Weekend Cooking - Roasted Fennel

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

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I haven't posted to Weekend Cooking in ages. However, when I tried this recipe last week (twice!! because it was so good), I just knew I wanted to share it. This recipe came on a tag with the fennel. It's so simple with only three ingredients.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan

4 bulbs fennel
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan

Preheat oven to 475ºF. Rinse fennel in cold running water. Trim tops and cut off base off bulbs. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange in even layer over bottom of 9x13-inch pan or roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat fennel. Roast, stirring occasionally, until fennel is just beginning to get tender, about 30 minutes. Scatter cheese over fennel and return to oven for another 10 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.

Until now, I thought fennel was just ok. Now, I think it might be one of my favourite vegetables. With such a high oven temperature, it gets all caramelized and yummy. The cheese definitely makes the dish. I used a jellyroll pan (or as I call it a cookie sheet with sides) instead of the roasting pan as the recipe suggests.

Enjoy!

Have you tried fennel/anise before? If yes, what's your favourite way to cook it?

Weekend Cooking - Elvis Oatmeal

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I don't really have a recipe today. It's more of a variation that I found on the internet some time ago. I can't remember where, but I make it whenever I can. I know that spring isn't really the time for rib-sticking oatmeal, but if you love oatmeal as much as I do, you can eat it all year long. We do.

Elvis Oatmeal

When the oatmeal is about two-thirds done, mix in some peanut butter (I use 2 tablespoons for 4 servings). Stir until melted. Add a couple of dashes to cinnamon and some chopped banana. Stir to combine. If the oatmeal gets too thick, add a little hot water (boiling if you have it) to thin it out a bit. Remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. Eat. I like to add some milk to mine, but it's just as good without.

That's the basics, but I usually add a second fruit. If I have Medjool dates on hand, I'll chop 4-5 of those and throw them in with the banana. I think the combination of oatmeal and dates is to die for. Another option would be a small handful of raisins. Also, I like to sprinkle ground flax seed on my oatmeal just before eating it. However, it floats on top of the milk and then sticks to the side of the bowl. I discovered that if I sprinkle it in my bowl before adding the oatmeal it doesn't float and I get to eat all of the goodness.

Enjoy!

*****

When spring finally upon us, I decided to tackle some spring cleaning in the kitchen pantry. I've never done it before. I usually just toss stuff as I come across it, but I've lost track of stuff that's been in there too long. This time I'm going to make an effort to re-evaluate it all and get it organized. Recently, I made a cheesecake with some very stale and bad tasting graham cracker crumbs. They were so bad, I threw out the cheesecake along with the rest of the crumbs. I was so disappointed. I know there probably a lot more than can be tossed.

So, do you spring clean your pantry? Have you ever found anything in there and wonder where it came from? Or do you keep on top of it and clean as you go? Or a little of both?

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Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh by Emeril Lagasse

Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh features recipes focusing on fresh, organic and locally grown produce and ingredients. There's an introduction by the author, Emeril Lagasse, touting the benefits of buying fresh local ingredients while supporting farmers and their farmers' markets.

This book is filled with scrumptious recipes. While fruits and vegetables take up a lot of the book, there are other sections featuring dairy, poultry, fish and grains. Some of the recipes are very simple; other are more complex. The simple ones show that good fresh ingredients don't need a lot of preparation to make them taste good, while the complicated ones show the versatility of the products. It's all good.

As a test recipe, I made Roasted Brussels Sprouts (page 137). Basically, after the sprouts are crisp-tender and lightly caramelized and cooked you toss them with olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese. Can you say delicious? Anyway, we love brussel sprouts so I make them a lot. While I loved this version, I'm not so sure about my husband. He kept saying he liked them (he didn't want to hurt my feelings), but when I pressed him he said 'they were different' and preferred my own method of roasting them. That's his way of saying it's not a keeper recipe. I'll definitely be making them again when he's not around for supper. There are a few other recipes I want to make: Curry-scented roasted Cauliflower (page 140-141) and Creamy Spiced Rice Pudding (page 207) and a number of others.

