Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Cheesy Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole

From Cooking for Real

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, plus extra for casserole dish
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 pound shiitake or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar-Monterey blend
3 cups cooked rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: 1 1/8-quart oval casserole dish
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Butter casserole dish. In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter and flour over medium heat until golden in color to make a quick roux. The roux should resemble the color of peanut butter. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, heavy cream and chicken stock. Add broccoli, 1 cup of the cheese and rice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into buttered dish and top with remaining shredded Cheddar. Bake until cheese is melted and golden, about 20 minutes.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

Perfect as can be from Gourmet.com

1 pound mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden and bubbly garlic sauce forms below, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side for swiping up the juices.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Maple Sugar-Ginger Roast Pork

Ingredients
2 1/2 pound(s) boneless pork loin roast, tied
2 clove(s) garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon(s) maple sugar (see Tips & Techniques)
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
Blood orange slices, red currants, and sprigs of mint for garnish, optional

Directions
Using a small, sharp knife, make thin slits all over the pork loin roast and slip a garlic slice into each one. In a small bowl, mix the maple sugar with the ginger, salt, red pepper, and olive oil. Rub the paste all over the pork, wrap it well in plastic, and refrigerate overnight in a small roasting pan; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Roast the pork for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 400° and roast the pork for about 35 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 135°. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Discard the string and carve the pork into thin slices. Arrange on a platter, garnish with the orange slices, red currants, and mint, and serve.

PS.
Maple sugar, made from reduced maple syrup, is available at specialty-food stores. Alternatively, use granulated brown sugar.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Pasta

Based on the recipe from Ina Garten’s “How Easy Is That?”

To toast pine nuts, place them in a dry sauté pan and cook over low heat, tossing frequently, until lightly browned (about 6-10 minutes).

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients

1 head of garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed, cut into florets
4½ tablespoons good olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 oz. fresh (refrigerated) linguine
Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 450° F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the garlic cloves. Boil for 15 seconds. Fish out the cloves, peel and cut off any brown parts. Cut the largest cloves in half lengthwise. Keep the water simmering.

2.) On a sheet pan, toss the cauliflower with garlic, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Spread mixture out in a single layer and roast for 20-25 minutes, tossing twice, until the cauliflower is tender and garlic is lightly browned. When the cauliflower is about 5 minutes away from being done, season the water with salt and some olive oil. Toss the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water, then drain and put pasta in large mixing bowl.

3.) Scrape the cauliflower with garlic and pan juices into large mixing bowl with pasta. Add remaining 1½ Tbsp. olive oil, parsley, pine nuts and lemon juice. Sprinkle with another ½ tsp. salt. Toss everything together, adding pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

2 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cups flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup half and half cream
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, cook celery, onion and carrots in butter over medium heat until tender. Add cauliflower and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Puree with an immersion blender, or put through a blender or food processor in batches, until smooth. (At this point you can refrigerate it, covered, and proceed with the recipe just before serving.)

Place flour in a medium sized bowl. Slowly add milk, in batches, whisking until smooth after each addition. Pour into soup puree, bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Reduce heat. Stir in cream, parsley, salt, dill weed and pepper. Cook until heated through. Do not boil.
Makes: 11 servings

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Crock Pot Chops and Gravy

Ingredients:
4 lean pork chops
4 T soy sauce
1/2 C sliced mushrooms (I added much more than this, maybe 1 1/2 c. and thought it was a good amount once they cooked down)
1/2 tsp pepper
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 can cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% FF)
1 medium onion, sliced or diced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp parsley (I used fresh and used 2 t)

Directions:
Place pork chops in crock pot. Lay onion slices over pork chops.
Mix the rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour over pork chops.
Cook on low in crock pot for 5-6 hours
I followed her tip below...
Note: After baking I remove the chops and strain the gravy. This way I have a smooth gravy and I reserve the onions (and mushrooms if you use them) for those who like them to put them on their chops.

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