Recipe Review from 11/22/21

A couple new recipes to wrap up November. One super simple fish dish and one scone recipe. I recommend both!

A dam fine site - looking downriver toward Pierre, SD, from the Oahe Dam.  Oahe Dam creates the 4th largest made-made reservoir in the US.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Leftover lentil soup (S) pheasant with wild rice
Sun (L) Leftover lentil soup (S) brats
Mon (yoga) brats
Tues - Horseradish spiced salmon with crispy leeks
Wed (yoga) - take-n-bake pizza
Thurs - Cities
Fri - Cities

Lunches - Barley, Corn and black bean burritos

Horseradish-Crusted Salmon with Crispy Leeks (Eating Well, Dec 2021)
A easy, tasty fish dish! A couple of very small modifications:I reduced the cornstarch to 1, maybe 1 1/2 tbsp. 3 tbsp seemed like it would have the potential to be gummy. I was able to find jarred horseradish at the co-op that wasn't full of corn-syrup and soybean oil, and it is SUPER spicy. So I added an extra tablespoon of may to cut the heat a little bit. Perfect for our taste buds! A bit of zing, but not so much so that it overwhelmed all the other flavors. I served this along side a baked wild rice dish. Leftovers reheated very well.

I would make this again. I AM making this again in a week for Holiday dinner with the Folks.

Serves 4

photo from eatingwell.com

1 ¼ pounds salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium leek, white and pale green parts only, cut into matchsticks
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Pat salmon dry and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Mix mayonnaise and horseradish in a small bowl and brush over the salmon. Roast until the salmon is opaque in the center, 7 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss leek with cornstarch and add to the pan. Cook, separating the leek strands with tongs as they cook, until crispy and golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve the salmon topped with the leek.


Cranberry-Pumpkin Scones (Better Homes and Gardens)
I have been on a pumpkin kick lately - pumpkin waffles, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, and now pumpkin scones. The full recipe includes a powdered sugar glaze, orange zest and sugared pepitas. I wanted a simple unadorned scone so I skipped all that, which is reflected below. These were moist, pumpkin-y, with a hit of tart from the cranberries. Next time (and there will probably be a next time) I might try with fresh cranberries.

One modification I did was instead of rolling out and cutting into wedges, I used my cookie scoop and dollup-ed onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I got about 12 nicely rounded, perfectly portioned scones this way.

Recommended!

Made 12 following my notes above, makes 8 following directions below.

photo from bhg.com

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, cut up
½ cup dried cranberries
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
½ cup canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees °F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add cranberries and toss well. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

In a small bowl stir together the 2 eggs, half-and-half, and pumpkin. Add pumpkin mixture all at once to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Pat or lightly roll dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut circle into eight wedges.

Place wedges 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl combine the 1 egg with the 1 tablespoon water. Brush wedges lightly with egg mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove scones from baking sheet. Let cool for 5 minutes if adding any topping or glaze (follow link for glaze).

Recipe Review from 11/15/21

One new recipe from last week. As the Husband was pheasant hunting in the western side of the state, I had plenty of leftovers from the week previous. We had fresh pheasant sauted with mushrooms and onions served over grits to wrap up the week.

More wide open spaces in SD

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) leftover Fasolada (S) dinner at the Folks
Sun (S) leftover German dumplings and gravy (S) breakfast naan pizza
Mon (yoga) leftover dumplings and gravy
Tues - leftover dumplings and gravy
Wed (yoga) - leftover soup
Thurs - grits and pheasant
Fri - grits and pheasant

Lunches (mine) berbere spiced lentils

Berbere-Spiced Lentil & Turnip Soup vegetarian,vegan
Easy, easy, easy. Chop, plop, and walk away. 10 hours on low seems a bit overkill, unless you have an instant pot - I've noticed and others have commented the slow cooker feature runs cooler than a stand alone slow cooker. Significantly lower temps.

But I digress. I found a berbere spice blend at the co-op. No clue if it was salt free, so I erred on the salted side and didn't add the extra salt. If you didn't want to chop tomatoes, used canned (diced) and cut back on the vegetable stock. Would I make this again? Absolutely. It's earthy lentils, sweet turnips with some of heat from the spice blend. I did serve with the yogurt which added a tangy creaminess. Recommended!

