Category Archives: Cookbook

My favorite recipes and things to cook.

Bollito Misto


Posted by Erik

I watched Giada make this on TV and thought it looked interesting and something I could make. With Google’s help, I figure that it translates to “Boiled Mix”. That doesn’t sound very appetizing. She serves it with a gorgonzola sauce and a spicy salsa verde. I like it with horseradish.

4 pounds beef brisket or top round (or corned beef)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups beef stock or broth
About 4 cups water, enough to cover the beef
2 onions, peeled and quartered
4 celery stalks, cut in half
1 bay leaf
4 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
1 pound small boiling potatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large braising pot over medium-high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the beef, browning it on both sides, about 5 minutes a side.

Carefully add the stock and enough water to just cover the meat. Add the onion, celery, and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

Add the carrots and potatoes and cook until the meat is
tender, about another hour.

Carefully lift out the meat, place on a cutting board, and
cover with foil.

Strain the vegetables from the stock. Discard the celery,
onion, and bay leaf.

Arrange the carrots and potatoes on a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Continue cooking the stock uncovered over medium heat until reduced by half, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the meat against the grain, on an angle. Arrange the meat alongside the carrots and potatoes on the platter.

When the stock has reduced, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and transfer to a gravy dish


Salsa Verde


Posted by Erik

Salsa Verde

12 ounce tomatillas
2 cups cilantro leaves
2 yellow wax or jalapeno chili peppers, stemmed
1/4 tsp. Salt

Pull husks of tomatillas. Rinse, place in saucepan, add water to cover. Bring to boil and simmer until soft (5 minutes), remove. Save water. In food processor or blender, puree tomatillas with 1/2 cup of water saved. Stir in salt. Keeps up to one week.


Basic Chicken Fajitas


Posted by Erik

Basic Chicken Fajitas

2 1/2 lb. Skinless boneless chicken breasts (thin strips)
2 tsp. Pure chili powder
salt, to taste
2 Tbs. Olive oil (1 Tbs. For each pan)
18 corn or 12 flour tortillas

Pound chicken to 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle chili powder and salt. Fry in pan. Dip tortillas in salsa. Cut chicken in thin strips.

Substitutions

  • omit chili, replace with 1/4 cup sesame and 1/4 tsp. Cayenne
  • omit chili, replace with 1/4 medium onion, 2 cups orange juice. 4 tsp. Soy sauce.

Corned Beef & Cabbage


Posted by Erik

Get out your slow cookers, this one is a snap!

Corned Beef and Cabbage
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (or 2 cans of cooked peeled whole potatoes)
1 pound baby carrots
3 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 corned beef brisket with spice packet (2 – 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut in half
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in a 5 quart slow cooker. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving


Basic Beef Fajitas


Posted by Erik

Basic Beef Fajitas

1 medium onion
1 tsp. Pure chili powder
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 1/2 lb. Skirt stake
2 Tbs. Olive or peanut oil, in frying the stake
12 scallions, trimmed
12 corn tortillas
Salsa Verde

Grate onion through fine holes. Place in pan large enough for the meat. Add chili powder and lime juice and stir. Place stake in mix to marinate for 30 minutes, turning once, up to 2 hours. Grill or fry with oil. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. While resting, grill/fry scallions (5 minutes), remove and cut crosswise in 3 to 4 pieces each. Just before serving, dip tortillas in salsa Verde. Heat in pan or oven. Cut stake across grain in thin slices.


Puerto Rican Rice & Beans


Posted by Erik

Puerto Rican Rice
8 3/4 ounce Rice, long grain white
5 tsp. Olive oil
4 1/2 oz Onions, chopped
4 1/2 oz Carrots, fine chopped
3 1/4 oz Celery, fine chopped
4 1/2 oz Red Onion diced 1/4″
4 1/2 oz Green Peppers diced 1/4″
1 3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. Black Pepper

Cook rice. Heat oil. Add onions, carrots and celery and sauté until tender but not brown (5 minutes). Stir in garlic, sauté 2 min. Add red onions and peppers and saute until bell pepper is just crisp-tender, 3minutes. Add cooked rice, salt, pepper, combine.

