Paella

I've been wanting to make Paella for a long time (it was a dish on my chef-y bucket list), and I had some shrimp in the freezer that I wanted to use, so I figured it was a good time to try.  I saw this recipe in a Cooking for Two cookbook and followed it except I omitted the chicken thighs because I thought shrimp and chorizo would be plenty filling and it was one less thing I'd have to buy.   I actually doubled the recipe so that I'd use up the package of chorizo and now we'll have leftovers for tomorrow.  I liked it but it wasn't as "wow" as I'd hoped.  Still, it was good enough that I'd make it again.  It's a nice filling one-pot dinner.

Paella
from Cooking for Two 2009
Serves 2

Ingredients:
salt and pepper
8 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
4 oz chorizo, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4" pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, and cut into 1/2" wide strips
1 shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
pinch Saffron threads
3/4 cup Arborio or Valencia rice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1&1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until needed.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown the chicken well on both sides, about 5 minutes, flipping it halfway through cooking.  Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Return the skillet to medium heat, add the chorizo, bell pepper, shallot, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook until the chorizo and pepper are well browned, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the rice and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the broth, scraping up any browned bits.  Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the thighs register 170ºF and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Scatter the shrimp over the rice and continue to cook, covered, until the rice is tender and shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes.  If soccarat (the crusty brown layer of rice on the bottom of the pan) is desired, leave the skillet uncovered over medium-high heat for another 5 minutes.

Off the heat, sprinkle the peas and parsley over the rice, cover, and let warm through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with lemon wedges.

"Elvis" Ice Cream

I had extra whipping cream in my fridge, so I decided to make ice cream.  I found this recipe for Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream in a cookbook and added mini chocolate chips that we had in our pantry, too.    Delish!  I think Elvis would approve.

Peanut Butter and Banana Ice Cream
Recipe from The Ice Cream Bible
Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups milk
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups whipping (35%) cream
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
In a bowl, whisk eggs with sugar until thickened and pale yellow.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring milk to a simmer.  Gradually whisk into the egg mixture.  Return entire mixture to the sauce pan and cook over low hear, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Be careful not to let it boil.   Strain into a large bowl.  Let cool to room temperature.

Whisk in the bananas, whipping cream, and peanut butter.  Cover and refrigerate overnight or until completely cold.

Stir cream mixture.  Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer instructions.  If using chocolate chips, add in the last 5 minutes of freezing.   Put in airtight container and freeze.

Ratatouille

Just the other week, I watched Ratatouille with my 1-year-old nephew (ok, he was taking a nap, and I was doing the watching..shhh, don't judge).  Chefs on Chopped and various cooking shows seem to make this dish a lot, so I figured it must be something good.  And if a cartoon mouse can make it, then so can I, right?   I needed a side dish to go with our meat, and eggplant told me it wanted redemption over the last failed eggplant recipe (see failure), so this seemed like a perfect choice.  It was good.  I added a little too much oil because I forgot that I had halved the recipe, but whatever.  Accidents happen.  It still tasted good.


Ratatouille   (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
from James Beard's American Cookery
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 green peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 large eggplant, diced
4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4" slices
8-10 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Saute the onions and garlic in the oil in a deep saucepan or kettle until onions are transparent.  Add the peppers, eggplant, and zucchini and blend well.  Reduced heat; cover and cook 7-8 minutes until the eggplant begins to soften.  Add the tomatoes and seasonings and continue simmering, covered, for another 10 minutes.  Remove cover and let the mixture cook down, stirring often.  Add more seasoning to taste.  Serve hot.