With a book that features mostly fruits and vegetables, I bet it's a bit of a challenge on how to present them in an interesting fashion. Personally, I found the chapters, as well as their order, to be a little odd. For example, corn, beans and squash are lumped together in a chapter labelled "The Three Sisters". Nice, but why? I understand some of the other groupings (Nightshades, Cole Crops, Leafy Green), but not others. Dairy is presented at the beginning, while other non-vegetable chapters are at the end. A sentence or two in the introduction about the organization of the book along with an explanation at the beginning of each chapter explaining why these items were grouped would have been helpful.

It's a little hard to tell much about the photographs by looking at the uncorrected proof (which has them in B&W), but I can say that there are quite a few photos in the book, which is great. I love seeing photos of great looking food. Some of the recipes don't have any photos, which is ok for some of the simpler recipes, but not so good for some of the more complex ones. Some of the recipes are accompanied by a photo of an ingredient. Now I think green peppers are beautiful, however I'd rather have a photo of the finished dish (for example Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers) so I know what the dish should look like.

The table of contents of this book is great. It lists all of the recipes in each chapter. The index wasn't included in this uncorrected proof. If it's created with the same care and attention as the TOC was, I'm sure it's going to be very useful.

Honestly, I don't pay much attention to buying locally. If I have a choice, I will buy veggies grown here, but that's not always an option. We really enjoy eating a large variety of fruits and veggies; a lot of those come from faraway places because they can't be grown here. We probably wouldn't starve if we only ate stuff that was grown within 100 miles of us, but our diet certainly wouldn't be as varied as it is now. Anyway, this book may make me more conscious of locally grown/raised food.

Recommended.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the HarperCollins Canada website.

For more information about the author, his other books and everything Emeril, please visit Emeril Lagasse's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at HarperCollins Canada for this book.

Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh by Emeril Lagasse, HarperStudio (HarperCollins), ©2010. ISBN 9780061742958(uncorrected proof), 304p (plus index).


Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

For more information, see the Welcome post on Beth Fish Reads.

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Martha Stewart's New Pie & Tarts

Martha Stewart's New Pies & Tarts is jam packed with recipes for just about every kind of pie there is. It offers "150 recipes for old-fashioned and modern favourites" from classics like pecan, pumpkin and apple to Vanilla Bean-Pineapple Tart(page 228) and Persimmon Tartlets with Caramel Cream (page 208). The back of the book focuses on basics, which includes tips and techniques as well as advice on ingredients and equipment. There are also some recipes for crusts and other common pie items.

From what I've seen, this is a pretty typical Martha book. Beautiful from the first page to the last and filled with mouth-watering photographs and delicious sounding recipes. When I first opened it up, I didn't want it near my kitchen lest something gets spilled on it. It took awhile, but I got over that. Then I got so wrapped up in reading it, I didn't ever think I was going to have time actually to make something from it. The photographs are so wonderful. Just when I thought I'd seen the most beautiful pie the next page was even more stunning.

I love that the two-page spreads features a recipe on one side and a large photograph of the finished product on the other. It's great that each recipe only takes up one page, but there's a downside to that. Some recipes contain references to other recipes or ingredients on other pages. For example, Poppy-Seed Tartlets with Lemon Curd (page 194) requires the baker to turn to three other pages to make the crust (page 333), lemon curd (page 339) and candied lemon slices (page 339). It's a bit of a pain, but I can live with it.

The book is filled with great tips and more recipes than I'll ever need. I didn't realize there were so many different kinds of crusts. If you play around a little with the crusts and fillings, you could probably make a different pie or tart every day and not run out of recipes any time soon.

My husband will be thrilled to see a recipe for grasshopper pie (page 250) which is one of his favourites. However, he's really attached to the old recipe; I'm not sure he's ready for this updated version that features coconut in the crust and fresh mint in the filling. It sounds yummy to me, though.

There are several pies/tarts in the book that piqued my interest:
Cheddar-Crust Apple Pie (page 138)
Chewy Chess Tart (page 150)
Rhubarb Crumble Pie (page 154) I'll have to wait until my rhubarb is up, which will be never if this weather continues the way it has been.
...one or two of the savoury ones.

For a test recipe, I used the Maple Nut Tart (page 272) with the Pâte Brisée crust (page 322). Think Pecan Pie with walnuts, pecans and maple syrup. [I tried to replicate the photo in the book. At least the layout is similar.]






















