Archive for March, 2009
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Szekely Gulyas
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
What in the world is this szekely gulyas, you ask? Well, it’s the snooty way of spelling what we know as goulash, a traditional Hungarian dish. Truth be told, I probably don’t have the right to use the snooty spelling, since I am offering up what is likely an Americanized version of a traditional Hungarian dish. It’s a family recipe and it is so delicious that I honestly don’t really care to find out how authentic it is. Like any good comfort food, this is a make-ahead meal that you get to have simmering on your stove for hours causing people inside to salivate and constantly bother you with, “Is it time for dinner yet?” Those are always proud moments for us home chefs, are they not?
On a health note, you can cut down on the fat in this recipe by using leaner pork cuts and reduced fat sour cream. Also, if you can get fresh dill, please do. It makes a lovely difference.
This goulash is a fantastic winter food and I offer it to those of you who, like me, are feeling stuck in a perpetual snowy time-warp. If spring never gets here, at least I have yummy comfort food to keep me warm.
2 1/2 lb. boneless pork, cubed
2 tablespoons oil
3 medium onions sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tablespoon paprika
1 lb. sauerkraut well-drained
4 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill
1 cup tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream, divided in half
Brown the meat in 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except sour cream and combine. Now add 1/2 cup sour cream, combine and simmer the mixture for 3 hours. Add the final 1/2 cup of sour cream just before serving. Serve over egg noodles. May add additional sauerkraut on noodles as well or on the side.
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Ginger Scones
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
Although I’m up for a tea anytime, there is something about Spring that inspires me to consider tea parties. Thinking of tea parties leads me inevitably to baked goods, which is how we now arrive at the ginger scone.
These light, flaky scones have the right balance of sweetness without being sugary, and are surprisingly easy to make, especially if you have a food processor. The only tedious part is cutting crystallized ginger into tiny, tiny pieces, and fortunately, these ginger chips eliminate this time consuming step. However, if you have regular crystallized ginger, I have perfected a method of cutting the chunks into bits. First, a 1/2 cup or larger measuring cup with about a teaspoon of flour in it will be the temporary receptacle for the bits of ginger once they are cut. I flour a small cutting board just little and spray just a touch of cooking oil onto the knife (I use a paring knife) I’ll be using to cut the ginger with. Once my little cutting station is assembled, I begin breaking down the ginger with my oiled knife, and the flour on the board keeps the sticky ginger from being itself. As little piles of ginger bits materialize, I transfer them into the measuring cup with the extra flour to continue keeping the bits separated. Once I have roughly 1/3 cup of ginger bits, I gently sift out the flour from the measuring cup and continue with the recipe.
Also, a scone pan is lovely, but not mandatory. A baking sheet with parchment paper or foil is perfectly fine also, and it lends itself to more homemade looking scones. Although not included in this recipe, eggwashing the tops of the scones and then sprinkling the tops with granulated sugar before baking also adds an elegant touch.
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More Adventures in Puff Pastry
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
What was just an innocent test run for a new recipe is now a budding addiction: puff pastry is my new culinary thrill. So far three new uses for puff pastry have been tested, and all three turned out beautifully. The jam turnovers (jam and puff pastry, how easy it that?) were just as perfect as those in a bakery, but even better since we enjoyed them freshly baked. My one caution is to not be overly enthusiastic with the jam. I have a delicious wild blueberry conserve that seemed perfect for the turnovers, and flagrantly disregarded the 1 tablespoon recommended per turnover. Not only was this a poor idea since the turnovers started weeping the delectable jam in the oven, but also changed one or two of the turnovers into a fork and knife course instead of a hand-held treat.
My mom and I tested puff pastry for homemade cheese danishes (Barefoot Contessa at Home, 2006), and another fantastic appetizer, ham and gruyere in puff pastry. Both were so simple - easier than baking a batch of homemade cookies (in my experience - but am also not a fantastic baker), that I am seriously considering puff pastry as an alternative when certain baking occasions arise. The danishes would make a unique alternative to a plate of brownies or cookies, and how awesome would it be to show up with a plate of ham and cheese puff pastry squares at an office potluck. I suspect this appetizer could be gently warmed in a toaster oven (many offices seem to have a worn but functional one) before serving. In my mind, this is certainly much easier than lugging a crock pot to work.
For both the danishes and the ham/gruyere tart, we rolled out the puff pastry on a chilled baking sheet, skipping the floured countertop altogether. Parchment paper is always ideal as a layer between the pastry and the baking sheet, but aluminum foil coated with a shot of baking spray has always done the trick for me. I highly recommend using a cooling rack for all puff pastry treats - allowing the air to circulate underneath the baking sheet combats the slight sogginess that butter can inflict on the bottom laters of the pastry.
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Homemade Sloppy Joes
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
Another sampling of nutritious updates on classic favorites has struck gold again. I have completely bought into the idea that better nutrition in cooking begins with even one baby step, so I’ve been looking for recipes that don’t sacrifice flavor while boosting nutritional content. I have been especially vigilant in looking for recipes with the appeal of being both familiar and not overtly austere in a health conscious way. Honestly - you can’t cook tofu in beef broth and call it a steak.
These “better” sloppy joes are given a nutrition boost by the pinto beans, and although initially the list of ingredients made the recipe look a little more complex, I was able to quickly assemble the sauce in a separate bowl while the beef was browning on the stove. The separate sauce assembly turned out to be a good choice, since I do suggest adjusting an ingredient here and there to suit your own taste.
Knowing how much heat and flavor my husband enjoys, I added about a teaspoon of hot paprika, and am planning to add even more the next time I make these sandwiches, which will be soon. The pinto beans did exactly what I had hoped - adding to the allover heartiness of the dish without taking away the spotlight of the ground beef. If you are looking for a way to sneak more fiber and less sodium into a meal that is universally enjoyed, this is one recipe to add to your weekly menu.
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Grapefruit Yogurt Cake
Friday, March 6th, 2009
One of my favorite things about winter is grapefruit. I love grapefruit and I could eat it at breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. My local market recently had grapefruit on sale 10 for $1.00, so you can imagine my glee and my very, very heavy shopping bags that day. Well, as it turns out, even I can’t eat grapefruit that fast, so I started looking for some alternative ways to use it and I stumbled upon this recipe for grapefruit yogurt cake. This cake is nice and moist with a delightful grapefruit tang and it smells heavenly when it bakes. My husband kept begging to know when it was finally ready to be eaten and it took an embarrassingly short time for the two of us to dig through almost the entire cake.
The recipe calls for using a springform bundt cake pan, but I didn’t have one and just used a round cake pan, which worked fine. Be very sure to use parchment paper or very heavy greasing and flouring of your pan, since the cake is fragile and also a little heavy at the same time.