Engaging Others in the Joy of Cooking

Well today I'm pleased to say that one of my faithful "followers" has taken some inspiration from my bantering about cooking and tried something different for the first time. She was asking what I had planned for dinner, and after explaining it to her, she immediately decided to try it herself. She is an avid "Facebook" user so as soon as she was finished with her meal, she uploaded pictures to "Facebook" to show her success. Now this golfer, tennis player, wife and mother, has added "chef" to her list of accomplishments. If I can inspire others to join in this wave of cooking and the joy of entertaining at home, then this blog will have been successful.

The recipe that is pictured is a rendition of "Snapper Veracruz" substituting Chicken instead of the Snapper. Even though we live in South Florida, it is difficult to find good fresh fish. The near-by Supermarkets have "fresh frozen" fish and the taste is distinctively different. So, in this case we substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the Snapper and it was every bit as tasty.

Chicken Veracruz (from epicurious.com)

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, well drained, juices reserved


• 3 tablespoons canola oil


• 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion


• 3 small bay leaves


• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


• 1 teaspoon dried oregano


• 1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives


• 2 tablespoons raisins


• 2 tablespoons drained capers


• 6 5 to 6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts


• 3 pickled jalapeno chilies, halved lengthwise
  

Preparation

Place drained tomatoes in medium bowl. Using a potato masher, crush tomatoes to coarse puree. Drain again, reserving juices.

Heat oil in heavy large skilled over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until soft about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and cook 1 minute. Add bay leaves, parsley, oregano and 1/4 cup reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens about 3 minutes. Add olives, raisins, capers, and all remaining reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens again, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. This sauce can actually be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

In separate skillet saute chicken breasts in Canola oil. To insure that these brown nicely, dry the breasts well with paper towels and don't over crowd the pan. You just want to insure that the breasts get some nice color on them, you will finish cooking these in the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 3 tablespoons sauce in bottom of 15x10x2 inch glass baking dish. Arrange the chicken atop the sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken sauce to plates and garnish with pickled jalapeno halves.

I served this with roasted white potatoes and a light avocado salad. Simply chiffonade (to finely shred leafy vegetables used as a garnish or as a bed) romaine lettuce, arrange it in the center of a plate. Layer sliced avocado and sliced Roma tomatoes on top and sprinkle with fresh lime and a nice olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. You could always add some thinly sliced red onion if you prefer.

Bon Appetit!!

Cooking Nostalgia

I have written before about my childhood and how entertaining at home was a central part of our lives. We were blessed with many relatives living close by and my parents were active in church and service organizations. It always seemed that there were friends dropping by forcing impromptu get together's that centered around the dinner meal. Since starting this blog, I have begun to dig deeper into my "archives" to unearth some of the treasures that have been in my family for many years and I am sharing one of those with you today. This particular book, "Catering for Special Occasions with Menus & Recipes" was written by Fannie Merritt Farmer of the Boston Cooking School with a copyright date of 1911. It is a precious piece of history and filled with tips for Americans who heretofore had been accused, somewhat unjustly, of being inhospitable.

In her Foreword she writes that "in these days of rapid transit, by sea as well as by land, the markets of the world are brought almost to our very doors and we have a hundred combinations to our grandmother's one." Well if that was true in 1911, do we not have the world as our oyster in 2009? Receiving friends into our home is the most special way we have to say how much we value their friendship. Ms. Farmer says it quite eloquently when she writes, "He who receives friends, without himself bestowing some pains upon the repast prepared for them, does not deserve to have friends." So there you have it.... it must be so.

This lovely novel goes on to provide the reader with complete menus and recipes to properly entertain for special holidays. It starts with New Year's afternoon Teas, and goes through Christmas Dinner. There's a special section for wedding receptions, birthday feasts and even children's parties. Can you imagine serving "Boylston Sandwiches" to your little cherubs at their 5th birthday party? By the way a Boylston Sandwich is made with cream cheese and peanut butter spread across Graham Bread (must be whole wheat) and cut into fancy shapes. Be sure you arrange your sandwiches on a plate covered with a doily.

I won't bore you anymore with the nostalgia found in this precious book but suffice it to say that this blog has opened my eyes to the progression and growth of cooking across the ages. Our society has had profound affect on the way we eat, what we eat, how we eat, and of course when we eat. Over the last 50 years I feel personally elated to have lived through the development and maturation of the wonderful world of cooking and am thrilled to now be able to say that those of us with limited skills can be a part of the nurturing of our nation.

One of my "followers" has asked me to provide my recipe for Yellow Squash Casserole so here it is. This is one of those staples that comes out great every time. Measurements can vary dependent upon your individual tastes and your family/friends appetite. In my opinion you can never have enough of this wonderfully fresh vegetable.

