Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

I've been making this recipe for years and I think I got it off of the back of a pan that I bought at a Smith's grocery store.  Normally I wouldn't take much stock in a recipe on the packaging, but something made me try it.  And I have never regretted it.  There are two things that I think make this recipe better than most:  1) it uses half ground beef and half ground pork.  This gives it a unique flavor
2) the use of mint flakes in the meatballs.  You don't taste it, but it's enough to give them a fresh flavor
The recipe calls for 1/2 lb. each ground beef and pork and most packages come in 1 lb. increments.  So now you have a 1/2 lb. each left over so what to you do with it?  I put it in a freezer ziploc and store it until the next time I make this.  Or you can try using the combination for spaghetti and meatballs.  I've seen meatballs recipes that call for this combo or even with veal.  Very tasty!

Here is the recipe:

Albondigas

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup short-grain white rice                     
• 1 1/2 cups water    
• 2 tbsp. olive oil      
• 1 white onion, diced                                   
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 egg                     
• 1 tsp. ground cumin                                   
• 1 tsp. dried oregano                                   
• 1 tsp. dried mint     
• 3/4 tsp. salt            
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper                    
• 2 tbsp. olive oil      
• 1 white onion, diced                                   
• 1 clove garlic, minced                                
• 1 zucchini, diced    
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced                        
• 4 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced     
• 8 cups chicken broth                                  
• 1-1 1/2 tsp. salt            
• 1/2-3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

      Place the rice in a heatproof bowl. Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the rice. Let soak for 40 minutes, then drain; set aside. 

      Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. 

      In a bowl, combine the pork, beef, cooled onion, soaked rice, egg, cumin, oregano, mint, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix well and form into 1″ balls. 

      In a soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, carrots and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

      Add the chicken stock, stir well and bring to a boil. Carefully slip the meatballs into the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the meatballs are fully cooked, about 45 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper.  Serve at once.

Servings:  8

This isn't a hard recipe to make, but it takes a little time and planning.  The reason is because you start out boiling some water and soaking the rice in it for 40 minutes.  You also saute the onions and let them cool.  From there on it, it's straightforward.  The recipe calls for short-grain rice, but for the life of me, I can never find it in the grocery store.  So, I use long-grain rice.  I haven't changed it in the recipe because I am bound and determined to find some short-grain rice to see the difference.

The next step is to combine the ingredients for the meatballs.  I use ground oregano because it distributes more evenly.  If I was adding it directly to the soup, I would use leaves.  Reason, I feel they release their flavor better in that environment.  Am I right?  Who knows but that's my reasoning and I'm sticking too it (or until I learn different).  This may seem yucky, but the best way to combine everything for meatballs, use your hands.  It really is the best way, so take your rings off and dig in. 

The next steps you will be sauteeing the vegetables to build the flavor for the soup.  I use homemade chicken stock if I have it.  It's easy to make and freezes well.  To make it, take a whole chicken, a whole onion cut in half (don't have to peel it because you're just going to throw it out afterwards) and two carrots chopped into chunks.  Enough water to cover, bring to a boil and simmer for about 50 minutes.  Remove chicken and shred when cooled and strain the stock and freeze.  I store it in different size containers because different recipes use different amounts.

Next you bring the soup to a boil and then slip in the meatballs.  I use a small scoop to form them.  This mixture is pretty soft so it doesn't take much to form them.  I start from the outside and work in adding the meatballs.  You'll want to stir once in a while, but not too often and do it gently.  Don't want to break up the meatballs. 

I like to serve this soup with some lemon wedges.  Some people like lime, but for this one I like lemon.  This is one reason I love Mexican soups so much, you add lemon!  It gives them such a fresh taste.  I like a lot of lemon juice.  Just don't use that pre-packaged lemon juice crap.  It has a stale flavor and I would rather eat the soup without lemon juice than use that stuff.  Enjoy!

