Recipes & Cooking: May 2003 Archives

Yesterday as I was leaving for work, the sky suddenly got dark and the thunder rumbled. Perfect soup weather, so I picked a recipe from the magazine. It's a 15-minutes-or-less type recipe. I made it even quicker by leaving out the spinach and garlic, and made some substitutions, as well.

I dumped one 15-ounce can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes in a saucepan with a canful of water and half a bouillion cube. Brought it to a boil, then turned it down to a simmer. Then cracked an egg into the boiling liquid and left it alone for 4 minutes. I toasted a slice of Amy's Bread organic whole wheat, put it in a soup plate, placed the poached egg on top, ladeled the tomatoes and broth on that and shredded Parmesan over the whole thing. I ate it with a knife and fork and never had to get out a spoon because by the time I was finished all the soup had been soaked up by the bread. Another blogger I read regularly, In the Kitchen, mentioned ribollita today. I had never heard of it, but it sounds similar to the soup I made. In the same family, anyway.

There were lots of tomatoes and broth left, so I'll have that tonight with a grilled Cheddar sandwich (I can't resist the tomato soup/grilled cheese combo).

The ingredients list for the sauce from the Los Barrios Family Cookbook: 10 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 onion, chopped, 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper.

What I used (mostly because it's what I had): 15-ounce can tomato puree (you puree then cook down the tomatoes in the recipe, so I thought "short cut"), olive oil, the white part of three large (very large!) scallions, chopped, 2 very hot jalapenos, garlic powder, salt and pepper. So unless you think of garlic powder as a primary ingredient, I basically made an entirely different recipe.

I'm sure their sauce is very good, and I'll have to try it sometime, but here's what I did:

The ingredients list for the sauce from the Los Barrios Family Cookbook: 10 tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 onion, chopped, 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper.

What I used (mostly because it's what I had): 15-ounce can tomato puree (you puree then cook down the tomatoes in the recipe, so I thought "short cut"), olive oil, the white part of three large (very large!) scallions, chopped, 2 very hot jalapenos, garlic powder, salt and pepper. So unless you think of garlic powder as a primary ingredient, I basically made an entirely different recipe.

I'm sure their sauce is very good, and I'll have to try it sometime, but here's what I did:

Am I supposed to start screaming and crying when my very first cheesecake does this?

I swore to myself that I wouldn't get upset when (not if) this happened. I even told a coworker that I didn't care if it cracked, as long as it tastes good. But I'm sure the neighbors did hear my shriek when I saw what had happened to the center of the cappuccino cheesecake I made this afternoon.

The thing is, it was already cracked a little when I turned off the oven (15 minutes early, I must add). So I thought that would be it, not too bad. You can still see the small cracks along the sides, even though they're dwarfed in magnitude by the enormous crater in the center. I know I did everything wrong, though, so I'm definitely going to try again: I used a mixer to beat the batter, which incorporated a lot of air that turned to steam in the oven and needed a way to escape (apparently a food processor works better); I didn't use a waterbath (the recipe I had didn't call for one); I think I started it in a too-hot oven (the recipe called for a 450 oven for the first 10 minutes, then down to 200 for an hour, which seemed weird from the beginning, but who am I to question it?); and I overcooked it (there was no jiggly middle when I checked on it 15 minutes before it should be done).

I added some embellishments to try to camouflage the mess for the people I might ask to eat it:

Tomorrow we'll see. It has to chill for at least 8 hours before we can eat it. As long as it tastes good, I won't have to cry.

Some friends came over for dinner last night; they're both vegetarians and Todd is a sworn carnivore, so coming up with a menu was kind of challenging. It's been raining around here, so I opted for chili. I think I was the only one I know who was delighted when Thursday rolled around and the sky was still gray. I couldn't serve chili on a sunny spring day. I also made fruit parfaits for dessert (hedging my bets about the weather a little, I guess).

Some friends came over for dinner last night; they're both vegetarians and Todd is a sworn carnivore, so coming up with a menu was kind of challenging. It's been raining around here, so I opted for chili. I think I was the only one I know who was delighted when Thursday rolled around and the sky was still gray. I couldn't serve chili on a sunny spring day. I also made fruit parfaits for dessert (hedging my bets about the weather a little, I guess).

