Brussels Sprouts in a Balsamic Vinegar Reduction Sauce

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Madeline

Beets and brussels sprouts seem to have the most negative reputation of all earth’s vegetables.  And since beets are my favorite veggie, hands down, I thought I should give the other neglected vegetable a try.  And to be perfectly honest, I can’t ever remember trying a brussels sprout.  that is how bad the reputation was–I didn’t like them before I even tried them.  Of course, my beloved boyfriend immediately said he hated them, but he is English…the only way they know how to cook vegetables is by boiling the life out of them, so unless it is a ‘mushy pea recipe’, he really gets no say in the matter.

 

While searching though recipes online, I came across quite a few roasted brussels sprout dishes.  But I thought that if I am going to convince The Brit to eat sprouts, we are going to need to start with more butter.  I was finally inspired by a recipe I found on Smittenkitchen.com, which called for the sprouts to be braised in stock and balsamic vinegar and topped with panchetta and bread crumbs.  Due to Guatemalan ingredient restrictions, I had to simplify the dish a little bit, but I do think it turned out to be quite satisfying.

Brussels Sprouts in a Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Ingredients

  • One pound of Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and trimmed.
  • 2 tbs. Butter
  • 2 tbs. Olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp. thyme leaves
  • 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 c. veal or chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbs. parsley to garnish

In a medium-large skillet, heat butter and olive oil on medium heat.  Add brussels sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until the sprouts begin to brown, about 10 minutes.  Add diced onion and thyme and continue cooking on medium heat for another 10 minutes.  Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the balsamic vinegar and stock.  Simmer, tossing frequently, until the liquid is reduced.  Taste for proper seasoning.  Transfer the sprouts to a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

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Penne with Acorn Squash, Roasted Garlic, and Bacon

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Madeline

Fall is here.  You’ve needed to pull out the extra blanket to lay over your bed at night.  You see your breath in the cool air as you grab the morning paper.  You relish in the bright reds, oranges, and yellows that decorate the landscape.  You notice the variety of vegetables available at the farmers market waning.  It’s time for squash.

I tried this recipe for the first time last night, and it instantly became a fall favorite. The sweetness of the squash and garlic mixed with the smokey bacon and salty Parmesan cheese combine to create full complex flavors that warm you from within.  Truly delicious!

Penne with Acorn Squash, Roasted Garlic, and Bacon

Ingredients

  • One med. Acorn Squash
  • 1/2 head of garlic (4-6 cloves)
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1/4 lb. bacon
  • 3/4 cup vegetable stock
  • 1/2 t. Rosemary
  • 1/2 t. Thyme
  • 3/4 lb. dry penne pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the squash in half and remove seeds.  Slice squash into 1-2 inch slices and brush with olive oil.  Place on a baking sheet.  Cut the bottom off the 1/2 head of garlic exposing the inside of the cloves.  Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in tin foil.  Place on the baking sheet with the squash.  Roast the squash and garlic for 45 minutes, turning the squash once after half an hour.  Remove when squash is soft and let cool.

While squash is cooling begin to boil a water for pasta.  In a deep wide saute pan, fry bacon.  When bacon is semi crispy, remove it from the pan.  Here, I poured off most of the rendered fat, but if you’re not concerned about calories, keep it.  Deglaze the pan with the vegetable stock–make sure to get all the good crispy bacon bits off the bottom.  Squeeze the soft roasted garlic out of their skins and into the pan.  Break up the cloves with a wooden spoon.  Add rosemary, thyme, and black pepper.  Simmer on low heat.

Add salt and pasta to the boiling water.

Peel the skin off the squash.  Cut into bite sized pieces and add to pan.  Cut cooked bacon into pieces and add to pan.

When pasta is cooked, drain, saving some of the pasta water in case the sauce looks to dry.  Add the pasta to the saute pan and stir to coat. Taste for salt content, remembering that the Parmesan cheese will add a salty finish.

Plate and top generously with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

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Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Madeline

The sweetness of roasted peppers and garlic paired with the acidic tomatoes make for an satisfying soup served either as an appetizer or, my personal favorite, with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Here in Guatemala, red peppers cost only 20 cents and grow year round.  Therefore, I was shocked to see how much red peppers cost on my last trip to the U.S.  So I can’t claim this as a budget soup.   I CAN, however, promise that this is an extremely healthy soup that is enjoyed by everyone.

