Saturday, July 31, 2010
Weekly Recipes: July 31
I just realized that this was still in my drafts and not published, so here it is.
Bolita and Cheese Enchiladas
This doubles and freezes very nicely.
oil
2 cups cooked bolita or pinto beans
1 large onion, diced
2 sweet peppers, seeded and diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1 pint diced tomatoes and chiles (I used Muir Glen organic, but homemade or whatever you like would work)
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups enchilada sauce (the chile based kind)
about 10 - 12 flour tortillas
1 pound cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and pepper jack), shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to coat and cook onions until translucent, add peppers and garlic and cook until peppers are no longer crisp and onions are just starting to brown. Add corn kernels, beans, diced tomatoes and chiles, ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin and salt. Mix together thoroughly and reduce heat to low to simmer, you may need to add a little water.
Pour about half a cup or less of the enchilada sauce in a 9 X 13 pan. Start filling tortillas with a little of the bean and vegetable mixture, then some of the shredded cheese, roll up and fit into the pan until the pan is crowded full with the rolls. Cover liberally with the enchilada sauce and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Khoubz Araby (commonly called Pita Bread - which is actually an Armenian bread and not this Arabic bread)
1 3/4 cups warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 - 6 cups flour (all white or 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat)
1/4 cup olive oil
sesame seeds (optional)
cornmeal or semolina for pan
Dissolve yeast in warm water, add sugar and salt. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
Mix 3 cups flour and yeast mixture in a large bowl. Add oil and mix well. Add 2 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed. If more is needed, knead 1/2 a cup of flour into dough at a time. You want a relatively soft dough. Total kneading time should be about 8 minutes by hand.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Roll dough into 1-2-inch balls. Let rest for 20 minutes, covered.
On floured surface, roll balls into flat disks, about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Place disks on pan, let rest for 10 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 F for 4-6 minutes until puffy and just starting to brown at the edges (err on the side of too light, so you have softer bread).
Bolita and Cheese Enchiladas
This doubles and freezes very nicely.
oil
2 cups cooked bolita or pinto beans
1 large onion, diced
2 sweet peppers, seeded and diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1 pint diced tomatoes and chiles (I used Muir Glen organic, but homemade or whatever you like would work)
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups enchilada sauce (the chile based kind)
about 10 - 12 flour tortillas
1 pound cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and pepper jack), shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to coat and cook onions until translucent, add peppers and garlic and cook until peppers are no longer crisp and onions are just starting to brown. Add corn kernels, beans, diced tomatoes and chiles, ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin and salt. Mix together thoroughly and reduce heat to low to simmer, you may need to add a little water.
Pour about half a cup or less of the enchilada sauce in a 9 X 13 pan. Start filling tortillas with a little of the bean and vegetable mixture, then some of the shredded cheese, roll up and fit into the pan until the pan is crowded full with the rolls. Cover liberally with the enchilada sauce and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until heated through and cheese is melted.
Khoubz Araby (commonly called Pita Bread - which is actually an Armenian bread and not this Arabic bread)
1 3/4 cups warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 - 6 cups flour (all white or 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat)
1/4 cup olive oil
sesame seeds (optional)
cornmeal or semolina for pan
Dissolve yeast in warm water, add sugar and salt. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
Mix 3 cups flour and yeast mixture in a large bowl. Add oil and mix well. Add 2 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed. If more is needed, knead 1/2 a cup of flour into dough at a time. You want a relatively soft dough. Total kneading time should be about 8 minutes by hand.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Roll dough into 1-2-inch balls. Let rest for 20 minutes, covered.
On floured surface, roll balls into flat disks, about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Place disks on pan, let rest for 10 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 F for 4-6 minutes until puffy and just starting to brown at the edges (err on the side of too light, so you have softer bread).
Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Menu Plan: July 25 - July 31
My birthday dinner was amazing. We went to a very nice restaurant in town which specializes in seafood. We had a cheese, cracker and fruit plate as an appetizer, split a seafood caesar salad which had a generous amount of sauteed crab, shrimp and bay shrimp on top, Rich had prime rib with shrimp and I had a crab stuffed chicken breast (sort of like Chicken Oscar, but with cheese in the mix and the crab stuffed in the middle). We left my birthday cake at home, but were so stuffed from dinner that we didn't eat the cake until the next day.
