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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-25-2007, 11:25 AM   #41
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

here http://early-retirement.org/forums/i...p?topic=4259.0
and here http://early-retirement.org/forums/i...p?topic=4634.0
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-25-2007, 12:17 PM   #42
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by LL
This was posted on the Good Morning America website. I made it for supper this evening and it was absolutely delicious. I substituted Emeril's seasoning for regular seasoning salt and next time I make this I will use less water (1/2 the amount) as I prefer a slightly thicker gravy.

Give it a try. It was wonderful.

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients
8 thinly cut (about 1/2 inch thick) pork chops (about 3 pounds total)
2 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups thinly sliced onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4 bay leaves
Two 14 1/2-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth, or 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cans water (measured in the chicken broth cans)
1 pound smoked sausage or andouille, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Steamed white rice or rice pilaf, for serving

Directions
Season both sides of the chops with the Essence.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat.
Add the pork chops, 3 or 4 at a time, and lightly brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Remove the pork chops and transfer to a platter. Set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the flour and stir constantly until the roux is the color of peanut butter, about 4 minutes.
Add the onions, salt, and black pepper.
Cook, stirring, until the onions are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, and water and bring to a boil.
Return the pork chops to the pot.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the smoked sausage and the potatoes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves.
Remove from the heat.
Serve with either steamed white rice or rice pilaf.

Makes 4 servings (2 chops each) or 8 servings

LL
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-25-2007, 02:18 PM   #43
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

--- Recipes to this point added, excluding CFB links above --
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-25-2007, 03:52 PM   #44
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Dynamite Green Smoothie

Big handful of fresh spinach greens
1 orange (MANGO is great too!)
1/2 banana
1 scoop vanilla whey powder

Blend it up with 3 ice cubes. YUM. And all those antioxidants to boot!
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 10:54 AM   #45
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Beer drinker's cheese dip

1 can Rotel tomatoes with green peppers
1 block cream cheese (lite is okay)
2 tbsp sour cream (lite is okay)
dash Red pepper flakes
dash garlic powder
dash black pepper
Hot sauce of your choice to taste

Heat in microwave, stirring often.
Serve warm with chips and lots of beer!

Sarah
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:00 AM   #46
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Roasted root vegetables

Cut a variety of root vegetables into similar sized chunks, I go for roughly the size of my thumb.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, turnips, parsnips, onions (peeled and quartered or use pearls unpeeled - red/yellow/white to mix it up), heads of garlic pulled apart and excess paper removed but leave the last paper coat on each clove. Do the sweet potatoes and potatoes last as they'll start discoloring from exposure to air. Beets are good but put them on their own pan as they'll leak beet juice all over everything otherwise.

Toss in olive oil and spread out on one or more baking sheets. Bake at about 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until they start caramelizing and getting good and brown in spots. Turn once during cooking if you have the chance, although just leaving them to cook works out okay.

Season with a bit of salt and pepper and serve with good crusty bread to squeeze the garlic onto.

Of course, leave out anything you dont like, although roasted parsnips and turnips taste a lot different than boiled/steamed ones...you might like them
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:13 AM   #47
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Smoked Oyster Sandwiches

Make a vinaigrette from equal amounts of olive oil and lemon juice (quarter to third cup of each makes 2-4 sandwiches), toss in a minced garlic clove, and a couple of teaspoons of franks red hot sauce or other 'louisiana style hot sauce'. A minced Serrano or small jalapeno will do, but do not use tabasco...too much heat...I guess you could go with just 5-6 drops of tabasco if its all you had, but I like the Franks best. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Chop a couple of the inner light green ribs of celery and coarsely shred/tear a head of a nice heavy duty green like mustard greens or watercress. I prefer the mustard greens for their bite.

Toss the celery and greens in a large bowl with the vinaigrette.

Cut open some nice sandwich rolls or a decent sized baguette and scoop out some of the soft inner bread to make a cavity.

Crack open two cans of decent smoked oysters. I like the geisha brand. Lay out a layer of oysters and top with a big handful of the dressed greens.

If you have any leftover greens, add some sliced onion and tomato and serve as a side salad.

Not as good as a deep fried oyster poor boy, but a nice fast substitute.
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:22 AM   #48
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Roma Tomato and Feta Pasta

An easy, but surprisingly elegant vegetarian pasta dish

1/3 cup olive oil (this is an estimate, but don't skimp here)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 small onion, minced
8-10 Roma tomatoes, sliced into medium sized chunks
4 oz Feta cheese (and ounce or two more for creamier version)
8-10 oz pasta (I like the light texture of brown rice pasta for this dish, but thin spagetti works)
Salt and Pepper

Heat up the olive oil and sautee the onion and garlic until soft
Add the tomatoes and sautee over medium heat until some of the juice is evaporated
Add feta and sautee until melts
Salt and pepper to taste (best garnished with freshly ground pepper when served)

I usually served this with a side dish of sauteed spinach and hot french bread.

