Receta Can I Get the Recipe? Week 18, Vol I - Nov 7, 2009
Dinners of the Week:
Corn Chowder with Double Smoked Bacon
Roast Chicken and Vegetables
Chicken, Leek and Potato Pot Pie
Tuna, Zucchini and Roasted Tomato Pasta
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Dessert of the Week:
Fallen Chocolate Cakes
Snack of the Week:
Rice Crisp Bars with Dried Fruits, Nuts and M&M’s
Dinner One: Corn Chowder with Double Smoked Bacon
Prep Time: 15 min./Total Time: 45 min. Serves 4.
Can I Get the Recipe Tip: Make sure the soup is cooled when using a food processor or blender to puree half of the soup so that the liquid does not splatter.
Ingredients:
1 ounce double-smoked bacon, cut into pieces 1 small onion, chopped
1 small potato, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped 1/2 tablespoon chopped thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1⁄8 tsp hot pepper flakes (omit if you don’t like spicy foods)
1 ripe Roma (plum) tomato, seeded and chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 ½ cups corn kernels, frozen or fresh
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup whole (3.25%) milk
1⁄8 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, cook bacon until brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain on paper towels.
Toss onion in rendered bacon fat and sauté until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add potato, garlic, thyme and hot pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, zucchini, corn and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. In a food processor, purée half the soup in batches. Return the puréed soup to the vegetables in the pot. Stir in milk and bell pepper. Reheat over medium heat until steaming. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with crisp smoked bacon bits.
Dinner Two: Simple Roast Chicken with Vegetables
Chicken
(Prep Time: 15 min/Total Time: 1 hour 15 min. Serves 4.
Can I Get the Recipe Tip: Double this recipe and cook 2 chickens if you plan on making the chicken pot pie over the next couple of days.
Ingredients – Roast Vegetables:
4 large red potatoes cut into chunks
4 large carrots cut into chunks
1 large onion cut into quarters
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
Ingredients – Roast Chicken and Gravy:
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
4 sprigs rosemary
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch (dissolved with 2 tablespoons warm water)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Toss vegetables with olive oil then season generously with salt and pepper. Place vegetables in a large oven proof skillet or roasting pan.
Remove giblets and liver from cavity, discard. Trim excess fat from cavity. Rinse chicken thoroughly under cold water, inside and out then pat as dry as possible all over the cavity and the skin.
Season chicken cavity with salt and pepper then stuff with lemon, rosemary and garlic. Rub skin with 2 tablespoons softened butter. Season chicken all over generously with salt and pepper.
Place chicken in the skillet or roasting pan (on top of vegetables). Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165F, about an hour. Transfer chicken and vegetables to a platter, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, prepare the gravy by discarding the fat from juice in the skillet. Place pan over medium high heat.
Pour in wine and broth to deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon.
Cook until reduced by half, add cornstarch mixture to thicken. Pour through a fine sieve into a serve bowl.
Serve chicken with gravy and roasted vegetables.
Dinner Three: Lemon Chicken and Leek Pot Pie
Prep Time: 20 min/Total Time: 60 min. Serves 4.
Can I Get the Recipe Tip: When preparing garlic for any dish, make sure to de-germ the clove by cutting the clove in half and removing the green sprout that sometimes grows out from the middle of the clove. Leaving the germ in can cause a bitter aftertaste in your dish.
Ingredients:
- about 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and de-germed
- 3 leeks
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- *1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dry
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 cup frozen green peas, defrosted
- 1 pre-made recipe pie crust, thawed or 450g puff pastry
- 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
- *tarragon can be substituted with thyme if desired
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Place garlic in cold water, bring to boil, and boil for a minute or so. Drain and roughly chop. Reserve.
Cut very dark green leaves from leeks and discard. Wash leeks well and slice into 1/2-inch (1-cm) sections (I use about 2/3 of the leek).
Heat butter in skillet on medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes or until leeks soften. Stir in flour and cook until pale gold, about 4 minutes, adding more butter if needed. Stir in chicken stock, white wine if using, tarragon, lemon juice and rind. Bring to boil. Add cream, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick and glossy. Season well with salt and pepper.
