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Turkish Style Paella with Mussels

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

I love making a good paella in the large paella pan while watching it simmer for hours.

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But sometimes I just don’t have that many hours, and I was looking for a new way to have dinner with mussels when I came across this recipe.

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Not only was it extremely simple, but the mixture of sweetness from the dried cranberries with the mussels and the mint made for an eclectic and refreshing tasting dinner.

Ingredients

1 lb mussels
Grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
1 small white onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 red chili pepper
Good pinch of ground turmeric
1 cup dry white wine
4.5 cups seafoods, chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups long grain rice
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins if you can’t get cranberries)
salt
Grated lemon zest and juice of lemon
1 small bunch of fresh mint, leaves roughly chopped

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat enough oil to coat the bottom.  Add the onion and garlic and sweat until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the chile and turmeric.  Reduce heat to low and let the ingredients cook together for about 20 minutes.

Pour in the wine to deglaze, making sure to loosen up any ingredients that stuck to the bottom.  Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer, cooking until the wine has been reduced by half, about 5 minutes.  Add your stock, return to a boil, and stir in your rice.  Turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer, cover the pot, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid.

Next, add your mussels.  Cover the pot again and cook for another 7-10 minutes or until the mussels have fully opened.

Take the pot off the stove, stir in the currants and add salt or lemon zest if needed to taste.  Just before serving add the lemon juice and mint.

Adapted from Chris Taylor’s Twenty Dinners.

Apple Tarte Tatin

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

Another wonderful recipe from my new favorite cookbook, this was a perfect way to wind down my stock of apples.

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When we went apple picking and *only* picked up two bushels of apples I was really worried it wouldn’t be enough (for a small village?)   Anyways, this was an easy and delightfully “Fall” way to spend more apples, and if not now, when?

Ingredients

For the Filling

  • 3 or 4 apples that will hold shape while cooking (I used Macintosh and I think Jonah Gold, but Cortland, Northern Spy, Winesap or Rome would work, as well)
  • 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed

For the Pastry

  • 10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp sour cream
  • pinch of granulated sugar

Make the Filling

  1. Peel, halve and core the apples.  Melt the butter in an 8-in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and then add the brown sugar.  Arrange the apples cut side down in the pan, making sure they are squeezed tightly.
  2. Cook until the juices from the apples bubble, then turn down to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.  Continue cooking until the apples are tender and most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
  3. Remove from stove, flip the apples so they are cut side up and allow to cool completely.

Dough

  1. Rub the softened butter and flour between your thumb and index fingers.  After several minutes it will begin to incorporate into the flour.  Continue until the butter is in pea-size pieces.  Stir in the sour cream until completely incorporated.
  2. Turn out the dough and knead until smooth.  Form into a disk and cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out the dough on your floured work surface so it is big enough to cover the pan plus about 1 inch.  Transfer the dough to the top of the pan, molding the overhanging dough to the side of the pan.  Sprinkle with the granulated sugar and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool until warm.

Place a large plate over the top of the pan and flip the whole thing upside down.  Dig in!

From Chris Taylor’s Twenty Dinners.

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

oatmeal raisin cookiesToday our great nephew/godson is coming to visit with us while his sister goes to the ballet with her parents and my sister. No, it’s not a sexist thing. He just isn’t ready to sit still through the ballet yet. As I have mentioned before, this beloved child is deathly allergic to eggs AND his family keeps Kosher. This definitely presents dessert challenges, but I am determined that he never misses out on anything, so I have been working hard to find – and tweak – the best recipes for everything from an eggless challah to chocolate “cream” pie. A wonderful baking book to start with is The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book by Kelly Rudnicki. However, I’m always searching the web and experimenting because I will never make a poor substitute for the real thing. It’s a labor of love and one that I am happy to do. The oatmeal, raisin, chocolate chip cookies below are a delicious and chewy cookie that anyone would enjoy. I usually make them with dried cranberries and raisins, but I decided to use choclate chips and raisins today. When switching out ingredients always keep in mind the proportions if you want a good outcome. So if you like nuts in your oatmeal raisin cookies, then switch out half of the raisins. You get the idea.

