Archive for Recipes
Chipotle Guacamole
Posted by: | CommentsI like guacamole. It’s great as a dip or a condiment on burgers, pulled pork BBQ, etc. This is one of my favorite variations.
Shopping list:
- 3-4 avocados
- red onion finely chopped
- fresh cilantro (you can use a squeeze tube)
- fresh garlic (you can use a squeeze tube)
- fresh tomato diced and seeded (you can use a can, but drain completely)
- lime juice
- chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- pinch of sea salt
Don’t measure ingredients. Instead, gradually add them all and taste frequently. Save one avocado to add in at the end. Cut it up into edible but chunky pieces. This will give extra texture to the guacamole.
Oven Pommes Frites
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve always liked French Fries. Plain with a little salt and pepper, or some malt vinegar. Then I went to Belgium and Holland where the preferred condiment in mayonnaise. I’ve been addicted ever since. Granted home made mayo makes a HUGE difference – but you can do some great things with the normal off the shelf mayo. Here’s one of my favorite snack preparations – and you don’t need a deep fryer. If I have a potato in the house, I’ll pass on popcorn to make this instead.
This will make a snack size portion.
For the fries:
- 2 large potatoes
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Cut 2 large potatoes into strips and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes on a cookie sheet. Shake them and turn them at least once to ensure a crispy exterior on the whole fry (I like mine a golden brown).
The idea of mayo may not be your idea of a good condiment – so try this version which adds a bit of spiciness and tang.
Spicy Mayo Dip:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or chili powder)
Combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, and 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder. Mix until well integrated.
Got Turkey?
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Jamaican Turkey Patty and Mashed Sweet Potato
I love Thanksgiving. I always have. One reason is the fabulous leftovers. Well in our household, leftover turkey isn’t really leftover – it’s more of an ingredient. For the second year in a row, I’ve used these ingredients to make Jamaican style patties. This year, it was a plain chicken style patty. Recipe follows (Makes about 20 5-inch pies).
Patty Filling:
3lbs turkey meat (chopped fine)
1 white onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
3 scallions (fine chop)
1 can green chiles
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons dried ginger
1 scotch bonnet pepper (if you want HOT – or other pepper to taste)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup bread crumbs
All ingredients above combined in a Dutch oven or large sauté pan. Prepare the onions and garlic first. Add spices, tomatoes, peppers and then chicken. Add bread crumbs and cook to stew consistency.
The Patty Dough:
I used rollout premade pie crusts( flakey kind, 9 inch). Each yields about 4 patties. Cut out 5 inch circles or size you like. I use a bowl to trace with a knife. Place few teaspoons of filling on round cutout, fold over and crimp edges. Cut steam vents. Brush with an egg wash and bake at 400 for 20 min.
A eggwash is made by beating one egg with a tablespoon of water.
A Canvas Named Orzo
Posted by: | CommentsOne of my favorite ingredients to use is Orzo. You know, that rice shaped pasta. It’s versatile and quick cooking. Need a meal and only have canned or frozen veggies? Need that summer picnic or party dish? Need a side dish to make those leftovers seem new? Your friend is Orzo.
Rather than start listing a bunch of Orzo recipes, I’m just going to list my basic Orzo salad recipe as well as some other suggestions for augmentation. There are multiple reasons for this:
- You will discover Orzo is a very flexible ingredient if you experiment on your own;
- I usually never make the same Orzo dish twice – they are similar, but rarely the same;
- If I listed every recipe I use Orzo for, we would be reliving that scene in Forrest Gump where Bubba lists everything you can use shrimp for. And yes, Bubba forgot to mention Orzo/shrimp salad.
Here’s the salad I made the other evening for a wine tasting dinner. The main course was lamb, so I wanted complementary flavors and some acidity. This recipe will make a big party sized portion – so halve or quarter these suggestions.
1 package dry orzo (16 oz)
½ cup of good olive oil (I use homemade garlic infused)
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup fresh chopped Italian Parsley
¼ cup fresh chopped Cilantro
¼ cup fresh chopped Mint
½ cup red onion (finely chopped)
½ tablespoon of garlic paste or minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
2 cups frozen peas
3 good pinches of kosher or sea salt
3 good pinches of black pepper
1 pinch chili powder
Start to cook the orzo according to the package instructions. You will want to cook and then cool the pasta as you chop all your fresh ingredients (Do not use dried herbs if you plan on serving this salad in the same day you make it).
Once the orzo is cool enough to work with, start mixing it into a bow; or container with the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, red onion and the herbs. Once that is all mixed together, mix in the halve tomatoes and frozen peas.
Let it sit for about 4 hours before serving. It will be even better over the next few days.
Some alterations you may want to try are…
- Add in some chopped black or green olives
- Use orange segments instead of tomatoes
- Use edamame instead of the frozen peas
- Add dill as an herb and then mix in some cooked shrimp or crab
