This has been one of our favorite side dishes since I first made it last summer. We had gone out to dinner at a restaurant in Oakland Beach with some friends. Corey and I both agreed the only part of our meal we liked was the sweet potato and apple side dish, and he said that would be the only reason he would want to return. Since I preferred never to return, I decided to try making this dish at home. Luckily, we liked my homemade version even better than the restaurant's. Problem solved!
I start by baking the whole sweet potatoes, which helps to bring out the sugar, whereas I think they were boiled at the restaurant. Also, I'm sure my version is lower in fat and calories, which is always a plus.
You only need a few ingredients (this makes enough for 4 servings):
3 Sweet potatoes
2 Apples - Empire, Macintosh, or any other variety good for baking
2T Butter
Maple syrup or brown sugar to taste
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or allspice to taste
First, I pierce the sweet potatoes several times, and bake at 425 until they are tender (can stick a fork in them easily). This can take about 45-60 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, peel and core the apples, and then slice into thin wedges. Melt 1T butter in a large saucepan, add the apples, and cook until softened and golden brown.
Peel the sweet potatoes and put the flesh in a 2qt casserole dish. Mash them, adding another 1T butter, maple syrup or brown sugar, and spices as desired. Taste and add more as necessary. Once everything is mixed together well, stir in the apples.
Cover the casserole dish and put it in the oven to heat through.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Mmm Mmm Good!
I'm playing a little bit of catch up here, I made this meal days ago. But trust me, it's worth the wait.
This dinner basically came about because I had a small amount of mascarpone left over from the mousse I made for Saturday's dinner party. It seems as though the mascarpone people over in Italy are conspiring to get us to buy more of their deliciously creamy cheese. It comes in 8.75oz tubs, which is sort of an odd size. No matter that this equals a perfectly even number on the metric system, if it helps to justify buying more right? Anyway, I needed 16oz for the mousse, which did leave a small amount left over. So I used it for this dinner, which will inevitably lead to buying more, due to the deliciousness that resulted.
I wanted to make a simple dinner, and I had some nice thick boneless pork chops I had bought the day before. I decided to make the old stand by of sauteed pork chops with a pan sauce, and I thought the mascarpone could take the usual pan sauce made with butter and make it really special. I was right, since I remembered to post about it days later. (One good thing I noticed is that mascarpone contains less fat than butter, another reason to buy more.)
So this is what I made:
Sauteed boneless pork chops with mushroom marsala pan sauce
Green beans with caramelized onions and thyme
Wild mushroom & herb rice pilaf (from a box!)
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Butter
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Sliced onions
Sliced shiitake and cremini mushrooms
Boneless pork chops
Flour
Green beans
1/2t dried thyme
1/2C marsala
1T mascarpone
To start, I melted a little butter in some olive oil in a large saute pan, added some sliced onions and a little salt. I kept the burner on low, and let the onions cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, while I prepped the rest of the meal and did some other things around the house. Once the onions were very soft, I turned the heat up to medium and let them cook for about another 20 minutes, until they were well browned. Then I removed them to a bowl.
I sprayed another saute pan with olive oil and sauteed the sliced mushrooms until they were soft, then removed to another bowl.
I wanted these 2 things done first so that the rest of the cooking would be done quickly.
To start the pork chops, first I preheated the oven to 400. Then I added 1T butter and 1/2T olive oil to the pan that I used for the mushrooms on low heat. I sprinkled salt & pepper on the pork chops, and then dredged them in flour. Once the butter in the pan was melted, I turned the heat up to medium-high. When the butter stopped foaming I added the pork chops, and cooked for about 3 minutes on each side.
While the pork chops were cooking, I added the following to the pan I used to caramelize the onions: 1/3C water, 1T olive oil, green beans and dried thyme. I set the pan over medium-high heat so the water would boil, and then covered to steam the beans for about 5 minutes until crisp-tender.
Once the pork chops were nicely browned on both sides, I put the pan in the oven for about 5 minutes, so the chops would just cook though.
