March 2nd, 2011
Risotto is usually served as a primo, or first course. I like it as a main course; yes, it is pretty filling. Usually, I like to cook it when I have had enough chicken, beef or seafood. Served with a green salad, it does make a nice meal. Add your favorite wine; and then it is not just a nice meal, but the perfect meal.
This Italian dish of rice cook in broth in a creamy consistency is also perfect on chilly nights. That is has a lot of carbs? Well, that’s true; still good, though.
Arborio is the rice used for risottos. It is a short gran rice, named after the town of Arborio. The round grains are firm, creamy, and chewy. Also, this rice is used in rice pudding.
The other night I fixed a very simple risotto with a little Asiago cheese, green onions and peas. I know, it is sort of a pain to stir the rice until the broth evaporates, but it is worth it.
A Simple Risotto
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup green onions
3 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
1 cup small peas
1 cup Asiago cheese, grated very thin
Saute onion and butter on medium heat for a few minutes; I did 5 minutes.
Add rice and also stir for a minutes, as well.
Stir in 1 cup of broth and keep on stirring until the broth is absorbed. If the medium heat is too high then lower it a bit. You want the rice to keep absorbing the broth; be patience. Cooking cannot be rushed.
Gradually, keep adding the rest of the broth, 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time. I did it 1/2 cup at a time. You want the broth completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup.
Taste it and if you feel it needs more broth, well you know what to do. Then add 1/2 cup of the Asiago cheese and stir. You can add more, if you want to.
Then the peas should be added. Stir it all together.
Serve and garnish with more Asiago cheese. Add a salad and you will, definitely, have a meal.
Note: Serves 4. By the way, this recipe is gluten free.
Enjoy and make it your own….talk to you later….
February 6th, 2011
My mother in law, Louise, is an excellent cook. I can say that I have learned from her style of cooking; then as I usually do, I make it my own. The original celery and cabbage casserole is her recipe. If you like celery and cabbage then I think you will like this recipe. It is so easy, goes well with grilled foods or with turkey or pork. In my household I fix it, sometimes, when I want a meatless meal. Add a salad and some crusty bread. A few ways to make it your own is to add a little bit more of this or a little less of that.
I had to stop and think about these 2: celery and cabbage. I found interesting information that I would like to pass on to you. You might start liking these vegetables.
Celery comes from the same family with parsley and fennel. The leaves are high in vitamin A. The stems are full of B1, B2, B6; lots of potassium and plenty of amino acids.
A lot of vegetables lose nutrients during cooking, but not celery. Its compounds hold up well during the cooking process.
It is also said that celery lowers blood pressure but its juice helps in other conditions including cancer. Why? Apparently, it contains ant-cancer compounds. One of those compounds is acetylemic, which has been known to stop the growth of tumor cells.
I also did not know that celery is among the group of foods, headed by peanuts, that appear to cause the most allergic reactions. This allergy is found mostly in Central Europe. Here, in the U.S. the peanut allergy is more prevalent.
Cabbage is popular in Central and Eastern Europe. It is an excellent source of vitamin C, has anti-inflammatory properties and it is low in calories. It has a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and also appears to block the growth of cancer cells, among other health benefits.
The recipe is very adjustable. You can make it for a crowd or just for a few. If you like more cabbage than celery, then you know what to do, or if celery is your favorite then add more.
Celery and Cabbage Casserole
4 cups of cabbage (thin strips)
2 cups of chopped celery
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine (a bit more if you like)
salt and pepper to taste
At this point, pre heat oven to 350 degrees. On a large frying pan, medium high heat, melt butter and saute celery and cabbage for a few minutes. Season it with salt and pepper, if you would like to. Do not over cook.
Place in a baking dish.
Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon flour (I use gluten free flour)
1 1/2 cups of milk (either fat free, low fat and whole; your preference)
1 small jar of chopped roasted peppers (pimentos), with juice
salt and pepper to taste, if you want to
Tabasco, a few drops
Crackers, crushed for topping (saltines, or gluten free, bread crumbs)
Paprika
In the frying pan, melt butter in a medium low heat, then add flour and whisk it into the butter. Slowly add the milk to start making the sauce. If you need more milk because it is getting too thick then, by all means, add it. It is going to be delicious, don’t worry. Then once you have the sauce going add the jar of roasted peppers (pimentos) and keep whisking it. Add the Tabasco. More kick? Then, more Tabasco. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the celery and cabbage and mix it in. The cracker topping should be very light. Then, sprinkle the paprika to give it more color.
