Aebleskiver. What?

16 Thursday Jan 2020

Posted by Bob and Robin in Aebleskiver, Apple, Banana, Blueberries, Boise Foodie Guild, Brunch, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Ethnic Foods, Food - Danish, Food - Make Your Own Meals, Food Photos, Fruits, History of Food, Idaho Polenta Floriani, Idaho Polenta Roys Calais, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Aebleskiver, idaho polenta, Make Your Own, polenta

OK. What is an Aebleskiver?

Aebleskivers are a type of pancake cooked in a special stove-top pan with half-spherical molds. The center is soft and fluffy, almost creamy. The crust is crisp and browned. In Denmark, aebleskivers are traditionally plated in threes, dusted with powdered sugar, topped or filled with tart jams of Nordic berries and served with mellow Scandinavian coffee. There, aebleskivers ( may be pronounced as “eb-el-ski-ver” , “a-bla-ski-va”, “eb-el-sku-wyr” , “ebb-ull-skee-vers” or “able-skEEvers”) have typically not been served in restaurants or for breakfast, but rather at the family table for afternoon coffee breaks. On long and cold Nordic winter evenings, they are served with glögg. In the wintertime, aebleskivers are often sold by street vendors. A symbol of community and hospitality, they are very popular at Scandinavian charity and open-air events.
There are many recipes for the batter, but they generally fall into two categories: those made with baking soda (or baking powder) as a leavening agent, or those made with yeast. The batters vary in texture and flavor — and yeasted batters take a bit more patience to prepare and will expand more in the pan — and which you prefer is a matter of personal taste … Here’s a little of Aebleskiver history:…. During that time of the Vikings, when they roamed the coastal waters of England and the Atlantic, one band of these rough Vikings was hard hit in battle. As they returned to their ship with dented horn helmets and shields, they made pancakes to regain their strength. They didn’t have proper cookware so they greased their dented shields and poured the batter on them over a fire. The first aebleskivers were born. (So they say:)…) [http://www.aebleskivers.com/history.html]

Cast Iron Aebleskiver Pan and Turners

Aebleskivers in Coeur D’Alene, ID describe these treats as Danish meaning apple slices. These are traditional Danish pancakes in a distinctive shape of a sphere. Maybe a cross between a Beignet and a Funnel Cake, without all the grease! So maybe all of this will convince you to try these sweet treats. If so, here is the recipe we use. Enjoy! CS Danish Aebleskiver.

Here is our first try. Homemade Huckleberry and Raspberry Jams. Scrambled eggs, too.

And if you want some great polenta recipes – Idaho grows awesome polenta – look here: 17 Polenta Recipes.

Great Birthday Sunday at Parma Ridge and Elsewhere

16 Monday Sep 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Red Wheat Bread, AirFryer, Avacado, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Boise Food Adventures, Boise Foodie Guild, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Brunch at Parma Ridge Winery, Captain's Shack, Chef Storm Hodge, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Dessert, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner at Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Friends, Eggs, Eggs Omelets, Food Photos, Galaxy Note 9 Photos, Idaho Chefs, Mushrooms, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Parma Ridge Winery Restaurant, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Captain's Shack, Parma Ridge

Happy Birthdays –

Myra

Chris

Robin

And to Robin – we have some feeders attracting the hummingbirds – Happy Birthday!

And here are some things that Stephanie and Chef Storm Hodge made for us. Delicious! Thank-You!

The Bomb. 2016 Big Red

Coconut Shrimp

Romaine Caesar Salad

Mushroom Omelet

Wine Lovers Chocolate Cake

And earlier this week, I made Robin –

AirFryer Shredded Wheat with Caramelized Sugar and Fruit

Avocado Sandwich on Toasted Acme Bakeshop Whole Wheat, Garlic, Avocado and Heirloom Tomato Slice

And this, too!

Chicken Potpie

Chicken Potpie. And all from Scratch!

Joe Mamma’s Breakfast

13 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Blue Crab, Boise Area Food Adventures, Breakfast, Breakfast With Robin, Carnitas, Classic Sauces, Comfort Food, Crab Cakes, Eggs Benedict, Food - Mexican, Food Photos, Galaxy 9 Photos, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, South Idaho Foodie, What's For Dinner?

