Meat is neat, but side dishes are delicious!
Side dishes
Someone brought the mashed white potatoes - some consider the feast lacking without them - but I made three additional accompaniments: holiday sweet potatoes (not bad), cranberry sauce (rocked!) and spinach and gruyere casserole (not gonna lie - took it right from Real Simple). All were successful, although I did get distracted and over baked the casserole.
Cranberry sauce
1 tb butter
2 tb honey
1 bag fresh cranberries
1 tb ginger
1/2 jar St. Dalfour apricot conserve
2 tb apple juice (more as needed)
Melt butter with honey in saucepan. Add berries and stir to coat. When berries burst, reduce heat to low, stirring frequently and add ginger and conserve. When sauce becomes thick, stir in apple juice, adding more to reach your preference.
Use St. Dalfour peach conserve if you prefer a thinner, sweeter sauce. This is the only 100% natural, no added sugar brand I have found. If you aren't so picky, feel free to substitute whatever you like.
Holiday sweet potatoes
3 large sweet potatoes, sliced into rounds
2 tb walnut oil
1 c pecans, chopped
1 tb honey
2 ts thyme or rosemary
1/2 ts nutmeg
1/2 ts cayenne
1/2 ts coarse ground pepper
Toss potatoes with oil and bake, covered, in 13x9 dish 45 minutes at 375. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients. When potatoes have baked, top with nut mixture and return to oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Showing posts with label sauce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sauce. Show all posts
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The 12 recipes of Christmas - Part 2
Traditionally, we make two different meats at Christmas: turkey, of course, and usually beef. This year was no exception, except for the fact that both of them were awesome (if I do say so myself). Usually, there is something wrong with at least one - overcooked, undercooked, bad choice of some preparatory measure. Not this year. I guess my new philosophy - Yummy, Easy, Primal - is giving me more time to focus on the important parts.
Meat
All I can say is there's a reason it starts with mmm...!
Roast beef
1 tb fennel seeds
2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp orange zest
1 tb olive oil
5-6 lb boneless rib roast
Crush fennel seeds with a mortar & pestle, a few at a time. Mix seeds with other spices. Rub meat with olive oil, then with spice mix. Cook on rotisserie, checking temp with meat thermometer at 2 hours (should be rare). Take out when meat is about 10 degrees short of desired doneness and rest on counter about 20 minutes to finish cooking before slicing. Serve with horseradish cream sauce.
Horseradish cream sauce: Stir together sour cream and horseradish in 2:1 ratio. Top with fresh ground pepper and chives or parsley.
Turkey
New (for me) technique: dry-brining. Thank you Martha Stewart!
16-18 lb turkey
10 bay leaves, crushed - plus
4 bay leaves, whole
1/2 c kosher salt
Oven bag
4 tb (1/2 stick) butter, softened - plus
8 tb (whole stick) butter
Spices to taste: fresh ground pepper, rubbed sage, orange zest
1 c white wine
To brine: Combine crushed bay leaves with salt. Remove neck and giblets from thawed turkey. Rinse, drain and pat dry. Rub 1 tb salt mixture inside cavity. Rub remainder of mixture all over outside of bird, taking care to coat skin well, including in leg folds. Place turkey in oven bag and tie shut, squeezing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before putting in oven, then remove from oven bag and rinse brine from inside and outside turkey.
To roast: Stuff bird and place on roasting pan, tying legs with kitchen string if needed. Rub turkey skin with softened butter, season with spices and roast at 425 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt whole stick butter with wine and whole bay leaves. About a half an hour after the turkey went into the oven, lower temp to 350 and baste with wine mixture. Continue basting and rotating turkey every 30-45 minutes, tenting with foil once skin browns. Check for doneness after 4 hours. Let rest out of oven 20-30 minutes before carving.
PS - Yes, I made stuffing, and it was from scratch (sort of, I didn't make cornbread myself like I usually do). No, it wasn't primal, and I didn't eat it! And there was gravy...I don't like gravy and I always pawn that off on someone who looks bored.
