Big Flavors From A Tiny Kitchen

The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Book Signing in NYC!

2009-12-12T21:16:00.003-05:00

This has been an awesome year for cookbook signings! My friend Christine joined in my food dorkiness to trek down to Chelsea Market on a Saturday morning to pick up an autographed copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks! We waited in line for hours, waiting to show off our I heart NY style shirts featuring the names of some of our favorite of Ree Drummond's recipes. It was awesome. She was ridiculously adorable. She even started giving me ideas of what other things I could do with the recipe on my shirt! "Have you ever tried chopping those up on top of burgers? Or adding them to scrambled eggs?" After telling her that my husband would now love her even more, we got a few pictures with her and were on our merry little way to enjoy some lunch. It was an awesome day, and the cookbook looks fabulous. I can't wait till the kitchen remodel is done so I can start trying some of those out!

(FYI my shirt says "I <3 Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Thingies" and Christine's says "I <3 Not Your Granny's Mac & Cheese")

Beef Chuck Eye Steaks Roasted with Root Veggies and Red Wine

2009-11-29T23:47:00.002-05:00

This is the last meal I made before we had people come in to start remodeling our kitchen. I'm posting it waaaay late but backdating it so it shows up on the right day :)

I got some gorgeous beef chuck eye steaks at the farmers market, and I bought some beautiful root veggies and brussels sprouts to go with them. I patted the steaks dry and dipped them in flour, shaking off the excess. I seasoned them up with salt and pepper and lightly browned them on both sides in a roasting pan in a few tablespoons of olive oil on the stovetop. I then threw in a few chopped cloves of garlic until it was really fragrant and added some beautiful multi-colored carrots (even purple!), golden beets, brussels sprouts, shallots and sweet potatoes. I cut everything into big chunks, leaving the carrots whole since they were pretty small.

I poured in about a cup of red wine and 1/2 cup of water, seasoned with salt and pepper and put everything into a 350°F oven for an hour. The end result was a super tender steak with perfectly roasted vegetables and a nicely reduced red wine sauce to go on top. This was simple and delicious and I can't wait to do it again!

Honey Almond Granola

2009-11-27T22:50:00.002-05:00

I've wanted to try making my own granola for quite some time now, and today was the day! I couldn't find dried pears, so I used some golden raisins. We liked this, but I'm not sure that I think sesame seeds work in granola. I definitely want to make homemade granola again, but I won't use this recipe. Does anyone have an awesome granola recipe they'd like to share?

Honey Almond Granola
Gourmet December 2008

3 cups old-fashioned oats (9 ounces)
1 cup sliced almonds with skin (1/4 pound)
¼ cup sesame seeds
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons mild honey
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ cup dried apricots, finely chopped
½ cup dried pears, finely chopped

Accompaniments: Greek-style yogurt

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Oil a 4-sided sheet pan or line with parchment paper.

Stir together oats, almonds, and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Heat oil, honey, cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over low heat (or in a microwave) until heated through. Stir into oat mixture.

Spread evenly in sheet pan and bake, stirring once, until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool granola completely in pan (it will crisp as it cools), then stir in fruit.

Cooks’ note:
Granola keeps, frozen in an airtight container, up to 1 month.

MacGourmet Rating: 3 Stars

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T22:47:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We spent the day with my in-laws and some great friends. It was a lot of fun and everything was delicious! A few of us pitched in cooking, so nobody felt too stressed out.

I'm extremely thankful for having so many wonderful people in my life, and even though I wasn't with my side of the family, they were definitely in my thoughts :)

The leftovers tonight were fantastic, too!

Thanksgiving: Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt

2009-11-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

I wanted to try out one new recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and I had a feeling that The Pioneer Woman wouldn't disappoint. These truffles might sound kinda weird, but I couldn't resist trying out this sweet/salty combo. They rocked! The middles are like velvet - they're rich and devilishly chocolaty. They look impressive, too - they were a huge hit!

Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt
The Pioneer Woman

Prep Time: 2 Hours
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 36

8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Semisweet Chocolate
8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Bittersweet Chocolate
1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
8 ounces, weight Meltable Milk Chocolate
Sea Salt

Heat dark chocolates and condensed milk in a double boiler over medium low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir—mixture will have a slight marshmallow texture. Stir in vanilla.

Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Once chilled, roll in balls, then roll in melted milk chocolate coating. Sprinkle with sea salt or other fine, coarse sprinkles.

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars

Thanksgiving: Mashed Potatoes

2009-11-26T22:34:00.002-05:00

I don't think it's really Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes, so I whipped up a huge batch of 'em. I don't really use a recipe - I just peel a bunch of russet potatoes, cut them into chunks, boil them in salted water, drain, and smash with milk, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, salt & pepper. They end up really creamy and delicious. They were perfect with the gravy that our friend's mom (and Thanksgiving host) made. Yum!

Thanksgiving: Deviled Eggs

2009-11-26T22:38:00.000-05:00

Growing up, holidays were the only time we got Grandma's Deviled Eggs. Me and my cousins would fight over them, even after she started bringing an extra tray with her. I know I've posted them a few times here, but I really do love this recipe, and it's not a holiday without a nice tray of them!

Thanksgiving: Yams

2009-11-26T22:15:00.001-05:00

Since I moved to New York, I don't always get to spend the holidays with my side of the family. I like bringing side dishes that my mom and grandma used to make so that it still feels like the holiday meals that I'm use to. This is the yam recipe that my mom makes. It's decadent and delicious and VERY easy.

Yams
Mom

1 large can yams
½ stick butter
brown sugar
nutmeg

Melt butter. Add brown sugar until thick. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Add yams (drain most of juice). Stir to coat & heat through.

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars

Thanksgiving: Squash Casserole

2009-11-26T22:30:00.002-05:00

This recipe was a huge hit with my in-laws and friends this Thanksgiving. My mom has been making this for years, and when I was little I couldn't stand it. Last year, I decided that I wanted to try to make it my self and see if I liked it now that I'm all grown up, and I have to say WOW! It's awesome! The squash is nice and smooth, and the crunchy topping is perfect. This packs a lot of flavor and makes a ton!

Squash Casserole
Mom

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups butternut squash
½ cup butter
2 Tablespoons butter
1 can Cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 8 ounce package herb seasoned stuffing, (typically sold in 16 ounce packages)

Cook squash until soft; mash with fork

Saute onion in 2T butter until soft. Add squash, soup and sour cream.

Melt 1/2c butter and add to stuffing; mix well. Add to mixture, reserving 1/3 of stuffing; top with remaining stuffing.

Pour into 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars

Roasted Cornish Hens with Cherry-Port Glaze

2009-11-25T23:44:00.001-05:00

We're in the process of remodeling our kitchen, which we're both extremely excited about. Right now, we're at the stage where our kitchen is still completely in tact, but we have boxes of cabinets and appliances all over our living/dining rooms. So when our new stove arrived, we were excited and just had to hook it up before the rest of the remodeling started. I'd like to introduce you to my new best friend...our brand new Maytag Gemini stove who I've decided to name (Woah) Black Betty:

That's right - I'm now able to use two separate ovens at two separate temperatures! There are a ton of cool features on this baby, but I haven't played with it too much yet. I just had to share. And I'll definitely be posting before and after photos once we actually get the remodeling under way.

Anyway, for the first meal with the new stove, I decided to make a recipe from the newest issue of Cooking Light. It was another one from the 5 Ingredient section and it turned out awesome, too! My store didn't have Cornish hens, so I used a small chicken and cut it in half so that it wouldn't take forever to cook. The glaze has a ton of great flavor from the few ingredients, and the meat stays super moist and succulent. This was a pretty easy and impressive dinner to put together. I served it with some asparagus that I roasted with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roasted Cornish Hens with Cherry-Port Glaze
Cooking Light December 2009

Ginger gives the sweet-tart glaze a little bite.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 hen)

The 5 ingredients:
1/2 cup cherry preserves
1/2 cup port
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 (1 1/2-pound) Cornish hens

Preheat oven to 400°. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Combine preserves, port, ginger, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 9 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard giblets and necks from hens. Rinse hens with cold water; pat dry. Remove skin; trim excess fat. Working with 1 hen at a time, tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under hen. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Set on wire rack on baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Brush hens with cherry mixture; bake 40 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 165°, brushing with cherry mixture every 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes. Remove twine; split hens in half lengthwise.