Place it in the oven for about 25 minutes. If you are doubling this recipe then you will have to leave it in the oven longer. Just until the topping gets nice and brown but not burned.
If you decide you like this recipe then you can add a little sprinkle of parmessan cheese; not much. The original recipe does not have cheese.
Last week I was in the mood for roasted turkey. Yes, my oven was fixed and this recipe was my side dish.
Note: Information for this post was taken from www.juicing-for-health.com .
Have a great day!!…..talk to you later…
January 8th, 2011
“A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and Champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands.” lord byron
We really would be in trouble if that was true. Nevertheless, I had lobster on New Year’s Eve. And even though it was lobster; the dinner was casual, in front of the fire place. I still don’t have a working oven. Can you believe that? It has not been that bad, though.
I was thinking, why is it that some of the specialty foods are only to be eaten on special occasions? I think that every time you sit at the table, it should be special. The food should be prepared from the heart; like you mean it.
This recipe is a Lobster Newburg. Actually, this is an American dish. I added small peas to give the dish contrast and color. The dish was to also be baked, but I did not see any need to it; nor did I have the oven to do that. So here it goes.
Crepes with Lobster Newburg
2 1/2 cups lobster meat (I got 3 small lobsters)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb. mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
2 cups medium cream (I mixed 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of half and half)
1/2 tablespoon flour (I used Arrowhead Mills, gluten free baking mix)
1/4 cup dry Sherry (remember? a little more of this or a little less of that)
1 cup cream (heavy)
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (I did not use salt)
Crepes
I had the market cooked the lobsters and as soon as I got home I got the meat out and put it aside. Chop it but you still want to see nice chunks of lobster.
In a large skillet melt butter and saute the mushrooms for a few minutes. Add the lobster and peas to heat through. Don’t overcook it, please.
Heat, but do not boil, the cream sauce and add sherry to it. Then add the egg yolks to the heavy cream and combine. Then add it to the cream sauce. If you think that it is too thin then add the flour and wisk it in quickly. Add the paprika and seasonings.
Note: As you can see there are 2 creams; one is the cream sauce and the other is the 1 cup of heavy cream. To that cup of heavy cream you will be adding the egg yolks. A little confusing, I know.
Add the cream to the lobster, mushroom and peas. Again just heat it through. If you want you can just turn it off while you are preparing the crepes. It should not take long.
Crepes
This recipe for crepes can be made ahead of time; even the night before. Just cover and refrigerate. It is a basic recipe and can be used plain with just a bit of honey on top or as a stuffed crepe.
3 eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ( I used Arrowhead Mills gluten free baking mix)
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon milk
A pinch of salt
Combine all of the above and stir until the ingredients are the consistency of thin cream.
In a 10 inch non-stick frying pan or crepe pan, melt 1 tblsp. of butter. When it bubbles, pour some of the batter, enough to cover the bottom with a thin coating. Cook a couple of minutes and with a large spatula flip it over and cook on the other side for a few minutes, as well. Take it out of the pan and continue with the rest of them using butter as needed. I made four of them and had left-over batter.
After I filled the crepe I put extra sauce on top. It turned out very nice and the combination of flavors was good. If you do not like Sherry, then you can use Madeira. Lobster Newburg was originally prepared with Madeira wine but it seemed that it was thought to be too sweet.
As you can see from my pictures I had steamed asparagus as a side dish. You can prepare your favorite vegetable or just a salad. You know, make it your own.
This is a rich and flavorful dish. You might just want to have one crepe and save the rest for another day.
It can serve 4 people easily.
Enjoy it and the next day….do extra exercises….talk to you later…
January 2nd, 2011
It does not matter if it is during the summer, fall, winter or spring, but the moment it rains, I start thinking about soups.
Today was the perfect example on how the weather might dictate what I would like to have for dinner.
I cut recipes from magazine, newspapers, local books; if it catches my eye, I will clip it. And the moment I prepare a dish, I consider that recipe mine, especially if I change it here or there.
