Not having been born and raised British, but only naturalized in my 30s, I didn't grow up eating Yorkshire Puddings with my Sunday roasts. Come to think of it, I didn't grow up having Sunday roast dinners, either, and if we did, it was most likely venison rather than beef.
However, I distinctly remember the first time I had Yorkshire Pudding and the 'why have I never had this before??' thoughts that accompanied it. It's the perfect thing to warm the body and soul on a chilly winter's day - Sunday or not.
I have been told by native Brits that this is not how their mothers and grandmothers taught them to make Yorkshire Puddings, but this recipe never fails me. I use a muffin pan of the type that makes six extra large muffins for six large, fluffy Yorkshire Puddings.
Yorkshire Puddings
4 oz flour
salt
4 large eggs
10 ounces milk
bacon or beef fat
Measure the flour and a good pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the eggs. Gradually beat the eggs into the flour. When the eggs are thoroughly mixed in, slowly beat in the milk.
Allow the mixture to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or several hours, if possible.
When you're ready to bake them, turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Put about 1-2 teaspoons of fat into each muffin cup. Put the muffin pan into the hot oven for about 5 minutes. Quickly pour the batter into the pan and return it to the oven immediately.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the puddings are puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately.
Showing posts with label main dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label main dishes. Show all posts
Green Chile Casserole
Over the past few years, I've backed off a bit on the pressure I place on myself to cook the most optimally healthy food I can. The operative word is is 'can'. What I 'can' do now as a full-time working wife and mom with a stressful and tiring job is vastly different from what I was able to do when I was a full-time mom with a small child.
Back then my kitchen resembled a laboratory with jars of fermenting vegetables and drinks everywhere. Surfaces were taken up with sprouting seeds, soaking grains and dehydrating fruits and vegetables. My oven worked overnight making bone broth or yogurt. We drove long distances to buy raw milk and butter. Everything I could make from scratch, I did and my fondest wish was for a wheat grinder so that I could grind my own sprouted wheat.
There is no way I could do all that now. I make no apologies and have no guilt. I do the best that I am able with the time and energy I have, and if a few 'convenience foods' creep in now and then, there are definitely worse things. Much worse things. It doesn't mean I throw up my hands and we eat 'junk' all the time now - doing the best I can means just that.
This is one of the recipes that has moved into our rotation that includes some of those convenience foods - boxed cream of chicken soup and purchased corn tortillas - both things I would have made myself in the past. My family loves it. It's creamy and comforting, and so easy it's now my youngest son's favorite meal to prepare himself. We've tweaked it to suit our tastes, which means fewer tortillas and additional beef and chilies. Freshly roasted green chilies are everywhere this time of the year where I live, but if you can't get them, you can use canned.
Green Chile Casserole
1 box (or can) cream of chicken soup
1/2 pound each grated monterey jack and mild cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced green chilies
6- 8 corn tortillas, cut in half
Combine the soup, milk, cheese and chilies in a saucepan, reserving some cheese for the top. Heat until cheese is melted.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, brown the ground beef. Add the garlic and onions, and cook until the onion is soft. Add the salt.
Cook tortillas slightly in coconut oil, lard or beef fat until softened, but not hard. Layer half of the tortillas, cut side out, in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Top with 1/2 the meat mixture and 1/2 the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle on remaining grated cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.
Back then my kitchen resembled a laboratory with jars of fermenting vegetables and drinks everywhere. Surfaces were taken up with sprouting seeds, soaking grains and dehydrating fruits and vegetables. My oven worked overnight making bone broth or yogurt. We drove long distances to buy raw milk and butter. Everything I could make from scratch, I did and my fondest wish was for a wheat grinder so that I could grind my own sprouted wheat.
There is no way I could do all that now. I make no apologies and have no guilt. I do the best that I am able with the time and energy I have, and if a few 'convenience foods' creep in now and then, there are definitely worse things. Much worse things. It doesn't mean I throw up my hands and we eat 'junk' all the time now - doing the best I can means just that.
