Filed under: Breakfast/Brunch, Main Dish, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, quick fix | Tags: breakfast, brunch, eggs, Main Dish, rachelle, tomatoes
I threw two parties this weekend: one for 15 11 year olds, and another serving dinner and dessert to 25 folks. Needless to say, I did NOT feel like cooking again come Monday night.
Alas, the children, they demand to be fed.
I had a bunch of leftover cornbread and wanted to make Katy’s Huervos Rancheros with Chorizo to go with it. But I didn’t have the right ingredients. So this is what came up instead. I bet you could do something like it with what you have on hand as well. Here’s the un-recipe:
Roasted Veggies: Put a couple halved, seeded bell peppers cut side down on a baking sheet. On the other half of the sheet put a row of asparagus. (I snap the ends. Some people peel.) Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast at 375 until the asparagus are bite-tender. Set aside. (They are fine room temp.) Keep the pepper in there until the skins blister slightly. Remove peppers and cool until you can just handle them. Pinch off the skins and discard. Slice.
“Emergency” Rancheros Sauce: In a skillet or saucepan heat olive oil. Sautee a some onions (I used green) and a couple cloves of crushed garlic. Add a can of stewed tomatoes (mine had peppers in it). Add 1/2-1 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp chili powder. Adjust to taste.
Scramble up or fry some eggs and serve the whole feast with corn tortillas, chips, rice…whatever you have on hand. Have Yum.
Filed under: Main Dish, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, Soup, quick fix | Tags: beans, Main Dish, rachelle, Soup
Last night was our Annual Fall Chili Fest for the Autumnal Equinox. I try out a different chili every year, and this one got rave reviews from our guests. It goes well with easy Pineapple Salsa and Buttery Cornbread, both of which can be found here. Have yum!
Jamaican Black Bean and Rice Soup
(serves 10)
1/4 olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 tsp each cumin and oregano (adjust to taste)
2 tsp salt
4-5 cloves minced garlic
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 c veggi stock
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice
2-3 T red wine vinegar (I use balsamic)
Toppings: sliced radishes, sour cream, limes, pineapple salsa
1) Saute onions, bells peppers, spices and salt in a large pot until onions are tender.
2) Add veggie stock. Add beans and tomatoes. Heat thru.
3) Right before serving, add cooked rice and heat thru. When soup is steaming add vinegar and adjust salt.
Tip: Only add enough rice to the amount you are planning to eat right away. Store rice and soup separately to avoid the rice breaking down into starch in your leftovers.
Filed under: Main Dish, Medium Fix, Salads, Uncategorized | Tags: big salads, Salads, sweet potatoes
This recipe for Red-Leaf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes is from my favorite cooking magazine, Everyday Foodwith Martha Stewart. My mom saved all my copies over the past year, and I had a blast tearing out the new dishes to try out. I made this one while at Pura Vida and it was a big hit. I’m allergic to walnuts, so I substituted pine nuts. And couldn’t get red leaf so I had to use Romaine as you’ll see in the photos.
Red-Leaf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in chunks
1 med red onon, quartered
2 T olive oil
coarse salt and ground black pepper
1 package (10 oz) frozen cut green beans, thawed
1/3 c walnuts
1 c plain low-fat yogurt
2 T white-wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 head red-leaf lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
Preheat oven to 450. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes, onions, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast until sweet potatoes are tender, about 20min.
Add green beans and walnuts to sheet, toss. Roast until green beans are tender, about 5 min.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, vinegar, and garlic. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Top lettuce with roasted veggies, drizzle with dressing.
Filed under: Main Dish, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, Salads, quick fix | Tags: big salads, Main Dish, spinach
Too hot to cook? I’m a huge fan of “big salads.” (Remember how Elaine on Seinfeld always wanted to order “big salad.”) But sometimes you just can’t think of something yummy to put on your salad greens. My soulssitah Jen Payne to the rescue! Jen passed this great list of 101 Salads from the New York Times on to me, and I offer it now to you. (I understand #7 , the carrot blueberry salad is especially great.)