When I saw that some of the ingredients in the stew were ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric and coconut; without even trying the recipe I thought it could be one of those recipes I might want to keep and pass on.
I use a lot of these ingredients on average but since I am passing the recipe along I decided to go on www.wikipedia.org and read about them so that I could tell you more about their origins.
What I found out about some of them really surprised me and this stew might be healthier than I thought.
Cumin - Native East Mediterranean to East India. It is used in many different cultures. It is a member of the parsley family.
During the Middle Ages it was believed that cumin kept chickens and lovers from wandering; a happy life awaited the bride and groom if they carried cumin seeds throughout the wedding ceremony.
Coriander – Native to Southern Europe, North Africa and Southwestern Asia. It contains antioxidans. It has been used for the relief of anxiety and insomnia in some countries.
In India, the seeds are used as a diuretic when boiled with cumin seeds. It is also used as a digestive aid.
Coriander has been documented as a traditional treatment for diabetics. Apparently, its extract has insulin releasing and insulin-like activity.
It also lowers the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. And, the juice mixed with turmeric powder or mint juice is also used to treat acne; applied to the face like a toner.
Some people have allergic reactions to coriander, though.
Turmeric was to me the most interesting one. It is a native of tropical South Asia. It has become a key ingredient in many Indian, Persian, Thai, and Malay dishes.
It is also a significant ingredient in most commercial curry powders.
It is usually used in the dry form but just like ginger it can be used fresh. It is also used as a replacement for Saffron, being that it is not as expensive.
It is used as an anticeptic for cuts, burns, and bruises. And, the most interesting one is that turmeric is currently being investigated for possible benefits in Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, arthritis, and other clinical disorders.
Coconut milk and water have been in the news for some time now; so many health benefits are attributed to its consumption.
Coconut Lime Beef Stew
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 gloves of garlic, minced (if you want more, well you know what you can do)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 3/4 teaspoons ground coriander
1 3/4 teaspoons cumin
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
2 3/4 lbs. of beef chuck, cut into small chunks
1 teaspoon of lime zest or more
2 cans of unsweetened coconut milk
4 tablespoons of lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
2 bay leaves
1 pound baby carrots, cut in bite size pieces
Just remember that this stew is a little different so if you are having guests for dinner and they think you will be serving them a traditional stew, well they are going to be a bit surprised.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons in a large pot on medium heat. Make sure you have a lid that fits this pot since you will be putting the lid on later on.
Add the onion and saute until it begins to color.
Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant, probably this will take a minute or so. Transfer this mixture to a bowl.
Return pot to the stove and increase the heat to medium high and add 3/4 tablespoons of oil to the pot and put 1/2 of the meat in it and cook until browned on all sides. Take that meat out and put aside and cook the rest of the meat in another 3/4 tablespoons of oil until, again, the meat is browned on all sides.
Now return the cooked beef to the one that is already in the pot and also add the onion mixture. Mix and then add the coconut milk, lime zest, lime, juice, brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. of sea salt, bay leaves, and baby carrots.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook on low heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring it from time to time.
You can serve this stew over rice, either brown or white. But I did not do it that way. I just served it as a stew and garnished it with extra lime zest.
It will serve 6 people but if you serve it with rice then it will probably serve 8.
Note: It was really good. The coconut and lime and those spices really gave it a tropical touch. This stew could easily be doubled to feed a crowd. Just add a salad and some crusty bread.
Enjoy and make it your own…..just like I did….talk to you later
December 12th, 2010
Guests, family, Thanksgiving, friends and now the rest of the Holidays are around the corner. My holidays are quiet this year and believe me, I think I like it that way. I am so laid back that I have not put up a single decoration yet. There is still time, though.
My recipes reflect my moods during the holidays. You read my posts about the Turducken and the sides dishes during Thanksgiving; now I want roast beef, lobster and crab imperial.
Crab Imperial is such an easy dish to prepare for company. Well, you better check that no guests have a seafood allergy. I am going to give you the Crab Imperial recipe that I have. I doubled it the last time I made it and I also put it in a casserole dish. I had big eaters that evening and they thoroughly enjoyed it.