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup dairy-free shortening (I like Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/3 cup molasses

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 cups quick-cooking or old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup semi-sweet or 53% cacao chocolate chips (I would not recommend going any darker on the chocolate chips)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the shortening, sugar, applesauce and molasses until smooth. I find that there always is a bit of separation still, but don’t worry, it all works out.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and mix well with a fork or wire whisk.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture and beat well to combine.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat (treat yourself – it  is so worth it!) Stir by hand the oats, raisins and chocolate chips into the cookie dough, using a spatula or wooden spoon. Using a cookie scoop (mine is 1.5 Tablespoons) or a rounded measuring Tablespoon, place dough on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until lightly browned. (This part always depends on your oven, the size of your cookie and on personal preference, so just watch them.) Remove from the oven and wait 2 minutes before moving the cookies off of the pan and onto a cooling rack.

Best Lemon Bars

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

I love lemon bars, or really, anything dessert-like made with lemons and sugar.  Recently Lisa and I were at a restaurant where I basically ate an entire bowl of lemon curd and had zero regrets.  Therefore when my on and off again baking buddy came over for an afternoon of bubbly and baking, lemon bars were clearly going to be on the agenda.

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A food processor made this recipe very easy work, it just required patience to wait for the baked end result to cool off in the fridge before lightly dusting it with confectioner’s sugar and digging in!  

Speaking of food processors, not so long ago, Lisa sent me a link for a food processor for about 18 cups and I remember thinking I would need a small army to feed all the food that the giant processor would make.  Some months later, I finally decided that my teeny tiny 2.5 cup food processor (as cute as it was) was just not cutting it anymore and I splurged and bought one with an 11 cup work bowl.  As it turns out, it’s a great size and has helped me make everything from beet caviar to eggplant dip to helping me make these lemon bars.

This ended up being dessert, and second dessert, and breakfast.  Yum!

Ingredients

crust

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into chunks

filling

  • 1 small to medium sized lemon
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp table salt

Directions

  1. Place a rack in middle of the oven and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Cut two 12-inch lengths of parchment paper and trim each to fit the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan.  Press the first sheet into the bottom and up the sides of your pan in one direction, then use the second sheet to line the rest of the pan, running it perpendicular to the first sheet.  Lightly butter exposed parts of parchment or coat them with a nonstick cooking spray.  Set the pan aside.
  3. Crust Blend the flour, sugar and salt together in the work bowl of a food processor.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is podery, but if firmly pinched, will hold the pinched shape. Turn the dough crumbs into the prepared baking pan and press the dough evenly across the bottom and about 1/2″ up the sides.  Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Should any parts bubble up, gently prick them again with a fork.  Leave the oven on.
  4. Filling Cut your lemon in half, and remove the skin.  Cut your lemon halves into thin rings and discard any seeds.  Toss the lemon rounds – lemon flesh and peel – in the bowl of the food processor, add the sugar, and run the machine until the lemon is thoroughly processed about 2 minutes.
  5. Add the butter and again run the machine until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed.  Add the eggs, cornstarch, and salt and pulse the machine in short bursts until the mixture is evnely combined.
  6. Pour the lemon mixture over the crust and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set.  You can test this by bumping the pan a little; it should only jiggle slightly.
  7. Let the pan cool completely on rack or in the fridge.  Gently cut around the outside of the parchment paper to make sure no sides have stuck and then gently use the parchment “sling” to transfer bars from pan to cutting board.

From the Smitten Kitchen cookbook by Deb Perelman.

Roast Chicken (that works!)

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

As Lisa could tell you, I’ve never really been able to find a good roast chicken recipe.  I’ve complained to her for years that either the bird turned out undercooked or overcooked and I was convinced it was the recipe’s fault.  But then again, I would keep asking myself, was it the recipe or was I just not able to follow the directions?