This is one of the recipes that has moved into our rotation that includes some of those convenience foods - boxed cream of chicken soup and purchased corn tortillas - both things I would have made myself in the past. My family loves it. It's creamy and comforting, and so easy it's now my youngest son's favorite meal to prepare himself. We've tweaked it to suit our tastes, which means fewer tortillas and additional beef and chilies. Freshly roasted green chilies are everywhere this time of the year where I live, but if you can't get them, you can use canned.
Green Chile Casserole
1 box (or can) cream of chicken soup
1/2 pound each grated monterey jack and mild cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced green chilies
6- 8 corn tortillas, cut in half
Combine the soup, milk, cheese and chilies in a saucepan, reserving some cheese for the top. Heat until cheese is melted.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, brown the ground beef. Add the garlic and onions, and cook until the onion is soft. Add the salt.
Cook tortillas slightly in coconut oil, lard or beef fat until softened, but not hard. Layer half of the tortillas, cut side out, in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish. Top with 1/2 the meat mixture and 1/2 the cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Sprinkle on remaining grated cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.
Crepes
We've been on a bit of a crepe-fest around here. I'm not sure what prompted it, but possibly it was just that I found a recipe that was simple and never failed. It's so good, in fact, that the teenager in the house used the recipe to make a 20 layer crepe cake for a French class assignment with no help from me.
Our usual fillings are much less grand. Fresh squeezed lemon juice and sugar is the most frequent, with Nutella and strawberries a close second, although recently we combined the two with lemon curd and strawberries.
The original recipe came from Paper and Ink. The only alteration we make is to reduce the amount of sugar and vanilla. Maybe it's my vanilla, but I felt it was too strong, and with so many of our fillings being very sweet, having the crepes a little less sweet gave a better balance. I leave both vanilla and sugar out for savory crepes
Basic Crepes
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 T sugar
1 1/3 c milk
1 t vanilla
3 eggs
3 T melted butter
Sift together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs. Gradually whisk the milk/egg mixture into the dry ingredients blending thoroughly to eliminate lumps. Whisk in the melted butter. If possible, allow the mixture to stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a crepe pan or 12-inch nonstick skillet to medium. Lightly coat it with butter. About 1/3 cup batter and quickly swirl to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the underside is golden brown - about 2 minutes. Loosen the edge with a spatula, flip the crepe and cook another minute. Repeat until the batter is used up, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
Our usual fillings are much less grand. Fresh squeezed lemon juice and sugar is the most frequent, with Nutella and strawberries a close second, although recently we combined the two with lemon curd and strawberries.
The original recipe came from Paper and Ink. The only alteration we make is to reduce the amount of sugar and vanilla. Maybe it's my vanilla, but I felt it was too strong, and with so many of our fillings being very sweet, having the crepes a little less sweet gave a better balance. I leave both vanilla and sugar out for savory crepes
Basic Crepes
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 T sugar
1 1/3 c milk
1 t vanilla
3 eggs
3 T melted butter
Sift together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs. Gradually whisk the milk/egg mixture into the dry ingredients blending thoroughly to eliminate lumps. Whisk in the melted butter. If possible, allow the mixture to stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a crepe pan or 12-inch nonstick skillet to medium. Lightly coat it with butter. About 1/3 cup batter and quickly swirl to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the underside is golden brown - about 2 minutes. Loosen the edge with a spatula, flip the crepe and cook another minute. Repeat until the batter is used up, adding more butter to the pan as needed.
Asparagus and Prosciutto Quiche
It's finally starting to feel like spring so I've been feeling like doing more spring-like cooking. One of my favorite foods locally available this time of year is asparagus. We have it quite often, but usually, steamed or grilled, as a side dish. After my frittata experiment a few weeks ago turned out so well, I decided to expand a bit and try asparagus in a quiche. As usual, I googled around the a bit and discovered 'the internet' considers prosciutto a nice compliment to asparagus. Who was I to argue?
I bought some of both (it may or may not have been the same day) and simply substituted them into my usual quiche Lorraine recipe, with a few minor alterations. The result? I now have a new ' usual'.