Crab Imperial
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
6 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4-6 drops Tabasco sauce
2 slices of bread, crumbled
butter
Paprika
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Pick crabmeat well. Mix mayonnaise, cream, mustard, Worcestershire, Tabasco together until smooth.
Add bread. Fold crabmeat in gently.
Place in a casserole dish and pat it smooth. Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for about 20 minutes. If you double it then bake for a little longer; you want it hot and and a little toasted on top.
I made this recipe a couple of days before Thanksgiving. I also served it with polenta on the side, and a colorful salad.
Serves 4; doubled, serves 6 or a few more depending on your company.
Remember to make it your own and enjoy it…..talk to you later….
September 4th, 2010
O.k., you already know that I grew up in the Island of Puerto Rico. Well, sometimes I like to cook some of the dishes that remind me of La Isla del Encanto.
These dishes might or might not look the part, but they usually do taste pretty good. That was the case tonight.
I had 3 ripe plantains on my counter. To tell you the truth the ripe plantains are not my favorite; green ones are.
My brother, Jose, who lives in Puerto Rico loves to cook. He also has a passion for the weather. If you are his friend on Facebook you will definitely know the weather patterns in the Caribbean. So, it’s great that the weather and recipes are at my disposal.
This morning I saw the recipe for “piononos”. I thought, why not?
Piononos
3 ripe plantains
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup of freshly grated Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon water
Peel the plantains and cut them in 4 slices each. Easier said than done. I got 3 slices from each one. Maybe the plantains in Puerto Rico are bigger. I am not sure.
In a large frying pan heat oil and fry the plantains only until golden. That was not that bad.
Take out from oil and place on paper towels until they cool off and can be handled with your hands.
Form the plantain into a loose pinwheel and secure with a toothpick. That was tricky!! Either some were too ripe or some were not.
Stuff the cavity with the Cheddar Cheese. Please note that the recipe called for 2/3 of a cup of Cheddar Cheese but I ended using a cup and maybe even a bit more.
Whisk eggs with salt. Add water and flour and whisk a little bit more until it is all blended.
Pour over the stuffing and don’t worry I poured it all over the piononos.
Heat oil again and fry them, turning them once. They won’t fall apart because between the toothpicks and the egg mixture they are secured.
Take them out after a few minutes and place on paper towels to drain. Take the toothpick out.
Serve and enjoy.
 Piononos Made In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware To tell you the truth, they were really good.
Then, I started thinking, you know on the eastern side of the Island, by Luquillo Beach and also near El Yunque (rainforest) how could those women that work the “kioskos” make these piononos among all the other dishes they have to cook so fast? It took me longer than I thought.
Then, I have yet to hear any of my Puerto Rican friends say; Oh, I have been making piononos. Not one single one has ever told me they have made one. So, what am I doing here in Delaware making them for? I love to eat, that’s why and part of having a passion for cooking is not to complain about cooking. I will master the piononos and might even stuff them with crab meat. You will be the first to know.
My brother, Jose, is probably laughing his head off.
That’s my post tonight…..talk to you later….have a great evening….
August 30th, 2010
I have already written the other day how all my figs were ripening at once. You can’t keep up with them. I decided to invent the following recipe. I thought the pork loins came out great but do not do justice in the picture. The taste was sweet and tangy at the same time.
Pork Loin with Fresh Figs
1 package pork tenderloins (2 in a package)
Rub:
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash onion and herb
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Italian Medley
2 tablespoons or a bit more of olive oil
juice of one lime
Prick the pork loins and rub the seasonings all over. Place in refrigerator at least 1 hour but the longer you let it marinate the better.
Brown pork loins on a skillet on all sides and while doing so then prepare the rest.
7 figs, chopped
10 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup of caper berries, stems off and cut in 1/2
1/4 cup of White Balsamic Fig Infused Vinegar. I used Alessi and you can get it in the vinegar section of a good supermarket.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup of Chutney. I used Crossed & Blackwell (any chutney)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
salt, optional
1 tblespoon chopped cilantro, optional
Take about 1/4 cup of the chopped figs, the vinegar, oil and chutney and process in the blender. After blending then set aside.
Line a cookie sheet with heavy foil, enough of it that you will be able to make a canopy over the pork loins.
