Archive for the 'Recipes' Category

Cheese & Garlic Toasts

Published
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Jenna
on December 5, 2008
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Wednesday night we reinstated “Family Dinner” night and I tried my hand at these yummy little cheesey toasts my yoga instructor made for us one class.  She said she used blue cheese, leeks, garlic, butter and capers and smeared it on slightly toasted bread, then threw it back in the oven to make warm.  This is what I did:

3 large cloves of garlic

1 large leek

1/2 stick of butter

1 package Danish Blue cheese (maybe 8oz?)

About 2-3 tablespoons capers

I put all of this in the food processor until it was fairly homogenous and spread it on my toasts then put back into a 350 F oven until it was nice and melty.  I think I went overboard with the garlic; it was quite spicy and maybe there were just too many alliums involved.  Also next time I think I’ll leave it a little bit more chunky/rustic.  All in all not a bad little appetizer.  I’m so glad family dinner is back!

Canned Goods

Published
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Jenna
on August 28, 2008
in Rants in my Pants and Recipes
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I just spoke with my Poppy last night and he is on a canning blitz, which sort of inspired me. He’s made tomato soup, pickled jalapenos, salsa and is about to make jalapeno jelly. Right now in my overgrown garden I have far too many banana peppers and cherry bomb hot peppers (I don’t think that’s the actual name, but I like it), so I think I’ll pickle some, too. But instead of lacto-fermenting them, I’m just going to do them like my Popsicle says:

Take equal parts of water and vinegar and throw in some salt, boil that. Get yer peppers chopped how ever you’d like them (de-seeded and de-veined) and throw them into a clean mason or jelly jar, but leave about 1-2 inches at the top. Throw the boiling mixture on top and seal and wait for the top to pop. Ta-da! Pickled peppers for Peter Piper.

Something about that seems like cheating, so I can’t wait until October to do some real pickling with my Grandfather — kraut making!! Which will be fermented and done just in time for new year’s day!! I’m totally going to make brats and kraut again. I’m getting way too ahead of myself, but I’m just so darned excited!!

Jellybones

Published
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Jenna
on August 25, 2008
in Rants in my Pants and Recipes
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I’m sad to say that I’m back from my vacation in the Outer Banks. We had amazing weather and the water was the perfect temperature. We did have a bunch of jellyfish in the water one day; ones that I have never seen before but that didn’t sting. I didn’t take a single photo while I was there, so I can’t show you, but they looked like bottle caps with blue fringe. I couldn’t help but wonder if you can eat these jellyjerks. I found out that, indeed you can eat them and it’s quite common in Asian cuisine, particularly in seaweed salad (which I’ve actually never enjoyed). Here’s a recipe from Starchefs.com (below) and although I didn’t find an online source where one can purchase jellyfish, the chow boards let me know that you should be able to pick them up at any Asian market.

Marinated Jellyfish with Chili Oil with Green Apple Tea
Chef Angelo Sosa, formerly of Yumcha - New York, NY
Adapted by StarChefs.com
Yield: 2 Servings
Ingredients:
Jellyfish:
4 ounces pre-sliced jellyfish strips
1 Tablespoon chili oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt

Green Apple Tea:
4 green apples, juiced
2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon sugar

Garnish:
½ ounce red onion, sliced into slivers
6 romaine lettuce hearts, trimmed down
Method:
For Jellyfish:
In a small bowl, lightly dress jellyfish with chili oil. Season with toasted sesame seeds and salt.
For Green Apple Tea:
Stir ingredients together in a container until sugar is dissolved.
To Assemble and Serve:
Scatter jellyfish onto a serving plate and sprinkle red onions and romaine hearts on top. Pour the apple tea tableside.
Wine Suggestion:
A delicate white such as Chardonnay

Thanks, starchefs!

Fake Greek

Published
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Jenna
on June 13, 2008
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Yesterday I got the hankering for some Greek food. It all started with a craving for tzatziki (a yogurt cucumber sauce), then I figured why not make some meatballs, so we (me and the dudes) could have a nice sandwich. Of course, the meatballs needed to be vegetarian *sigh* because I’m surrounded by those people. I made the “meat”balls based on Cat Cora’s Keftedes recipe, with some variations.