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In general, roasting an entire bird always seemed like the kind of meal that I would make once I’d “made it” – a sort of rite of passage into “real cooking.”  To my delight, however, I found this wonderful recipe that was easy to follow *and* the chicken turned out perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside.

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The cast iron skillet really has proven itself to me to be one of the most affordable and useful tools to keep around in the kitchen.

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It’s been amazing how much of a difference it made for this chicken, and despite the fact that I’d forgotten to buy a meat thermometer, it still turned out great.  I served this with the mushroom risotto from the same book.  I could wax on, but let’s get to the details.

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken (about 3 lbs)
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • salt
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh sage
  • 5 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 1/2 lemons, cut into wedges
  • coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Thirty minutes before cooking the chicken, take it out of the fridge and pat dry with a paper towel.  Preheat the oven to 325 F.
  2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over a medium flame and add the butter.  It should be enough to coat the bottom of your skillet.  Once the butter starts to foam, season the bird with salt, then place it in the skillet (any side down is fine) and allow to brown, 6-8 minutes.
  3. Once the first side has a nice golden crust, flip the chicken and repeat the borwning process on the remaining three sides.  Sticking a long pair of tongs into the cavity of the bird is a good way to handle the flipping.
  4. When the entire chicken is browned, take it off the heat and drop the rosemary, thyme, sage, and garlic into the cavity.  Keep the chicken in the skillet or, ideally, transfer to a rack set on top of a rimmed baking sheet.  (Using the already-hot skillet can cook the bird unevenly on one side.)
  5. Roast the bird until a cake tester feels hot to the touch or the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 145 F (I just did it for about an hour, or about 20 minutes/pound.)
  6. Once the bird is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for ten minutes on a rack, loosely covered with foil.  Squeeze lemon juice over the top and finish it with coarse salt and pepper.

From Twenty Dinners by Ithai Schori and Chris Taylor.

Kimchi Casserole (“Chigae”)

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Growing up in a Korean household, I ate dinner every night with chopsticks and rice and all sorts of delicious casseroles.  Upon graduating college and going out into the real world, I always craved eating Korean food but never really stocked up my pantry to make it until more recently.

kimchi chigae

Thankfully, I was just visiting home and my dad whipped up a classic Korean casserole that really gets the sinuses going since it’s so spicy.  The beauty of living in New York or near a computer is that you can in fact get most of the ingredients for this because it is really just kimchi boiled into a soup, and so I’ve added some links here to help with that too.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups chopped kimchi 
  • 2-3 cups water
  • 4-6 oz pork tenderloin, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1/2 container of Soft Tofu
  • 1 tbsp sesame seed oil (can also find this in grocery stores in the “Asian” section)
  • 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 sugar
  • 1 cup chopped button mushrooms (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat up a medium sized pot over high heat.  Add the sesame seed oil and cook the pork in the oil.  Once the pork has changed color, add the Kimchi and continue to stir and sauté until the pork is cooked, about 10 minutes.
  2. Add about 3 cups of water or just enough to cover the kimchi and pork in the pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat, and then add the tofu.
  3. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, and then bring the soup down to a simmer.  Add the sugar and soy sauce and optional button mushrooms.  Cover the pot, and let the soup cook for about 15 minutes.  (My dad says at this point to open all your windows so that that smell doesn’t stink up your whole house.)
  4. Serve immediately with lots of rice.

Korean Feast

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

When I visit my parents in LA, both Matt and I tend to stuff our faces with Korean food for almost every meal (and yes sometimes that includes breakfast).  The thing with Korean food is that there’s always a main dish and then seemingly 400 side dishes that all complement the main entree, as well as rice.

Korean Feast

While I won’t be chronicling all the dishes my parents made, I’ll post one or two that have ingredients that are fairly accessible.  In the meantime, here’s just a snapshot of what an average Korean meal in LA looks like.

Mushroom Risotto

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ 1 Comment

Recently, I discovered that I actually do like mushrooms, as has my husband, after we both thought we didn’t like them.  And now that we’re in the middle of Fall, I figured that it would be fun to try cooking up something heartwarming and creamy.

