Monthly Archives: July 2012

SPINACH RISOTTO WITH ARUGULA & ROASTED TOMATOES

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about 6 cups hot vegetable broth
1 stick unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups risotto rice (i use arborio)
2/3 cup white wine
1 lb baby plum tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
8 oz young fresh spinach leaves, washed and drained
2 cups fresh arugula leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve

put the broth in a saucepan and keep at a gentle simmer. melt half the butter in a large, heavy saucepan and add the onion. cook gently for 10 minutes until soft, golden, and translucent but not browned. add the rice and stir until well coated with the butter and heated through. pour in the wine and boil hard to reduce until it has almost disappeared. this will remove the taste of raw alcohol. remove from the heat.

put the tomatoes in a roasting pan and sprinkle with olive oil. mix well to coat, then season with salt and pepper. roast in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until slightly colllapsed with the skins beginning to brown. remove from the oven and set aside.

return the risotto to the heat, warm through, and begin adding the broth, a large ladle at a time, stirring gently until each ladle has been almost absorbed into the rice. the risotto should be kept at a bare simmer throughout cooking, so don’t let the rice dry out – add more broth as necessary. continue until the rice is tender and creamy, but the grains still firm. (this should take between 15-20 minutes depending on the type of rice used – check the package instructions.) just before the risotto is cooked, stir in the spinach and arugula. taste and season with salt and pepper, then beat in the remaining butter and parmesan. you may like to add a little more hot broth at this stage to loosen the risotto.

cover and let rest for a couple of minutes so the risotto can relax, the cheese melt, and the spinach and arugula wilt. fold in the tomatoes and their juices, then serve immediately.

serves 4

FLOUNDER WITH LEMON CREAM

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2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbs grated lemon zest
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 small flounder, sole, or red snapper fillets (about 1 1/4 lbs total)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup heavy cream

preheat the broiler. line a broiler pan with foil.

in a small bowl, combine the melted butter, 2 tbs of the lemon juice, 1 tsp of the lemon zest, 1/2 tsp of the tarragon, the salt, and pepper.

place the fish on the prepared broiler pan. brush the lemon-butter mixture over the fish. broll the fish 4″ from the heat for about 7 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and just flakes when tested with a fork.

meanwhile, in a mixer bowl, combine the dijon musard, dry mustard, and the remaining 2 tbs lemon juice, 2 tsp lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp tarragon.

gradualy beat the cream into the mixture in a thin stream. continue beating until the cream forms soft peaks. be careful not to overbeat, as the lemon juice makes the cream more susceptible to curdling. serve the fish topped with a dollop of the lemon cream.

makes 4 servings

APPLE CINNAMON DROPS

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1 large apple
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/8 cup whole wheat flour

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

core, slice and mince the apple (use a food processor if you have
one). in a large bowl, combine the minced apple bits, honey, water,
cinnamon, and oatmeal. gradually blend in the wheat flour, adding
enough to form a stiff dough.

in a small bowl, add 1/8 cup wheat flour. spoon the dough by rounded
teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing about 2″
apart. using the bottom of a glass dipped in the wheat flour (to
prevent sticking), flatten each spoonful of dough into a circle.
adjust the size of the drops based on how big a treat you like to feed
your dog.

bake for 30 minutes. remove from oven and flip each cookie to brown
evenly on both sides. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
return to oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. let cool
overnight.

makes about 3 dozen crunchy cookies, depending on how big you make them.

POLKA DOT COOKIES

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1 (18.5-ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup (6 ounces) white chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees. coat baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

in a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs, and beat slowly with
an electric mixer until well blended, spooning down sides of bowl
frequently; batter will be very thick.
with a spoon, stir in white chocolate chips. drop by teaspoonfuls 2″ apart onto baking sheets.

bake 9-11 minutes, or until cookies are firm. remove cookies to a
wire rack to cool completely.

makes 3 dozen cookies

LENTIL SOUP WITH RIBBONS OF KALE

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1 tbs olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 lg carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock OR water
1 tbs tamari OR other soy sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 or 5 large kale leaves, tough stems removed

heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. add the onions, celery, carrot, and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, 8-10 minutes.

transfer the cooked vegetables to a 4-6 qt slow cooker. add the lentils, stock, and tamari; cover, and cook on LOW for 8 hours. season with salt and pepper.

meanwhile, or beforehand, tightly roll the kale leaves up like a cigar and cut them crosswise into thin ribbons. cook the kale in a pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes, and add to the soup when ready to serve.