Ingredients:
14 oz pack of fake ground beef (it comes in a tube that looks like cookie dough)
1/2 an medium yellow onion, chopped pretty small
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, minced
4 large mint leaves, minced
2 fresh sage leaves, minced
A little bit of fresh thyme (less than a 1/4 teaspoon), minced
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 large eggs, beaten
Dash of nutmeg
2 1/4 slices of honey wheat bread (HFCS free of course)
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Flour

Directions:
1. Put the 2 slices of bread in water and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can (keep the other 1/4 slice dry)
2. Mix the “beef,” wet & dry bread, onion, garlic, herbs, vinegar, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper together by hand.
3. Spoon some out and roll into a ball-repeat until finished. Mine were about 2” across and were a bit too big because it took a while to cook in the middle
4. Toss the balls into flour just to coat
5. Put some olive oil in a large sauté pan and put on high heat, then throw the balls in, browning them on all sides.
6. Put balls on a paper towel to sop up any excess oil

I suggest serving them on flatbread or pitas (anything that doesn’t have High Fructose Corn Syrup—Sahara brand does) and putting tzatiki on it maybe some hot sauce, if you dare.

For the Tzatziki, this is what I did:

1 large container of Fage Greek yogurt
1/2 a medium cucumber, diced very small
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Just combine all those ingredients and let it set for a little; I actually made this before the meatballs,so the flavors had a chance to mingle with the yogurt.

Oh yeah and I got a hunk of feta, threw it on a pan, tossed some onions on it, some olives, a little olive oil, a dash of pepper, then baked it in the oven (325 F) until it was nice and warm — It’s seriously tasty. I first had it in Crete at a restaurant and fell in love with feta served that way-although they had tomatoes and green pepper on theirs (no thanks).

It went over really well, the boys loved it and I thought the meatballs tasted like the real thing. The mint was very refreshing on a hot summer night. Definitely going to add this to regular rotation.

Public Service

Published
by
Jenna
on June 16, 2006
in Rants in my Pants and Recipes
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Last night I ran into the second worst make out of my life. (I’m a lady, so I won’t reveal any names here) Listen up, fellas (and ladies): no one likes to have a tongue jammed down their throat or have someone else’s tongue just sitting in your mouth like a lazy hobo. It’s gross and a little rude. Tongues are like house guests: you’re just a visitor on someone else’s turf and you shouldn’t overstay your welcome.

Here is a recipe appropriate for last night’s run-in from the good people at Epicurious:

TONGUE WITH MUSTARD-HORSERADISH SAUCE
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr

For tongue
1 (3�-lb) fresh beef tongue
1 large onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 whole star anise
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons salt
For sauce
1/4 cup chopped shallot (1 large)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon bottled horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Cook tongue: Rinse tongue well with cold water and place in a deep 6- to 8-quart pot. Add cold water to cover by 3 inches, then add remaining tongue ingredients. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, until tongue is fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Transfer tongue to a cutting board (reserve 1� cups cooking liquid) and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin and trim any fat or gristle. Skim off fat from cooking liquid and pour liquid through a paper-towel lined sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Keep tongue warm, covered.
Make sauce: Cook shallot in butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in reserved cooking liquid and cream, then bring to a boil, whisking.
Simmer sauce, whisking, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in mustard, horseradish, herbs, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
Slice tongue and serve with sauce.

Serves 6.
Gourmet
Sugar and Spice
May 2000

Hotdog with Avocado Relish

Published
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Jenna
on June 12, 2006
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Another tasty recipe I’ve been working on & hope to get it picked up by the ol’ AP. Photo courtesy of J. Davis Gaul. Get your grills fired up….
Hot%20dog%20Diagonal.jpg

Ingredients
1 Ripe Hass Avocado, finely diced

Eight Day Pickles

Published
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Jenna
on June 1, 2006
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I found this recipe handwritten on a piece of crusty paper in a cookbook from 1912 that I just picked up. I’m not a fan of pickles, but since I discovered it, i feel the need to pass it on. Heck, i might even try it…

1st Day
Cut 1 peck (2 gallons) medium cucumbers in 1/2 in. slices. Cover with cold water for 24 hours and drain.

2nd Day
Add 2 cups salt and cover with boiling water.

3rd Day
Drain off salt water heat enough water to cover cucumbers, add 1/4 pound powdered alum (a sulfite to help keep your pickles crispy) to it and when boiling, pour over cucumbers.

4th Day
Drain cucumbers. Boil enough water and vinegar to cover cucumbers (1 qt vinegar to 4 qts water). Pour boiling mixture over cucumbers.

5th, 6th & 7th Days
Reboil the vinegar solution and cover cucumbers as on 4th day.

