Simple but Tasty

We are leaving tomorrow morning for South Carolina.  We have a 6:00 AM flight.  We need to be at the airport at 5:00 AM which means we need to leave home at 4:15 AM.  UGH!!  I think that means we need to get up at 3;15 AM.  The things I will do to get free tickets!  That was the only way we could go for 25,000 miles each, but what the heck, we're retired.  We will go to bed tonight at around 8:00 PM.  If there was ever a night when we needed a simple but tasty dinner it was tonight.  Here was what I came up with.

A simple salad of fresh greens, with home-grown tomatoes and toasted pumpkin seeds, dressed with garlic vinaigrette, parsley new potatoes and grilled filet mignon.  The entire menu took less than 20 minutes to prepare and another twenty minutes to cook.  The result was restaurant quality.  You don't always need to spend hours on prep to have a result that is delicious and beautiful.  I think everyone who reads this post can come up with a similar meal, so I won't bother to post recipes. 

I am really excited to get to the low country.  We will get to see our son and daughter-in -law, as well as our beautiful two and a half year old grandson Shane. We will also get to have some of the best fresh seafood in  the country.  I plan to eat fish and shrimp and maybe even some May River oysters. I promise I will take some pictures and Blog about all of the great seafood.  This is just a quick trip and I will be back on line shortly.

Cooked Red Cabbage

Keeping in the spirit of fall, today's post is my recipe for cooked red cabbage.  It has gotten cooler in Kansas City and last night I felt like doing a fall menu.  We had roasted pork tenderloin, homemade apple sauce, dumplings and this cabbage.  The beautiful red color livens up any plate and I love the flavor.  I originally got this recipe from a friend, but have modified it to the point of it now being my own recipe.  The two biggest changes to the original were the addition of bacon and sauteed onion. Those two additions really kick the flavor up a notch.  I know some people don't like cooked cabbage, but I think if you give this a try with some roasted pork or even bratwurst, you might change your mind.

Ingredients:

4-5 slices bacon - chopped
1/4 of a large onion - finely chopped
1 medium to large head cabbage, trimmed, cored and wedges sliced into thin ribbons(red or green cabbage as you prefer)
1/2 stick (4 TBSP) butter
1 Cup chicken stock
1/3 Cup apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP whole caraway seeds
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat a large (12-14") deep sided skillet over medium heat.  Fry bacon pieces until almost crisp.  Add the onion and saute in the bacon drippings until translucent and tender.  Add butter and when bubbling, add cabbage.  Use a tongs and toss the cabbage until it is well coated with the melted butter and the bacon and onion are evenly distributed through the cabbage.  Increase heat and wilt cabbage. Reduce heat and add chicken stock, vinegar and caraway seeds.  Cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated.  Cover and reduce heat to low, to hold until time to serve.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Not much salt is required because of the bacon. This is a great accompaniment to pork, brats, or sauerbraten.  Serve with a cold beer and enjoy.

Cream of Mushroom Soup (bisque)

We are back in town for a few days before leaving on our next trip, so I will post some recipes before we leave again.  The trip to Michigan was delightful.  Seeing our daughter's family is always fun and the weather was superb.  We played a golf course we hadn't played before.  It sat in the hills above Little Traverse Bay, just outside of Petosky.  The views were breathtaking.  The golf a little less so, but fun at any rate.

I love thick creamy soups like chowders and bisque's.  On our trip, I had some great seafood chowder at the Pier, an old standby restaurant in Harbor Springs.  It was recently remodeled and was as beautiful inside as was the view to the water outside. While having lunch we had a conversation on the meaning of chowder vs. bisque.  Chowder is a rich soup typically containing fish, clams or corn with potatoes and onions.  Bisque is a rich creamy soup typically made with shellfish like lobster or shrimp but can eliminate the seafood altogether and be made from pureed vegetables.  Chowder trends to be chunky and bisque tends to be smooth.  What really sets bisque apart form soup is the addition of cream and wine, so I think we can call  this soup either bisque or soup.  Use whichever you prefer, but I think you will find it tasty no matter what you call it.

I started with a basic recipe that I found online, but altered it to the point where I think it is fair to say this is my recipe for Cream of Mushroom soup.  The recipe makes four servings, but I think if you were serving the soup as a first course with a full meal, you may be able to get at least six servings out of it.