Nutritional Information
Calories:277 Fat:4.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.8g,poly 1.2g) Protein:29.4gCarbohydrate:27.5gFiber:0.1gCholesterol:133mgIron:1.3mgSodium:394mgCalcium:22mg

MacGourmet Rating: 4 Stars

I think he liked it ;)

Lamb Shanks Braised with Tomato

2009-11-22T22:45:00.004-05:00

This recipe caught my eye in the newest issue of Cooking Light, and all I can say is WOW! It's a super easy recipe that's really worth the amount of time it takes to simmer. The meat melts off the bone, and the sauce has a ton of flavor. It was in the "5 Ingredient" section and it really proves that you can have amazing flavor with a few simple ingredients. I made some Israeli couscous to go alongside - I added garlic, butter, freshly grated Parmesan, salt and pepper at the end and stirred it in. It was the perfect side dish for this decadent meal. Yum!

Lamb Shanks Braised with Tomato
Cooking Light December 2009

Meltingly tender shanks and their simple yet rich sauce make a hearty meal. Serve with polenta.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 shank and 3/4 cup sauce)

The 5 ingredients:
4 (12-ounce) lamb shanks, trimmed
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle lamb with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add lamb to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Add garlic to pan; sauté 15 seconds. Add wine; cook 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Return lamb to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Turn lamb over; simmer 1 hour or until meat is done and very tender. Place lamb on a plate; cover loosely with foil. Skim fat from surface of the sauce. Bring to a boil; cook 10 minutes or until thickened. Return lamb to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lamb is thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 254
Fat: 11.4g (sat 4.8g,mono 4.8g,poly 0.8g)
Protein: 25.9g
Carbohydrate: 11.7g
Fiber: 3.5g
Cholesterol: 89mg
Iron: 2.9mg
Sodium: 439mg
Calcium: 64mg

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars

Chinese Beef Broccoli

2009-11-22T22:11:00.002-05:00

This is another great recipe from Jaden Hair's new cookbook. This is simple to put together, so it's perfect for a weeknight meal. I wasn't able to get my hands on any Chinese black vinegar this time around, but I'm going to try to find it soon. I'm really curious to see what it tastes like. I also don't have a wok (I figure why bother unless you have a gas stove), so I cooked it in a large skillet. I sprinkled some toasted sesame seeds over the top at the end, and I thought it was a tasty addition. This was a quick and yummy meal.

Chinese Beef Broccoli
The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook: 101 Asian Recipes Simple Enough for Tonight's Dinner - Jaden Hair

Serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal

1 lb (500 g) top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thick strips
1 1/2 lbs (750 g) broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

BEEF MARINADE
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
Freshley ground black pepper to season the beef

STIR-FRY SAUCE
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

1. In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the Beef Marinade. Add the beef and let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the Stir-fry Sauce.

3. In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

4. Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

5. Pour in the Stir-fry Sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

MacGourmet Rating: 4 Stars

Delicious Baked Acorn Squash

2009-11-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

Everything I've tried from The Pioneer Woman's blog has been awesome, and this is no exception. This was a super simple and impressive fall side dish. The sweetness bakes into the squash, and it's perfectly tender and delicious. The only drawback is that you'll burn your tongue if you don't let the molten hot center cool off before you dive in. It may just be worth the pain though...the aroma of this dish is just so great that it's hard to be patient!

