Posts in category: Recipe Blog

(This reminds me, I totally need to make those creepy little turkey meatballs I used to cook so often).

So, I think I have finally hit on the perfect spaghetti and meatballs recipe. I’ve messed about and come up with it here. If anyone tries it I’d love some feedback. This is truly better when you make it the day before, cool, and reheat. But days like yesterday, I couldn’t bear to think of putting off devouring for 24 hours. My family concurs.

Also: if any reader knows a vegan meatball substitute let me know and I will link here for posterity. You can saute the garlic in coconut oil for a vegan and CF sauce.

Meatballs
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, divided
2 cup bread crumbs (fresh or packaged)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 pounds organic lean ground beef

Sauce
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), divided
3 28 ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon white sugar
4 bay leaves
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh basil (amount varies according to taste), washed and gently dried
Directions

In a large bowl, combine half the garlic, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, parmesan, egg, and pepper. Mix well then add the beef, combining by hand thoroughly. Form into 24 – 40 balls (depending on what size meatball you like). Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed.

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, saute the remaining garlic in half of the butter until soft. Add the whole tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaves. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook at a low simmer for two hours. Stir in tomato paste and pepper, then using kitchen scissors add strips of basil. Return to an active simmer and drop in the meatballs. Cover and gently simmer 30 minutes more. Serve or save and heat for next day. When ready to serve, drop in the remaining butter and allow to melt, gently stir in.

Serve over angel hair pasta with a fresh salad (or maybe a family salad anecdote).

Serves eight.

Guess what, horchata is amazing. It’s delicious. It’s easy to make. We have it around here in the Mexican and Salvadorian restaurants which is how I developed a taste for it. My recipe here adds coconut which is not traditional.

Horchata is perfect on a hot day. Make the first step the night before to serve dinner guests with spicy Mexican fare. Just make sure to keep everyone away from it in the meantime.

1 1/3 cup uncooked white long-grain rice
1/2 cup dried, unsweetened coconut
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cups water
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar

Put the rice, two cups of water, and the cinnamon sticks in a blender. Pulse until the rice and cinnamon are roughly ground. Add the remaining water to the blender, stir, and put in the fridge overnight. Strain the mixture through a sieve and add the milk, vanilla, and white sugar. Serve ice-cold.

I don’t normally like coffee cakes or quick breads much, but with blueberries falling into our laps this time of year such easy baked fare is perfect for showcasing the deliciousness of rich, steamed berries.

For the cake batter:
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries, de-stemmed, washed, and drained

For the topping:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease an 8×8 inch pan with butter or shortening. Cream together 3/4 cup sugar, butter, and egg; set aside. In a separate bowl mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture, alternating with milk. Stir in blueberries. Pour into greased 8×8 inch pan.

To make the topping combine the brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle over cake batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted comes out with no trace of batter.

Serve warm with butter, or room temperature with cream poured on top. Delicious when accompanying coffee or tea.

Harriet’s mother, turning to put the ice cream back in the freezer, saw Harriet slouching at the table. “What’s the matter?” she said, as the freezer door barked shut.

“To start with,” said Harriet, loudly, “I’m starving.”

Harriet’s mother wrinkled her brow – vaguely, pleasantly, and then (no, don’t let her say it, thought Harriet) asked the very question that Harriet had known she would ask. “Why don’t you have some of this ice cream?”

“I…hate…that…kind…of….ice…cream.” How many times had she said it?

“Hmn?”

“Mother, I hate peppermint ice cream.” She felt desperate all of a sudden; didn’t anybody ever listen to her? “I can’t stand it! I’ve never liked it!’ Nobody’s ever liked it but you!”

She was gratified to see her mother’s hurt expression.  “I’m sorry… I just thought we all enjoyed something light and cool to eat…. now that it’s so hot at night…”

“I don’t.”

“Well, get Ida to fix you something….”

“Ida’s gone!”

“Didn’t she leave you anything?”

