A Jeanne in the Kitchen

I am like a little kid in a candy shop when I get a new cookbook.  I just have to make something out of it right away.  Last night was no exception.  I looked through my new little cookbook,  Salsas and Tacos, and made a salsa rouge.  A surprise in the Mail  I had all the ingredients and it was a simple recipe to make that did not take to much time.  This was just what I needed since I got a late start on making dinner.  I also roasted a pork loin, and this salsa rouge was a perfect compliment to the pork.  I still had some Moroccan pumpkin and lentils that I needed to use, Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentil Stew so I planned a Spanish meal around this.  Spain and Morocco are neighbors, and there is a lot of crossover in foods between the two countries, making this a perfect blend of the two.

Salsa Rouge

1 red pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded, diced fine

1 cup ripe tomatoes, diced fine

1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

1/4 red onion, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1/3 cup chopped basil or 1 heaping TBSP of dried basil

3 TBSP red wine vinegar

3 TBSP olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

pinch of super fine sugar

 

Roast the pepper until it is completely blackened, then let it sweat for about 30 minutes before peeling and seeding it.  Roasting Peppers

Once the pepper is roasted, cooled and peeled.  Dice it into a fine dice.  Mix all the rest of the ingredients together, combining everything well.

This salsa is especially good on meats, but is also good on just about anything you would use salsa for.  It would also be very good on top of pasta too.  This is not a spicy salsa, like a pico de fallo, but if you like it spicier, just add more jalapenos and pepper.  It went very well over my roasted pork loin.

For the pork, all I did was coat it with salt and pepper and red wine vinegar.  I roasted at 425* F for about 20 minutes, then I reduced the heat to 350* F for the duration of the cooking time.  The total cooking time was about 1 hour.  it was very moist and tender.

To make the meal complete, I roasted some cauliflower and broccoli that I added, along with my stromboli, and a few avocado slices.  A Stromboli Eruption.  The meal was finished off perfectly with a glass or two of a good Spanish temperanillo.  !Perfecto!

 

 

 

Stromboli is a type of bread that is similar to a calzone.  It is definitely of Italian origin, but some say it is Italian-American and was created in Philadelphia, PA in the 1950’s, whereas others believe it is from the old country and was brought to America when the Italian immigrants came over in large numbers, during the 19th century.  It is made either with pizza dough or a calzone dough and is filled with cheese, usually mozzarella, and herbs.  Sometimes it is also filled with either cold cut meats or vegetables or both as well.  A calzone is folded over like a pocket and a stromboli is rolled, giving it layers of goodness.

The name stromboli is said to have come from two completely different inspirations.  One being the Italian film Stromboli, with Ingrid Bergman.  The other one, which makes more sense to me, is that the name was inspired by the volcanic island of Stromboli that is located off the coast of Sicily.   Stromboli is called an “erupting” bread because holes are poked into the dough before baking which allows the cheese to “erupt” from the dough while it bakes.  But no one really knows for sure.  Where the name came from really doesn’t matter.  What matters is the taste that “erupts” from this delicious, cheesey bread.  I did not put meats in mine this time around, but that just might happen next time.  You never know.  🙂

Cheesey Stromboli

2 tsp dry active yeast

1 1/2-2 cups water

3 1/2 cups flour, sifted

1 1 /2 tsp salt

3 TBSP olive oil

 

The Filling

3-4 cups mozzarella cheese – if you have smoked mozzarella, use 1/2 regular mozzarella and 1/2 smoked mozzarella

1 TBSP garlic

2-3 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade or chopped fine

3 TBSP olive oil

salt & pepper for topping

3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, stemmed and chopped

 

Sprinkle the yeast in about 1 cup of lukewarm water and let it set for about 5-10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy.  Mix the flour and the salt together and make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and the olive oil and mix it in from the sides to the center until everything is combined.  You may need to add more water as you go.

Once everything is incorporated, turn the dough mixture onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough forms into smooth, elastic ball.  Rub oil on the inside of the bowl and place the dough back into the bowl and cover.  Let it rise for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it is doubled in size.

Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and let it set for another 10 minutes.  Then roll it into a rectangular shape on a lightly floured surface.

Add the cheese, basil and garlic, making sure to cover the whole piece of dough.  Next time I will be much more generous with the basil, but this was all I had this time.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C.

Oil a baking sheet with olive oil.

Starting from the smaller ends roll the dough into a roll, making sure it is not rolled to tightly.  Randomly poke holes with a fork all over the top of the dough roll.  Place the roll onto the prepared baking sheet.

Rub olive oil all over the top of the dough roll, then add salt, pepper and the rosemary.

Bake the dough roll for 1 hour or until golden brown.  Once the bread is done, let it cool slightly, then rub more olive oil over the top and slice.  This bread is best when eaten warm.  Mangia!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received a surprise in the mail today from my friend Sue.  She is always so thoughtful.  It was a combination Christmas and birthday gift that really put a huge smile on my face.  I needed that too.  This week has been an emotional roller coaster, so a smile was definitely a welcomed visitor.

My surprise package contained a great little cookbook called Salsa & Tacos from the Santa Fe Cooking School.  To anyone from California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas, these are staples in our diets.  We never get tired of good tacos or good salsas.  There were also a couple pair of great socks that made me laugh.  One pair says “the ocean just gets me”, which is so true.  Even though I now live in land-locked Colorado, the ocean is still my happiest place ever.  Growing up in Southern California, I was the quintessential beach bum.  I still am at heart, and every chance I get on vacations.  The other pair of socks say “I’m a delicate f***ing flower”, which again, anyone who knows me knows that I do not take anyone’s s$!@.  But the card was the funniest thing.  The card says ” You’re such a bad ass that when you cook … you make the onions cry”.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them all.  I have absolutely no idea where Sue got all these fun gifts, but she knows me oh so well.  Thank you so much.  As always, you brightened my day.  Love you lots!

 

Once again, it has been a crazy week, with not a lot of time in the kitchen.  Things will slow down a bit from here on out, at least for awhile.  But in the meantime,  while I am busy out of the kitchen, I will let you hear what’s being said by the pros.

 

The only time to eat diet food is while you are waiting for the steak to cook.

Once again, my favorite, my idol …. the one and only Julia Child.

 

The chief pleasure in eating does not consist in costly seasonings, or exquisite flavor, but in yourself.

~ Horace , Ancient Greek Philosopher and Poet ~

 

Cooking is like love.  It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

~ Harriet van Horne,  American film and television critic~

 

Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie.

~ Jim Davis, Cartoonist and Creator of Garfield the Cat ~

Hope you enjoy all the food and fun.

 

 

 

For Christmas, Janet and Bob gave us a gift certificate to our favorite local spice shop, Savory Spice Shop, in Denver.   Savory Spices of Denver  Janet and I knew the boys would not be interested in venturing out to the spice shop, so we went and had a girls’ day out.  We went and did our spice shopping first, then out to lunch afterwards.

My purchases for the day.  Needless to say, I spent my whole gift certificate and then some, but all the delicious spices are most definitely worth every penny.  They are unique, exotic and plentiful.  There are so many different spices, many of which I have never heard of, and I know quite a bit about food and spices.

After our spice shopping adventure, we went to Janet & Bob’s favorite Mexican restaurant in Denver, Benny’s Restaurant.  Benny’s is a family owned and operated restaurant that has been in business for many, many years, and is still thriving.  Locals and non-locals alike flock to them to enjoy the food, the service and the ambiance.  Janet said she and Bob have been going there for over 30 years and it is still one of their favorite places to go.  That says a lot about the place.  🙂

The owners posing for the camera.

The joint was hoppin’ and was full of very happy, satisfied customers.

Nothing better than a quick trip to the beautiful white sand beaches while you enjoy lunch and a margarita, even while still in the heart of Denver.

Janet ordered the chili relleno plate.

