Saturday, May 30, 2009

Morel Mushrooms


Northern Michigan in the spring - Trillium's and Morels! Both are beautiful and so fleeting, you need to enjoy both when they are there.


On the way home I spotted a roadside sign that simply stated "Morels" I pulled in to a lovely hillside home just near Highway 32, and bought a nice size bag of mixed morels for $20, - now how to showcase this unique flavor.

Went to my Gourmet cookbook, they had a nice recipe but I changed just one thing.

Melt three T of butter, (I added 1 t of chopped garlic), heat to foam subsides, add morels, (8oz.), saute until brown, toss with one T of flour, then slowly add 1 cup of heated cream or 1/2 & 1/2.

Serve on toast points, finish with fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley and some Parmesan. Serve Immediately - excellent!

Bon Appetit!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Mexico - Spicy Black Beans, Bell Peppers & Rice



This dish is from bon appetit, Tastes of the World, a small paperback cookbook I received for renewing my annual magazine subscription. I modified it slightly but it is true to the original. My version is below. It is spicy, with a lot of flavor, this is a nice side dish or good vegetarian main course, it has just the right amount of "kick" Stays well in the fridge and can be served with a number of entrees or by itself.


Ingredients

Olive Oil
1 large chopped onion
1 each diced red & green bell pepper
3 large cloves garlic, minced or through garlic press
1 T Cumin
1 t Oregano
1 small can green chilies
2 15-16 oz black beans. ( I used 1 each of Trader Joe Organic and Cuban-style black beans)
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes with juice
1/4 C Orange Juice
1 1/2 C cooked rice. (I used Trader Joe's pre-cooked brown rice)
1/ 1/2 t favorite hot sauce. (I used Sriracha Chili Sauce from Huy Fong Foods, Los Angeles, CA, $2.50 for a large bottle at Wal*Mart, look for the Rooster, there was a very nice article about this sauce in the New York Times 5/20/2009)

To prepare:

Add oil to large skillet, heat:add onion, peppers, chilies, garlic, cumin, and oregano, saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Mash 1/2 cup of the beans, use large spoon in a bowl. Add the mashed beans, remaining beans, tomatoes, OJ and hot pepper sauce, bring to a boil, stir frequently, reduce and simmer for 15 minutes, uncover to thicken sauce, serve on rice.

Bon Appetit!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Mediterranean Dinner

The sun was out, sitting on the patio with my new plants, enjoying life, made me think of summer food and drink.

Grilled Chicken Breasts:
Take 4 boneless and skinless breasts, marinate for an one hour in: Juice of two whole lemons, zest from one of the lemons, 2 teaspoons of Oregano and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, mixed together and poured over the breasts in baking dish that just holds the breasts. Turn occasionally to get the flavor through.

Grill on high, these cook really quickly, baste with some of the remaining marinade, discard any marinade not used on the grill.

Warm Couscous (Side Dish)
Saute 1/2 C of pine nuts in 2 T of butter until lightly browned, remove and reserve. Then saute 1/2 C of shallots until soft. Then add 1 1/2 cups of the couscous, (I used Israeli couscous from Trader Joe's, it is larger than others I have seen, more rice-like), 1 cinnamon stick and 2 bay leaves, saute until the couscous browns lightly.

Then add 1/2 cup of golden raisins, 1 can of low-sodium chicken broth, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed.

To serve add zest of the other lemon, 1/2 Cup chopped parsley and the pine nuts in a bowl, toss and serve.

Vegetable
For the vegetable I grilled fresh asparagus, added some lemon juice and oregano butter at the end.

This all went very well together, served with a nice Sauvignon Blanc, crisp and cool. A perfect patio dinner.

Bon Appetit!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Hot Dogs & Beans


Haven't had these in a looong time, thought it would be good for a cool day in Spring.

Got my griddle out, it is non-stick and covers two stove top burners. Put butter on, turned on heat and melted. Placed split hot dog buns on one side, placed hot dogs on the other, grilled all until very lightly browned. The buns were great, you could taste the butter toasted into them, served with pickle relish, Dijon Mustard and chili sauce, added up to a more sophisticated taste.

Beans; Bush's, drained sauce, placed beans in a casserole to which I add, ketchup, Dijon mustard, chopped onions, Worcestershire sauce and chopped cooked bacon, I chop the bacon before cooking, mix together and bake in 350 oven until browned.

Served all with a very nice Greek salad, made my own dressing of course and Sweet Potato chips.

Easy and good, had a nice Bell's Beer with mine, go Tiger's!
Bon Appetit!