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Archive for the ‘Main course’ Category

Cooking Class – Spagetthi al Pomodoro al Forno

Posted in Italien, Main course, Sauce, tagged , , , , , , on May 18, 2010|

Spagetthi al Pomodoreo al Forno

Spagetthi al Pomodoreo al Forno

I decided it would be fun to go to a cooking class at the Kitchen Barn. The class was hosted by Janie Jacobson and it turned out to be a really good class with lots of good information and some very delicious food. I was hoping for a little hands-on, but the class turned out to be an instructional class only. So what was on the menu you ask me, here it is:

  • Spaghetti al Pomodoro al Forno (Spaghetti in Sauce with Baked Tomatoes)
  • Black-eyed Pea Salad with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Dressing
  • Tiramisu

I kept debating back and forth which dish I liked better and the Spaghetti won……I think….or was it the Pea Salad? I guess that means I’ll just have to make them myself and test taste them again. In any case, I wanted to share with you the Spaghetti al Pomodoro al Forno dish. It’s made with anchovies and fresh tomatoes which are baked in the oven. Now, I have never cooked with anchovies before and let me just say this. They are wonderful, however, I found it difficult to use real anchovies with their tiny little translucent bones. I know they simply just melt into the sauce but I think I’ll use anchovy paste next time. The anchovies do give a nice subtle background flavor that makes you go hmm what is that? Delicious. Note: the original recipe suggested 10 anchovy fillets, I used only approx 5 anchovy fillets.

Roasting tomatoes and anchovies

Roasting tomatoes and anchovies

Ingredients:

1 lb Spaghetti

2 lb fresh tomatoes

5 anchovy fillets in oil, drained

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

pinch of red pepper flakes

3/4 cup olive oil

15 sprigs of fresh parsley

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare the sauce slice the tomatoes horizontally into thick slices. Cover the bottom of an oven proof baking dish with a layer of the sliced tomatoes. Place the anchovies on top of tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Pour olive oil over tomatoes. Place baking dish with tomatoes in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Coarsely chop parsley and set aside until needed. Bring a pot of cold water to a boil. Season water generously with salt and cook spaghetti until desired consistency, drain and set aside. Once done, remove tomatoes from oven and pour over spaghetti. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and toss well before serving.

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Chinese Dumplings: Boiled Pork and Cabbage

Posted in Asian, Main course, Pork, tagged , , , on May 14, 2010|

Chinese Dumplings

Chinese Dumplings

The first time I had Chinese Dumplings was many years ago when my husband Joe and I were visiting my brother-in-law Michael in Manhattan, NY. Michael was the one who ordered dumplings and I tried one of his. Turns out these soft little pockets are packed full of flavor and the dipping sauces you can use are endless. The ingredient list is not as  complicated as one might think and making the filling is easy. However, it is a little time-consuming assembling the dumplings but it’s well worth the effort and it can be done ahead of time.

Making Chinese Dumplings

Making Chinese Dumplings

Ingredients:

8 oz cabbage, roughly chopped

1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2/3 lb ground pork

a pinch of pepper

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 tsp sesame oil

1 package wonton wrappers

for the slurry: 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Place the cabbage in a food processor and process until finely minced. Remove the cabbage to a bowl, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, add ginger, green onions, pork, pepper, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil. Pulse 4-5 times to mix ingredients. Set aside.

Place the cabbage on a clean towel or cheese cloth and wring out excess liquid. Place cabbage back into bowl and add the pork mixture. Gently stir to blend cabbage and pork.

Mix together the slurry. Place a wonton wrapper on a dry surface and paint edges with slurry mixture. Place a generous teaspoonful of pork mixture in center of wonton wrap and fold up all four edges to a point making sure all edges are sealed tightly. Place on a baking sheet and keep covered with moist paper towels while making the rest of the dumplings. Make sure dumplings do not touch each other on the baking sheet.

When all dumplings area assembled, cook immediately or cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for up to several hours. To cook, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, gently add 1/3 of dumplings and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon and repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve with hot chili sauce or potsticker dipping sauce. If freezing dumplings, freeze raw dumplings after assembling them. Freeze as-is on a plate or on the baking sheet. Once frozen, place in a freezer bag.

Source: adapted from Steamy Kitchen, originally from Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen

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Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)

Posted in Danish, Main course, Pork, tagged , , on May 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

Frikadeller

Frikadeller

And then there’s Frikadeller, a wonderful traditional Danish dish.  I practically grew up on these delicious little Danish meatballs and so I carried on the tradition by feeding them to my son and husband, and they love them as well. They freeze well, are easy to make  and they are great as cold leftovers. My mother uses flour in her recipe, as do most everybody, but I once upon a time tried using House Autry Seafood Breader instead of flour and it worked out great. The seafood breader is basically just a seasoned type of flour and it does not taste like seafood. 🙂 I hope you enjoy these little treasures.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground pork

2 eggs

3/4 to 1 tsp salt (to taste)

1/2 tsp pepper

1 shallot, minced

5 tbsp flour

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Spray a pan with olive oil. Form 1 1/2 inch rounded meatballs using a tablespoon and the palm of your hand. Brown meatballs on all sides over medium heat. This may be done in batches. Finish baking meatballs in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes to ensure they are cooked all the way through.

Source: My Danish Kitchen

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Chicken Chili

Posted in Chicken, Comfort food, Main course, tagged , , , , , , , on May 4, 2010|

Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili

My husband belongs to a Blacksmith Guild and periodically they get together at each others Forges to bust on each other oh I mean to do serious demos. I had made this Chicken Chili before, and it’s by far the best Chili I have ever had. I figured this would be a good choice for those big manly Blacksmiths, and it was. The Chicken Chili was a success. The way I made it here, it’s plenty spicy for me, but you can certainly add more red chili flakes, chipotle or the original recipe called for cayenne pepper. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 1/2 large chopped yellow onions

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 chopped bell peppers (I used 3/4 orange, 3/4 yellow and 3/4 green)

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 chipotle in Adobo sauce, finely diced

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes (I recommend San Marzano tomatoes if you can find them)

1 (16oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the chicken breasts on the foil, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Fold the foil over the chicken breasts to make a “packet”. Roast 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Allow to cool enough to handle, then shred or chop into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute’ the onions 10-15 minutes, or until tender and translucent. Add the garlic to the pot and saute’ just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in the chopped bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, oregano, chipotle and kosher salt. Cook 5 minutes more. Place the canned tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4-5 times to get a slightly smoother texture. Omit this step if you like it chunky. Add the tomatoes to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the shredded chicken and the rinsed beans, and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes.

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Barefoot Contessa Parties.

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