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Carnitas, Joe Mamma's, South Idaho Foodie

Joe Mamma’s Eatery, (208) 939-3917, 3510 N Eagle Rd, Meridian, ID 83646. “Joe Momma’s is owned and operated by Kathleen Wise and Danette Smith. Danette Smith has over 20 years of experience owning and operating successful restaurants. Danette Smith was owner and operator of 9th Street Sandwiches for 2 years, which she then sold to pursue Moon’s Kitchen Cafe, which she owned and operated for 10 years until selling the restaurant in 2001.” [Website] They have an awesome breakfast menu that will challenge Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro or Manley’s – remember them all of you in Boise?. The dining area is large and spacious. The Waite Staff is good and eager to help, especially our Server, Rachel. Our breakfast plates were quite large and all made fresh. Yes! Fresh crab cakes made from Blue Crab, fresh carnitas from pork and housemade Hollandaise sauce.
A well deserved 5-Star rating mainly for the quality of the food they serve. (The oatmeal that someone ordered was huge!)
Here are some photos from our visit. Enjoy! But first. Robin also had a pancake with her breakfast. It had to be 14″ in diameter! She brought it home. Left-Click any photo to see it enlarged.

The patio area. 8 tables

Their coffee mugs!

Pork Carnitas Benedict with Housemade Hollandaise and Potatoes and Avocado Slices

Crab Cake (Blue Crab) Benedict and Housemade Holandaise with Potatoes

Boise Farmers Market Opens!

06 Saturday Apr 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Arugula, Big Lost River Meats, Boise Adventures, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Chef Jake Sandberg, Comfort Food, Crispeats, Desert Mountai Grass Fed Beef, Desert Mountain Farms, Eggs, Ethnic Foods, Fire Pie Pizza, Fruits, Greens, Hard To Find Foods, Homemade Stock, Idaho Beef, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Pork, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho's Bounty, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Meadowlark Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Rice Family Farms, Seafood, Snake River AVA, Sourdough Bread, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Plants, Spring Vegies, True Roots Organics, What's For Dinner?

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Yea! The BFM (Boise Farmers Market) opened today for it’s 2019 season at their new location at Shoreline Drive and Americana in Boise. It was cold. No rain, though. And it was crowded. They did have treats for everyone as pictured here – Ham and Cheese Croissant – and other “goodies”. Dignitaries were there – Head of the Boise Chamber of Commerce, the BFM President and Mayor Dave Bieter. Great to have them all at the Grand Opening. Thank-You!

Head of the Boise Chamber

BFM President

Mayor Dave Bieter opens the market!

The ribbon is cut!

Carrots look awesome

Ham and Cheese Croissant Samples for everyone!

An overcast morning but great to be at The Market – rain or shine!

Good pies!

New eats in Boise! Also at The Market.

North African Berbere Spice

19 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Chicken, Classic Spice Blends, Comfort Food, Condiments, Ethnic Foods, Food - Ethiopian, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Mediterranean Foods, Recipes, What's For Dinner?

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Berbere spice, Doro Wat

Now is the time to add some spice to your life. At least the spices of North Africa – Ethiopia to be exact.

From Demand Africa, “In Amharic, the state language of Ethiopia, ‘barbare’ means pepper or hot. Not surprisingly, berbere spice, the flavor backbone of Ethiopian cooking, gives traditional Ethiopian dishes that fiery kick. Berbere’s constituent spice is paprika (itself a ground spice made from Capsicum peppers), but the final blend could be made from up to 20 spices.
Ethiopian cooks of old were not short of kitchen experiments, and over time have added garlic, ginger, fenugreek seeds, African basil, black and white cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, coriander seed, thyme, rosemary, turmeric and ajwain (carom seeds commonly used in Indian cooking) to the mix. This allows berbere to impart a richer, aromatic and more layered flavor to any dish it’s added to, whether Ethiopian or not…Amharic language scholars speculate that the name ‘barbare’ came from ‘papare,’ the Ge’ez word for pepper (Ge’ez was the language of ancient Ethiopia). While that is likely lost in the mists of time, the more probable theory is that berbere came at a point in Ethiopia’s history when the independent Axumite kingdom controlled the Red Sea route to the Silk Road. The Axumites knew the secrets of the monsoon winds, and harnessed it to send their ships toward India in summer, and back again to Africa in winter…Berbere is the cornerstone spice blend of Ethiopia; without it, ‘doro wot’ or chicken stew (Ethiopia’s national dish) would not have that distinctive brick-red appearance and rustic, savory intensity.
Doro wot is cooked during traditional festivities and is typically served with injera, fermented sourdough flatbread with a slightly spongy texture that serves as the plate and scooping utensil for the stew. Doro wot is ladled generously on top of it and served alongside vegetables and other dips. (To eat injera, Ethiopians pinch off a piece of it and use the same to scoop out a small portion of the stew.)”