Asparagus and Prosciutto Quiche
Pastry for 9 inch pie crust
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 minced onion
1/2 -3/4 pound (ish) asparagus, cut on a diagonal into 1 inch pieces4 oz shredded Swiss Cheese
4 eggs
1 cup cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 or 5 slices prosciutto
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in pan. Add onion and cook a few minutes over low heat until it becomes translucent. Add the asparagus and cook a few minutes more, until asparagus is softened, but not cooked through.
Sprinkle the asparagus, onion and cheese in pastry lined pan. Beat eggs until uniform yellow, then add cream and salt.
Pour into pie pan. Arrange the slices of prosciutto on the top. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees and continue baking 30-40 minutes, or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Cottage Pie
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Winter. The days are cold and the nights are long. The sun shines, but it is weak and the shadows are long. The busyness of the holiday season* is past and as the earth sleeps in preparation for the spring, we also slow down; we rest, refresh, reflect and renew.
Though we try to eat well all year, our winter food choices tend to be especially nourishing both for the body and soul - with slow simmered stocks and broths, good fats, seasonal vegetables and fruits, and warming drinks. The foods many people think of as 'Comfort Foods'.
One of those warming, winter comfort foods is Cottage Pie. Though it isn't a food I grew up with, it is part of a culture I have adopted and is now one of my favorite winter-time foods. If you aren't familiar with Cottage Pie, think Shepard's Pie - only with beef, instead of lamb. Then some snowy winter day, try out this recipe and let me know what you think.
Cottage Pie
2 Tbs butter
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbs flour
1 cup beef stock
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
slat and pepper to taste
4 medium potatoes, cubed
milk
Melt the butter in a deep frying pan or wide saucepan. Crumble in the beef and fry until browned. Add the onion, carrots and mushrooms, and cook until slightly softened. Add the flour and cook about 10 minutes more. Add the beef stock, worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash, adding the remaining butter and enough milk to obtain a creamy consistency.
Spoon meat mixture into oven-proof dish. Top with mashed potatoes and fluff the surface with a fork. Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned.
This post is linked to Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday blog carnival
*Obviously I'm in the Northern Hemisphere. If you are not, carry on enjoying your summer!
Chicken Enchiladas
I got this recipe years ago from a church cookbook and it quickly became a favorite. I love green chili and this time of year fresh roasted chilies are easy to find where I live. If you don't have fresh chilies, you can use the cans, of course.
Chicken Enchiladas
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 small cans chopped green chili, or equivalent fresh
1 quart cream
1 lb jack cheese, shredded
flour tortillas
Cook onion in butter until tender. Add chicken, garlic green chili, 1/3 of the cream, and half the cheese. Put about 1/4 cup filling into the center of a tortilla and roll up. Arrange filled tortillas into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour cream over filled tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Chicken Enchiladas
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 small cans chopped green chili, or equivalent fresh
1 quart cream
1 lb jack cheese, shredded
flour tortillas
Cook onion in butter until tender. Add chicken, garlic green chili, 1/3 of the cream, and half the cheese. Put about 1/4 cup filling into the center of a tortilla and roll up. Arrange filled tortillas into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Pour cream over filled tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
Baked Apple Pork Chops
This is another of those recipes I didn't make for years because I believed butter was bad for you. I still don't make it often, but right now I have a large bag of small apples.
I'm thinking apple butter, apple fritters and these pork chops.
Baked Apple Pork Chops
4-6 pork chops
1 egg, beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 apple, pared and sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
sprinkle each of cinnamon, sugar
leaf thyme, celery flakes and chives
Dip each pork chop into beaten egg, then into bread crumbs. In a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in melted butter. Place chops in a baking dish large enough to hold them. sprinkle with chopped onion, parsley, celery flakes and chives. Place sliced apple on pork chops. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Pour a small amount of water in the bottom of the baking dish
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes
I'm thinking apple butter, apple fritters and these pork chops.
