Decided to try some homemade spaghetti sauce. Here is the recipe I eventually arrived at...
Meaty Pasta Sauce
Ingredients:
• 1 bulb garlic, small dice
• 1 onion, small dice
• 1 Tbsp Basil
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cans (15oz) tomato sauce
• 3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 1 lb ground beef
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup red wine (I used a de-alcoholized Merlot)
• 3 Tbsp masa flour
Directions
1) In a sauce pan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until soft
2) Add Basil and mix well
3) Add tomato sauce and Balsamic vinegar and mix well.
4) In separate skillet, brown beef with salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
5) When meat is cooked, drain the grease and run the meat through a food processor to get it finely chopped. Then add it to the sauce pan.
6) De-glaze the skillet with the wine.
7) Add masa flour to the skillet and stir to create a paste. Add the paste to the sauce and mix well.
Not sure if the wine or Worcestershire sauce added a discernible flavor, but the Balsamic vinegar certainly did. I had read recipes where people used sugar to cut down on the potential bitterness of the tomato sauce. Well, the Balsamic vinegar essentially served that purpose and gave the sauce a rich, slightly sweet flavor as well. The masa flour could have been omitted had I had enough time to let the sauce reduce. I could also have used some other Italian seasonings with this, but I found it to be fairly balanced as it was. Definitely a recipe I would try again.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Chili Competition
Participated in my first chili cook-off yesterday. Available categories were beef, alternate, and fire extinguisher. My cooking partner and I opted for the alternate category and we used a combination of ground beef, bison, and pork sausage as the protein. We didn't win, but I think we plated a very tasty offering. Here's the recipe we used:
Medium Heat Three Meat Four Bean Chili
Ingredients:
· 1 lb ground beef
· 1 lb ground bison
· 1 lb ground pork sausage
· 2 ½ Vidalia onions, diced
· 7 cloves garlic, minced
· 3 stalks celery, diced
· 7 Tbsp chili powder
· 3 Tsp cumin
· 6 Tsp oregano
· 3 Tsp paprika
· 1 Tsp cayenne pepper
· 6 Tbsp masa
· 1 can (15 ½ oz) dark kidney beans, drained
· 2 cans (15 ½ oz) light kidney beans, drained
· 1 can (15 ½ oz) pinto beans, drained
· 1 can (15 ½ oz) black beans, drained
· 2 cans (28 oz) peeled and diced tomatoes – reserve liquid
· 2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
· 1 can (7.5 oz) chipotle chiles en adobo
· 3 cups chicken stock
· 2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions:
1) Combine meat and brown in skillet. Drain excess fat
2) Add onion, garlic, and celery to a stockpot with olive oil and sauté until onion is translucent
3) Add meat, spices, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken stock. Cook until tomatoes are broken up
4) Puree chipotle chiles en adobo and add to stock pot.
5) Mix masa with 1 cup reserved tomato juice and add to mixture. Simmer on low.
Medium Heat Three Meat Four Bean Chili
Ingredients:
· 1 lb ground beef
· 1 lb ground bison
· 1 lb ground pork sausage
· 2 ½ Vidalia onions, diced
· 7 cloves garlic, minced
· 3 stalks celery, diced
· 7 Tbsp chili powder
· 3 Tsp cumin
· 6 Tsp oregano
· 3 Tsp paprika
· 1 Tsp cayenne pepper
· 6 Tbsp masa
· 1 can (15 ½ oz) dark kidney beans, drained
· 2 cans (15 ½ oz) light kidney beans, drained
· 1 can (15 ½ oz) pinto beans, drained
· 1 can (15 ½ oz) black beans, drained
· 2 cans (28 oz) peeled and diced tomatoes – reserve liquid
· 2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce
· 1 can (7.5 oz) chipotle chiles en adobo
· 3 cups chicken stock
· 2 Tbsp olive oil
Directions:
1) Combine meat and brown in skillet. Drain excess fat
2) Add onion, garlic, and celery to a stockpot with olive oil and sauté until onion is translucent
3) Add meat, spices, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken stock. Cook until tomatoes are broken up
4) Puree chipotle chiles en adobo and add to stock pot.
