Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts
Take your contacts out first
Shelly
Once there was a blog. . . it was a happy blog. . . with many people posting their favorite recipes on it.   And, then, one day, everyone disappeared.  Ha ha ha ha. . .

Okay, so, here goes nothing. . .

I made it back into the kitchen this week, after an 8 hour day at work, to whip up a batch of pepper jelly.  I have been on this preserving kick lately - which must have something to do with some internal clock that we all have that goes "Hey!  Summer is passing you by!  Soak your veggies in vinegar and sugar and put them away for a cold winter day!"  You would swear that I have a garden. . . but no. . . I have been going to the supermarket (not even the produce stand!) in order to buy vegetables for preserving.  I don't know why I've been on this culinary kick lately, but I'm going with it.  I am still crazy in love with the salsa, and am about to make another batch with all over the leftover jalepenos that I had from this recipe.  (Sometimes I'm not so great at figuring out how many items (like tomatoes, bell pepper, etc.) equals 1/2 c. or 2 c. or whatever the recipe calls for, so I always have crazy amounts of leftovers.  Anyhow, the recipe is super easy, and pepper jelly is always a hit atop a mound of cream cheese.  I don't know what else you would do with it. . . Does anyone have ideas?  Because I do have a little stockpile now. . . The helpful hint of the day, though, is to take out your contacts first!  I don't care how many times you've washed your hands after having chopped up the peppers. . . it doesn't feel so great. . . stinging, blood shot eyeballs. . . yeah, just take them out. 






Pepper Jelly

1 bell pepper, chopped fine
4 decent sized jalepenos, chopped fine (about 1/3 c.)
1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
6 c. sugar
6 oz. Certo (or other brand) liquid pectin

Place peppers in a large pot with vinegar and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and add the pectin. Spoon into 1/2 pint jars. The recipe should make between 6 & 7 jars (i.e. enough to share, if you have to). And, always remember to sterilize your jars properly! Safety first.
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Crying out in the darkness . . . or How to Make Salsa 101
Shelly
The lack of activity on this blog, in no way, coincides with a lack of activity in my kitchen. Seeing as how we all have to eat, I imagine that it's the same for all of you. . . unless everyone in the world has suddenly converted to fast food junkies, which, knowing all of you, seems highly doubtful. Often, I am too lazy to dig out my camera, or things get too messy to even imagine taking a photo. (After all, who wants to take a picture when their hands are covered with raw chicken germs?) Regardless, from time to time, there does come a peaceful, germ free moment in the kitchen when you may pause and ask yourself, why am I not taking a picture of this dish? It looks so beautiful. I went to so much trouble to get to this point, etc. So, I am encouraging you. . . go forth and multiply. . . or, umm, go forth and photograph? I'm trying to make myself cook new recipes every week, and I need ideas! Especially tried and true ideas.

Now, in order to avoid being a hypocrite, I'm posting some photos from last night's salsa endeavor. Before I begin with the recipe, I want to make a special note that when preserving food, you should be cautious, make sure that everything is sterile, and all of that jazz. . . So, start with some clean jars!

And here's the recipe:

2 c. tomatoes (chopped)
1 c. onions (chopped)
1/2 c. bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 c. or more jalepenos (chopped) *
4 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
a bunch of fresh corriander or about 1 T. dried corriander
1/2 T. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a pot, and cook on medium high heat until the mixture starts to boil. Lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer for 25 minutes. Spoon into jars, leaving about 1/2 inch unfilled at the top of the jar. Being certain to wipe the jars and rims clean, close the jars, and place in boiling water for twenty more minutes. Carefully remove from the water, and allow to cool. More importantly, be sure to follow any manufacturer's directions regarding the sealing of your jars! Safety first.

* I used 1/2 c. of jalepenos and wished that I had used much more. The recipe, as is, is mild at best. If you want to make salsa to give out as gifts, to people who might not like spicy food, this recipe is pretty ideal, but if you're making it for yourself, and you like it hot. . . definitely add more!

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Benvenuto, Shelly!
Sarah Ferstel

Bossy Italian flatmates who taught me about basil and tanning.

In order to complete my food blog trifecta (and so begin world domination!), I have invited my friend, Shelly, to join our little corner of the culinary universe. Shelly, who is not in that picture above, is another dear friend from college and she is a fantastic cook. She is also a patient friend as evidenced by our numerous attempts to cook together. These get-togethers usually involve Shelly politely, if not sternly, shooing me away while she tries to make something terrifically edible. I'm usually just there to prance around the kitchen and pretend like I know what I'm doing.