Baked Apple Pork Chops
4-6 pork chops
1 egg, beaten
1 cup dry bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 apple, pared and sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
sprinkle each of cinnamon, sugar
leaf thyme, celery flakes and chives
Dip each pork chop into beaten egg, then into bread crumbs. In a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in melted butter. Place chops in a baking dish large enough to hold them. sprinkle with chopped onion, parsley, celery flakes and chives. Place sliced apple on pork chops. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Pour a small amount of water in the bottom of the baking dish
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes
Garlic and Rosemary Pork Chops
For years I followed the standard advice about nutrition and dutifully cut back on meat and just about eliminated fat - especially saturated fat. This meant leaving behind many foods from my childhood, including this one I learned from my Italian grandmother. Now that I know meat and (saturated) fats are good for us, it's happily back on the menu.
There is no real recipe, just pork chops, garlic, rosemary and a little salt and pepper.
Add butter, garlic and rosemary to a large, shallow pan. Heat it gently so that they don't burn
Continue cooking until the pork chops are done.
Enjoy!
(Not My Usual) Chili
Our weather has the characteristics of a roller coaster this time of year. We'll have several days of temperatures in the 80s, then suddenly the clouds roll in, the temperature drops about 40 degrees and our lawns and gardens get some much needed water. Occasionally it will be in the form of snow, but this year it's been all rain.
Besides watering the garden, another thing good about cooler days is the opportunity to enjoy some of our favorite cold weather foods again before hot weather is here to stay. One of our regular favorites is chili. I recently changed the way I make it after trying a friend's version at a potluck. It was so much more popular with my family than mine is, I thought it was worth a try. It's a bit different and not very authentic I'm sure, but my family likes it, so that's what counts.
I made a few changes, like using fresh tomatoes, or substituting red peppers instead of green, but basically it's the same:
Chili
In a large pot, brown:
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
Add the following and simmer for about an hour:
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, undrained
1 C. water small can diced tomatoes (I use fresh tomatoes if they are in season, or tomatoes in a carton
4 oz tomato sauce
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 diced red pepper
1/2 C frozen corn
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I skip this because my chili powder is on the hot side)
Optional, to serve: grated cheese, chopped onions, avocado, sour cream, and tortilla chips.
Besides watering the garden, another thing good about cooler days is the opportunity to enjoy some of our favorite cold weather foods again before hot weather is here to stay. One of our regular favorites is chili. I recently changed the way I make it after trying a friend's version at a potluck. It was so much more popular with my family than mine is, I thought it was worth a try. It's a bit different and not very authentic I'm sure, but my family likes it, so that's what counts.
I made a few changes, like using fresh tomatoes, or substituting red peppers instead of green, but basically it's the same:
Chili
In a large pot, brown:
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
Add the following and simmer for about an hour:
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, undrained
1 C. water small can diced tomatoes (I use fresh tomatoes if they are in season, or tomatoes in a carton
4 oz tomato sauce
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 diced red pepper
1/2 C frozen corn
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I skip this because my chili powder is on the hot side)
Optional, to serve: grated cheese, chopped onions, avocado, sour cream, and tortilla chips.
Pasta Alfredo with Grilled Chicken
We grill outdoors all year long here, in fact, one of our 'family traditions' is to have something from the grill for New Year's Eve dinner. Outdoor cooking doesn't really get going until spring, though, and when it does, one of the first dishes we bring back for the season is Pasta Alfredo with Grilled Chicken.
It's quick and easy to make and takes advantage of whatever vegetables are on hand. This time of year we make use of the early asparagus that is appearing in stores. This is another of those recipes I never measure, but here are the ingredients and amounts for a small family like mine:
one large chicken breast, cut into strips
cream - approximately 12 ounces
2 ounces butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan
fettucini
a mixture of vegetables, cut into appropriate sized pieces
While my husband cooks the chicken outdoors, I put on a pan of salted water for the vegetables and pasta, and start making the sauce.
I've tried various methods for making Alfredo Sauce, but this method, which I actually heard on a radio cooking show, produces the best results I've found. Pour the cream into a shallow pan and heat on medium until the cream is cooked down to a thick consistency and yellow color.
While the cream is reducing, add the vegetables to boiling water in stages, starting with those, like carrots, that take the longest to cook. The pasta I use takes four minutes, so I reserve that until the sauce is nearly finished.