It is a bit tedious in the making–peeling both the tomatoes and the peppers but it is quite forgiving.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

  • 6 red bell peppers
  • 10 plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 head of garlic (6 cloves)
  • 3 shallots
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 2 t. sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Under a boiler or in an oil free pan on the stove top, roast the peppes so that the skin becomes blacked and blistered.  Once the skin is burnt, place the peppers in a paper bag and let them cool.

While peppers are cooling, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the ends off the garlic cloves and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap in tin foil and roast for 30-40 minutes.

Peel and seed the tomatoes.  Watch this you tube video for tips on how to peel and seed tomatoes. Chop tomatoes into chunks.

When peppers are cool enough to handle, peel the burn skin off and remove all seeds and ribs.  Cut peppers into chunks.  Now for the easy part…

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauce pan.  Add diced shallots and a pinch of salt.  Cook for 8 minutes.  Squeeze out the soft roasted garlic from their skins and add to the pan.  Add red pepper flakes and oregano.  Add chopped tomatoes and red peppers.  Add vegetable stock, sugar, and basil leaves.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let soup cool for 5 minutes.

Two cups at a time, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately or store in refrigerator and reheat when desired. Garnish with fresh basil and a dollop of sour cream.

Posted in Appetizers, Entrees, Recipes, Vegetables | Leave a comment

Eggs Poached in Fresh Tomato Sauce

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Madeline

The ultimate budget food- the incredible- the edible- the EGG!  An egg is one of nature’s perfect foods.  It contains all the protein and most vitamins and minerals needed to maintain a healthy body.  It has enough fat to keep you full.  And it comes in individual serving sizes :) .  It does all of this at a very low cost!

With my tight budget, I find myself eating lots of eggs.  So I’ve had to become more creative in how I use them–Pasta Carbonera, Poached Eggs on top of Zucchini Fritters, Egg Salad Sandwiches, etc.  Still, if I had a dollar for every fried egg sandwich I’ve ever eaten, well, I probably wouldn’t need to eat as many fried egg sandwiches.

This recipe combines the marvelous egg with a fresh healthy tomato sauce.  If you are lucky enough to have a vegetable garden, you know that when August comes around it can be a challenge to eat all of the ripe tomatoes before they rot on the vine.  This recipe is a quick and creative way to use up those fresh tomatoes.  And did I mention this dish is, oh so delicious?!?!?

Eggs Poached in Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 Lb. tomatoes, peeled
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 t. red pepper flakes
  • 1 t. sugar
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 4 eggs
  • Crusty bread

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add diced onion, cook for 5 minutes.  Add crushed garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper, cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently.  Seed peeled tomatoes and cut them into crude chunks. Add tomatoes to pan.  Add sugar and bring sauce to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  Using a fork or a potato masher, break up the chunks of tomato.  Taste, and add more salt if needed.

Break eggs into small bowls- one egg in each bowl.  Lower the heat on the sauce so it is at a very low simmer.  Gently slide the eggs into the sauce and cover the pan.  Wait 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. (If you want a hard yoke, keep the dish on the heat for 4 minutes).

Slice the bread and place a few slices on the bottom of your plate.  Using a large spoon scoop eggs and sauce on top of bread.  Sprinkle with more black pepper.  Cut into the perfectly cooked egg and enjoy!

Posted in Breakfast, Entrees, Recipes | 1 Comment

Pita Chips

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Madeline

One of my favorite snack foods are whole wheat pita chips.  I eat them with cream cheese, hummus, avocado, and olive tapenade.  To save on cost and calories, I’ve started making my own.

Since usually cook for just my boyfriend and I, we are always left over with 2 or 3 pitas after a meal.  Making pita chips is a great way to use the leftovers and get a great snack out of it.

Garlic Pita Chips

  • 2 whole wheat pitas
  • 2 T. Olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crush the garlic and mix it in a small bowl with the olive oil. Cut the pitas into 8 pie slices. Brush pita slices with garlic olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for 6-8 minutes.  Flip the pita slices.  Bake for another 6 minutes.

Variations

Rosemary Parmesan: Add rosemary to the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and grated parmesean.

Cracked Black Pepper: Cover with a generous amount of black pepper before baking.

Spicy: Add red pepper to the olive oil and sprinkle with chili and onion powder.