Ingredients:

5 TBSP unsalted butter
1/2 of a medium onion - diced
2 Cloves garlic-minced
2 LBS crimini mushrooms- thinly sliced ( sometimes sold as baby bella mushrooms)
1/2 tsps dry thyme leaves
1/4 tsps dry tarragon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
1/3 cup cream Sherry
3 TBSP all purpose flour
31/2 Cups low salt chicken broth, reserving 1/2 Cup
1/2 Cup heavy cream
1/2 Cup sour cream

Preparation:

In a heavy bottomed soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until tender and translucent.  Add the sliced mushrooms, thyme, tarragon and salt and pepper, cooking until all of the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates.  Add the Sherry and cook until the liquid is evaporated.  Remove 1/2 cup of the mushrooms and set aside to be used later as garnish.  Stir in the flour and cook for 2- 3 minutes.  Add 3 cups of the chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to scrape up the frond left in the pan from the mushrooms.  Puree soup using an immersion blender or transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth.  Return soup to the soup pot.  Bring to a low simmer and whisk in the cream.  Add reserved chicken broth as needed to bring to desired consistency.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Lower heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the sour cream.  Keep the soup warm, but do not simmer or boil.  Serve soup garnished with reserved cooked mushrooms and a dollop of the remaining sour cream.  We enjoyed this soup last night as a first course, that proceeded roasted chicken with broccolini and oven roasted fingerling potatoes.

On Vacation

We are headed out for a week in Northern Michigan, so there won't be any new posts for a while.

Our daughter and her husband have a condo at Boyne mountain and we are meeting them there for the weekend.  Then Jan and I are staying for a couple of days of golf after they go back home. We will get to see our three granddaughters and spend some good quality time with them, as well as get to take in the beautiful fall scenery of Northern Michigan. We did the same trip last year and had a wonderful time.

There is a great little shop just up the road from Boyne that smokes local fish.  I will be bringing home some Lake Michigan smoked trout and some white fish pate.  Both are delicious.  Some of the smoked salmon will also be our appetizer for a family meal while we are there.  Then to continue with the fall mood, we are planning to make a dinner that features a new beef brisket recipe that Jan clipped out of the Kansas City Star recently.  I have previously posted another recipe for brisket, but thought I would share this as well.  It just seems that brisket or a pork roast go with fall. Pair either of those with some mashed potatoes, and a fall vegetable and if you aren't already in the mood for fall you will be soon.  Then of course, you have to top off the dinner with an apple dessert like apple crisp or apple strudel or apple pie, with a little scoop of ice cream.  Sounds good doesn't it ?

I don't normally post recipes that I haven't made before, but this seems pretty straight-forward and I think the recipe sounds tasty, so we can all try it at the same time.  It is called Adelle's Barbecue Brisket.

Ingredients: (8 to 10 servings)

1 12 Oz. bottle ketchup
1/4 Cup Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP Liquid Smoke
1 tsps. chili powder
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/8 tsps. black pepper
1 (4-LB) beef brisket - flat cut

Preparation:

In a small bowl, make marinade by whisking ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Liquid Smoke, chili powder, brown sugar and pepper together.  Place brisket in a large plastic bag, pour in marinade and seal the bag.  Marinate the brisket in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees.  Place brisket in a  9"x 13" baking pan and pour marinade contents over the entire brisket.  Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and braise in the oven for 2 hours.  Take pan out of oven, remove foil and turn brisket over.  Replace foil on pan and braise for another two hours or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for ten minutes before slicing across the grain.

Arugula, Pear and Asiago Salad

This recipe came from a gourmet group that we were in many years ago.  I think the host may have gotten the recipe from a website called Fine Dinings. The website features gourmet recipes and tips for entertaining.  At any rate this is a tasty salad that we often serve in a martini glass.  With the salad piled high in the martini glass and a bread-stick used as a swizzle, it makes an elegant presentation.

Ingredients: (8 servings)

8 cups baby arugula, cleaned and trimmed
1-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Pear, peeled cored and sliced (sometimes, depending on size, we use more than one pear)
1/4 Cup Grated Asiago cheese
3 TBSP toasted walnuts- coarsely chopped

Preparation:

In a large bowl toss the arugula with the olive oil to coat.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Place the tossed arugula on 8 individual salad plates, piling as high as you can in the middle of the plate. Alternatively, use martini glasses for a more dramatic presentation. Arrange pear slices on the arugula and top with the grated Asiago and toasted walnuts.  Serve this with a crisp Pinot Grigio for a very elegant and refreshing salad course.