Meat
All I can say is there's a reason it starts with mmm...!
Roast beef
1 tb fennel seeds
2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp orange zest
1 tb olive oil
5-6 lb boneless rib roast
Crush fennel seeds with a mortar & pestle, a few at a time. Mix seeds with other spices. Rub meat with olive oil, then with spice mix. Cook on rotisserie, checking temp with meat thermometer at 2 hours (should be rare). Take out when meat is about 10 degrees short of desired doneness and rest on counter about 20 minutes to finish cooking before slicing. Serve with horseradish cream sauce.
Horseradish cream sauce: Stir together sour cream and horseradish in 2:1 ratio. Top with fresh ground pepper and chives or parsley.
Turkey
New (for me) technique: dry-brining. Thank you Martha Stewart!
16-18 lb turkey
10 bay leaves, crushed - plus
4 bay leaves, whole
1/2 c kosher salt
Oven bag
4 tb (1/2 stick) butter, softened - plus
8 tb (whole stick) butter
Spices to taste: fresh ground pepper, rubbed sage, orange zest
1 c white wine
To brine: Combine crushed bay leaves with salt. Remove neck and giblets from thawed turkey. Rinse, drain and pat dry. Rub 1 tb salt mixture inside cavity. Rub remainder of mixture all over outside of bird, taking care to coat skin well, including in leg folds. Place turkey in oven bag and tie shut, squeezing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate 24 hours. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before putting in oven, then remove from oven bag and rinse brine from inside and outside turkey.
To roast: Stuff bird and place on roasting pan, tying legs with kitchen string if needed. Rub turkey skin with softened butter, season with spices and roast at 425 degrees. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt whole stick butter with wine and whole bay leaves. About a half an hour after the turkey went into the oven, lower temp to 350 and baste with wine mixture. Continue basting and rotating turkey every 30-45 minutes, tenting with foil once skin browns. Check for doneness after 4 hours. Let rest out of oven 20-30 minutes before carving.
PS - Yes, I made stuffing, and it was from scratch (sort of, I didn't make cornbread myself like I usually do). No, it wasn't primal, and I didn't eat it! And there was gravy...I don't like gravy and I always pawn that off on someone who looks bored.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy Primal New Year
I have taken a break from blogging, but not from cooking!
This New Year's Day, my first as a primal eater, I was determined to come up with something that incorporated traditional "good luck" foods, but kept with the plan.
The Menu:
Appetizer - smoked salmon - fish scales resemble coins and symbol prosperity
Salad - mixed greens and veggies garnished with pomegranate seeds - the seeds represent fertility, but are also my take on lucky legumes
Entree - spaghetti squash with meat sauce - noodles symbolize a long life
Side dish - sauteed chard with bacon - greens symbolize money and pork symbolizes progress
Drink - wine - eating 12 grapes at midnight is considered lucky in Hispanic countries, I took a bit of liberty here!
Spaghetti squash with meat sauce
1 spaghetti squash
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (if using unseasoned, also add oregano, etc. to taste)
1 c broth or water
1 tb white wine vinegar
2 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Cut squash in half lengthwise and place cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. Add ground beef and crumble into chunks with spatula. When beef is browned, add vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes and juice and stir until heated through. To thicken sauce, I use a bit of arrowroot powder dissolved in water or broth. You could substitute tomato paste whisked into the broth instead. Scoop squash strands out of the shell lengthwise with a fork onto plates. Top with meat sauce. Serves 3.
Sauteed chard with garlic and bacon
1 bunch swiss chard (or kale, spinach or other leafy green)
1 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 slices bacon or pancetta
2 tb apple cider vinegar
Chop chard leaves and stems and set aside. Cook bacon and garlic in sautee pan in olive oil. Add chard to pan by the tong-ful, turning to coat in oil and mix with bacon and garlic. As chard wilts from heat and moisture, continue to add tong-fuls of chard and mix around untill it is all in the pan. Splash with vinegar and cover with lid for 30 seconds or until fully wilted. Remove from heat and swirl around before serving immediately.