Serves 8-10 (approx)

1 pound green lentils, rinsed
8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 small turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 large tomatoes, peeled if desired, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus leaves for garnish
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 tablespoons salt-free berbere spice blend
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Plain Greek yogurt for serving

Combine lentils, broth, turnips, tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, berbere and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir to make sure the lentils and turnips are covered with the liquid. Cover and cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 hours on High or 8 to 10 hours on Low.

Serve the soup topped with celery leaves and yogurt, if desired.

Recipe Review from 11/8/21

Four new recipes this week. Three simple and exceedingly tasty meals, one impulse bake in the Cranberry-Pecan muffins.

The Boys out in SD - Ready to go Mom!

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) take-out chicken (S) Folks
Sun (L) Left over chicken (S) tomato soup and grilled cheese
Mon (yoga) leftover soup take n bake pizza
Tues - take n bake pizza leftover soup
Wed (yoga) breakfast Naan pizza
Thurs (OFF) breakfast Naan pizza
Fri - breakfast Naan pizza

Lunches - Fasolada soup

Sheet Pan Tomato Soup (Eating Well, Sept 2021) gluten free/vegetarian/vegan
Yes, the recipe is THAT simple. I made as written, except I forgot to add the sugar. I think the thyme should be tossed with the tomatoes during roasting to bloom the flavors. I did need to add a tich of water as it was just a tich too thick for me, and I generally prefer a thick soup. Highly recommended!

Photo from EatingWell.com

Served 4 - 6 (depending if you do a "cup" or a "bowl").

4 pints cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried, plus more for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spread tomatoes, onion and garlic in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; toss to coat. Roast until the tomatoes burst and the onion is very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.

Carefully transfer the tomatoes, onions and garlic to a blender. Add sugar to taste, thyme and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Blend, scraping down the sides as necessary, until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Garnish with more fresh thyme, if desired.


Breakfast Naan Pizza (Eating Well, Sept 2021) vegetarian
Yup. Recipe is that easy. I skipped the lemon zest because a) I didn't see it and b) if I had, it's a putsy step in a c) recipe that has enough flavors. I used the small naan (single serving size?) because I was making this for myself for dinner and the regular naan seemed a bit on the large size. Mmm...I was still hungry after so maybe should have stuck with large? Hard to say.

I modified the cooking part a lot: I poached my eggs, toasted the naan in the toaster, and then popped under the broiler for just a moment to brown the Parmesan and warm up the cheese and pesto.

This would be good anytime: breakfast, lunch, snack, supper... highly recommended!

Photo from EatingWell.com

Serves 4+ (will be dependent upon size of naan and amount of ingredients)

1 whole-wheat naan
2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon low-sodium marinara or pesto
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 large egg
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh basil and ground pepper for garnish

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place naan on the prepared pan. Mix ricotta, marinara (or pesto) and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread the mixture onto the naan, creating a well in the center. Carefully crack egg into the well. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until the naan is golden, the egg white is set and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Garnish with basil and pepper, if desired.


Fasolada (modified from Milk Street) gluten free; vegetarian/vegan option
OMGOSH! This was so good! Like this is now my favorite soup good!

My modification: **1 lb dried beans pre-cooked in the instant pot. Proceed with recipe. Why? Because dried beans can be a bit finicky and I hate it when they don't cook as anticipated, end up on the firm side, and it just kinda ruins the dish. So, I cooked first, then proceeded with the dish.

Milk Street did note you can use 4-15oz canned cannellini beans (rinsed and drained).

Servings 6-8 (I had 5 lunches and froze two tubs at 2 servings each)

3 tbsp oil
1 large red onion, chopped
3 medium celery stalks, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
kosher salt and pepper
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb dried cannellini beans (I used cranberry beans), pre-cooked
**see my note above**
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
4 tsp red wine vinegar (i used white wine vinegar)
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
2 oz feta cheese, cubed or crumbled

1. Mash 1 cup of the cooked beans and set aside.

2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, 1/2 tsp salt and cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook another 30 seconds. Add the tomato past and cook, stirring, until the paste begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the broth. Add the whole and mashed beans and stir. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are barely tender.