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I found this recipe in a new book that a friend was so excited to buy, that basically maps out a bunch of dinner party menus.  While it was only a dinner party for two, we tried one of the first sets of recipes, serving this mushroom risotto with a roast chicken and a kale and bacon salad.

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We had plenty of leftovers, and it was surprisingly easy to prep and serve.  Who ever said dinner parties are hard to prepare? (I’m only half-joking.)

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 large shallot, finely diced
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 12 mushrooms, I just used shiitake (but the original recipe calls for a mix of morel and shiitake which I’m sure would have also been delicious)
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 bunch fresh parsley

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium-high heat and add the shallot.  In a separate saucepan, warm up the chicken stock.
  2. Once the shallot is translucent, add the garlic and sweat it for another minute.
  3. Add your rice to the shallot garlic mixture and stir everything until it is coated with butter.
  4. Now add the wine and stir constantly until it is all absorbed.
  5. Ladle in the hot stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly.  When the stock is nearly evaporated, add more.  When you’re about halfway through the stock, chop up your mushrooms and add them to the mixture and stir.
  6. Continue adding stock until the rice is tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper, but remember that it will get saltier when you add the cheese.
  7. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and then the Parmesan.
  8. Let the risotto rest for 2-3 minutes, and then serve immediately.

From Twenty Dinners by Ithai Schori and Chris Taylor.

Roasted Asparagus and Bell Peppers

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

I love baking some fresh fish for dinner and am always trying to mix up the sides that I serve it with.  Recently I bought a bunch of asparagus but then after adding dill and almonds thought, this is kind of something I do all the time.

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While rooting around my produce drawer in the refrigerator, I happened to discover some bell peppers I’d nearly forgotten about that I had purchased recently at the farmer’s market.  I sliced it up, added it to the asparagus and boom!  Pretty and yummy appetizer of roasted vegetables.

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I also had started to make something like a tzatziki when I realized that I was missing most of the ingredients, but then I ended up just discovering that a little bit of Greek yogurt, mixed with some lemon juice, salt and pepper results in a wonderful sauce that went well not only with these roasted vegetables, but also with the white fish that I ended up serving as the main meal.

Ingredients

For the Greek yogurt sauce

  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Vegetables

  • One bunch asparagus
  • 2 red bell peppers, sliced
  • 2  tbsp chopped dill
  • handful of sliced almonds
  • salt pepper to taste
  • EVOO
  • Lemon zest (optional)

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Toss the asparagus and sliced bell peppers in olive oil and then spread on a sheet of foil covering a baking pan.
  3. Sprinkle the salt and pepper, dill and almonds over the veggies.
  4. Roast for about 30 minutes.
  5. In the meantime, for the sauce, mix the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper until thoroughly mixed together.
  6. To serve, spread some of the sauce on a plate, and then place the roasted vegetables on the sauce once they are cooked.  (Optional: add some lemon zest)

Simple Goat Cheese and Orange Salad

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

At some point when I first started cooking, I loved using Mark Bittman’s books.  He was all about only using a few ingredients and trying to distill complex recipes into simple ones.  I bought a book that focused on easy meals and nearly forgot about it until I was digging around for something else and found it.

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This is an easy salad that again just proves that a few ingredients can make for a delicious and impressive starter.

Ingredients

  • Bunch or box of arugula or spinach
  • 3-4 oz goat cheese (I like getting the herbed goat cheese logs)
  • whole pecans or crushed pecans
  • 1 orange, and its zest
  • olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Set the oven to broil.  Slice goat cheese into slices and press the crushed or whole pecans into the slices.  Put the goat cheese and pecan slices on a pan and into the oven and broil until the tops of the pecans look charred, about 5 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the arugula (or whichever greens you choose) with the zest of an orange, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Peel and slices the oranges and toss in the salad.
  4. Serve the tossed greens and place the goat cheese slices on top.  Serve immediately!

From Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express.