After browning the pork loins place on the cookie sheet and arrange with the rest of the figs, shallots, caper berries, salt and pepper. Drizzle some or all of the blended figs/vinegar/chutney and sprinkle with cilantro, if so desired.
Bake at about 45 minutes to 1 hour in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
Slice thin and make sure you put a couple of spoonfuls of the vegetables and juice on the sliced pork.
Serves 6.
Please note that I really do not use salt in my food so that’s why the Mrs. Dash is mentioned in the recipe. Fresh herbs and anything else you would like, would do just fine. I was just experimenting to see how the figs would do with the pork.
I decided that a Plantain Mash (Mofongo) would be good with it. The problem was that I had never made Mofongo. I decided to use my mortar and pestle. I would have to agree that if you do not have one, it would be hard to do in a bowl, not impossible, but hard.
The other problem I encountered with the mofongo recipe was that I thought it was a little dry. I need to experiment and see what else I can do to make it just right. Maybe someone from the Dominican Republic will give me a hint.
Plantain Mash (Mofongo)
3 green plantains
1 quart or 4 cups of water
1 tablespoon salt (optional) I put a tiny bit of salt.
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb. of pork crackling (Are you crazy? I don’t have that here. I used bacon.)
vegetable oil for frying
Best way to peel the plantains is cut the 2 ends and put in microwave, one at a time for 1 minute. Cut with knife lenthwise and peel.
Cut into 1 inch diagonal slices and soak for 15 mintues in salted water. Drain well.
Heat oil to boiling point and add the plantain slices. Fry for about 15 minutes or until golden but not browned. Drain on paper towels and reserve.
In a mortar (or heavy bowl), crush cloves well, add olive oil and mix. Remove from the mortar or bowl and reserve.
Crush in the mortar part of the fried plantain slices together with part of the bacon. Add some of the mixture of crushed garlic and olive oil and mix thoroughly. It is tricky, believe me.
You are supposed to shape into balls. I just let the shape of the mortar do it and turned it over. It was good, just a little dry; great taste, though.
Make them your own, that’s the pleasure of cooking!!
 My serving of Pork with Fresh Figs and a Plantain Mash (Mofongo)
P.S. “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” george bernard shaw
Talk to you later….
August 26th, 2010
I remember the first time I tasted a fresh fig. Well, there is nothing better. Fig Newtons? No way, not even close. I instantly became a fan.
Purplish brown, greenish yellow, and deep burgundy; the colors that are so characteristic of fresh figs.
 My Fig Tree Their season? August through early Fall. If you have a fig tree like I do and all of a sudden there are so many of them ripening at the same time, then be sure to keep them in the refrigerator because they can spoil quickly.
There are so many recipes. I love just eating them off the tree. Added to salads, broiled with feta or mascarpone cheese on top, muffins, sauces, in ice cream, the possibilities are endless.
The following recipes are easy and delicious.
Fig Muffins
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup milk, divided
1 cup chopped fresh figs, divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Take 1/4 cup of the milk and 1/4 cup of the figs and blend together in the blender. It will be used when ingredients need to be added to the muffin mix.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, stirring just until moistened.
Stir in the blended fig mixture, pecans and chopped figs.
Spoon muffin batter into greased and floured muffin pans, filling three quarters full.
Bake 18 minutes if you are using the mini-muffins or for 20 minutes for regular muffins.
They are best served warm. It will yield 40 mini-muffins or 20 regular muffins.
A Fig Cobbler
5 cups fresh figs, halved
2 tsps. lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
3 tblsps. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Cheddar pastry
Arrange figs evenly in a lightly greased 10 x 6 x 2 inch baking dish
Sprinkle with lemon juice
Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir well, and sprinkle over figs.
Dot with butter.
Roll Cheddar Pastry out to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into 10 x 1/2 inch strips.
Arrange in lattice fashion over the figs.
Trim edges.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.
Cheddar Pastry:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/4 cup or 1 ounce shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of cold water
Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Stir in cheese.
Sprinkle cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, evenly on top.
Stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.
Shape dough into a ball until ready to use.
Enjoy it and make it your own. Reduce sugar, if you want or use different flours for baking if you have a gluten allergy. Eliminate the nuts if you have that allergy, as well.
Talk to you later….
 
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