I am a huge fan of Scottish oatmeal, which has a texture halfway between grits and rice cereal but ten times as much flavor. But it takes ten minutes to cook, whereas quick oats take only 5, and some mornings that really makes a difference. Also, the texture, being soft, is less interesting than rolled oats, and sometimes I have trouble eating when all my food is the same soft texture (I know, I'm fussy).
Problem with regular quick oatmeal is, it's gooey and gross. I have been known to describe it as a "bowl of grayish sludge". It's also less flavorful than steel-cut or Scottish oatmeal.
So, if you want the speed and textural contrast of quick oats WITHOUT the gooiness, WITHOUT too much compromising on flavor... I have the recipe for you.
Two servings:
1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup water or milk
Cinnamon, butter or margarine, and brown sugar to taste
Place the oats in a small saucepan, all by themselves. Turn the heat to medium-high and toast, stirring often, until the tiny broken oat fragments or oat dust on the bottom of the pan begin to turn golden and the oats smell toasty. This only takes a minute or two.
Add the water and stir quickly. It will steam and boil hotly for a few seconds, then subside.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and put a lid on the pan. Let sit 3 minutes.
Turn off the burner. Add the cinnamon and sugar and butter if you are using them. Stir once, gently, and replace the lid for 2 more minutes.
You will see that the oats have steamed like rice and have held their shape without getting mooshy. Fluff up and serve.
To store for later, fluff up first so they don't get too compacted, then store in a container with a tight lid.
I'm going to get a rice cooker and try using it to make oatmeal next!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Friday, March 14, 2014
Basic Italian Sausage Soup: A Template
So here's a new idea: a recipe template. I'm going to list ingredients as categories and give acceptable ranges of volume. Then you can freely adapt the template to work with whatever you have on hand, and vary it to make it interesting.
Ingredients:
1 package hot or sweet Italian chicken sausage
1 or 2 onions, white or yellow (red doesn't always work unless you add olives)
Garlic. Use ONE of the following:
- If fresh, 4 or more cloves.
- If powdered, 2 or more teaspoons.
- If paste, 1 or more teaspoons.
(OPTIONAL) 1/4 cup cooking wine or sherry
Dried Herbs. Use any or all of the following:
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/4 tsp powdered rosemary OR 1/2 tsp whole rosemary
- 1/2 tsp thyme leaves
Tomatoes. Use ONE of the following:
- 1 can diced
- 4 fresh plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
(OPTIONAL) Additional Vegetables. Use any or all of the following:
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup black olives, or to taste
- 1 summer squash, chopped
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
8 ounces greens: spinach, chard, kale, etc. Frozen works well. Avoid delicate greens like arugula.
1 or 2 cans of beans, rinsed and drained. Use any of the following, or a combination:
- kidney beans
- cannellini beans
- navy beans
- lima beans (frozen, not canned, the canned ones are gross)
- butterbeans
(OPTIONAL) Squeeze of lemon, recommended only if you omitted the wine
(OPTIONAL) Cooked pasta
Preparation:
Slice the sausage and sautee in a large soup pot with a little olive oil until browned. Remove to a plate.
Sautee the onion and, if you're using fresh garlic, the garlic too until beginning to soften. Add the wine, if you're using it, and scrape the pot to get any browned bits.
Add any other chopped vegetables you're using EXCEPT greens. Add the broth, tomatoes, and the herbs.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the vegetables are almost done. 3 or 4 minutes for delicate vegetables, 8 minutes if you've got carrots. Stir often to check progress.
Add the greens. Return to a boil and cook until greens are tender, about 2 minutes, but maybe a little longer for kale.
Add the beans. If you're using pasta, add that too. If you're using lemon, now's the time--don't go overboard though!
Serve. If you can eat cheese, this is great topped with parmesan, romano, provelone, manchego, or most Greek cheeses.
This soup stores well. Freeze leftovers or keep in the fridge. It gets better the next day.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Salmon Bisque
Yum. Works with frozen salmon just fine, but not canned. This looks super fancy, with a lovely peach-pink color, and tastes creamy and satisfying. It's impressive enough for company, but it's actually not hard to make, and you can prepare it the day before and reheat it.
