Recipes That Rock: 2008

[helenas]

it's a great thread indeed!

and it's nice to see some refenences to Marcella Cucina - my culinary revelation of the year comes from this book - her recipe for artichokes and shrimps baked with mozzarella is incomparable, and in fact reincarnated twice in other cookbooks - first in Da Fiore Cookbook: Recipes from Venice's Best Restaurant (more elaborate version) and then in Marcella's own book - her latest, sans shrimp.

[Dave the Cook]

No revelations, unless "simple" counts; now that I think about it, it should. A dozen last-of-the-season Appalachiola oysters and a couple of handfuls of CSA greens led me to Emeril's "Fried Oyster Salad with Pernod Buttermilk Dressing" from New New Orleans Cooking. There's a similar recipe here, but there are some differences, especially in the breading. The book recipe calls for a three-step process: flour, egg, masa; the TV version is simpler but not better. If you've ever wondered what makes New Orleans po' boy seafood so nicely soft and crunchy at the same time, the secret is corn flour.

The dressing, where I subbed more authentic Herbsaint for Pernod, is terrific, and wouldn't be amiss for any sort of pan-fried fin- or shellfish. Don't skimp on the lemon juice; it's essential for balance.

[Priscilla]

Everything counts.

Dave, I bet I have perused that dressing recipe, online and in the book, a hundred times. Must must must make it finally.

And cornstarch (sometimes potato flour) is what gives Japanese karaage coating its essential crunchewiness. I can so see masa.

[Pierogi]

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!

Right ON !! Cheese, cream, it's all good !

[Pierogi]

No revelations, unless "simple" counts; now that I think about it, it should.

The dressing, where I subbed more authentic Herbsaint for Pernod, is terrific, and wouldn't be amiss for any sort of pan-fried fin- or shellfish. Don't skimp on the lemon juice; it's essential for balance.

Oh simple counts big time in my book, and that dressing sounds fantastic......

[Pierogi]

Latest foray into Recipe Rockin' & Rollin'

Martin Yan's "Shangri-La Beef".

It was published a couple of months ago in the so-called food section of the local paper (NOT the LA Times, which has a very good food section).

The little local paper either didn't give the original source (most likely) or I didn't capture it (also likely) but it definately is a Martin Yan recipe.

It's thin slices of beef (flank steak or tri-tip, which is what I used) marinated briefly in soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch. Then to a hot wok, you add oil, dried red chiles and garlic. Stir around and add the beef, followed by some scallion pieces and red bell pepper strips. Ad some chili bean paste and hoisin sauce, serve with short-grain rice. HOT, but outstanding. Really good, and again, the leftovers reheated great at work a couple of days later for lunch. One of my co-workers said "smells good Roberta" when he opened the office fridge....I do so love making my office-mates drool !

[ElsieD]

Latest foray into Recipe Rockin' & Rollin'

Martin Yan's "Shangri-La Beef".

It was published a couple of months ago in the so-called food section of the local paper (NOT the LA Times, which has a very good food section). 

The little local paper either didn't give the original source (most likely) or I didn't capture it (also likely) but it definately is a Martin Yan recipe.

It's thin slices of beef (flank steak or tri-tip, which is what I used) marinated briefly in soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch.  Then to a hot wok, you add oil, dried red chiles and garlic.  Stir around and add the beef, followed by some scallion pieces and red bell pepper strips.  Ad some chili bean paste and hoisin sauce, serve with short-grain rice.  HOT, but outstanding.  Really good, and again, the leftovers reheated great at work a couple of days later for lunch.  One of my co-workers said "smells good Roberta" when he opened the office fridge....I do so love making my office-mates drool !

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Any chance you could post the recipe?

[eldereno]

I hadn't made it for a long time....so I hope this still counts....since I rediscovered it this year. Friday night I made the Swordfish, Olive, Pasta dish from James Beard on Pasta cookbook. What a great recipe! Because I love them, I usually add additional olives and capers and, usually, some pepper flavored olive oil for some of the regular olive oil. Sooooo good!

edited to add some stuff.

Edited May 12, 2008 by eldereno (log)

[snowangel]

From a freebie magazine at a Twin Cities upscale restaurant a recipe for Spaghetti with Asparagus, Scallions and Bacon that I fixed two weeks ago from Molly Stevens (I do a heads up any time I see a recipe or article by her!). The family requested it last week, and again this week. Plate-licking good.

Basically, crisp up some bacon bits with chopped scallions, a bit o white wine, reduced. Blanch some asparagus, ice bath, cook some pasta, and toss it all together with lots of parm and cracked black pepper and a bit of lemon zest; if you have parsley, it's a nice addition.

A bottle of wine (there was no whine over this meal) with extra parm on the side.

[JAZ]

I tried corn and potato pancakes from Tom Colicchio's Think Like a Chef that I'll be making again. The recipe calls for baking a russet potato (I cheated and boiled it) and mashing it. Mix in corn kernels cut off the cob, along with egg yolks, creme fraiche and a little flour. Then you fold in egg whites, which lightens the whole thing up, and fry small patties. They were great, and the batter even held up for a second day. Major pain to flip, but other than that, they're a great side dish.

