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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Best potluck idea ever? An all-pie meal, appropriately titled Piefest! Guests each bring a savory or sweet pie, and the gluttony will commence. This was my addition to the spread.
I have been craving beef empanadas, those little, meaty hand pies from across Latin America. To stick with the Piefest theme, I decided to modify the presentation to 9" pie plate style. Wikipedia says that this is the preferred presentation in areas of Spain, so I'm not the first to venture there, which was reassuring.
Enough ground beef to fill a pie plate seemed like overkill, so I decided to round out the filling with spiced, diced potatoes. While I was riffing on the empanada filling from Mexican Cooking for Dummies, I kind of made up this recipe as I went. The following is a list of the ingredients for posterity, rather than exact measurements... tweak at your will.
Beef and Potato Empanada Pie
First: steam fry the potatoes
In a frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil
When hot, add:
1 lb potatoes, chopped into 1/4" cubes (I used baby yellow potatoes from my produce box, but any type should do)
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp spanish smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ancho chili powder
After the onions are soft and potatoes have started to get a crust, add the juice of 1 can of Rotel and 1/4 cup of water, and put on the pan lid to steam. When the potatoes are soft, remove the lid and cook off any remaining liquid. Adjust the flavor to taste with a dash of cayenne, salt and black pepper (and any of the other spices, as desired). The potatoes should be deliciously smoky and spicy, piquant with the acidity of the tomatoes, but mellowed by the cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
Next, prepare the beef.
Crumble 1.5 lbs of ground beef in the skillet and cook until brown. Drain excess fat, then add:
Reserved tomatoes and chilis from the can of Rotel
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped black olives
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp spanish paprika
Cook until onions and raisins are soft and flavors are blended. The resulting mixture should be a lovely, warm combination of sweet and savory. When it is flavored to your liking, add the potatoes back in, mixing to combine. Meat and potato mixture can be reserved in the fridge up to 2 days.
To bake the pie:
I'm a cheater and used Pillsbury roll-out pie crust, following the package instructions. But given the many different shells encasing empanadas around the world, I suspect it would be delicious with a cornmeal crust or the doughy crust traditional in the Spanish pie-sized version.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Spiced, roasted disks of sweet potato topped with sweet potato mousse. A delicious one bite appetizer! The mousse would be a great use of leftover mashed sweets, and a great topping for crackers.
2 large sweet potatoes
Salt, cayenne pepper
- Bake sweet potatoes for 20 min at 400 degrees, until soft enough to easily cut. Let cool.
- Slice the potatoes into 1/2 inch slices, and using a small (1 or 1.5" diameter) cookie cutter, cut small circles. Reserve scraps, peel, and wrap tightly in a foil packet.
- Spray a roasting pan w/ pan spray and arrange potato disks in a single layer. Spray top of potatoes, as well. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cayenne pepper.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, until slightly brown and crisp. Flip disks and bake for an additional 10 minutes. During these 20 minutes, also bake the scraps in their foil packet.
- Remove disks from oven, and turn off the heat. Leave the scraps in the oven for 20 more minutes, or until they are very soft. Cool disks on a piece of paper towel.
Sweet Potato Mousse
One onion, caramelized
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 oz soft goat cheese
zest of one lemon
Roasted sweet potato scraps, from above
- Caramelize the onion, adding thyme while the onions cook.
- Add goat cheese, lemon zest, and half of sweet potato scraps to warm onions.
- Blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and adjust with more roasted sweet potato, if desired.
- Pipe on to cooled potato disks. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
I had a half an avocado, a box of mixed sprouts and a ton of roasted beets left from my fruit and veggie box this week, and decided to experiment! The resulting sandwich and beet salad turned out great, so I decided to document them.
This sandwich was inspired by the classic Monte Cristo my mom used to make when we were kids, a kind of toasted ham, turkey and Swiss. No jam necessary here-- a spontaneous combination of cream cheese and spiced deli chicken resulted in a tasty sandwich! The beet salad is a fall twist on a summer favorite of my old roommate, Simone. A nice change from my usual walnut-and-goat-cheese preparation. Enjoy!
Savory, Spicy Monte Cristo
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 oz Dietz and Watson Buffalo Style Chicken Breast
1 oz cream cheese
Dijon Mustard
1 egg
Avocado
Thinly sliced white onion
Fresh sprouts--I had a combo of alfalfa and radish
No-stick spray or 1 tsp butter.
Spread one half of bread with a thin layer of cream cheese. Pile on turkey, and close sandwich. Coat both outsides of sandwich with a thin layer of mustard. Melt butter over medium-low heat in a frying pan, or coat with non-stick spray.
Lightly beat egg with dash of water. Quickly dip the outside of the sandwich in egg-- do not let it soak too deeply, or the sandwich will be soggy. Add to pan, cream cheese side on the top.
Cook first side until golden brown, then flip. Remove the top slice of bread, and while the second side cooks, add avocado, salt, pepper, onions and sprouts to the inside of the toasted bread. When the other half is golden brown, reunite the sides. Serve while warm-- delicious! If you're making more than one, keep them crisp and warm in the oven until it's time to serve.
Dill Beet Salad
Roasted beets, peeled
2 Tbsp fat-free plain yogurt
Few dashes rice vinegar
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
Fresh dill, chopped, to taste
Slice refrigerated, roasted beets into large chunks. Toss in yogurt and vinegar mixture, add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Finish with chopped dill.
