Okay, this is the most recent Recipe Thread

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Good burritos there at Chipotle. The chipotle (smoked dried jalapeno) peppers are in one or two of the salsas.

The peppers can be found canned or dried. Useful-looking page here:

GourmetSleuth.com

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Quinoa One Skillet Meal, or, Garlic Chicken Stir Fry with Quinoa, Peppers, and Basil

Had some quinoa in a box, and there was a recipe on the back of the box. It's pretty flexible, turns out. I substituted beef strips for chicken, and didn't have any bell peppers.

Prepare quinoa in saucepan:

1 cup quinoa grains
2 cups chicken broth or stock

Soak quinoa in two or three times the volume of water to rinse away bitter flavor.
Simmer quinoa and broth together in saucepan until all of broth is absorbed.

While this is going on, prep everything else:

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless Chicken breasts, cut in 1" pieces
4 TBSP Garlic Olive Oil, or increase garlic from amount below
1 sm Onion, sliced thin
1 red Bell Pepper, 1 yellow Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced thin
5 or more cloves Garlic, sliced thin or minced
20 leaves fresh Basil, julienned
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper to taste.

With everything sliced and readied, heat skillet, add Oil. Saute Chicken 5 minutes or until golden. Add Onions and Peppers, sauteing one or two additional minutes; add Garlic and saute until Peppers are slightly limp but still bright (adds to dish's looks), a minute or two more. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Remove skillet from heat; add prepared Quinoa and julienned Basil, toss until Basil is well wilted. Garnish generously with Parmesan. I served it in soup plates.

For variation, add tomatoes, or use another meat, sliced thin the way you'd prep meat for stir frying. Beef or pork could stand to be marinaded for this recipe in something acidic and tenderizing. Some may like a little drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Quinoa can be fixed in a rice cooker without trouble: one volume of quinoa to two volumes water or stock. With stock it comes off very like a pilaf.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

This is ratatouille by the classic, slow technique, but ratatouille can be cooked entirely on top of the stove and more quickly without peeling or seeding. It can be left chunky or cooked to a puree. Add cheeses such as feta, goat cheese, mozzarella or Parmesan at the end.

Ratatouille can be an all-vegetable entree, a side dish or a filling of crepes and pita sandwiches. It may be served cold, and ageing in the fridge improves it.

If you really don't want to peel the eggplant, take a very sharp knife and lop the skin off in six or eight pieces; you won't lose much flesh to this. Chop the zucchini and any other squash the same size as the tomatoes, about 1-inch cubes. With the eggplant it matters little if it is chopped so or simply sliced as it will meld into the tomatoes.

Ratatouille

1 Eggplant, 1 1/2 to 2 lb, peeled/trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
About 1/2 c Olive Oil, divided
2 Zucchini, cut in 1/4" slices
1 large Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded, sliced
1 large Green Bell Pepper
1 large Onion, sliced
2 c Tomatoes, chopped, seeded
1 TBSP Tomato Paste
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1/2 c minced fresh Basil leaves (or 2 tsp dried)
1 tsp dried Thyme}
1 Bay leaf ...........}optional: Herbes de Provence herb blend may be substituted (rosemary, marjoram, basil, bay leaf, thyme) -- basically whichever you've got on hand. Try a little extra Thyme too.
Salt and fresh ground Pepper

Equipment other than oven: colander, skillet, casserole

In a colander, toss Eggplant with salt, let sit to draw bitter juices out, pat dry.
Preheat oven 350 F.

In large skillet over medium heat, warm 2 TBSP Oil until hot, add half of Eggplant, stirring occasionally cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft. With a slotted spoon, transfer eggplant into casserole dish. Repeat process with remaining Eggplant and same amount of oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes and transfer to casserole.

In 2 more TBSP Oil, saute Bell Peppers 5 min until softened and add to eggplant in casserole.

In same skillet, saute Onion in 1 TBSP Oil for 7 min or until golden, transfer to casserole.

Add Tomatoes to ingredients in casserole dish, and the Tomato Paste, Garlic, Basil, Thyme, Bay Leaf, Salt and Pepper to taste; stir to combine. Cover casserole and bake 30 minutes.

--The Best of France, Evie Richter

Serve with lamb, roast pork, grilled shrimp. Pairs with oven-browned potatoes or crusty bread. Red wine. Keeps well, and improves some with fridge ageing.

[Cloud]

You know how they're saying that onions and garlic are good for you? Well, here's a simple, yummy recipe for braised onions right out of Julia Child.

1 lb pearl or white boiling onions
oil, butter
1/2 cup beef stock
herbs: parsley, thyme, bay leaf. (etc.)
salt and pepper

Peel the onions (the hardest part): Put onions in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let sit for 5 minutes. Cut the root end off the onion, and a shallow cut lengthwise, and squeeze them out of their skins.

Brown the onions in oil and butter in a skillet (not a non-stick). Cook over medium until brown; toss gently during this process (5-10 min.)

