Posole

Posted on May 5, 2009 by Allison Woods

In honor of the Cinco, today I am sharing my posole recipe with you. I got it a million years ago from my old friend Carolyn McLean. This is *really* tasty.
Pozole
1. Overnight: soak 2/3 cup (12 oz.) hominy overnight. If using canned, skip to step 3.
2. Rinse posole and simmer 1.5 hours. Remove dark nubs if time permits.
3. Simmer posole in 3 qts chicken broth for 1.5 hours until kernels are tender and splayed open.
4. Saute, then add, 1 small onion, chopped, 1 serrano chili, 1 lb. cubed pork, and 1# tomatillos (roast them if they are fresh for more depth, or boiled 10 mins in salted water). Canned ones=just toss in. If you can’t find canned or fresh, you can substitute equal amount of green salsa.
5. Optional adds: pepitas, fennel tops, oregano, pepper, I small can green salsa
6. Simmer 1 hour
7. Condiments: tortillas, salsa, guacamole, lime, cilantro. Guacamole is extra yummy mixed in.

Posted in entrees, faux ethnic food, soup | 1 Comment

Red Salad Dressing

Posted on May 2, 2009 by Allison Woods

This is an old one of my mom’s.

Red Salad Dressing

¾ c olive oil

¼ c vinegar (cider is good)

¼ c ketchup

½ t paprika

¼ t ground black pepper

2 T honey

1 t salt

1 clove garlic, halved

Put oil and garlic in small saucepan, heat to extract garlicky goodness from garlic. Discard garlic, cool oil. Blend all ingredients.

Posted in Salad dressing | 1 Comment

Taco Chop Salad

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Allison Woods

Taco Chop Salad

Does this one need to be written down? Probably not, but it sure tastes good. Mucho kid-friendly too.

Toss any or all of the above into a wooden salad bowl:
Leftover taco meat of any kind
Lettuce, chopped
Green or white onion, chopped
Black olives, chopped
Pickled jalapenos, chopped
Cheese, grated coarsely
tomatoes, chopped
chunks o’ avocado
frozen corn
tortilla chips, broken up

Heat leftover taco meat and corn, add to bowl. Drizzle with fresh lime juice and salt, toss, serve.

Posted in entrees, Salad | 1 Comment

Preserved Lemons

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Allison Woods

Preserved Lemons

This was in Gourmet a few years ago. You’ll never run out of fun things to do with these taste-filled citrus bombs. To prepare for eating/using in dishes, remove the inside part of the lemon (the part you’d normally eat) and throw away. You use the peel from this. I usually use organic lemons with that in mind.
6 lemons
2/3 cup kosher salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (from 5 to 6 additional lemons)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Blanch lemons in boiling water 5 minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, cut each lemon into 8 wedges, discarding seeds. Toss lemons with kosher salt in a bowl, then pack lemons, along with their salt, tightly into glass jar with tight lid.
Add enough lemon juice to cover lemons. Seal jar and let lemons stand at room temperature, shaking gently once a day, for 5 days.
Add oil to jar and refrigerate. Preserved lemons can be chilled, covered in their juices, up to 1 year.

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Marinated Mushrooms

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Allison Woods

Marinated Mushrooms

So delicious on sandwiches, as part of an antipasto, or as a simple salad. This is a slightly modified version of a marinated ‘shroom recipe I got from Epicurious.

1/2 cup olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
1 pound small mushrooms, stems trimmed, halved
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 T dried herbs—I use Herbs de Provence
2 bay leaves

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic; sauté until golden, about 6 minutes. Discard garlic. Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and parsley; sauté until mushrooms are golden, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. Transfer to container; cover and chill until cold. Wait at least two days before eating. Will keep in refrigerator for a week or more.

Posted in Appetizers, condiments, vegetables | Leave a comment

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Allison Woods

Lemon Blueberry Bread
one loaf, bake @ 350 F

I don’t know where I got this one. It’s just as good with frozen blueberries.