Ingredients:
1 lb salmon, cooked and flaked
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, or your favorite potatoes, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese or neufchatel
2 tbsp table cream (media crema) or additional cream cheese or heavy cream
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 of a can of diced tomatoes or 2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt
Sautee the onion, celery, and carrot in a little butter until tender. Add broth, garlic, thyme, and paprika. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, steam the potatoes until just tender, about 12 minutes. Don't overcook.
When the vegetables are done, add the cream cheese, table cream, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender, a regular blender, or a food processor until smooth. Pour through a sieve to remove any fibrous bits (optional).
Return to the pot and add the potatoes. Taste and add salt or pepper if you like. Reheat if necessary.
Add the flaked salmon and serve.
About the salmon:
You can prepare it any way you like, or use leftovers from another meal, as long as it's relatively simple - no crazy sauces that will conflict with the flavor of the soup. The way I made it was I just brushed it with oil, sprinkled salt and garlic powder on it, and baked it at 425 for 11 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 lb salmon, cooked and flaked
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, or your favorite potatoes, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese or neufchatel
2 tbsp table cream (media crema) or additional cream cheese or heavy cream
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 of a can of diced tomatoes or 2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt
Sautee the onion, celery, and carrot in a little butter until tender. Add broth, garlic, thyme, and paprika. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, steam the potatoes until just tender, about 12 minutes. Don't overcook.
When the vegetables are done, add the cream cheese, table cream, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender, a regular blender, or a food processor until smooth. Pour through a sieve to remove any fibrous bits (optional).
Return to the pot and add the potatoes. Taste and add salt or pepper if you like. Reheat if necessary.
Add the flaked salmon and serve.
About the salmon:
You can prepare it any way you like, or use leftovers from another meal, as long as it's relatively simple - no crazy sauces that will conflict with the flavor of the soup. The way I made it was I just brushed it with oil, sprinkled salt and garlic powder on it, and baked it at 425 for 11 minutes.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Spaghetti Pizza Pie
Like Pizza but MORE AWESOME. Also healthier, and super easy to make.
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked spaghetti, tossed with a bit of butter or olive oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic paste, or powdered or minced garlic to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
2/3 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella or pizza blend
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Turn oven to 400. Butter a pie plate and place in the oven while it preheats.
Combine spaghetti, eggs, parmesan, garlic, salt, and herbs in a large mixing bowl.
When the oven is heated, take the plate out and pour the spaghetti mixture in. Spread out so that the edges are a little higher than the middle, forming a bit of a crust.
Spread the tomato sauce in the middle, leaving a 1/2 inch crust. Top with cheese, then tomatoes.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Slice and serve! It's good with salad :)
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked spaghetti, tossed with a bit of butter or olive oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic paste, or powdered or minced garlic to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
2/3 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella or pizza blend
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Turn oven to 400. Butter a pie plate and place in the oven while it preheats.
Combine spaghetti, eggs, parmesan, garlic, salt, and herbs in a large mixing bowl.
When the oven is heated, take the plate out and pour the spaghetti mixture in. Spread out so that the edges are a little higher than the middle, forming a bit of a crust.
Spread the tomato sauce in the middle, leaving a 1/2 inch crust. Top with cheese, then tomatoes.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Slice and serve! It's good with salad :)
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Grain Hipster Pizza Dough
I've arrived at an AWESOME PIZZA CRUST. It is flavorful, soft and tender, but with a nice texture. Start making it an hour before you want to eat it.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 1/2 tsp yeast (1 packet yeast)
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup oat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp vital wheat gluten
Bread flour
Stir the sugar and yeast into the water and set aside for 5 minutes while it foams.
Combine the oat flour, wheat germ, salt, gluten, and 1 cup bread flour in a bowl. Add the olive oil and stir in the water mixture.
Beat with a spoon for 2 minutes, vigorously. You can use a machine for this if you have one.
Turn out onto an amply floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Add plenty of bread flour as needed to keep it from sticking. You'll end up adding maybe another cup of flour. The final dough will be soft and stretchy.
Roll the dough out and stretch with your hands until it's the right size.
Sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet that is heat-safe to 450 degrees - odds are, this is NOT a non-stick sheet! Non-stick sheets aren't safe at high heat. Use a double thickness of tinfoil if you don't have a non-non-stick cookie sheet.
Place the rolled-out dough onto the cookie sheet and let sit in a nice warm place for half an hour, or until it is fluffy enough.
