Mainelife...thru the eyes of someone from away

Comfort Food

It's been a cold, gray spring and after a string of days like we've had I crave comfort food: beef stew, heavy starches, creamy soups--any food that can warm the bones and the soul.  But.....we're still on the weight loss program in preparation for the August wedding. Comfort food now has to be low(er) calorie.
So I found this recipe for Five Spice Chicken over at Epicurious.com and I was able to find the Chinese Five Spice Powder at our local Whole Foods.   It was delicious.  I served it with Lyonnais Potatoes, Chilled Asparagus with lemon and butter.  

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder*
• 1 cut-up chicken (8 pieces; about 3 1/2 pounds)
• 1 large onion, peeled, cut into 16 wedges

Preparation

Combine garlic, salt, olive oil, and Chinese five-spice powder in large bowl. Add chicken pieces; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange onion wedges in 13x9x2-inch roasting pan.

Arrange chicken, skin side up, atop onions. Roast until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 50 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and let rest 10 minutes. Arrange chicken and onions on platter and serve.

 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas....

.....and that's not necessarily a good thing this time of year.  This is the time of year when even a self proclaimed winter-lovin', snow-appreciatin' Maine woman is ready for daffodils and robins and a little green grass. 

But, we're not alone in this late winter whitefest--at one point yesterday it was snowing from Atlanta to Bangor, and I still believe that if you live in Maine, then you can't complain about the weather. 

Plus, this storm gave me a perfect excuse to make a beef stew.  Not just any stew, but Ina Garten's Parker's Beef Stew.  The recipe comes from her Back to Basics Cookbook and while it does require a little bit of planning so you can marinate the beef overnight, it is absolutely the best stew, evah and worth every bit of prep and cook time.  It can also be made a day ahead and then warmed in the oven before serving.  It might even be just a bit better that way.  

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds good quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 (750-ml bottle) good red wine
• 2 whole garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Good olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/2 pound white mushrooms, stems discarded and cut in 1/2
• 1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 cups or 1 (14 1/2-ounce can) chicken stock or broth
• 1 large (or 2 small) branch fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Directions

Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.

Heat another 2 tablespoons of oil to the large pot and add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty pot and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250 or 275 degrees F.

Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.

Fall Recipe

It's beginning to look a little like fall and it's beginning to feel a lot like fall. We've had our first frost, most nights are very cool, and here and there, the sugar maples are starting to turn.  As happens every fall, when the weather cools, I start looking for recipes that are heartier and require longer cook times (it must be genetically ingrained through my hearty Germanic ancestors).

This month's Bon Appetite has a great recipe for Braised Short Ribs in a slow cooker.  It includes 6 cloves of garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms, so the aroma is amazing.  I added a few portabella mushrooms that I had from another recipe.  They added a bit of that smokey taste and I'm not sure I'd use them again.  The recipe also calls for serving with a nice crusty bread.  I did that, but also added some homemade mashed potatoes.  If you skip the potatoes, the prep time is about 7 minutes.    

            

Ingredients

4.5 lbs beef short ribs
Coarse kosher salt    
2 cups dry red wine                                          
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes in their juice                                                           
6 oz. of sliced button mushrooms                      
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, peeled                                                                                                     
6 sprigs of fresh Italian parsley                     
2 bay leaves                                             
                                                                                                                       
Crusty bread                             

                      

Directions                                                                    

                                                                                                           

Sprinkle ribs with coarse salt and pepper. Place in even layer in slow cooker. Add next 7 ingredients, cover, and cook on low heat until meat is tender, about 8 hours

                                                                                       
Using slotted spoon, transfer ribs to serving bowl. Discard parsley and bay leaves. Spoon fat off top of sauce and pour sauce over ribs. Serve with bread.                    

                                                          

Maple Balsamic Glazed Salmon

We had this recipe at The Keeper's House on Isle au Haut a few years ago, and it's  the best salmon recipe I've ever eaten in a restaurant--so good that RG  pestered the chef until she shared it with him.  It's her own creation, based upon a derivation from a recipe that she saw in the New York Times a few years back.  I always make the tarragon butter ahead and save the unused portion. Well covered, it keeps for weeks in the refrigerator. 