Rachael Ray of Food Network's 30-Minute Meals is always saying, "My mom invented this when she had a bunch of (blank) left over, and now it's a family favorite." Well last night I threw together a bunch of ingredients that were nearing the point of expiration and the results were pretty darn good.

I had poached an extra chicken breast when I made the enchilada casserole, so I cut that into medium-sized chunks and mixed it with some purchased aioli that is a week away from the end of its one-month shelf-life. Salt, pepper and Todd diced up some nearing-flabby celery (still crisp enough to provide some crunch when it was diced small, though) and chopped walnuts. Then was the best part: blue cheese left over from lunch one day when I ordered one of those custom-made tossed salads with walnuts, blue cheese and beets, and the guy added so much blue cheese that I saved a full cupful to use later. So we've been sprinkling blue cheese in everything. I think Todd's decided it needs to be a Walker Kitchen Staple. Put the chicken salad on toasted bread with a lettuce leaf. Todd ate the leftovers on the left over half of my morning bagel.

Now the cupboard is approaching bare, except for some Hawaiian bread, strawberries, a chicken breast and an Italian turkey sausage in the freezer. Think I can come up with something out of that?

Rachael Ray of Food Network's 30-Minute Meals is always saying, "My mom invented this when she had a bunch of (blank) left over, and now it's a family favorite." Well last night I threw together a bunch of ingredients that were nearing the point of expiration and the results were pretty darn good.

I had poached an extra chicken breast when I made the enchilada casserole, so I cut that into medium-sized chunks and mixed it with some purchased aioli that is a week away from the end of its one-month shelf-life. Salt, pepper and Todd diced up some nearing-flabby celery (still crisp enough to provide some crunch when it was diced small, though) and chopped walnuts. Then was the best part: blue cheese left over from lunch one day when I ordered one of those custom-made tossed salads with walnuts, blue cheese and beets, and the guy added so much blue cheese that I saved a full cupful to use later. So we've been sprinkling blue cheese in everything. I think Todd's decided it needs to be a Walker Kitchen Staple. Put the chicken salad on toasted bread with a lettuce leaf. Todd ate the leftovers on the left over half of my morning bagel.

Now the cupboard is approaching bare, except for some Hawaiian bread, strawberries, a chicken breast and an Italian turkey sausage in the freezer. Think I can come up with something out of that?

A cooking marathon on Sunday, when I made the chicken enchilada casserole and this. The strata is supposed to chill for at least 8 hours or for a day, so I made it on Sunday for dinner last night.

First I sauteed half a diced onion in butter. I bought a bunch of baby spinach and just shredded it by cutting across it without even taking it out of the bundle. Rinsed it well, twice, then nuked it until it was soft and squeezed all the liquid out. Then I mixed it with the onions, plus salt, pepper and nutmeg. (The recipe actually called for frozen chopped, but I was shopping at the vegetable stand, not the grocery store, so I got fresh.) Then I put three of these layers in my casserole: stale bread cubes (about 4 cups total), spinach mixture, shredded parmesan cheese (about 3 tablespoons) and shredded Montery Jack (about 3/4 cup; the recipe called for Guyere, which I'm sure would have been better, but I used what I had--this is, after all, a recipe for leftovers). Chill for 8 hours or overnight.

Let it come to room temperature, about 30 minutes, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until set. While mine was baking, I could hear the neighbor in the hallway complaining that he could smell gas. Well, yes, the oven does use gas. It made me wonder if he has ever turned his oven on. He finally got the super, who came up and rang my bell to ask about the gas smell (although I had heard the super tell the neighbor that he didn't smell anything; I should have put an end to the whole conversation sooner). By the end it smelled like baking bread and melty cheese.

A cooking marathon on Sunday, when I made the chicken enchilada casserole and this. The strata is supposed to chill for at least 8 hours or for a day, so I made it on Sunday for dinner last night.