Pumpkin Pies

This year for our big extended family Thanksgiving, I signed up to make pumpkin pie.  Since I needed two pies, I decided to try two different recipes (my mother-in-law graciously lent me a second pie dish).  They were both good, but my preference, taste-wise, was the first recipe from The New Best Recipe cookbook.  It was a lot more time consuming to make my own crust and it had a lot more ingredients, but I liked the richer, sweeter, creamier filling.  My first crust accidentally shrunk as I baked it (prompting me to ask for pie weights for Christmas).  Also, after we cut into it, I realized I should have kept it in the oven for 5-10 more minutes because the center of the pie wasn't set as well as it could have been, but it still tasted delicious. The second Pumpkin Pie recipe was just off the McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice jar that Jeremy found in the cupboard.  It tasted just fine--you can't screw up a simple recipe.



Pumpkin Pie   (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
Recipe from America's Test Kitchen: The New Best Recipe

Pie Shell:
1&1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" pieces
4-5 tablespoons ice water

Pie Filling:
2 cups (16 oz) plain canned pumpkin puree
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
4 large eggs

Directions for Pie Shell:
Process the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined.  Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds.   Scatter the butter pieces over the flour and cut into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses.  Turn into a medium bowl.   Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture and using a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix.  Press down on the dough with the broad side of the spatula until the dough sticks together, adding up to 1 more tablespoon of ice water if necessary.  Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour or up to 2 days before rolling.

Remove dough from fridge (if in fridge longer than an hour, let sit a few minutes until malleable).  Using a rolling pin, roll dough on a lightly floured work surface or between two sheets of parchment paper, working from the center to the edges in clockwise fashion, until it becomes a 12-inch circle.   Transfer the dough to a 9" pie plate by rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling over the pie pan.   Ease the dough into the pan corners and trim the dough edges to about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pan.  Fold the overhang under itself and flute the dough using your fingers to make a pattern or a fork to flatten dough against the rim.  Refrigerate until firm, about 40 minutes, then freeze until very cold, about 20 minutes.

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375º.  Remove the dough-lined pie plate from the freezer and press a doubled piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil inside the pie shell, folding the edges to shield the fluted edge.  Distribute 2 cups ceramic or metal pie weights over the foil.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Carefully remove the pie weights and foil and continue to bake until light golden brown, 5-6 minutes.  This will produce a partially baked crust that is now ready for the filling.   As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and increase oven temperature to 400º. 

Directions for Pumpkin Pie Filling:
While the crust is baking, process the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a food processor for 1 minute until combined.  Transfer mixture to a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan on the stovetop and bring to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat.  Cook the pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.

Whisk the heavy cream and milk into the pumpkin mixture and bring to a bare simmer.   Process the eggs in the food processor for about 5 seconds until whites and yolks are combined.  With the motor running, slowly pour about half of the hot pumpkin mixture through the feed tube to combine with the eggs.  Stop the machine and add the remaining pumpkin mixture. Process 30 seconds longer.

Immediately pour the warm filling mixture into the hot pie crust.  (Ladle any excess filling into the pie after it has baked 5 minutes and had a chance to settle.)  Bake the pie at 400º on the lowest rack in the oven about 25 minutes, until the filling is puffed, dry-looking, lightly cracked around the edges, and the center wiggles a little when pie is gently shaken.  Cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.

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McCormick Signature Pumpkin Pie
from McCormick

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 unbaked pie crust, frozen

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and pour into pie crust.   Bake in preheated 425º oven for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temp to 350º and bake another 40 minutes.   Cool completely.

Clafouti

Aka Cherry Flan.  It's basically pancake batter poured over cherries in a baking dish.  I halved the recipe and put it in a smaller baking dish for Jeremy and myself.  It was good.

Clafouti   (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:
2 cups pitted black sweet cherries
1&1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
another 1/3 cup granulated sugar
powdered sugar, if desired

Directions:
Place milk, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour in a blender in the order listed.  Cover and blend at high speed for a minute.  Pour a 1/4" layer of batter into a greased pyrex pie plate or fireproof baking dish.  Bake at 350º for a few minutes until the film is set.  Spread the cherries over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup sugar.  Pour the rest of the batter over the top.  Bake for about an hour.   It's done when it has puffed and browned and a knife comes out clean.  Serve warm.  Sprinkle powdered sugar on top if desired.

