Gardens are looking good this past week. I've been able to get into most beds and do some significant weeding. My peony bed is going to need an overhaul, just too much grass got in and everything is going to have to be dug out. So it goes Spring project with a very tiny window.
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| from a couple years ago photo by scifiwithpaprika(C)2016 |
Several good recipes last week, and an attempt at making my own pie crust.
The Meal Plan
Sat (L) Leftovers (S) Hoisin-Glazed Pork Ribs
Sun (L) Chicken Tagine (S) Leftover pork ribs
Mon - leftover chicken
Tues (donate blood) leftover ribs
Wed - leftover chicken
Thurs -
Fri -
Lunches - quiche and fruit
Butter-Toasted Steel Cut Oats with Apples Serves 6
Premise is you toast some butter till brown and nutty, stir in the oats and spices and stir till fragrant, add the water and cook. I did make this recipe in the morning and I will say this about the cookbook - the recipes come together in the time given. This was 35 minutes start to finish and most of it hands off.
This does turn out creamy right out of the pot. I/we were both a little surprised at the lack of flavor in this, it was very muted and the apples flavor hardly came through at all. Could have been my apples - they were from the co-op. Would I make this again? Yes, except I would perhaps bump up the apples and add some cinnamon. I did have leftovers and I baked to re-heat.
Chicken Tagine with Squash and Spinach Serves 4-6
Noting, I got 4 meals for 2 people so 8 servings with Israeli couscous. I used some frozen squash from last years garden bounty, which I had thawed ahead of time. In hindsight, I perhaps should have just left frozen, because my squash rather...disintegrated. Which was fine, I guess, as it just thickened the overall mixture. I served with Israeli couscous because I LOVE Israeli couscous.
This is nicely seasoned, a balanced combination of brothy and stew-like, and not heavy
Quiche Lorraine (modified from Eating Well, April 2020)
I made this for lunches for the week and I modified to make it vegetarian, which probably means it's not "quiche lorraine" anymore. I subbed half a diced green pepper for the bacon (I had the green pepper in the fridge), I subbed a shallot for the onion (again, in the fridge), and I used Swiss instead for Gruyere because it was less expensive.
What more can I add? It's a quiche. I enjoy quiche - great for breakfast, lunch or dinners. Not sure I would make this recipe again, I prefer the Moosewood version a bit more.
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| photo from eatingwell.com |
I subbed 1/2 green pepper, diced
1 cup thinly sliced onion (I used 1 shallot)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (I used Swiss Cheese)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Pierce bottom and sides of pie crust with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile,
Whisk eggs, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the bacon and half the Gruyère over the onion, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Set the pan on a baking sheet.
Bake the quiche until the top is golden brown and the filling is set, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Homemade Pie Crust (Gimme Some Oven)
I have decided to learn how to make my own pie crust. "Everyone" says it's super easy, my sister can do it...I should be able to do it. My one caveat - I would prefer no shortening. Butter or lard only. Since I don't have lard on hand, butter it is.
So we started with this recipe. First observation: the flour to butter ratio doesn't seem right. When I weighed my flour according to the direction, I had one cup. One cup of flour to one half cup butter. Hm. I went with measuring. Second observation, this baked up more like a puff pastry or a croissant, a very light crust, heavy on the butter flavor. I have mixed thoughts on that. Third observation, it did re-heat okay in the microwave at work. Crust was a little rubbery, but not too bad. A function of the microwave I suspect.
So while not what I would consider a success, not a failure either. I'll be looking for a different recipe.
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| photo from Gimme Some Oven |
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (115 grams) cold unsalted butter*, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup ice water
Mix the dry ingredients: Combine the flour, sugar (optional) and salt in a large mixing bowl or a food processor. Whisk or pulse briefly until combined.
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients: Sprinkle the diced butter evenly over the dry ingredient mixture. If working by hand, use a pastry cutter or two forks to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is evenly dispersed into pea-sized (or smaller) bits. If using a food processor, briefly pulse the butter and dry ingredients together 5 to 7 times until the butter is evenly dispersed into pea-sized (or smaller) bits, then transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Add water: Sprinkle the dough evenly with the ice water. Use a spatula to quickly mix the water into the dough until it is evenly combined, and the dough begins to form moist clumps. (If the dough is not sticking together, you can add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water to help it clump.) Try not to overmix the dough.
Form a dough ball: Using your hands, quickly pack the dough into a ball (like you’re packing a snowball).
Then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch thick disk.
Wrap and chill the dough: Wrap the dough disk tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days, until ready to roll out and use.
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