Add stock and herbs; cover and simmer about 40 minutes until onions are tender but retain their shape and liquid has almost evaporated. Correct seasoning by adding salt and pepper. (unless you are adding them to another recipe, like beef burgandy or coq au vin).

Faggots
http://www.yourcounty.co.uk/you/arch...s/faggots.html

People tend to love or hate faggots, but these beauties, freshly made in faggot gravy bare little resemblance to their distant cousins you may have seen in the deep freeze at your local supermarket.
They take 50 minutes to prepare, and about two hours to cook, serves four.
Ingredients:
1 pigs liver - diced
1 pigs heart - diced
6 rashers streaky bacon - cut into strips
250g pork belly - diced
2 medium sized onions - peeled and sliced
1 egg
100g breadcrumbs
2 tsp of finely chopped fresh sage
salt and pepper to taste
a large knob of butter
Method:
1. Melt the butter in a large heavy based oven proof pan, add half the sliced onion and cook over a moderate until the onion softens.
2. Gradually add all the meats, stir for a few minutes then add enough water to cover the ingredients, leave uncovered and put in the middle shelf of the oven at 190oC for 50 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, drain the liquid (to make the gravy), mince the meats and onion with the remaining onion, egg, breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of sage and salt and pepper, mix well and form into faggot sized balls.
4. Place the faggots into a greased baking tray and add enough of the reserved liquid to just cover the base of the tray. Cook for about 40 minutes at 200oC on the middle shelf.
5. In the meantime use the rest of the reserved liquid to make some gravy.
6. Five minutes before the faggots are cooked add the gravy to the tray and cook on the stove getting as much of the meat juices into the liquid.
7. Serve whilst piping hot with mashed potatoes and peas pudding, garnish with the remaining sage.


The current Kent Recipe can be found here. The Recipe Directory is here.

[jinx]

mix well and form into faggot sized balls.

How big are faggot sized balls?

[lumberjim]

ask sheldon

[Cloud]

faggots are bundles. ?

BTW, I had the onion recipe tonight for dinner with a small steak, and the combination was divine!

[Clodfobble]

Chicken Macaroni Bake

8 oz. macaroni
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup frozen peas

3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup cream
1 cup chicken broth
4 oz. shredded Gouda cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbs. melted butter

Boil chicken breasts until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Dice. Boil macaroni and thaw peas. Meanwhile, prepare sauce: melt butter over medium heat, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute, then add cream and broth and slowly add cheese, stirring constantly to melt. Mix sauce, chicken, macaroni, and peas in a 13x9 dish. Mix butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Cook uncovered at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

[Cloud]

Yum, I was wondering about that, Clodfobble.

Also, thank you, UG for the quinoa recipe. I've never had much luck with quinoa. or millet.

[Uisge Beatha]

Originally Posted by Cloud

faggots are bundles. ?

A fagot is a bundle of wood for fuel. However, with regard to food-

__________U.K. -- faggot
__________U.S. -- meatball

For example: "After a tasty bowl of faggots and gravy, nothing satisfies like a few puffs of a nice fag."

[Cloud]

Okay, this is a complicated-looking recipe, but TOTALLY worth it! It's a kind of layered Mexican lasagna. You can cut some of the steps by using a purchased roast chicken. This is a NEVER FAIL potluck dish.

CHICKEN SOPA
"MEXICAN LASAGNE"

Ingredients

24 corn tortillas
Chicken; 1 large package boneless, skinless
chicken breasts (about 8 breast halves)
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic (1 clove + 3 cloves)
2 chopped onions
3 T olive oil
2 cups mild salsa
2 ½ + ½ cups chicken broth
2 t cumin
1 ½ t oregano
2 t salt
½ pound grated cheddar cheese*
½ pound grated monterrey jack cheese*
*Use low-fat cheese if desired
16 oz. sour cream (use low fat sour cream)

Cooking Equipment

Large shallow baking pan (14" x 8")
Large saucepan
Skillet
Tongs
Cheese grater

1. To prepare chicken: Rinse chicken parts and place in pan, cover with cold water with 1 bay leaf and 1 chopped clove of garlic. Turn heat to High and bring water to boil. Once water comes to a boil, turn heat down to low. Cover pot and simmer 25 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and cool. When chicken is cool enough, shred with hands. You should have about 8 cups of chicken meat. (Note: You can also use this method of cooking chicken to make chicken for sandwiches, chicken salad, etc.)

2. Chop onion and 3 cloves garlic. Place large saucepan over medium high heat. Put in olive oil and let heat for 1 minute. Put in onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano, and stir. Turn heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, checking and stirring 2-3 times. If vegetables start to stick, add a little more oil. If they start to burn, turn down heat.

3. Add 2 ½ cups chicken broth, 2 cups salsa, and salt to pot; stir. Turn heat to high; bring mixture to boil. Turn down heat to medium, cook uncovered 15 minutes. Sauce should be bubbling nicely but not too frantically.