Beef Bourguignon Soup

Another recipe from Lucinda Scala Quinn of Mad Hungry Fame (you'll be seeing a LOT of her's) which I have made twice now.  Not only was this soup good the night I made it, but real good the next day.  And that was considering I put both the soup and the Herbed Egg Noodles in the same container.  Usually noodles will absorb some of the liquid and get bloated and soggy.  But not these!  I'm also figuring I'd better blog about this one as soup season will be coming to an end (or major slow-down).

Not real pretty, but oh so tasty!

Here is the recipe for the soup:

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Beef Bourguignon Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in short ribs (2" thick, 2 lb. total)
• coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 oz. whole white button mushrooms, quartered
• 3 carrots, 2 finely chopped and 1 cut into 3/4" cubes
• 3 shallots, minced
• 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 2 strips bacon, diced
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 cup dry red wine, such as Burgundy
• 8 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium beef stock
• 2 cups water
• Herbed Egg Noodles (see recipe), for serving

Directions:

      Season ribs with salt and some pepper. Coat with cornstarch. Heat oil in a large heavy pot (preferably enameled cast iron) over medium-high heat. Lightly brown ribs on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

      Add mushrooms to pot. Cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add cubed carrot to that bowl to be added later.

      Add shallots, celery, bacon, and chopped carrots to pot. Cook until caramelized, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.

      Return ribs with plate juices to pot. Add thyme and bay leaf. Raise heat to high. Add wine. Cook, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon, until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add stock and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

      Remove ribs. Separate meat from bones; discard. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; return to pot. Add reserved mushroom-carrot mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until cubed carrots are tender. Season with salt. Ladle soup over bowls of herbed egg noodles.
Servings:  6

The first step has you seasoning then coating the ribs with cornstarch and browning.  This is to build up the flavor of the rib meat.  You'll want them to get a nice brown crust.  Don't worry about them getting tough because they are going to simmer in the sauce for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. 

I nice little tip I learned from Lucinda, is to use tomato paste in a tube.  Ever had a recipe that called for 2 tbsp. of tomato paste?  No matter how small a can you buy, you always have some left over!  Now, I just buy the tube and keep it in the refrigerator.  You'll find it on the same aisle as the paste. 

The recipe prefers Burgundy, but I've just used whatever red wine is in the pantry and it has tasted great!  When the main cooking time is finished, I take out the ribs and let them cool for a couple minutes.  The meat should fall off the bone.  The final step has you returning the meat, mushrooms and carrots to the pot and cooking till the carrot cubes are tender, probably about 10 minutes depending you soft you like them. 

So here's the recipe for the noodles:

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Herbed Egg Noodles

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. pkg. egg noodles, cooked to package directions and drained
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2-4 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

            Toss cooked egg noodles, while still hot, with butter and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Servings:  6

This recipe is obviously simple.  Once they are done, spoon some into your bowl and ladle the soup over them and enjoy.  A nice, crusty loaf of French bread would go great with this soup.  Enjoy!

Rosemary-Garlic Tri-Tip Roast with Spiced Yam Wedges and Parmesan Creamed Spinach

Rosemary-Garlic Tri-Tip Roast with Spiced Yam Wedges and Parmesan Creamed Spinach

The combination of wanting to try the convection roast feature on my oven and Albertson’s having a sale on their untrimmed tri-tip roasts inspired this meal.  Now, the key word in this sentence is “untrimmed” which means their tri-tip has a nice layer of fat on the top portion of the roast which makes it oh-so-yummy!  I know, not the most healthiest, but sometimes (or most times in my case) yummy overrules healthy.