Delicious Baked Acorn Squash
The Pioneer Woman

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6
2 whole Acorn Squash
Kosher Salt To Taste
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) Brown Sugar
Pure Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Halve each squash, then scrape out the seeds and stringy membranes. Place the halves, flesh side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle each half with salt. Next add a generous tablespoon of butter to the center of each squash followed by 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar. Next drizzle squash with maple syrup. Pour 2 cups water in the bottom of the baking pan.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30-45 minutes, or until squash is golden brown. In the last 5 minutes of baking, turn on the broiler and allow tops to get a little more brown and the butter/sugar mixture to bubble.

Serve on a platter and share with Aunt Winifred.

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars

Pork Chops with Spiced Apple Cider and Bourbon Reduction

2009-11-20T23:58:00.000-05:00

We got a gallon of apple cider at the grocery store, and I wanted to use it to make a sauce to go with some pork chops. This is what I came up with. It turned out really good! The pork was incredibly moist, and the sauce was very flavorful. Next time, I won't bother with the flour because it was a little soggy, but otherwise it was wonderful.

Pork Chops with Spiced Apple Cider and Bourbon Reduction
Ashley Covelli

For Sauce:

1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup bourbon
4 black peppercorns
1 Turkish bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 cloves
1 dried chile arbol, torn into 3 pieces
kosher salt

Bring ingredients to a simmer in a saucepan and allow to reduce, stirring occasionally. Before it gets too thick, strain out the large pieces of spice and pour liquid back into the pan. Allow to thicken to desired consistency.

For Pork Chops:

2 center cut pork chops
flour for dredging
salt and pepper, to taste
vegetable or canola oil

Pat chops dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper and dust with flower, shaking off excess. Heat a cast iron skillet on the stovetop and add oil, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Sear pork chops on both sides until nice and brown, and then slide into the oven to finish the cooking (my oven was at 400°F because I had something else in there).

Serve pork chops with glaze drizzled over top. Enjoy!

MacGourmet Rating: 4 Stars

Superbowl Party: Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

2009-02-01T22:19:00.002-05:00

Let me tell you - if you try only one appetizer for the rest of the year, it should be this one! Yeah, that's right - it's only February and I've already called it. These things ROCK! They were a huge hit and they were better than your typical jalapeno poppers because they were wrapped in bacony goodness. Yum!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies
thepioneerwoman.com

fresh jalapenos, 2-3 inches in size
cream cheese, softened
thin, regular bacon, sliced into thirds

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking a toothpick through the middle (At this point you can freeze them, uncooked in a Ziploc bag for later use.).

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.

Serve immediately if you want 'em hot, or they're great at room temperature.

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars

Crash Hot Potatoes

2009-02-26T20:29:00.004-05:00

I've been eying this recipe for quite some time now. It turned out really tasty! The crunchy brown parts are so good, and the simplicity of it is just great. The only problem I had is that my potato masher was keeping the potatoes stuck between the metal bits and just totally pulverized them. So I ended up taking a small bowl and just pushing down on each potato. It was much easier!

Crash Hot Potatoes
thepioneerwoman.com

Small red potatoes
chopped Rosemary
Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you'd like to cook. Boil until forked tender. Drain.

Drizzle a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place potatoes on the sheet and with a potato masher gently press down on the potato. Rotate the masher 90 degrees and mash again. Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Brush the tops with olive oil.

Sprinkle rosemary, salt and pepper on the potatoes.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

MacGourmet Rating: 4 Stars

Supper Club: Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

2009-10-11T22:25:00.002-04:00

The last thing I made for Stuffed Foods night was one of the addictive recipes from The Pioneer Woman - Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies. This was the second time I made these and they were amazing once again!

Grilled Ribeye with Cherry Balsamic Chanterelle Sauce

2009-08-17T23:37:00.006-04:00

My father-in-law gave us a bunch of beautiful chanterelle mushrooms from a friend of his, and I was really excited to use them. I decided to splurge on some really nice steaks from Whole Foods and went to town concocting a sauce that showed off their flavor. I used thyme from my garden, and a really great balsamic vinegar from O&Co. This turned out to be an outstanding combination - the meat was super juicy, and the sweet balsamic was the perfect accent to the mushrooms and herbs.

