You Booze, You Looze

Pardon another laggard post
March 2010 - Dinner #2 Theme = Alcohol

Eleni's Amaretto Thing

2 lbs strawberries, rinsed, dried, hulled and quartered
amaretto, to taste
whipping cream
sugar (grind it up fine in food processor)

Toss strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup amaretto and let macerate for about an hour. There should be a substantial amount of juice. Whip cream until soft peaks. Add about 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup amaretto. Whip stiff. If you're like me, it's not strong enough so add a splash more amaretto. You want enough amaretto to feel like a lush for making this dish, but not so much that the cream won't hold a peak anymore. Serve a few spoons of strawberries per person, ladle over some juice, and slop and good measure of cream on top.

Only a year too late...

Eleni says:
I'm always harping on everyone about how I want us to keep good records of our dinner club. And then I remember that I have not posted any of my recipes on our blog! Open mouth, please insert foot.
Today is a new me...a snazzy, polished, blogging-crazy me. I'll add each of my recipes in its own post.

February 2010 - Dinner #1 Theme= Fruit
Whole Wheat Cranberry-Apricot Bread
(makes two 8inch boules)

* 2 teaspoons instant yeast
* 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 2 cups bread flour
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* 3/4 cups dried cranberries (reconstituted in 1 cup water)
* 6-8 dried apricots, chopped

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix and knead until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 2 hours until it’s doubled in bulk.
2. Punch the dough down, and knead the cranberries and apricots into the dough. Let it rise a second time, for about 45 minutes. After it has risen cut the top across and vertically, being careful not to go more than 1/4 inch deep. That’ll give you a good artisanal look.
3. BAKING – Remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread in a preheated 350*F oven for 35 to 40 minutes until it’s golden brown. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will register 190*F. Remove it from the oven and turn it out of the pan to cool on a rack.

Ployes with savory tofu filling

Brinner = breakfast for dinner! I made ployes, which are buckwheat crepes originating in Acadian Maine. They can be eaten sweet (with blueberry jam) or savory (with my tofu filling).

For info or to find a place to buy ployes mix: Bouchard Family Farm

The tofu filling was adapted from a WholeFoods recipe for vegetarian tacos. It's tofu that doesn't taste like tofu!

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Method

Put tofu, chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander and salt into a bowl and mash together with a fork. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and two-thirds of the green onions and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tofu mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. Add beans and remaining green onions, stir well and cook until beans are heated through, about 2 minutes more.

Boudin from Lousiana and S'mores on a Stick

I cheated (!) and brought boudin made by my local butcher in my hometown in Louisiana. Here is a description from CajunGrocer.com:


"Boudin is a treat found only in Southern Louisiana, traditionally made with pork, rice and various vegetables, like green onions. However, you won't find one central recipe, because each butcher makes boudin a different way. Everybody has their own family recipe--some are spicier, some use different meats and flavorings--but the results are always delicious."

I also made S'mores on a Stick!

Ingredients:
1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package of large marshmallows
1 package of graham crackers

Equipment:
bamboo skewers
open flame (I used my gas stove burner)
rolling pin
gallon ziploc bag
double boiler

Break graham crackers into small pieces and place inside of the large ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin to finish crushing the pieces. Once crushed, place the graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler with constant stirring, and set aside. String three marshmallows onto each of your skewers. Carefully toast over open flame. Working quickly, roll each trio of marshmallows in chocolate, and then roll in graham cracker crumbs. Let cool & enjoy!

In the Octoberfest spirit...

In the Octoberfest spirit/Portuguese fall spirit I decided to make some roasted pork tenderloins and baked apples with Port wine.

Baked apples in Port Wine


Wash the apples, cut a portion around the stem. Place them on a oven baking tray, pour sugar and a small cinnamon stick on each one, then pour some Port wine (can also be made with spiced rum or red wine). Bake for 45min/1h depending on the number of apples.

Roasted pork tenderloins


I seasoned the pork with paprika, rosemary, tyme, lemon, salt, some sugar and beer.

Butternut Squash casserole

Butternut Squash with cranberries, ginger, and orange

Ingredients:
EVOO cooking spray
3 1/2 lbs butternut squash (@ 4 1/2 cups) peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tsp grass-fed organic butter, melted
2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tsp freshly grated ginger, divided
2 Tbsp EVOO, divided
2 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 tsp raw honey
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
Unrefined sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground coarse black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup whole-wheat panko crumbs
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degres F

Spray an 8x8 inch casserole with cooking spray. Add the butternut squash. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, orange juice concentrate, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, orange zest, and honey; pour liquid over the squash and toss to coat. Add the cranberries and gently toss. Season with salt and black pepper; gently toss ingredients together. (I did this all in the 8x8 dish, but stuff kept falling out of the dish, so I would recommend doing the tossing of the squash with the liquid etc in a really big bowl, then transferring it all to the 8x8 casserole dish).

In a small bowl, mix together the panko crumbs, remaining tsp of grated ginger, remaining Tbsp of oil, and remaining Tbsp of brown sugar. Sprinkle the seasoned crumb mixture on top of the squash. Drizzle lemon juice on top.

Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until butternut squash cubes are soft. Allow squash to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Modifications:
I used regular butter, just plain orange juice (not thawed concentrate - I think I added a bit more than what was listed too), dried ginger (I did add close to what it said for fresh ginger, thus why the dish was super gingery!), dried cranberries (the same amt as what was called for fresh), and whatever bread crumbs were in the cupboard (Italian flavored, I think).
Also, I would suggest putting the casserole dish in the oven for about 15-20 minutes WITHOUT the crumb covering and kind of tossing the squash around during those 20 minutes or so to give the sqaush extra time to soften up, THEN cover with the crumbs and roast off the rest of the time. The squash I used wasn't super ripe, so I think that contributed to a longer baking time, but I couldn't bake it too much since the crumbs were starting to burn.

Enjoy!! :)

Egyptian Tomato Soup

Recipe for Egyptian tomato soup

The "brown onion" in the recipe is a yellow onion for us in America. ;) I used vegetable stock and over a pound of cherry tomatoes from my garden. Yum!