Lettergirl

Recipe Repertoire number nine.

Don't forget the February giveaway!

I am enjoying my tea this morning in this lovely etsy purchase:

 

This was actually my first ever etsy purchase and I adore it; it's from Lynn Cardwell Pottery.

(And yes, I do like a little tea with my milk.)

Mary's Tri-color Cous-cous

1 package cous-cous

1 bag frozen petite peas, thawed

1 bag frozen diced carrots, steamed

1 red onion, diced

1 cup currants or craisins

1 cup golden raisins

1 diced bell pepper (red, orange or yellow)

1 cup finely chopped parsley

1 cup toasted pine nuts

vinaigrette to taste

Mix all ingredients together except the last three.  Just before serving, add the parsley, pine nuts and vinaigrette.  (If you're not making this for a larger group, separate out what you think you will eat in one serving, and add a portion of the last three items to that only.  The former part keeps well in the fridge for a few days, but the pine nuts especially don't fair as well with storage.)  Garnish with additional parsley.

Recipe Repertoire number eight.

Kate's Fish

1-1/2 slices sourdough bread

2 6-oz. trout filets (rainbow or lake)

1 T. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. dried tarragon

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put bread in a blender or food processor and pulse until crumbly.  Place the trout, skin side down, on a jelly roll pan lightly coated with cooking oil/spray.  Combine mustard and tarragon; spread over top of fish.  Sprinkle fish with breadcrumbs and paprika.  Lightly spray with cooking oil.  Bake for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Read about the February giveaway here.  (The Monte Cristo sandwiches got a big thumbs up!  I didn't have any jam, so defrosted & mashed some raspberries from the freezer.)

Recipe Repertoire number seven.

This is the best homemade pizza ever.  I'm posting it on Monday so you'll have time to get all the supplies gathered by Friday (pizza night!).  I know it's a little bit "pinch of this/pinch of that" but it's quite forgiving overall, and definitely open to experimentation.  And it looks long and involved, but so worth it.  You can make the dough without a bread machine, but you really have to have a pizza stone (or two).  The dough makes enough for two medium/large pizzas.

Pizza Dough

Put a little warm-to-hot water in the pan of a breadmaker (2-3 T.).  Sprinkle 2 tsp. yeast over the water.  (I use a lot of yeast, so have it on hand in a jar.  A packet is 2-1/4 tsp., and that would work just fine.)  Pour in a little olive oil (1-2 T.).  Add about a teaspoon of salt.  Add a little over 1 cup of cold water.  Add 3 cups flour.  (I use 1/2 to 1 cup whole wheat, and the rest white.  The more whole wheat you use, the chewier the crust will be.  You may need to use a little more water if you're using more whole wheat.  More white flour will give you a crispier/cracker-like crust.)  Add about 2 T. cornmeal.  Set the breadmaker to the dough cycle to complete the dough.  (Mine takes 1-1/2 hours.)  As I am measuring the flour & cornmeal, I set aside a little extra to use later.  (Leave a tablespoon or two of flour in the cup, and a teaspoon or so of cornmeal in the spoon.)

 

The key to really exceptional homemade pizza is parchment paper.  Cut a piece of parchment the same size (more or less) as your pizza stone.  I have one circle stone (on the very bottom rack of the oven, pushed to one side) and one rectangular stone (on the middle rack, pushed to the other side). 

 

When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  (Mine takes a good 10 minutes to reach that temperature, so I prepare the pizza toppings while the oven is preheating.)  Make sure the stones are in the oven so they get preheated too.

Sprinkle the reserved cornmeal on the parchment.  Put half the dough on each piece and sprinkle it with flour.  It is perfectly okay if your dough is "wet" -- you will just need a bit more flour.

 

Push the dough out to match the shape of your parchment, adding flour as needed.

Now you can add your toppings as desired. 

 

Slide the parchment + pizza onto the preheated stones.  This is where the parchment is essential:  it allows you to prepare the crust easily, create your pizza, and slide it right into the oven without ruining everything.  It also conducts the heat from your stone right to the crust.

Typically, the bottom pizza will cook faster.  I usually slide the top pizza onto its stone, wait a few minutes, then slide the bottom pizza onto its stone.

Bake until brown + bubbly.  The finished pizza will slide right off the parchment as you remove it from the oven.  (Discard the used parchment.)

 

What are your favorite pizza toppings?  I'll share two of our favorites on the next two Fridays.  I would love to try something new!

Recipe Repertoire number six.

{Bragging Alert} I am all caught up on my Inspiration File, thanks to an evening of choir practice followed by play rehearsal. 

(I also planned a new mini album for my retail stores, adhered some new photos to my sewing portfolio, bought some gorgeous new beads for an Alabama Chanin project, and chatted with some lovely moms.  Can you tell this is the first week in a long time I didn't have our seven year old along for the ride?)

Details on the February giveaway are at the end of this post.