Stir in green peas and chicken. Place in a 6-cup baking dish. Cover top of dish with pastry. Cut a steam hole, decorate with any extra pastry cut in shapes, if desired. Brush with egg.
Bake pie on middle shelf of oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until pastry is golden and mixture bubbles.
Dinner Four: Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta
Prep Time: 15 min /Total Time: 30 min. Serves 4.
Can I Get the Recipe Tip: Roast the vegetables when convenient then simply re-heat later to make pasta.
Ingredients:
16 ounces dry spaghetti plus ¼ cup reserved pasta water
4 small zucchini, chopped
6 Roma tomatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic, sliced
handful fresh basil
½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese plus ½ cup more for serving
salt and pepper
olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place zucchini, tomato and garlic together on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Use you hands to toss the vegetables to coat the season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes.
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Scoop out ¼ cup of the pasta water before draining. Place pasta back into pot and pour roasted vegetables over top.
Toss vegetables with pasta over medium heat until heated through. Just before serving, mix in parmesan.
Individually plate pasta and sprinkle with basil. Serve with extra parmesan.
Dinner Five: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Prep Time: 15 min/Total Time: 8 hours. Serves 4.
Can I Get the Recipe Tip: Bouillon cubes can be found in most bulk sections of major grocery chains if you don’t want to purchase a package.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds top round steak
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can fat-free condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 ounce) container fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 small cube beef bouillon
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (16 ounce) container light sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 small package egg noodles
Directions:
Place the beef in the bottom of a slow cooker (I put mine in whole, but you can slice into strips if you prefer). Season with a few grinds of salt and pepper. Place onion on top of beef, and then add mushroom soup, mushrooms, water, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and bouillon cube (crumble and sprinkle over top).
In a small bowl, mix together the wine with the flour. Pour evenly over the beef mixture. Cover, and cook on low for 7 hours or until you return home.
Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized pieces (the meat should be falling apart). Stir in the sour cream and continue cooking for up to 1 hour. Serve over hot, buttered egg noodles and top with chopped parsley, if desired.
Dessert of the Week: Fallen Chocolate Cakes
(Prep Time: 20 min/Total Time: 30 min. Makes 4 Individual Cakes.
Can I Get the Recipe Tip: The batter for these chocolate cakes can be refrigerated for several hours until you’re ready to bake them. If you choose to do this, take the molds out of the fridge before starting dinner and bring them back to room temperature before baking.
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for the molds
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus more for the molds
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
Directions:
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Butter and lightly flour four 4-ounce molds, custard cups, or ramekins; tap out excess flour.
Use a double boiler set over hot (not boiling) water to heat the butter and chocolate together until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, yolks, and sugar together with a whisk until light and thick. Whisk the melted chocolate and butter together until creamy; it should be quite warm. Pour in the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour, just until combined.
Divide the batter among the molds. Put the molds on a baking sheet and bake until the center is still quite soft but the sides are set, about 6 to 7 minutes.
Invert each mold onto a plate and let sit for about 10 seconds. Un-mold by lifting up one corner of the mold; the cake will fall out onto the plate. Serve immediately. Optional accompaniments: powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, berries, or whipped cream.
Snack of the Week: Multigrain Rice Crisp Bars with Dried Fruit and M&M’s
Prep Time: 15 min/Total Time: 30 min. Makes 24 bars.
Can I Get the Recipe Tip: This recipe is very versatile. Use any type of dried fruit and nuts that you prefer. Another great option is to substitute the fruit, nuts and M&M’s with 1 ½ cups of your favorite trail mix.
Ingredients:
¼ cup butter
1 package (250 grams/about 40 large) white marshmallows
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup dried apricot, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)
¼ cup M&M's
7 cups multigrain rice crisp cereal
Directions:
Lightly grease a 9x12 baking pan with butter. Set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows and occasionally until the marshmallows have all melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Add dried fruit and rice crisps and stir well. Add M&M's and stir until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Lightly grease your hands with a bit of butter and press down on mix. Let set for 30 minutes in the fridge. Remove and cut into squares.
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