This is probably 4 servings, although when I make it we usually have it for dinner then I eat the leftovers the next day and that is it. It is easily altered to suit your needs for serving portions.


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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:23 AM   #49
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Make your own "Benihana" dinner for 1/6th the price in about 20 minutes, most of which is prep time.

Yeah, I know, half the fun is watching the guy shoot shrimp tails into his hat and your lap.

The prep work can be done hours in advance. Put a layer of plastic wrap on the plates you'll put the meat/seafood on, then another piece of wrap over top of those...then you can stack them in the fridge and re-use the plates the raw meats were on by removing the lower layer of plastic wrap. With the prep work done you've got a very easy saute dinner.

Secrets in the sauces:

Ginger sauce:

Put all ingredients into a blender, run until smooth:

5 ounces sliced onion, rinsed in running water for 15 minutes
2 ounces ginger, peeled and sliced thinly (hint: 'peel' the ginger with the end of a teaspoon)
1 lemon, peeled and chopped, juice squeezed
2 cups soy sauce
1 cup vinegar

Rinse blender and add:

2 cups soy sauce
1/3 cup ground roasted sesame seeds
1 cup whipping cream
1 pinch garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard dissolved in 1 teaspoon water

Blend until smooth.

Slice up your choice of meats or seafood into bite size chunks. Slice shrimp, scallops or calamari in half to make them about a half inch thick and toss in flour to lightly coat. Slice some zucchini into sticks the size of your finger. Chunk up some onions, same size. Slice some very large mushrooms into thick slices.

Cook the mushrooms and onions in separate pans over medium high heat with a little oil until done. Put in serving bowls and cover loosely with foil. Put zucchini in the former mushroom pan and your meats into the onion pan with another spoon of oil, until just done. Put those into serving bowls and toss the seafood into the former zucchini pan with a bit of oil and saute very quickly...they'll only take a minute or two.

Serve with the two sauces in lots of separate dipping size bowls.
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:33 AM   #50
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny
Roasted root vegetables

Cut a variety of root vegetables into similar sized chunks, I go for roughly the size of my thumb.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, turnips, parsnips, onions (peeled and quartered or use pearls unpeeled - red/yellow/white to mix it up), heads of garlic pulled apart and excess paper removed but leave the last paper coat on each clove. Do the sweet potatoes and potatoes last as they'll start discoloring from exposure to air. Beets are good but put them on their own pan as they'll leak beet juice all over everything otherwise.

Toss in olive oil and spread out on one or more baking sheets. Bake at about 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until they start caramelizing and getting good and brown in spots. Turn once during cooking if you have the chance, although just leaving them to cook works out okay.

Season with a bit of salt and pepper and serve with good crusty bread to squeeze the garlic onto.

Of course, leave out anything you dont like, although roasted parsnips and turnips taste a lot different than boiled/steamed ones...you might like them
I second the roasted root veggies - one of my favorites!!! I toss w/olive oil, sea salt and dried garlic. Also try cutting up a leak - adds nice flavor! also makes good baby food (i mash the sweet potatoes for the booboo).
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:36 AM   #51
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

<reposted, earlier posted in wrong thread!>

My easiest recipes:

Black Beans & Rice

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of black beans
1 cup of rice
1 cup of chicken stock

If you are in the mood, you can saute some onions and garlic in a pan and toss that in first, then toss all the other ingredients (you can either use 2 cups of stock or 1 stock and 1 water depending on your taste,be aware of the salt content in your stock choice) and cook like regular rice, you can add a pinch of salt depending on your preference - I use a rice cooker so i plop all these in and push the button .

My Famous Trader Joe's salad

1 bag of mixed baby greens
handful of their Cranberry trail mix
1 apple (fuji, gala or granny), cut up into small pieces (1 inch or so)
2-3 tablespoons or slices of goat cheese
Trader Joes' Romano Caesar Dressing
TJ's parmasean pita chips

toss and enjoy!