Tri-tip with the probe inserted and plugged into the inside of the oven

  

I was cruising the “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner” website looking for the proper inner temperature for tri-tip and found this recipe.  It also includes roasted potatoes, but I was doing the spiced yam wedges so I modified the recipe to have the spices without the potatoes.  The recipe follows:

Rosemary-Garlic Tri-Tip Roast

Ingredients:

·        1 untrimmed 2 lb. tri-tip roast

·        1 tbsp. olive oil

·        3 cloves garlic, minced fine

·        1 tsp. dried 1 tsp. fresh rosemary  leaves

·        1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

·        1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

     Preheat oven to 425º.  Combine garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Rub roast with olive oil then press with seasoning mix.

     Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Roast for 30-40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 135º for medium rare. 

     Remove from oven and transfer to board.  Tent with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.  (Temperature will continue to rise about 10º to reach 145º for medium rare).

     Carve roast across the grain.  Serve immediately.

Servings:  8

I was doing this recipe on convection roast so I lowered the temperature to 400º because when you are converting a recipe to convection you lower it 25º and adjust the cooking time usually around 5-10 minutes.  I also was trying out a nifty feature that comes with this oven, a temperature probe that plugs inside the oven.  You then set the inner temperature you are wanting and it then emits a tone which it reaches the set temp. 

One thing that is always important with meat is that you want to reach a lower temperature than the final one desired because the meat will continue to “cook” as it rests and it’s always important to let it rest because during cooking the meat’s juices rush to the surface and if you slice it right away they will all come out leaving the meat dry.  Depending on the size of the meat, as you let it rest the juices reintegrate into the meat so only a minimal amount escapes.  Typically you wait about 5 minutes with steaks and about 15 minutes for roasts.  This recipe calls for medium-rare, but if you prefer medium, cook till the inner temperature reaches 140º. 

Next recipe is for the yams.  This is Lucinda Scala Quinn’s (Mad Hungry show on Hallmark channel) recipe and is actually for sweet potatoes, but I like yams more (and sweet potatoes aren’t always available in my store). 

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

·        2 tbsp. brown sugar

·        1 tsp. coarse salt

·        1/2 tsp. ground cumin

·        1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

·        2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, and cut into wedges about 4" long

·        1 tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

     Preheat the oven to 350º.  Cover a rimmed baking sheet with baking parchment or foil.

     In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, cumin, and cayenne.

     Spread the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Drizzle the oil over the wedges and toss to coat.

     Transfer the wedges to the bowl and toss completely with the spice mixture to coat each piece. Return the potatoes to the baking sheet and spread out in a single layer.

     Bake for 10 minutes. Turn over the wedges. Raise the heat to 400º. Bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Servings:  4-6



Wedges tossed with spiced and brown sugar



Fresh out of the oven!



Her original recipe calls for 4 sweet potatoes, but this makes a lot so I changed it to 2-3, but left the other ingredients the same because I like a lot of flavor.  Not only is this recipe great, but it’s great the next day!  I highly recommend it.



The final recipe (also Lucinda’s) is a favorite of steak houses so I thought it would go great with the tri-tip:

Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

·        2 1/2 lb. fresh spinach, washed, water still clinging to the leaves

·        3 tbsp. unsalted butter

·        1/4 cup flour

·        1 cup milk

·        1 tsp. coarse salt

·        pinch of freshly ground black pepper

·        pinch of ground nutmeg

·        1 cup grated parmesan, optional

Directions:

     Steam the spinach in a large pot for 2 to 3 minutes, until the leaves have all collapsed. The water clinging to the leaves will be enough to cook it. Drain, cool, and squeeze out the liquid in a strainer. Coarsely chop the spinach.

     To make the béchamel, heat a sauté pan over medium heat, and then melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk until fully incorporated and simmer for 30 seconds.

     Stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. If using parmesan cheese, add now.  Fold in the spinach and serve immediately.

Servings:  6

Don’t be daunted by the amount of spinach.  It will seem like a lot, but once it steams, it really goes down.  Don’t over cook it in the steaming process because it will briefly cook again with the béchamel.  Also, watch the béchamel carefully once you add the cream, because it will thicken pretty quickly.  I highly recommend the parmesan, but then I really, really love parmesan!  Enjoy!





