Eggplant and Zucchini Brown Rice Gratin (2012 - Week 8)

2012 Week 8 Mystery Ingredient: Eggplant

I wanted to make a meatless dish and this seemed like a good idea.  It looked good in the magazine picture, but this recipe was a bit of a flop.  It wasn't bad, but it could have used a lot more flavor.  Okay, it was bad.  I threw out the leftovers.  I think the brown rice made it taste blah.   At least it was healthy.  I did like the crunch of the walnuts.

Eggplant and Zucchini Brown Rice Gratin

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Serves: 6,   320 calories

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
1 pound eggplant, cut into 1" cubes
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1" cubes
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

In a large bowl, combine eggplant, zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil; toss to combine.  Place mixture on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 400º for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temp to 375º.


Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and add garlic and onion. Cook until tender.  Add the onion mixture to the eggplant mixture.  Add the cooked rice, remaining salt, pepper, eggs, half-and-half, and 3/4 cup cheese.  Stir well to combine and spoon into a 9x13" glass baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Cover with foil and bake at 375º for 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 cup cheese, Panko bread crumbs, walnuts, and parsley.  Remove foil from rice mixture and top evenly with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes until vegetables are tender and topping is browned.

Surf and Turf with Broccolini over Parmesan Polenta (2012 - Week 7)

 Happy Valentine's Day!

2012 Week 7 Mystery Ingredient: Polenta

So I know that Polenta is really more of a recipe than an ingredient, but I've never had it, so I'm counting it.  Plus, I've never prepared lobster or broccolini before either, so I'm doing THREE new ingredients in one meal.   I didn't care for the polenta.  I prefer mashed potatoes.   I was happy with the Lobster, though.  I watched an online video on how to prepare a lobster tail since I was clueless, and I was pleased that I managed to make it work.  It looked elegant and special for a gourmet Valentine's Day meal with my husband.

Parmesan Polenta

Recipe from The Best New Recipes Cookbook
Serves: 3-4  

Ingredients:
3 cups water
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cups cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:
Boil water in heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once boiling, add salt and pour the cornmeal into the water in a very slow stream, all the while stirring in a circular motion with a wooden spoon.  Reduce heat to the lowest possible setting and cover.  Cook for about 30 minutes until polenta becomes soft and smooth, stirring vigorously for 10 seconds every 5 minutes, making sure to scrape clean the bottom and corners of pot.  Stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese and season with salt and black pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Sauteed Broccolini

from Ina Garten on Food Network Channel

Ingredients: 
1 bunch broccolini
kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions: 
Blanch the broccolini in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes.  Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water. 
Melt the butter in a large saute pan.  Add the lemon zest and garlic.  Drain the broccolini and add it to the saute pan and heat for 2 minutes.  Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and toss before serving. 

Surf and Turf  

(Baked Lobster Tail and Pan-Seared Filets Mignons)

Filets Mignons:

Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lower-middle position in the oven and heat to 450ºF.    On the stovetop, place a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat to high.  Meanwhile, rub each side of the steaks with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper to taste.  Place the steaks in the hot skillet and let cook, without moving or touching the steaks, until well-browned and a nice crust has formed, about 3 minutes on each side.  Transfer the steaks to the baking sheet and roast until desired doneness: 4-6 minutes for rare, 6-8 minutes for medium-rare, and 8-10 minutes for medium.  (If desired, make a pan sauce for steaks in the empty skillet.)   When steaks are finished cooking, set aside and let rest for 5 minutes, loosely tented with foil. 

Baked Lobster Tails:
 Defrost lobster tails overnight.  Using a scissors, cut down the center of the shell until just before the tailfan (Don't cut meat or the underside of lobster.)  Carefully open the top of the shell, and using your fingers, loosen the cartilage on inside of shell to free the lobster meat.  Pull out the lobster meat through the slit on top, put shell back in place, and let meat rest on the empty shell (this presentation is called a piggyback lobster tail).

Place prepared lobsters on baking sheet, drizzle with lemon juice, melted butter, and parsley, and bake at 375º for about 15 minutes. Serve with a lemon wedge and extra melted butter if desired.

