Monday, November 25, 2019

Red Cabbage, Carrot and Basil Slaw


Greetings from Austin.  I am home for Thanksgiving and I thought I would share the recipe for this red cabbage and carrot slaw I made for a recent dinner with friends.  It's a refreshing change from the traditional mayonnaise-based slaw, with a nice Asian twist.

It makes a beautiful side for any meal and would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving spread if you are looking for something a little different from the usual T-day fare.
Home Cookin v9.76 Chapter: Beans and Vegetables
RED CABBAGE CARROT, AND BASIL SLAW
Dressing:
3 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 medium shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed or grated
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup grapeseed oil

Salad:
1/2 head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly julienned or grated
1/4 red onion, cut in thirds and thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds for garnish (optional)

To make the dressing, combine the first seven ingredients and whisk together. Add the grapeseed oil in a continuous stream, whisking constantly.

Combine the cabbage, carrot and the red onion in a large bowl and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Add the dressing and mix well.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Add the basil and cilantro just before serving.  Serve the sunflower seeds on the side to prevent them from getting soggy.

November 14, 2019

exported from Home Cookin v9.76 (http://www.mountainsoftware.com/homecook.php)

Monday, November 18, 2019

Fast and Easy Baked Chicken Thighs


I thought I would share with you what has become my standard baked chicken recipe.  It takes minutes to prepare and you can make rice and whatever vegetables or salad you want to go with it while it is baking.  You can use skinless if you prefer, but that is pretty much my favorite part of the chicken so I always use skin-on pieces and folks can remove it if they don't want to eat it.

This recipe offers a huge return of flavor for minimal effort.  I make it just about once a week.  Once you try it I am sure it will become a regular part of your dinner rotations as well.

Home Cookin v9.76 Chapter: Meat Fish and Eggs
BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS
6 to 8 bone in chicken thighs with skin
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
1 - 2 tsp paprika
1 - 2 tsp thyme

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer in a baking dish. Cover and cook for about 40 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 30 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the internal temperature registers 165° F.

Remove from the oven and let sit at least ten minutes before serving.

November 14, 2019

exported from Home Cookin v9.76 (http://www.mountainsoftware.com/homecook.php)

Monday, November 11, 2019

Baking Class: Artisan Sourdough No Knead Bread

I have been working on sourdough no-knead bread for a while and I think I have finally figured it out enough to get consistent results. Most recipes call for a small amount of starter proportionate to the rest of the ingredients but I had built up a sizeable starter for my fennel seed bread and did not feel like mixing and kneading the dough so I decided to turn it into a no-knead loaf instead.  I did not want to waste the additional starter.  I wondered what would happen if I used more starter and put it into the refrigerator immediately rather than letting it sit outside for hours.  I used this percentage method for calculating starter I found at Chocolate and Zucchini to calculate the amount of starter to use and went to work.

My first attempt was decent with a good crumb, but the crust was a bit soft.  The crumb was decent, however,  and I knew I was on the right path.
My next attempt yielded the result you see here.  The crust was crisp and chewy.  And the crumb was all that I could have hoped it would be!

An interesting note - I only had about a third of a cup of whole wheat flour (not sure how that happened!) so I added enough rye flour to make a full cup.  The result was delicious and I think I will keep that ratio in the future.  And of  course I will play with other flour combinations as well.

But this one is a keeper.  You mix the dough together and put it in the fridge for a couple of days, maybe take it out and fold it once, and then take it out and bake it.  It's as close to set it and forget it as an artisanal home-made bread can be.
Home Cookin v9.76 Chapter: Breads and Muffins
Artisan Sourdough No-Knead Bread
142 g starter
304 g water
120 g any combination of whole wheat or rye flour
229 g white bread flour
12 g salt

Combine the flours with the salt and whisk together.

Dissolve the starter into the water. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for as little as overnight or as long as three days. If more than two days, remove from the refrigerate and bring to room temperature, then fold about 15 times. Cover and put back in the refrigerator until ready to bake, up to two days later.

When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temprature. Fold the dough again 10 to 15 times, then transfer to a floured piece of parchment paper in a bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about one-and-a-half to two hours.

After about 45 minutes, place a Dutch oven with the lid on it into a cool oven and preheat it to 500°. When the dough has risen and you are ready to bake, remove the pot from the oven and carefully drop the dough into the hot pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, lower the heat to 450° and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Let cool completely on rack.

adapted from http://breadtopia.com/sourdough-no-knead-bread/

Monday, November 04, 2019

Chili-Style Pinto Beans

I made a batch of skillet cornbread last weekend for breakfast and had quite a bit left over for the rest of the week so I decided to make some pinto beans to eat with it.  I didn't feel like looking for a recipe so I decided to wing it.

I basically threw all of the ingredients into a Dutch oven, filled it with water, brought it to a boil and then turned it to a simmer and cooked it for a couple of hours until the beans were tender.  It turned out to be a great way to use up some vegetables that needed to be used sooner rather than later and was basically effortless.

I usually season my pinto beans with cumin, oregano and cilantro but adding different vegetables made me think about using a different seasoning so I added some of my DIY Chili Powder, which is made with cumin and oregano but also has quite a bit of paprika in it.  It made for a nice change from my usual flavor profile.

I split the cornbread and spooned the beans over it and topped the whole thing with avocado slices.  It made hearty, satisfying lunch and traveled well for the work week.

This dish is easy to throw together and is perfect for a chilly Autumn day.
Home Cookin v9.76 Chapter: Beans and Vegetables
CHILI STYLE PINTO BEANS
1/2 lb dry pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 hot red pepper (such as a Barker's Hot Pepper or a Fresno Chili)
1 pickled jalapeno, or to taste
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp crushed oregano

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium size dutch oven and add enough water to cover the mixture by about three inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat then cover, lower to a simmer, and cook for about three hours, until beans are tender. Check every half hour or so and add water as necessary.

Remove the jalapeno, chop it, and then stir it back into the beans before serving.

20 October 2019

exported from Home Cookin v9.76 (http://www.mountainsoftware.com/homecook.php)

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