I ordered the smothered steak burrito.  I have always said, you can tell if the restaurant is good by the quality of the salsa.  This salsa was delicioso, and so was the rest of the food.  Of course, we both had to have a margarita as well.  🙂

Benny’s Restaurant is located at 301 East 7th Avenue, Denver, CO 80203.  You can reach them by phone at (303) 894-0788 or on their website at http://www.BennysRestaurant.com. 

We love Indian food, and there are so many good Indian restaurants that are very close to us.  We were out and about, enjoying our Sunday afternoon and decided to try a new Indian restaurant after.  We went to Kattapas Kitchen, in Broomfield, CO.

It was very clean and the owners were very gracious hosts.  Not only were they the hosts, but they were also the servers and the chefs as well.  At first, we were the only people in the restaurant, but we got there right when they opened too.  Afterwards, other people started strolling in.

The menu had something for everyone, ranging from vegetarian meals to a variety of dosas and curries, with both appetizers and main entrees.  With most of the dishes, you can control the level of spiciness.  We like things spicy, but not to the point where our mouths are on fire.  We went with a 6 on a scale of 1-10 for levels of spiciness.  I made the mistake many years ago, with going for an 8 or 9 in a Thai restaurant, and I thought I was going to die.  So for a new restaurant, a 6 was a good safe spot for us to start out.  As it turns out, that was a good level period; spicy but not to the point were the only thing we could taste was the fire and we could actually enjoy our menu selections.

After perusing the menu, we decided on a Chicken Tika Dosa and a goat curry, with some garlic naan bread on the side.  When we go to new places, we like to try as many things and new items as our tummies will hold, so we always get something different and share it all.  Everything was very, very good.

The chicken tika dosa was served with 3 different kinds of sauces – a tomato chutney, some kind of eggplant dip and a warm, mild curry sauce.  It was loaded with chicken and vegetables.  Both dishes were very good, and we enjoyed them both, but we both thought this one was our favorite.  A dosa is like a very large, very thin crepe stuffed with meat and/or vegetables.

The goat curry was very tasty and very tender.  I think the last time we had goat was a few years ago when we were scuba diving in St. Lucia.  It is not something we eat a lot of, but it was very tasty indeed.  It has a similar taste to beef, and mixed with the curry and the saffron rice, it was delicious.

The garlic naan bread.  Rarely do we go to an Indian restaurant and not have the naan bread.  This was full of flavor and cooked to perfection.  I could easily make a meal just on the naan bread alone.

This was our first time to Kattapas Kitchen, but we will definitely be back.  If you are in the Broomfield, CO area, and you like Indian food, go give Kattapas Kitchen a try.  I am sure you will enjoy it.  Kattapas Kitchen is located at 6590 West 120th Avenue, Suites B1 & B2, Broomfield, CO.  Or you can contact them at (303) 469-4148 or on their website http://www.kattapaskitchen.com

 

I am always on the look out for new recipes to try.  As you all know, I am an adventurous cook and an adventurous eater, so anything goes, although I certainly have my favorites too.  The other day I saw this delicious looking recipe for chicken with a spinach & artichoke cream sauce that was just calling out to me.  I am always a sucker for anything in a good cream sauce, and I love both artichokes and spinach, so this was just perfect for me.  Of course my version of the recipe was different than the version I first saw.  As always, I had to make it my own recipe, and add my own signature to it.  🙂

Chicken with Spinach & Artichoke Cream Sauce

2 lbs chicken

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 shallot, chopped fine

1-2 TBSP garlic

3 cups fresh spinach, stemmed and chopped

2 TBSP  Peruvian peppers

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese

 

Saute the shallots and garlic in the olive oil until the shallots are translucent.  I also had a few leftover zucchini slices that I added as well.

When the vegetables are cooked, add the wine and deglaze the skillet, making sure to scrape the bottom well.

When the liquid has reduced to about half, add the cream, cheese and the salt & pepper.  Mix everything in together well.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Make sure everything is well incorporated and the cheese is completely melted.

Add the spinach, artichoke hearts, and peppers to the mixture, and cook for about 3-4 minutes more.