On Monday I hope to divulge my secret for amazing homemade pizza, which we devour every Friday around the kitchen table.  In the meantime, here is a sensual salad from How to Eat Supper.  I really never cared for deviled eggs until I tried this:

Pan-Crisped Deviled Eggs on Salad

8 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled

1 scant teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2-1/2 tsp. onion, minced

2-1/2 T. flat leaf parsley, coarsley chopped

2-3 T. milk

2-1/2 tsp. mayonnaise

1-1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar

2-3 T. olive oil (I use 365/Whole Foods brand organic)

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise.  Gently remove the yolks with your fingers and place in a medium bowl, reserving the whites.

Add the mustard, garlic, onion, parsley, milk, mayonnaise and vinegar to the yolks.  With a fork, crush everything together into a thick paste.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Pack the mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites, so the filling is even with the surface of the egg, not mounded.  Reserve the leftover filling to add to the dressing (below).

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Gently place the eggs in the pan, stuffed side down.  Cook until the eggs are browned, 3 to 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper as they cook.

As the eggs saute, combine the following with the leftover filling:

3 T. olive oil

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2-1/2 T. milk

2-1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar

Add some salad greens (about 4 generous handfuls) to the bowl and toss. 

To serve, put some of the greens on a plate.  Gently lift the eggs from the pan and place on top of the greens, filling side up.

Recipe Repertoire numbers three, four, and five.

Read more about the February giveaway at the end of this post.

 

I'm not really sure if three bread recipes should count towards my goal of 50 dinner recipes, but these three are definitely part of my repertoire.  Both the cornbread and the bubble bread freeze well, so if I'm baking on a Saturday, I try to make two and freeze one of them.

Lucia's Cornbread

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. buttermilk

1 large egg

5 T. butter, melted

Stir all ingredients just until mixed.  (Do not overmix.)  Spoon into a lightly greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until very lightly browned on top.  We like this with honey butter!

 

Angel Biscuits

2-1/4 tsp. yeast (or 1 package)

3/4 c. warm water

1-1/2 c. buttermilk, at room temperature

4 to 4-1/2 c. flour (I use about 1/4 whole wheat, 3/4 white)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. sugar

2/3 c. butter, chilled

2 T. butter, melted

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside.

Heat the buttermilk over low heat just until warm about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the yeast/water.

Put 4 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into small chunks and blend with the flour mixture using a pastry blender (or two knives) until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

Add the yeast-buttermilk mixture with a fork, a little at a time.  Knead lightly on a floured surface for about two minutes, adding flour if it is sticky.  Roll out dough (lightly) to about 9" in diameter and cut biscuits with a 2" cutter.  Roll the scraps and cut more.  Place these on two ungreased baking sheets, about 1" apart.  Brush with the melted butter.  Cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1-1/2 hours, until they have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Set the first pan on the lowest shelf in the oven for 10 minutes, until lightly golden brown.  Remove from baking sheet immediately.  Bake the second pan on the lowest shelf as well.

 

Bearskin Lodge Bubble Bread

1-loaf recipe of bread dough (white or wheat), or 1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

3 T. butter, melted and cooled

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 T. chopped parsley

1/8 tsp. onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

Grease a loaf pan.  Snip about 2/3 the dough into walnut-size pieces and set in pan.  Combine remaining ingredients; pour over the dough.  Snip the remaining dough on top.  Cover and let rise until double, about 1-1/2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake until honey brown, 30-35 minutes.  Cool in pan about 10 minutes. 

Recipe Repertoire number two.

YUM.  Every recipe that has been sent to me so far is something to make my mouth water.  I am actually looking forward to making lunch on Saturday!  (Usually it is the same old, same old around here for Saturday lunch.)

Chicken with Sweet Peppers

4 boneless chicken breast halves, sauteed & then sliced (or any leftover chicken will do)

4 T. olive oil

4 thinly sliced bell peppers (mixed colors)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

3-6 T. balsamic vinegar

Saute the bell peppers and onion in the olive oil until soft, then add garlic and cook one minute more.  We like the peppers really soft, so we let them cook a good half hour or more.  If you like them crispier, it won't take as long.  Stir in half the basil and the vinegar.  Return the chicken to the skillet. (If the chicken is juicy, be sure to add the collected juices.  I sometimes add a little broth if it seems dry or a little extra vinegar.)  Simmer until the chicken is heated through, about three minutes.  Add remaining basil and season with salt & pepper.

We eat this with pasta, and a little parmesan on top.

Recipe Repertoire number one.

As I wrote out my list of recipes to share, I was thrilled to note that even with focusing only on dinner, I am well on my way to the goal of 50 recipes already (50 recipes I know well, that is).  Let's face it, if I included dessert recipes there wouldn't be room for anything else on the list.  And though I love breakfast, I am the only one in our family who wants to eat breakfast for dinner.  What I'm really lacking is recipes for lunch, in particular for the lunchbox.  Pretty please send me your favorites!  (And keep the dinner recipes coming too, can't wait to try that potpie!)  Don't forget this month's handmade cookbook giveaway.

