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| Serve it up: Fork & Bottle is the place to talk all things tasty -- food, drink, entertaining, recipes, grocery shopping -- with bloggers from JournalStar.com and the local food-and-drink business. |
02/17/09Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup is oh so tastyI've had a real omission in my culinary repertoire: Never have I made any sort of tortilla soup. So when a friend told me she was preparing some for a neighborhood open house, I hopped on the Internet to see if I could find a recipe to suit my taste and cooking style, which is relatively unfussy. I found the following tortilla soup recipe on Sarah Cool's blog. She sold it to me by saying how easy it was to make, that it tasted better if it sat overnight so the flavors could blend and that it took a lot of canned ingredients, which would reduce the chopping. I scrimped a bit on the chicken -- boneless, skinless breasts are expensive -- and added some of the meat I had from a roast chicken to fill out a bit. I found the directions a bit confusing when it came to the broth so I poached the breasts in 3 cups of water with 3 bouillon cubes but I didn't use that broth for the soup and instead used the canned broth. It makes a whole bunch and even after I had a friend to dinner I have at least a week of lunches, and maybe a dinner or two. I used lime, avocado and a package of Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strips, Santa Fe Style for garnishes. It's the sort of soup that bears repeating. Try it! Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup - 2 onions, finely chopped Directions For a spicier soup, add more (or different) spices. You can also bulk up the soup by adding 2 extra cans of broth, and 1 extra can each of white corn, great northern beans, and crushed tomatoes. 02/04/09Chocolate on my mind...I've not yet had a chance to make these, but I'm in the mood for chocolate and always looking for new, easy and decadent recipes. (Counting calories is never part of the plan where chocolate is concerned. It's much easier to cut down elsewhere...) That these fudge bites feature kahlua, one of my favorite flavor enhancers, is a big bonus, especially when paired with chocolate. This recipe received rave reviews in Fine Cooking's e-letter and that's good enough for me. I also like that they can be cut into tiny pieces and you can still get a full burst of richness. When the goodies are so small, several are never too many. Kahlúa Fudge Bites Tip: For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 ounces) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups. For the glaze: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 325° F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt to blend. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar until blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just blended. Whisk in the coffee liquer along with the last egg. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir with a rubber spatulla until just blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few small, moist clumps sticking to it, about 30 minutes. (Don't overbake, or the squares won't be fudgy.) Transfer the pan to a rack to let cool completely. Make the chocolate glaze: From Fine Cooking 68, pp. 65 01/27/09What to do with leftover kale? Make quiche, of course!Here's a recipe we ran recently on our food page, but I might not have tried it if I hadn't had some extra kale in the fridge. And since this leafy green is such a boost for healthy eating, I figured it would be a shame to let it wilt, unused. I whipped up the quiche quickly a few nights ago for a late dinner. I had to do some advance planning because I don't keep prepared pie crusts on hand, nor did I have a bunch of green onions or even some whole milk. And I used a marbled combination of Monterey Jack and Cheddar instead of straight cheddar because that's what I had. The red pepper flakes give it some zip and the leftovers heat up beautifully for lunch in just a minute in the breakroom microwave. This recipe from the Chicago Tribune appeared in a story about Supermarket Heroes. It's a keeper. Kale and Onion Quiche 01/19/09One-pot meal offers many flavorsI'm in the mood for cooking again, and I like experimenting with new dishes that blend ingredients and flavors that get better the longer they mingle. This dish offers a bonus of wonderful scents thanks to the cumin and cinnamon. And it's hard to beat sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and kale for healthy eating. The recipe came to my work e-mail thanks to Fine Cooking's e-letter. Don't be scared off by the unusual combination of ingredients. They work really well together. I bought cinnamon sticks from the bulk jars at Open Harvest and it cost 40 cents for 4 of them. The Greek olives came from Ideal Market's olive bar and I had a great time smashing them with a saucepan to remove the pits easily (see the note below). The rest is routine. Just slice some onions, peel and dice the sweet potato and open some cans. Everything goes in one pot. And the cooking time is fairly short. Despite its foreign-sounding name, this "stew" is easy and sure to impress. I served the ragout over some couscous; first I browned the tiny grains in some hot olive oil for about 5 minutes til they colored slightly, then I transferred the couscous to another bowl and poured a cup of boiling water over it, covered the bowl with a dish towel and in 5 minutes the grains were ready to be fluffed with a fork and then used as a base for the ragout. Now I've got lunches for the week! Moroccan Vegetable Ragout Tip: If you don't have an olive-pitting tool, you can use a small skillet or saucepan. Apply pressure with the bottom of the pan until the olives split, exposing the pits enough that they can be plucked away by hand. 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, about 5 min. Add the cinnamon stick and cumin and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juices, olives, orange juice, honey, and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are barely tender, about 15 min. Stir in the kale. Cover and continue cooking until wilted and softened, about another 10 min. Season with salt and pepper to taste. serving suggestions: 01/06/09Nibbles to take you into the New YearHere are two new recipes that crossed my palate at a pre-dinner New Year's celebration hosted by friends DiAnna and Herb. They were tasty and easy to make and would be great for any casual gathering. No need to wait for the next New Year's gathering to try them out. DiAnna writes: "This one is one that my mother, Ib Rebman, gave me and it is great because they can be frozen and reheated. Easy to take from the freezer for unexpected company." Cheese Crisps 1/2 cup butter, softened Shape cookies by rolling in balls, flatten with fork, and bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes. Can be reheated, if frozen, at 200 degrees. DiAnna continues: "The second recipe is also from my mother and was given to her by her late friend Ruth Shaffer." Ruth's Sweets Cut 1 can water chestnuts in fourths. (We prefer thirds or even halves.) Wrap each in 1/4 slice of thin-slice bacon (stretch with knife before cutting.) Put on toothpicks. Cook to bubbling in microwave: 1 cup brown sugar Marinate the "picks" in the sauce for at least an hour. Bake on cookie sheet at 250 degrees for 40 minutes or longer. Note: Be sure to use foil on cookie sheet for easy cleanup. :: Next Page >> |
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