Puerto Rican Beans
13 1/2 ounce Kidney Beans
5 tsp. Olive Oil
6 3/4 ounce Onions, diced
1/2 ounce Garlic, minced
3/4 ounce Base vegetarian Chicken
3 1/2 cups Water
2 whole Bay Leaves
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
3 1/4 ounce Cheddar cheese, grated

Carefully pick beans to remove all debris. Cover with water and soak beans overnight. Use enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Drain. Rinse and drain again to remove all rocks. Add recipe amount pressure cooker about 1 hour. Heat oil. Add onions . Cover and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Stir in garlic, sauté uncovered about 3 minutes. Add vegetarian consommé to beans, then add beans, bay leaves, salt, Tabasco sauce to onions. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.


Mom’s Potato Salad


Posted by Erik

Mom’s Potato Salad
From the kitchen of Mom

10 or more Brown potatoes, cooked until fork tender
10 Eggs, hard boiled
1 Onion, large chopped
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon. Salt
1 Tablespoon Dill
1 + 1/2 cups Best Foods Mayonnaise – Hellman’s is okay
3 Tablespoon French’s Yellow Mustard
Garnish with parsley

Mix all ingredients together, best second day, if it lasts. What can I say, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, onion, and mayonnaise – how could I not like that?


Stuffed Cabbage Rolls


Posted by Erik

This isn’t the first time I’ve made Cabbage Rolls.  Once a year, in german class, we would make this and other traditional german dishes (like German Potato Salad).  It had been years since I’d seen a cabbage roll.  For the past year, I’ve been enjoying the russian version of the same dish at my favorite cafe/diner near home.

This simplified version gave me an excuse to get the slow cooker out.

SLOW-COOKED CABBAGE ROLLS

1 large head cabbage
1 egg, beaten
1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
1 cup quick-cooking rice
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup crushed saltines (about 15 crackers)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 – 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (46 ounces) V8 juice
Salt to taste
1 can (15 ounce) Whole white potatoes, sliced in half
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Remove core from cabbage.  Steam 12 large outer leaves until limp; drain well.

I ended up cutting the whole cabbage in half in order to core it.  Steaming the halves softens them enough to separate them from themselves.  I used my bamboo steamer.

In a bowl, combine the egg, tomato sauce, rice, onion, cracker crumbs and soup mix.  Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.

Make this receipe your own.  I don’t like green peppers, so I substituted onions.  I may add some shredded carrot next time.

Place about 1/3 cup meat mixture on each cabbage leaf.  Fold in sides starting at an unfolded edge, and roll up completely to enclose the filling.  Secure with toothpicks, if desired.

Place cabbage rolls in a slow cooker, seams down.  Place potatoes around rolls.  Pour V8 juice over rolls.

The potatoes weren’t in the original recipe either.  I was inspired by a diner hear home that serves the rolls in a broth with potatoes.

Cover and cook for 6 – 7 hours or until the filling reaches 160 degrees.

I cooked mine on high for 4 hours, and low for 1 hour.

Just before serving, sprinkle with salt and cheese or a dollop of sour cream, if desired.


Mom’s French Onion Soup


Posted by Erik

Mom’s French Onion Soup
From the kitchen of Mom

8 Onions, medium, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 + 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1 Bay leaf
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons A-1 Steak sauce
2 quarts Beef stock
1/2 cup White wine, dry
Toasted French bread
Swiss cheese, sliced

Sauté onion in butter and olive oil until tender. Add pepper, salt, sugar, and spices, let simmer for 10 minutes. Add stock, let heat through. Add wine, bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Fill bowl, top with bread and cheese. Broil until cheese is melted.

My college roommate Heidi gave me a set of ceramic French Onion Soup crocks.  I still use them.

Makes four servings.


Caesar Salad


Posted by Erik

Caesar Salad
From the kitchen of Mom

1 box Plain croutons
1/2 cup Olive oil
1 bud Garlic, soaked in olive oil

In shaker:
1 Egg, raw
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper

For salad:
2 heads Romaine
8 ounces Bacon, fried and crumbled
a few cherry tomatoes
2 Eggs, hard boiled

I use the same bottle used to make Italian salad dressing.

Anchovies are gross.