Artichokes and Peas

23 Friday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Food, Photos, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables

So after a morning of oral surgery, it becomes somewhat of a challenge to eat potato chips. So, let’s puree the steak! Or, if you are inventive, try this one (photo below)and I’m not sure the recipe name is correct:

Frozen peas, thawed
Mint
Cream
Artichoke Bottoms
Polenta with Basil and Garlic (Available in your super market in the vegetable dept)

Thaw the peas. Place in a food processor along with some mint and cream. Cream until smooth. Place about 3 Tablespoons in the artichoke bottoms and on some polenta rounds and “nuke” until warm.

Try this with some sauteed Sole. It also might be a good one for St Patricks’ Day. Something to think about. Certainly better than pureed steak!

Amigos Mexican Restaurant, Boise

20 Tuesday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Restaurants

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OK, so we went out to eat again. But this time it was suggested by the Idaho Statesman reviewer, Tim Woodward. And this one is well worth posting here and on some other blogs – it’s that good. I will hold the food up to any other Mexican restaurant in Boise or Kuna. Here is Our Review. If you are looking for a very good Mexican restaurant in Boise, indulge yourself and go here. It’s not expensive, just good!

Brown Box Food Deliveries

19 Monday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food

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I don’t know if anyone would be interested in this, but here is the Information for Brown Box Organics here in Boise. The general idea is that you order produce and other packaged grocery items over the Internet and they deliver to your door-step. You can look at their web site and determine for yourself if you would use this service. Just a thought.

Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop "Peach Cobbler"

19 Monday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Dessert, Recipes

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Tomorrow, Tuesday 20 January, while watching President-Elect Obama take the Oath of Office, you may want to try his favorite dessert – the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop Peach Cobbler from Chicago. If you don’t have the recipe, here it is:

DIXIE KITCHEN AND BAIT SHOP PEACH COBBLER

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (30 minutes active). Servings: 10

FOR THE FILLING:
15 cups frozen peaches (about seven 10-ounce bags), thawed and drained
1 1/2cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 rounded teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup peach juice (the juice drained from the frozen peaches is fine)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

FOR THE CRUST:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Crisco shortening
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

Heat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

To make the filling, arrange the peaches in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk in the peach juice until smooth. Pour the mixture over the peaches. Sprinkle the butter over the top. Set aside.

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the shortening and butter, then use a pastry blender or gloved hands to work them into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms pea-sized lumps.

Slowly add the water, adding enough and mixing only until the dough holds together. Do not over mix.

Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough into a rectangle slightly large than the baking pan and about 1/4 inch thick.

Remove the top sheet of parchment paper. The dough then can be cut into strips and woven into a crust over the cobbler (this is the method preferred by Andresen).

For an easier crust, invert the crust onto the baking pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Trim the crust to fit just inside the edge of the pan.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop in Chicago.

Cheers and enjoy the Peach Cobbler!

Comfort Pudding

16 Friday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Dessert, Food, Recipes

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Since I have an abscessed tooth, I thought it best not to eat peanuts, popcorn, steak, or the like. That leaves Tapioca Pudding. Here is a recipe I found at – Cooks (dot) Com:

MOTHER’S FAVORITE OLD FASHIONED TAPIOCA PUDDING

1 c Water
1/3 c. lg. size pearl tapioca (not instant)
2 1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Soak tapioca in water for 4 to 12 hours.

Add milk and salt. Heat and stir until boiling. Simmer at low heat, uncovered, for 50 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add sugar gradually. Beat eggs. Mix with some of hot tapioca.

Return slowly to rest of mixture. Bring to boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes to achieve pudding consistency. Cook 15 minutes. Add vanilla.

Pour into individual cups. Looks like it will make 4-6 servings. Enjoy!

For The "Gnocchi" Lovers!

14 Wednesday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Main Dish, Recipes

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Now I know there are some gnocchi lovers out there. Here’s how to make it.

Potato Gnocchi
4 Servings

Gnocchi (pronounced “nyo-kee” and derived from the German word for “knuckle”) are tasty little dumplings, one of Italy’s oldest pastas, dating back to the 12th century. Traditional ingredients vary from region to region, with recipes including potatoes, flour, semolina, ricotta cheese, spinach and even bread crumbs. My favorite base for gnocchi is the Idaho potato. Potatoes are packed with complex carbohydrates, plenty of potassium, vitamins C and B-6, and lots of great minerals. Potatoes convert to glucose in your body fairly quickly, triggering the release of insulin, which leads to increased levels of relaxing seratonin in your brain. When making gnocchi (a relaxing activity in itself), pinch each one to create an indentation, which holds the sauce. Immediately let it fall to the floured surface so you handle the gnocchi as little as possible. Cook them right away if you can. Toss the dumplings into the bubbling water and drink in the scented steam. They will emerge light and delectable.