In the meantime, here’s one of my favorite combos: Strawberry Spinach Salad. Start with clean, dry baby spinach leaves. Toss in a couple hand full mint leaves. Add very thinly sliced red onions, chevre (goat cheese), and cashews. The lightest splash of olive oil and rice vinegar, or poppy seed dressing is nice.
Filed under: Main Dish, Medium Fix, Rachelle Mee-Chapman | Tags: chicken, Main Dish, rachelle
For almost ten years we hosted one kind of group or another that met in our home for dinner on a regular basis. This recipe for a chicken mole comes from a cook book one of those communities, The Well, produced together. Lisa Hashbarger contributed this particularly yummy dish, and while we’ve lost touch long ago, we still think of her fondly whenever this is on the table.
It’s very simple and you need only one special ingredient, Ibarra Mexican chocolate. This is a hard chocolate with a grainy, sugary texture and a cinnamon flavor. You can find it at most well-stocked grocery stores in the U.S. — tho’ I have to bring it back in my suitcase to Denmark. (Ibarra also makes fabulous hot chocolate when grated and melted into warm milk!)
Chicken Mole
4 chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
1 c broth
3-6 cloves
1 – 28oz can peeled and diced tomatoes
1/2 c raisins
1/4c cilantro, chopped
3 T chili powder
one round Ibarra chocolate
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t cumin
2 T peanut butter
2 T lime juice
2 c cooked rice
Place the chicken in a pan and cover with water. Bring just to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from water and cool slightly. Then shred into strips. Saute onion in 2T of broth, covered until softened. (4-5 min) Uncover and add garlic, tomatoes, raisins, cilantro, chili powder, chocolate, salt, cinnamon, cumin and peanut butter. Simmer 5 minutes. Add remaining broth and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken and lime juice. Heath through on low until hot. Spoon over rice and serve with lime wedges
Filed under: Main Dish, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, quick fix | Tags: bacon, potato, Soup
submitted by rachelle
This is an affordable, filling and comfortable soup — perfect for a cold day. Plus, you won’t have any complaints at the dinner table from the kiddos. Have Yum.
Comforting Potato Soup
6 strips of bacon, sliced into strips
1 lb thin skinned potatoes, cubed
1 c chopped onion
2 c chicken stock plus 1c chicken stock (to use in step 3)
3 T flour
salt and pepper for taste
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
Liven up this soup with toppings. Anything that would taste good on a baked potato will be yum on this: shredded cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream, and of course, lots of fresh ground black pepper.
1) In the bottom of a large stock pot, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper plate. Leave bacon drippings in the pan.
2) Saute onions in bacon drippings until softened. Add potatoes and broth to pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender. (About 10 minutes.)
3) I always have a hard time adding flour without creating lumps so I usually use this method. Heat one cup of broth in glass bowl or large pyrex measuring cup. Sprinkle in flour a little at time while whisking, whisking, whisking. Then add this roux to the soup. If it’s too thick, just add more warm broth or hot water.
4) Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley just before serving. Sprinkle on top and add other toppings.
Filed under: Main Dish, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, quick fix | Tags: butternut, pumpkin, Soup, worchestershire
Submitted by Rachelle: Australian Pumpkin Soup with Pine Nuts
Australian Pumpkin Soup
In graduate school, my part-time job was to cook soup for the entire school once a week — 300 people! It was an international grad school, and we tried to cook foods from some of different countries that were represented in the student body. One of my classmates from Australia taught me how to make this ‘pumpkin’ soup — what we in the States call butternut squash. It’s a bit of a sweeter soup with a nutty taste and interesting flavor from the worchestershire. When Barbara, a new friend from South African managed to scare up some butternut squash here in Denmark I was quick to whip out this recipe. It’s one of my favorites.