You can buy the spice blend in your grocery store – our Albertsons carries it – but it is more fun to make your own. All of these spices should be locally available.
Berbere Spice Mix
Prep Time: 5 min Total Time: 5 min
Ingredients:
1/2 c Chili Powder
1/4 c Paprika
1/2 t ground Ginger
1/2 t ground Cardamon
1/2 t ground Turmeric
1/2 t ground Coriander
1/2 t ground Fenugreek
1/4 t ground Cinnamon
1/4 t grated fresh Nutmeg
1/4 t ground Allspice
11/8 t ground Cloves
1/8 t fresh ground Black Pepper
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight jar.

Ethiopian cuisine (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ምግብ) characteristically consists of vegetable and often very spicy meat dishes. This is usually in the form of wot, a thick stew, served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is about 20 inches in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour.

A recipe from African Bites for
Doro Wat
Ethiopian Chicken Stew -slowly simmered in a blend of robust spices. Easy thick, comforting, delicious, and so easy to make!
Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 6
Calories: 470 Author: Immaculate Bites
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons Spiced butter Sub with Cooking oil or more
2-3 medium onions sliced
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tablespoons Berbere Spice (See above)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
½ Tablespoon minced ginger
3- 3½- pound whole chicken cut in pieces or chicken thighs
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
½ Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon dried basil optional
4-6 Large soft-boiled egg shelled removed
1-2 Lemons Freshly Squeezed (adjust to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Season chicken with, salt, pepper and set aside
In a large pot, over medium heat, heat until hot, and then add spiced butter and onions, sauté onions, stirring frequently, until they are deep brown about 7 -10 minutes. After the onions are caramelized or reached a deep brown color, add some more oil, followed by berbere spice, garlic, and ginger.
Stir for about 2-3 minutes, for the flavors to blossom and the mixture has a deep rich brown color. Be careful not to let it burn.
Then add about 2-3 cups water .Add chicken, tomato paste, paprika, basil, salt and cook for about 30 minutes.
Throw in the eggs and lemon juice; thoroughly mix to ensure that the eggs are immersed in the sauce.
Continue cooking until chicken is tender about 10 minutes or more Adjust sauce thickness and seasoning with water or broth, lemon,salt according to preference.
Serve warm

Real Biscuits and Gravy Anyone?

17 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bacon, Biscuits and Gravy, Breakfast, Buttermilk Biscuits, Comfort Food, Food of Scotland, Food Prep, Housemade Gravy, Pork, Recipes, Recipes - Breakfast, Sausage, What's For Dinner?

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biscuits and gravy, Buttermilk Biscuits, sausage gravy, sawmill gravy

And here are some recipes! From Jim Long’s Columns at Blogspot.
“The “real” gravy most of us in the Ozarks know and love is just plain sausage gravy. It’s simple, cheap and easy to make, yet this satisfying concoction has become almost impossible to find in restaurants. What you’ll find instead, is factory-made gravy out of a can. Wholesale restaurant suppliers deliver cases of gallon-sized cans of fake sausage gravy and all the “chef” has to do is to open the can, pour it into a pot and heat it…There are regional variations of the classic sausage gravy, with some folks adding onions, others adding a dash of cayenne pepper, others swearing fresh-cracked black pepper, or crushed red pepper is the only way to fix the gravy, but over all, the recipe for the real thing remains the same as it has for centuries.” [Jim Long’s Columns]

Sausage Gravy
Ingredients:
1 lbs Country Sausage (mild or hot)
3 T Flour
1/2 t fresh Nutmeg
Salt and lots of fresh ground black pepper
2 to 3 cups Whole Milk
Directions:
Crumble the raw sausage in a hot cast iron frying pan. Fry the sausage until there is no pink left. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring quickly until a paste forms. Then add milk, 1 cup at a time and the nutmeg. Stir briskly and cook the mixture until it thickens. Then pour it over fresh-baked buttermilk biscuits, split in half, buttered or not.

