After much hemming and hawing, I have settled on a new blog name to reflect a slightly new direction in the blog. Please check it out at: www.thecookiesare.blogspot.com!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Meat sauce
As every month's batch of meat seems to have at least two pounds of ground beef, I needed to do something a bit different from what we've been doing so far: meatballs, meatloaf, tacos...and while this recipe isn't much of a departure from the norm, it's easy to do on a weeknight, and takes only a few ingredients, most of which are already in the kitchen cabinet.
I served this with a small amount of pasta - about 1/2 a pound to the whole recipe, and the recipe yields 4 servings. This is not a very saucy pasta sauce. I could see adding some zucchini to the mix with the tomatoes if they were laying about, but since this isn't zucchini season, that's not likely to happen. Eggplant would be a possibility, too, as would substituting sausage for the ground beef. To increase the volume, one could also add a second can of tomatoes; in that case, also increase the garlic, salt, and oregano to taste.
Weeknight Meat Sauce
Serves 4
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
1 lb ground beef (medium or lean)
3 cloves garlic
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes (or chopped tomatoes, or pureed tomatoes - whatever is on hand)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried oregano
Heat olive oil in wide pan. Once hot, add the onions; stir briefly, then add the beef. Break up the meat into small pieces. Saute the meat and onions until meat is browned and onions are softened. Add garlic; cook until fragrant. Add can of tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, cut up the tomatoes into small pieces (I do this in the can with a pair of scissors). Add salt and oregano. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the excess liquid has evaporated. Cover and keep warm until pasta is ready. Taste; the mixture may need more salt. Season to taste.
I served this with a small amount of pasta - about 1/2 a pound to the whole recipe, and the recipe yields 4 servings. This is not a very saucy pasta sauce. I could see adding some zucchini to the mix with the tomatoes if they were laying about, but since this isn't zucchini season, that's not likely to happen. Eggplant would be a possibility, too, as would substituting sausage for the ground beef. To increase the volume, one could also add a second can of tomatoes; in that case, also increase the garlic, salt, and oregano to taste.
Weeknight Meat Sauce
Serves 4
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
1 lb ground beef (medium or lean)
3 cloves garlic
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes (or chopped tomatoes, or pureed tomatoes - whatever is on hand)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried oregano
Heat olive oil in wide pan. Once hot, add the onions; stir briefly, then add the beef. Break up the meat into small pieces. Saute the meat and onions until meat is browned and onions are softened. Add garlic; cook until fragrant. Add can of tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, cut up the tomatoes into small pieces (I do this in the can with a pair of scissors). Add salt and oregano. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the excess liquid has evaporated. Cover and keep warm until pasta is ready. Taste; the mixture may need more salt. Season to taste.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Turkey pot pie
While I love Thanksgiving, I could completely leave out the turkey and be entirely content. The sides are where it's at for me - the spoon bread, the corn pudding, the stuffing...a plate full of side dishes would still be a perfect Thanksgiving. What keeps me coming back to the turkey, though - besides the expectation of its presence at the table - is the turkey pot pie I make afterward.
After the first Thanksgiving I held myself when I moved to Canada, I had a lot of leftover turkey. E, another graduate student in my lab at the time, passed along this recipe. For the super-lazy, just use pre-made pie crust; this couldn't be simpler, and it freezes well. I usually end up with two pies, since there is always lots of dark meat hiding where my less-than-stellar butchering skills can't find it when dinner is originally served.
Turkey Pot Pie
(makes 1 9" pie - double for two pies)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion
2 stalks sliced celery
2 Tbsp leftover gravy
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups chopped turkey
2 - 3 cups of frozen vegetables*
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Put in two-crust pie. Bake at 425 degrees of 28 minutes.
*The original recipe calls for 1/2 a bag of frozen veggies, like peas, carrots, and corn. However, often these bags are enormous - and without lots of freezer space or the tendency to eat these otherwise, I use a combination of frozen peas and corn, and cut up a carrot into small pieces and throw that in, too. Use whatever you like in a pot pie.
After the first Thanksgiving I held myself when I moved to Canada, I had a lot of leftover turkey. E, another graduate student in my lab at the time, passed along this recipe. For the super-lazy, just use pre-made pie crust; this couldn't be simpler, and it freezes well. I usually end up with two pies, since there is always lots of dark meat hiding where my less-than-stellar butchering skills can't find it when dinner is originally served.
Turkey Pot Pie
(makes 1 9" pie - double for two pies)
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion
2 stalks sliced celery
2 Tbsp leftover gravy
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of milk
2 cups chopped turkey
2 - 3 cups of frozen vegetables*
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Put in two-crust pie. Bake at 425 degrees of 28 minutes.