Posted in Appetizers, Recipes | Leave a comment

French Onion Soup

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Madeline

To me, French Onion Soup is one of the ultimate budget meals.  The melty crispy topping and the intense and complex flavors make this soup look, and taste, expensive  But the priciest ingredient is the white wine, which you can enjoy with dinner since less than a cup of it goes into the soup.

It’s all about the onions!  Getting nice brown caramelized onions takes a while but it is worth the trouble.  The onions provide all the robust flavor of this soup.  Without fully caramelizing the onions you will still get a decent mild flavored soup, but it won’t make your guests close their eyes put their spoon down and say “ouhhh, umm”.

A few tricks for good caramelized onions:

  1. Use a mixture of butter and oil
  2. Use cast iron if you have it.
  3. Cover the onions and let them steep for the first 15 minutes that they are on the heat.
  4. After 15 minutes, don’t stir the onions constantly.  Instead, stir once every 3-4 minutes so they get nice and brown.

 

French Onion Soup

  • 1 ½ lbs yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 tbs. butter
  • 2 tbs. olive oil
  • 1 t. salt
  • ½ t. sugar
  • 2 Tbs. flour
  • 6 cups beef stock
  • ¾ cup white wine
  • Black pepper

The Topping

  • 1 baguette
  • ½ small yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup (about ¼ cup per bowl) shredded Swiss, Fontana or Gruyere
  • Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Fresh thyme

Heat butter and oil in a medium sauce pan or dutch oven.  Add the sliced onions, stir to coat.  Cover and let steep for 15 minutes on low heat.

Uncover the onions and stir in salt and sugar.  Stir frequently, every 3-4 minutes, for 45 minutes or until onions are a nice caramel brown color.

Once the onions have fully caramelized, stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the wine.  Add the stock one cup at a time and mix well.  Add pepper and salt if needed.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning. mmmmmmmm….

Slice baguette and toast under broiler or in toaster oven until the bread is hard.  Arrange bowls on baking sheet and fill 3/4 of the way with onion soup.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of diced raw onion.  Place toasts on top of soup and cover with shredded cheese and fresh thyme. Place bowl in the oven for 20 minutes.  Turn the boiler on for the last couple of minutes (we don’t have a boiler so we had to skip this step and didn’t get a good browned cheesy topping).

Be careful when removing the bowls from the oven.  Enjoy!

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Curried Chicken Salad

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Madeline

This is one of my all time favorite sandwiches! But this chicken salad is so flavorful and beautiful it is also great served on crostini as an appetizer.

This recipe is really a modified version of a chicken salad my friend Julia Byers made.  I’ve added a few more ingredients and steps in the preparation but the items that really make this chicken salad what it is- curry, raisins, cashews- remain the same.

I first serve this chicken salad hot and then use the leftovers for lunch the next day.  It is also and easy dish to bring on picnics and serve with pita chips.  Another plus- only one frying pan necessary, easy clean up!

Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped cashews
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. curry powder
  • 1/4 t. chili powder
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts and saute 3-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from pan and set aside.

Add additional tablespoon of oil to the pan and add onion and garlic.  Scrape up all the goodies the chicken left behind from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until the onion becomes translucent.

Meanwhile shred cooked chicken and save any juices.

Add the curry powder, chili powder, and cashews.  Toast for 3 minutes.  This intensifies the flavor of the curry powder.  Add raisins and celery.  Add shredded chicken and it’s juices. Mix well.

Add mayonnaise.  Feel free to add more mayonnaise if you like your chicken salad creamier.  I like it so it is just slightly staying together.  Squeeze the juice of one lime onto the chicken salad and serve.  Enjoy!

Posted in Appetizers, Recipes, Sandwiches | 1 Comment

Spicy Oaxacan Peanuts

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Madeline

Many pubs in Wisconsin offer popcorn to their customers as a salty bar snack.  In southern Mexico, however, one is much more likely to snack on chapulines (locusts), gusanos (worms), or these incredibly spicy and very tasty peanuts.

This recipe came from my boyfriend, Shaun, and his friends as they tried to recreate the peanuts they loved from Oaxaca, Mexico to serve in there own bar.  They decided to keep the chunks of garlic and pieces of chilies large, making it easier for those who choose to avoid them.  These peanuts are HOT (I think it helps them sell more beer), so make sure to taste your peanuts first before adding the chili powder.