I was going to change some things on this menu since we were so heavy on Mexican-ish type meals, but Rich said he was quite happy with it, so it stays.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Breakfast Roll Ups, Apricots, Milk
Dinner: Leftover Birthday Cake (loaded with fruit and nuts - protein, grain and fruit) and Milk - Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Bananas, Milk
Dinner: Steak Salad, Fruit Plate - Tuesday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Apricots, Milk
Dinner: Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole, Salsa Rice, Cabbage Salad - Wednesday
Breakfast: Veggie Hash, Fried Eggs, Sliced Peaches, Milk
Dinner: Bolita and Cheese Enchiladas*, Sauteed Swiss Chard and Zucchini with Garlic, Tropical Fruit Salad - Thursday
Breakfast: Semolina Porridge with Diced Fruit, Milk
Dinner: Pork and Green Chile Stew, Corn Bread, Fruit Plate - Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt and Honey, Fruit Plate, Milk
Dinner: Falafel, Khoubz Araby*, Laban bi Chiyar, Harissa, Veggies and Kalamata Olives - Saturday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Toast, Fruit, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Dinner with Friends
Labels: Birthday, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Menu Plan: July 18 - July 24
It is my birthday this week and we are going to go out to a place in town that specializes in seafood!
- Sunday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Milk
Dinner: Leftovers - Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal and Marionberry Pie, Milk
Dinner: Leftovers - Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Milk
Dinner: Leftovers - Wednesday
Breakfast: Strawberry Yogurt, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk
Dinner: Torteggas - Thursday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Milk
Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese, Garlic Bread, Salad - Friday
Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast, Frozen Fruit Salad, Milk
Dinner: Black Beans, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Salsa and Corn Tortillas - Saturday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Toast, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Black Bean, Zucchini and Onion Quesadillas, Salsa Rice
Labels: Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Weekly Recipes: Better Late than Never
Zucchini and Garlic Pasta
1 pound pasta of choice, I used penne this time
olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 3 medium zucchini, shredded, enough to make about four cups
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheese like mozzarella, parmesan, provolone
salt
pepper
Cook pasta in well salted water until cooked slightly less than you wish to eat it. Prepare your other ingredients while the pasta cooks.
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic to it and cook, slowly. Add zucchini, a little salt and pepper and toss together to mix and heat through.
Drain pasta, reserving about a half cup of pasta water, and add pasta and pasta water to the pan with with the zucchini and toss to mix. Take off heat and add parsley and cheese. Serve with salad and garlic bread, maybe some fruit.
This meal takes me about 15 minutes from start to finish.
1 pound pasta of choice, I used penne this time
olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 3 medium zucchini, shredded, enough to make about four cups
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup shredded cheese like mozzarella, parmesan, provolone
salt
pepper
Cook pasta in well salted water until cooked slightly less than you wish to eat it. Prepare your other ingredients while the pasta cooks.
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic to it and cook, slowly. Add zucchini, a little salt and pepper and toss together to mix and heat through.
Drain pasta, reserving about a half cup of pasta water, and add pasta and pasta water to the pan with with the zucchini and toss to mix. Take off heat and add parsley and cheese. Serve with salad and garlic bread, maybe some fruit.
This meal takes me about 15 minutes from start to finish.
Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Monday, July 12, 2010
Weekly Recipes: Belated July 10
It is the pie edition of recipes today. I'm sorry for the delay, we've had a rather busy week.
Apricot Pie
This was a recipe I picked up from a homesteading list-serv. I tweaked it a tiny bit and we all enjoyed it. It would be better with a double crust, so that's what I'm posting here, but we only had one crust in the freezer, and I did it singly and it tasted fine, just wasn't quite as pretty as it would have been.
5 cups apricot halves (I used our frozen ones from last year, fresh would have been better)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Ceylon cinnamon)
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 recipe Flaky Butter Crust
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into prepared pie pan. Dot with butter and top with pie pastry. Flute edges and cut vents in top of pastry. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is browned.
Allow to cool and serve with chantilly cream or vanilla ice cream.
Fresh Cherry Pie
This is a recipe that began with a Cuisine Magazine recipe. I have modified it a little bit and it is our favorite. This also uses a double crust, though a lattice top is the prettiest. Every now and then I take the time to make the lattice crust for this pie.