*The original recipe calls for 1/2 a bag of frozen veggies, like peas, carrots, and corn. However, often these bags are enormous - and without lots of freezer space or the tendency to eat these otherwise, I use a combination of frozen peas and corn, and cut up a carrot into small pieces and throw that in, too. Use whatever you like in a pot pie.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Black forest cake
Wow, I've been neglecting this blog. Not for lack of cooking - we've been using our delicious meat share faithfully, and I've made some very good things. There's something about the lack of natural light by the time we eat dinner, though, that makes picture taking difficult - and makes going to bed much more appealing than writing a blog post.In any case, last Saturday we made Black Forest cake in my baking class. We each made two 7" cakes; not knowing what, exactly, to do with two cakes, I brought one into work. One of the women I work with, F, thought it was so good that she asked me to make one for her daughter's birthday party this Saturday. Since the only real reason I don't bake as much as I'd like is because there aren't enough people to eat all of it, I was happy to do it - what a great excuse to try out my new skills!
Here's a photo of the results - beautifully positioned in my refrigerator. (Judge the other contents if you must.) It's since been transferred to its cake carrier and back into the fridge so the whipped cream on the outside stays fresh. This cake is better the day after it's been made, and was still equally good the day after, so it should still be excellent on Saturday for the party. The only downside of making a cake, though, is that you can't test it to make sure it's good - people definitely notice if a slice has been taken out of it!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Short rib and cabbage soup
This month has been very busy for work - which has meant little time for cooking, and even less time for blogging. I even forgot to pick up our last box in the vegetable CSA - the fact that it was a Tuesday that day completely escaped me.
I did manage, though, to make good use this week of the pot roast and the short ribs we got with our meat CSA. Working at home helped with that - otherwise, there would have been no time to turn the pot roast over every 30 minutes for the 3 or so hours it was in the oven. I made Donna's soup at the same time.
Sure, cabbage soup sounds not so exciting. I admit, when the research assistant extraordinaire first brought some in to the lab for me to try, I was skeptical. Instead of being just boring cabbage soup, though, this soup was amazing. Meaty, and filling, and slightly sweet; the cabbage was perfectly tender. I loved this soup. Donna wrote the recipe down for me from memory, but I couldn't find the short ribs she described in my grocery store - so when they arrived in the first meat delivery, they were earmarked for that purpose immediately.
I used the quantity of short ribs I was given - 4 really meaty strips - and had to leave out a can of tomatoes because the pot I was using just wasn't big enough to hold it all - and it was still delicious. To be true to Donna's original and amazing recipe, though, here it is! (Thankfully, this freezes well, since it makes a ton of soup.)
Donna's Short Rib and Cabbage Soup
8 sets of short ribs
4 beef soup bones
1 head green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 cans tomatoes - no salt or herbs added
1 can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup brown sugar
In the biggest pot you have, cover the short ribs with cold water. Bring to boil. Boil for 30 minutes, skimming the scum that rises to the top off while boiling.
Add remaining ingredients, erring on the low side for the sugar and salt (you can always add more later to taste). Cook on low for several hours, or until the cabbage is tender. Remove the bones from the soup, and cut the remaining meat into bite-sized pieces; return to soup.
Soup is better the second day, and freezes very well. Top with Parmesan cheese for extra deliciousness.
I did manage, though, to make good use this week of the pot roast and the short ribs we got with our meat CSA. Working at home helped with that - otherwise, there would have been no time to turn the pot roast over every 30 minutes for the 3 or so hours it was in the oven. I made Donna's soup at the same time.
Sure, cabbage soup sounds not so exciting. I admit, when the research assistant extraordinaire first brought some in to the lab for me to try, I was skeptical. Instead of being just boring cabbage soup, though, this soup was amazing. Meaty, and filling, and slightly sweet; the cabbage was perfectly tender. I loved this soup. Donna wrote the recipe down for me from memory, but I couldn't find the short ribs she described in my grocery store - so when they arrived in the first meat delivery, they were earmarked for that purpose immediately.
I used the quantity of short ribs I was given - 4 really meaty strips - and had to leave out a can of tomatoes because the pot I was using just wasn't big enough to hold it all - and it was still delicious. To be true to Donna's original and amazing recipe, though, here it is! (Thankfully, this freezes well, since it makes a ton of soup.)
Donna's Short Rib and Cabbage Soup
8 sets of short ribs
4 beef soup bones
1 head green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 cans tomatoes - no salt or herbs added
1 can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup brown sugar
In the biggest pot you have, cover the short ribs with cold water. Bring to boil. Boil for 30 minutes, skimming the scum that rises to the top off while boiling.
Add remaining ingredients, erring on the low side for the sugar and salt (you can always add more later to taste). Cook on low for several hours, or until the cabbage is tender. Remove the bones from the soup, and cut the remaining meat into bite-sized pieces; return to soup.
Soup is better the second day, and freezes very well. Top with Parmesan cheese for extra deliciousness.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
New CSA?