“No!” Nothing Harriet wanted, anyway: only tuna fish.

“Well, what would you like then? It’s so hot – you don’t want anything heavy,” she said doubtfully.

“Yes I do!” At Hely’s house, no matter how hot it was, they sat down and ate a real supper every night, big, hot, greasy suppers that left the kitchen sweltering: roast beef, lasagne, fried shrimp.

But her mother wasn’t listening. “Maybe some toast,” she said brightly, as she replaced the ice cream carton in the freezer.

“Toast?“

“Why, what’s wrong with that?”

“People don’t have toast for dinner! Why can’t we eat like regular people?” At school, in health class, when Harriet’s teacher had asked the children to record their diets for two weeks, Harriet had been shocked to see how bad her own diet looked when it was written down on paper, particularly on the nights that Ida didn’t cook: Popsicles, black olives, toast and butter. So she’d torn up the real list, and dutifully copied from a cookbook her mother had received as a wedding present (A Thousand Ways to Please Your Family) a prim series of balanced menus: chicken piccata, summer squash gratin, garden salad, apple compote.*

(a vegan version with high reviews can be found here)
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic, mashed, peeled, and diced
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ablespoon ketchup
3/4 cup broth (beef or vegetable)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 – 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Mash, then over low heat whisk in butter until melted, cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Whip until light, set aside.

Heat a small pot of water to boil and cook carrots until tender but still firm, about 10 – 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Saute beef in cast-iron pan. Drain off fat. Add garlic and return to a saute for a couple minutes. Add peas and gently stir until defrosted. Add flour, ketchup, and broth, stirring until the consistency is gravy-like (about five minutes).

Layer the beef mixture then carrots on top. Smooth mashed potatoes and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for fifteen minutes or until golden.

* Seriously, I could just type the whole book out I love it so much, but I shall stop here.

Turns out you don’t need to go out to a restaurant or buy a frozen patty to get a veggie burger. Here’s my recipe (as modified from one I found at Allrecipes). Now you can be a jerk and put a bunch of bell peppers and onions in these but this is just my style. I serve on a toasted bun (make some from scratch for best results) with extra-sharp cheddar, a wee bit of mayo, fresh lettuce and avocado. Drooool…

2 (16 ounce) cans black beans
1/4 cup corn niblets (best bet: take frozen ones out and let sit in a dish for an hour in the kitchen, then briefly drain)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons Thai chili sauce or hot sauce (optional)
1 cup bread crumbs

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil.* Rinse and drain the beans; set aside. Dice the garlic and add the beans, corn, and garlic to a food processor and carefully pulse until the beans are about 80% processed (don’t go too far or they’ll get overly gluey).

In a small bowl, stir together egg, salt, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Dipping your hands in water as needed, divide mixture into eight patties (you can freeze some for later – just use waxed paper).

Place patties on foil, and grill about eight minutes on each side (to use the oven, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about ten minutes on each side). While they’re cooking, split your buns, add butter and a bit of garlic salt, and toast on a griddle, in a toaster oven, or (carefully) in the oven.

* You can also bake these by preheating oven to 375 and lightly oiling a baking sheet.

1 cup warm water
3 cups bread or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white

(optional) Bagel toppings – like dried onion, poppy seeds, minced & sauteed garlic, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, etc

Mix the water, one cup of the flour, salt, two tablespoons of sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl until well-blended. Add the remaining flour a scant cup at a time, slowing the addition of flour as you mix (if you dump in all the flour you may end up with too stiff of a dough; proceed cautiously). When the dough is firm enough to be scraping the sides of the bowl clean, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and begin kneading. The dough should be fairly firm but should “heal” well as you knead. Knead for eight minutes or so.

Let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. In a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in the 1/4 cup of sugar. Cut dough into 9 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Allow to rest a few moments. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole (I can never do this perfectly). Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 3 minutes, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white, and (optional) sprinkle with your choice of toppings.

Bake in a 375 oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.