Potato Leak Soup, Swedish Meatballs and Hot-Chocolate Cookies

Today, we have a very simple and delicious Potato Leak soup, some Swedish meatballs that are just fantastic, and a cookie recipe with a bit of a kick!

First up, we have Potato Leak soup.  Now, the main things you need to make the soup are, not surprisingly, potatoes and leaks.  Depending how much soup you want, use about a 1:1 ratio of potatoes to leaks, and remember that only the white and light-green tender parts of the leak should be used (make sure to thoroughly clean the leak, I recommend halving it lengthwise and flipping through the layers under the faucet.  Crunchies are no fun).  Roughly cube the potatoes, and boil them along with the lightly sauted leaks in just enough water to cover them for about 30 minutes, or until tender.  At this point you can add pretty much whatever you want (or nothing) to change the flavor, but at minimum some salt and pepper.  I also added a couple strips of bacon, milk, oregano, basil and thyme.  Blend either with an immersion blender or standard blender, and enjoy!  Quick, easy and filling.

via http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/soup/the-perfection-of-simplicity-potato-leek-soup-076790

Next up we have a more involved recipe for Swedish meatballs.  One side of my family has a large Norwegian influence, and I remember having these at family gatherings, so they sold a special place in my heart.  Also, one of the main flavors is Cardamom, which also is in many things from my childhood.  To make the balls, combine 1 large grated (on a cheese grater) and sauteed onion with 5 slices of bread that have been well soaked in 3/4C milk and pulverized/shredded/broken into small pieces, 2 eggs, some combination of 2.5lb ground beef/pork, 2t salt, 1t nutmeg, 1t cardamom and 2t pepper until well mixed.  Make into smallish balls and set aside while you make them all.  Then, working in batches in a largeish saute pan, brown them on all sides in butter, starting out with 6T and adding more as needed on medium heat, so as to not burn the butter.  Once all the balls are browned and you've added whatever butter is necessary to top it off, add 1/3 cup flour and stir constantly until it's reached a coffee with cream color (make a roux).  Once it has reached an appropriate color, add 1 quart hot beef stock slowly.  The roux will stiffen and sputter when you first add stock, but will settle down (see pictures).  Add the meatballs to the pan in batches and let simmer for about 10 minutes covered to finish cooking them, and serve.  They melt in your mouth with delicious flavors; I recommend eating with toothpicks.
via http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/swedish_meatballs/

The meatballs after sauteing and before boiling

The sauce right after adding some stock - note the apparent chunkiness

...that dissolves into a creamy sauce

...with a tasty end product

Finally, we have some intensely chocolate cookies that have a bit of a kick.  To make the batter, combine  2 1/4C flour, 1/2+Cocoa powder, 2t cream of tarter, 1t baking soda, 1/2t salt, 2 sticks melted butter, 1 1/2C sugar, 2 eggs, 2t cinnamon and 1/2t chili powder.  Make into small balls, roll in a mixture of 1/4C sugar and 1/2t chili powder, then bake at 400 for about 10 minutes.  This is a different take on the chocolate cookie, and I am a huge fan of it.
via http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/mexican-hot-chocolate-cookies

Brandy Snaps, Brunch Bread, Chocolate Bean Bread and Meatballs

Today we've got a fancy cookie, a bacon, tomato and cheese bread, a delicious chocolate cake/bread that has garbanzo beans instead of flour and meatballs.