6 servings

DATE & NUT BREAD BAKED IN A CAN

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3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbs unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. spray or generously grease three clean 14-16 oz cans.

in a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the dates. stir in the baking soda. let stand until cool.

in a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla. beat in the flour, salt, and walnuts. mix in the date mixture.

pour the batter into the cans, filling each about 3/4 full. bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

cool for 5 minutes in the cans. loosen the breads from the cans and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

makes 3 mini loaves

PINEAPPLE ANGEL FOOD CAKE

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1 (16 ounce) package angel food cake mix
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray a 9″x13″ pan with nonstick cooking spray.

in a large bowl, combine cake mix and pineapple (with juice). mix until well blended.

pour batter into prepared pan. bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. let cool.

cover with whipped topping.

LONESTAR STEAKHOUSE & SALOON AMARILLO CHEESE FRIES

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3 unpeeled russet potatoes
4-6 cups vegetable oil for frying
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
3 slices bacon, cooked
1/3 cup ranch dressing

slice the potatoes into wide rectangular slices. they should be about 1/4″ thick and 3/4″ wide. you should end up with around 12-15 slices per potato. keep the potato slices immersed in water until they are ready to fry so that they don’t turn brown.

heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep pan to 350 degrees. dry the potato slices on paper towels and fry them for 1 minutes in the hot oil. this is the blanching stage. remove the potatoes from the oil and drain until they cool, about 10 minutes.

when the potato slices are cool, fry them for 5 more minutes or until they are a light golden brown. drain.

preheat your oven to 375 degrees, then arrange the fries on an oven-safe plate.

sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the fries.

sprinkle the monterey jack cheese over the cheddar.

crumble the cooked bacon and sprinkle it over the cheese.

bake the fries in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. serve hot with bottled ranch dressing or make your own with the recipe offered below (in comments)..

COCONUT SQUARES

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1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
1 cup walnuts, chopped

cream together butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar. add 1 cup flour and work into crumbs with your hands. bake in a very slow oven – 250 degrees – for 10 minutes, or until done.

meanwhile, add remaining brown sugar and vanilla to beaten eggs. sift 2 tbs flour and blend with salt and baking powder. mix dry ingredients with egg and sugar mixture. blend in coconut flakes and chopped walnuts. when crust is finished baking, pour mixture over the top. return pan to oven and continue baking for an additional 25 minutes.

BANANA COOKIES

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1 1/2 cups melted butter (3 sticks)
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup mashed very ripe banana (2 med or 3 small)
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups flour (no need to sift)
2 cups finely chopped walnuts OR pecans (measure AFTER chopping)
1/2 cup sugar (for later)

DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN! this dough must chill before baking.

melt butter in a large microwaveable bowl. stir in the sugar, beaten eggs, baking soda, and salt. choose bananas that have black freckles on the skin so they’re almost overripe. mash them until they’re smooth (you can do this in a food processor OR by hand). add the banana puree and mix thorougly.mix in the flour and then the nuts. cover your bowl and refrigerate it for 4 hours (overnight is fine too).

when you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle position.

roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. (this dough is quite sticky – you can wear plastic gloves if you like, or wet your hands slighly so the dough won’t stick to them). put 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it. place the dough balls on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet. press them down just a little so they wont roll off on the floor when you put them in the oven. then return your bowl to the refrigerator and let it chill until it’s time to roll more.

bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees, or until they’re lightly golden in color. they’ll flatten out all by themselves. let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

makes approx 10 dozen cookes, depending on cookie size