Southern Fried Corn

Chef Joe Randall is a fifty year veteran of the culinary and hospitality industries. He is known as the Dean of Southern Cooking.  When we lived in the Hilton Head area he hosted a cooking show on one of the Savannah TV stations.  He is a nationally recognized chef and since 2002 has run a cooking school in Savannah.   Jan and a few other ladies attended one of his classes and this is a one of the recipes she brought home from that class.  Chef Joe is not into health food and if that is your thing don't try this recipe, but if you want some really good corn to go with seafood or steaks, give it a try. It goes especially well with crab cakes.

Ingredients:

6 ears  fresh sweet corn (Substitute frozen if  fresh corn is not available )
2 Slices  country bacon, finely diced
1 small onion diced
1 small green pepper,diced ( I often substitute red pepper as I like the flavor better)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsps. black pepper
1/4 tsps cayenne pepper

Preparation:

With a sharp knife cut down the middle of the cob through each row of kernels into a bowl.  Scrape the milky juice from the cob into the bowl.

In a skillet heat to medium high heat and fry the bacon until almost done.  Stir in onion, green pepper and corn.  Allow to cook for 10-12 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.  Stir and cook until almost dry.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Shriimp

Normally on a Friday I would be playing golf, but we woke up this morning to a drizzle and a forecast for heavy rain.  The heavy rain never materialized, but that forecast has been pushed to tonight.  Never the less, no golf today, so I used the day to do the shopping and some early preparation for a dinner party we are having tomorrow night.  Here is the menu for tomorrow night:

Appetizer

Fresh Figs, Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Wrapped with Prosciutto, & Drizzled with Spiced Honey

Salad

Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Fresh Mint

Main

Grilled Fennel and Sage Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Spinach Gratin

Smashed and Roasted Garlic Red Potatoes

Dessert

Mango Sorbet with Fresh Berries

The pork and spinach gratin have both been featured on Grandpa Cooks in the past.  The other recipes may show up later.  Tomorrow will be a lot less stressful, since I had today to do some prep.  My pork tenderloins have been cleaned and trussed.  The rub has been made and is waiting to be applied about a half hour prior to putting on the grill.  The spinach gratin is made and in the fridge. It just needs to be put in the oven 20 minutes prior to serving.  Tomorrow there won't be much to do and I will be able to focus on our guests.  That is the best way to entertain.  

This is all a long winded way to lead up to what we had for dinner tonight.  Today when I was out shopping I bought a pound of fresh wild caught shrimp.  I thought I would come up with something to have for dinner after I was done with the prep for tomorrow night.  I was thumbing through my recipe collection when I ran across a recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara.  A high school buddy and old team-mate, Jude Rolfes, had sent me his recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara and I thought that sounded really good.  Carbonara is a Roman dish that is generally based on bacon, eggs, cheese and pasta.  The problem was, I had the shrimp I wanted to use while they were fresh.  I decided to modify Jude's recipe and substitute the shrimp for most of the bacon.  The outcome was really tasty and I think quite beautiful.  Thanks Jude !!  Here is what the resulting dish looked like:

Ingredients:

3 Slices Bacon - chopped 

1 Pound Shrimp - peeled and deveined 

Four cloves garlic - minced

12 Ounces thin Spaghetti

4 Large Eggs

1 Cup fined grated Parmesan cheese

6 TBSP butter - melted

1/2 Cup chopped parsley

1 Cup frozen peas

Freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon until almost crisp.  Add the garlic and saute until the garlic is translucent.  Add the shrimp and cook until just pink on one side.  Turn and cook until pink on the other side.  By this time the bacon should be crisp.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the contents of the skillet to a plate with paper towels and let the shrimp and bacon drain.  

In the meantime, cook the pasta to al dente, per the package directions.  

While the pasta is cooking, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until frothy.  Add the grated cheese.  Mix well and then add the parsley and melted butter.  Stir well again.

When the pasta is done drain it and return it to the pot in which you cooked it.   Add the egg mixture to the the pasta and stir well.  Add the peas and the shrimp and bacon mixture and the fresh ground pepper to taste.  Toss and turn out onto a platter.  The warm pasta will cook the egg and cheese mixture.  If you don't want to use shrimp or prefer "original" carbonara, use 16 slices of bacon instead of three and eliminate the shrimp.  Salute !! and Thanks again Jude.  