I love to serve this when company-that-likes-to-cook comes,  especially if the tarragon butter doesn't get made ahead.  Then it's a good recipe for multiple cooks.   Also, because I'm often a just in time kind of gal, I've discovered that in a pinch, the tarragon butter hardens nicely wrapped in Saran Wrap in the freezer.

On Saturday, I'm making it for my mom's birthday dinner....before the other 10 from Ohio arrive for a week.  Next week, we'll be 14 in our 3-bedroom cottage on the mid-coast.  Pray for RG.  He'll need a little help getting by. 

Maple Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Marinade

1 part balsamic vinegar

1 part maple syrup

1 part olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine all ingredients.

 

Tarragon Wine Butter

1 cup butter softened

1 tablespoon fresh dropped tarragon

1 shallot

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 tsp salt

 

Chop the shallot, place in a pan with the wine.  Reduce mixture to 1 tbsp.  Place butter, herbs, salt and wine reduction in food processor and mix.  Place in butter molds or roll in saran wrap and allow to harden.

 

Rinse and pat fish fillets dry.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place flesh side down in marinade.  Marinate for 30 minutes only, then put in the oven at grill 5-8 minutes (or until salmon flakes easily), skin side down over hot fire.

Serve with small pat of tarragon butter on the top.

 

Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Sauce

During my weekend getaway to DC, I was fortunate enough to be served the below recipe (from Gourmet November 2006)  accompanied by roasted sweet potatoes, an assortment of roasted vegetables and a Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz (@ $8.99 a bottle it's a steal--and has the bonus of being available at Hannaford's).  The tenderloin was so good that I finagled a copy of the recipe with my dear blog readers in mind--as well as my future dinner guests who must be tired of my three or four standard company meals by now. 

The spice rub crust on the tenderloin is amazingly good and it blends well with the sauce.  It's an easy recipe to make  and the result is a sophisticated, delicious presentation. 

Ingredients
3/4  teaspoon ground cumin
  3/4  teaspoon ground coriander
  3/4  teaspoon black pepper
  1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/2  teaspoon salt
  2  pork tenderloins (each about 3/4 lb)
  2  tablespoons olive oil
  1  cup plain pomegranate juice (such as POM Wonderful)
  3/4  teaspoon cornstarch
  1  tablespoon water
  1  to 2 teaspoons Sherry vinegar
  1  tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions
Stir together cumin, coriander, pepper, cinnamon, and salt in a shallow bowl. Pat tenderloins dry and dredge in spice mixture until evenly coated.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to moderate and cook pork, turning occasionally, until meat is browned on all sides and thermometer inserted diagonally into center of each tenderloin registers 145°F, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pork with tongs to a cutting board (reserve skillet) and let stand 10 minutes.

While pork stands, pour off and discard any fat from skillet, then add pomegranate juice to skillet and boil over moderately high heat until reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes (if side of skillet begins to scorch, reduce heat to moderate). Stir together cornstarch and water and whisk into juice, then boil sauce until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add Sherry vinegar to taste, then swirl in butter until incorporated. Pour sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and skim off any fat. Season with salt. Slice pork and serve with sauce.

Happy Valentine's Day

What better way to celebrate than with a deliciously food chocolate cake that goes well with red wine?

This cake recipe is much like the chocolate cakes my grandmother would make on special occasions.  She was very German and we grew up on homemade, never-ever-from-a-box baked goods.   All her recipes were kept in a small blue notebook that she bought in Philadelphia in 1927.  Before she left Philly to attend college in Ohio (when she boarded the train to leave for college, she'd never been out of Pennsylvania except for quick excursions to New Jersey and she had to pay for school herself, which she did by working full time during college and staying on as the Registrar's assistant for two years after she graduated)  she asked her mother write down a few of the family  recipes. 