Cherimoya Chiffon Pie (2012 - Week 6)

2012 Week 6 Mystery Ingredient: Cherimoya

Sorry for the delay in this post.  I had to wait for my cherimoyas to ripen and get soft enough to use.  Mark Twain called the Cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men."  It is also known as a "custard apple" because the pulp has the consistency of custard or sherbet.  I noticed this fruit in the store and decided to give it a try.   I don't agree with Twain about it being the most delicious fruit.  The pulp was kind of weird.  Not bad--just different.   But once it was in the pie, it was delicious.   I had one little mishap.  Something went wrong with the gelatin, or perhaps I didn't let it set long enough in the fridge, because it wasn't as firm as it should have been.  Oh well.  It was still yummy.

Cherimoya Chiffon Pie

Ingredients:
1&1/2 cups pureed cherimoya (~2-3 cherimoyas)
1/4 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
raspberries, lemon zest, mint leaf (optional garnish)
Graham Cracker Pie Crust:
1&1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Mix melted butter, sugar, and graham crumbs.  Press into a 9" pie plate and bake at 350º for 6 to 8 minutes.  Let cool before filling.  (Or you can buy a graham or chocolate cookie crumb crust)

Scoop out flesh of cherimoya with a spoon and mash by pressing it through a mesh strainer.  You may need to use your fingers.  Discard seeds (they are inedible).

Dissolve gelatin in water; let sit for 5 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine the mashed/pureed cherimoya, 1 cup sugar, and orange juice.  Stir the dissolved gelatin into cherimoya mixture and let it sit in fridge until it thickens.

Meanwhile, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then add 6 tablespoons sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form.  Fold the whipping cream and cherimoya mixture into the egg whites.

Pour filling into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm (at least 3 hours or next day).  Garnish with raspberries, lemon zest, or mint leaves as desired.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Anne's Baked BBQ Baby Back Ribs (2012 - Week 5)

2012 Week 5 Mystery Ingredient: Liquid Smoke


I was reading a book called Cooking for Geeks and it mentioned Liquid Smoke, so I wanted to give it a try.  Since it serendipitously fell on the week of the Super Bowl, I thought Baby Back Ribs would make an good football game type of food.  We don't own an outdoor grill yet, so I made an oven-baked version and made my own little BBQ sauce recipe using the Liquid Smoke and other ingredients I already had in my pantry.  I don't know if the Liquid Smoke really added anything, but the ribs and my sauce sure were finger-licking good!

Anne's Baked BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Serves: ~6 

Ingredients:
2 racks of baby-back pork ribs 

Dry Rub:
8 TBSP light brown sugar
3 TBSP kosher salt
1 TBSP chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

BBQ Sauce:
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
1/2 TBSP minced garlic
1/4 cup water
1 cup ketchup
5 TBSP molasses
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP cider vinegar
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP whiskey
1 TBSP honey
1&1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


Directions:
 Preheat oven to 300ºF.  In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.  Place each slab of baby back ribs on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, shiny side down.  






Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub and pat the rub into the meat.  Let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.  Put another piece of foil over the ribs (meat side up) and bake for 30 minutes to start.


In a medium saucepan, combine all the BBQ sauce ingredients.  Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens a bit.  Pour through a mesh strainer into a bowl to remove the onion and garlic pieces.  Let sauce cool to room temperature.


Remove the ribs from oven and brush about 1/4 cup of  sauce over the tops of each rack.  Put foil back over the top and continue to bake another 30 minutes.   Every 30 minutes, remove ribs and brush sauce over each rack.  Repeat until ribs have been cooking 2&1/2 hours total.  


After the last glaze, turn up the heat to 350º and bake for 15-20 minutes without foil.  Cut the ribs in 1/2 or 1/3's and serve with any leftover sauce if desired.  

Anne's Potatoes au Gratin

I had a few potatoes in my pantry that I really needed to use, as well as extra Gruyère cheese and cream to use up after the quiche recipe.  So this menu choice was a no-brainer for me.  I looked at a few recipes for scalloped/au gratin potatoes and then just "winged" my own version.  I was excited because I got to use my mandolin to slice the potatoes (I am easily entertained by kitchen gadgets, as you may have noticed).  Jeremy and I both really enjoyed this dish (I consider it a really good recipe when Jeremy actually verbalizes that he likes it without prompting).   Really delicious (probably not super-healthy, but whatever... It's nice to have a comfort food every now and then).