Roasted Winter Vegetables with Romesco Sauce

I was at the Farmer's Market Saturday and noticed that the fall vegetables are starting to come in.  There were lots of squash, leeks, cauliflower and other root type vegetables.  This brought to mind one of my favorite recipes for the fall.  I love to make Romesco sauce and serve it with roasted winter vegetables.  I top it off with either slices of grilled pork tenderloin or pan seared fish like halibut or grouper.  Romesco sauce originated in Spain and was made by the fishermen to eat with fish, but in addition to going well with seafood it is also good with pork or vegetables.  For the roasted vegetables I like to use a combination of cauliflower, leeks, sweet potatoes and spinach.  Here are the recipes:

Romesco Sauce (serves eight)(original from ask.com)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup blanched almond slivers
20 Hazelnuts
2 Garlic bulbs
2 Slices stale bread
4 Ripe roma tomatoes - quartered
4 Large roasted red peppers
2 Cups extra virgin olive oil
1 Cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsps. red pepper flakes
Salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Rub excess dry skin off of the garlic bulbs and place them on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast the garlic for about twenty minutes or until the bulb is soft to the touch.  When garlic is done remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Place almonds and hazelnuts into a food processor and process until finely ground.

Coat the bottom of a fry pan with extra virgin olive oil  and fry the bread slices on both sides until they are brown.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Quarter tomatoes and sauté them in the same frying pan, adding more oil if needed.  Sauté  for 4-5 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.

Tear bread into pieces and place in the food processor with the nuts.  Process again until the bread is finely crumbed.  Add the sautéed tomatoes.  Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins onto a plate.  Drain the roasted red peppers.  Put garlic and peppers into the processor with the other ingredients and process until ingredients are a thick puree.

Leave processor running and slowly drizzle in the oil and vinegar.  Season with salt and the red pepper flakes.  It will take quite a bit of salt. 

You can make this sauce a couple hours ahead of time and let it sit on the counter at room temperature. 

Roasted Winter Vegetables (serves eight)

Ingredients:

4 Sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in half from end to end.  Each half then sliced into 1/4 " thick half moon shapes. 
4 Leeks - white part only sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 head cauliflower - separated into florets
2 bags baby spinach
Extra Virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.  Put sweet potatoes, leeks and cauliflower florets into a large bowl.  Drizzle liberally with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Stir with a large wooden spoon to insure all vegetables are coated with oil and seasoning.  Spread vegetables on a baking sheet with sides and bake for 20-30 minutes, until vegetables are tender and the cauliflower is browning on the edges.  While vegetables are roasting, put a large skillet on medium heat.  Add a couple TBSP of olive oil and wilt the spinach.  Cook until tender.  Season with salt and pepper. 

To serve, place a ladle full (about 1/2 cup) of Romesco sauce in the bottom of a pasta bowl.  Spoon a serving of the roasted vegetables over the Romesco sauce.  With a tongs add a little of the wilted spinach into the vegetable serving.  Top with slices of grilled pork tenderloin or a nice seared piece of fish.  Drizzle the meat with a little more sauce and enjoy !!

Simple White Chicken Chili

Fall is fast approaching and it will soon be time for Football and Chili.   This recipe is one I have had for a long time.  I think it originally came from a newspaper in whatever place we were living when I got the recipe, but it is very simple, really tasty and a little change from the standard red chili with beef.

Ingredients:

1 box (32 Oz) Chicken Stock
3 14.5 Oz Cans White Beans - undrained
5 Cups Cooked Chicken, skinned and cut into bite sized pieces
    (A Costco rotisserie chicken works great)
1 16 Oz jar salsa - If you like Chili mild use mild salsa.  To kick it up use medium or hot.
1 8 Oz block Pepperjack cheese - grated
2 tsps. ground cumin
2 garlic cloves - minced
Black or white pepper to taste
1/2 Cup- finely crushed corn chips - this is an optional thickener
Sour Cream
Green onion tops - sliced
Corn chips

Preparation:

Place all ingredients except corn chips in a crock-pot and cook on high until the cheese is well incorporated.  When chili is ready add the finely crushed corn chips and let simmer for ten minutes to thicken.  Serve with  a bowl of sour cream, some sliced green onion tops and corn chips as garnishes. This is so simple to make that I often serve it as a second choice when I make chili.  I make a batch of regular chili and then put together a batch of this while the other chili is simmering.