6 cups pitted sour cherries and their juice, separated (you can use thawed, frozen pie cherries as well)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 recipe Flaky Butter Crust
cinnamon sugar
Heat cherry juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat until reduced at least by a third and no more than half. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry.
Put cherries in a medium to large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix sugar and tapioca starch together. Add sugar mixture to cherries along with almond extract and reduced cherry juice. Mix thoroughly and pour into prepared pie pan. Cover filling with top crust and cut vents into it. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 20-30 minutes, or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly.
Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream or Chantilly cream.
Apricot Pie
This was a recipe I picked up from a homesteading list-serv. I tweaked it a tiny bit and we all enjoyed it. It would be better with a double crust, so that's what I'm posting here, but we only had one crust in the freezer, and I did it singly and it tasted fine, just wasn't quite as pretty as it would have been.
5 cups apricot halves (I used our frozen ones from last year, fresh would have been better)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Ceylon cinnamon)
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 recipe Flaky Butter Crust
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into prepared pie pan. Dot with butter and top with pie pastry. Flute edges and cut vents in top of pastry. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is browned.
Allow to cool and serve with chantilly cream or vanilla ice cream.
Fresh Cherry Pie
This is a recipe that began with a Cuisine Magazine recipe. I have modified it a little bit and it is our favorite. This also uses a double crust, though a lattice top is the prettiest. Every now and then I take the time to make the lattice crust for this pie.
6 cups pitted sour cherries and their juice, separated (you can use thawed, frozen pie cherries as well)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 recipe Flaky Butter Crust
cinnamon sugar
Heat cherry juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat until reduced at least by a third and no more than half. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry.
Put cherries in a medium to large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix sugar and tapioca starch together. Add sugar mixture to cherries along with almond extract and reduced cherry juice. Mix thoroughly and pour into prepared pie pan. Cover filling with top crust and cut vents into it. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 20-30 minutes, or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly.
Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream or Chantilly cream.
Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Menu Plan: July 11 - July 17
- Sunday
Breakfast: Nacho Breakfast, Milk
Dinner: Subway Sandwiches, Chips, Apple Juice - Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Ham and White Bean Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls - Tuesday
Breakfast: Vegetable Hash and Fried Eggs, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Italian Sausage Skillet, Brown Rice - Wednesday
Breakfast: Granola and Yogurt, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Zucchini and Garlic Pasta*, Salad - Thursday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Fruit Plate, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Pork and Green Chile Stew, Corn Bread - Friday
Breakfast: Berry Yogurt Smoothies, Fruit Plate, Coffee
Dinner: Curried Potatoes, Tomatoes and Chick Peas over Rice - Saturday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Toast, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Mixed Grill
Labels: Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Monday, July 05, 2010
Menu Plan: July 4 - July 10
Our apricot suffered from the late freeze this spring, so all the little fruit on it died, but we still have some frozen apricots, which I am using in our apricot pie.
We are having a pie week here at the Arabian Knits household, between the two pies tonight and Yasmina's second birthday being this week as well. We are having a pie themed meal on her birthday: Pizza pie and cherry pie.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Peaches, Coffee
Dinner: Town Independence Day Festival and Dinner - Monday
Breakfast: Waffles, Strawberry Sauce, Fried Ham, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Steaks, Creamy Potato and Pea Salad,Zucchini Fritters, Snap Peas, Raspberry & Blueberry Custard Pie, Apricot Pie* - Tuesday
Breakfast: Steak and Eggs, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Pasta with Bolognese Sauce, Roasted Asparagus, Garlic Bread - Wednesday
Breakfast: Semolina Porridge with Cinnamon, Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Pineapple Fried Rice - Thursday Yasmina's Birthday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Fruit, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Pizzas, Zucchini Fritters, Cherry Pie*, Vanilla Ice Cream - Friday
Breakfast: Ful, Kamut Toast, Sliced Veggies, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Macaroni and Cheese, Sauteed Onion, Peppers and Corn, Fruit Plate - Saturday
Breakfast: Blintz Casserole with Sour Cream and Raspberry Jam, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Pork and Green Chile Stew, Corn Bread
Labels: Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Weekly Recipes: July 3
Cowboy Beans
This is the variation I came up with from Elise's recipe.