Flour Cafe's Banana Bread

Today I'm reviewing a recipe that I've been using for a while.  It is Joanne Chang's Flour's Banana Bread.  Notice I didn't say Banana Nut Bread?  That's because I don't really like nuts in my baked goods, especially the softer ones.  Now this may gross you out (and scar some more delicate ones out there), but when I bite into something soft and hit that nut texture, it makes me think there are bugs in my food.  Weird I know, but I'm sure you out there have your little quirks too (or many more like me).

A little background on Joanne Chang.  She is Chinese and owns Boston's Flour Bakery & Cafe.  She grew up in a traditional Chinese household in Texas and her only experience of dessert when she was real young were oranges.  But she would get to sample different types from her friend's lunches and at their houses and fell in love with good old-fashioned American desserts.  Her family encouraged a practical career so she went to college and majored in economics.  She graduated, got a real good job and baked on the side.  She couldn't get baking out of her head, so she up and quit her job and started apprenticing and gaining experience in the baking world.  She then opened Flour Bakery & Cafe in Boston and the rest is history.  I first learned of Joanne through King Arthur Flour on a video demonstration for her Homemade Pop-Tarts.  I've tried a couple of recipes of hers and then found out she had a new cookbook coming out so I put it on my Christmas list!

My daughter Gillian likes to point out that she got me this cookbook whenever I use it.  I am very grateful to her because I love it.  Joanne has a cute little story for each recipe which I believe kind of endears it to you. So no more gabbing out the book, let's move on to the recipe.

I had bought 2 bunches of bananas last week and noticed they were starting to get those brown spots on their peels that signals to me-banana bread!  That's when they are starting to really get real sweet, but not too gooey and bruised.  And, I noticed that there were 7 bananas left which made this thought pop into my head-just enough for two batches of Joanne's Banana Bread so I can test the new oven on quick breads at regular baking mode vs. convection baking mode!  What?  Those types of things don't pop into your head? 

Now the first step is to cream the sugar and eggs.  The original recipe I got for this was off of a website so it didn't have the full directions.  The reason I'm mentioning this is because the cookbook recipes states that you need to either use a stand mixer or hand mixer with the whip attachment and beat for 5 minutes with the stand mixer and 8 with the hand mixer.  The recipe I used before didn't mention this and I found it really made a difference so don't skimp on it.  Another thing is when she mentions to slowly drizzle in the oil which should take a minute total, don't second guess her.  After you have spent all that time whipping the eggs and sugar, do you want to deflate it which is what will happen if you don't follow her directions?  These two steps are about as hard as this recipe is gonna get.  The rest is pretty simple. 



Regular bake on left and convection bake on right.



This is the bread baked on the regular bake mode
but I probably should have baked it for about 5 minutes more.

This is the bread baked on convection mode and is starting
to sink a little bit in the center.  I should've baked it about 10 minutes longer.

I baked both loaves in my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pans which measure 9" x 5".  The recipe calls to bake them for 1-1 1/4 hours at 325 degrees.  I did one loaf at this temp and time and the second on convection at 300 degrees (you always lower the temp by 25 degrees when using convection) and baked it for 1hour 5 minutes.  Now if you were using metal pans, these times would probably have been perfect, but the stoneware does tend to bake a little slower so I should have extended the baking time by 5-10 minutes.  Why it didn't dawn on me then, I don't know but as my mom always says, better late than never.  This recipe uses creme fraiche or sour cream.  I've tried both and I really like the creme fraiche.  What's creme fraiche you say?  Go to Martha Stewart's web site and she has a recipe for making your own.  Really try it, it's pretty cool, easy and very tasty.  I think the addition of either one of these gives it a tasty and unique flavor. 