To start off, we have Brandy Snap cookies, which are sugar shells filled with a brandy-infused whipped cream.  To make, combine 1 stick butter, 1/2C molasses, 1/4C sugar and 1/4C brown sugar in over medium heat (I used a cast-iron pan) stirring constantly until melted and combined, then allow to bubble for a minute or two, then turn off the heat.  Stir in 3/4C flour, 1/4t ground ginger, 1/8t salt and 1T+ brandy until just combined.
Drop about 1T dollops onto a Silpat (silicone baking sheet) to bake in a 325 degree oven.  I could only fit 6 cookies onto a half-sheet (13x18) pan, as they spread out a LOT, so dollop carefully.  Bake for ~15 minutes or until done (it took a couple tries for me to get the timing right; if you under-bake them, they end up soft and don't hold their shape, so can't be filled effectively), take out of the oven and let sit for about 2 minutes, then mold over the handle of a whisk or other small-ish round implement (I used a thin French rolling pin).  If you baked them correctly, they should harden quite quickly to a hard brittle sugar tube.  I tried putting them on a cooling rack for a minute or so before molding it, but they ended up cooling too quickly.  Putting them back onto the hot pan will re-soften them.  Make the cooked shortly before they are to be eaten and keep in a dry place, as you would any molded sugar.
To make the filling, blend 2C whipping cream, 1-2oz brandy and 1/3C sugar until it forms stiff peaks.  Fill the cookies with a pastry bag or zip-lock with the corner cut off very shortly before eating, and enjoy!  I estimate that you have at most 2 hours after filling before the cookies start dissolving, so unless you have a spoon handy, make shortly before eating.  Also, make sure that they aren't on any liquid (like melted whip cream), or the bottoms will disappear.  Incredibly delicious, not overly decadent, and fantastic looking.  Via http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/11/brandy-snaps/


Next up is a bread that's filled with bacon, cheese and tomatoey goodness!  To start off, make at least 6 strips of bacon and crumble well.  Then, combine 3C flour, 1T sugar, 1C water and 2 1/4T proofed yeast and kneed until smooth.  Add in 1T of reserved bacon grease, the bacon, 2T tomato paste, 2+ oz grated Monterrey Jack cheese and 1/2t salt and kneed until well combined.  Let rise for about an hour, or until doubled.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, and you end up with a delicious and soft bread that's great on it's own, or as part of a dish (try removing some of the middle of a buttered slice and cooking it in a skillet with an egg in the void).  Also, to make a more tender crust, spray the oven with a water sprayer well a few times while cooking to maintain high humidity in the oven.  Via http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/01/bread-baking-tomato-cheese-and-bacon-bread.html














This is an extremely fudgy and chocolaty cake that's made with garbanzo beans, so you can pretend that it's good for you!  To make, combine 1 15oz can Garbanzos (drained and rinsed), 3 eggs and 1t vanilla in a food processor for about a minute.  Add in 5+oz melted chocolate chips, 1/2C sugar, 1/2t baking powder, 1/2t salt, 1t melted butter and 2T cocoa powder, and blend for an additional minute or so, until well blended and with a pudding-like consistency.  Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until a knife comes out clean.  The result is a really fudgey, decadent cake that is high in protein and not too bad for you (and you can't taste the beans at all). Via http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/01/chocolate-and-chickpeas-garbonzo-beans-cake-healthier-baking.html

Finally, a quick note on meatballs.  Our office had a competition a couple months ago, so I tried my hand (for the first time) making meatballs, and I think they turned out absolutely delicious.  I decided against going with just one recipe, so I just mixed together things that looked good.  For the balls themselves, I used unmeasured amounts of ground beef, seasoned breadcrumbs, caramelized onion, garlic, egg, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, Romano cheese, parsley, toasted onion powder, ranch dressing seasoning, apple cider vinegar and olive oil.  These were balled and browned in a pan, then glazed and baked.  For the glaze, I combined and reduced brown sugar, flour, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, raspberry jam and white wine.  They turned out really tasty, and took second in the office (to someone whose wife is a professional chef).  The picture is exceedingly unflattering, but the taste is what matters!

Pumpkin Pie and Cake, Pecan Pie, Carrot Cake, Honey Whole Wheat Bread and Spaghetti Squash

Alrighty, I've had my list of recipes to post building up for quite a while, but have been practicing my procrastination techniques instead of putting them up like a good little cook. Good news on the procrastination front at least, as I'm close to pro-level! Anyway, I figured that I would end the year on a good note, and today I've got a couple holiday and seasonal recipes as well as some standards tacked on at the end.

To start with, a pumpkin pie based on a recipe by Paula Deen (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-pie-recipe/index.html). Anything made with canned pumpkin gets a really nice and creamy texture, but the addition of cream cheese in this makes it nearly cheesecake-like in consistency.

I made a crust for this the same way that I made the torte crust in a previous post, but instead of must making a basic torte crust shape, I chilled the dough, rolled in into a circularish shape, chilled again, then pushed into a pie pan. Remember to fold the edges back under the crust, then press down with a fork or other design to make the crust more uniform (because mine was totally circular... right?). Pre-bake the crust at 350 for 15-20 minutes with something weighing down the middle of the crust so it doesn't poof too much.