Once the beans were tender I removed the cover from the pan, stirred in the caramelized onions, and left it to heat through on medium.
When the pork chops were done, I removed them to a plate and put the pan back on the stovetop over medium high heat. I added the marsala along with the mushrooms and stirred them around in the pan, to get the brown bits on the bottom to loosen. Once the marsala was reduced by about half, I removed the pan from the heat and stirred in the mascarpone. The I poured the pan sauce with the mushrooms over the pork chops.
(I also made a box of rice, but I'll skip those details.)
This dinner was so good! The sweet mascarpone was a nice complement to the earthiness of the mushrooms. The crisp green beans were very good with the thyme and the soft, sweet caramelized onions. This is a dinner I'm sure Corey will be asking for soon, but I might make it again before he has the chance!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Mascarpone-Zabaglione Mousse
Saturday night we went to a dinner party at Corey's coworker's house for some lovely authentic Italian food. In keeping with the theme, I brought mascarpone-zabaglione mousse. This is a recipe I have made several times before, but only years ago. The recipe is courtesy of Biba Caggiano, a well known authentic Italian chef from Bologna. In her book Biba's Taste of Italy: Recipes from the Homes, Trattorie, and Restaurants of Emilia-Romagna, she writes that this recipe comes from Trattoria del Cacciatore in the small hamlet of Frassinara, in the Parma countryside. Of the cities I have visited in Italy, Parma is my favorite. I imagine that anything coming from that area would be amazing - this mousse certainly is! This mousse takes some time to make, and needs to sit in the fridge for several hours, so get started in the morning. It could be done the night before, but I think it's a little better when done on the same day. It doesn't require a lot of ingredients, just time and attention. The first step in making this mousse is to prepare the zabaglione, which on it's own is wonderful drizzled over strawberries. The addition of mascarpone cheese turns it into a deliciously fluffy mousse.
Ingredients:
6 large eggs, at room temp
1/2C granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2C dark rum
1lb mascarpone cheese
Amaretti cookies, finely crushed
Grated semisweet chocolate
To prepare the zabaglione, put the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute, until well blended. Turn the machine to high speed and beat until the mixture is pale yellow and has tripled in volume.
Transfer the mixture to a large heatproof bowl, or the top of a double boiler, and set it over a few inches of simmering water. (Do not let the water boil or touch the bowl, or the eggs will curdle.) Slowly add the rum, beating energetically with a large wire whisk (I use my immersion blender), and continue to whisk until the eggs have doubled in volume and the mixture is hot to the touch. According to the recipe this should take about 10 minutes, but for me it usually takes about 20 minutes. (This is when I am thankful to have my immersion blender.) Place the bowl over a larger bowl half-filled with ice water, and whisk for a few minutes to cool.
Put the mascarpone in the bowl of the electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add about half of the zabaglione, and beat at medium speed just to combine. Beat in the remaining zabaglione. Do not overbeat. Just as in making whipped cream or meringue, if you overbeat you will lose the airiness.
Spoon into dessert glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle the amaretti crumbs and the grated chocolate over the mousse. (The recipe says to use either the amaretti cookies or the chocolate, but I like to use both - it just makes it that much more sinful.)
This recipe filled 6 stemless martini glasses for me, with a small amount leftover. I think everyone enjoyed it, and it was all gone too quickly to take a photo. Although Corey loved it, so I'm sure I'll be making it again. It is a great dessert for a dinner party, since it needs to be done in advance anyway and is served chilled.
Those of you who know I have issues with dairy may be wondering how I can eat this mousse, but it doesn't bother me - apparently mascarpone cheese contains only a very small amount of lactose. I also used some in our dinner last night - more to come on that. It is high in fat, although not as high as butter, so I will have to resist the urge to keep it on hand.
I always buy all-natural free range eggs, which have a lower risk of salmonella. I feel this is especially important here, where the eggs are basically only partially cooked. I also used an organic lemon, since it is the zest that is needed, but not any wax or other substances :-).