It was delicious, but I wasn't entirely happy with it. The crust tasted more store-bought (which I don't like) and less homemade (which I love). I did have a little trouble with the crust because our house is very dry (a typical symptom of winter). I had to add a little more water than the recipe called for and ended up working the pastry a little too much. It wasn't as flaky as I would have liked and I'm not sure how much my overworking affected the outcome.

I've made lots of pastry before. I used to use lard or vegetable shortening, until my husband's weird cholesterol and a trip to a dietician changed all of that. Now, I normally use Becel margarine, which works wonderfully well and makes a beautiful, light and flaky crust. The Pâte Brisée crust in the book calls for butter, which I purchased especially for this recipe. Since I don't usually use butter, I'm not sure exactly how the crust should turn out or how different it should be from my normal crust. Besides all of that, we enjoyed the pie.

I still have half of the Pâte Brisée crust in the fridge. I'm thinking a nice quiche for lunch on the weekend.

The table of contents is beautifully presented and the index is extensive. Both should aid the baker in finding items in the book.

Highly recommend, especially for pie and tart lovers. If you've enjoyed Martha's other books, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one too.

For more information about this book or to take a peek inside, please visit the Random House website.

For more information about the author and her other books and all things Martha, please visit Marth Stewart's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Random House for this review copy.

Martha Stewart's New Pies & Tarts by Martha Stewart, Clarkson Potter (Crown Publishing Group, Random House), ©2011. ISBN 9780307405098(Trade Paperback), 352p. (includes index).



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Weekend Cooking - Potato Pancakes

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I love potato pancakes. This recipe uses leftover mashed potatoes instead of shredded potatoes (as in latkes). I adapted it from "Potato Bacon Scones" in "Simply Scones" by Leslie Weiner and Barbara Albright. My version contains more good fat (olive oil) and less bad fat (bacon and bacon drippings) than the original recipe. It's just as yummy!

Potato Pancakes

1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
1/4-1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsps olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix the all of the above together. Preheat skillet. Add 1 tbsp oil olive to the pan. Using 1/3 cup measuring cup, drop mixture onto hot skillet, flattening the pancake slightly with a spatula. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side over medium/medium-high heat until pancakes are golden brown. Serve warm.

Yield: 4 pancakes

Another variation: For Sweet Potatoes Pancakes, use mashed sweet potatoes in place of the regular mashed potatoes; omit the cheddar; add a dash of nutmeg; all other ingredients the same. We like these even better than the cheese ones.

To make the original recipe: Omit cheddar cheese and olive oil. Cook 5 strips of bacon. Reserve drippings. Chop cooked bacon. Mix bacon and 2 tbsps of drippings in with other ingredients. Use 1 tbsp drippings for cooking pancakes, adding more if needed. Use 1/4 cup measuring cup for making pancakes. Makes 7.

Enjoy!

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Weekend Cooking - Kiss-the-Colonel-Goodbye Chicken

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Kiss-the-Colonel-Goodbye Chicken
Recipe By Geraldine Duncann

I really like this coating for chicken, but for me it'll never replace KFC chicken. They are just too different for one to replace the other. This one is still very tasty. Because of the chili powder, paprika and cinnamon, this coating is quite dark, especially after it's cooked.

I always make oven-fried chicken so I haven't actually used the recipe past "Shake off excess flour". I usually just put it in a 375ºF oven for 45-50 minutes (less for wings and boneless breasts) or until it's done.

My ingredient substitutions:
- instead of the minced garlic, I use 1 tsp of dried garlic powder. I like to make this ahead of time and store it until it's needed. I'm not sure how long fresh garlic would keep in this mixture.
- I hate cilantro, so I use 1 tsp dried parsley instead. Again, fresh parsley wouldn't last long.

I'm pretty sure I got this recipe from the Winnipeg Free Press. Anyway, here's the original recipe.

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne -- or less, if desired
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely minced cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger -- scant
1 teaspoon dry mustard -- scant
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
Salt to taste
1 frying chicken -- cut into serving pieces
Vegetable oil for Frying

In small paper bag, combine all ingredients except chicken and oil. Shake, add chicken pieces and shake to coat evenly. Shake off excess flour.