1/3 c butter
3/4 c sugar
3 T fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 1/2 c sifted flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 c milk
2 T lemon zest
1 c blueberries

glaze: 1/4 c lemon juice, 1/4 c sugar

Grease and flour 9 x 5″ pan. In a large bowl, mix butter. sugar, lemon juice. Beat in eggs. Sift dry ingredients. Add flour mix to wet ingredients, alternating with milk, and stirring just enough to blend. Add lemon zest and blueberries. Transfer to pan, bake 1 hour or a bit more.

While bread is baking, stir together juice and sugar for glaze. Let bread cool 5 minutes, then unmold and glaze. Cool before slicing.

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Garlic Rosemary Jelly

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Allison Woods

Garlic Rosemary Jelly

different, and very delicious!

makes 4 half-pint jars

1 3/4 c dry white wine
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1/3 c roughly chopped garlic
3 1/2 c sugar
one 3 oz pouch liquid pectin
4 sterilized 1/2 pint jars

In a large saucepan, stir together wine, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and sugar, and bring mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin quickly and restore to full rolling boil. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat.

Skim off foam and remove rosemary and garlic with a slotted spoon. Ladle jelly immediately into clean warm jars, filling to within 1/4″ of top. Wipe rims with dampened cloth and seal jars.

Put jars onto boiling water bath. Add enough hot water to cover jars by 2″ and bring to boil. Boil jars, covered, 5 minutes and transfer with canning tongs to a rack. Cool jars completely, and store in a cool dark place.

To sterilize jars and glasses for pickling and preserving:
Wash jars in hot suds and rinse in very hot water. Put jars in kettle and cover with hot water.

Posted in condiments | 4 Comments

Southeast Asia-Inspired Creamy Carrot Soup

Posted on April 14, 2009 by Allison Woods

This recipe is based on one I saw in a PCC ad in Edible Seattle.
Southeast Asia-Inspired Creamy Carrot Soup
3 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ c chicken or vegetable broth
1 bunch organic carrots
½ t red curry paste (or more)
1/8 c sweet chili sauce
1/8 c soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small (5.6 oz) can coconut milk
Chopped cilantro
Squeeze of fresh lime juice
Heat olive oil in heavy saucepan over medium heat, sauté garlic and ginger 1 minute. Add broth and carrots and simmer until carrots are cooked, appx. 20 minutes. Puree mixture with immersion blender or in a regular blender. Add curry paste, coconut milk, chili sauce, soy sauce, and black pepper, bring to simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings if needed. Garnish with cilantro, lime juice, and more coconut milk, if you like.

Posted in soup, vegetables | 2 Comments

Green Soup

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Allison Woods

Green Soup
This is kind of just a set of guidelines, almost any green vegetable will work, you can vary the stock, the allium, and the seasonings. It’s a nice healthy way to eat your vegetables.

Bacon fat or other oil
Onion or shallot, garlic of you like
1 bunch of a green vegetable—I prefer pea vines, but you could also use watercress, spinach, chard, or any leafy green thing. Last batch I made was pea vines and fennel.
Chicken stock
Salt and pepper and other herbs or seasonings that sound good
Optional, ½ potato or a scant ¼ c rice. This is to thicken and add body without using cream. Not that there’s anything wrong with cream, mind you.
Chop your onion, shallot, garlic. Saute in your fat. Fill pot ¾ way up or so with your stock. Add green leafy vegetable, the pot should be packed fairly tight with greens. Add optional starch and cook until greens and optional starch are cooked through. Blend completely with your immersion blender, or with a regular blender if that’s all you have. Adjust seasonings. Freezes well too.

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Black Bottom Cupcakes

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Allison Woods

My mom used to make these very delicious cupcakes.
1 c sugar

1 ½ c flour

¼ c dry unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch Process

½ t salt

1 t baking soda

5 T oil (I use grapeseed oil, not too bad for you, and neutral in flavor)

1 t vanilla

1 c h2o

1 T vinegar

Filling: 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/3 c sugar, 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, 1 beaten egg, dash o’ salt

Chopped walnuts, sugar

Cupcakes: sift dry ingredients together, blend wet ingredients, add wet to dry ingredients. Fill cupcakes 1/3 full. Blend filling ingredients, then drop 1 T in each cupcake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and a bit of sugar. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

Posted in baked goods, dessert | 1 Comment