Maple goodness!

Check out the folks over at Maine Sugar Works for some sweet deliciousness this time of year!

source: http://mainesugarworks.com/

 

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Kluski y Kapusta

Noodles and Cabbage.

 I know I’ve neglected this blog for a long time. But over the weekend I saw a segment of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives on the Food Network and this one place was making Kluski. She was carmalizing the onions and cabbage – that hooked me.  

So here’s my version of what I saw —

 

Kluski y Kapusta

1 small head of cabbage sliced (about 3 cups)
1 medium onion
1/2 lb of bacon – crisped in a large frying pan – reserved a little of the bacon grease in the pan
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup Chicken Stock
Salt and pepper

8oz. of wide egg noodles (or noodles of your choice – try whole wheat) cooked to al-dente per package directions and drained.

After frying the bacon to well done crispness, leave a little of the bacon grease and add the butter.  In the same pan fry the cut-up cabbage and onion to almost brown (carmalized).  Salt and pepper as needed.  Add the chicken stock and let that reduce just a bit.  Add in the cooked egg noodles and mix into the cabbage and onions then add crumbled bacon.  Blend together, re-season and serve.

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On my mind today – Lasagne Bolognese

For Christmas my wife gave Tyler Florence’s new book “Dinner at MY Place” and there is a recipe for Lasagna Bolognese that I’m going to try today.  I’ll take some photos and let you know how it went.

Chianti

Time

Some of my cookbooks

Here is Tyler doing his version of Ultimate Lasagna =  – http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/ultimate-lasagna/32112.html

And my photos of the procedure:

Large Onion, two carrots, three stalks of celery, 4 cloves of garlic into the food processor

Process until all ingredients are smooth - and consistent

Coat bottom of large pot with olive oil; add 1 lb of ground veal, 1 lb of ground beef, and get some good dark color on the meat

Add one bottle (750ml) of dry red wine - I used Chianti

Let this simmer on low for 1 and 1/2 hours - stirring occasionaly so that it doesn't burn on the bottom

Next:

You can use ricotta cheese (1qt with one beaten egg), a little salt, black pepper and fresh chopped Italian parsley – you will use this between the layers of lasagna pasta.

OR

You can make a Bechamel Sauce with the following recipe link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/bechamel-sauce-recipe/index.html

and use this in place of the ricotta cheese filling.

Get two rounds of fresh mozzarella cheese and slice into 1/4 in slices

Prepare 1 pound of lasagna pasta per the package direction and drain in a pasta strainer.

In a large baking dish assemble the lasagna in the follow manner:

A thin layer of bechamel sauce or some of the bolognese sauce if you are using ricotta (note: do not put the ricotta cheese on the bottom of the baking dish – it will burn).

Then put a layer of pasta laying it without any gaps

A layer of bechamel or ricotta next

Then a layer of bolognese sauce

Then a layer of mozzarella cheese

Repeat this until all ingredients are used up and you end with mozzarella cheese on the top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes - then cover with aluminum foil - then bake an additional 30 minutes until bubbling around the edges

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What’s Up lately ??

The Christmas and New Years holidays were busy. Managed to get some time off of work and do a little cooking, but it was mostly the traditional stuff. Of course made a turkey (actually two) – roasted one 10 lb bird out on the grill for two hours – it was great and I sure had the neighbors wondering what I was up to.

We did some running around on Sunday after church and somehow got the bug that I had to have a Polish dinner. We stopped at Polina in Casselberry to pick up some Bobak’s kielbasa.

Well, since I had the kielbasa I thought I might as well make some potato pancakes

Potato Pancakes
Gourmet|December, 2000

1 pound potatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.

Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style. Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 4 potato pancakes, spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn potato pancakes over and cook until undersides are browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep potato pancakes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven

I had some left over stuffed cabbage (golumpki) from Christmas Eve. So this made for a pretty nice dish with some nice pumpernickel bread.

So there must have been something in the air — (now be good!) because yesterday there was a package sitting at the front door from my sister in New Haven – two bottles of Jezynowka – blackberry flavored brandy. YUM! Thanks Karen.

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About those Hot Dogs and Beans

My son shared two packages of New England Hot Dog buns with me.  He got them from his friends in Boston – When you grill the sides – it sure makes a difference in the taste.  Nothing like it.

Dog with New England Hot Dog bun

They are impossible to get here in Florida.  I froze a bag and a half and we ate the rest.  I need to save them as long as I can without making them taste bad from freezing.  You’ll probably see more posts about this because this bun is important.

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Chicken Stock for stuffing

I use home made chicken stock for stuffing now and I took some hints from Ina Garten on this.

Take the carcass of one roasted chicken (your own or from the store) and simmer it slowly in a large stock pot with

4 quarts of water (I used spring water)

1 medium onion cut in quarters

2 carrots – large chop

2 stalks of celery – large chop with leafy tops

2 bay leaves

tablespoon of whole black pepper corns

tablespoon of kosher salt

handful of italian parsley

handful of thyme

small sprig of rosemary

Simmer this very slowly until the liquid is medium-to-dark.

Strain through a sieve into another pot that you can keep in the refrigerator (or outside frig if you have one).

Then use this when you make your favorite stuffing recipe.

Making Chicken Stock

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Chicken Chili – Bleeeesh!!!

Ok, I had two boneless chicken breast out on the counter to defrost.  My wife gave me strict instructions NOT to make chicken Parmesan (which we both love but we are tired of saucy stuff).  So I decided to look up some chicken chili recipes – and basically ended up making my regular chili but with ground chicken instead of ground beef.