In large skillet over high heat, heat the oil but do not let it smoke. Add chicken pieces and fry until thoroughly browned on both sides, 5 or 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, turning occasionally for 12 to 15 minutes or until cooked through.

If you want the skin crisp, fry uncovered. If you want it soft, cover during cooking.

Drain chicken on paper towels and serve at once.



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Enjoy!

Weekend Cooking - Banana Muffins

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I've been making these muffins on and off for over 20 years and I'm still not tired of them. It's my standard recipe when I want muffins.
















Banana Muffins
3 bananas - very ripe
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup margarine - softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup water (1/4 - 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup walnuts

Topping:
1 tbsp white sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare muffin tin.

Mash bananas. Add sugar, margarine, egg and vanilla. Beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the banana mixture to dry ingredients and mix lightly.

Add enough water to make mixture moist. Fold in nuts. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full for small muffins (makes 12) or full for larger muffins (makes 9).

Mix white sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle on top of muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Variation: For a slightly different taste, add 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut (the baking kind) to the dry ingredients. Yum!

Enjoy!

Weekend Cooking - Lemon-Ginger Refrigerator Roll

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I love to bake so I don't usually go for these types of desserts that call for prepackaged items. However, my sister-in-law served this one to us over the holidays and we really enjoyed it. Since we are still painting/renovating our kitchen it's either a really easy dessert or no dessert. While my hips could go with no dessert, my sweet tooth isn't so sure. This recipe comes from the Kraft Kitchens hence it calls for their Kraft products. I used what I could find.

I've made this recipe twice now and noticed that I didn't have enough topping to frost the entire roll after assembling the cookie part. I must be putting more of the mixture between the cookies than is called for. My solution was to mix in more Cool Whip (at least another cup) before frosting the roll. Also, I didn't have a platter long enough to accomodate this so I made two logs, placed them side by side with a little of the topping inbetween them and then frosted the whole thing. The photo below doesn't do it justice. It tastes better than it looks.
















Lemon-Ginger Refrigerator Roll

1 pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Lemon Instant Pudding
1 cup cold skim milk
1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip Light Whipped Topping
30 Mr. Christie's Ginger Snaps Biscuits

Make It
BEAT pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in Cool Whip.
SPREAD about 1-1/2 tsp. pudding mixture onto each cookie. Stack cookies, standing on edge on platter to make log. Frost with remaining pudding mixture.
REFRIGERATE 8 hours. Cut diagonally into 12 slices to serve.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
Dessert needs to be refrigerated at least 8 hours before serving to allow the cookies to soften to the desired cake-like texture. If desired, dessert can be stored in refrigerator up to 24 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Marie's "Not-So-Benedict" Eggs

I like Eggs Benedict, but I wanted to put something on the bottom besides bread. Also, I didn't want to go through the trouble of making my own hollandaise sauce. This recipe was adapted from a few different places.

Sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tsps Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
dash cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
1 tbsp hot water

Mix all of the above in the top of a double boiler. Heat for about 8 minutes over simmering water, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thin out as it warms up. Thin with more hot water if necessary.

Polenta
2 cups water
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp dried oregano (or your favourite herb. Tarragon goes great with eggs.)

Boil water. Whisk in cornmeal. Mix in oregano. Turn down heat and cook until done, whisking occasionally. About 5-8 minutes.

Other ingredients
Eggs (2 per person, poached)
Bacon (Canadian or side), cooked
Cheddar cheese, sliced

Assembly
Spoon out cooked polenta onto plates.
Top with slices of cheddar cheese, slices of bacon and finally the eggs.
Spoon sauce over eggs.

Enjoy!

I've made many variations of the above. Once I made a pizza version using turkey pepperoni and mozzarella cheese instead of the bacon and cheddar. It was yummy. I've also been thinking of using cooked spinach in place of the meat.

Weekend Cooking - CSN Product Review

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I don't have a recipe this time. Instead I'm going to review a kitchen product which I purchased from the CSN Stores website. The last time I wrote about CSN Stores, I mentioned that I needed furniture or accessories for our newly finished basement. Well, I had a wonderful new bookcase picked out and was going to wait until after the holidays to order it. However, when I received an email from CSN (one of their newsletters), featuring some specials, something else caught my eye and I knew the bookcase was going to have to wait. The item I picked out is whimsical, fun and functional. I love it! Here it is:






















Isn't it great? It looks fabulous in my kitchen, too. It's perfect for a mystery/thriller/true crime lover with a sense of humour and a love of food and cooking. That's me!