This New Year's Day, my first as a primal eater, I was determined to come up with something that incorporated traditional "good luck" foods, but kept with the plan.
The Menu:
Appetizer - smoked salmon - fish scales resemble coins and symbol prosperity
Salad - mixed greens and veggies garnished with pomegranate seeds - the seeds represent fertility, but are also my take on lucky legumes
Entree - spaghetti squash with meat sauce - noodles symbolize a long life
Side dish - sauteed chard with bacon - greens symbolize money and pork symbolizes progress
Drink - wine - eating 12 grapes at midnight is considered lucky in Hispanic countries, I took a bit of liberty here!
Spaghetti squash with meat sauce
1 spaghetti squash
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (if using unseasoned, also add oregano, etc. to taste)
1 c broth or water
1 tb white wine vinegar
2 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Cut squash in half lengthwise and place cut side down on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sautee garlic and onion in olive oil. Add ground beef and crumble into chunks with spatula. When beef is browned, add vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add tomatoes and juice and stir until heated through. To thicken sauce, I use a bit of arrowroot powder dissolved in water or broth. You could substitute tomato paste whisked into the broth instead. Scoop squash strands out of the shell lengthwise with a fork onto plates. Top with meat sauce. Serves 3.
 |
| Ingredients for spaghetti squash with meat sauce. |
1 bunch swiss chard (or kale, spinach or other leafy green)
1 ts olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 slices bacon or pancetta
2 tb apple cider vinegar
Chop chard leaves and stems and set aside. Cook bacon and garlic in sautee pan in olive oil. Add chard to pan by the tong-ful, turning to coat in oil and mix with bacon and garlic. As chard wilts from heat and moisture, continue to add tong-fuls of chard and mix around untill it is all in the pan. Splash with vinegar and cover with lid for 30 seconds or until fully wilted. Remove from heat and swirl around before serving immediately.
 |
| Ingredients for sauteed chard with bacon |
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Phantastic
Phillies are in the playoffs...company is in the house!
Guests always show up with chips and queso, but I like to whip up something primal friendly as well. And guess what? Company loves it too.
Here are this year's phavorites:
Pesto cream cheese layers
I make my own pesto (recipe at the bottom of this post), but you could substitute store bought in this super simple (meaning great at the last minute) creation.
1 block cream cheese
1/2 c pesto
1 roma tomato
Slice cream cheese in half horizontally. Put most of the pesto between the two layers. Put remaining pesto on top. Dice tomato and sprinkle over as well. (The tomato was a new addition to this spread -- just trying to get in a little Phillies red!)
Macadamia onion dip
Yeah, it does sound wierd, but trust me it's good.
2 c macadamias (I prefer lightly salted)
3/4 c water
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 handful crumbled bacon
In food processor, grind nuts with 1/4 c water. Stop to redistribute, scrape down sides and add 1/4 c water. If it is still too spackly after processing a second time, repeat, adding remaining water. When spread is desired consistency, fold in onion and bacon to taste.
Thanks to the folks at Harvest Market for their inspiration on this one!
I usually serve my dips with carrot chips, but recently I have discovered two raw food crackers that are good for munching too. My favorite is Foods Alive onion garlic flax crackers. For soft spreads, Brad's Raw Chips (I use Kale, but there are several varieties) are good too. Both are pictured with the Pesto cream cheese layers.
Basil walnut pesto
4 c fresh basil, lightly packed
3 tb minced garlic
1 c crushed walnuts
1/3 c grated parmesan or romano
1 c olive or walnut oil
Put basil in blender, top with next three ingredients and half of oil, and puree, stopping frequently to scrape down sides. Add remaining oil gradually as needed to achieve desired consistency.
I keep my pesto fairly dry because this is how I preserve the excess that comes out of my garden every year. After blending, scoop half cup portions into a muffin pan, cover with Press-N-Seal and freeze. Reheat in saucepan or microwave, adding a little oil to thin out.
Guests always show up with chips and queso, but I like to whip up something primal friendly as well. And guess what? Company loves it too.