Pad Thai

I felt like switching things up from our normal meat and potatoes meal, so I found this Thai-inspired recipe using shrimp.  I was excited to find an individual packet of tamarind paste at Sendik's for only $2 since it's unlikely I'll use it for anything else.  The cookbook said you could substitute 1/3 cup lime juice and 1/3 cup water and use brown sugar instead of white, but I wanted to keep the recipe as authentic as possible.  It tasted great--just enough heat to make my lips and tongue tingle a bit.

Pad Thai  (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
Recipe from America's Test Kitchen: The New Best Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
3/4 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
8 ounces dried stick noodles, about 1/4" wide
2 large eggs
salt
12 oz medium(40-50/lb) shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tablespoons dried shrimp, chopped fine (optional) - I couldn't find
2 tablespoons chopped Thai salted preserved radish (optional) - I couldn't find
6 tablespoons chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
3 cups (6 oz) bean sprouts
5 medium scallions, green parts only, sliced thin on sharp diagonal
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves (optional)
lime wedges for serving (optional)

Directions:
Rehydrate the tamarind paste in the boiling water for about 10 minutes, and push through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds or fibers and extract as much pulp as possible.  Stir the fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and 2 tablespoons of the oil into the tamarind liquid; set aside.

Cover the rice sticks with hot tap water in a large bowl; soak until softened and pliable, but not fully tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain noodles and set aside.   Beat eggs and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke.  Add the shrimp and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Cook, tossing occasionally, until the shrimp are opaque and browned around the edges, about 3 minutes.  Transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.

Off the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet and swirl to coat.  Add the garlic and shallot and cook over medium heat for a minute or two, stirring constantly, until light golden brown.  Add the beaten eggs to the skillet and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until scrambled and barely moist, about 20 seconds.  Add the rice noodles, dried shrimp (if using), and salted radish (if using) to the eggs.  Toss with two wooden spoons to combine.  Pour the fish sauce mixture over the noodles, increase the heat to high, and cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are evenly coated. 

Scatter 1/4 cup of the peanuts, the bean sprouts, all but 1/4 cup of the scallions, and the cooked shrimp over the noodles.  Continue to cook, tossing constantly, until the noodles are tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with the remaining scallions, peanuts, and cilantro (if using).  Serve immediately and garnish with lime wedges if desired.

Poached Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I find it difficult to cook recipes from cookbooks without any pictures.  But James Beard's American Cookery book needed to be opened, so I chose this very approachable recipe.  He wrote that this was his mother's recipe.  It was easy to make, and we especially liked the sauce, which was needed to give it some moisture.

Poached Stuffed Chicken Breasts  (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
Recipe from James Beard's American Cookery
Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
3 tablespoons chopped shallots or onions
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 tablespoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
chicken broth

Sauce:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
chicken broth from recipe
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
chopped parsley

Directions:
Cream the butter and stir in the shallots, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Spread a generous amount of butter mixture on one side of each chicken breast and fold over the other half, securing with a toothpick.  Place in a large skillet and just cover with well-seasoned chicken broth.   Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer about 12 minutes until done, turning chicken halfway through cooking.  Transfer to a hot platter, and let the chicken broth reduce in the pan over high heat for a little while. 

To make the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan and blend in the flour, cooking and stirring 2-3 minutes.  Strain and stir in 1&1/2 cups of the heated chicken broth and continue stirring until the mixture thickens.   Combine the egg yolks and cream.  Spoon a little of the sauce into the egg mixture to temper, and then stir back into the sauce.  Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Heat until thickened but do not let boil.  Spoon over the chicken breasts and sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Arroz con Pollo and Broccoli Casserole

 

I had chicken breasts I had moved out of the freezer last night, brown rice in the cupboard, and broccoli in the fridge that I wanted to use up.  So I paged through my cookbooks and found these two recipes.   The Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with Rice) recipe was very good--and easy to make!  Best of all, I already had all the ingredients on hand (Instead of a whole chicken, I scaled down the recipe and just used a couple chicken breasts).  I really liked the flavor the saffron imparted on the brown rice.   The Broccoli bake was okay.  I took some liberties with the recipe based on what I had on hand and to scale it down so we didn't have more than one day's worth of leftovers. Overall, it was okay, but I thought it was a little too saucy.  I like cheese and broccoli together, but it needed more broccoli and less of the cheese sauce (I can't believe I'm saying that).