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and chopped
4-6 c vegetable or chicken stock
2 onions, chopped
2 T olive oil
1/2 t nutmeg
black pepper and salt to taste
1 -14oz can creamed corn
1-3 T worchestershire sauce
Optional: slice almonds or pine nuts
1) Use a good vegetable peeler to peel squash. Cut in half. Remove seeds. Chop into roughly 1 inch pieces.
2) Put stock and squash in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 15-20 minutes or until tender.
3) Using an immersion blender, puree squash and stock. An immersion blender is one of the best tools you can have in the kitchen. But if you don’t have one you can do this in a blender in small batches. It can be helpful to hold the lid down with a potholder to prevent the steam from forcing off the lid.
4) In a skillet, saute onions in olive oil, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5) Put onions mixture in the stock pot with squash/stock and add worchestershire and corn. Gently heat through. Adjust seasonings. Serve topped with toasted nuts.
Filed under: Main Dish, Medium Fix, Rachelle Mee-Chapman | Tags: beans, chili, ground beef, soups and stews, tomatoes
On Autum Equinox we had our our annual Fall Chili Party. This was our first traditional family celebration in our new Danish home. We had a few new friends over. Each person brought something to put in our family room shrine — a Fallish thing like an apple or a string of Autumn leaves. Then we all grabbed a microbrew or ginger beer and made toasts to the things we love about fall.
As usual we had yummy seasonal foods, although a lack of black beans at the grocers made our traditional three bean chili collapse down to two. Sure was good though! This is always a fun thing to make because of the toppings bar that allows people to stylize their dish. Try it with this Buttery Cornbread from Epicurious which is fantastic and easy to make. Have Yum!
Red and White Chili with Pineapple Salsa
serves 6-8
Chili Ingredients
2-14oz cans canellini beans (white beans) rinsed and drained
2-14oz cans red kidney beans rinsed and drained
1/2 c crushed tomatoes
1/4 c diced tomatoes
1 lb lean ground beef (optional)
1-2 onions, chopped
2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 T olive oil
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 t cumin
1 1/4 t salt
2 1/4 t black pepper
2 tsp basil
1/4 – 1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 T lime juice
2 cans chopped green chilis
Optional Toppings
sliced limes
grated cheese
sour cream
chopped cilantro
jarred jalapeno rings
Salsa Ingredients
2 c crushed pineapple
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 T fresh mint, chopped
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t cayenne
For the chili:
Add beans and tomoatoes to pot and simmer. Carrots don’t soften well with tomatoes, so parboil them in a glass bowl in the microwave and then add them to the pot. In a large skillet heat olive oil. Saute ground beef, onions, bell peppers and spices. Add the saute to the large pot and heat through. Add chilis and lime juice. Adjust seasonings.
For the pineapple salsa: just mix and chill slightly. You must use fresh mint. If you have extra mint try freezing it like this.
(Maybe Katy K can tell us how to use it in a lovely mojito!)
Filed under: Main Dish, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, takes some time to fix | Tags: casserole, chicken, meat
submitted by: rachelle
I hate to say it, but here in Copenhagen it’s almost time for mittens. (I know, yikes!) On the plus side that means it’s time to curl up with warm, creamy comfort food. Our current favorite? Chicken Pot Pie with rosemary and veggies and a rich biscuit topping. This makes a big oval casserole (small casserole shown in pic.) If I have extra sauce, I freeze it for a smaller pie the second time around.
The crust and sauce for this recipe are from Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie with Cream Cheese Crust, by Bon Appétit . The filling is my own based on my memory of grandma’s pot pie (minus the Campbells Cream of Chicken soup!)
The Crust
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into pieces, room temperature
Mix flour and salt. Add in butter and cream cheese. Form into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill while you make the rest of the dish. When it’s time, roll out on floured surface until it’s large enough to cover your oval casserole with a good 3/4 inch overlap hanging over the edges of the pan. (When we have extra dough, I roll it out, spread it with butter and cinnamon sugar, roll it back up into a log and slice it for cream cheese cinnamon rolls.)