A little biscuit history from Quora, “The American South has deep Scottish roots, and American biscuits are made in a very similar way to Scottish shortbread, so most likely the origin of biscuits is in Scottish shortbread. They brought the recipe over, and as dishes do, it evolved. A little more liquid turned the originally hard biscuit into a soft one…The ingredients of biscuits and gravy are all cheap and readily available. Pigs have been in America longer than the Puritans – originally brought to Jamestown in 1608. Other than that it’s pretty much just flour, milk and some salt and pepper. People brought their cooking methods over from Scotland and Northern England (hence the popularity of fried foods in the South), usually emphasizing the simpler dishes, cooking styles and ingredients. Over the decades of people making, perfecting and experimenting with the recipe, those original recipes and cooking methods evolved into the biscuits and gravy we know today. There’s some evidence people have been eating biscuits and gravy since before the Revolutionary War.”

Buttermilk Biscuits
Drop biscuits or rolled, your choice! And the biscuits? You can buy those canned, frozen, instant or bakery-made but the old-fashioned biscuit is as follows:
Ingredients:
2 c Flour
4 t Baking Powder
1/4 t Baking Soda
3/4 t Salt
2 T Butter
2 T lard or Crisco
1 c Buttermilk, chilled
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. With your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. Pour in the chilled buttermilk and stir to mix. Turn dough onto floured surface, dust with flour and fold dough over on itself 4 or 5 times. Roll out with a rolling-pin or quart fruit jar until the dough is about an inch thick. Cut out biscuits with 2-inch cutter and place biscuits on a baking sheet so the biscuits are just touching. Bake until golden and fluffy, about 15-20 minutes.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy with Hollandaise Sauce

Make the gravy while the biscuits are baking. This isn’t health food, but it certainly is a satisfying breakfast! Add some eggs and bacon and a few cups of coffee and you are tasting a real Ozarks tradition.

Just don’t confuse Sawmill Gravy with Sausage Gravy. They are not the same.
“During the early years of America, many logging camps sprung up in the mountains where virgin timber was found. In these lumber camps, cooks would prepare breakfast for a hundred or more lumberjacks. One of the common foods was gravy made from coarsely ground cornmeal. When made from whole grain cornmeal, this gravy was very nutritious and would give the lumberjacks strength to do their jobs.
This gravy’s name comes from the fact that these men worked at a saw mill, and sometimes when the gravy would be coarse and thick, the lumberjacks would accuse the cooks of substituting sawdust for cornmeal.

Cornmeal Gravy, aka Sawmill Gravy

Sawmill Gravy
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
3 heaping tablespoons white cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
dash of pepper
Directions:
Place bacon drippings in a pan. Add cornmeal and salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring until brown. Add milk and let boil until it thickens, stirring vigorously to keep it from lumping. Season with pepper to taste.” From: “Smithsonian Folklife Cookbook”, Recipe from Janice Miracle, Middlesboro, Kentucky.

Great Shellfish Boil

09 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Braising, Brunch with Robin, BSU, Captain's Shack, Clams, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Corn, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Food Prep, Gameday, Garlic, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Potatoes, Kitchen Adventures, Lobster, Made From Scratch, Main Dish, Mussels, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Pasta, Recipes - Seafood, Scallops, Sea Scallops, Seafood, Shell Fish, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

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Since Boise State was playing the University of Connecticut, (BSU 62, UConn 7) we thought it would be fitting to have a shell-fish boil. Just did not have any sea water to boil the packs in nor any sea weed. Nonetheless, it was good. No! It was fantastic!
Per package, we used 1 lobster tail, 9 clams, 6 mussels, 1/2 ear corn and 8 small potatoes that we left whole. That was plenty per person. Wrapped the articles in cheese cloth, tied it into a package and placed it in sea salted boiling water for 20 minutes. Made some brown butter for dipping and some good wine and had a feast. Here are some photos. Left Click them to see enlarged. Enjoy!