For the filling, combine a softened 8oz package light cream cheese , 2C canned pumpkin, 1C sugar, 1/4t salt, 2 eggs, 1C milk, 1/2 stick melted butter, 1t vanilla, 1t cinnamon, and 1/2t ginger with beaters until smooth and creamy, then pour into a crust. I had leftover filling, and put the remainder in ramekins to bake and have individual pies (with or without mini-crusts). Bake your dish(es) at 350 for 50 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown. Utterly delicious.

Next up is a pumpkin cake, which is great for larger groups of people or pot-lucks, as it's in a 9x13 pan and travels quite well. To start, combine 1 box yellow cake mix except 1 cup with 1/2C melted margarine and one egg, and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Then, combine a 15oz can pumpkin, 3 eggs, 2t cinnamon, 1/2C brown sugar, 1/2C white sugar and a 5oz can evaporated milk well, and pour over the base layer in the pan. To make the toping, mix together the reserved yellow cake mix, 1/2C sugar, and 1/4C melted margarine, then crumble that over the top, and bake at 325 for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. I got rave reviews from this, and it was quite tasty.

Continuing the holiday trend is a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Now, I made this a month ago so don't remember precisely how I made it, but this is the best re-creation I can come up with. It doesn't use any high-fructose corn syrup like most pecan pies, only sugar. So, again start with a crust pushed into a pan. To make the filling, combine 3 eggs, 1/2C melted butter, 1C brown sugar, 1/4C white sugar, 1T flour, 1T milk, 2t vanilla extract, 2+T bourbon (I used Makers Mark) and 2/3C chopped pecans. Line the bottom of the crust with ~2/3C of good dark chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli), then pour the filling over them. Finish the top with whole pecans, and bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 350 and bake for another 30-40 minutes. The pie will poof up while it bakes, and will then settle back down once it comes out of the oven. Utterly delicious, and feel free to modify any ingredients based on what you like.

I also had leftover filling for this pie, so put it in a ramekin with leftover crust and made a personal pie. Awesome present to myself the next night.

Moving on, we have a carrot cake from The Tassajara Bread Book. It has carrots in it, which means you can almost justify it as being healthy. It's not. Rather, it's extremely rich, excellently spiced and makes an awesome dessert. To make, combine 1C white sugar, 1C brown sugar, 4 eggs, 2/3C melted butter and 2/3C canola oil. Then, mix in 2 C flour, 1+T cinnamon, 2t allspice, 2t freshly grated nutmeg and 1C chopped walnuts. Finally, mix in 3C grated carrots and 1C raisins and divide into 2 piled 9 inch pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, and serve with cream cheese icing. Delicious.

Growing up, there was a bakery my family went to that gave kids honey whole wheat bread sticks when they came in. These bread sticks amazing; sweet, soft, wheaty and delicious. I was looking for a good recipe for a standard whole wheat bread loaf I could use for my breakfast toast, and I think I found a recipe that is almost identical to those bread sticks, and so moist and tasty. Ok, enough adjectives, on to the recipe. Combine 3C warm water, 2t yeast and 1/3C honey, and let sit a couple minutes. Then, add 3C whole wheat flour, 3C bread flour, 3T melted butter, 1T salt, a drizzle of canola oil and a couple tablespoons of sugar, combine and kneed until smooth and a good consistency. Add up to a couple cups of bread flour as you kneed to adjust the consistency to a nice level. Let rise for a couple hours until doubled, divide into 2 loaf pans, let rise another couple hours until the pans are filled, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden on top. I may or may not have eaten a third of a loaf as soon as it came out of the oven. Oops.

Finally, a quick tip. Spaghetti squash is awesome. Furthermore, it makes a really quick easy dinner. Cook the squash by cutting it in half and cooking at 375 for 40 minutes, then scrape out the flesh, and add hummus and any veggies you may have. Hummus makes a remarkably good sauce, much like a pesto.

Baking Bonanza and Easy Gourmet

So, being that it is the beginning of the holiday season, I decided to do a couple recipes with a holiday theme. I also got an awesome new bread cookbook from my Aunt Trish full of amazing-looking recipes (The Tassajara Bread Book), so I just had to start making them.

