pierogi was kind enough to PM me ages ago.

I love it!

feedmec00kies

Pierogi, I just made that recipe last night, after your recommendation and those rave revies from Elisie and Pat W....Thanks for letting us know about that one!

Both of you are very welcome, and it pleases me no end that I can contribute such a wonderful dish to such a wonderful site ! I need to be making me some of this again very soon I think.........

OOOHHHHH, won't it be WONDERFUL with good *fresh* ripe summer tomatoes instead of canned??

[Abra]

Pierogi, would you be so kind as to PM me that tomato gorgonzola recipe as well? My gorgonzola-loving son is visiting right now, so I have a good excuse to make it.

If any of you have access to fresh morels, or zucchini flowers, I stuffed some of each last night, and boy were they delicious. Each stuffing had a base of breadcrumbs and bacon, but from there they were totally different. It's fussy work, stuffing tiny food, but the results are so rewarding. The recipes are in French, but let me know if you'd like them and I'll put them into English.

[prasantrin]

Both of you are very welcome, and it pleases me no end that I can contribute such a wonderful dish to such a wonderful site !  I need to be making me some of this again very soon I think.........

OOOHHHHH, won't it be WONDERFUL with good *fresh* ripe summer tomatoes instead of canned??

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What a coincidence! I was thinking of making it again tonight, too! But this time I'm using twice as much bleu!

[Emily_R]

Just made a new recipe today that was totally delicious... Lemon-Scented Quinoa with Asparagus. It was a perfect balance of flavors, by far the best quinoa I've ever had, and would really sing with some grilled shrimp on top... I keep sneaking back into the kitchen for another spoonful...

http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/04/...with-asparagus/

Emily

Edited May 3, 2008 by Emily_R (log)

[Bella S.F.]

More rave reviews for Nigella Lawson's One Pot Sage Chicken and Sausage Bake. We used all chicken thighs instead of a cut up chicken. I think that they turn out the best, so why not use all thighs. You really need to add loads of extra onions. We used twice the amount of onion called for and would have liked more. They were so carmelized and sweet, I wanted some with each bite of everything else. We also halved a variety of potatoes and added them to the dish at the very beginning. I would stick to Yukon gold or small red potatoes. It was interesting trying different kinds, but some of the others got too mushy. The golds and the reds got golden and flavorful. You really need to try this dish! It's a real keeper.

Actually, I wish that there were more leftovers so that I could heat some up right now. Damn, now I'm really hungry.

[rhinopias]

From David Lebovitz's The Perfect scoop I fell in love with Goat Cheese ice cream drizzled with honey and sprinkled with crushed walnuts. It's slightly sweet and very savory. A wonderful combination of the cheese and dessert courses, and truly impresses your guests.

[SobaAddict70]

M. Hazan's tomato sauce. It's dead sexy.

Just tomatoes, unsalted butter, one onion cut in half and salt to taste.

There are other tomato sauces I'll use for other, more elaborate preparations but when I want something relatively simple, this is it.

[ElsieD]

M. Hazan's tomato sauce.  It's dead sexy. 

Just tomatoes, unsalted butter, one onion cut in half and salt to taste.

There are other tomato sauces I'll use for other, more elaborate preparations but when I want something relatively simple, this is it.

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OMG that looks good. What proportions do you use? I assume you saute the onion in the butter then add the tomatoes and simmer to a sauce consistency? Do you use canned tomatoes?

[SobaAddict70]

M. Hazan's tomato sauce.  It's dead sexy. 

Just tomatoes, unsalted butter, one onion cut in half and salt to taste.

There are other tomato sauces I'll use for other, more elaborate preparations but when I want something relatively simple, this is it.

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OMG that looks good. What proportions do you use? I assume you saute the onion in the butter then add the tomatoes and simmer to a sauce consistency? Do you use canned tomatoes?

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You can use canned tomatoes. I prefer Pomi chopped tomatoes.

Just combine tomatoes, 5 T. unsalted butter and onion halves in a saucepan. Salt to taste. Cook for 45 minutes to one hour on the lowest possible heat setting, stirring occasionally or until droplets of fat separate freely from the tomato.

When done, discard the onion. That's it. If you want, you can pass the sauce through a food mill. (I didn't.)

When you make this sauce, you'll be tempted to jazz it up with something else. I don't recommend it. It's insanely good all by itself.

edited to add exact amount of butter. That's a lot of butter yes, but it's part of what makes the sauce.

Edited May 7, 2008 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[Abra]

Hey, Soba, nice to see you after so long! Do you think this would be good with the roquefort-stuffed gnocchi I have in the fridge?

[kbjesq]

Pierogi, would you be so kind as to PM me that tomato gorgonzola recipe as well?  My gorgonzola-loving son is visiting right now, so I have a good excuse to make it.

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Me three, please, Pierogi! Someone just gave me a two pound wheel of extremely tasty blue cheese . . . .

If I don't start putting it in recipes and sharing with others, that entire 2 pound wheel is going to be plastered right onto my hips (and they don't need it, trust me).

[Priscilla]

Me four! Or eight hundred, by now.

Pierogi, cursory online searching turned up a tomato-gorgonzola recipe "adapted" from Cuisine at Home. Can you tell us how close it is?