5) Mix masa with 1 cup reserved tomato juice and add to mixture. Simmer on low.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Having spent a few years in Louisiana, I became quite enamored with Cajun cuisine. Jambalaya is one of the dishes I very much enjoy so I tried several approaches and combined elements to make a dish that I could really enjoy with my family. This version is slightly less spicy than I would like, but I toned it down so my kids would eat it. You can always increase the Tony Chacheres (the original recipe called for 4tbsp in this quantity). Or, you can add cayenne pepper, hot sauce, etc, either at the table or while preparing. For this version, I use pre-smoked chicken - in other words, I slow smoke some whole chickens over a hardwood fire when I have an opportunity, pull the meat from the bones and freeze it for use in this or other dishes. I then use the carcases to make the chicken broth. Two whole hens will typically yield 3-4 lbs of meat and 3-4 quarts of broth.
Ingredients:
2 lbs smoked chicken (pulled)
2 lbs smoked sausage (sliced)
3 cups long grain rice (uncooked)
1 tbsp butter
3 medium onions (diced)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp salt
3-4 cloves garlic (diced)
1 cup green onions (chopped)
1/2 cup bell peppers (diced)
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1 tsp black pepper
2.5 tbsp Tony Chacheres or similar cajun / creole seasoning blend
Directions:
1. Saute onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper until soft
2. Add cooked chicken and sausage
3. Add chicken broth and seasonings and bring to a boil
4. Add rice and bring back to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Turn rice
6. Cover with tight fitting lid and steam for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
7. Turn rice once more and turn the fire off. Let stand for 10 minutes and then serve.
Ingredients:
2 lbs smoked chicken (pulled)
2 lbs smoked sausage (sliced)
3 cups long grain rice (uncooked)
1 tbsp butter
3 medium onions (diced)
6 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp salt
3-4 cloves garlic (diced)
1 cup green onions (chopped)
1/2 cup bell peppers (diced)
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1 tsp black pepper
2.5 tbsp Tony Chacheres or similar cajun / creole seasoning blend
Directions:
1. Saute onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper until soft
2. Add cooked chicken and sausage
3. Add chicken broth and seasonings and bring to a boil
4. Add rice and bring back to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Turn rice
6. Cover with tight fitting lid and steam for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
7. Turn rice once more and turn the fire off. Let stand for 10 minutes and then serve.
Creamy Coconut Zucchini Soup
Wanted to try something different tonight. Ran across a basic coconut zucchini soup recipe and modified it to suit me. This turned out to be quite tasty.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (more or less to taste)
4 cups zucchini (grated)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if preferred)
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand)*
1.25 tsp red pepper flakes
* I normally don't specify a brand because everyone has their own preference. However, I've discovered that there is a wide range of differences in taste and consistency between different brands of coconut milk. So, I thought it best to specify the brand I used because using a different brand could alter your results.
Directions:
1. Saute onion, garlic, and zucchini in butter until onion and zucchini are softened.
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Add broth and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
4. Puree solids in blender and return to broth. Stir to mix.
5. Add coconut milk and stir to mix.
6. Add red pepper flakes to taste
Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (more or less to taste)
4 cups zucchini (grated)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, if preferred)
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (Thai Kitchen brand)*
1.25 tsp red pepper flakes
* I normally don't specify a brand because everyone has their own preference. However, I've discovered that there is a wide range of differences in taste and consistency between different brands of coconut milk. So, I thought it best to specify the brand I used because using a different brand could alter your results.
Directions:
1. Saute onion, garlic, and zucchini in butter until onion and zucchini are softened.
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Add broth and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
4. Puree solids in blender and return to broth. Stir to mix.
5. Add coconut milk and stir to mix.
6. Add red pepper flakes to taste
Monday, May 24, 2010
Spicy Shrimp Bisque
Not the most authentic shrimp bisque ever made, but it turned out to be quite tasty. I may have gotten a bit over-exhuberant with the red pepper flakes (the 2.5 tbsp listed below is a guess of what I actually dumped in). The batch I made was quite spicy, but very flavorful as well.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup fish stock
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2.5 tbsp red pepper flakes
½ cup ketchup
1.5 – 2 lb salad shrimp
Directions:
1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Add flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir to combine and brown.
3. Add milk and fish stock and stir to combine. Heat until thickened.
4. Add worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and pepper flakes and stir
5. Add shrimp and simmer until desired temperature and thickness.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup fish stock
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2.5 tbsp red pepper flakes
½ cup ketchup
1.5 – 2 lb salad shrimp
Directions:
1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Add flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir to combine and brown.
