Cheddar Beer Triangles and Polenta with Leek & Mushroom Ragu

Having finally gotten to the store, I have a fresh batch of recipes I'm looking forward to making. First on the list is a recipe for biscuits that are unbelievably soft, fluffy and delicious. They bare a striking resemblance to The Red Lobster biscuits. To make them, combine 2C Bizquick, 3/4C cheese (mozzarella or cheddar), 1/2C beer (I just used Keystone), 1T minced garlic, a bit of basil basil, oregano and thyme until well combined, then keep stirring in a kneading motion for a few minutes. Then, shape into a 6-8 inch circle and cut into 8 triangles. I used saran wrap sprayed with Pam to shape, then a lightly Pam'd knife to cut. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. When you take them out, lightly brush with butter and dust with Old Bay seasoning. I had trouble getting the camera before eating them all, they are really delicious. Based on http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheddar-Beer-Triangles/Detail.aspx

Next, I wanted something new to make on a Sunday, so I found a recipe for Polenta with Leek and Mushroom Ragu. Polenta is a cornmeal-based dish, and is generally bought rather than made, and for some reason has a reputation for being difficult to make, however I found quite the contrary.

To make the polenta, start off by bringing 6 cups of water with 3/4T of kosher salt to a rolling boil. Then, whisk 1 3/4C into the water, pouring it in a thin stream to avoid clumps. Then, bring to a very low simmer and cook for ~45 minutes, stirring every few minutes, or until it becomes smoother and more porrage-like; add more water if it appears to become too think while cooking. Once it reached the porrage-like state, add 3/4C Parmesan and 2T butter and stir to melt and combine.

When you start the polenta, also start the Ragu. To make it, sauté 2-3 leeks (just the white and tender green parts, cut into thin semicircles), 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2t sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste in 2T olive oil until softened. Then, add 1T parsley and 1 pound sliced mushrooms and cook until browned. Then, add 1/2C dry white wine to deglaze.

To serve, put polenta in a bowl and the ragu on top. Then add feta crumbles and a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar. Makes a filling, delicious meal, and enough to serve 4-5 people. Based on http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/03/vegetarian-polenta-with-a-leek-and-mushroom-ragu-recipe.html

Finally, I organized my spice cabinet (more than 45 different spices, thank-you-very-much), and thought I'd include a picture of what some college students work with. Also, I'm quite proud of the organization, given the variety of sized containers.

Beginnings, Cream Cheese Bread, Beer Bread, Beef Casserole

I was going through my RSS feeds today, and realized that I had quite a number of cooking feeds, but was not really happy with any of them, because the recipes they posted were often either something I had no interest making or absurdly complicated. Since I cook a pretty often, I figure that I will post what I make, what recipes I use and what modifications I make. I make pretty much everything, and have a special penchant for breads. I got my love of cooking from my mother, who cooks every day, and rarely the same thing twice.

Since Tuesday afternoons are when I have free time, that is when I have been doing most of my cooking lately. Last Tuesday, I made red velvet cupcakes with strawberry frosting (in honor of Valentines Day), a cream cheese bread in cupcake tins, beer bread, and a really easy beef casserole. The cupcakes were very simple and from a box, but I'll go through the other three recipes.

The cream cheese bread sounds a little odd, but I assure you, it makes for a very moist final product. I also made them in cupcake tins instead of a loaf, which makes small, roll-like breads that keep a lot longer than a cut loaf. To make it, combine 1/3C milk, ~2/3C cream cheese (I used about half a Philadelphia block; the more you use the creamer your result), 1/4C butter, 1 egg, 4T sugar, 1t salt, 3C bread flour, 2.5T yeast. I prepped the yeast with honey and warm water, and melted the butter and cream cheese in the microwave, then stirred everything together. After it has become almost dough-like, dump it onto a CLEAN counter and kneed for 5-10 minutes. Kneading makes the dough into a very uniform, stretchy form that ends up making a very nice final product. I then separated it into 12 cupcake cups and baked at 375 for ~25 minutes. From http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Bread/Detail.aspx

Beer bread is the simplest bread I have ever found, and it always is a hit when you get it fresh out of the oven. All it takes is 3C self rising flour, 3T sugar and 1 can flat beer (pour it between 2 cups a couple time to flatten it). Mix and pour into a loaf pan, then bake at 350 for 1 hour. If you want, you can grease the top with butter for a shiny presentation. Tastes just dandy with the cheapest of beers, and is best eaten fresh. I got this recipe from my mother a long time ago.

Finally, the very easy beef casserole, almost a stew. In a crock pot, put 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 package fresh mushrooms, 1 onion cut up however suits your fancy, 1 large envelope onion soup mix, 1/2 C milk, and 1 to 1.5Lb stew beef. I cooked it on low for ~10 hours, served it over egg noodles, and it was delicious. One recipe makes enough for 3-4 servings (depending if you eat like a college guy or not), so it's great for leftovers. From http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/42/Easy-Beef-Casserole131756.shtml