As the vegetable CSA winds down, I told myself I wouldn't sign up for another one. Despite the vegetables being amazing, and the opportunity to challenge myself to try new recipes and experiment with vegetables I wouldn't normally buy, the box's arrival on Tuesday created two stresses that became worse with a 9-to-5 job: picking up the box added a hour to my commute (downtown and back), and coming up with a plan for the week's meals in the middle of the week.
However, I'm a sucker for local food, and a recent trip to the local grocery store reminded me why I was so excited about getting the boxes in the first place: the produce varies in quality, and it adds another step to think about where it comes from. And while I do indulge in berries flown in from around the world on my morning cereal, I like to try to buy seasonally otherwise. I like the close contact with the source of the food.
So when I saw that Culinarium is offering a winter CSA, I was curious. The bi-monthly boxes would include typical winter vegetables, some hot-house produce, and other local fare (maple syrup, etc.) One plus: they offer delivery for a nominal fee. The downside? Delivery is at noon on Thursdays, which just won't work for us. And the box's arrival is still mid-week. I'm disappointed, but I recognize that it just won't be feasible for us this winter. Instead, I'll try to head down to Culinarium on a regular basis to stock up on what they've got on hand on the weekends. I encourage anyone in the Toronto area to check out this winter CSA, though - I wish we could do it.
The bright spot in this is that the meat CSA is working out very well. It's more manageable because it arrives only once a month, and the fact that the meat is frozen gives a great deal more flexibility with meal planning. I'm already looking forward to my Thanksgiving turkey...
However, I'm a sucker for local food, and a recent trip to the local grocery store reminded me why I was so excited about getting the boxes in the first place: the produce varies in quality, and it adds another step to think about where it comes from. And while I do indulge in berries flown in from around the world on my morning cereal, I like to try to buy seasonally otherwise. I like the close contact with the source of the food.
So when I saw that Culinarium is offering a winter CSA, I was curious. The bi-monthly boxes would include typical winter vegetables, some hot-house produce, and other local fare (maple syrup, etc.) One plus: they offer delivery for a nominal fee. The downside? Delivery is at noon on Thursdays, which just won't work for us. And the box's arrival is still mid-week. I'm disappointed, but I recognize that it just won't be feasible for us this winter. Instead, I'll try to head down to Culinarium on a regular basis to stock up on what they've got on hand on the weekends. I encourage anyone in the Toronto area to check out this winter CSA, though - I wish we could do it.
The bright spot in this is that the meat CSA is working out very well. It's more manageable because it arrives only once a month, and the fact that the meat is frozen gives a great deal more flexibility with meal planning. I'm already looking forward to my Thanksgiving turkey...
Two hauls!
Excuse my laxness in putting up any new posts - this month has been a very busy one. P's grandfather (100 years old!) passed away, then P and I went to London for a week, and then his parents visited for a long weekend. On top of that, work has been ramping up progressively, all with good things - but cooking and taking pictures and posting has been low on the list of activities, after sleeping, patting our cat, and trying to keep up with the laundry.
In any case, the two new CSA portions were picked up yesterday. The penultimate vegetable box, and another big bag of meat. Here's what was in the vegetable box:
A big pile of red potatoes
2 carrots
3 beets
A bunch of Mizuna greens
A Delicata squash
2 onions
A green bell pepper
A Sicilian eggplant
A Tiger baby watermelon
I've amassed a serious squash collection in my cabinet - I don't think I've used any of the squashes we've received yet because I find them a bit of a pain to use, since they can be so difficult to peel and slice up. They also go bad the slowest, so I have more flexibility in when I use them. The next few weeks, though, will be squash-tastic - if you have any squash recipe suggestions, please pass them along.
As for the meat, I'm very excited about using it all. I can't rattle it all off from memory, but there was osso buco in there, and pork sausage, a beef roast I can make a pot roast with, T-bone steaks, and a rack of lamb...the list goes on, but those are definitely my highlights. I think with the beef roast and the assorted root vegetables I've gotten in the last little while, a pot roast is definitely on the list of future posts.
In any case, the two new CSA portions were picked up yesterday. The penultimate vegetable box, and another big bag of meat. Here's what was in the vegetable box:
A big pile of red potatoes
2 carrots
3 beets
A bunch of Mizuna greens
A Delicata squash
2 onions
A green bell pepper
A Sicilian eggplant
A Tiger baby watermelon
I've amassed a serious squash collection in my cabinet - I don't think I've used any of the squashes we've received yet because I find them a bit of a pain to use, since they can be so difficult to peel and slice up. They also go bad the slowest, so I have more flexibility in when I use them. The next few weeks, though, will be squash-tastic - if you have any squash recipe suggestions, please pass them along.
As for the meat, I'm very excited about using it all. I can't rattle it all off from memory, but there was osso buco in there, and pork sausage, a beef roast I can make a pot roast with, T-bone steaks, and a rack of lamb...the list goes on, but those are definitely my highlights. I think with the beef roast and the assorted root vegetables I've gotten in the last little while, a pot roast is definitely on the list of future posts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