Teeny (as we called her--short for Christina) kept that recipe book her entire life, adding to it over the years.  By the time I learned to cook from it, it bulged with recipe cards, newspaper clippings and scraps of paper with new recipes, and the binding was held together with tape and luck.  It was somehow lost not long after she died, but my mom has spent the last 10 years tracking down the family recipes so that they can be passed down.  She recently found this recipe and says it's remarkably close to Teeny's  World Famous Chocolate Cake, which was a copy of a recipe from the baker in Germantown. 

Chocolate Tier Cake
Pudding Ingredients (must chill at least four hours before assembling cake)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions for Pudding
Whisk sugar, cornstarch,salt, half-and-half, and milk in a large saucepan.  Cook on medium heat and add chocolate, whisking continuously until the chocolate melts and the mixture begins to bubble. 
Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until cold. 

Cake Ingredients
1  stick unsalted butter (8 TBS.), plus extra to grease the cake pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra to dust the cake pans
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 cup brewed coffee (really-Teeny used Maxwell House, I use Peet's)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions for the Cake
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans.

Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in cocoa and cook about a minute. Remove from heat and add the coffee, buttermilk and sugars and whisk until dissolved.   Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixed, then slowly add to the flour mixture. 

Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes in the pans, then turn onto wire racks and cool until room temperature (at least an hour--but it's important to make sure the cakes are completely cool before beginning to assemble the cake).

Assembly
Cut each cake in half horizontally (so you have four cake layers).  Crumble one cake layer into medium crumbs and set aside. 
Place first layer on cake plate and spread one cup pudding over the layer and then top with another layer.  Repeat with another cup of pudding and the last layer.  Spread the rest of the pudding on top and down the sides of the cake.  Sprinkle the cake crumbs evenly over the sides and top of the cake, pressing lightly so they stick. 

Enjoy.  And Happy Valentine's Day. 

A Duo of Fall Recipes

We've finally had our first frost in southern Maine and that means that it's time for all the hearty cool weather recipes that I've been hoarding and waiting to make. 
The first is a Harvest Stew with yams and potatoes.  It's super easy, low fat  and low-cal.  It's also delicious.

  Ingredients:

1 pound ground round
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups water
1 can (14 1/2 ounce) no salt added diced tomatoes
2 1/4 cups peeled sweet potato, chopped
1 cup round red potato, coarsely chopped, unpeeled
1 cup acorn squash, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable flavored bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Spray a nonstick pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium high heat.
2. Add in meat, onion, pepper, and garlic and cook until meat is brown and crumbled. Drain excess fat and place meat back in pot.
3. Add the water and all of the remaining ingredients into the pot and bring to a boil.
4. Cover and reduce heat, cook until all of the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving.

The second is a recipe from the New York Times. It was published  in mid-October, but with temperatures in the 80's here, it just didn't  seem appealing.  Now, it surely does.

Pasta With Winter Squash and Tomatoes 

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/4 cup sliced shallots

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste 

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 to 2 pounds peeled, cubed or shredded butternut or other winter squash, about 5 cups

1/2 pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne

Freshly chopped parsley or Parmesan for garnish.

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots and pepper flakes and cook for about a minute; add tomatoes and squash, and cook with some salt and pepper.

2. When squash is tender -- about 10 minutes for shreds, 15 or so for small cubes -- cook pasta until it is tender. Combine sauce and pasta, and serve, garnished with parsley or Parmesan.

Enjoy!

UPDATE:I made this delicious pasta in the middle of Tropical Storm Noel.  It's wonderful, but the squash seems to conduct the heat from the red pepper, so you might want to go easy on the pepper...unless you love really hot food.

Bratwurst

Cold weather and football require bratwurst (they also beg for chili, but that's a recipe for another day).

Ingredients
Six Johnsonville bratwurst (plain, not cheddar, not beer, just plain original brats)
One (or two) large onion (s) quartered
One dark beer
Three lagers (Miller Lite, Bud Light, whatever you have)
One package top split hot dog rolls
Mustard

Put the first four ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook brats until cooked almost through (about 20-25 minutes). 

Transfer brats to hot grill and brown.  Transfer onions to a small dish with a slotted spoon and reserve them for topping. 

Serve brats in a bun with mustard and onions and a little bit of love.