Filling
2 large chicken breasts (or equivalent amount of any kind of boneless, skinless chicken)
1/2 T dry rosemary
salt and pepper
two cups or so of frozen green beans snapped into prefered-sized pieces
one cup or so frozen peas
5 carrotts, peeled and diced
(you can also add diced onions and sliced mushrooms if your family will eat ‘em)
Rub chicken with salt, pepper, and dry rosemary and roast at 350 until juices run clear. While that’s cooking, par-boil carrotts in a pan of hot water until crisp-tender (or zap in the microwave.) Add green beans and peas to simmering water with the carrotts until they are defrosted and just a little cooked. If the chicken’s done now, take it out and cool slightly. Dice. Combine all in a bowl.
Sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 cups chicken stock (organic boxed stock, or homemade. don’t use bullion cubes.)
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; whisk 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 3 cups stock, then milk; bring to boil. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Use about 3c of sauce and stir into the chicken and vegetable mixture.
Assembly
Pour filling into the casserol. Roll out the dough as described above and press to seal along the edges of the casserole dish. Prick dough several times or cut small slits to allow steam to vent. Cook at 350 for about 45 mintues or until crust is browned and steam is escaping through the vents. If the crust is browning too quickly, cover with tin foil until the filling is steaming and/or bubbling up a bit. Have Yum!
Filed under: Main Dish, Medium Fix, Rachelle Mee-Chapman | Tags: chicken, rice, risotto
Submitted by: Rachelle
Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods, and it’s surprisingly easy to make. The key to successful risotto is to keep the broth warm in a saucepan over low heat next to the skillet you are cooking the rice in. While making risotto you do have to stir it regularly, but you don’t have to beat it like a maniac. Just stay attentive so it doesn’t scorch. Be sure to let all the liquid absorb before pour adding more.
The first time I made this it turned out much too salty, even with unsalted butter and no-salt broth. So start with a little bit of salt and adjust towards the end, after you’ve put in the parmesan cheese (which is quite salty in itself.) This calls for lots of unsalted butter – 12 T total. Sticks of butter are a different size in DK than in the USA, so I’m not sure how many sticks this is for all you Yanks. It’s two big sticks of Dansk smør. This easily serves 6-8 as a main dish.
Shopping List
8-10 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
8 T unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, minced
coarse salt and black pepper
2 c Arborio rice (don’t use other kinds of rice!)
1 cup dry white wine (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or chablis will all work)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 T unsalted butter
1 lb quartered mushrooms
2 2inch sprigs of fresh rosemary, stripped off woody stems and lightly chopped
2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
In a large skilled or wide saucepan, heat 4 T of butter over medium heat. Add onion, a little salt, and a good deal of fresh ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and slightly translucent. Add the rice and cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring until absorbed.
Add two cups (about two soup ladle’s full) and continue to stir the rice so it doesn’t scorch. Keep stirring until it’s almost completely absorbed. This will take about 10 minutes of medium heat. Then keep adding the broth one cup (one ladle) at a time and repeat. Make sure you scrape around the edges of the pan so all the rice gets some attention.
This is the time to start your mushrooms. In another skillet, melt 4 T of butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms, stirring occasionally. After about 5 minutes, add the diced chicken and rosemary. Stir from time to time and cook another 5 minutes or so.
Keep adding the broth one cup at a time to the rice, allowing the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding the next batch. You may not need all the broth. If you run out and the rice still is not creamy and tender, it’s okay to add a few ladles of hot water.
When the rice is at the desired consistency, add the mushroom mixture from the other pan. Heat another 3-5 minutes to blend the flavors. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the remaining 4 T of butter and the parmesan cheese. Adjust the salt and pepper and have yum!
NB: This was originally “Simple Risotto” from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, but I’ve changed it significantly.