To start off, a Pumpkin sweet bread that is just awesome. To make, combine 1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin, 1.5C brown sugar, 1 stick butter and 3 eggs, and stir until creamy. Add to that 3.5C flour, 2T baking powder (yes, tablespoon), 1t cinnamon, 1/2t salt and 1/2t nutmeg, and stir till well combined. Fold in 2C chocolate chips and bake in 2 loaf pans at 350 for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The bread is creamy, pumpkin-y, chocolaty and really delicious.

Next up is a new take on gingerbread (from the new cookbook) . It has ground mustard in it, and is more cake-y and less cardboard-y than traditional gingerbread (though you can't really build houses out of it), and comes out quite moist and not that unhealthy. To make, combine 2.25C whole wheat flour, 1.5t baking powder, 1/2t salt, 1/2t baking soda, 1/2t cloves, 1t ground mustard, 1t cinnamon and 1t powdered ginger. In a separate bowl, combine 1 stick melted butter, 1C molasses, 1 egg and 1C hot water, then add that mixture to the dry mix and stir thoroughly (it ends up looking a bit runny), then bake at 350 in a 9x9 pan for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. It's got a really good flavor, and would be great with a bit of whipped cream on top.

Sticking with the healthier theme, I found (in the new cookbook) a really good base wheat muffin recipe, to which I added festival spices (one of the half dozen modifications they recommend) to make it more appropriate for the season. To make the base, combine 2C whole wheat flour, 2t baking powder, 1/2t salt, 1 beaten egg, 1/4C oil, 1/3C honey (or molasses) and 1.5C milk with as few strokes as possible (it's fine if it's still lumpy; the muffins will turn out just fine). Then, bake at 400 for 15 minutes or (can you guess?) until a toothpick comes out clean. I added 1/2t cinnamon, 1/2t nutmeg, 1/4t allspice and 1/4t ginger to the dry ingredients as well. The muffins taste quite good, and would make a great breakfast with some yogurt or just as a snack.

Finally, a random meal suggestion. Making pork chops (or steak) in a frying pan makes them fricken' awesome. Take a pork chop and salt and pepper each side, then place in a very hot, dry non-stick fry pan. It will initially stick to the bottom, and you will know when it's time to turn by when it releases itself. Flip over and repeat, but just before it finishes, add a couple drams of red wine and simmer the wine down with the pork chop so you end up with the flavor wonderfully infused; the pork chop comes out tender and moist. Top with some caramelized onions that were made with a drizzle of red wine, and you're getting gourmet. Add some green beans and red potatoes from a farmers market and you're in business!

Onion Pork Chops, Banana Bread, Stuffed Peppers and Pear Torte

I know, I know, 2 posts so close together, what am I thinking?! I've gotten a bit of a backlog, so decided to put 2 out this week.

First off, a copiously easy dish that's good for a weeknight. All you do is pour a can of Cola and packet of onion soup mix in a container with a couple pork chops, then bake for 30 minutes a side. I recommend reducing the sauce a bit more once it comes out, but otherwise it works well as a sauce over rice. Tasty, simple, and can make enough for leftovers.

Next, some banana bread. Combine 2C flour, 1t baking soda, 1/4t salt, 1/2C butter, 3/5C brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1t vanilla and 3-4 overripe bananas. Stir until combined, pour in a loaf pan, then bake at 350 for about 60 minutes. If you use bananas that are still edible to normal people, they will end up as chunks in the bread (which is actually quite tasty). Makes a great snack, breakfast, or dessert.

A stuffed green pepper makes for a great dinner, and keeps really well for a couple days. If you have leftover filling, it also works well sautéed for breakfast. To make the filling, brown 1 chopped onion and 1 lb ground beef, drain grease, then add 1 minced clove of garlic, 2t basil, 2t oregano, salt and pepper and a 15oz can of chopped tomatoes. Add the meat mixture and 1 cup of prepared rice with an egg, adjust seasonings to taste. Then fill halved and cleaned green peppers, top with cheddar, and bake at 350 for an hour. They're quite tasty, and sort of a comfort food for me.

Finally, another filling for the torte recipe from a while ago. Slice pears, then boil in heavily sugared water with cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook until well reduced, then use as filling in the tort, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar and nutmeg, close and bake. Delicious.