[snowangel]

From a freebie magazine at a Twin Cities upscale restaurant a recipe for Spaghetti with Asparagus, Scallions and Bacon that I fixed two weeks ago from Molly Stevens (I do a heads up any time I see a recipe or article by her!).  The family requested it last week, and again this week.  Plate-licking good.

Basically, crisp up some bacon bits with chopped scallions, a bit o white wine, reduced.  Blanch some asparagus, ice bath, cook some pasta, and toss it all together with lots of parm and cracked black pepper and a bit of lemon zest; if you have parsley, it's a nice addition.

A bottle of wine (there was no whine over this meal) with extra parm on the side.

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This most wonderful recipe is now on Molly's webside -- click!

[eldereno]

This most wonderful recipe is now on Molly's webside -- click!

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Had the opportunity to make this tonight for dinner. Had all that I needed in the fridge and/or pantry except the asparagus so sent my brother to the store for that. You are so right! Wonderful dish. Even my "bacon and asparagus hating husband" ate his LARGE portion! Thank you for your initial recommendation and then for the link!

[maggiethecat]

Put on your lederhausen and pull out your accordion. This meat loaf recipe rocks Milwaukee-style. To say I was dubious is an understatement. I don't like sauerkraut.

But the view from the fridge and a scan of the much-underrated food writer Marcia Adams's "Heartland"resulted in tonight's dinner. "German Meat Loaf."

Two pounds of ground chuck. One pound of drained sauerkraut. Two cups of fresh rye bread crumbs. Two eggs. A T of ketchup. A big pinch of caraway seeds. Pepper. A half cup of diced onions. Mix, form, bake at 350.

Astounding! It didn't taste like sauerkraut, caraway or rye bread. It was light textured, deep flavored, mysterious and brilliant. And come to think of it, all that cabbage had to be good for us.

It rocked. (If I ever read "flyover country" from anyone here I will discount anything you write about stuff starting with momo, Keller or Masa. A good chef would put this on his menu tomorrow, with twiddly bits.)

Edited to add:Eat it hot. It doesn't rock as hard cold. Rats!

[pax]

Ooooh, Maggie! I have never liked rye bread but based on EG's "I Melt with You", I recently tried a patty melt for the first time in a long time and I am completely hooked. And now this....ok, ok, you've twisted my arm.

I've put pounds on since discovering eG!

[pansophia]

The Simply Recipes website has got to be my new favorite resource.

We found this Chicken Peanut Curry recipe and liked it so much that my husband made it a second time in the same week. Not for dinner mind you, just for the left overs. (One of those weeks when we were lucky to have five minutes to kiss each other goodbye as one got home and the other left for work.)

We definitely kicked up the pepper ratio, and it got hotter as it sat in the fridge. Yum yum!

The Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce was also a true winner. We always brown our meat a bit, but this recipe reminded us to really REALLY brown the meat. It made all the difference in the world.

[Emily_R]

Ok -- I made a recipe tonight that was fantastic -- a real keeper! It was modified from a Cooking Light recipe, but I certainly made enough changes to it, both in ingredients and cooking method to post here... This just had so much depth of flavor, and toasting the spices and using roasted tomatoes gave it a hint of smokiness... Note that I wish I had made more -- this served two for dinner with just a little left over for lunch tomorrow...

Indian-Spiced Pork in Tomato Sauce

(Based on a Cooking Light Recipe of the same name)

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

3 Cardamom pods

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.5 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 Tbs oil

1 pound boneless pork loin, trimmed and cut into 3/4inch cubes

1 garlic cloves minced

1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1.5 cups diced roasted tomato (from canned, undrained)

Instructions --

Toast all spices in a pan and then grind in spice grinder. In a mixing bowl, combine spices, ginger, vinegar, and oil, then add pork and stir to combine. Let meat sit with spices at least 30 minutes (would be good longer of course)

In heavy pot, saute onions and garlic in some oil. Add meat and brown it. Add the rest of the ingredients, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Cover and cook on low heat for about 45 minute to an hour...

I served this with some green beans that I had roasted along with some mustard seeds... YUM.

[Emily_R]

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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Hi all --

Well I don't know quite what went wrong, as I followed the recipe exactly but I made the spinach and ricotta gnudi tonight, and while the mixture was absolutely delicious, they just didn't hold together! Its not that they fell completely apart in the water -- more like that they didn't firm up enough to really be distinct from each other in the bowl -- first batch boiled and in the bowl basically ended up as a bowl of (very delicious) mush. I was so hungry I grabbed some wonton wrappers I had in the fridge and used those to make ravioli... Maybe next time I'll add a little more flour and an extra egg yolk to the mix?

One other note -- while they were delicious they were VERY rich. At first I wondered how the recipe could serve 4, but I came to see. Though I would say the recipe is closer to serving 3...

[jeniac42]

Oh, what a great thread. I have to admit I've been avoiding cooking (my mom passed away in November and I've been that kind of depressed where you avoid even things you know would cheer you up), but I looked here and so many things sounded so good....