The whole thing is sturdy enough to hold the knives securely, but not too heavy to move if necessary. The protective holders (which are firmly attached to the holder) keep the sharp blades covered. The quality is really good for the sale price. Had I paid the full price, though, I would have expected to see something a bit more substantial and a bit more finely milled. As it is, I'm very happy.

As for the knives, they look great. As with all stainless steel, fingerprints are a nuisance. At least they wipe off fairly easily. The slots are nice because they are magnetic. The knives can slide in and out easily, but the magnet holds them in place while in the holder. I'm a bit of a knife snob and was afraid that at this price the knives would look good, but would not be that functional. While the weight is a little light for me, the balance is great. On initial tests, they have performed excellently. The knives will definitely be put to good use.

I can see this becoming a great conversation piece. Right now, I have it placed so it's almost the first thing you see when you come in the kitchen door. Sure, some people are going to think it's a little macabre, but it will definitely get noticed.

For me information about this knife set, please visit the CSN Stores website.

Disclaimer: I received a coupon/gift certificate from those nice people at CSN Stores that partly covered the cost of this item. I tried to present an honest review despite that fact.

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Weekend Cooking - Oven-Baked French Fillets

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I should be posting a recipe that's fit for Bloggiesta, but I already had this one typed in and formatted. I won't post a photo this time, because it's doesn't photograph well. After you read the recipe you'll see that it's white fish with a whiteish sauce and a whiteish topping. To top it off, I usually serve fish with rice, which is white. That is, unless I remember to put brown rice on an hour before I want supper ready, then it's beige...close to white. And for some reason that I have yet to discover, I've made cauliflower (more white) with this dish more often than not. I usually realize my "error" when we serve and everything on the plate is white. Since cauliflower is considered a green leafy vegetable and really, really good for you, I try not to stress about it too much. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Oven-Baked French Fillets (adapted from recipe sheet from my local fish store)
1 pound fish fillets (I use tilapia or basa)
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4-1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

Place fish in a large oven dish. Loosely cover with foil.

Bake at 450ºF for 7 minutes (12 minutes if fish is frozen). It should be somewhat cooked, but not completely. Some translucency in the middle is good. I usually check after 5 minutes, then at 2 minutes intervals until it's done.

Drain off liquid.

Mix sour cream, mustard and tarragon together. Spread over fish and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until cooked through and golden. About 8-10 minutes.

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Enjoy!

Weekend Cooking - Sunburgers

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For more information, see the
Welcome post on Beth Fish Reads. For other food-related posts this week, click here.

This is my first entry for Weekend Cooking. I haven't made these in awhile, but they are one of our favourites.
















Sunburgers (adapted from Winnipeg Free Press 1/23/2008)

Patties:
1 1/2 cups TVP (textured vegetable protein)
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup sunflower seeds (hulled)
1 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
4-5 tbsp finely diced and sautéed sweet pepper (red, yellow or green)
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper
Warm water (about 1 cup)

Lime dill garlic sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp dill - dried (or 1 tbsp fresh)
1 tsp garlic - minced

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare pan (cookie sheet) with either oil or baking spray.

Mix TVP with boiling water in a bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients. After the allotted time give the TVP a quick stir, then mix in the remaining patty ingredients, gradually adding warm water at the end until the mixture is sticky enough to form solid patties. The mixture will be quite messy. Using a 1/2 cup measure, scoop the mixture onto a prepared pan. Use the back of the measuring cup to slightly flatten. The patties should be 3-4 inches wide. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Flip and bake for 10-15 more minutes. The longer bake time will result in firmer/crispier burgers.

To make the lime dill garlic sauce: mix the ingredients together adjusting the amounts to taste.

Serve the patties on toasted bagels spread with the sauce and your choice of accompaniments. In the photo, I used fresh spinach, cucumber slices, avocado, mozzarella cheese, and a cheddar-jalapeno bagel.

The above recipe will make 8-10 patties. They freeze well. To use after freezing: thaw burgers then lightly sauté until heated through. Serve as above.

Enjoy!