Muhammara

• 2 large red bell peppers (just put them on a broiling pan [top rack] and turn them as each side gets charred, then leave in a paper bag for 10 minutes.)
• 1 T. water
• 2/3 c. walnuts (pref. toasted)
• 1 T. crushed garlic
• 2/3 c. stale or toasted breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp. pomegranate molasses (or reduction)
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Place everything in the food processor and process until quite smooth. Taste for salt.  Let stand several hours before serving. If chilled, bring to room temperature before serving with flatbread

Panko-Breaded Pork Chops

- 4 thin porkchops

Pound porkchops to tenderize and salt & pepper both sides.

Prepare breading assembly line.  One plate with 1/8 cup flour, one plate with 1 beaten egg, and one plate with 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/8 cup parmesan cheese, & some chopped parsley.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil to coat the bottom.

Coat the pork chop in flour on both sides, dip in the egg, then panko mixture.  Fully coat both sides. Set on a platter and continue dredging 3 more chops.

Cook about 3-4 minutes per side. You want to turn them over when they are nice and golden brown.  Place on a plate with a paper towel to catch any excess oil.

Tina's Puff Pastry Quiche

Take one sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets and roll out a thin crust.  Line the bottom of an 8 to 10 inch pie pan with the crust.

Fill the crust with the following, arranging in layers:

1 Package of fresh or frozen spinach

1 cup grated or shredded Swiss cheese

¼ to ½ pound thinly sliced ham

2 Tbl. Grated Parmesan cheese

In a separate bowl stir :

3 whole eggs

3 Tbl. Heavy cream

1 tsp.  garlic salt

1 tsp.  liquid magi

1 drop Tabasco sauce

Pour this custard over the filling in the crust.

Roll out second sheet of pastry and place on top of the pie.  Trim and seal edges.  Make a few holes in the top crust.  Brush with egg wash (1 egg and 1 tbl. Milk or cream).

Use left over pastry to decorate top of pastry.

Bake in 400 degree oven 25 or 30 minutes or until the pastry is brown and puffed.

Note:  all measurements are approximate—I always use a little more of everything.

Enjoy!

Tina

Chicken Soup Stock

1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken, trimmed of excess fat

Several cloves smashed garlic

Several slices fresh ginger

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

2. Add chicken to pot along with smashed garlic and sliced ginger. Bird should be completely submerged, but only just. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes.

3.  Turn off heat and let bird remain in water, covered, for 45 minutes to an hour, or until it is cooked through.

4.  Remove chicken from pot, reserve stock, and let bird cool to room temperature.  Shred or chop chicken, discarding skin.

No Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting (or 2 cups all-purpose and 1 cup wheat; or 50/50 split)
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

From here.

Slow-roasted Pork Tenderloin

*Preheat oven to 500

Place meat on rack in roasting pan

Roast 10 minutes

*Reduce oven to 250 and roast until thermometer registers 150

Cook for 20 minutes per pound 

[3 LB roast might take 1 hour]

After roasting, let the meat rest for 10 minutes 

Marinate 2-8 hours

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice venegar

1/4 cup minced ginger 

3 Tbspn Sesame Oil 

Fish Soup

Start with 1/2 a medium onion and one large clove of garlic, minced fine. Sautee them over high heat in a little olive oil (just use a skosh in a nonstick pan if you’re watching fat), until they’re soft and starting to brown. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped flatleaf parsley and a dash of other fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano), salt and pepper to taste, and 1/2 cup dry white wine. Boil until the wine’s almost gone, then stir in one cup of tomato sauce (I use a homemade sauce from our bumper crop of San Marzanos, but the canned or boxed kind will do). Simmer the sauce for just a minute or two, and then stir in about a pound of the fish of your choice, cut into boneless, skinless 1/2-inch to 1-inch cubes. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through.

All it needs is crusty Italian bread (a local bakery has started making a fantastic ciabatta) and a green salad. And wine, of course! We had it with the Bonny Doon La Garrigue, but I’d think any white on the fruity side, even slightly off-dry, would make a fine match with the fish, tomato and herbal flavors; and a light, fruity red like a Beaujolais or Dolcetto d’Alba would work, too. Red wine with fish? Yup!

A hint on the choice of fish: Just about any combination of fish and, if you like, shellfish, will work. I like to use more than one for textural variety. Last night, for instance, going with what was fresh and reasonably priced at the fish shop, I went with 1/2 pound of tilapia (a firm-fleshed fish that retains its shape in the soup) and 1/2 pound of blue pollock (a flaky fish that falls apart and naturally thickens the soup). Best of both worlds!

Note also that despite the tomato-sauce base, with the addition of the fish juices and vegetables, this soup doesn’t turn out bright Neapolitan red but a nice appetizing pinkish-orange color.

(from here)