The sauce is now ready to serve.  While the sauce is cooking, cook your chicken.  I just added salt & pepper and olive oil to the chicken and grilled it, but you can also pan-fry it, either with or without a little flour as a coating if you prefer.  With this rich and creamy sauce, the best way to serve it is over fettuccine, with warmed bread and a good chardonnay.  It just doesn’t get much better than this.  DELICIOUS!

Morocco has been known for its spices and unique spice blends for centuries.  It was a major hub for spice traders, and has been influenced by many cultures from around the world, for many centuries.  Morocco is uniquely situated between Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  All of these various cultures have influenced the Moroccan way of life and its cooking through the ages.  There are even a few South American influences that can be found in the Moroccan cuisines and dishes as well.  Moroccan foods are known for being a combination of both sweet and spicy.  Though there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different spices that can be found in Morocco, the essential spices are 1) cumin; 2) turmeric; 3) ground ginger; 4) cardamom; 5) paprika; 6) hot red peppers; 7) white and black pepper; 8) cinnamon; and 9) saffron.  All of these, with the exception of saffron, are staples in my kitchen as well.  I like saffron a lot, but I just can’t seem to pull the trigger to purchase it too often because of how expensive it is.

Though lamb is universal, I tend to think of it as more of a Greek, Middle Eastern, or African dish (and of course Australian and New Zealand as well), so when I made my lamb sliders I naturally focused on something Middle Eastern as a side dish.  Lamb Sliders  When I came across an interesting and exotic recipe for the Moroccan pumpkin and lentil stew, I thought it would match perfectly with my lamb sliders.  I was right.  They went together very well.  My rendition did not come out exactly like the recipe’s rendition, but then again, what else is new?!  I loved the flavors, and even though I followed the recipe pretty much to a tee, it still came out different.  (See what happens when I follow recipes exactly?)  All these means is that I still have some tweaking to do for next time.  I think my dish turned out a little different because instead of using dry, uncooked lentils, I used my leftover lentils and rice that were already cooked.  Gambas a la Zurrukatunia 🙂

Moroccan Pumpkin and Lentil Stew

2-3 TBSP olive oil

1 shallot or 1 small onion, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

3-4 tomatoes, medium dice

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1 cup dry lentils

1 TBSP paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 small pumpkin, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

Saute the shallot, garlic and jalapeno in the olive oil for about 5-7 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent, but not yet caramelized.

When the shallots are cooked, add the pumpkin, lentils, tomatoes, tomato paste, all the spices and 2 1/2-3 cups water.  Reduce the heat to a medium-low heat and continue to cook for another 40 minutes or until the pumpkin and lentils are cooked.  Add more water if necessary.  Stir frequently to make sure nothing sticks.

When everything is cooked, add the cilantro at the very end and combine well.  Also use some of the cilantro as a garnish for the dish.  This recipe is spicy and full of flavor.  If you like to walk on the wild side, and enjoy trying new and exotic recipes, then you will enjoy this one too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all know Americans LOVE their burgers.  We love them any which we we can get them.  We like them big, we like them small, we like them with beef, or chicken, or even vegetarian.  We love to dress them up or dress them down, depending on the occasion.  We can’t get enough of them.   Hamburgers are about as American as it comes.

Sliders are small, mini-burgers that are becoming just as popular and can be enjoyed just as creatively as their bigger siblings, the hamburgers.  Sliders were created by the American fast food restaurant, White Castle, back in the 1940’s.  At first, they were small burgers with cheese and grilled onions served on a small bun. Today, anything goes.  Today, any kind of burger or sandwich that is served on a small bun or a slider roll is considered a slider. The term “slider” was fist used as a nickname to describe these little mini-burgers by the U.S. Navy because they were so greasy and tended to slide all around.  The name stuck, and they have been known as sliders ever since.

When we went to the Denver restaurant Root Down to help celebrate our friends Janet & Bob’s 50th wedding anniversary A Golden Celebration a couple of weeks ago, one of my favorite menu items that were tried were the lamb sliders.  They have been on my mind ever since.  Well, I finally decided enough was enough, and it was time to make them.