Final contribution

Greek Burgers (adapted from Rachel Ray!)
Ground Meat (turkey, pork, chicken or combo)
mix in finely chopped onion and few garlic cloves (chopped)
dash of oregano
salt and pepper

mix well and make patties - 2 options here, you can make a true burger patty and serve on buns, or make smaller longer pieces for a pita/gyro style sandwich.

grill (i like cast iron), and on the side (in another pan or after the patties) grill sliced onions and red bell peppers.

also slice cucumbers to go on top (you can squirt some lemon juice on top). Add dollop of greek yoghurt too...

enjoy!
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:38 AM   #52
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Super Meatloaf

For those who question the need for the veal and the pork, the pork adds considerable flavor and the high gelatin content in the veal traps considerable moisture inside the loaf. I substitute half and half beef and pork and add one half teaspoon of regular unflavored gelatin to the mix to create dang near the same result without the veal. Alas, I cant bring myself to eat the stuff.

4 tbl Unsalted butter - (1/2 stick)
1 1/4 cup Finely-chopped onions
1 cup Finely-chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup Sliced green onion
2 x Garlic cloves minced
2 x Eggs beaten
1/3 cup Canned beef broth
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tbl Hot pepper sauce
(preferably Franks Red Hot)
1 tbl Soy sauce
1 lb Ground beef
1/2 lb Ground pork
1/2 lb Ground veal
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese grated
3/4 cup Saltine cracker crumbs
1/2 cup Ketchup
5 slc Thick-sliced bacon halved crosswise

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When it foams, add the onions, bell pepper, green onion, and garlic. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring often, for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are lightly browned. remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and soy sauce until well blended. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, pork, and veal with the onion mixture, the egg mixture, cheese, and cracker crumbs. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Transfer the meat mixture to a shallow baking dish and shape it into a loaf about 3 inches thick; smooth the top with the back of a spoon.

Spread the ketchup evenly over the loaf. Arrange the bacon strips atop the ketchup, overlapping them slightly if necessary.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until an instant-reading thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees. Let the loaf stand on a rack for 10 minutes before slicing.
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:46 AM   #53
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by bright eyed
I second the roasted root veggies - one of my favorites!!! I toss w/olive oil, sea salt and dried garlic. Also try cutting up a leak - adds nice flavor! also makes good baby food (i mash the sweet potatoes for the booboo).
Indeed, which brings us to my favorite instant toddler meal...root vegetable soup.

Mix any pureed vegetable (from current or leftover meal, or even a tub of #2 baby food); roots and peas work well, with an equal amount of milk, 1/2+1/2 or available stock. Pinch of salt, pinch of pepper. Offer in a plastic cup for drinking (I use little asian plastic tea cups like the restaurants use, from a restaurant supply company). I throw in a pinch of mint, curry powder, sage, thyme or chili powder to mix it up.

My wife tasted it once and I ended up making her some cold and hot simple vegetable soups.

Like many kids, gabe is sort of iffy on vegetables. Drinks his soup up and really enjoys the spiced variety. If we're going out to eat, i'll bring a tub of sweet potatoe or pea baby food (50c/tub in bulk at sams club), get a small glass of milk, have him drink half of it and then make his 'soup' with the rest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Then he's at least got a full serving of vegetables and can snack on whatever else we've got...although he's almost big enough for his own meals.

Any more baby recipes or ideas for easy baby meals or is that outside the scope of your cookbook Al?

If not, another quick and easy one is Gabes standard breakfast. I mix yogurt (brown cow...accept no substitutes) with the powdered enriched organic whole grain baby oatmeal until its the consistency of wallpaper paste. Sticks to both sides of the spoon so its great for learning self-feeding. Served with a small cup of apple sauce or diced/sliced fruit, its a very complete meal and he likes it a lot.
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:49 AM   #54
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

My wife loves this, and its easy to make. On paper its a very weird set of ingredients. Hearty winter meal and tastes better the next day.

Polish Stew

1 pound link sausage, preferably kielbasa
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds stew beef, diced
2 onions, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 (16-ounce) package refrigerated sauerkraut
1 cup dry white wine
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In a saucepan over medium heat, saute link sausage cut into 1/2-inch pieces for 15 minutes; place in a baking dish.

Add oil to the sausage drippings and brown diced stew beef, about 15 minutes. Place in the baking dish.

Next, saute sliced onions; add to the baking dish. Saute sliced mushrooms with sauerkraut and white wine. Add tomato sauce, soy sauce, caraway seed, and basil. Stir into the baking dish; mixing well.

Cover and bake at 375*F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Stir every 30 minutes
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 11:52 AM   #55
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

We also like tagines. Made with chicken or beef, lots of spices and dried fruit, they're an interesting change of pace.