3. Add milk and fish stock and stir to combine. Heat until thickened.
4. Add worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and pepper flakes and stir
5. Add shrimp and simmer until desired temperature and thickness.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Semi-Traditional Gazpacho
I've been reading and hearing a bit about gazpacho, of late, so since I'm in my cold soup phase right now, I thought I'd give it a whirl. One problem, though, is that traditional gazpacho seems to be heavy on the tomatoes and cucumbers - neither of which I like. So, I attempted to make a semi-traditional gazpacho, but substituted some of the ingredients. Here is what resulted:
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped celery (approximately 4 stalks)
2 cups chopped bell pepper (approximately 1 pepper)
2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
2 cups diced onion (approximately 1 onion)
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder (or 4 medium garlic cloves)
3 cups bread crumbs
2 cups V8 vegetable juice
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, melt butter and sauté 2 cups of the celery, 1.5 cups of the bell pepper, 1 cup of the onions, the jalapeño peppers, and garlic.
2. In a blender, mix the V8, cream, and bread crumbs until smooth. Add the sautéed vegetables and puree. Stir in remaining raw vegetables and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve chilled.
Let me preface this by saying that I have never eaten gazpacho before, much less prepared it, so I have no basis to which to compare the end results. That being said, I think this turned out quite well. Due to the mixture of cream with the V8 juice, the end result was more peach-colored than red. Also, with the addition of the jalapeño peppers, it is moderately spicy. If you prefer less crunch in the garnishes, you could sauté the remaining vegetables and simply not puree them.
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped celery (approximately 4 stalks)
2 cups chopped bell pepper (approximately 1 pepper)
2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
2 cups diced onion (approximately 1 onion)
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic powder (or 4 medium garlic cloves)
3 cups bread crumbs
2 cups V8 vegetable juice
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Directions:
1. In a saucepan, melt butter and sauté 2 cups of the celery, 1.5 cups of the bell pepper, 1 cup of the onions, the jalapeño peppers, and garlic.
2. In a blender, mix the V8, cream, and bread crumbs until smooth. Add the sautéed vegetables and puree. Stir in remaining raw vegetables and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve chilled.
Let me preface this by saying that I have never eaten gazpacho before, much less prepared it, so I have no basis to which to compare the end results. That being said, I think this turned out quite well. Due to the mixture of cream with the V8 juice, the end result was more peach-colored than red. Also, with the addition of the jalapeño peppers, it is moderately spicy. If you prefer less crunch in the garnishes, you could sauté the remaining vegetables and simply not puree them.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Lately, I've been pondering the idea of cold soups - which I must admit are intriguing but in some ways don't sound very appealing to me. After all, cold food is what I have BEFORE I cook something. Anyway, I saw some recipes for lettuce soup and celery soup and the like which could be served cold for a nice summer treat, so I decided to try a variation of my own:
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1-2 cups lettuce leaves
2 sliced jalapeño peppers
1 cup sliced green onions
8 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1-1.5 tsp garlic
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk or cream
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp volcano spice - this is a medium hot commercial blend of paprika, onion, garlic, fennel, chiles, and other herbs and spices that a friend brought from her trip to Hawaii.
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the flour and garlic to form a light roux.
2. Add the carrots, celery, onions, lettuce, and jalapeño peppers and allow to saute until tender.
3. Add the chicken broth and milk / cream and bring to a boil.
4. Add the worcestershire sauce and volcano spice.and stir.
5. Add the contents to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
I had my first bowl while the soup was hot and it was absolutely delicious. After that, all of my plans to take leftovers to work for lunch or to try this as a cold soup went out the window - four bowls of soup later, the sauce pan was empty and I was pleasantly stuffed. Better luck next time on the cold soup, but I'll definitley be making this recipe again.
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1-2 cups lettuce leaves
2 sliced jalapeño peppers
1 cup sliced green onions
8 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1-1.5 tsp garlic
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk or cream
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp volcano spice - this is a medium hot commercial blend of paprika, onion, garlic, fennel, chiles, and other herbs and spices that a friend brought from her trip to Hawaii.
Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the flour and garlic to form a light roux.
2. Add the carrots, celery, onions, lettuce, and jalapeño peppers and allow to saute until tender.
3. Add the chicken broth and milk / cream and bring to a boil.
4. Add the worcestershire sauce and volcano spice.and stir.
5. Add the contents to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
I had my first bowl while the soup was hot and it was absolutely delicious. After that, all of my plans to take leftovers to work for lunch or to try this as a cold soup went out the window - four bowls of soup later, the sauce pan was empty and I was pleasantly stuffed. Better luck next time on the cold soup, but I'll definitley be making this recipe again.
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