Yellow Squash (Crook Neck Squash/Summer Squash) Casserole

2 pounds yellow squash (be sure to pick nice firm and unblemished squash)

1 pound Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup sliced onions (prefer to use a sweet onion like a Vidalia)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 tablespoons butter

Salt & Pepper

Wash and thinly slice your squash into rounds.

Wash and thinly slice your tomatoes into rounds

Slice onions thinly into rounds

Butter a 3-4 quart baking dish, use one that has a lid if possible. Begin to layer your ingredients into the dish beginning with the squash, followed by the tomatoes, onions, then sprinkle cheese, salt & pepper and dot with thin pats of butter. Repeat this until you run out of ingredients or room in your dish. Be sure to finish with pats of butter to cover the vegetables.

Cover the dish and cook in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Quick Dinner for guests

My husband's business partner came over from Tampa last night and we enjoyed a quick and tasty dinner that anyone can prepare. I had defrosted 2 rather large strip steaks and was interested in devising a way to stretch those steaks to feed 3 people. The solution was to prepare a Red wine Mushroom Sauce to serve over the sliced steaks. I teamed that up with a nice mixed salad and a yellow squash casserole and everyone was appropriately satisfied.

The wonderfully rich sauce I found in my trusty Joy of Cooking, 1943 version and I highly recommend it to all. This sauce will jazz up any cut of beef; flank steak, strip steak, tenderloin or rib eye. The steak can be broiled or better yet grilled to your preference. The sauce is called Marchand De Vin Sauce by Irma Rombauer and I highly recommend it for your dining pleasure.

Marchand De Vin Sauce (Red Wine Mushroom Sauce) 6 Servings

-Saute 1/2 pound finely sliced mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter.

-Add 1/2 cup beef broth and simmer covered for 10 minutes.

-In another pan saute 1/2 cup sliced onions in 2 tablespoons butter.

-Add 1 cup beef broth and 1/2 cup dry red wine and cook covered for 20 minutes.

-Thicken the sauce by blending a little of the onion stock and 2 teaspoons flour in a small bowl.

-Stir until blended then add this into the onion mixture. Permit the onions to boil again so that the sauce thickens, then remove them from the heat, add the mushrooms and season with Paprika and salt to taste. Be careful not to add too much salt as the broth will have contributed quite a bit of sodium to the sauce.

-Serve this sauce with the grilled or broiled steak of your choice.

This simple sauce will make any week day dinner a special occasion. Serve this with a nice full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and your family and guests will be asking for seconds.

Tip #3

Have you ever struggled with how to "zest" a lemon or lime? There are many tools on the market but I have found the most effective and easy to use zester is a Microplane 40020 Grater. I believe you can buy this in most cooking supply stores and it should cost less than $10. The beauty of this grater is that you can use it to grate cheese, chocolate, ginger, shred coconut, and yes zest lemons, limes and oranges. It gives you a perfect zest every time and is quick and easy to clean.

Cooking through the Years

I was raised in a family back in the 50's when Betty Crocker and Irma Rombauer were storming the scene trying to get the post-war mothers to feel comfortable in the kitchen. There were new "short cut" products coming onto the scene like TV dinners, pre-sifted all purpose flour, unflavored gelatin in individual packets, canned vegetables and more. Milk was delivered to the front door in glass quart size bottles and Home Economics was still taught in high schools. "Girls" were graduating with a penchant for cooking in their pearls and pumps! I know you all remember June Cleaver.....

My mother was the daughter of a French Pastry Chef and lived above their family bakery for most of her teen years. We heard many stories about her father in the bakery early each morning. Once she returned from school, she ran the retail shop before closing for the day. During my first 13 years, my grandfather, lived across the street from us and we learned at a very early age what really excellent pastries and cakes were all about. Our weekends were spent with aunts, uncles, grandparents and siblings all centering around the evening meals. Influences from France, Germany, Ireland infiltrated meals and celebrations and as children we learned to eat and eat well and not be afraid to try different things. Can you imagine a 7 year old eating "Head Cheese" and Bologna Salad! These were all homemade specialities and we looked forward longingly to those Sunday night suppers.

When my mother passed away, I fell heir to her cherished cook books, both original editions, The 1950 edition of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook and a 1943 edition of Irma Rombauer's The Joy of Cooking. I lost myself in these books yesterday and decided I would cook dinner from The Joy of Cooking. I had defrosted 4 loin pork chops and found just the right recipe, Pork Chops Baked in Sour Cream.

Well, the recipe was excellent with some slight modifications. I updated it to replace the vinegar with white wine, added some Dijon mustard and improvised a little with canola oil instead of "lard." Here is the revised version:

PORK CHOPS BAKED IN SOUR CREAM 4 Servings

4 loin pork chops 1/2 inch thick
Dredge them with flour seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and oregano

Brown them lightly in canola oil. Place them in a covered baking dish.

Combine by heating in sauce pan the following ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1/2 bay leaf
2 tablespoons white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sour cream ( I used reduced fat version)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon oregano

I would recommend stirring together the sour cream and mustard, then adding the water, sugar, wine and herbs. Pour mixture over the pork chops.