First I sauteed half a diced onion in butter. I bought a bunch of baby spinach and just shredded it by cutting across it without even taking it out of the bundle. Rinsed it well, twice, then nuked it until it was soft and squeezed all the liquid out. Then I mixed it with the onions, plus salt, pepper and nutmeg. (The recipe actually called for frozen chopped, but I was shopping at the vegetable stand, not the grocery store, so I got fresh.) Then I put three of these layers in my casserole: stale bread cubes (about 4 cups total), spinach mixture, shredded parmesan cheese (about 3 tablespoons) and shredded Montery Jack (about 3/4 cup; the recipe called for Guyere, which I'm sure would have been better, but I used what I had--this is, after all, a recipe for leftovers). Chill for 8 hours or overnight.

Let it come to room temperature, about 30 minutes, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until set. While mine was baking, I could hear the neighbor in the hallway complaining that he could smell gas. Well, yes, the oven does use gas. It made me wonder if he has ever turned his oven on. He finally got the super, who came up and rang my bell to ask about the gas smell (although I had heard the super tell the neighbor that he didn't smell anything; I should have put an end to the whole conversation sooner). By the end it smelled like baking bread and melty cheese.

My mom made a great chicken enchilada casserole when I was growing up, but (horrors!) the recipe used a couple of cans of "cream of" soup. I hunted down a recipe that didn't use the canned soup but had similar, creamy results. This one was pretty good, and you make the chile sauce from scratch (sort of; you do use a can of diced green chiles).

Cook half a diced onion and a minced garlic clove in 2 tablespoons olive oil until they're soft, then stir in 2 tablespoons of flour. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (I poached chicken breasts in water with a bouillon cube and reserved the liquid to use for the stock) and stir until it starts to thicken and gets bubby. Then add 4 oz diced green chiles and 1/2 cup sour cream.

Put a little of the sauce in the bottom of a square baking pan, then layer 2 quartered corn tortillas (wrapped in damp paper towels and heated in the microwave to soften; the recipe softens them in boiling oil), a generous 1/2 cup shredded chicken (from the poached breasts), a handful of shredded Montery Jack cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat layers two more times, and top with more cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven 25 to 35 minutes until bubbly.

My mom made a great chicken enchilada casserole when I was growing up, but (horrors!) the recipe used a couple of cans of "cream of" soup. I hunted down a recipe that didn't use the canned soup but had similar, creamy results. This one was pretty good, and you make the chile sauce from scratch (sort of; you do use a can of diced green chiles).

Cook half a diced onion and a minced garlic clove in 2 tablespoons olive oil until they're soft, then stir in 2 tablespoons of flour. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (I poached chicken breasts in water with a bouillon cube and reserved the liquid to use for the stock) and stir until it starts to thicken and gets bubby. Then add 4 oz diced green chiles and 1/2 cup sour cream.

Put a little of the sauce in the bottom of a square baking pan, then layer 2 quartered corn tortillas (wrapped in damp paper towels and heated in the microwave to soften; the recipe softens them in boiling oil), a generous 1/2 cup shredded chicken (from the poached breasts), a handful of shredded Montery Jack cheese and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat layers two more times, and top with more cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven 25 to 35 minutes until bubbly.

From now on, I am keeping cubes of Hawaiian bread and a bag of semisweet chocolate chips in my freezer. I made individual servings of chocolate bread pudding last night from Cooking Light that Todd declared were "the best thing you have made so far."

So, in case I lose the recipe, here it is: Toast 2 cups of 1/2-inch cubes of Hawaiian bread (a slightly sweet white bread) in a 350 degree oven (I skipped this step because my cubes were stale). Mix 2/3 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon flavored liquer (the recipe called for Kahlua, but I used Grand Marnier) and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a 4-cup glass measure or a medium bowl. Mix in the toasted cubes and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Split half the bread cubes between two 6-ounce ramekins, layer 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips into each, then layer the remaining bread cubes over the top and sprinkle each with another 1/2 tablespoon chocolate chips. Bake in a waterbath in a 325 degree oven 35 minutes until set. We ate them warm.