Breakfast salad, Corn Soup, Chocolate Milkshake

I was able to get to a farmers market (finally!), and so have been enjoying some fresh vegetables lately. One thing I've liked is a simple variety of fresh things for breakfast. A sliced avocado, tomato, cucumber, hard-boiled egg, crumbled bacon and cheddar, then drizzled with balsamic and sprinkled with sea salt make a great start to the day.

Next, a soup with some fresh sweet corn. Sauté 5 ears worth of corn with a little butter, cumin, salt and pepper, and add to chicken broth. Then, sauté a sliced onion with some olive oil, and add that to the broth. Add some milk, minced garlic, onion and garlic powder, more cumin, and a touch of cinnamon, them pepper and salt to taste. Simmer for half an hour or so, then puree, and add more seasonings to taste. Quite delicious, and also quite healthy.

Finally, a chocolate milkshake that's not nearly as bad for you as most of them out there. Start off with a couple cups of skim milk in a blender, then add ~12 ice cubes. Then add ~1/3C of baking chocolate powder, sugar, chocolate syrup, vanilla and peppermint schnapps. Comes out light and frothy, and significantly better for you than making a milkshake with ice cream, and just as delicious.

Pita, Balsamic Onion Tart, Dumplings and Maple Salmon

To start off, we've got homemade pita bread. I had never really considered making it before I had a bunch of extra hummus (see earlier post) and no pita to go with it, such a calamity! So, after making it, I found that it's really quite simple, quite fun to make, and is very good. To make it, combine and kneed 3C flour, 1.5t salt, 1T honey, 2t yeast, 1.25C water and 2T olive oil until well combined, and let rise about an hour and a half. Then, divide into 8 balls and press/roll into pita shaped on a well-floured counter. If you work them too much and they won't hold the flattened shape, let the dough rest 10 minutes and try again. Bake on a stone in the oven at 400 degrees until the bottom is lightly golden. They turn out soft and light, and go really well with hummus, or make a nice personal pizza crust. Based on http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/pitabread

Next up, we have a savory tart that turned out to be absolutely fantastic. I found a recipe for a French tart dough that made a shell similar to a pie crust that was quite simple, and went from there. To make the crust, put 6T butter, 1T oil, 1T sugar, 1/8t salt and 3T water in a Pyrex measuring cup, and bake at 410 degrees in the oven until the edges of the butter are just starting to brown. Carefully remove from the oven, and mix in 1 rounded cup of flour, then stir until well combined, let cool, then roll out to form a crust on a well-floured counter.

At this point, you can fill it with pretty much whatever you'd like, but I think my concoction was pretty delicious. I started by drizzling some reduced balsamic vinegar on the bottom, then layered thickly sliced onion and tomato, basil, oregano, thyme, more reduced balsamic vinegar, and top with mozzarella cheese. Now comes the challenging part, folding it up without making a disastrous mess. I used a pastry scraper to fold up the sides and press them together and used a small sheet pan as a peel to transfer to the oven. Bake at 400 degrees on a stone until nicely browned and bubbly. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic, and the crust is quite versatile. I have also used it with pear slices that were boiled in water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, and it made a fantastic dessert. The crust is based on http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/french-tart-dough-a-la-francaise/

Next up is a dumpling that turned out OK, but weren't outstanding; I think because the filling I used wasn't the best. To make, kneed 2.5C flour, 1t salt, 3/4C water, 1t baking powder, 1t oil and 1 egg, then roll out on a well-floured counter. Make sure that you get it nice and thin, otherwise it doesn't cook evenly. Then fill with something good; the Italian sausage I used was good, the potato not so much. I think mozzarella would be good, as well. Make sure you cut the dough into larger pieces than you think, otherwise they can be tough to get closed. Once made, boil for a few minutes, then drain and serve with sauce, Parmesan, or whatever other garnish you like.

Finally, we end with an awesome maple salmon recipe. To make, mix 1/4C maple syrup, 2T soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4t garlic salt, and 1/4t black pepper in a small bowl. Place the salmon in a foil-lined appropriately sized dish, pour over the glaze, and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until easily flaked. If you have a larger piece of fish, double the sauce, and use leftover for pouring on rice.