Well the New Year is off to a good start. Make it a good one!
Hasselback
Potatoes
I
had been wanting to try these for some time, and the right occasion
arose the other day. The name comes from the Hasselbacken Hotel in
Stockholm, Sweden, where the dish was invented and popularized.
Here's my version.
2-3
baking Potatoes
1/4
cup Shredded Parmesan (not the tube stuff)
1/2
cup Panko or other bread crumbs
4
Tbsp melted Butter, divided
1
tsp Paprika
Kosher
Salt to taste
2,
1/4" thick wood strips as cutting guides
Preheat
the oven to 450F.
While
that's going on, peel the spuds, and cut a thin strip off one side to
make a stable 'bottom'. Place each spud between the two wooden
strips and, using a long knife, slice down to the wood. Make the
slices about 1/4" thick. The two wood strips prevent you from
cutting all the way through, leaving a 'fan' of slices attacked along the bottom.
Gently
flex the fans as you run the spuds under cold water to remove excess
starch, and open up the fans a little. They will open more during baking. Put the spuds in cold water,
to prevent discoloration, while you:
Combine
the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, paprika and half the melted butter or
margarine in a small bowl. Crush together or take the ingredients for a spin in a food processor.
Dry
the spuds off week and lay them in a sprayed or parchment-lined
baking dish. Brush the spuds with the remaining butter. Now pack the
cheese mixture along the tops of the spuds; making sure to spoon
some between the slices. Bake foil-covered for 30 minutes, then
remove the foil and finish baking for another 15-30 minutes.
Hot &
Sour Soup
We
actually got a couple of days of winter here (temps below 75F), and
Sally wanted a soup for lunches this week. This isn't actually hot
and sour soup, but it is an Asian-inspired chicken and vegetable soup.
2
Chicken Breasts
Seasoning
for chicken -- your choice. I used Evergladestm, but Old Baytm or Cajun would do
1
bag frozen Veg -- Use your favorite. I used the Gumbo blend, as we
both like that blend.
1
can Baby Corn pieces, from the Ethnic aisle
3"
piece of Diakon radish, sliced
4
oz. sliced mushrooms
Soy
Sauce to taste
Teriyaki
Sauce to taste
Hoisin
Sauce to taste
Balsamic
Vinegar
In
your stock pot, saute the chicken for about 4 minutes per
side. Season with anything you heart desires. But not flaming hot!
Remove from pot. Add a cup or so of water and the frozen veg. Slice
the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and return it to the pot. Add
the baby corn, daikon and mushrooms. Add water to come up to 6 or so
cups of broth.
Start
adding soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce, a tablespoon or
two at a time, stirring and tasting until you get a flavor blend
that you like. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes or so, to allow
the flavors to marry. Now add balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon at a
time, stirring while you add -- until you get the amount of 'sour'
you want to go with your blend of sauces.
Pork
Chops Apples and Yams
This is one
of the first dishes I learned as a Personal Chef, right after the
Lemon Chicken Tagine that I discovered along with the USPCA. This
is a perfect midweek dinner meal for you busy folks.
2-4 Pork
Chops of choice
1 large Yam
1-2 Red
Apples
Fresh
Cracked Black Pepper
Smoked
Paprika
Peel the
yam and cut into 1/2" dice. Cut apple(s) (don't peel) into 1/2"
dice as well. Dust the chops with pepper and paprika.
Brown the
chops on both sides, then remove from the pan. Add the yams to the
pan along with about 3/4 cup of water, and simmer, lidded, for 15
minutes or so, until the yams are getting tender. Remove yams.
Place chops back in the pan, and top with the yams and apples, and
another 1/2 cup of water. Replace the lid and cook 10-15 minutes
until the apples are softening. Plate and serve.
Challah
French Toast
Here's
another of my AirBnB Cabana Breakfasts. Challah bread, sliced thick
and left out the night before, so that it dries out and becomes more
absorbent. Then I combine Half & Half, a beaten egg, freshly
ground Nutmeg, and freshly ground Black Cardamon seed for their
aromatic enhancements. Dredge the bread on both sides, and
fry in a dry skillet, turning after a couple minutes. Served with a
tropical fruit puree (I like Starfruit) and/or local Seagrape Honey.
The breakfast also includes sausage or bacon, and here I've halved
two 'sausage logs' sliced out of the styro-pack of sausage.
Bush'stm
Best Chili Contest Entry #Bushs
Y'all
know that I belong to the "chili does not contain beans"
school, right? But when money and braggin' rights for a recipe are at stake (or
steak), I can let them call it Chili if they want.
The
point here was to take one of the many flavorful Bush's beans
varieties, and create a "Chili" around it. I've seen some
of the other entries, and frankly they are burying the beans under so
many other flavors that the special ingredient (Beans) are lost. What I tried to do was enhance
the flavor of my chosen beans with the other flavors, not smother the
beans.
Vegan
Chorizo and Green Chile Chili con Maize
1
sm can Bush's Vegetarian Beans
1/2
package of Tofurky tm or other brand Chorizo-flavored meat substitute
1
sm can Kernal Corn
1
can Diced Green Chiles (or roast and dice a New Mexico or Anaheim Chile)
1
tsp Cumin
Pinch
of Cayenne
Combine
everything in a pan and simmer to marry the flavors. Serves two.
Of course you can make this a carnivore chili if you want,
by using real Mexican chorizo...
Leftover
ChiliMac
This
is for Suzanne Duplantis, who writes the blog
MakeOver My Leftover.
Suzanne and I cooked next to each other at the WFC Blogger's
Challenge back in November.
After
making and eating my Vegan Chorizo & Green Chile Chili con Maize entry for
the Bush's contest, I had some leftover "chili" (chili
doesn't have beans, remember). What to do?
Back
in the day, there was a dish called Chili Mac. Macaroni to 'stretch' Chili,
duh! So I boiled up some Corkscrew pasta (any 3-D shape, not long
strands, will do). Toss the leftover chili and the macaroni together
and top with some shredded cheese -- I used 'real' shredded Parmesan,
not that stuff in the can. Even tastier the second time around.
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