Because I made lamb sliders, I chose to make the meal a bit more exotic, and made a Moroccan pumpkin and lentil stew as a side dish, then added a few olives and garlic French fries to the plate as well.  I served it with a smooth and fruity pinot noir to finish off the meal in style.  I topped my sliders with some of my pesto to make them perfect.  Gnocchi with Chicken, Vegetables and Pesto    pesto and lamb compliment each other very well.  These were very easy to make and very tasty to eat.

Lamb Sliders

1 lb ground lamb

4-6 slider buns

1 TBSP garlic

1 TBSP dried onion

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cumin

1-2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped fine

 

Mix everything together and incorporate all the ingredients together well.  Form the meat into small patties that will fit the buns.  Let them set in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking to allow the flavors to really come to life.

Once the patties are set and cooked, put them inside the buns and fix them to your likings, just like you would any other burger.  The only difference between these burgers and regular burgers is the size.  But don’t be fooled by their size.  These little sliders pack a very tasty and delicious punch with the same gusto as their bigger siblings.

 

 

Whether you know them by gambas, camerones, prawns or shrimp, no matter which way you make them, they are going to be good.  I think I could eat shrimp everyday.  They are definitely some of my favorite foods.  I knew shrimp was going to be on the menu, and I was craving something different.  I made the trek upstairs to my library and started perusing my books.  I am very glad I did too.  I came up with a perfect Spanish gambas or shrimp recipe.  The recipe I chose was to make called for scallops, but I had shrimp defrosted, so the scallops will just have to be another time.  I made Gambas a la Zurrukatania or shrimp with corn, tomatoes and a pepper sauce.

 

Shrimp with Tomato, Corn and Pepper Sauce (Gambas a la Zurrukatania)

The Sauce

1 green pepper, roasted and peeled

salt & pepper to taste

1 small bunch or Italian parsley

2 TBSP + 1/2 cup olive oil

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

1 TBSP garlic

1 cup dry white wine

 

Roast the green pepper until completely blackened, then place it a plastic bag to let it sweat for at least 30 minutes.  Peel the skin completely and rinse off all the black and charred bits.  Roasting Peppers

Remove the stems from the parsley and place it in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds, remove the parsley and immediately place it in a cold ice bath, to stop the cooking process.

While the pepper is sweating and the parsley is chilling, saute the shallot and garlic in olive oil and the salt & pepper for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is cooked, but not caramelized.

When the onions and garlic are done, add the wine and scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all the extra bits on the bottom.

Be careful when you add the wine.  You could get an unexpected flambe.  Fortunately, I have been trained for these, and the flame died down almost as quickly as it started, but it was still a bit of a shock since I was not expecting that.

Once the flame died down, I added the roasted pepper, the parsley, and the shallot and garlic mixture, along with the rest of the olive oil to the food processor to blend it all together to make the sauce.

The Shrimp and Vegetables

1 1/2-2 lbs large prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup frozen corn

2-3 TBSP olive oil

12 cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2

1/2 cup pitted olives cut in 1/2

1/3 cup Spanish sweet peppers

1-2 TBSP Peruvian peppers

salt & pepper to taste

2 TBSP fresh basil, chiffonade into thin strips

1 TBSP lemon juice

 

Saute the corn and shrimp in the olive oil, until the shrimp is completely cooked.

Once the shrimp is cooked, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the lemon juice, and combine together well.  Then add the lemon juice. This recipe is the same you would use if making it with scallops.

Mix the lemon juice in with the shrimp and vegetable mixture, and the dish is now ready to serve.  I served it over a combination of red lentils and rice, with warmed ciabiatta and the same dry white wine I used to make the sauce.  You can serve it over plain rice, pasta, or just as is too.

If serving it with rice or pasta, layer the plate with the starch, place the shrimp around, then add the vegetables on top. Spoon the sauce around the mixture.  You have a colorful and flavorful fiesta on your plate.  !Delicioso!