8th Day
Drain well and pack jars with cucumbers. Boil together 5 cups sugar, 5 cups vinegar, 1/4 cup celery seed, 1/4 cup mustard seed and 1 onion (remove onion after boiling). Cover the cucumbers with the boiling liquid and seal.

Cream Cheese Dip

Published
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Jenna
on May 19, 2006
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http://jennarator.org/archives/upload/2006/05/Small-thumb.jpg
Here is a little recipe I developed for Shavuot, which is the Jewish holiday celebrating when Moses was given the Torah. J. Davis Gaul took the photo (as always). Unfortunately, this wasn’t picked up by the AP, but a few papers are going to run it. At any rate, even though I dislike salmon, this little number is quite tasty. It works on crackers, veggies or as schmear for bagels. (Yeah, I said schmear)

Ingredients
8oz Cream cheese or Creamy Soft Cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch of salt, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
3 tablespoons finely chopped smoked salmon

Directions
In a medium bowl, stir together cheese, black pepper, lemon juice and salt until a smooth texture is achieved. Then stir in salmon and chives.

It’s really easy, try it this weekend. My favorite creamy soft cheese is made by Tnuva, it might be hard to come by, but it’s worth the search. If you can score a Tnuva “Milky,” let me know where you find it — I’m addicted and I can never find them (wah wah).

Hungary for Dumplings?

Published
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Jenna
on May 11, 2006
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My uncle Pete is Hungarian and quite a cook. As such, we have adopted some of his recipes into our family; we always eat Szekely Goulash on New Years Day (sort of a combo of our PA Dutch traditions* & his Hungarian roots) and serve “hunky” rice as a side dish. Pete’s grandmother used to make plum dumplings for him that he was wild about, but unfortunately the recipe was not passed along & wasn’t recorded. He has been pining for these treats, but couldn’t find the recipe and wasn’t even sure what they were called. Well, Pete, I have answers!!

Dig, it — Szilvas Gomboc (Hungarian Plum Dumplings)
I found this recipe on the interweb, thanks to June Meyer. And although they don’t sound like something I would ever want to eat, I’m assured they are quite tasty. Here’s June’s recipe:

  • 2 1/2 dz. Free Stone Italian plums, washed, split, pit removed
  •   4 or 5 medium sized Potatoes
  •   1 egg beaten
  •   4 cups of flour (unsifted)
  •   1 tsp. salt
  •   Buttered bread crumbs
  •   Sugar
  •   Cinnamon

Peel potatoes and cook in salted water till soft.
Drain and peel.
Mash potatoes and add warm to sifted flour and salt on a kneading surface.
Make a well and add egg and knead gently till all is blended.
On a clean floured surface, roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick.
Cut dough into 4 inch squares and put a plum into center of each square.
Place 1/2 tsp. sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon in the hole of the plum.
Fold corners to the middle and roll the dumpling in your hands till round.
Cook a few dumplings at a time in salted water for about 10 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon.
Place in a pan in which bread crumbs have been toasted in butter (one cup crumbs to 1/4 cup butter) and mixed with 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
Keep warm.
When all the dumplings have been cooked and are in the pan, gently spoon the bread crumbs, butter, sugar and cinnamon mix over all.
Serve warm with bread crumb topping and a dollop of Sour Cream if desired.

Sounds like a hot mess to me, but I’m going to try it out. Could be a disaster.

*For those of you non-Dutchies, we eat pork and sauerkraut every New Year’s Day for good luck. Szekely Goulash has both key ingredients as well as sausage, green pepper, caraway seeds, onions and paprika. I think this year I ate a hotdog with sauerkraut, that counts, right?

Cherry Blossoms

Published
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Jenna
on May 1, 2006
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What a fantastic weekend!! I had escargot for the first time and was very impressed. The garlic butter is delicious (can’t go wrong with garlic and butter) and the meat itself has a pleasant texture. I’m officially a fan, recipe here.

The weather was perfect so Anna and I went to check out the Cherry Blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. If you haven’t been, you absolutely need to go. I did a quick search for recipes that include cherry blossoms, and the most interesting one I found is called Crispy Cherry Blossoms, but does not actually include real cherry blossoms. Sounds tasty, though.

I also went to check out the Bodies…the Exhibition with Champer, which was incredible. To be honest, it made me slightly sick at the beginning, but then I was way into it — particularly the veins and the fetus galleries. At the very end, they have a body sliced up in one inch sections (think of how a CAT scan works). It looked like many ham slabs in the shape of a person. Definitely my favorite part. Unforunately, no photos allowed.