Preheat the oven to 450. Move the oven shelf to the lowest level, if you have an adjustable oven shelf. Bake the dough naked for 3 minutes, THEN add the toppings and bake for another 6 minutes, or until done.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 1/2 tsp yeast (1 packet yeast)
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup oat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp vital wheat gluten
Bread flour
Stir the sugar and yeast into the water and set aside for 5 minutes while it foams.
Combine the oat flour, wheat germ, salt, gluten, and 1 cup bread flour in a bowl. Add the olive oil and stir in the water mixture.
Beat with a spoon for 2 minutes, vigorously. You can use a machine for this if you have one.
Turn out onto an amply floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Add plenty of bread flour as needed to keep it from sticking. You'll end up adding maybe another cup of flour. The final dough will be soft and stretchy.
Roll the dough out and stretch with your hands until it's the right size.
Sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet that is heat-safe to 450 degrees - odds are, this is NOT a non-stick sheet! Non-stick sheets aren't safe at high heat. Use a double thickness of tinfoil if you don't have a non-non-stick cookie sheet.
Place the rolled-out dough onto the cookie sheet and let sit in a nice warm place for half an hour, or until it is fluffy enough.
Preheat the oven to 450. Move the oven shelf to the lowest level, if you have an adjustable oven shelf. Bake the dough naked for 3 minutes, THEN add the toppings and bake for another 6 minutes, or until done.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Sort Of Cassoulet
If you know what cassoulet is "supposed" to be and/or are authentically French, you may want to turn away to protect your delicate sensibilities. This is not your mama's cassoulet.
What it is, is a richly flavorful, economical casserole that can be prepared in about an hour, plus half an hour of cooking time. Compare this to the several days and expensive exotic game meats it takes to make authentic cassoulet :P
You will note that the ingredients are sometimes vague. This is an EXTREMELY FORGIVING recipe. You can, and should, alter it and serve it differently every time you make it. That way you can make it often without getting tired of it!
Ingredients:
5 carrots, finely chopped
5 celery stalks, finely chopped
2-4 onions, finely chopped, about 2 cups total
5 slices bacon
1 package spicy Italian chicken sausage, about 8 ounces, sliced
Dark meat off a rotisserie chicken (I like to use the breast for other things)
2 cans small white beans, rinsed and drained
1 16oz can crushed tomatoes or petite-diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes, your choice
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup cooking wine or sherry
Broth (or water + bouillon)
Spices
Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour the fat out of the dutch oven, only leaving enough to prevent the sausage from sticking.
Add the sausage and cook over medium heat until golden brown. Remove.
Add the veggies (including the garlic IF you are using fresh garlic) and saute until tender.
Return the sausage and bacon to the pot. Add the beans, tomatoes, garlic (if using prepared or dried garlic) wine, broth, and spices. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until veggies are very tender and sauce is gravy-like in thickness.
Stir in the chicken and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and serve, or save for later. It just gets better as you store it!
This makes a lot of servings and, though time-consuming with all the chopping, is an efficient use of your time and money per serving.
Serve with cheese on top if you wanna get fancy. Smoked cheese is especially yummy.
Here's why I don't list a volume for broth:
The amount you will need depends on the moisture of the veggies, your personal preference, the humidity, etc. Just add broth when it looks too dry. If you accidentally make it too wet, turn up the heat and boil the excess liquid off. Cassoulet is best when very thick, but you don't want it to burn, either. 1 cup is probably the right amount most of the time.
Spice suggestions:
The seasoning on this recipe is forgiving. You should adjust to your preferences. Here is what I use:
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp dried parsley (add this at the end, right before serving, so it stays fresh-tasting)
2 bay leaves
Ground pepper to taste
Ariel likes to shake crushed red pepper on his, like you do on pizza.
Salt:
This recipe gets most of the salt from the bacon, sausage, and cooking wine. You may not find you need any extra salt. If you do want salt, I suggest using chicken bouillon instead of plain salt. It's more flavorful! Taste the cassoulet at the end, just before serving, and add salt then. If you add salt early, it might end up too salty as additional salt leaches out of the meats.
Sausage:
You can use lots of different sausages. Anduoille is good. Regular Italian pork sausage is probably good, I've never tried it. Turkey sausage is good. Other flavors of chicken sausage, like garlic and roasted pepper, are good. Go nuts!