Off heat, stir in the vinegar, then vigorously wisk in 3 tbsp olive oil (MS notes: Whisk! Don't drizzle! Will add extra body and flavor!). Season to taste and serve with olives and feta.


Cranberry-Pecan muffins (Cooks Illustrated) These are excellent! But, assembly was a tich putzy and you DO need a food processor. Loving my Cuisinart 11 cup processor right about now.

Yes, putzy. Toasting, cooling; melting, cooling; blitz in the processor, set aside; blitz something else, set aside; blitz again; wait 30 minutes and then bake.

But, as with most of the ATK/Cooks Illustrated franchise recipe, they are exceedingly good.

Photo from CooksIllustrated.com

Makes 12 muffins.

Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, softened
pinch salt
½ cup pecan halves

Muffins
1 ⅓ cups (6 2/3 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups pecan halves, toasted and cooled
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (7 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
½ cup whole milk
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

NOTE: If fresh cranberries aren't available, substitute frozen: Microwave them in a bowl until they're partially but not fully thawed, 30 to 45 seconds.

FOR THE STREUSEL: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Process flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and salt in food processor until mixture resembles coarse sand, 4 to 5 pulses. Add pecans and process until pecans are coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.

FOR THE MUFFINS: Spray 12-cup muffin tin with baking spray with flour. Whisk flour, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt together in bowl; set aside. My note - I used muffin cup liners. 'Cause it guarantees they'll come out and easier clean-up, ya know?

Process toasted pecans and granulated sugar until mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer to large bowl and whisk in eggs, butter, and milk until combined. Whisk flour mixture into egg mixture until just moistened and no streaks of flour remain. Set batter aside 30 minutes to thicken.

Pulse cranberries, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and confectioners’ sugar in food processor until very coarsely chopped, 4 to 5 pulses. Using rubber spatula, fold cranberries into batter. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups, slightly mounding in middle. Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over muffins, gently pressing into batter to adhere. Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 18 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in muffin tin on wire rack, 10 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Review from 11/1/2021

Holy Smokes! Where did the year go?!? Welcome to November! A couple favorite repeats this week and a couple new recipes for review.

Badlands National Park, SD, 2021

This meal plan dovetails on the end of our South Dakota trip (see previous post) so there are a couple added days to the menu.

Fri (S) Grouse and potatoes
Sat (L) leftover chili (S) Salmon and leeks in a wine sauce
Sun (L) leftover salmon (S) Roast Chicken with herbs and pomegranate molasses
Mon (yoga) leftover chicken
Tues - leftover chicken
Wed (yoga) - soup
Thurs - Bear chops in blue cheese sauce
Fri - leftover chops

Lunches - (me) butnut soup (Husband) sandwiches

This is a freezer reduction menu as items seem to go in, and are a bit slow to come out. It's nice to have the freezer, but often it becomes out of sight, out of mind. Trying to do better.

What came out: chili, salmon, chicken, soup, and bear. Mind, the chili and soup were pre-trip additions.


Wine-Poached Salmon with Piquillo Peppers and Leeks (Sitka Salmon)
A great weeknight dish that is easy to prep and come together very quickly and tastes great.

Two notables - I used jarred sliced roasted red peppers as I have no idea what a Piquillo pepper is nor nor does my store carry it. The other is, 5-6 min to cook the fish is very accurate. I went 10ish and it was over-cooked. Still good, just, overcooked. The picture shows cooking with skin on, the recipe calls to remove the skin. We removed the skin as directed for a more pleasant dining experience.

Recommended!

photo from Sitka Salmon

1½ pounds salmon fillets, pin bones and skin removed, cut into 4 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small lemon, thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed
1 cup thinly sliced leek, white and pale green parts, washed well
6 fresh thyme sprigs
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup very thinly sliced piquillo peppers or roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
Crusty bread for serving

PREP THE PARCHMENT
Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position. Season the salmon all over with salt and pepper. Cut a sheet of parchment into a 12-inch round (it should fit snugly into a 12-inch skillet). Fold it into quarters and snip 1/2 inch from the pointed tip. Unfold and set aside.