Now go out and get yourself some bananas so you can make this awesome banana bread!  Oh, I almost forgot the recipe!  Here you go:

Flour’s Famous Banana Bread

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (King Arthur’s is perfect for this)

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon (I use Vietnamese cinnamon, it’s truly the best)

½ tsp. kosher salt ( if using regular salt, reduce by half)

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs

½ cup canola oil

3 ½ very ripe, medium bananas, peeled and mashed (1 1/3 cups mashed)

2 tbsp. crème fraiche or sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees.  Butter a 9x5” loaf pan.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.  Set aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed for about 5 minutes (handheld 8 minutes), or until light and fluffy.

On low speed, slowly drizzle the oil.  Don’t pour in all at once.  Add it slowly so it has time to incorporate into the eggs and doesn’t deflate the air you have just beaten into the batter. Adding it should take about 1 minute.  Add the bananas, crème fraiche, and vanilla and continue to mix on low speed just until combined.

Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture and the nuts just until thoroughly  combined.  No flour streaks should be visible and the nuts should be evenly distributed.  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, or until golden brown on top and the center springs back when you press it.  If your finger sinks when you poke the bread, it needs to bake a little longer.  Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then pop it out of the pan to finish cooling. 

The banana bread can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.  Or it can be well wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 2 weeks; thaw overnight at room temperature for serving.

New Beginnings!

Hello all (can I really say that since I have no followers yet?) and welcome to my first post.  I titled this post "New Beginnings" for the obvious reason but also because I'm starting out with a new double wall oven. 

We built this home five years ago and installed my first double wall oven.  It was a Thermadore which was a pretty cutting edge brand, then.  Five years later and miscellaneous problems, it needed to be replaced.  Now, I know I used it a lot but I didn't think I deserved the following:  door not closing all the way, unable to read display showing temperatures and modes due to electrical board going out ($600 replacement fee not counting labor!!!), door not closing at all and the last straw-top oven not working at all. 

Seeing my sad face and frustration of not being able to bake in both ovens, Rick (my husband) took pity on me and said to go ahead and replace it.  Now for those who know me, I really like to do my research.  I posted on King Arthur Flour's website for advice, checked out Consumer Reports ratings and read up on all the features of the brands I was considering.  Finally I decided on 2 brands, Kenmore Elite and Kitchenaid, and planned on purchasing them at Sears because of their extended service plans.  Kenmore Elite had the highest rating in Consumer Reports, but if you take a look around my kitchen you can tell I'm a Kitchenaid girl and my mom is to blame for that one.  LOL!  The best wedding gift ever, my mom got me my first Kitchenaid stand mixer!  I swear when I saw that baby, I heard the angels sing. 

So now that I have decided on these two, I hike it down to Sears to see them in person.  Of course, all the ovens displayed are in stainless steel to tempt me.  My appliances are all black because 1) I like it and 2) black is cheaper than stainless steel.  I keep telling myself, I don't need the extra expense and black is just as pretty.  I look at the Kenmore Elite and then I look at the Kitchenaid and I fall in love with the Kitchenaid with it's pretty blue interior, stainless steel shiny racks with the full extension on the bottom rack and the openings at the front of the racks that can even fit an oven glove and the included temperature probe that plugs into the oven and notifies you when the inner temperature you have set is reached!  Oh my gosh, I have to have this oven and by golly I want the stainless steel and it's available for pick up the next day!

So, Rick picks it up, takes out the old one and installs the new one (he use to install appliances back in the  day).  The first thing I bake in it?  A box brand brownie mix and it comes out awesome!  Hey, he didn't finish installing it till almost 5pm and I was making dinner and had to clean up and that was the fastest thing to make.  You will be hearing about the various things I will be baking in it so I won't bore you with the details now.  Here are some pictures of the process.

 

The old oven



Here it is pre-install.  Isn't it pretty?

Kitchenaid ovens are blue inside.  See the cut-outs for pulling out the oven racks?
Sometimes it's the small things that make it special!

Here it is!  So shiny and you know how us women
love shiny things!