Arroz con Pollo    (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
Adapted from How to Cook Everything
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup rice
pinch saffron threads
1&1/2 cups chicken stock
4 small chicken breasts/tenders (~1 to 1&1/2 lbs total)

Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onions and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and become translucent.   Add the rice and stir until coated with oil, a minute or two.  Sprinkle with the saffron and stir.  Nestle the chicken pieces in the rice, and more salt and pepper, and pour in the stock.  Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through.

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Broocoli Casserole   (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
Adapted from Dairyland Seed 100 Years and Still Cooking
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (or crushed Saltine crackers)

Directions:
Mix together the egg, cheese, soup, milk, and mustard in a large bowl.  Add the broccoli and stir to coat.  Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish.   Toss the Panko and melter butter together.   Sprinkle over the broccoli.  Bake, uncovered, in a 350º oven for 45 minutes.

Pear-Date Streusel Bars

I think these bars are super yummy.  I volunteered to bring a dessert to a ladies' lunch after our tennis match, so I broke out this recipe.  Everyone seemed to enjoy them.  I've made these bars before, but I don't think I've ever posted the recipe.  Here it is.

Pear-Date Streusel Bars
from Betty Crocker's New Eat and Lose Weight Cookbook
Makes 36 bars; 85 calories/bar

Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz) pear halves in extra-light syrup
1 package (8oz) chopped dates
1 cup flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup reduced-calorie spread (or margarine or butter)
powdered sugar, if desired

Directions:
Finely chop the pears.  Heat the pears, pear juice from can, and dates to boiling in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened.  Cool slightly.

Meanwhile, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Reserve 1 cup crumbly mixture for topping.  Press remaining mixture in bottom of a 13x9" pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Bake at 350º for 15 minutes.

Carefully spread date mixture over crust.  Sprinkle with remaining crumbly mixture.  Bake for another 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.  Cut into 2 x 1&1/2" bars.

Molasses-Glazed Pork Chops and Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

Tonight's meal was quite delicious.  I really liked the glaze on the pork chops.  The recipe called for thin-cut chops, but I had a couple thick ones in the freezer, so that's what I used--I just had to cook them longer.  And it was the best asparagus I ever made.  I suppose if you put Parmesan breading on anything it will taste good. :)

Cider Vinegar-&-Molasses-Glazed Pork Chops  (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
from Eating Well Serves Two

Ingredients:
2 thin-cut boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet.  Add pork and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, about a couple minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

To the skillet, add shallot, jalapeno, and garlic; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 2-3 minutes.  Add molasses, vinegar, mustard, and soy sauce, and bring to simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 to 4 minutes.  Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat with sauce.  Serve the pork with the sauce.

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Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus
from America's Test Kitchen: Cooking for Two 2013

Ingredients:
1 pound (1/2" thick) asparagus, trimmed
salt and pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 tablespoon melted butter, cooled
pinch Cayenne pepper
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Using a fork, poke holes in each asparagus spear.  Toss with a little salt and let stand for 30 minutes on a paper towel to draw out the moisture.

Meanwhile, combine the Parmesan cheese, Panko crumbs, Cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and melted butter, and place in a shallow dish.

Using a hand-held mixer, whip egg white and honey together on medium-low speed until foamy.  Increase speed to medium-high and continue to whip until soft peaks form.  Transfer to a second shallow dish.

Dredge each asparagus spear in the egg white and then coat with Parmesan mixture.  Place on an  aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 450ºF for about 6-7 minutes until bread crumbs are golden brown.