Making the cheese cloth packages.

After cooking and plated.

Earlier this week, we had an awesome Scallops and Peas with Garlic Pasta. Here it is. Easy to do – Sear the sea scallops (the large ones), 4 per person, in butter with a little minced garlic. In the meantime, make about 1/4 pound angel hair pasta until adente. Add frozen peas and cook until peas are soft, if using frozen ones. Add to the seared scallops and mix well. Plate and top with chopped Italian parsley. Eat slowly and enjoy!

Scallops and Peas with Garlic Pasta

And then tonight, we had an awesome Baked Salmon with Green Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Israeli Melon. Simply delicious and quick and simple.

Baked Salmon with Green Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Israeli Melon

Some Thanksgiving Suggestions

18 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Black Beans, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Breakfast, Brine, Brunch, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Crockpot, Eggs, Eggs - Huevos Rancheros, Ethnic Foods, Garlic, Ham, Homemade Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Potatoes, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Mexican Food, Potatoes, Recipes, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Mexican, What's For Dinner?

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It seems as though everytime a holiday comes around, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter for instance, that those traditional family gatherings arrive with questions. Especially, questions from the kitchen. What shall I make for a special breakfast? Or, is there a different way to make mashed potatoes? Or, how do I brine a turkey?
All are good questions and I suppose there are many, many answers. After searching the web and aking questions from some Chef friends and venders at the Saturday Market, here are three suggestions. I’m going to try each one of these and I really believe that they will turn out really good. So here are the three recipes for “How To Brine A Turkey“, “Mashed Potatoes in a Slow Cooker” and “Salsa Ranchera” for Huevos Rancheros. Enjoy and if you use any of these, tell us how it came out. Cheers and Happy Holidays! Left-Click these photos to see them enlarged.

How To Brine a Turkey
Makes 1 turkey

Ingredients
1 turkey
4 quarts water
1 cup coarse kosher salt, or 3/4 cup table salt
Aromatics: bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, juniper berries, allspice berries, orange peels, lemon peels, etc.

Equipment
1 large pot or bucket with a lid
Measuring cups and spoons
Paper towels

Instructions
1) Find a pot and make fridge space: Find a pot or food-safe bucket large enough that you will be able to entirely submerge your turkey. Next, clear some fridge space and make sure your pot will fit.
2) Place the turkey in the pot: Unwrap your turkey and remove the giblets, then transfer it to your pot. Add any aromatics you’d like to use.

Mix the brine solution: Heat 1 quart of water in the microwave until warmed — it doesn’t need to come to a boil, just be warm enough to dissolve the salt. Add the salt and stir until the salt has dissolved. Let the liquid cool slightly; it’s fine if it’s still a touch warm.
Pour the brine solution over the turkey. Pour the remaining 3 quarts of water over the turkey: This dilutes the salt solution to the best ratio for brining and also helps further cool the solution.
2) Make sure the turkey is completely submerged: If necessary, prepare additional brine solution at a ratio of 1/4 cup per quart of water to completely submerge the turkey.
Cover and refrigerate: If the turkey floats, weigh it down with a dinner plate. Cover the pot and place it in the refrigerator.
3) Brine for 12 to 24 hours.
4) Rinse the turkey in cool water and pat dry. Clean your sink thoroughly after doing this step to avoid cross-contamination. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Dry for another 24 hours for crispier skin.
Optional: If you have time, let the turkey air-dry overnight in the fridge. Place it on a roasting rack set inside a roasting pan and cover loosely with plastic bags to avoid cross contamination. This drying step will give your turkey crispier skin.
5) Roast as usual, but check your turkey early: You can roast the turkey either immediately after brining or after air-drying. I’ve found that brined turkeys tend to cook a bit more quickly, so cook as usual, but start checking the turkey’s temperature an hour before the end of your estimated cooking time.

Mashed Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
Serves: 8 to 10
Source: adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:
5 lbs Russet Potatoes
3 to 4 cloves Garlic, optional
1 t Celtic Sea Salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, to taste
3 to 3½ c Whole Milk, or a mixture of milk and cream
½ c unsalted Butter

Directions:
Peel and chop the potatoes: Lightly grease the slow cooker insert with butter or cooking spray. Peel the potatoes and chop into small pieces about 1 inch to a side. The smaller the potatoes, the faster they will cook, obviously. Transfer the potatoes to the slow cooker.
Add the seasonings: Smash the garlic cloves, if using, and drop on top of the potatoes. Stir in the salt and a generous quantity of black pepper.
Pour in 1½ cups milk: Pour in 1½ cups milk and stir the potatoes once.
Cook until tender: Cover the slow cooker and cook 4 to 5 hours on HIGH or until the potatoes are very tender and soft. Turn the heat to WARM.

Melt the butter: When the potatoes are done, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Warm the dairy: Stir 2 cups milk, or a mixture of milk and cream, into the melted butter and warm gently over low heat.

Mash the potatoes: If you used garlic but don’t want the potatoes super garlicky, remove the garlic cloves and discard. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard any browned bits on the sides of the pot. Use a potato masher or ricer to mash the potatoes right in the pot.

Slowly stir in the dairy: When the potatoes are as smooth as you like, slowly stir in the warmed dairy and butter. The potatoes will look soupy at first but the potatoes will quickly soak up the liquid. Add an additional ½ cup of milk or cream if you want them to be even creamier.

Taste and season: Taste and season with additional salt or pepper if desired.

Keep warm: To keep the potatoes warm, leave in the covered slow cooker on the WARM setting for up to 4 hours.

Salsa Ranchera

Salsa Ranchera Recipe from Mexico
(Cómo preparar una Salsa Ranchera auténtica en tu casa)
[huevos rancheros—”rancher’s-style” eggs]

Source: adapted from mexgrocer
Preparation: 10 Cook Time: 1 Servings: 6

Ingredients:
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
½ white Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, diced
1 T Vegetable Oil
Serrano chile as desired
2 1/2 T Oregano
1 t Cumin
Juice of half a Lime
Celtic Sea Salt

Directions:
Submerge the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds. Peel them, dice them and put them in what will be your salsa bowl. Chop up the onion, chili, and garlic and mix with the tomato. Add the oil and the lime juice and sprinkle with oregano.

Huevos Ranchera

Huevos Rancheros
An Easy Mexican Recipe

Source: adapted from mylatinatable.com/best-huevos-rancheros/

Ingredients:
2 lg Eggs
2 Corn Tortillas
¼ Onion, chopped
BlackmRefried beans (homemade or store bought)
2 med Potatoes
Thick cut Ham, cut into cubes
Salsa Ranchero
Celtic Sea Salt, fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper to taste
Queso Fresco and Cilantro to garnish.

Directions:
Sauté the potatoes, onion, and ham in a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Lightly fry the tortillas, and pat dry. Put on a plate. Warm up the refried beans, and spread onto the tortillas.
Fry an egg to your preferred level of doneness, and put on top of the tortilla and beans. Top with salsa ranchero, queso fresco, and fresh cilantro. Serve with the potato, onion, and ham mix.

Two Good Meals We Made – Idaho Trout and Eggs Benedict

10 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in Asparagus, Atlantic Salmon, Bearnaise Sauce, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Brunch, Brunch with Robin, Buy Idaho, Chicken, Classic Sauces, Cod, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Copper River Salmon, Crab, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, en Papillote, Food Photos, Halibut, Ham, heirloom vegetables, Herbs, Hollandaise Sauce, Homemade Sauce, Housemade Béarnaise, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Huffington Post, Idaho Beef, Idaho Chicken, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Pork, Idaho Trout, Idaho Vegetables, Local Markets, Made From Scratch, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, pork chops, Recipes, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Sauces, Red Snapper, Salmon, What's For Dinner?

