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Monday, April 3, 2017

Recipe Review from 3/26/2017

Spring has sprung at temperatures creep toward that pleasant 50*.  Shipping season has started - saw my first Laker leave earlier in the week and the fishing boats are starting to patrol around the river mouths and long Park Point.  Bikes have been tuned up and now I'm just waiting to get my first ride in. 

In the meantime, some good recipes this go around! 

The Meal Plan for week of 3/26
Sun (L) Baked Eggs   (S)  BBQ Pork and potatoes
Mon (yoga/bkgrp/legion)  leftover baked eggs
Tues (yoga) - leftover pork
Wed  (Virginia) - Ragu and polenta
Thurs (yoga) - leftovers
Fri (yoga) - leftovers
Sat (L) out        (S)  Final Four?? 


Baked Eggs with Creamy Greens  (Food Lab/Seriously Eats)  vegetarian, GF option**
Yum yum and YUM!  This dish hits all my happy spots except in prep - it's a tich bit prep intensive.  However, if you make sure you do all your prep on the front end, it comes together beautifully on the back end and you have time to clean dishes and counters.

I loved the creamy greens with the baked egg on top - the flavors were bright and comforting at the same time.  I even did the garlicy toasts which added a really nice counterpoint to the dish.  Absolutely perfect and recommended. 

1 large bunch lacinato kale, tough stems removed, leaves roughly chopped (about 6 ounces; 180g after stemming)
1 large bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed, leaves roughly chopped (about 7 ounces; 200g after stemming)
5 ounces (140g) baby spinach
photo from SeriousEats.com
3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter, divided
8 ounces (225g) button or cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and caps sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, washed well and thinly sliced (about 9 ounces; 250g total)
3 medium cloves garlic, 2 minced or grated and 1 left whole for toast, divided
2 tablespoons (45g) all-purpose flour**
1 cup (235ml) half and half
1/2 cup (120ml) milk
3 tablespoons (45ml) dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons (10ml) Dijon mustard
3/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese (2 1/2 ounces; 75g)
4 to 6 large eggs
Pinch of red chili flakes, for garnish
4 to 6 slices toasted and buttered bread, such as from a baguette


Directions Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches if necessary, add kale, chard, and spinach to pot and cook for 1 minute. Using a spider or strainer, lift greens from water and transfer to a colander. Immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking. Repeat with remaining greens if necessary. Using your hands, squeeze greens to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Roughly chop greens and set aside. You should have about 10 1/2 ounces (300g) of cooked, squeezed greens.In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon (15g) butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring only occasionally, until well browned, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer to a plate.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons (30g) butter to skillet and melt over medium-high heat until foaming. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned. Stir in minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Sprinkle flour over leeks and cook, stirring, until raw flour smell has cooked off, about 1 minute. Stir in half and half and milk. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in wine, nutmeg, mustard, reserved mushrooms, and reserved greens and return to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat. If mixture is very thick, add a bit more water or milk to thin slightly (this will depend on how much water you squeezed out of the greens). You should have about 4 cups of creamed greens. If baking in the same skillet, sprinkle Gruyère on top of greens. (You can also divide greens into smaller individual skillets or baking dishes.) If using a baking dish, scrape creamy greens into it, smooth into an even layer, and sprinkle Gruyère on top.

Using a spoon, make egg-sized indentations in greens, one for each egg. Crack an egg into each well and season with salt. Bake until egg whites are just set and yolks are still runny, 10 to 20 minutes. Check eggs frequently to make sure they don’t overcook. Remove from oven and sprinkle a pinch of red chili flakes over each egg.

While toast is still warm, gently rub one side of each slice with remaining clove of garlic. Serve, using toast to scoop up greens and eggs.



Slow Cooked BBQ Beef Stuffed Potatoes (Ckng Lght Jan/Feb 2017)  gluten free
Tasty and filling meals really don't get easier than this - a modicum of chopping (onion), stir the "bbq" sauce together and slather over the meat, put everything into the slow cooker and walk away. Come back in 8 hours and shred the meat.  Eat!

I did some significant changes on this one: I subbed pork for the beef and sweet potatoes for the russets.  I don't know if it was because I was suffering from a head cold and my tastebuds were of or if it was something else, but I wasn't as excited about the sweet potatoes as I thought I would be.

The meat could easily be doubled - I halved a 3.25lb pork butt roast, and there was plenty of sauce at the end that I could have used the whole roast.  In all honesty, if you wanted to go the extra lazy route, skip the "homemade" sauce below, and use jarred.  

Still, for ease of prep and taste, this was perfect for a Sunday meal.  Recommeded! 


photo from cookinglight.com
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed  (I used pork butt)
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced red onion  (I used yellow onion)
Cooking spray
6 (4-oz.) russet potatoes (I used sweet potatoes)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
6 tablespoons light sour cream
1/4 cup sliced green onions

  1. Combine brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl; rub generously over roast.

  2. Place red onion slices in bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray; top with roast.

  3. Rub potatoes with oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Wrap each potato in parchment paper (I wrapped in aluminum foil); arrange on top of roast. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until tender.

  4. Unwrap potatoes; split lengthwise, cutting to but not through the other side. Shred roast with 2 forks, and stir to combine with onion mixture.

  5. Top each potato with 1/2 cup beef mixture, 2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 2 teaspoons green onions, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 


Sausage Ragu over Polenta (Ckng Lght, Jan/Feb 2017)  gluten free
Easy peasy!  This comes together in a very acceptable amount of time, tastes good, and is satisfying.  Only one minor substitution/modification - I used regular polenta instead of quick-cooking and followed the directions on the polenta package.  You could have some fun with this and add some coarsely chopped mushrooms and perhaps a hit of Italian herbs.

I will note, this does make four servings.  This would be lovely along side a bowl of fresh greens.  Recommended! 

1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces bulk pork Italian sausage
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 1/2 cups water, divided
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted tomato sauce
2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional) 
  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in pepper. Remove sausage mixture to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Remove pan from heat (do not wipe out pan).

  2. Combine onion, carrot, and garlic on a cutting board; finely chop. Return pan to medium-high. Add onion mixture to pan; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add sausage mixture, 1/2 cup water, and tomato sauce to pan; cook 1 minute.

  3. Bring remaining 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. whisk in polenta. Reduce heat; cook 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently with a whisk or spoon. Stir in cheese. Serve polenta with pork mixture and parsley, if desired.
 

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