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
DISAPPEARING CARROT-BRAN BREAD (modified to halve butter and sugar from cooks.com)
6 Tbsp butter, melted
6 Tbsp no-sugar added applesauce
3 eggs
3/4 c. 100% Wheat Bran
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp each: nutmeg, allspice, cardamom
1 1/2 c. coarsely grated carrots
1/2 c. raisins (or chopped dates)
Wisk butter, applesauce and eggs until blended. Stir in Bran. Let soak 5 minutes.
Combine other dry ingredients. Add to bran mixture. Add carrots and raisins.
Bake in 9"x5" loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.
12 servings: 200 cal (7.5 g fat, 4.1 g sat), 34g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber
38% RDA Vitamin A, 30% Manganese, ~10% Folate, Riboflavin, Selenium, Thiamin
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
During the summer, I love meals that don't require heating up the oven. I also love throwing random things together. And so this dinner was born, and it's quickly become one of my favorite things to eat on a hot summer night.
At a dinner party awhile back, my friend Deirdre made this great cucumber "salsa," and while I love to scoop it up on chips or eat it by the spoonful out of the container, we decided that the mixed-veggie goodness of it would be great as a salad.
Enter quinoa. I want to love the stuff, since it's so good for you, but I always struggled with it tasting a little too bland. Once I discovered that cooking it in a light broth really jazzes it up, I was hooked. My favorite is Better than Bullion veggie flavor, which comes in a jar rather than as a powder. I use it at about half strength, rather than full.
Finally, my mother makes these really delicious chicken tostada salads. The chicken is poached, and then dressed with a red wine vinaigrette and tossed with some sliced red onion. When I feel like I need a little extra protein, I love to throw this chicken into a salad or, as it turns out, into my cucumber salsa-quinoa-chicken salad. A great one-dish dinner, and equally awesome the next day (or two) as lunch.
Boy, I need to work on the names for these things, huh? That one is certainly a mouthful.
Serves a TON. Two hungry post-gym girls plus four lunch-sized portions. I could cut it in half, I suppose, but I hate having halfed peppers etc sitting around. So I just put some background music on and resolve to chop chop chop.
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
Red wine vinegar
Olive Oil
1 cup dried quinoa, cooked to package instructions (or use broth instead of water)
2 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 medium tomatoes (or one pint of grape tomatoes), chopped
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put on the chicken to poach and the quinoa to cook; both will take about 20 minutes once they start to simmer. (Good directions on how to poach chicken can be found here). When each is ready, let it sit and wait; remove chicken from water so that it will be cool enough to shred.
While those are simmering away, chop all the veggies and herbs. This usually takes me about a half hour or forty minutes or so in total. Mix with dried dill, salt, and lime juice in a huge bowl. Add in cooked quinoa and stir. Adjust seasoning with salt or more lime, if needed.
Shred chicken, pulling it apart into bite-sized pieces. Add a small amount of finely chopped red onion, and a little extra jalepeno if you have it. Dress with a mixture of red wine vinegar and olive oil, without drenching (I like a 3-to-1 ratio, but you may have a different preference if you like it less tangy). Serve chicken on top of a bed of the quinoa/veggie salad. I also like to add a bit of cubed feta for a little extra treat. Delicious!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
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My mom baked me an amazing blueberry pie for my birthday last week when I was in California, so when the actual day came around, I was all set on the dessert front. But that didn't mean that I was ready to go without a birthday treat! Tonight, I had friends over for dinner and the star of the show was Herb Peel-Away Bread, one of my family favorites. It was just as delicious as I remember, plus it's got star-power: it looks far more impressive than the simple preparation it takes.
Herb Peel-Away Bread
3 1/2 cups flour, divided
2 packages of Rapid-Rise yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 cup water
1 egg (room temperature)
6 Tbsp butter, divided
Set aside 1 cup flour. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, cheese, salt, and herbs. Heat water and 4 Tbsp butter until hot to touch. Stir into dry mixture. Add the beaten egg and only enough reserved flour to make soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes, incorporating the rest of the flour. Cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
Roll dough into 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Brush with remaining 2 Tbsp melted butter. Cut into 25 squares with a pizza cutter. Overlap squares, butter side down, in a greased 12-cup bundt pan.
Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove to wire rack or an inverted plate. Best when served warm!
Given the ton of butter in this bread, we ate it with a "thoroughly inoffensive" chilled cucumber soup from Cooking Light that I tried to jazz up with mint, cilantro and a dash of Sriracha, and accompanied by a beautiful salad made by my friend Addy. An eclectic meal, but all-in-all a delicious one.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
I'll call this one "Summer Succotash Couscous." I desperately needed something to do with the frozen bags of edamame and corn hanging out in my freezer... a little mix-and-match of googled recipes turned out delicious!
I ate this as a main dish, but it would be great as a side dish if you left out the beans. You'll see kidney beans in the picture, as they were what was in the cupboard, but next time I'll use something milder, like cannellini, so that the butter and mint aren't overwhelmed.
1 box of couscous, prepared following box directions
(I used Near East Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 Red bell pepper, diced
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen edamame
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp white wine
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
Salt to taste
10 leaves of fresh mint, chiffonade
Prepare the box of couscous first. While it is resting, melt butter in a large pan, stir in onion and red pepper and cook until they begin to soften. Add frozen edamame, frozen corn and cannellini beans and stir to coat. Add white wine, rice vinegar and salt and cook until frozen veggies and beans are heated through. Stir in couscous until thoroughly mixed and juices are absorbed. Add mint and stir just before serving
Enjoy!
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