Again, I made this on the fly, so the amounts might not be right on. I'll just have to try it out again soon! If anyone else gives it a shot, let me know what you think! It certainly got an enthusiastic high-five in my house!

Grilled Ribeye with Cherry Balsamic Chanterelle Sauce
Ashley Covelli

2 thick cut boneless ribeye steaks
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
4 tablespoons cherry balsamic vinegar, (recommended brand: O&Co.)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon butter

Let the steaks sit on the counter for a while to take the chill off. Preheat a cast iron grill pan on the stove. Preheat the broiler to 500°F.

Pat the steaks dry. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear 3-5 minutes per side on the grill pan, and transfer to the oven for an additional 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness, until it reaches your desired doneness. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms, shallots, garlic in oil in a small skillet. Add in thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. When veggies are softened, add vinegar and let reduce for a few minutes. Add butter and remove from heat.

Serve mushrooms over top of steaks and enjoy!

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars

Two Lovely Awards!

2009-11-20T23:43:00.003-05:00

Just when I find myself complaining about a backache, I find out that Jhonny walker over at Food..thought for! has given me not one but two awards for my blog!

(which is totally what this award did for me!)

(awesome!!)

If you haven't checked out her blog, you must. It's a great resource for recipes - lots of fun ethnic dishes that you don't find just anywhere else. She also has a wonderful Flickr page with lots of great photos - I dig anyone who is passionate about food and photography! And especially people who also care about healthy living.

This is a great reminder for me to try to make a dent in my Google Reader - if you haven't checked out the "blogs I follow" section of my profile, take a look. There's a ton of great stuff there that is sure to make your stomach growl!

Farro, Avocado, Cucumber, and Cherry Tomato Salad

2009-11-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

I made this salad again to have something light for dinner. It's one of our absolute favorites. This time I didn't have any cucumber, but it was delicious without it. I topped it with feta and dove in!

Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-11-17T22:03:00.003-05:00

I know that everyone thinks that they have the best husband in the world, and I won't try to argue that...but any guy who will come home after a full day's work and make chicken noodle soup FROM SCRATCH with no recipe because his wife came home from work sick...well that has to put him in the running for best ev-ah!

Thanks, babe :)

Supper Club: Lettuce Cup Appetizers

2009-11-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

For my dish, I wanted to make something with an edible "bowl", so I chose this recipe from Jaden Hair's new cookbook. This was a great recipe - different from a lot of lettuce wraps I've tried before. There's a ton of flavor in the filling (I opted for ground turkey), and the mandarin oranges on top are just awesome! This was my first time working with oyster sauce, and it really added a lot of flavor. I have yet to be let down by one of her dishes, and I highly recommend this cookbook!

Lettuce Cup Appetizers
The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook: 101 Asian Recipes Simple Enough for Tonight's Dinner - Jaden Hair

Serves 4 to 6 as appetizer or snack

3/4 lb (350 g) ground chicken, turkey, beef or pork
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons high-heat cooking oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/3 cup (150 g) chopped red onion
4 to 6 fresh shitake mushrooms, diced
4 peeled water chestnuts (fresh or canned), diced
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
16 cup-shaped lettuce leaves (Boston Bibb, Butter head, iceberg or any lettuce with cup shaped leaves)
One 11-oz (312-g) can mandarin orange sections, drained

1. In a bowl, marinate the ground poultry or meat with the soy sauce, wine and cornstarch for 10 minutes at room temperature.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat and when hot, add the oil. Swirl to coat and add the garlic, ginger and red onion. Fry for 15 to 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the ground meat. Cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the fresh shitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, rice vinegar and oyster sauce. Simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until the meat is cooked through.

3. You can assemble the lettuce cups by spooning a heaping tablespoonful of filling into each lettuce cup and topping with the mandarin orange slices or you can serve the ingredients separately for your dinner guests to assemble themselves.