Ingredients:
1 pound baking potatoes
1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash paprika
Dash grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:
1. Peel the potatoes, cut in quarters, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook until tender. Drain and mash. You should have about 2 cups.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, a few dashes of paprika and nutmeg, and the chopped parsley.
3. Add the warm potatoes and turn out onto a floured surface. Knead just until dough is well mixed and not sticky. Let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Roll chunks of dough on floured board into logs about 1 inch thick. Cut into diagonal slices about 3/4 inch thick.
5. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add gnocchi. After they rise to the surface, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.
6. Drain well and cover with your favorite pasta sauce.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving:
289 calories
1 g total fat (0 g sat)
0 mg cholesterol
62 g carbohydrate
8 g protein
3 g fiber
250 mg sodium

(Recipe reprinted with permission of Dr Weil.com)

Might be worth a try, but I might cut back on the salt.

Geno starts his journey into "sourdough"

14 Wednesday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Sourdough

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Hi Fellow Foodies….

It’s Geno here….and this is my first blog entry ever…so please be kind….

Although I’m just beginning my journey in the world of bread making, I’ve become interested in sourdough baking since I recently saw some sourdough recipes in a dutch oven cookbook I found a few months ago on a trip to Bend.

I tried to make some sourdough starter as per my dutch oven recipe book….and I’ve used it once (it seemed ok). But then I realized I may want to get a bit more serious about all this. So, I turned to the web for some research on sourdough and quickly learned that one of the premier authorities on sourdough happens to live 60 miles to the north in the sleepy town of Cascade, Idaho. His name is Ed Wood and he is a medical doctor with additional degrees in nutrition and pathology. In his travels over the world, he has collected several sourdough cultures which he now sells through his business “Sourdoughs International” at www.sourdo.com. He has sourdough cultures for sale from San Francisco, South Africa, Australia, Italy, and New Zealand.

I purchased his cookbook “Classic Sourdoughs. It has tons of recipes of sourdough breads from all over the world….batter breads….pancakes…ryes and other grains…and even a special section on how to make sourdough in a bread machine. Pretty cool….right? I also purchased a starter of San Francisco sourdough. This starter has the dry bacteria cultures extracted from authentic San Francisco sourdough.

As soon as I get my starter going and perfect some recipes from the “Sourdough Classics” cookbook, I’d love to share with the group. Let me know if you have questions or want to borrow the book or some starter in the future. My sourdough journey is just beginning….but I’m excited to share my successes and failure along the way with the group.

Hopefully much more to come on this….

1st Paella!

13 Tuesday Jan 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Main Dish, Photos, Recipes

≈ 1 Comment

OK, so here is my first attempt! Actually it was pretty good. The recipe says serves 2, but I find that hard to understand. It’s more like serving for 6! This makes a LOT of food. But, here is the recipe made in the Paella Pan we bought today!

Basque Market’s Paella

Note: Actually this is adapted from their paella recipe for “Chorizo, Chicken and Pork Paella For 2”.

1 T Olive Oil
¼ med Onion, diced
2 lg Cloves Garlic, diced
¼ c Celery, diced
¼ c Pimientos, diced
¼ c Peas, frozen
¼ c Carrots, diced
3½ c Chicken stock
1 c Paella rice
¼ lbs Chorizos, cut into ¼” rounds
¼ lbs Ham, cut into ¼” chunks
15 pieces Shrimp, 25-30 count – shells removed
1 t Smoked Paprika
1 t Spanish Paprika
4 strands Saffron

Heat the stock on a back burner with the saffron strands.

In a 26 cm paellera (paella pan) add the oil and place on the heat at medium low.

Sauté the onion until it is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and allow to cook until the aroma of the garlic comes through. Add the celery and cook for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to let the vegetables brown.

Add the chorizo and paprika’s and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the ham. Add the rice and the pimentos and stir well into the olive oil. Add ¾ of the chicken stock, leaving the remainder to simmer.

Mix everything well so that the rice is at an even depth throughout the pan. Do not stir the rice any more from this point in the cooking process.

Add the carrots, peas and shrimp. Add some of the chicken stock if necessary. Cook until the rice is tender.

Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a hardy bread.

Note: The original recipe said that this would serve 2. However, Robin and I ate one helping each and we still had an easy 4 servings left.

So, give it a try or maybe we’ll all get together and make one. Serve it with a good, hardy red wine. It’s not very hard, but still took about an hour. I think the key is to have everything prepped before you start. Think of it almost like a Stir Fry.