Good Eats in 2019

Here are some things I've made that have been outstanding!

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chocolate-glazed-chocolate-tart-243610

https://www.onelovelylife.com/chicken-florentine-puffs/

Deep Dish Pizza

It's not often that I find a recipe that is pretty much perfect the way it is. This is one of them. I'm posting the link here because I didn't change one single thing about it. It's amazing.

One thing I will clarify is that the author mentions in a note that she doubled the recipe for the photo, and she does not recommend it in practice. I concur- I did not double the recipe, and my dough rose beautifully so that I had a very thick deep dish pizza even in my 12" cast iron skillet. I also used the same amount of dough in a 9" tart pan, and while it was obviously much thicker, it worked just fine there, too. Proofing and baking times are spot on! ENJOY!

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/my-favorite-deep-dish-pizza-recipe/#_a5y_p=4467015

Butternut Squash Soup

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and chunked (optional)
2T olive oil
4T butter
1 large onion, minced or sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1T beef bouillon paste
16 oz chicken stock
1t thyme
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
salt to taste
1 c heavy cream
potato flakes (optional)

Toss the squash and carrot chunks with the olive oil and roast on 1-2 baking sheets at 400 (convection) for 30 mins, turning 1-2 times. The squash should be browned/caramelized, and not crowded and steamed. Let cool.

Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large sauce pan, and add the onion and garlic to brown.  Add the bouillon paste and stir until it's dissolved.

Add the squash to the onions and garlic. Add most of the stock to the pan, reserving a bit to use to remove the cooked bits of squash/carrot from the baking sheets. Dump the broth and bits into the dutch oven.

Add the thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and let the mixture simmer for about 7 minutes.

Blend the mixture with an immersion blender (or remove to a conventional blender and return the puree to the dutch oven when it's blended). Add the cream.

If you want a thicker soup, add potato flakes until you reach the desired consistency.

KFC Original Recipe

Earlier this week Bill brought home a recipe for "KFC's Original Recipe" chicken breading. He said everyone at work was raving about it, and that it was just like KFC's.

So I decided to try it!

My verdict is that it is pretty darn close! But, I prefer less pepper, though I don't have KFC very often at all, so there may, in fact, be that much white pepper in the recipe. That said, I will halve the white pepper next time.

What do you think?

This recipe makes about 6 pieces of chicken.

1 quart of buttermilk
6 pieces of chicken (bone-in or boneless/skinless is fine, whatever you prefer)
2c flour
2/3 t salt
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t basil
1/3 t oregano
1 t celery salt
1 t black pepper
1 t dried mustard
4 t paprika
2 t garlic salt
1 t ground ginger
3 t white pepper
2c crisco

Soak chicken in buttermilk for at least an hour, but it can be soaked overnight (the longer the better, in my opinion!).

Combine remaining dry ingredients in a shallow dish.

Melt the crisco in a skillet on medium/high heat.

Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk and dredge in the dry ingredients. Place into hot oil and cook thoroughly on all sides, turning only after the coating has turned crispy.

Almond Swiss Cheese Ice Cream/Raspberry Coulis

4 oz softened Creamy Swiss Laughing Cow Cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 t almond extract

Freeze a freezer-safe container or bowl (I used a 2C pyrex measuring cup). Combine the ingredients in a stainless steel bowl over an ice bath.

Pour the mixture into the cold container and return to the freezer.

Check every 20 minutes and stir, integrating the frozen edges into the mixture. I used an immersion blender, but you can use a spatula or whisk, just mix it vigorously.

Raspberry Coulis
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 T water
6oz fresh raspberries

Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Blend the raspberries and the sugar syrup (in a blender, food processor or using an immersion blender). (You may want to save out a few raspberries for a garnish.)

Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.

Serve the Ice Cream with the Raspberry Coulis, and garnish with fresh raspberries.

Makes about 2C, 4 generous servings.

Chimichangas

So, even though I said it wasn’t a chimichanga, because I don’t serve it with a sauce (and I thought that was key to the definition), apparently it is, in fact, a chimi. It’s a deep-fried burrito.  Or, translated from Spanish, a “trinket.” And it’s a yummy one!

You can SOOO take liberties with this, change it up however you want! Add more onions, add lettuce, black olives, make it with chicken, cover it with an enchilada sauce or more cheese, or whatever. We usually don't even fry them, we eat them like burritos. But here is what we had tonight. And it was good. :)

1 pound ground beef
1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c chopped onions
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 small jalapeño, chopped finely (about 1 1/2 T)
1/2 lime, juiced
1 1/2 t taco seasoning (if you prefer to make your own, here is a good recipe: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080820092029AAXZjQ9)
2 T butter
1/4 c milk
salt
6 flour tortillas, taco-sized
2 c Queso Quesadilla cheese, grated

Garnish with:
sour cream
lettuce
tomatoes
onions
fresh cilantro
salsa
jalapeños
black olives
avocado or guacamole
how much/whatever you love!


Brown the ground beef, 1/4 c of onions, garlic and taco seasoning in a skillet on medium heat. When the beef is mostly done, just a bit pink, turn it down to low and add the 1/3 c of cilantro and lime juice.

In a separate skillet, melt the butter on medium heat, and add the remaining 1/4 c of chopped onion. When the onion is translucent, add the beans and the jalapeño. Sauté the beans in the onion and jalapeño for about 5 minutes, then add the milk and a pinch of salt. When the milk has reduced by about half, and you can see a creamy “sauce” consistency, mashed the beans roughly with a potato masher. (I have used an immersion blender in the past, and that is great too, a great creamy texture— just depends on what you feel like doing that day!)

Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 40-50 seconds. Place approx 2T of the bean mixture on the edge of the tortilla, along with the same amount of meat mixture and cheese (or whatever suits you, just remember you have to roll it up!). Starting at the side where the mixture is, roll the tortilla as tightly as you can, without tearing it. Fold in the ends, and continue rolling until all of the mixture is encased. It should resemble an egg roll.

In another skillet (or deep fryer), fry the burritos until they are golden brown. Serve immediately, garnishing it with whatever makes you happy!

Tomato Soup

I watched Pioneer Woman's show on Saturday, where she made a great Tomato Soup. I decided to pretty much use that recipe, but make it my own. If you make hers, I'm sure you will love it.  I am equally sure you will love my take on it.

I wanted a thick, creamy soup, as I prefer cream of tomato soup.  However, I didn't want to add any  cream or thickener, so I went with cauliflower to make it thicker AND healthier.

Tomato Soup (my version)

1/2 white onion chopped finely
3 green onions chopped finely
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (use a good brand, I use Cento)
One 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons chicken base
1 head of cauliflower
1 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Separate the cauliflower florets, and begin boiling them in a medium pot of water.

While the cauliflower is boiling, melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion and cook until translucent.

Add the tomatoes, tomato juice and sugar to the onion.  Stir to combine. Add the chicken base, wine, milk, and basil, and heat through.

When the cauliflower is tender, drain and add to the soup mixture.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender until pureed. Add the flat leaf parsley and continue blending just a bit more, trying not to puree the parsley completely.

I cooled the soup completely and refrigerated it overnight. I served it the next day with warm rolls, and garnished with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.