4. While sauce is cooking, grate cheeses. Coat large (14" x 8") baking pan with Pam cooking spray, or take a paper towel and lightly coat pan with olive oil. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5. When sauce is done, remove a scant 2 cups (this means almost 2 cups, but not quite) from pot and set aside. Add chicken pieces to pot and stir until thoroughly coated.

6. In a skillet, heat ½ cup of chicken broth to boiling; turn heat to low. To prepare tortillas: Using tongs, quickly dip each tortilla in hot broth before layering. If broth starts to run out, add a little hot water.

7. Layer casserole:

1. Place 8 softened tortillas overlapping in bottom of baking pan.
2. Spread half the chicken.
3. 8 more softened tortillas.
4. Half the chicken.
5. Half the cheese.
6. 8 more tortillas.
7. The 2 cups reserved sauce.
8. The remaining cheese.
9. Carefully spread the sour cream on top.

8. Bake 45 minutes in oven until edges are brown and sour cream is set. Yum!

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Seems some comic book artists are not only major chowhounds, but very talented in that direction. Chaykin put this simple recipe in the back of an issue of American Flagg back in the 1980s. Naming it "Spaghetti Alpha Carbonara" made some kind of sense in the context of the story -- the hero was a Martian colonist, Alpha was part of the name of his home town... something like that. It's been years, nay, decades. And it's been that long since I've last eaten it.

So I dusted off the recipe tonight.

As with any simple entree recipe, use high-quality, not baseline, ingredients to give this its full effect. In particular, choose a flavorful kind of bacon, something that really impressed you. Health food? -- nope; probably better serve this with plenty of red wine at the table (salad's a given), and in a day that included lots of exercise. This recipe is good bachelor chow for impressing a new girlfriend with -- though she might not eat much! Still, she'll savor each bite...

Spaghetti Alpha Carbonara

1/2 lb/225g Bacon -- about half a package, most places. Use your favorite kind.
4 TBSP/60ml Vegetable Oil, divided. No need to be exact with this one either.
1 TBSP Butter
4 cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 cup/200ml heavy Cream
2/3 cup/315ml grated Parmesan
Salt
1 lb pkg Spaghetti or other long pasta -- 454g pkg

All quantities somewhat approximate -- this dish can be stretched for large parties.

Equipment other than stove: large mixing bowl, measuring cups, pasta claw or other implements to toss pasta in bowl with carbonara sauce and parmesan, large frying pan

Cut Bacon slices across into 1/4" pieces.
Put 2 TBSP Oil, Butter, crushed Garlic cloves in frying pan, saute at medium-high heat until garlic is golden brown, remove and discard garlic. This doesn't take long.
Add Bacon, saute until cooked.
Add half of Cream, simmer at lower heat 1 minute or until cream thickens. Remove from heat.

Boil 4 qts water in large pot, adding 2 TBSP Oil, Salt, 1 lb of Spaghetti. When spaghetti is al dente, drain.

Reheat pan of bacon and cream, adding remaining cream. When hot, toss Spaghetti together with bacon and cream and Parmesan cheese in mixing bowl until thoroughly mixed. Serve hot, with a salad and red wine.

[Man, am I full!]

[Urbane Guerrilla]

A nice little Omelette

Just something I threw together because it was late:

Quantities to taste, approx measures:

3 Eggs
Brown mushrooms, portobellos, white mushrooms -- whatever's on hand
1 lg clove Garlic, minced fine
a couple dashes Herbes de Province (equal parts marjoram, rosemary, basil, thyme), minus the bay leaf (the complete herbes blend), to taste
Half a pat of Butter
Oil for cooking

Saute' the Shrooms in Oil with minced Garlic and Herbes de Provence blend until shrooms are shrunken to two thirds their size or so, just don't burn them.

Fix the beaten Eggs in blend of Oil and half pat of Butter over medium to med-high heat, not letting the eggs get browned. Kills the flavor.

You know the rest. Warmed plates make for nice cozy omelettes.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

I missed a procedural paragraph when I was transcribing the Ratatouille recipe... you'll note I didn't include anything to do with the chopped/sliced zucchini. So:

In prepping everything for baking in the casserole dish,

Saute Onions, then Peppers, at medium heat in a couple tablespoonsful of Oil each; then add Eggplant and any squashes with the herbes, soften and brown these. If you wish to cook ratatouille down to a smooth texture, add in Tomatoes, garlic, and the herbs, cook covered briefly, then remove cover and cook down to desired consistency, chunky or smoother.

The half-hour bake en casserole finishes the job. For good ratatouille, don't be afraid of the herbs and garlic, or the olive oil. Not too far from Imam Bayildi, except that it's more stew-ish.

It allows plenty of variations, too -- this is peasants'-garden-food after all -- so try addition of tomato paste or sundried tomatoes if you have either around.