One of our most successful, but exhausting, cooking binges involved tackling multiple recipes from Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking." If you do not own this book, then you are missing out. Marcella has written one of those fantastic cookbooks that you actually enjoy reading from cover to cover. For those of you not initiated into cookbook reading, this may sound odd, but it's actually a very good way to learn about cooking (duh!) and food.

I don't remember all the recipes we prepared that night, but I do remember making Marcella's stuffed mushrooms. I LOVE MUSHROOMS! Sorry, I had to get that out in the open. I hated mushrooms as a child (remember, I was a picky brat), but now my love for mushrooms has grown to such an extent that my (future) children will have to work hard to win that part of my heart. Sometimes, I just put raw mushrooms in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper and eat them like a salad. Hmmm, I wonder if I have any mushrooms in my fridge now? Concentrate, Sarah.

Baked Stuffed Mushroom Caps (the words in italics are me)

6 servings (but I can, and have, eaten them all by myself)

Ingredients:

  • A packet of dried porcini mushrooms (about one ounce) - I've noticed that stores don't have a standard place to shelve these. I've found them in produce, with the 'ethnic' (i.e. Italian) food, or with the spices.
  • 1/4 heaping cup crumb (the fresh, soft, crustless part of bread)
  • 1/4 cup of milk (Use whole milk. Buy the little single servings if you don't want leftovers.)
  • 1 pound of fresh, stuffing (large) mushrooms ♥
  • 1/4 pound pancetta (This is a type of distinctive tasting Italian bacon that I've never added when making this. I'm one of those Jewbies who tries, but does not always succeed in, avoiding the oink.)
  • 4 flat anchovy fillets (Again, I've never added these only because I don't like anchovies, but feel free crack a can open if you wish.)
  • 4 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand into small pieces (Okay, newbie cooks, here's a good moment to point out something that many of us oldbies have already discovered. Fresh basil is 100 million times better, and different, than dried. Yeah, it's expensive, but skip the packaged b.s. and buy the dumb plant. Seriously, I have a million potted basil plants and you need no gardening skills to keep them alive. Also, it may seem weird that Marcella instructs you to 'tear' the leaves, but trust me, and two bossy Italians - see pic at top of post - who told me personally, this is the best way to release the basil's flavor.)
  • A small garlic clove, chopped fine
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons (fresh) parsley chopped fine
  • 1/8 tsp. dried marjoram, or 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup dried, bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions verbatim from the book:

  1. Put dried mushrooms in 2 cups lukewarm water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Put the soft crumb and milk together in a small bowl of deep dish and set aside to soak.
  3. Wash the fresh mushrooms rapidly under cold running water, and pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels, taking care not to bruise them. Gently detach the stems without breaking the caps.
  4. Line a wire strainer with a paper towel and place it over a small saucepan. Lift the porcini from their soak, but do not discard the liquid. Pour the liquid into the strainer, filtering it through the paper towel into the saucepan. Rinse the reconstituted porcini in several changes of cold water, making sure no grit remains attached to them. Add them to the saucepan and cook, uncovered, over lively heat until all the liquid has boiled away.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  6. Chop the cooked reconstituted porcini, the fresh mushroom stems, the pancetta, and anchovy fillets all very fine. It can be done by hand or in a food processor.
  7. Put all the above chopped ingredients in a mixing bowl, adding the basil leaves and chopped garlic. take the milk-soaked crumb into your hand, squeeze it gently until lit stops dripping, and add it to the bowl. Break the egg into the bowl. Add the parsley, marjoram, salt, and several grindings of pepper, and thoroughly mix all the ingredients in the bowl with a fork until they are combined into a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
  8. Stuff the mushroom caps with the mixture from the bowl. Put enough stuffing into each cap to make a rounded mound. Sprinkle the mounds with bread crumbs.
  9. Choose a baking dish that will accommodate all the mushroom caps side by side in a single layer. Smear the bottom and sides of the dish with a little of the olive oil. Put the mushrooms in the dish, stuffed sides facing up. Crisscross the mushrooms with a thin stream of olive oil, lightly daubing the stuffing.
  10. Place the dish in the uppermost level of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the mounds of stuffing have formed a light crust. After removing from the oven, allow them to settle for several minutes before serving.

Buon appetito!

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