What it is, is a richly flavorful, economical casserole that can be prepared in about an hour, plus half an hour of cooking time. Compare this to the several days and expensive exotic game meats it takes to make authentic cassoulet :P
You will note that the ingredients are sometimes vague. This is an EXTREMELY FORGIVING recipe. You can, and should, alter it and serve it differently every time you make it. That way you can make it often without getting tired of it!
Ingredients:
5 carrots, finely chopped
5 celery stalks, finely chopped
2-4 onions, finely chopped, about 2 cups total
5 slices bacon
1 package spicy Italian chicken sausage, about 8 ounces, sliced
Dark meat off a rotisserie chicken (I like to use the breast for other things)
2 cans small white beans, rinsed and drained
1 16oz can crushed tomatoes or petite-diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes, your choice
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup cooking wine or sherry
Broth (or water + bouillon)
Spices
Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour the fat out of the dutch oven, only leaving enough to prevent the sausage from sticking.
Add the sausage and cook over medium heat until golden brown. Remove.
Add the veggies (including the garlic IF you are using fresh garlic) and saute until tender.
Return the sausage and bacon to the pot. Add the beans, tomatoes, garlic (if using prepared or dried garlic) wine, broth, and spices. Cook, stirring often, over medium-low heat until veggies are very tender and sauce is gravy-like in thickness.
Stir in the chicken and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and serve, or save for later. It just gets better as you store it!
This makes a lot of servings and, though time-consuming with all the chopping, is an efficient use of your time and money per serving.
Serve with cheese on top if you wanna get fancy. Smoked cheese is especially yummy.
Here's why I don't list a volume for broth:
The amount you will need depends on the moisture of the veggies, your personal preference, the humidity, etc. Just add broth when it looks too dry. If you accidentally make it too wet, turn up the heat and boil the excess liquid off. Cassoulet is best when very thick, but you don't want it to burn, either. 1 cup is probably the right amount most of the time.
Spice suggestions:
The seasoning on this recipe is forgiving. You should adjust to your preferences. Here is what I use:
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp dried parsley (add this at the end, right before serving, so it stays fresh-tasting)
2 bay leaves
Ground pepper to taste
Ariel likes to shake crushed red pepper on his, like you do on pizza.
Salt:
This recipe gets most of the salt from the bacon, sausage, and cooking wine. You may not find you need any extra salt. If you do want salt, I suggest using chicken bouillon instead of plain salt. It's more flavorful! Taste the cassoulet at the end, just before serving, and add salt then. If you add salt early, it might end up too salty as additional salt leaches out of the meats.
Sausage:
You can use lots of different sausages. Anduoille is good. Regular Italian pork sausage is probably good, I've never tried it. Turkey sausage is good. Other flavors of chicken sausage, like garlic and roasted pepper, are good. Go nuts!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Scottish Oatcakes
This is straight-up the recipe off the back of a bag of Bob's Red Mill scottish style oatmeal. You need that stuff to make these.
Scottish Oatcakes are biscuits for people who are too busy repelling the Roman Empire to eff around with fluffy baked goods.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Scottish oatmeal
1/2 cup wheat flour
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup hot water
Oven to 325.
Place all but 2 tbsp of the oatmeal in a bowl with the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir.
Add butter and stir until evenly distributed. With a fork, mix in water just until moistened. Don't make it too wet. Press dough into a ball, like you would pie crust.
Sprinkle the counter top with the reserved oatmeal and roll the dough out on top to about 1/3" thickness - a little thicker than a pie crust. Cut into squares and place on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake until oatcakes are golden around the edges, about 20 minutes. Do not overbake or they will be crumbly.
Allow to cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container. These keep a long time.
Scottish Oatcakes are biscuits for people who are too busy repelling the Roman Empire to eff around with fluffy baked goods.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Scottish oatmeal
1/2 cup wheat flour
3/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup hot water
Oven to 325.
Place all but 2 tbsp of the oatmeal in a bowl with the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir.
Add butter and stir until evenly distributed. With a fork, mix in water just until moistened. Don't make it too wet. Press dough into a ball, like you would pie crust.
Sprinkle the counter top with the reserved oatmeal and roll the dough out on top to about 1/3" thickness - a little thicker than a pie crust. Cut into squares and place on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake until oatcakes are golden around the edges, about 20 minutes. Do not overbake or they will be crumbly.
Allow to cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight container. These keep a long time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)