When I first started making this mousse, I used this great dark rum brought to me from Haiti by my good friend Jen Costanza. That rum is long gone and can be hard to find in stores here. I did find it once...but not sure where. Anyway, it is important to use dark rum, not spiced or black rum. This time I used a new one I found - Pusser's British Navy Rum from Barbados. I didn't want to get a really cheap one, since I suspect it may be consumed out of a glass as well. And I try not to cook with something I wouldn't drink.
Who's going to try this? Has anyone made this before?
Ingredients:
6 large eggs, at room temp
1/2C granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2C dark rum
1lb mascarpone cheese
Amaretti cookies, finely crushed
Grated semisweet chocolate
To prepare the zabaglione, put the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute, until well blended. Turn the machine to high speed and beat until the mixture is pale yellow and has tripled in volume.
Transfer the mixture to a large heatproof bowl, or the top of a double boiler, and set it over a few inches of simmering water. (Do not let the water boil or touch the bowl, or the eggs will curdle.) Slowly add the rum, beating energetically with a large wire whisk (I use my immersion blender), and continue to whisk until the eggs have doubled in volume and the mixture is hot to the touch. According to the recipe this should take about 10 minutes, but for me it usually takes about 20 minutes. (This is when I am thankful to have my immersion blender.) Place the bowl over a larger bowl half-filled with ice water, and whisk for a few minutes to cool.
Put the mascarpone in the bowl of the electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add about half of the zabaglione, and beat at medium speed just to combine. Beat in the remaining zabaglione. Do not overbeat. Just as in making whipped cream or meringue, if you overbeat you will lose the airiness.
Spoon into dessert glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle the amaretti crumbs and the grated chocolate over the mousse. (The recipe says to use either the amaretti cookies or the chocolate, but I like to use both - it just makes it that much more sinful.)
This recipe filled 6 stemless martini glasses for me, with a small amount leftover. I think everyone enjoyed it, and it was all gone too quickly to take a photo. Although Corey loved it, so I'm sure I'll be making it again. It is a great dessert for a dinner party, since it needs to be done in advance anyway and is served chilled.
Those of you who know I have issues with dairy may be wondering how I can eat this mousse, but it doesn't bother me - apparently mascarpone cheese contains only a very small amount of lactose. I also used some in our dinner last night - more to come on that. It is high in fat, although not as high as butter, so I will have to resist the urge to keep it on hand.
I always buy all-natural free range eggs, which have a lower risk of salmonella. I feel this is especially important here, where the eggs are basically only partially cooked. I also used an organic lemon, since it is the zest that is needed, but not any wax or other substances :-).
When I first started making this mousse, I used this great dark rum brought to me from Haiti by my good friend Jen Costanza. That rum is long gone and can be hard to find in stores here. I did find it once...but not sure where. Anyway, it is important to use dark rum, not spiced or black rum. This time I used a new one I found - Pusser's British Navy Rum from Barbados. I didn't want to get a really cheap one, since I suspect it may be consumed out of a glass as well. And I try not to cook with something I wouldn't drink.
Who's going to try this? Has anyone made this before?
Monday, February 28, 2011
Chicken with Roasted Peppers over Bulgur Pilaf
Last night when Corey got home from work, he found me roasting peppers on our gas stove
And putting them in a paper bag so the skins would come off
I think he thought I'd lost it. He said he'd never seen anyone do that before.
Yesterday I was really tempted to make something I'd just recently made (see chicken soup, deconstructed post). I don't usually cook the same thing only a couple of weeks apart, but it was so good...
I was, however, inspired by yesterday's post to cook with something from the list of the 30 healthiest foods.
Then I thought a bulgur pilaf sounded good, and I went to Whole Foods and got 2 whole chicken legs for a little over $2.00. So I made roasted chicken, and had it with roasted peppers and tomato, over a bed of bulgur pilaf.
