Sunday, December 20, 2009

Sloppy Joe's = Comfort Goodness

Favorite from youth redux! Loved sloppy joe's as a kid and really wanted to make them for my daughter. Part of me being me meant that Manwhich just wasn't going to cut it. Scratch made is where it's at and here it is. I have made them with turkey, beef or buffalo and the deliciousness is quite the same:

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
4 hamburger buns, split
Barbecue sauce, for topping

Heat oil in a large skillet with straight sides. Add the bell peppers and garlic. Saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the ground beef to the vegetables. Stir and cook about 8 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, and hot sauce into the skillet. Stir. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun with extra sauce.

Day Late Maybe But...

So it is that time of year and yes Hanukkah ended yesterday but I FINALLY found a recipe that I enjoy making. My issue with latkes have always been the mess and difficulty matched against the quality. FINALLY - easy, not TOO messy and delicious!

Recipe:

2pounds Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes, peeled
1medium yellow onion , peeled and cut into eighths
1large egg
4medium scallions , white and green parts, minced
3tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2tablespoons flour
1 1/2teaspoons table salt
Ground black pepper
1cup vegetable oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. 1. Grate potatoes in food processor fitted with coarse shredding blade. Place half the potatoes in fine mesh sieve set over medium bowl and reserve. Fit food processor with steel blade, add onions, and pulse with remaining potatoes until all pieces measure roughly 1/8 inch and look coarsely chopped, 5 to 6 one-second pulses. Mix with reserved potato shreds in sieve and press against sieve to drain as much liquid as possible into bowl below. Let potato liquid stand until starch settles to bottom, about one minute. Pour off liquid, leaving starch in bowl. Beat egg, then potato mixture and remaining ingredients (except oil), into starch.

  2. 2. Meanwhile, heat 1/4-inch depth of oil in 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Working one at a time, place 1/4 cup potato mixture, squeezed of excess liquid and pressed into 1/2-inch thick disc, in oil. Press gently with nonstick spatula; repeat until five latkes are in pan.

  3. 3. Maintaining heat so fat bubbles around latke edges, fry until golden brown on bottom and edges, about three minutes. Turn with spatula and continue frying until golden brown all over, about three minutes more. Drain on a triple thickness of paper towels set on wire rack over a jelly roll pan. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, returning oil to temperature between each batch and replacing oil after every second batch. (Cooled latkes can be covered loosely with plastic wrap, held at room temperature for 4 hours, transferred to a heated cookie sheet and baked in a 375-degree oven, until crisp and hot, about 5 minutes per side. Or, they can be frozen on cookie sheet, transferred to zipper-lock freezer bag, frozen, and reheated in a 375-degree oven until crisp and hot, about 8 minutes per side). Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Birthday Dinner

My wife had the choice of anything for dinner tonight (her birthday), what did she choose? Waffles. Makes me smile that the simple things like breakfast for dinner are the things she loves most. Here's the recipe:

The secret to great waffles is a thick batter, so don’t expect to pour this one. Make toaster waffles out of leftover batter—undercook the waffles a bit, cool them on a wire rack, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze. Pop them into the toaster for a quick breakfast.

1cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1tablespoon cornmeal (optional)
1/2teaspoon table salt
1teaspoon baking soda
1egg , separated
7/8cup buttermilk
2tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat waffle iron. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Whisk yolk with buttermilk and butter.
  2. Beat egg white until it just holds a 2-inch peak.
  3. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients in a thin steady stream while gently mixing with a rubber spatula; be careful not to add liquid faster than you can incorporate it. Toward end of mixing, use a folding motion to incorporate ingredients; gently fold egg white into batter.
  4. Spread appropriate amount of batter onto waffle iron. Following manufacturer’s instructions, cook waffle until golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately. (You can keep waffles warm on a wire rack in a 200-degree oven for up to 5 minutes.)