I made the tomato-gorgonzola pasta today and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Perhaps the blue cheese I used (just some generic type DH found at the store) wasn't potent enough; I was expecting more of a blue-savory taste. It will have to be made again, and soon, though.

[prasantrin]

Oh, what a great thread. I have to admit I've been avoiding cooking (my mom passed away in November and I've been that kind of depressed where you avoid even things you know would cheer you up), but I looked here and so many things sounded so good....

Sorry to hear about your loss. I understand the avoidance of cooking--when my dad (the main chef in our household) passed away, we went out to eat almost every night, or just ate leftovers.

I made the tomato-gorgonzola pasta today and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Perhaps the blue cheese I used (just some generic type DH found at the store) wasn't potent enough; I was expecting more of a blue-savory taste. It will have to be made again, and soon, though.

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I think if you used regular bleu, you need to add more than what is called for. Real gorgonzola has a much nicer flavour, but plain old ordinary (supermarket-type) bleu doesn't have enough punch. I ended up using about twice as much the second time I made it, and it was much better than the first time (the third time I used the original amount again, and I was much more disappointed with it, so I just added a bit more every time I ate some of the leftovers).

[jeniac42]

Yeah, our supermarkets here don't carry gorgonzola. I think I'll just use lots more of the ordinary blue next time. I'm making steak with blue cheese sauce tomorrow to fix my craving issue... heh.

[Priscilla]

OK, I made the Tomato Gorgonzola pasta last night, which Pierogi brought to the topic in post #6.

Just delicious. I had fresh, soft, Stella domestic gorgonzola, which I happen to like a lot, when it is fresh and soft. (This was from the Italian deli where one can get a wedge cut from the big wheel. This same cheese in supermarkets is often old, dry, yellow, ammoniac.) I used brass-die fusilli giganti from the pantry, and added a little grated Parmigiano Reggiano as well, as discussed in other posts regarding this preparation.

I think adding a hit of Balsamic, a little cream, and a judiciously huge amount of gorgonzola to my regular marinara or other light tomato sauce could about duplicate the flavor profile. I like a recipe that gives me ideas like that.

[maggiethecat]

OK, I've always wanted to live in the mountains, have herds of sheep, virgins to milk them, wear a smock and make cheese. I live on the prairie, own two cats, was lost to shame years ago, wear black and pearls and want to make cheese.

I made cheese today, first class dry ricotta from the Julia Moskin recipe in yesterday's "New York Times." Here it is.It requires just plain old milk and buttermilk, and a yard of cheesecloth. Have your thermometer and wooden spoon handy. And prepare to giggle and coo in Italian --the curds rise, the whey separates and you're a cheesemaker. How cool is that?

[Emily_R]

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?

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I'm sorry I didn't answer you, I didn't see your question. I served it exactly as it came out of the pan. I didn't do anything to it. It did look a little odd but seriously, do yourself a big favour and make it. Also, I served it over mashed potatoes so it just kind of soaked right in. The second time I made it I did stir it up to see if it would be more visually appealing but it just looked like cream gone bad, so I HAD at that point to mix in a roux. It wasn't anywhere near as good.

It's such a hit my 6 yo put a bunch of Easter Candy in the crockpot and poured milk on top of it. She told me she was braising her candy in milk just like me. Good thing she can't turn the slow cooker on.

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Ok, finally made Marcella's pork loin braised in milk, and it was indeed very delicious! Husband declared it a huge winner. My only thought is that I used pork butt/shoulder that was right next to the loin, so it was more loin than anything else. I actually think the full-on butt/shoulder would have been better, as parts of the loin felt a little dry to me. On a pleasant surprise note though, I was amazed that it was totally delicious eaten cold straight from the fridge the next day. I thought that curdle-y looking sauce would have to be heated up to taste good, but it certainly did not!

Next step -- milk-braised cold cereal, in honor of your daughter Pax! :-)

Edited May 30, 2008 by Emily_R (log)

[maggiethecat]

That milk braised pork recipe from Marcella is indeed awesome.It's a staple in our pork repertoire.Loin's lean, but this is an example of what you can do with a lean loin.

Yeah, I've eaten it st right from the fridge. Huge yum.

[Domestic Goddess]

OK, I've always wanted to live in the mountains, have herds of sheep, virgins to milk them, wear a smock and  make cheese. I live on the prairie, own two cats, was lost to shame years ago, wear black and pearls and want to make cheese.

I made cheese today, first class dry ricotta from the Julia Moskin recipe in yesterday's "New York Times." Here it is.It requires just plain old milk and buttermilk, and a yard of cheesecloth. Have your thermometer and wooden spoon handy. And prepare to giggle and coo in Italian --the curds rise, the whey separates and you're a cheesemaker. How cool is that?

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Maggie - you crack me up so much. Now I am intrigued to make my own cheese. If only my fridge wasn't that full (leftovers) and that my hubby wasn't laid up in the hospital due to a fractured shoulder. I'm gonna bookmark that site just in case.