Here's what I did:
First, I roasted the peppers (see above). I used 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 poblano. Once they were cooled inside the bag, I removed the skins and seeds, and chopped. I put the peppers in a bowl, and added a tomato that I also peeled, seeded and chopped.
Next, I made the bulgur pilaf. I sauteed some finely chopped onion in a little olive oil, and then added 1/2C bulgur and stirred until it was toasted. Then I added about 1/2C chicken broth with 1/4C water and left it to simmer while I made the chicken.
I brushed the chicken with some olive oil, and then sprinkled with coarse sea salt and pepper. I heated a saute pan over medium high heat and then added the chicken, and cooked until golden brown on each side.
While the chicken was cooking, I cooked the vegetables. I melted a little butter in a smaller saute pan, and then added a sliced onion, and cooked it until soft. Then I added a minced clove of garlic and 1/2t paprika and cooked for a minute. Next, I added the peppers and tomato to the pan, and some chicken broth, about 6oz.
By this time the chicken was all browned, so I put the pan in the oven at 400 to roast while the vegetables simmered, for about 5 minutes.
When everything was done, I put the bulgur on a plate with a little well in the middle, spooned the peppers and tomato into the well with some sauce, and added the chicken on top.
Here's a photo of the finished product:
It was very good. I loved the texture and the nuttiness of the bulgur with the sweet roasted peppers, and the poblano added a small amount of heat. The chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. It was a nice warming winter dish, while still being healthy.
Yesterday I was really tempted to make something I'd just recently made (see chicken soup, deconstructed post). I don't usually cook the same thing only a couple of weeks apart, but it was so good...
I was, however, inspired by yesterday's post to cook with something from the list of the 30 healthiest foods.
Then I thought a bulgur pilaf sounded good, and I went to Whole Foods and got 2 whole chicken legs for a little over $2.00. So I made roasted chicken, and had it with roasted peppers and tomato, over a bed of bulgur pilaf.
Here's what I did:
First, I roasted the peppers (see above). I used 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 poblano. Once they were cooled inside the bag, I removed the skins and seeds, and chopped. I put the peppers in a bowl, and added a tomato that I also peeled, seeded and chopped.
Next, I made the bulgur pilaf. I sauteed some finely chopped onion in a little olive oil, and then added 1/2C bulgur and stirred until it was toasted. Then I added about 1/2C chicken broth with 1/4C water and left it to simmer while I made the chicken.
I brushed the chicken with some olive oil, and then sprinkled with coarse sea salt and pepper. I heated a saute pan over medium high heat and then added the chicken, and cooked until golden brown on each side.
While the chicken was cooking, I cooked the vegetables. I melted a little butter in a smaller saute pan, and then added a sliced onion, and cooked it until soft. Then I added a minced clove of garlic and 1/2t paprika and cooked for a minute. Next, I added the peppers and tomato to the pan, and some chicken broth, about 6oz.
By this time the chicken was all browned, so I put the pan in the oven at 400 to roast while the vegetables simmered, for about 5 minutes.
When everything was done, I put the bulgur on a plate with a little well in the middle, spooned the peppers and tomato into the well with some sauce, and added the chicken on top.
Here's a photo of the finished product:
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Healthy Ideas - 30 Healthiest Foods
We all know we should make an effort to incorporate more healthy foods into our diets. Here is a list of the 30 healthiest foods, according to top dietitians and nutritionists:
Mushrooms
Barley
Walnuts
Whole grain pasta
Peanut & almond butters
Oatmeal
Quinoa
Skim milk
Almonds
Lentils
Blueberries
Bulgur
Eggs
Sardines
Spinach
Kiwi
Wild salmon
EVOO
Chicken breast
Kale
Avocado
Kidney beans
Sweet potatoes
Chard
Edamame
Pumpkin
Oranges
Nonfat Greek yogurt
Broccoli
Black beans
Here's the link, which includes information on the health benefits for each as well as recipe ideas:
http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/the-30-healthiest-foods-00000000051152/index.html
Some of these I already cook with regularly, such as mushrooms, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, and of course extra virgin olive oil. However, since I saw this list recently, I have made a point of using some of the others more often and will be including in future posts - such as bulgur, barley, and lentils.