2 lbs well trimmed shoulder/chuck beef or shoulder of lamb, cubed
1 tablesp. ground ginger
1 teasp. ground black pepper
1 teasp. ground cinnamon
1 tablesp. turmeric
1― tablesp. paprika
― teasp. chilli powder
1-2 tablesp. olive oil
2 large onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 oz dried apricots, chopped
2 oz raisins
― pt tomato juice
ž pt beef stock
1 tablsp. honey
Juice of ― lemon
Salt to taste

Set oven to 350šF

Place the meat in a large bowl. Mix the spices together and coat the meat with the spices. Heat half the oil in a large pan and brown the onions well and place in a flameproof casserole, then brown the meat in the remaining hot oil (do this in batches to get the meat a good color). Transfer to the casserole with the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir well, bring to the boil. Place in the oven for approx. 1― hours or until the meat is very tender. Sprinkle on the topping and serve with rice or couscous.

Topping: (optional - this is where I like to add a little fresh garnish to a long cooked rich meal)

Mix together:

* 1-2 tablesp. fresh coriander, chopped
* Grated rind of 1 lemon
* 2 oz almonds, chopped
* Salt and black pepper
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 12:15 PM   #56
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Chicken Tagine. NOT easy to make, but good. Another one of my wifes favorites.

Preserved lemons can be bought or made. Substitute a little lemon zest and juice if you cant find them or dont want to bother. To make them, quarter or thickly slice and halve the slices of a bunch of well scrubbed lemons. Dip the chunks into a bowl of coarse salt and coat thoroughly. Too much salt cannot be an issue here, too little is a problem. Pack into a sealable jar like a mason jar, sprinkle in more salt, and then pour in lemon juice until everything is well covered. Put in the back of the fridge for a couple of weeks, occasionally stirring/mashing with a spoon. After the two weeks, pour a 1/4" (or more) skin of olive oil on top. This concoction will now last 6-12 months well refrigerated. Never put your fingers or a dirty implement into the jar, always use a clean fork or spoon. If it ever starts turning brown, growing anything moldlike or smelling like anything other than lemons, throw it out. GREAT way to deal with having a lot of leftover lemons if you like to use them in cooking. After about a month the rind becomes soft and they're fully edible. Chop and add to anything you want to have a salty lemon taste, add a half teaspoon of the juice to season sauces or dips, and a bit of the salty/lemony oil from the protective covering can be used in a stir fry. You may also do the same thing with any citrus...preserved limes chopped finely are dang good in a salsa. You have in essence 'salt cured' the citrus and as long as the salt and acid content of the jar remain high and uncontaminated, it'll be good for some time. Rinse well before using to remove excess salt.

1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 large pinch saffron
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, cut up into small pieces or 2lbs of boneless skinless thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 preserved lemon (see below)
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1 cup chicken stock

In a skillet over medium heat, toast the cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, and cloves until they start to smoke. Remove from the heat and grind in a spice grinder or put in a plastic bag or plastic wrap inside of a kitchen towel and whack with a skillet until coarsely ground. Or go simple and use ground pepper and cloves, adding the pepper early and the cloves late to the heating process.

In a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken, add the oil, spice mix, garlic, ginger, cilantro, bay leaves and saffron. Mix to a paste. Add chicken, rubbing the marinade over all the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve marinade. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a tagine or large casserole over medium high heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Put in chicken pieces and lightly brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Rinse preserved lemon well. Scoop out flesh and discard; cut peel into strips and add to pan. Add reserved marinade, olives, and chicken stock. Cover tightly and cook over medium low heat for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove bay leaf and discard. Taste juices and adjust seasoning. Place chicken on a warm platter. Spoon juices with the preserved lemon, olives, and onions over chicken and serve accompanied by couscous with apricots, raisins or some other dried fruit.
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 12:31 PM   #57
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Bunny Chili

Theres no bunny in this, but I use several techniques that can make a difference in any chili or red sauce recipe.

Its pretty free form, and I probably never make it the same way twice, so ingredient quantities are roughly specified.

Chop an onion and start sauteeing it in a little oil. When its mostly a rich brown, add a few chopped cloves of garlic. Adding the garlic in early will result in the garlic burning and becoming bitter as it'll cook way faster than the onion.

Add 2 lbs chuck, cut into roughly bite size chunks. Chuck has been the best for flavor and texture in my experience. Sirloin and round can get mushy and sometimes have a livery taste to them. Brown thoroughly on all sides. The brown stuff will become absorbed into the liquid, making for a richer flavor

Add a large can of chopped tomatoes, a can of beef stock, and a bottle of dark beer...guinness stout is my favorite. By using the can of beef stock instead of water, we're getting a lot of concentrated rich beef flavor dialed in right away. The same trick works wonders on a quick meat sauce for pasta...add beef stock instead of water or another liquid to give it that "cooked all day" richness. The beer adds exceptional depth.