ROAST THE SALMON

In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter along with the oil. When the foam subsides, add the lemon and cook until heated, about 1 minute. Turn the lemon slices and stir in the leeks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs and top with the salmon. Pour the wine around the salmon, place the parchment circle on top and bring to a simmer. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the fish is opaque and just flakes around the edges, 5 to 6 minutes depending on thickness.

MAKE THE SAUCE
Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the salmon to a platter. Cover the salmon with the parchment to keep warm. Carefully transfer the hot skillet to the stove and bring the pan juices to a gentle simmer over low heat. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted and the sauce is creamy, about 2 minutes. Stir in the peppers and parsley.

SERVE
Return the salmon to the skillet and garnish with parsley. Serve with crusty bread.


Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup (modified from Cooks Country)
This was for lunches and I topped it with the pancetta, some popcorn and toasted pumpkin seeds.

A handful of modifications to this simple and easy soup - I used frozen squash (from my 2020 garden), I used 3 cups water because the squash had been frozen (otherwise too much liquid), and I added about a 1/2 tsp of gochujang paste for a bit of heat. I quite enjoyed the flavor balance and with the gochujang it had the perfect amount of spice. Recommended as written OR with modifications!

Serves 4 (I got 5 lunches out of this)

photo from America's Test Kitchen

4 ounces pancetta, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (6 cups)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth or water
1/2 tsp gochujang paste
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Cook pancetta in Dutch oven over medium heat until browned and crispy, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel–lined plate.

Add squash, bell pepper, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper to fat left in pot and cook over medium-high heat until onion is softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook, covered, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat.

Working with 2 cups at a time, process soup in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer pureed soup to saucepan. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, sprinkling individual portions with chives and pancetta.

Pierre SD, 2021

Last week we were bird hunting outside of Pierre, SD.  Specifically, The Husband was bird hunting (prairie chickens and sharp-tail grouse), I was tagging along and enjoying some bird and scenery watching. We were primarily in the Ft. Pierre National Grasslands, which were amazing. We did take one day to drive over to the Badlands National Park. Unfortunately, because we had the dogs with we couldn't enjoy the hiking trails (dogs not allowed on the trails for park protection and safety reasons).

We stayed in Pierre and I took advantage of our proximity to their newly constructed (re-constructed?) river walk in the early mornings and late evenings as a place to walk the dogs. Weather was decent, several days of wind (to be expected on the prairie), and the only significant rain was on the drive home.

While I packed the majority of our meals, Pierre does host several notable restaurants: The Branding Iron Bistro, The Brickhouse BBQ and Grill, and the Cattleman's Club Steakhouse. This is beef country.

As I noted, I still packed most of our meals and even had a meal plan. The chili I made ahead and froze in containers that I could pull out and microwave. Rice and bean burritos are from the co-op and freeze nicely for traveling. I've learned to freeze the bagels I buy from the co-op as they will get moldy quickly (even at home). Need to keep these frozen and or refrigerated. With a fridge and microwave in the room, I was set!

Thurs (travel day) (L) sandwiches, fruit (S) Chili Jimmy John's (we were running a tich late)
Fri (L) rice and bean burritos, fruit, nut cups (S) chili
Sat (L) rice and bean burritos, fruit, nut cups (S) Brickhouse BBQ
Sun (L) Subway (S) chili leftover BBQ
Mon (L) rice and bean burritos, fruit, nut cups (S) chili
Tues (L) Subway (S) Cattleman's Club
Wed (travel day) (L) Culver's (S) chili

Breakfast - instant oatmeal, bagels with cream cheese. Ate out once at the Branding Iron Bistro, and got breakfast to go from same on Wednesday morning.

Buffalo Gap National Grasslands

The boys are ready to find some birds

Wide, wide open spaces

The Badlands National Park

The Badlands National Park

Buffalo!

A bit of Cold War History

Home, home on the range....  buffalo in the distance