Which of these items are your favorites? Are there any you like but aren't sure of a good way to prepare? Let me know and I'll be sure to post a recipe for it soon.
Mushrooms
Barley
Walnuts
Whole grain pasta
Peanut & almond butters
Oatmeal
Quinoa
Skim milk
Almonds
Lentils
Blueberries
Bulgur
Eggs
Sardines
Spinach
Kiwi
Wild salmon
EVOO
Chicken breast
Kale
Avocado
Kidney beans
Sweet potatoes
Chard
Edamame
Pumpkin
Oranges
Nonfat Greek yogurt
Broccoli
Black beans
Here's the link, which includes information on the health benefits for each as well as recipe ideas:
http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/the-30-healthiest-foods-00000000051152/index.html
Some of these I already cook with regularly, such as mushrooms, whole grain pasta, oatmeal, and of course extra virgin olive oil. However, since I saw this list recently, I have made a point of using some of the others more often and will be including in future posts - such as bulgur, barley, and lentils.
Which of these items are your favorites? Are there any you like but aren't sure of a good way to prepare? Let me know and I'll be sure to post a recipe for it soon.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Cooking for 1 - Seafood night!
I made myself a simple and satisfying dinner last night, and it was delicious! I was cooking for 1 because, as I mentioned before, Corey will not eat fish (unless it is sushi). A bonus is that I have leftovers for lunch today. This dinner came about because I had some dover sole in the freezer, since I stocked up when Whole Foods had it on sale recently.
I used my favorite fool-proof method for making a quick dinner - sauteing and making a pan sauce. This is something that can be done with any type of protein, and with a few ingredients pulled from the fridge for a pan sauce. This is a very quick dish to make - depending on what protein you are using, cooking only takes 10-15 minutes. Here is what I made:
Sauteed Dover Sole Fillets with a Lemon Caper Pan Sauce:
I had about 3/4-1lb of dover sole, which I sprinkled with salt & pepper before dredging in flour. Next, I heated about 1T butter and 1/2T olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Then I added the fish, cooked a couple of minutes on both sides until light golden brown, and removed to a clean plate.
While the fish was cooking, I put the ingredients for my pan sauce in a small bowl: 6T chicken broth, 2T lemon juice, and 2t capers. After I removed the cooked fish, I added this to the hot pan and stirred while the mixture was boiling. This gets all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan which help to thicken and flavor the sauce. When the sauce was reduced, I added some butter to the pan (a couple teaspoons) and stirred around just until melted. Then I spooned the sauce over the fish.
I also kept the side dishes simple: I had this with toasted pearl couscous and roasted asparagus.
This method of cooking is included in many cookbooks, including the one by Mark Bittman which I wrote about yesterday. You can use any kind of protein, such as chicken breasts, pork chops or fish. For chicken breasts it helps to pound them out to an even thickness, so that they cook evenly and quickly. For the pan sauce, you need about 1/2C liquid per 1-1.5lb protein, along with whatever flavoring you would like to use (for example chopped tomatoes, olives, citrus zest, mustard - in my case capers), and a little fat to smooth it out at the end (could be butter, cream, goat cheese).
This is one of my favorite ways to cook, because it allows for using whatever you have on hand.
Have you cooked this way before? Do you have a favorite way to cook a simple dinner? Let me know!
I used my favorite fool-proof method for making a quick dinner - sauteing and making a pan sauce. This is something that can be done with any type of protein, and with a few ingredients pulled from the fridge for a pan sauce. This is a very quick dish to make - depending on what protein you are using, cooking only takes 10-15 minutes. Here is what I made:
Sauteed Dover Sole Fillets with a Lemon Caper Pan Sauce:
I had about 3/4-1lb of dover sole, which I sprinkled with salt & pepper before dredging in flour. Next, I heated about 1T butter and 1/2T olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Then I added the fish, cooked a couple of minutes on both sides until light golden brown, and removed to a clean plate.