Baked Risotto with Butternut Squash & Prosciutto

3 cups butternut squash cubes (peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4" dice)

3 T. olive oil, divided

3 T. butter

1-1/2 c. arborio/short grain rice

3-3/4 c. chicken stock

1-1/2 oz. prosciutto, cut into 1/4" x 3" strips

1/2 c. grated gruyere

1-1/2 T. chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil over medium heat.

Meanwhile, spread the squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 2 T. of the olive oil.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Set aside while you prepare the rice.

Generously butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish.  Spread the rice in the dish and cover with the hot broth/butter.  Set this dish on another baking sheet. (I haven't really figured out why you need to use a baking sheet under it...possibly something to do with the way the heat is conducted/cooking of the rice.)

Place the baking sheet with the rice on the center rack of the oven and the baking sheet with the squash on a lower rack in the oven.  Cook about 40 minutes, until all liquid in the rice dish is absorbed. The squash should take about the same amound of time; it helps if you stir it every 10 minutes. 

While squash & rice are in the oven, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a small skillet and saute the prosciutto over medium high heat until crisp (about 2 minutes).  Drain on paper towels.

Stir the gruyere cheese and chopped rosemary into the hot rice.  Then gently stir in the roasted squash.  Season with additional salt & pepper if needed.  Sprinkle the prosciutto strips over the top and garnish with additional fresh rosemary.

Picky palates.

A few months ago, I posted about Christopher Kimball's notion of every cook needing to master just 50 recipes.  I love the concept of a Recipe Repertoire. 

That said, we are a family of picky palates.  One of us has a restricted diet.  Two of us don't eat (much) meat.  Two of us have a faster metabolism than the other two and like to eat a lot.  One likes his food deconstructed.  (He'll eat all the elements of a big salad, as long as they are separated on his plate.)  One of us thinks she is a supertaster (as discussed in Lynne Rosetto Kasper's How to Eat Supper) and likes her food on the bland side.  We try to avoid processed foods, support our local economy, and be healthy.  And that's just our little family...what about yours?

The good news is every one of us is willing to try something new.  And every one of us says thank you before our evening meal.  Thank you for all the choices we have, thank you for this warm home, thank you for this family.  With all that we have going on, we try to keep the evening meal as a ritual to return to each day.

Meal planning is so much easier for me when I have a structure to work with.  It started with Friday night pizza night.  Then we added Sunday snupper (snacks + supper).  With parameters, I am a happy girl.

Starting Tuesday, I'll share some of the meals that work for us.  And I'm hoping you'll share some of the meals that work for you.  Send me a recipe any time this month and you'll be entered in a drawing for a one-of-a-kind mini-cookbook from me.  Send two recipes, you'll get two entries in the drawing. Share your recipes here in the comments, or via email:  gina {at} sekelsky.com.  Here's to each of us developing a repertoire of 50 recipes!

Snupper.

 

Quite an average photo of some very splendid soup.

Fridays are covered (pizza).  On Saturdays my husband usually cooks (always worth the pile of dishes).  Sundays...what to do with Sundays...?  This weekend we tried Sunday snupper (snacks + supper):  egg salad sandwiches, Italian wedding soup, a wee portion of sauteed scallops.  I have been wanting to make more soup this year -- and by making it on Sunday afternoon, I have enough for Sunday dinner (er...snupper) and lunches through the week.

I highly recommend Lynne Rossetto Kasper's recipe for broth (following) and Ina Garten's recipe for Italian Wedding Soup (especially the meatballs).

Cheater's Homemade Broth

Combine the following ingredients in a 4-quart pot.  Bring to a simmer, then partially cover & cook for 30 minutes.  (I let mine cook closer to an hour and throw in an extra tomato.)  This is easily doubled so you can save half for next week's soup.

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 whole cloves

1 canned tomato (Hunt's 100% Natural or Muir Glen Organic)

1 bay leaf, broken

1/2 teaspon dried basil

42 oz. chicken broth (Swanson's or College Inn)

1 medium to large onion, coarse chopped

1/2 stalk of celery, with leaves, coarse chopped

1/2 carrot, coarse chopped

Strain the broth and use right away, or refrigerate/freeze if using later.  If anyone wants the soup recipe, just let me know.  I am counting the minutes till lunch!

A traditional gift.

One year my new year's resolution was to try at least two new recipes each month.  By October I had tried almost 50 new recipes and some of them were real keepers.  After fretting -- yet again -- about what to give all our teachers, party hosts, neighbors, etc. for a wee holiday treat, my friend Jhna recommended I collect my favorite recipes from the year into a little cookbook.

A tradition was born.

Of course, the first year I made 20 lovely little cookbooks.  Then ten more.  Then another ten.  Five more ought to do it.  I swear this is the last five I will make.  And do you know, I don't even have one saved?  Me, queen of the archives!  Luckily I have a photo:

 

The next year I collected our favorite breakfast recipes:

 

I made almost 100 sets of seasonal dessert recipes in 2006:

 

In 2007, I couldn't quite make up my mind on a theme and so "took the year off" (which is to say, I never got around to it).  But I'm geared up for this year and have already started gathering recipes (thank you Chris and Anna).  If you'd like a copy of this year's book, just leave a comment on any post this week and I'll add you to my list!