Flavor with cumin, chili powder, italian dry seasoning...for this amount I'd dump some into the palm of my hand and throw it in...probably 2-3 tablespoons each, but add some and test the flavor...its easy to add more but a little tough to take some out. I like the earthiness of cumin so I add more than most recipes would call for, and I make my own chili powder. To do that, go to the nearest market that sells dried chilis, or look in the latin/mexican food section of your market for dried chilis. Get a variety of 2-6 different ones. Smaller ones are usually hotter, large ones sweeter. Break the stems off and any nasty looking bits and throw the rest into a blender or food processor and whirl away until powdered, then store in a container with a tight fitting lid...it'll last a year or so before losing potency. If its too mild, add some cayenne. If its too spicy, add some sweet paprika.

Simmer until the beef is tender.

At this point you're pretty much good to go. Salt to taste. If its thinner than you like, add a few teaspoons of coarsely ground corn meal (polenta) and let it simmer a few minutes. The corn meal will add another little flavor dimension, a little extra texture and absorb water from the chili. The grains turn red and are nearly invisible.

Add a can of beans if thats your thing, or leave them out. Half the time I throw in a can of black beans, drained and rinsed.

Serve with diced onions, shredded aged cheddar cheese, sour cream and my other secret weapon for those who like it hotter. Take a can of chipotles in adobo sauce, which can be found in the mexican food aisle of most markets. Puree the entire contents of the can in a blender or food processor. Be very careful with touching this stuff, getting a lot on you, or getting any in your eyes. These are smoked jalapeņo chilis in a tomato sauce. Depending on the scovilles of the jalapeņos in the batch used in the can, this can be anywhere from dang hot to holy crap my face is on fire hot. A teaspoon of this will make a bowl of red quite spicy and impart a nice smoky dimension of flavor and aroma. Three or four for that guy who swears he loves food as spicy as can be, although you may wish to advise him to put a roll of toilet paper in the freezer before he goes to bed.

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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 02:56 PM   #58
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny
Indeed, which brings us to my favorite instant toddler meal...root vegetable soup.

Any more baby recipes or ideas for easy baby meals or is that outside the scope of your cookbook Al?

If not, another quick and easy one is Gabes standard breakfast. I mix yogurt (brown cow...accept no substitutes) with the powdered enriched organic whole grain baby oatmeal until its the consistency of wallpaper paste. Sticks to both sides of the spoon so its great for learning self-feeding. Served with a small cup of apple sauce or diced/sliced fruit, its a very complete meal and he likes it a lot.
thanks for the tips!

mostly a struggle to consistantly offer the nice array of veggies - my problem not the babies - she will eat what i feed her! but if i'm disorganized it's usually some cut up fruit, and rice or whatever i'm having!
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 04:48 PM   #59
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Spicy Seafood Chowder

This is a quick recipe that I like to fix in the winter when it's cold out and I need to fill up on something warm and hearty. It is flexible in that you can make it as mild or spicy as you like, and can add whatever seafood you like, have on hand, or the cat drags in.


one onion
couple stalks celery
couple cloves garlic

one big can hominy
a cup of corn
one small can chiles (ortega or hotter if you like)
one can chopped tomatoes
one big can enchilada sauce (or tomato sauce)
small bunch of cilantro, chopped
two cups water
couple diced potatoes (optional)

1/2 to 3/4 lb each of your three favorite seafoods, bite sized
(I like tilapia filets, squid, and scallops, but salmon and shrimp are good, too)


Chop and saute the onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil in a large pot.
Add the next eight ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the seafood, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer another 10 minutes. If it's not spicy enough you can add a little cayenne pepper as well. Mmmmm, good with piping hot french bread!
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread
Old 01-26-2007, 05:10 PM   #60
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Re: ER Forum Cookbook -- Recipe Posting Thread

Quote:
Originally Posted by bright eyed
thanks for the tips!

mostly a struggle to consistantly offer the nice array of veggies - my problem not the babies - she will eat what i feed her! but if i'm disorganized it's usually some cut up fruit, and rice or whatever i'm having!
No problem, its a constant battle. Besides the hot/cold vegetable/fruit variably spiced "soups" I've found enough of a variety in tiny little frozen dinners like michelinas, kaschi, zatarains and similar, mostly vegetable/grain items that gabe likes. Four minutes in the nuker when i'm too lazy to make something or have a small time window. Usually more than he can eat, so dad gets a bite or two. Buck or two a pop if you shop around.

Between that, and the "toddler" version of Clif Bars and Nouriche smoothies, we stuff an awful lot of nutrition into him even when time is tight or we're on the road.
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