Mardi Gras 2013

So last night was Fat Tuesday and what better way to celebrate then make a whole bunch of fried stuff. 

This year I went with a simple po' boy, slaw and fries and finished with King's cake. 

The sandwich I made mushrooms and topped with homemade peppers and remoulade, which is basically a dressed up mayo sauce. Now, I'm normally no fan of mayo and mayo based dressings, but when its homemade and loaded with all sorts of other flavors the creaminess against the fried crunch is hard to pass up. I used a variation of this recipe for the sauce.

Muchroom Po' Boy with Remoulade

1 portobella per person, slice into 1/2 in strips

flour

egg(s)

milk

cornmeal

oil for frying

1 loaf bread per person 

lettuce, thinly sliced

red onion, thinly sliced

giardinera or other hot pepper to taste

salt and pepper

Remoulade

1/2 cup homemade mayo
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon mild paprika

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine everything in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at least an hour to let the flavors blend. 

Slice the mushrooms into thick slices.

Heat the oil until it reaching 375. Meanwhile prepare the mushrooms for frying. 

Mix eggs and milk and place in a shallow container. Do the same with the flour and cornmeal. 

Dredge the mushrooms in the flour, then in the egg wash and lastly in the cornmeal and fry a couple minutes until crispy. Season with salt.

To prepare the sandwich, slice the bread lengthwise and spread with the remoulade, top with the lettuce, mushrooms and onions and finish with the giardinera to taste. Serve with coleslaw and fries. 

Filo Triangles

The other day I was making a toasted PB and J and thought how fun to make filo triangles with PB and J. 

Making filo triangles isn't overly difficult just takes some preparation and space to layout the filo. 

Filo Triangles
One package filo, left at room temp
melted or clarified butter
filling, I made PB and J and pizza with tomato sauce and cheese

Unwrap the filo and carefully layout. Cover with a towel to keep from drying out. 

Carefully pull one sheet off the top and layout on a clean, dry work surface. Carefully brush the entire sheet with butter, then cut into long 1" to 2" strips.

Near one end place a small amount of the filling. In my case PB and J...



and tomato sauce and cheese. 



Then fold over the strip corner to corner to make into triangle shape. At the end seal with more butter and brush top and bottom with more butter to keep from drying out.

Bake in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. 

Crema de cacao con cacahuete

One of our favorite things to do when visiting Spain is go to the most amazing chocolate shop Cacao Sampaka. They not only sell the most amazing chocolates but also have a cafe to taste their amazing chocolates in all sorts of other forms. One of our favorite items is a chocolate and peanut butter sandwich. So simple, yet so delicious. 

I had a jar of the wonderful chocolate spread, but it is no more. Yesterday we took the kids to high tea and they served a Nutella sandwich. I then realized that I could make my own. 

I used this recipe, substituting the hazelnuts for peanuts and left out the sugar.

Crema de Cacao con Cacahuete (Chocolate Cream with Peanuts)

2 cups (heaping) roasted peanuts (I used half salted)

1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature

1 cup heavy cream

Grind peanuts in food processor or blender until paste forms. 

Place chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water; stir often until chocolate is melted and smooth. 

Remove from heat and add the butter. Stir to completely incorporate. 

Add the chocolate mixture to the nuts and blend a few second to fully combine.

With the motor running pour in the cream and blend a few seconds to fully combine. 



The paste will be very thin at this point, as it cools it will thicken. Place into jars for storage and cool, or spread directly on toast. Enjoy!

This may be the best easy pizza ever!

Serious... this was supper easy and delicious!!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe.html?ref=box_latest

Left Over Chili

I recently noticed that I had a lot of left over beans in the refrigerator that needed to be consumed. What better way to use them than a nice chili, particularly on these bitter cold days. 

Any beans will work, I like a combination of several, here I used red, white and left over refried black beans. 


Left Over Bean Chili
oil or butter
onion, green, white and/ or red, diced
carrot, diced
bell pepper, diced
2 -3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs oregano, Mexican if available
1 tsp cayenne 

can tomato

beans, red, black, pinto or other cooked beans

In a large pot (cast iron) warm butter or oil and add onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium until softened for about 5 minutes.





Add the pepper and garlic and cook another few minutes.



Add spices and stir to combine.



Add beans and tomatoes. Cook over medium seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Add water to thin and keep from getting too thick.



To serve, top with hot sauce, cheese, guacamole and rice. 

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Fennel and Orange

I know its been way too long...not that I've stopped cooking... more that I have been lazy. 

So I'm back now with a simple fennel salad.

Fennel and Orange Salad

one bulb fennel, thinly sliced

one orange, cut into supremes

feta to taste

pomegranate seeds

salt and pepper

Extra Virgin Olive oil.

Slice the fennel and toss with the orange supremes. Squeeze the remaining center of the orange over and toss with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

To serve top with feta and pomegranate seeds. 

Simple Red Lentil Soup

Red lentils are great because they cook so quickly. In less than 30 minutes you have your soup ready to go. 

Quick Red Lentil Soup
8 oz red lentils
4 cups water or stock
salt to taste

2 - 4 TBS olive oil
2 - 4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tps cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric 
1/2 tsp cayenne (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper

Boil the lentils in the liquid for about 15 to 20 minutes until the begin to soften.




Meanwhile heat the oil and add the garlic.




Cook until just soft then add the spices. 




Add this to the lentil and cook another 10 minutes until fully cooked.

To serve top with hot sauce,