Arbol chilies are a popular and potent Mexican cooking chili.  The hotness of Arbol chilies is comparative to that of Cayenne pepper.  So remove the seeds to cut some of the spice and be careful while chopping them; don’t scratch your eyes!

Those who know, say the longer skinnier chilies have the best flavor and pack the most punch.

 

 

 

Spicy Oaxacan Peanuts

  • 2 lbs. of roasted salted peanuts (if you like to control your salt intake, choose unsalted and add salt to taste)
  • 6-8 Arbol Chilies
  • 2 tbs. vegetable oil
  • 1 large head of garlic
  • 1 tbs. chili powder
  • Juice of 2 limes, zest of one.
  • salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400.

Peel garlic cloves and chop into peanut-sized chunks.  Seed and chop chilies.

Coat garlic in oil and roast for 10-15 minutes or until garlic begins to brown.  Add chilies, peanuts and chili powder, stir to coat with oil.  Return to the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and add lime juice and zest.  Adjust salt to taste.

Serve with Mexican beers at your next gathering.  These peanuts keep well, but won’t last long. Buen provecho!

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Cream Drop Biscuits

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Madeline

These quick and easy biscuits are delicious served sweet or savory.  Read on for variations of this simple recipe.

My boyfriend, the Brit, was thrilled when a friend of his brought him back a box of Yorkshire tea from the U.K.  As he sipped his tea one morning he said he wished he had some biscuits to go with it.  So being the loving girlfriend that I am, I made him drop biscuits.  Turned out, he wanted a butter cookie…BUT he loved my biscuits just the same.

Most drop biscuit recipes call for buttermilk, and there are two reasons why I didn’t use buttermilk in this recipe.  First, most recipes use less than a cup of buttermilk, leaving me with half a carton that eventually soils. Waste of money! Second, you can’t get buttermilk in Antigua, Guatemala so I was forced to come up with an alternative.  I did toy with the idea of melting butter in milk but in the end decided that buttery-milk and buttermilk were not equals.

These biscuits are super quick to throw together but still add that satisfying homemade feeling to any brunch or dinner.  They are also forgiving.  Since the dough doesn’t need to be rolled out or kneaded it can be sticky and gooey but will still come together to make airy creamy biscuits.

Variations (change it up!):

  • Add cracked black pepper and bacon. Delicious with eggs!
  • Mix oregano, rosemary, marjoram, summer savory, and/or basil into the flour for herb biscuits.
  • Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and diced chives.  (you may need to add 1 or 2 T. more milk)

Cream Drop Biscuits*

  • 2 c. flour
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1 t. sugar
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 2 Tbs. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix all dry ingredients together in large bowl.  In a glass measuring cup, mix the cream and milk.  Stir the liquid into the flour mixture until thick sticky dough forms.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.  Using two soup spoons drop 1/2 cup sized dough balls onto the tray spaced at least 1 inch apart.

Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven.  As the biscuits are cooling brush with melted butter.

*I live at high altitude (5,100 ft). At sea level you can add more sugar and 1/2 t. more baking powder to this recipe.

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Grilled Cheese with Greek Olives and Sundried Tomatoes

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Madeline

Grilled Cheese for grown ups! This simple sandwich calls for few ingredients but delivers lots of flavor.

Being a true Wisconsin girl, I’ve never out grown grilled cheese.  Creamy Havarti, sharp cheddar, baby swiss melted on buttery toast, how can one say no?!

I have, however, found a few ways to add some flare to my grilled cheese.  This recipe combines a few full flavored ingredients to give it a very mature flavor.

Grilled Cheese with Greek Olives and Sundried Tomatoes (2 sandwiches)

  • 4 slices crusty white bread
  • 4 slices Munster cheese
  • 2 tbs. butter
  • 6 Sundried tomatoes
  • 10 Kalamata olives
  • oregano
  • black pepper

Slice both the olives and sundried tomatoes.  Butter one side of each slice of bread.  To stack the sandwhich put he buttered side down.  Later 1 slice of munster, sundried tomatoes and olives on the toast.  Sprinkle with oregano and pepper and top with the remaining slice of cheese and bread.  You can add more salt if you like, but I find that kalamata olives usually contain enough salt to bring out the flavor in the sandwich.

Fry sandwich in a skillet on medium heat for 3 minutes a side or until bread is toasted and cheese melty.

 

Posted in Recipes, Sandwiches | 6 Comments