Here are this year's phavorites:
Pesto cream cheese layers
I make my own pesto (recipe at the bottom of this post), but you could substitute store bought in this super simple (meaning great at the last minute) creation.
1 block cream cheese
1/2 c pesto
1 roma tomato
Slice cream cheese in half horizontally. Put most of the pesto between the two layers. Put remaining pesto on top. Dice tomato and sprinkle over as well. (The tomato was a new addition to this spread -- just trying to get in a little Phillies red!)
 |
| Pesto cream cheese layers with onion garlic flax crackers (top left), Brad's Raw kale chips (bottom left) and carrot chips. |
Yeah, it does sound wierd, but trust me it's good.
2 c macadamias (I prefer lightly salted)
3/4 c water
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 handful crumbled bacon
In food processor, grind nuts with 1/4 c water. Stop to redistribute, scrape down sides and add 1/4 c water. If it is still too spackly after processing a second time, repeat, adding remaining water. When spread is desired consistency, fold in onion and bacon to taste.
Thanks to the folks at Harvest Market for their inspiration on this one!
I usually serve my dips with carrot chips, but recently I have discovered two raw food crackers that are good for munching too. My favorite is Foods Alive onion garlic flax crackers. For soft spreads, Brad's Raw Chips (I use Kale, but there are several varieties) are good too. Both are pictured with the Pesto cream cheese layers.
Basil walnut pesto
4 c fresh basil, lightly packed
3 tb minced garlic
1 c crushed walnuts
1/3 c grated parmesan or romano
1 c olive or walnut oil
Put basil in blender, top with next three ingredients and half of oil, and puree, stopping frequently to scrape down sides. Add remaining oil gradually as needed to achieve desired consistency.
I keep my pesto fairly dry because this is how I preserve the excess that comes out of my garden every year. After blending, scoop half cup portions into a muffin pan, cover with Press-N-Seal and freeze. Reheat in saucepan or microwave, adding a little oil to thin out.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Salad dressing mania
As summer winds down, my tomatoes are in full force. That and trying to use up bits of this produce and that means every dinner has a salad course these days.
Store bought dressings all have sugar - or worse, HFCS - so I am trying my hand at making my own. These are some of my new favorites.
Each recipe makes approximately 12 oz. I reuse the glass containers that store bought sauces had come in.
Balsamic vinaigrette
3/4 c olive oil
3/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 clove (or more!) minced garlic
1/2 ts dried oregano
2 ts dijon mustard
pinch of coarse black pepper
Great on any salad, but Caprese is my favorite!
Ginger dressing
2 shredded baby carrots
2 tb white wine vinegar
2 tb cider vinegar
1 tb tamari
1 ts sesame oil
1 tb minced onion (dried is ok)
1 tb hot mustard
1 tb grated fresh ginger
This dressing comes out very chunky. It has a bit of a kick to it that I like it better on a burger or grilled chicken breast than on a salad.
Lemon parsley dressing
3/4 c olive oil
1/2 c lemon juice
1 tb minced onion (dried is ok)
2 tb chopped fresh parsley
This dressing is very light and mild.
Store bought dressings all have sugar - or worse, HFCS - so I am trying my hand at making my own. These are some of my new favorites.
Each recipe makes approximately 12 oz. I reuse the glass containers that store bought sauces had come in.
Balsamic vinaigrette
3/4 c olive oil
3/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 clove (or more!) minced garlic
1/2 ts dried oregano
2 ts dijon mustard
pinch of coarse black pepper
Great on any salad, but Caprese is my favorite!
Ginger dressing
2 shredded baby carrots
2 tb white wine vinegar
2 tb cider vinegar
1 tb tamari
1 ts sesame oil
1 tb minced onion (dried is ok)
1 tb hot mustard
1 tb grated fresh ginger
This dressing comes out very chunky. It has a bit of a kick to it that I like it better on a burger or grilled chicken breast than on a salad.
Lemon parsley dressing
3/4 c olive oil
1/2 c lemon juice
1 tb minced onion (dried is ok)
2 tb chopped fresh parsley
This dressing is very light and mild.
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