MacGourmet Rating: 4 Stars

Supper Club: Dark Chocolate Mousse

2009-11-15T22:41:00.001-05:00

This month's Supper Club theme was "Foods Served in Bowls" - it was going to be all soups, but we decided to open it up a bit. Dino made this mousse recipe that I found on Food Network's website. It was really dark and delicious. The only issue is that it doesn't make enough whipped cream, but I guess that's partially because it's a healthy recipe. The tofu gives it a great texture, and the deep chocolate flavor is wonderful!

Dark Chocolate Mousse
Ellie Krieger

Yield: 5 servings

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 0 min
Total: 1 hr 20 min

1 (12.3-ounce) package silken tofu, drained
3 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon brandy
1/2 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon superfine sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoons shaved chocolate

In a blender or food processor, puree the tofu until it is smooth.

Put the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, 1/4 cup water and brandy in a saucepan or heat-proof bowl fitted over a pot containing 1-inch barely simmering water. Stir frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Mix in 1/2 cup of sugar, a little at a time, until smooth.

Add the chocolate mixture to the tofu and puree until smooth and well blended. Spoon the mousse into serving dishes, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Whip the cream with a beater. When the cream is almost completely whipped, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and finish whipping. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings and serve.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size 1/2 cup of mousse, 1 tablespoon whipped cream and 1/4 teaspoon shaved chocolate)

MacGourmet Rating: 4 Stars

Chicken in Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce (Fasanjoon)

2009-11-13T23:35:00.001-05:00

This recipe is really tasty and different from most things that we've tried before. This has a lot of walnuts in it, and we found ourselves picking around them toward the end because it was a bit too much (but hey, I picked a recipe with the words "walnut sauce" in the title). This is a sweet dish, and it's perfect over basmati rice with some plain yogurt and pita (or lavash) on the side.

Chicken in Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce (Fasanjoon)
The Iraqi Cookbook - Lamees Ibrabim

Serves 6

2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb/2 cups walnut pieces
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
6 fl oz/1 cup hot water
3-4 fl oz/1/2 cup pomegranate molasses
1-2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp cooking oil

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

This dish is most probably Iranian in origin. It reached the kitchens in Baghdad from the cities of Najaf and Karabala, where a number of Iranians visit the holy shrines and often stay for a period of time. Also, there are numerous marriages between Iraqis and Iranians, which is another route for some of the Iranian dishes to reach the Iraqi kitchens.

There is a traditional Iraqi lyric, which we used to sing as children about a man called Hassoun who stole a cockerel and cooked Fasanjoon.

Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a saucepan. Add the chopped onion, cook until soft, and season with a little pepper.

Add the walnuts, pomegranate sauce, hot water, tahini paste, and salt, and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, sprinkle a little flour over the pieces of chicken and fry until golden and crispy. Dry on paper towels and sprinkle with black pepper.

Add the chicken to the sauce and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Turn down the heat and simmer until the sauce is reduced and thickened (allow 5-8 minutes).

Serve with white rice.

Note: Lamb can be used instead of chicken.

MacGourmet Rating: 4 Stars

Soused Cucumbers in Yogurt and Fresh Mint (Kakadi Raita)

2009-11-09T22:48:00.003-05:00

This raita is different than any we've had before, mostly because of how spicy it is. We thought it might be too much having a spicy dish on the side of a spicy dish, but it really did end up being a cooling element. Toasting the cumin seeds before grinding them adds an incredible amount of flavor to this dish, and it's definitely a key step. This is a great side for any Indian meal!

Soused Cucumbers in Yogurt and Fresh Mint (Kakadi Raita)
660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking - Raghaven Iyer

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, whisked
1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1 large English cucumber, ends trimmed off, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeds scooped out, shredded
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 or 3 fresh green Thai, cayenne, or serrano chiles, to taste, stems removed, finely chopped (do not remove the seeds)

Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Serve chilled or at room temperature. This will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

MacGourmet Rating: 5 Stars