My coworker just came by and told me how she makes her healing ginger tea (no amounts, though): chop fresh ginger and simmer it in water for "a long time" (I think it took less than an hour for her to make), then add a Lipton tea bag and steep for a normal amount of time. There weren't any bits of ginger, so I don't know if she strained them out or used cheesecloth while steeping the ginger, but the liquid was cloudy, so I'll probably try the first technique. Add honey and lemon and you're done. I'm sure it'll take a lot of experimentation for me to get it right in my own kitchen, but it's worth it. It's spicy-hot with ginger and you can feel it blooming warmth in your chest as you drink it. Great stuff.

My coworker just came by and told me how she makes her healing ginger tea (no amounts, though): chop fresh ginger and simmer it in water for "a long time" (I think it took less than an hour for her to make), then add a Lipton tea bag and steep for a normal amount of time. There weren't any bits of ginger, so I don't know if she strained them out or used cheesecloth while steeping the ginger, but the liquid was cloudy, so I'll probably try the first technique. Add honey and lemon and you're done. I'm sure it'll take a lot of experimentation for me to get it right in my own kitchen, but it's worth it. It's spicy-hot with ginger and you can feel it blooming warmth in your chest as you drink it. Great stuff.

Polenta is something I've only discovered recently, thanks to the cooks in the test kitchen at work. They introduced me to the prepared tubes of polenta that can be sliced and then heated in a variety of ways. That, in a backward way, led me to the creamy polenta I can make with the ordinary cornmeal in my freezer (yes, my freezer, with my different types of flour and butter; it's the only storage space I have).

So Monday night I made creamy polenta (bring 4 cups water to boil, add 1 cup polenta gradually while whisking, stir over heat for 2 minutes, simmer covered over low heat for more than half an hour, stirring occasionally, then add butter, salt, pepper and lots of Parmesan). I also sauteed some bulk turkey sausage and then added sliced garlic (which burned while I wasn't paying attention so I picked it all out and threw it away) and some broccoli. Then we ate the sausage mixture over the polenta.

We have lots of leftover polenta, which has probably hardened up, so I'm going to toss cubes of toasted polenta with roasted red peppers, Parmesan and chopped kalamata olives for dinner tonight. We'll see. I have no idea if it'll work or be good.

Polenta is something I've only discovered recently, thanks to the cooks in the test kitchen at work. They introduced me to the prepared tubes of polenta that can be sliced and then heated in a variety of ways. That, in a backward way, led me to the creamy polenta I can make with the ordinary cornmeal in my freezer (yes, my freezer, with my different types of flour and butter; it's the only storage space I have).

So Monday night I made creamy polenta (bring 4 cups water to boil, add 1 cup polenta gradually while whisking, stir over heat for 2 minutes, simmer covered over low heat for more than half an hour, stirring occasionally, then add butter, salt, pepper and lots of Parmesan). I also sauteed some bulk turkey sausage and then added sliced garlic (which burned while I wasn't paying attention so I picked it all out and threw it away) and some broccoli. Then we ate the sausage mixture over the polenta.

We have lots of leftover polenta, which has probably hardened up, so I'm going to toss cubes of toasted polenta with roasted red peppers, Parmesan and chopped kalamata olives for dinner tonight. We'll see. I have no idea if it'll work or be good.

Carrot soup last night. I have a coworker who will blend any pretty-colored vegetable into a soup, and this is one of her favorites. I love the thick, creamy texture of it without the guilt of cream. (Although I'm sure cream would be nice.)

It's so easy, too, and I made a big enough batch to have leftovers for today and for the freezer (Todd won't eat carrot soup). It's easy enough to make just one serving, though. Just cut down on amounts.

I diced one medium onion then sauteed it in butter in a large, deep skillet. Then I halved lengthwise a pound of baby carrots from a bag and added that to the skillet with a palmful of cumin. Stirred it around to toast the cumin, then added 4 cups of water and a veggie bullion cube (I think the Knorr cubes are just fine). Brought it to a boil and let it simmer, covered, about 25 minutes. Added cayenne and then pureed it in the blender in batches, mostly the carrots with just a little of the broth. I thinned the soup later with the broth left in the pan (it had all the cumin-cayenne flavor, too). That way you have more control over the thickness of the soup.