Cover the dish. Bake the chops in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until done.

I served this with some left-over Jasmine rice. I sauteed a little fennel, red pepper, red onion in the same pan where I sauteed the chops. I then added 1/2 cup frozen peas. Once sauteed, I added some chicken stock and the cooked Jasmine rice. Simmer all this for about 5 minutes.

Serve the Pork Chops with the rice and cover with the cooking liquid, it was yummy!

Hope you enjoy this, it is well worth trying and a very inexpensive dinner for 4. Serve this with a nice green salad and you have a complete meal.

Bon Appetit!

Tips for Today

Well, some of you have expressed interest in the recipe for the Curry Crusted Grouper with Vegetables. I got this recipe out of last week's newspaper and it is definitely a keeper. Here you go with some of my modifications/comments:
RED CURRY-CRUSTED GROUPER WITH RAINBOW VEGETABLE SALAD

Vegetables
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
1 small carrot, julienned
1 rib celery, sliced in thin strips
1/4 cup red onion slivers
1/4 cup julienned fennel
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Toss the peppers, carrots, celery, onions, fennel and parsley in a nonreactive large bowl. Set aside. This might be a little bit of work to "sliver" your veggies but it is well worth it. They provide a wonderful amount of crunch alongside the fish.

Dressing
2 teaspoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Whisk the shallots, horseradish, garlic, lemon juice, water, salt and mustard until mixed. Pour this dressing over the vegetables; toss. I did this at least45 minutes before serving to allow the veggies to soften and the flavors to meld. You need to like horseradish to enjoy this dressing, you can always cut back on it and add more if you like a little more punch.

Grouper
4 (5-6 ounce) grouper fillets
2 teaspoons red curry paste (I mixed this with a little olive oil to spread easier)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rub each grouper fillet with curry paste. Lightly coat an ovenproof large sauté pan with canola-oil. Sear the fish 1 minute on each side over medium-high heat.
Transfer to oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes until cooked through. Serve each fish fillet with vegetable salad.

Make sure that you get fresh grouper if at all possible. Just read in the paper where some restaurants and purveyors are substituting catfish and tilapia for grouper and red snapper. Personally I don't know how that's possible, but be sure to inspect before you buy!!

Tip #1
I was speaking to a friend today about cooking and she said "I really don't like to cook, I can only assemble." Well quite honestly that's what cooking is all about. My suggestion would be when using any recipe, begin by preparing all the ingredients beforehand. Have them measured, diced, sliced or cubed and in prep bowls or even on wax paper, then once that's done all you need to do is to "assemble" them according to the directions in the recipe. It's really as simple as that.

Tip #2:
Here's another simple "tip" for dicing an onion. We all know how onions can make your eyes tear, well try this. Peel the onion under running water. This washes all the onion liquid off and I guarantee it will keep you from crying. Now, if your recipe calls for a dice, cut your onion in half insuring that you leave the root in tact at the end. This will allow you to hold onto that root and keep the onion together for the next step. Lay one half (flat side down) on your cutting board. With a sharp knife, slice across the onion horizontally to cut it in half, but only as far as the root. Then make cuts vertically down the onion every 1/2 inch or so. Now when you begin to slice the onion from the outside in, you'll have a ready made dice.

Try it, you'll find after a couple of attempts you too can dice an onion just like the pros!!!

Bon Appetit!

My First Day at "Cooking with Margaret"

Cooking and entertaining has always been a part of my life. From my adolescent days, my family has always taken the time to celebrate occassions with lots of food and best of all liquid libation. We gather together, roll up our sleeves and pitch in for prep work, clean up and best of all kicking back after all is done with a glass of wine.

After seeing "Julie and Julia" I have decided to also pursue my passion and second love (only to family) and that is cooking. Through this blog I hope to share entertaining ideas and best of all recipes that have tickled the tasetbuds of family and friends. I'd like to begin with a dinner which I prepared last night which just "hit the spot" for a Saturday night special. We began with some wonderful red wine and cheese, set off with some seedless red grapes. My friend Nancy had found a bottle of Justin Vineyards, 1997, Isosceles, a rich, full-bodied cabernet sauvignon which went perfectly with the Brie and biscuits.

This was followed by a Red Curry-Crusted Grouper with Rainbow Vegetable Salad and roasted asparagus, along with Jasmine Rice; a well balanced and wonderfully fresh entre with just the right accompaniments. A crisp Sterling Vineyard Chardonnay was the perfect addition to the main course.

Desert included a Blueberry Cake (made with butter, buttermilk and fresh berries) and a scoop of Lemon Sorbet topped it off. A light finish, refreshing and simple completed the evening.

Recipes are available for anyone that is interested. Since this is my first attempt, I welcome your input and comments. Let me know if you think this will be meaningful and I will continue in any level of detail that is requested.

Thanks for your interest and Bon Appetit!!