Anne's Potatoes au Gratin
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1&1/2 to 2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until cream becomes thicker and reduces just a bit.  Add the potatoes, stir, and cook for 3 more minutes.  (Add more salt, pepper, or cayenne to taste if desired)

Pour potato mixture into a greased glass pie plate or other appropriate baking dish.  Top with the Gruyère cheese.   Cover the gratin with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF.  Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown.   Let stand a couple minutes before serving.

Garlic Chicken Kiev

I've made this Chicken Kiev recipe before but I don't think I ever posted it, so I'm doing so now.  It was easy and good, but nothing really super special. We liked the crunch of the Panko.

Garlic Chicken Kiev
(from Betty Crocker's Eat and Lose Weight Cookbook)
Makes 6 servings
Calories: 190

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons reduced-calorie spread, softened
1 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup Panko bread crumbs (or crushed cornflakes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk or skim milk

Directions:
Mix spread, chives, and garlic powder.  Shape into a rectangle, 3x2 inches.  Cover and freeze about 30 minutes until firm.

Trim fat from chicken.  Flatten each chicken breast to 1/4" thickness between waxed paper.

Cut chive mixture crosswise into 6 pieces.  Place 1 piece on center of each chicken breast.  Fold long ends of chicken over chives mixture;  fold up ends and secure with a toothpick.

Mix bread crumbs, parsley, and paprika.  Dip chicken into milk and lightly and evenly coat with crumbs.  Place chicken, seam-side-down, on greased baking pan.  Bake uncovered at 425º for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is done.

Anne's Rainbow Chard and Gruyère Quiche (2012 - Week 4)

 2012 Week 4 Mystery Ingredient: Chard

Chard, also known as Swiss Chard, is a leafy green vegetable. The leaves are always green, but the stalks differ in color, giving names to the variations (like Red Chard or Rainbow Chard).  My grocery store happened to have Rainbow Chard in stock on the day I went, so that's what I got.

I decided to make a quiche this week, so I began an internet search looking for the best quiche recipe.  I looked at six different highly-rated recipes, and I couldn't believe the variations between them.  For the same 9" quiche, the quantity of eggs varied from 3 to 10, cheese from 1/2 cup to 2&1/2 cups, cream/milk from 1 cup to 4 cups.  Crazy!!  So I made my own special quiche recipe instead.  And I have to brag a little... it turned out spectacularly.  DELICIOUS!   The flavor of the chard and bacon and Gruyère blended together perfectly in the egg mixture.  Here's my special original recipe:

Anne's Rainbow Chard and Gruyère Quiche

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz bacon, diced
1 bunch Swiss Chard, any variety (I had 5 ribs in my bunch of Rainbow Chard)
~3/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (I just threw in a large handful)
6 eggs
1 cup Crème fraîche (If you can't find it, substitute 1:1 heavy whipping cream and sour cream)
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
pinch salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
9" deep-dish pie crust (buy or make your own.. make sure it's deep dish!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375º.

Heat oil in large saute pan and cook shallots until soft.  Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.  Transfer to a large bowl.  In the same pan, fry bacon until the fat is rendered.  When fully cooked, transfer bacon to a paper towel to remove excess grease, then move to the same bowl as the shallots and garlic, but leave the fat drippings in the pan.

Strip chard leaves from their ribs (see my photo).  You can do this easily by pushing up on the leaves while holding the bottom end of the rib.   Chop the ribs small and shred the leaves.

 Fry the chard rib pieces in the bacon fat until tender.  Covering the pan will help speed up this process.  Add the shredded chard leaves, cover pan, and wilt leaves for about 3 minutes.  Add all the chard to the bowl with the shallots and bacon, add the shredded cheese, and stir to combine.

Beat eggs together with the crème fraîche until frothy and season with thyme, salt, and pepper.

Fill the pie shell with the chard mixture and pour the egg mixture over the top.