While the fish was cooking, I put the ingredients for my pan sauce in a small bowl: 6T chicken broth, 2T lemon juice, and 2t capers. After I removed the cooked fish, I added this to the hot pan and stirred while the mixture was boiling. This gets all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan which help to thicken and flavor the sauce. When the sauce was reduced, I added some butter to the pan (a couple teaspoons) and stirred around just until melted. Then I spooned the sauce over the fish.
I also kept the side dishes simple: I had this with toasted pearl couscous and roasted asparagus.
This method of cooking is included in many cookbooks, including the one by Mark Bittman which I wrote about yesterday. You can use any kind of protein, such as chicken breasts, pork chops or fish. For chicken breasts it helps to pound them out to an even thickness, so that they cook evenly and quickly. For the pan sauce, you need about 1/2C liquid per 1-1.5lb protein, along with whatever flavoring you would like to use (for example chopped tomatoes, olives, citrus zest, mustard - in my case capers), and a little fat to smooth it out at the end (could be butter, cream, goat cheese).
This is one of my favorite ways to cook, because it allows for using whatever you have on hand.
Have you cooked this way before? Do you have a favorite way to cook a simple dinner? Let me know!
Friday, February 25, 2011
New Inspiration!
I have just received my newest cookbook: How to Cook Everything - 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman.
I ordered it because I am on the committee for the RI Food Bank's spring event - Food Matters: An Evening with Mark Bittman. Without any formal training, he has become a highly respected food writer and has cooked with many famous chefs. So basically, he is one of my idols, and if I am going to meet him I should buy his book first right?
It is quite a large book - over 1,000 pages. Mario Batali (excellent Italian chef) has said this is the only cookbook you need, you could throw out your others. Really Mario? You think I should throw out Molto Italiano and The Babbo Cookbook? I doubt I'll go that far, but I can see how this new one will get a lot of use. There are so many recipes - for appetizers, entrees, and desserts...meat and vegetarian...Italian, Asian and all-American...even how to bake bread. I've only skimmed it, but I like that a lot of it is not specific recipes that need to be followed to the letter, but the basics of how to do things so that creativity is encouraged. His basic premise is that fancy food should be left to the restaurants. "Everyday cooking is not about striving for brilliance but about preparing good, wholesome, tasty, varied meals for the ones you love. This is a fundamentally satisfying pleasure." I agree!
There is also information on tools, techniques, food safety and buying the right ingredients. The list price is $35, but I ordered it from Amazon for just over $20.
I can already tell I will be posting a lot of cooking from this book...
I ordered it because I am on the committee for the RI Food Bank's spring event - Food Matters: An Evening with Mark Bittman. Without any formal training, he has become a highly respected food writer and has cooked with many famous chefs. So basically, he is one of my idols, and if I am going to meet him I should buy his book first right?
It is quite a large book - over 1,000 pages. Mario Batali (excellent Italian chef) has said this is the only cookbook you need, you could throw out your others. Really Mario? You think I should throw out Molto Italiano and The Babbo Cookbook? I doubt I'll go that far, but I can see how this new one will get a lot of use. There are so many recipes - for appetizers, entrees, and desserts...meat and vegetarian...Italian, Asian and all-American...even how to bake bread. I've only skimmed it, but I like that a lot of it is not specific recipes that need to be followed to the letter, but the basics of how to do things so that creativity is encouraged. His basic premise is that fancy food should be left to the restaurants. "Everyday cooking is not about striving for brilliance but about preparing good, wholesome, tasty, varied meals for the ones you love. This is a fundamentally satisfying pleasure." I agree!
There is also information on tools, techniques, food safety and buying the right ingredients. The list price is $35, but I ordered it from Amazon for just over $20.
I can already tell I will be posting a lot of cooking from this book...
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