ETA: I see this blog appears to have the original recipe. The "adaptation" in the first link seems to have been substituting milk for cream and similar.

Edited May 7, 2008 by Priscilla (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Hey, Soba, nice to see you after so long!  Do you think this would be good with the roquefort-stuffed gnocchi I have in the fridge?

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It might. The sauce is incredibly versatile though I've only used it for nonflavored pasta. (The pic shows it being paired with plain gnocchi.)

[Emily_R]

Just wanted to say I second SobaAddict's recommendation of that tomato sauce -- it is amazingly good and so simple. I usually wind up eating at least a third of it straight from the pot with a spoon. I've never made it with canned tomatoes, only fresh, so I'll have to give that a try...

[kbjesq]

Me four!  Or eight hundred, by now.

Pierogi, cursory online searching turned up a tomato-gorgonzola recipe "adapted" from Cuisine at Home.  Can you tell us how close it is?

ETA:  I see this blog appears to have the original recipe.  The "adaptation" in the first link seems to have been substituting milk for cream and similar.

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Wow, there is some really good-looking food on that blog, Priscilla. And that little girl in the photos reminds me of Tabitha from the original (1960's) Bewitched episodes. I gotta say, though, if the recipe only requires 1/3 c. of blue cheese, I'm going to have to continue my search for more recipes to use up my stash, or I'll be wearing the other 1.75 lbs of it.

[SobaAddict70]

Just wanted to say I second SobaAddict's recommendation of that tomato sauce -- it is amazingly good and so simple. I usually wind up eating at least a third of it straight from the pot with a spoon. I've never made it with canned tomatoes, only fresh, so I'll have to give that a try...

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At the time that I made it, it was the middle of February and I wanted a break from potatoes/root vegetables and stews.

It was a wonderful respite from the usual gloom of winter.

[Priscilla]

I gotta say, though, if the recipe only requires 1/3 c. of blue cheese, I'm going to have to continue my search for more recipes to use up my stash, or I'll be wearing the other 1.75 lbs of it.

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I had a similar thought about amt. of cheese, except no one has given me a nice wheel to use up. The recipe is for just 12 oz. of pasta rather than a pound, however, so if one were to make a pound's worth one might dispense with an additional oz. or so of cheese.

[Pierogi]

Me four!  Or eight hundred, by now.

Pierogi, cursory online searching turned up a tomato-gorgonzola recipe "adapted" from Cuisine at Home.  Can you tell us how close it is?

ETA:  I see this blog appears to have the original recipe.  The "adaptation" in the first link seems to have been substituting milk for cream and similar.

Hi Priscilla and kbjesq,

Yes, the 2nd blog (which is AMAZING, thank you for finding that, its a new favorite.....) has the recipe as printed in Cuisine at Home. I personally think changing out the cream for 1% milk would not be a good thing. There isn't all that much cream, and it lends a body to the sauce that it needs. Same with using the seasoned canned tomatoes the first link suggested. I just don't see how that would add much to the flavor, and in general I don't tend to care for those products. If I want herbs and spices, I'll add them myself, but in this case, I don't think the recipe as written needs much.

And yeah, sorry kbjesq, it doesn't use a ton of the cheese.....maybe you can just make it REALLY often?!?!?

[prasantrin]

I used 2/3 cup of bleu in it the last time I made it (which was, I think, less than a week after the first time ), and it was even better, I thought. I'd even add more if I could!

[Priscilla]

Hi Priscilla and kbjesq,

Yes, the 2nd blog (which is AMAZING, thank you for finding that, its a new favorite.....) has the recipe as printed in Cuisine at Home.  I personally think changing out the cream for 1% milk would not be a good thing.  There isn't all that much cream, and it lends a body to the sauce that it needs.  Same with using the seasoned canned tomatoes the first link suggested.  I just don't see how that would add much to the flavor, and in general I don't tend to care for those products.  If I want herbs and spices, I'll add them myself, but in this case, I don't think the recipe as written needs much.

And yeah, sorry kbjesq, it doesn't use a ton of the cheese.....maybe you can just make it REALLY often?!?!? 

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I also have no use for preseasoned canned tomatoes, Pierogi. Or substituting cream w/1% milk, neither. I'll be glad to make it the original way.

Except, as Prasantrin said in her helpful cheese-using-up-hint, I see my way to a little extra cheese.

[prasantrin]

Except, as Prasantrin said in her helpful cheese-using-up-hint, I see my way to a little extra cheese.

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I added some parmesan cheese, too. The bleu was still the star (especially because I upped the amount), but I have a heck of a lot of parmesan to get through, so I used it.

There's no such thing as too much cheese!

[Priscilla]

Except, as Prasantrin said in her helpful cheese-using-up-hint, I see my way to a little extra cheese.

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I added some parmesan cheese, too. The bleu was still the star (especially because I upped the amount), but I have a heck of a lot of parmesan to get through, so I used it.

There's no such thing as too much cheese!

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That makes sense flavorwise... Parmesan is definitely the secret weapon ingredient in Marcella Hazan's gorgonzola sauce (not a tomato sauce), a longtime favorite of mine.

I really have to get some gorgonzola right quick here.