After about 20 minutes, the cream is reduced, the vegetables are nearly finished and it's time to pull everything together. Add the pasta to the boiling water, then stir the butter and parmesan into the sauce. Just before the pasta is completely cooked, drain the vegetables and pasta and add them to the sauce to finish cooking.
Spoon into serving dish, top with the grilled chicken and serve with more grated parmesan.
Quiche Lorraine
Eggs are so versatile and nutritious, and though the local, soy-free eggs we buy are rather expensive, they are cheaper than many other foods, so we try to have them quite often. One of those ways is in a quiche.
There are so many varieties of quiche, and maybe it's just the bacon, but I usually fall back on Quiche Lorraine. Hot for dinner, or cold the next day in my lunch, it's one of my favorites.
Quiche Lorraine
Pastry for 9 inch pie crust
8-10 slices bacon (depending on size - or even more if you like), diced and fried until crisp
4 oz shredded Swiss Cheese
1/2 minced onion
4 eggs
2 cups cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkled bacon, onion and cheese in pastry lined pan. Beat eggs until uniform yellow, then add cream and salt.
Pour into pie pan. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees and continue baking 30-40 minutes, or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Allow to stand 10 minutes before cutting.
Chicken Marsala
Do you ever make something you haven't made in years and then ask yourself 'Why on earth did I ever stop making this?'
I had one of those moments recently when I made chicken marsala. Everyone in the family has always liked it - including the picky ones. It's fast and easy, so time and energy wasn't the problem. I have no idea why it fell off the menu, but for now I'm just glad it's back.
Chicken Marsala
2 chicken breasts
5 or 6 mushrooms, depending on size and how much you like them
olive oil
1/4 marsala wine
1/3 cream
salt and pepper to taste
- Butterfly the chicken breast and slice the mushrooms
- Heat oil and add the mushrooms and chicken pieces, cooking for a few minutes on each side. Make sure the chicken is done, but don't overcook.
- Add the marsala wine and allow to flame, if you can. I never seem to get it to, so I cook it for several minutes to evaporate the alcohol.
- Stir in the cream and add salt and pepper to taste.
Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and Lime
This is one of my favorite ways to make grilled chicken more interesting. I love citrus, especially lime and rosemary is one of the herbs I grow year-round since I use it so much.
We made this just the other day - but unfortunately I didn't get a photo. These were exceptionally pretty plates with the deep purple forbidden rice and broccoli fresh from our garden.
Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and Lime
marinade:
2/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T dried rosemary, or equivalent fresh
1/4 t pepper
2 chicken breasts cut into serving sized pieces
Combine ingredients for marinade. Mix well and pour over chicken. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Grill until chicken is thoroughly cooked, basting with reserved marinade if desired.
We made this just the other day - but unfortunately I didn't get a photo. These were exceptionally pretty plates with the deep purple forbidden rice and broccoli fresh from our garden.
Grilled Chicken with Rosemary and Lime
marinade:
2/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T dried rosemary, or equivalent fresh
1/4 t pepper
2 chicken breasts cut into serving sized pieces
Combine ingredients for marinade. Mix well and pour over chicken. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Grill until chicken is thoroughly cooked, basting with reserved marinade if desired.
Chicken and Artichoke Casserole
Years ago when we were traveling, I had something like this in a restaurant. I figured it wouldn't be that difficult to make something similar, and this is what I came up with. I have a small family, but we get enough for dinner one night and lunches the next. Adjust the amounts as needed.
The ingredients:
chicken breast
butter
mushrooms
flour
chicken stock
artichokes
salt and pepper to taste
Melt about two tablespoons butter in a wide frying pan. Cut the chicken into serving sized strips. Add them to the butter and brown them slightly. Remove from the pan and place in a casserole dish or crock pot along with the artichokes.
Slice the mushrooms and add them to the pan (along with more butter, if needed) and cook for a few minutes until they soften. Stir in two tablespoons of flour. Cook over low heat for a few minutes to make a thick paste.
Gradually add a pint of chicken stock (homemade if you have it), stirring continually to avoid lumps.
Pour over the chicken and artichokes. If not using a crock pot, bake 350 degrees until sauce is thickened and chicken is done.
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