2 cups dried bolitas (or pinto beans), soaked for at least 4 hours and drained
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 smoked ham hock (about 1-2 pounds)
3 cups water
3 cups black coffee
2 1/2 cups tomato-based barbecue sauce (homemade or bottled)
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeños
salt to taste
Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese for garnish (optional)
1/4 cup chopped red onion for garnish (optional)
Heat bacon fat in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed lidded pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring often, until translucent and just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two.
Add beans to the pot with the onions. Add the ham hock, the water and the coffee. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook this way for 45 minutes, or until the beans are edible but still a little firm.
Add barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low heat until the meat from the ham hock begins to separate from the bone, and beans are cooked, up to 2 hours. When ham hock is tender, pull the ham hock and strip the meat from the bone to mix with the beans. Remove bones from pot. Add pickled jalapenos and salt to taste.
Serve with a little grated cheese and chopped red onion on top.
Here is my revised recipe. I made a few small changes to it. This recipe makes about 75 - 100 falafel patties, but can be halved. They are much, much better than the mix, don't take much more time to make and don't have the fillers in them. The only difference is that you have to remember to soak your beans the night before.
2 pounds dry chickpeas, soaked 24 hours, drained and rinsed (about 7-8 cups after soaking)
20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch parsley
1 large bunch cilantro
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons baking powder
Oil for frying
Grind up the garbanzo beans, garlic, parsley, cilantro (stems and all), onion, in a food processor along with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander and baking powder (you will need to do this in two batches). Grind until you have a coarse paste that still has little bits of garbanzo beans in it. You do not want mush.
Refrigerate mixture at least 30 minutes to firm up so it's easier to form into patties and fry.
Heat about 2 inches of oil over medium high heat until a piece of bread sizzles when held in the oil. Form patties out of the mixture using about 1 tablespoon for each one. Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn and finish frying. Remove to a rack over a plate or a towel lined plate to drain while you fry the rest.
Serve warm or hot with laban bi chiyar, Taratoor, khoubz Araby, olives, vegetables and harissa, sah'awiq or Duqqus if you wish.
This is the variation I came up with from Elise's recipe.
2 cups dried bolitas (or pinto beans), soaked for at least 4 hours and drained
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 smoked ham hock (about 1-2 pounds)
3 cups water
3 cups black coffee
2 1/2 cups tomato-based barbecue sauce (homemade or bottled)
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapeños
salt to taste
Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese for garnish (optional)
1/4 cup chopped red onion for garnish (optional)
Heat bacon fat in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed lidded pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring often, until translucent and just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two.
Add beans to the pot with the onions. Add the ham hock, the water and the coffee. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook this way for 45 minutes, or until the beans are edible but still a little firm.
Add barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low heat until the meat from the ham hock begins to separate from the bone, and beans are cooked, up to 2 hours. When ham hock is tender, pull the ham hock and strip the meat from the bone to mix with the beans. Remove bones from pot. Add pickled jalapenos and salt to taste.
Serve with a little grated cheese and chopped red onion on top.
Here is my revised recipe. I made a few small changes to it. This recipe makes about 75 - 100 falafel patties, but can be halved. They are much, much better than the mix, don't take much more time to make and don't have the fillers in them. The only difference is that you have to remember to soak your beans the night before.
2 pounds dry chickpeas, soaked 24 hours, drained and rinsed (about 7-8 cups after soaking)
20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch parsley
1 large bunch cilantro
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons baking powder
Oil for frying
Grind up the garbanzo beans, garlic, parsley, cilantro (stems and all), onion, in a food processor along with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cumin, coriander and baking powder (you will need to do this in two batches). Grind until you have a coarse paste that still has little bits of garbanzo beans in it. You do not want mush.
Refrigerate mixture at least 30 minutes to firm up so it's easier to form into patties and fry.
Heat about 2 inches of oil over medium high heat until a piece of bread sizzles when held in the oil. Form patties out of the mixture using about 1 tablespoon for each one. Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn and finish frying. Remove to a rack over a plate or a towel lined plate to drain while you fry the rest.
Serve warm or hot with laban bi chiyar, Taratoor, khoubz Araby, olives, vegetables and harissa, sah'awiq or Duqqus if you wish.
Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