Bake at 375º for about 35-40 minutes until set throughout.   Remove from oven and let sit for a little while.  Serve at room temperature.    (Note: To reheat leftovers, cover with foil and bake for ~15 min at 300º F.... or just microwave for a minute).

Seared Scallops on Farfalle with Tomato-Cream Sauce (2012- Week 3)

2012 Week 3 Mystery Ingredient: Sea Scallops

I've never had scallops.  I know- hard to believe!   There are a LOT of foods I've never had which is exactly the reason for this New Year's Resolution Challenge.  They're always preparing scallops on Top Chef and all those other cooking shows, so I figured there must be something special about them.   Well... I found out WHY when I visited the grocery store.  At $12-18/pound, it's no wonder!   (A pound would get you about 16-18 scallops.)   Jeremy said, "At that price, I'd rather have a steak!"  Yes, it seems this is a "special occasion" type of food for those budget-minded.

I think I cooked the scallops pretty much to perfection....a nice sear on the outside and still translucent on the inside.  Jeremy didn't care for the texture, but I liked them, much to my surprise.  Still, I don't see what the fuss is about.  They were good, but I'm not head-over-heels in love.   I guess it was nice to try something different.  Now the pasta, on the other hand.... WOW!  This was a restaurant-quality sauce, in my humble opinion.  And it was my own special recipe!  :)

Seared Scallops on Farfalle with Tomato-Cream Sauce

Serves: 2 

Ingredients:
6 oz farfalle pasta
1&1/4 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
~2/3 cup chopped seeded roma tomato
~1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper 
8 sea scallops (~1/2 pound)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Remove the small side muscle from the scallops (if needed--mine were already removed), rinse, and thoroughly pat the scallops dry with a paper towel.  Set aside.


Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine white wine, shallots, garlic, and lemon juice in a large skillet; bring to a boil.  Cook until reduced by half (about 5 minutes).  Add cream, cooking over medium heat for 1 minute, then add butter and stir until melted.  Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Add the pasta to the skillet and toss well.  Cover and keep warm.

Before cooking the scallops, make sure they are completely dry.  Salt and pepper the scallops.  Add the butter and oil to a saute pan on high heat.  Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other.  Sear the scallops for about 90 seconds on each side.  Do not move or touch the scallops once they are in the pan, except to flip once.  The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center.  Serve immediately. 

Garbanzo Bean and Zucchini Salad (2012 - Week 2)

2012 Week 2 Mystery Ingredient: Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans)

I didn't like the Hummus, so I decided to try a second recipe using the mystery ingredient.  This recipe was MUCH more to my liking.   It's just a really tasty and refreshing salad, quick and easy to make.  I enjoyed it.

Garbanzo Bean and Zucchini Salad

Recipe from Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis
4 servings

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed
2 medium zucchini, diced 
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
5 romaine lettuce leaves, cut crosswise into 1/2" strips
1-ounce Parmesan, crumbled into 1/4" pieces

Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (squeezed from 1/2 lemon)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Place the beans, zucchini, corn, onion, and lettuce in a large salad bowl.  Whisk together the vinaigrette and toss with the salad.  Garnish with the crumbled Parmesan cheese and serve.

Hummus (2012 - Week 2)

2012 Week 2 Mystery Ingredient: Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans)

This recipe was made at the cooking class I attended at Ripon College.  Everyone else LOVED the hummus, but I just didn't care for it that much.  Maybe I should have spread it on some pita bread instead of eating a spoonful by itself.  I guess I tried TWO new ingredients today--chickpeas and tahini. When I tried a taste of the tahini in the recipe, it wasn't terrible as the chef warned us it might be.  It reminded me of sesame seed peanut butter.  But somehow, I just didn't like the mashed chickpeas. I'm going to try a different recipe using garbanzo beans and see if I like it any better.

Hummus

 

 Sorry about the poor picture quality (taken with my camera phone)

 Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz) chickpeas or garbanzo beans 
1/4 cup liquid from the can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1&1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to drizzle as desired


Directions:
Drain chickpeas and reserve liquid.  Combine chickpeas, 1/4 cup of reserved liquid, and remaining ingredients in blender or food processor.  Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.   Place in serving bowl and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil.