Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

29 Thursday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Prep, Main Dish, Photos, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Things To Do

So what does one do in Boise on a cold, “looks like snow” day? We could go to Manleys for Biscuits and Gravy. Oh …. I forgot. Manleys closed about 10 or 12 years ago. Boo Hoo! 4 of their biscuits would fill a pie plate and they were probably 2″ or so high. So, maybe I should make my own. No Bisquick? No problem!!

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

Yield: 12 Biscuits, or so

1¼ c Cake flour
¾ c All-Purpose flour
1½ t Baking Powder
½ t Baking Soda
½ t Salt
¼ lbs Butter, cut into small chunks
¾ c Buttermilk

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 500° F
2. Prepare ingredients: Cut butter into small chunks, place in a bowl and return to fridge. Measure out buttermilk and set aside. Sprinkle flour on a work surface and have extra flour nearby for your hands and biscuit cutter. Have biscuit cutter and an ungreased baking sheet handy
3. Mix dough: In a medium-large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt until very well blended. Add butter and cut into flour using a pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in buttermilk and stir lightly until dough comes together in a ball.
4. Knead dough and cut biscuits: Dump dough mixture out onto floured work surface. With floured hands, lightly knead dough a few times until it is fairly well blended. Pat out into a circle, ¾ – 1 inch thick. Dip cutter into flour and cut biscuits without twisting the cutter. Form the dough scraps into an extra biscuit-like shape instead of re-rolling the dough. Place cut biscuits together on the baking sheet so that the sides are touching. Brush tops with melted butter, if desired.
5. Bake biscuits: place baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 500° F oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove biscuits to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.

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OK, so now I have the biscuits. (I really need to cut them to 1″ thick before baking. They would be higher.) How about an old stand-by: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy? Sounds good to me. Just break up some sausage links, or use ground sausage – I would not use an Italian sausage for this – some butter and flour for a roux, salt and pepper, some nutmeg and whole milk. Mix all together with the sausage until it thickens and serve on the biscuits you just made. A hearty cup of El Pico coffee and you are set!!! What a delightful way to spend this gloomy day (even Buddy is gloomy!). Make some fresh and homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy for my blushing Bride!! Yup! That’ll work. Cheers!

Beef and Lamb Stew

26 Monday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Prep, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Things To Do, Wine and Food

≈ 1 Comment

So it is a cold and blustery day here in Boise. Heavy snows are forecast for the 5000 foot level in the mountains, rain and high winds here in the valley. What a good day for a stew!! A good hardy stew – full of vegies, beef and lamb. So, I guess I’d best list the recipe. It calls for a combination of beef and lamb, but, if you don’t like lamb you can add more beef. And if you want a straight lamb stew, just add more lamb.

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Beef and Lamb Stew

Ingredients:
1 T Orange infused oil
2 T Garlic infused oil
. . Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lg Onion, cut into chunks
2 lg Leeks, cut into ¼” rounds
2 lg Carrots, cut into ¼” thick rounds
¾ lbs Mushrooms, thick sliced
1 lg Parsnip. cut into ¼” thick rounds
1 Rutabaga, sliced and cut into ¼” thick pieces
½ c Celery, diced
1 Turnip, sliced and cut into ¼” pieces
1 lbs Lamb Stew meat
¾ lbs Beef Stew meat
32 oz Chicken stock
32 oz Beef stock
½ c Red wine
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T Kitchen Bouquet
6 sprigs Thyme, fresh
1 T Sage, fresh and chopped
3 T Parsley, fresh and chopped
2 T Cornstarch
½ c Red Wine

Directions:
1). Add the oil and salt and pepper to a large stock pot. Heat until hot. Add the onion and leeks and sauté until translucent.

2). Add the meats and sauté until browned.

3). Add the beef stock, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, Kitchen Bouquet and wine. Bring up to a low simmer. Add the thyme, sage and parsley. Mix to combine. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 hours or longer. Taste and adjust as necessary.

4). 15 minutes before serving, mix 2 T cornstarch and ½ cup of red wine. Add to the pot to thicken the sauce into a gravy. Serve piping hot.

Cooking Times:

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Inactive Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours

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So there you have it. If you want a better copy of the recipe, either click on the page title above or Click Here.

Sunday Lamb Dinner

25 Sunday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Prep, Lamb

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So this is not your everyday, Sunday “Old Peoples” Sunday Dinner – Chicken (usually fried), Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Peas. Instead, we just got a lamb for the freezer and we just had to try it. So, Lamb in Garlic Infused Oil, Brussels Sprouts finished in Balsamic Vinegar and Orange Infused Oil and Polenta with Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic lightly fried in Orange Infused Oil. Then to finish it off, a wine and garlic reduction to go over the lamb. YUM-O!!! And to go with the dinner, a great 2007 Cinder Cabernet Sauvignon (63%) and Merlot (37%) blend that went so very well with the dinner. And of course, the wine was from the Snake River AVA – Idaho. You did very well, Melanie. Now for the 2009 Tempranillo!!

For the infused oils, check out the previous post. The oils are fantastic!! Cheers!

Smoked Salmon Dip and Pâté

20 Tuesday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Food Prep, Party Time, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Things To Do

≈ 1 Comment

“Ask and ye shall receive”. Yea Silver City Jerri! I found two recipes in our files for Smoked Salmon. One for a dip and the other for a Pâté, which is a lot more involved. Enjoy! Here we go …………..

Smoked Salmon Dip

Ingredients:
½ lb Smoked Salmon
8 oz Cream Cheese
2 T light Mayonnaise
1 T Lemon Juice
¼ c Green Onions, chopped
1 T fresh Dill, chopped
¼ t Pepper

Directions:
In food processor, puree salmon, cream cheese, mayonnaise and lemon juice until smooth. Mix in onions, dill and pepper. Serve smoked salmon dip with pumpernickel bread or crackers, or on cucumber slices. Garnish with fresh dill or green onions.

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Smoked Salmon Pâté

Ingredients:
1 sl White Bread.
1 T unsalted Butter.
½ c diced Onion.
½ c dry White Wine.
4 Eggs.
3 Egg Whites.
½ lb Whitefish.
1¼ lb Smoked Salmon.
1 t Salt.
1 t ground White Pepper.
1 t ground Coriander.
¼ t ground Nutmeg.
½ c Whipping Cream.

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
2. Remove and discard the crust from the bread. Tear the bread into pieces and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat on the stove, add the onions and cook, stirring for five minutes or until softened. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook for one minute. Add the bread and cook, stirring for five minutes. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl.
4. Roughly cut the whitefish and salmon into one-inch pieces and add to the bread in the mixing bowl. Add the salt, pepper, coriander and nutmeg and mix. Place the mixture in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and place bowl over a pan of ice water. Add the eggs and the whites and mix well. Slowly add the cream.
5. Pack the mixture into a 9”x5”x3” inch glass, ceramic or metal loaf pan. Tap the pan on a counter to firmly pack. Cover tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil.
6. Place loaf pan in a larger pan and fill with boiling water until it rises halfway to the top of the loaf pan. Place in the oven for an hour.
7. Remove Pâté from oven and its water bath. Place loaf pan on a baking sheet. Cool for an hour then refrigerate for three hours.
8. To remove the Pâté, run a knife around edges of the pate. Dip loaf pan in hot water for a minute. Turn out onto a plate.
9. Serve the Pâté with crackers or toast.

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So there you have it. The dip, I know, was presented to the Treasure Valley Wine Society several years ago. The Pâté was presented to them too, but I don’t remember when. At any rate, do enjoy them and Cheers!

Skewered and Grilled Indian Lamb Curry

18 Sunday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Herbs, Lamb, Main Dish, Things To Do

≈ 1 Comment

So here is yet another lamb curry recipe. However, this one is skewered and grilled. The grilling gives the lamb another dimension and worth trying. Yes, you really can grill all year – rain or shine; snow, sleet or sunny.

Skewered and Grilled Indian Lamb Curry

Ingredients:
¼ c Coriander seeds
2 T Cumin seeds
2 t Brown Mustard seeds
1 t Whole Black Peppercorns
2 t Bombay Indian Curry powder
2 t Turmeric
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
¼ c Canola oil
¼ White Wine Vinegar
1½ lbs Boneless Lamb Shoulder, cut into 1-inch dice
6-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for 20 minutes
Kosher salt
Olive oil, for drizzling

Procedure:
1). Heat the grill to high. Combine the coriander, cumin, mustard seeds and black peppercorns in a small skillet on the grates of the grill and grill until lightly toasted, about 1½ minutes, stirring a few times; transfer to a coffee grinder and process until finely ground and place in a bowl. Add the ancho, turmeric, garlic, ginger, ¼ cup canola oil and vinegar and whisk until it forms a paste. If the mixture is too dry, add a few tablespoons of water to loosen it to a paste.

2). Place lamb in a large bowl, add the curry paste and toss to coat each piece of lamb. You can grill immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours to allow the flavors to intensify.

3). Skewer 2 pieces of lamb onto 2 skewers so that the meat lays flat on the grill. Season both sides of the lamb with salt and grill until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides and cooked to medium-rare doneness, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with Basamati steamed rice.

Lamb Curry

18 Sunday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Main Dish, Recipe By: Bob Young

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I have had several requests for Indian Curry. Since we do love lamb, I have found two. (1) Lamb Curry and (2) South Indian Curry. Be careful. These can be very spicy. Instead of lamb, you can go very nontraditional and use beef. These were gathered from the RecipeLion.

Lamb Curry

Ingredients
3 lbs Boneless Leg of Lamb (no fat), cut in 1-inch cubes
¼ c Butter
2 lg Red Onions, chopped
1 T Curry Powder
1 t Salt
¼ t Red Pepper, to taste!!
1 c Plain Yogurt
1 t Turmeric
2 T Fresh Garlic diced fine
1 T Ginger, fresh and diced fine

Instructions
Pat lamb dry with paper towels. Brown thoroughly in corn oil in large pot with chopped onions until brown.

Add all spices, curry powder, salt, red pepper (depend on how hot you want it), turmeric, garlic, ginger and any of your favorite spices as you wish. Simmer slowly for 15 minutes; then add yogurt, blend into lamb. Cook until flavor comes out. Taste the gravy; add more salt and hot pepper, if you need to.

Serve with hot rice. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

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South Indian Curry

Ingredients
For the dry spice mixture:
1 T Coriander seeds
1 T Black peppercorns
1 T Fennel seeds
5 dried hot chilies (the small ones) – add a little at a time!

For the spice paste:
2 T Vegetable oil
2 med Onions, peeled and chopped
6 Garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
½ in piece of Fresh Ginger, peeled and chopped
4-5 fresh Green Chilies (small Indian ones – or one and a half jalapeno), coarsely chopped
1 c Coconut, freshly grated or 2/3 cup desiccated coconut left for one hour barely covered in warm water

Instructions
You also need: 4 tbs. vegetable oil 1 inch cinnamon stick 1 large onion, sliced into very fine half-rings, 2 lb. boned lamb from the shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes, 2 large tomatoes, chopped and 1½ t salt.

Set a small, cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. When hot, put in all the ingredients for the dry -spice mixture. Stir and fry for 2-3 minutes or until they turn a few shades darker and smell roasted. Cool a bit and then grind in a clean coffee grinder.

Heat the 2 T oil for the spice paste in a large, preferably non-stick, frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onions, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Stir and fry until the onions brown a bit. Put in the coconut. Continue to stir and fry until the coconut browns as well. Empty the contents of the pan into the container of a food processor. Add ½ cup water and blend to a paste. Set aside.

Heat the 4 Tbs. oil in a large, preferably non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cinnamon. Stir once and put in the large onion cut into half-rings. Stir and fry until the onion is browned. Add the meat. Stir and fry for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the dry spice mixture, the spice paste and the salt. Stir and cook for five minutes. Add 2 cups water and bring to the boil. Cover, turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for 60-70 minutes or until the lamb is tender. Uncover and boil away most of the liquid over high heat. The sauce should cling to the meat.

Serve with plain or seasoned rice.

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So there you have the curries. Let me repeat – These Can Be Very Spicy, but very good. Enjoy. Cheers!

Winter Root Soup Photos

08 Thursday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Photos, Things To Do

≈ 1 Comment

Here are some photos of the process for making the Fall Root Soup. If you want a full and printable recipe, Look Here.

The root vegetables after oven roasting.

The veggies being warmed and “buttered”.

The chicken stock added and the veggies getting “happy”.

After simmering for 30 minutes, an immersion blender is used to purée the veggies.

The finished product. This is a very good soup and good for a cold Fall or Winter day.

Try this soup. I really think you will like it if you like root vegetables. Cheers!

Fall Root Soup

07 Wednesday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Main Dish, Recipes, Things To Do

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Lots of fall root crops are in now – carrots, rutabaga, parsnips, leeks, etc. And from The Splendid Table and Lynne Rossetto Kasper, we get the following statement –

“A trio of fall root vegetables — carrots, leeks, and a rutabaga — forms the savory foundation of this soup. Puréed and enriched with Crème Fraîche, this potage, with its velvety, smooth texture and glorious orange hue, is always a hit — whether it’s a first course or the main attraction.

Rutabaga is an often-overlooked root vegetable member of the cabbage family. Its pale yellow flesh is slightly sweet. Choose ones with smooth skin and firm flesh that are heavy for their size.”

Fall Root Soup

Makes 8 servings
Adapted From: The Splendid Table

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2½ c Leeks, chopped, white and light green parts only (3 to 4 medium leeks)
1½ lbs Carrots, peeled and diced
1 lg Rutabaga, peeled and diced
2 lg Parsnips. Peeled and diced
10 c Chicken Stock
Kosher salt
1¼ c Crème Fraîche
3 T Flat-Leaf Parsley, fresh and finely chopped

Procedure:
1. Toss the chopped vegetables with a little olive oil, spread them out on a shallow pan and roast at 425 degrees F until they begin to soften and caramelize. Flavors will be more intense. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
2. Heat butter in a large, heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. When melted and hot, add roasted vegetables and mix until the veggies are warmed through. Add stock and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, for about 30 minutes.
3. Purée the soup in batches in a food processor, blender, or food mill, and return soup to the pot. (Or use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.) Whisk in ¾ cup of the Crème Fraîche. Taste soup and season with salt, as needed. (The soup can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Reheat over medium heat.)
4. To serve, ladle soup into shallow soup bowls. Garnish each serving with a generous dollop of the remaining ½ cup Crème Fraîche and a sprinkling of parsley.

We have a pot going now. It should go good with a Sauerbraten I am making. Cheers!

Green Tomato Relish

04 Sunday Oct 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food Prep, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Side Dishes, Things To Do

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So it is 41 degrees outside. It’s been raining all day. Mac brought us green tomatoes – lots of ’em! And by the way, he has an excellent recipe for, of all things, Green Tomato Pie. Here’s what we did with them. Green Tomato Relish, if you want a better copy of the recipe. (There are two Green Tomato Relish recipes there. This is the best one.) Otherwise, here it is:

Green Tomato Relish

Author: Bob and Robin Young

Author Notes: This is a great way to use up all of those green tomatoes that you have at the end of the season. Sweet, yet with a touch of tartness.

Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 12 Pints

Ingredients:

4 qt Green tomatoes, diced fine or Green Zebra Tomatoes
6 lg Onions, diced fine
8 c Sweet Red Peppers, diced fine
1 bn Celery, diced fine
2 c Apple Cider Vinegar
1 c White Vinegar
1 c Brown Sugar
2 c Sugar
1½ c Water
1 t Turmeric
1 t Salt
1 T Mustard, ground
1 t Cinnamon
1 T Allspice
2 t Mustard Seeds
1 t Whole Cloves, ground

Procedure:

1. Dice all vegetables. Place all ingredients in a 12 quart pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Place in sterilized canning jars and hot pack for 20 minutes.

Preparation Time: 2 hours
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes

This really is not hard to do. It just takes some time and patience. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers!

Little German Donuts – Schmalzkuchen

29 Tuesday Sep 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Dessert, Food, Food Prep, Party Time

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Oh yes!! So much food to try and so little time. “I get to soondt olt and to late schmart!” Try these!

Walk through any of the street fairs in Germany and you will be accompanied by the smell of these delightful donuts. Yeast dough flavored with lemon and vanilla, then fried into golden puffs. Because the dough is not sweet, the vendors liberally sprinkle powdered sugar on the donuts.

These donuts are traditional at wintertime festivals, especially in Northern Germany. Now you can make them at home for the family. Eat them within a few hours of frying because, like most homemade donuts, they quickly become stale.

Little German Donuts – Schmalzkuchen

Makes 48 little donuts, about 4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 5/8 c. all purpose flour (250 grams) plus extra
1 tsp. dried yeast
1/2 c. (125 ml.) warm milk
2 T. sugar (40 grams)
1 egg
1 T. vanilla sugar (or another tablespoon sugar)
2 T. butter
1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar
Oil for deep fat frying

Procedure:
Place all the flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the warm milk in the well, sprinkle the yeast on top and add a pinch of sugar. Stir the milk a little, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave it for 10 minutes.

When the milk mixture begins to foam, add the egg, the rest of the sugars, butter, lemon zest and salt. Mix with a large spoon or on the mixer with a dough hook, until the dough comes together to form a ball. Add a little more flour, if needed.

Knead the dough until a soft, smooth ball can be formed. Grease or oil the ball, place in a small container and let rise, covered, for 20 minutes or so. The dough will not be appreciably risen.

Flour a cutting board lightly and pat the dough into a rectangle. Roll out to 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Using a pizza cutter or bench knife, if possible, cut the dough into rectangles (or diamonds) roughly 1 inch by 1 1/2 inches large (2 by 3 centimeters).

Heat 2 inches of oil in a stock pan or other large, deep saucepan. There should be another 2 inches of clearance over that.

If you are using a deep fat fryer, follow manufacturer’s instructions. The oil should be heated to 365°F.

Fry the donuts in 4 – 5 batches for about 3 minutes. Turn them once half way, when the underside turns golden brown. Remove from hot fat and drain on paper towels or brown paper (grocery bag paper).

Sift powdered sugar over the top and eat while still warm.