It tasted crappy.  It was probably healthy, and maybe someone might think it was good.  But not us.  We need the BEEF.  We need the beef fat.  We can’t take shortcuts and make chili from stuff that chili isn’t supposed to made from.  Its foul 😉

Lesson Learned ===>> Don’t make chicken chili – ever – again!

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Chili Pups

Last week I was traveling to San Francisco and I had a 50 minute stop-over in Cincinnati.  I knew that I’d have a chance to get some Cincinnati Chili at the Airport.  I was lucky to find Gold Star.

Ahhhh the chili pups were great — yummm

Chili Pups

 

Gold Star Chili at Cincinnati Airport

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Lunch in Chinatown

In San Francisco this week and we stopped in at this Chinese restaurant (more like a cafeteria).  I got the sweet and sour chicken ( I think).

Lunch ?

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The Park Avenue Burger – Pannullo’s – Winter Park, FL

Pannullo

On Friday I went over to Park Avenue in Winter Park for lunch.  I wasn’t really sure what I wanted, but I was in a “vacation” kind of mood, so I stopped at Pannullo’s.  At first I thought about have a pannini or other sandwich, but then I spotted “The Park Avenue Burger” on their menu.

Gotta tell ya – the BEST burger I’ve had all year (including the ones I make myself).  The wait person told me that they grind their own beef each day.  I’m not sure if that was the ultimate secret, but this was a great burger.  I had mine done med-well and topped with two slices of provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and shaved red onion. It came with fries – I had a beer with it.  Total with the tip $15.00.  I’ll go again when I’m in the craving a great burger.  Thanks Pannullo’s!

Park Avenue Burger w/fries

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Thompson’s Clam Bar – Harwichport, MA

 

Update – 8/22/2008 – A reader (Steve) sent this link to the Thompson’s Clam Bar Jingle – enjoy – its great !!

http://odeo.com/episodes/44481

 

 

Back in the 1960s and 1970s we used to have a house in Wrinkle Point in West Dennis, MA.  From time to time Dad would take us to dinner at Thompson’s Clam Bar in Harwichport at Wychmere Harbor.  I loved going there.  My sisters and I would beg for a Shrimp Cocktail and lobster.  Dad would usually give in.  Back then it seems a shrimp cocktail cost a fortune, but its rather reasonable to have one these days.

 

8 large shrimp, peeled and cleaned

crushed ice

1/2 cup of Ketchup

1 TBS Hot horseradish

teaspoon of lemon juice

dash of hot sauce

1 Tbs shrimp boil seasoning

 

Cook the cleaned shrimp just until they turn pink in four cups of water adding the shrimp boil seasoning just prior to putting in the shrimp.  Remove/drain the shrimp and place in an icewater bath to stop the cooking.  Combine the other ingredients in a bowl for the shrimp sauce.  Fill shot glasses with the shrimp sauce and place in the middle of serving glasses filled with crushed ice.

Hang the shrimp on the edges of the glasses.  Garnish with lemon wedge and some watercress if desired.

Enjoy!

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Green Bean and Potato Salad

I got this great recipe from About.com:Southern Food and it worked out very well – although I did make a few adjustments to the recipe.

My recipe is as follows:

3 lb new (red) potatoes – cooked in salted water until just tender
1 lb fresh green beans that have been trimmed, cooked for 5 minutes in boiling salted water, and rinsed in ice water
1/2 a medium red onion – slivered
1/4 of a vidalia (sweet) onion slivered

The Dressing consisted of the following:

In bowl big enough to whisk in:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
a few turns of fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Whisk all of the ingredients and pour over the potatoes, green beans, and onions all of which have been combined in a large mixing bowl.  The flavor is wonderful!  Hope you enjoy.  Write if you have questions.

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Farmer’s Market

Saturday we went to the Winter Park (FL) Farmer’s Market.  Early in the morning the market area was teaming with people and vendors.  We wanted to get there early since it was supposed to be a very hot day – and Mother Nature didn’t lie.  By 9:30 AM it was really getting steamy.  I had my camera and camera/backpack on and it got uncomfortable fast.  The older I get – the less I can stand the heat – it really bothers me.

OK, if you’re anything like Donna and I, we start eating with our eyes.  The market had so many beautiful veggies, flowers, cheeses, plants, shrubs, herbs, breads – you name it.  Here are a few shots from the market.

We bought peppers, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, radishes, lemons, and red potatoes.  So far I’ve used the lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, green beans and potatoes.  I’ll have a few dishes to post soon.

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Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Pasta

Sunday I made Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Pasta. I looked around for an easy lemon pasta recipe and found Giada De Laurentis had one that was easy and looked great – check out her Lemon Spaghetti.

For the shrimp I made a marinade as follows:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
two garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tsp of Old Bay seafood seasoning
a few turns of fresh black pepper and a pinch of sea salt
Some fresh chopped basil to sprinkle

I whisked this all in a medium bowl and then tossed in a half pound of large de-veined shrimp. Let that marinate for about an hour; then placed the shrimp on skewers that were soaked in water for about a half hour.

I grilled the skewered shrimp on high on an electric grill for about three minutes each side. Only turned the skewers once. Enjoy. Write if you have questions.

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Friday Pizza

Another Friday pizza tonite.. this time I just took from what I had on hand.  Leftover meatballs, sausage, and eggplant Parmesan.   Very good.

See my other pizza postings for instructions on dough and sauce.

I used shredded mozzarella cheese with some good Parmesan cheese on the top.  The sauce was just a simple tomato sauce.

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