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Ah yes. These were fun meals. Idaho Trout Papillote with Candy Heirloom Carrots and Mashed Potatoes. Served with a delicious 2006 Alves de Sousa Douro Estação (Portugal). From Wikipedia, an En papillote is –

En papillote (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ papijɔt]; French for “in parchment”), or al cartoccio in Italian, is a method of cooking in which the food is put into a folded pouch or parcel and then baked. The parcel is typically made from folded parchment paper, but other material, such as a paper bag or aluminium foil, may be used. The parcel holds in moisture to steam the food. The pocket is created by overlapping circles of aluminum foil and parchment paper and then folding them tightly around the food to create a seal. A papillote should be opened at the table to allow people to smell the aroma when it opens.
The moisture may be from the food itself or from an added moisture source, such as water, wine, or stock. This method is most often used to cook fish or vegetables, but lamb and poultry can also be cooked en papillote. Choice of herbs, seasonings and spices depend on the particular recipe being prepared. The pouch should be sealed with careful folding.

We used Apple Brandy for moisture.

Idaho Trout en Papillote with Mashed Potatoes and Candy Carrots.

To serve the papillote, Melissa d’Arabian says,

To serve, cut open the packets and serve directly in the parchment on a plate or remove the fish to the plate using a spatula, being sure you don’t leave the juices behind.

A good recipe can be found here – by Melissa d’Arabian. If you want to add vegetables, you can use almost anything. zucchini, Bok choy, sliced carrots, sweet onion, green beans and mushrooms to name a few. You can also use chicken, beef, pork, salmon, red snapper or sea bass to name a few. Here are some recipes: Sesame Ginger Salmon, by Kelsey Nixon; Salmon and Vegetables, by Jessica Gavin; Chicken en Papillote; Chicken and Summer Vegetables; Pork en Papillote; Pork Papillote with Apples and Onions.
So there are a few recipes. Use your imagination. You can google “Type of en Papillote” and find many, many more. Be creative. Have fun. Serve with a good wine.

And for breakfast, Try a

Klondike Waffles Benedict with Turkey and Fresh Fruit.

and to start here are several different kinds of Eggs Benedict – 17 Twists on Eggs Benedict Recipes, Huffington Post; Here is an awesome twist 13 Eggs Benedict Recipes, Chowhound and Top Eggs Benedict Recipes, Fine Cooking.

To go with the benedict, you need Hollandaise Sauce or Béarnaise Sauce. Here is an easy Hollandaise Sauce from Allrecipes – Microwave Hollandaise Sauce. And here is an easy Foolproof Béarnaise Sauce Recipe.

OK. There you go. Head for the kitchen and have fun. And remember, a Béarnaise Sauce or a Hollandaise Sauce is great on asparagus. Just sayin’.

Lamb Roulade for Dinner

22 Monday May 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Bok Choy, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Classic Herb Blends, Comfort Food, Eggs, Food Photos, Green Salad, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Vegetables, Mint, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes - Greek, Spices of Morocco, Spring Greens, What's For Dinner?

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roulade, rouladen

Oh yes! And a surprising dinner it was. I’ve/we’ve had Beef Rouladen several times. But lamb? This was a first. And this was superb!

A roulade is a dish of filled rolled meat or pastry. Traditionally found in various European cuisines, the term roulade originates from the French word “rouler”, meaning “to roll”.However, the term may be used in its generic sense to describe any filled rolled dish, such as those found in maki sushi.

Meat
A meat-based roulade typically consists of a slice of steak rolled around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, or other meats. A roulade, like a braised dish, is often browned then covered with wine or stock and cooked. Such a roulade is commonly secured with a toothpick, metal skewer or a piece of string. The roulade is then sliced into rounds and served. Of this common form, there are several notable dishes:
Braciole, Italian roulade consisting of beef, pork or chicken usually filled with Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and eggs
Paupiette, French veal roulade filled with vegetables, fruits or sweetmeats
Rouladen, German and Hungarian beef roulade filled with onions, bacon and pickles. Also Kohlrouladen, cabbage filled with minced meat.
Španělské ptáčky (Spanish birds) are roulade in Czech cuisine. The recipe is practically identical with German Rouladen, perhaps omitting wine and adding a wedge of hard-boiled egg and/or frankfurter to the filling. Unlike the large roulade, sliced before serving, the “birds” are typically 10 cm (3.9 in) long, served whole with a side dish of rice or Czech style bread dumplings.
Szüz tekercsek (“Virgin rouladen”), in Hungary a dish[clarification needed] filled with minced meat.
Zrazy (or “rolada”), in Poland