Archives for August 2009

Barbequed Brisket

August 17, 2009 By
  • 1 beef brisket ( 3-4 lb.)
  • 1-1/4 cups water, divided
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbs. oil
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 3 taps red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbs. lemon juice
  • 2 tbs. brown sugar
  • 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. pepper
  • ¼ tsp. liquid smoke

Place brisket in a large Dutch oven.  Add ½ cup water.  Cover and bake at 275F for 2 hours.  Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Add ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cornstarch, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, and remaining water.  Simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Add liquid smoke; mix well.  Drain drippings from Dutch oven.  Pour sauce over meat.  Cover and bake 1-2 hours longer.

6-8 Servings.

Filed Under: American, Beef, Entrees Tagged With: , ,

Mushroom Phyllo Bundles

August 17, 2009 By

Mushroom Filling:

  • 1 tbs. oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups mushrooms
  • ½ cup portobello mushrooms
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened

Phyllo Crust:

  • 2 phyllo sheets, thawed and cut in half crosswise
  • ¼ cup butter, melted
  • ½ cup fresh bread crumbs

Filling:

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and onions and sauté 3 minutes or until soft.  Add the mushrooms and thyme; cook about 8 minutes or until dry.  Strain.  Mix with cream cheese.

Crust:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Grease a baking sheet.

Working with half the dough at a time, place flat on work surface.  Brush one side with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tbs. crumbs.  Fold in half, bringing short ends together.  Brush with butter and sprinkle with another 1 tbs. crumbs.  Place 2 tbs. filling in center of folded sheet.  Bring  edges of phyllo sheet up and around filling.  Gather and twist open edges of phyllo sheet to seal filling inside.  Place on baking sheet; do not crowd.  Repeat with remaining filling and phyllo sheets.

Bake on lower shelf of oven 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 4 pastries.

Filed Under: Mushrooms, Starters Tagged With: ,

Danish Frikadeller

August 17, 2009 By
  • 1 pound ground veal
  • 1 pound ground pork (on the lean side)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon each, salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • Water 1-2 cups
  • 4 ounces butter or margarine

Combine the veal and pork in a large bowl.  Add the chopped onions.  Make a well in the meat, break in the egg and mix to blend.  Add the flour, salt and pepper.  Start combining the mixture then slowly add the water, making certain that it is well incorporated before adding more water.  Form the mixture into golf ball-sized oblong meatballs.

Heat a large frying pan on medium heat.  Add butter or margarine.  Once the butter begins to brown, add enough meatballs to cover the bottom of the pan without crowding.  Rotate meatballs until all sides are browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, adding butter as needed and working in batches if needed.

10 Servings (appetizer size)

Filed Under: Danish, Pork, Starters, Veal Tagged With: ,

Crab-Stuffed Artichoke Hearts

August 17, 2009 By
  • 12 canned artichoke hearts (Reese brand, two 14-ounce cans)
  • 4 (6-ounce) cans lump crab meat
  • 5 tbs. butter
  • 2/3 cup finely diced bell peppers
  • 1 cup fine diced onions
  • 12 small fresh mushrooms, stems removed, caps thinly sliced
  • 2 tbs. lemon juice
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • salt & pepper
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ tsp. Romano cheese
  • 1 ½ tbs. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Drain the artichokes well.  Carefully open them to make a pocket for the stuffing and turn them upside down on paper towel to drain completely.

Drain the crab meat well.  Pick any shell bits.  Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbs. butter.  Add the bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sauté about 3 minutes until wilted but not brown.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

While vegetables are cooling, mix together lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt, black and cayenne peppers in a nonreactive container.  Stir in cooled vegetables and crab meat, making sure all is well incorporated.

With a spoon, divide stuffing among the artichokes.  Cut the remaining butter into 12 slices and place on top of each artichoke.  Combine the cheeses and sprinkle over each heart.

Bake in center of oven 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

4 servings of 3 hearts.

Filed Under: Seafood, Sides Tagged With: , , ,

Bearnaise Sauce – Famous Steakhouse Version

August 17, 2009 By
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 tbps tarragon vinegar
  • 2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. fine-chopped shallots
  • 1 tsp. dried tarragon
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and keep warm.

In another small nonreactive pan, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, dried tarragon, and a pinch of black pepper.  Bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is almost evaporated.  Cool slightly.

In top of double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks and water.  Place over bottom of double boiler with simmering water.  Whisk in the vinegar reduction.  Continue whisking constantly until the egg mixture thickens and temperature reaches 140 degrees.

Remove top of double boiler and continue whisking to cool slightly.  Whisk in the warm melted butter in a thin, steady stream.  Stir in the fresh tarragon.

4, ¼-cup servings.

Filed Under: Eggs, French, Sides Tagged With: ,
17 August 2009 Hot Spinach, Artichoke and Cheese Dip

Hot Spinach, Artichoke and Cheese Dip

August 17, 2009 By

Who doesn’t love spinach and artichoke dip? Every time I serve this dish or see it served at parties, there are never any leftovers.

This version is cooked on the stove top without any baking time (unless you want a crusty top), so it’s not only delicious, it’s simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

  • 1-10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
  • 4 canned artichoke hearts, well drained
  • 5 Tbsp. butter
  • ¼ cup minced onions
  • 2 tsp. minced shallots
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tbsp. flour
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded Mozzarella
  • 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded Parmesan

Directions:

  1. Drain, then squeeze as much moisture out of the spinach as possible. Break up the clumped spinach and place in a large bowl.
  2. Chop the artichoke coarsely and combine with spinach. Set aside.
  3. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, nutmeg, salt, pepper and continue cooking 2 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the sautéed mixture. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook 2 minutes. Slowly add the cream, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, then let simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Add mozzarella, a little at a time, stirring until thoroughly melted. Add the Parmesan the same way. Simmer gently another 5 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Remove from heat and let cool, 10 minutes.
  6. Stir the sauce into spinach mixture, mixing well.  Pour into ovenproof dish. Serve.

6 Servings.

Filed Under: American, Appetizers, Cheese, Starters, Vegetables Tagged With: , , ,
17 August 2009 Zesty Guacamole

Zesty Guacamole

August 17, 2009 By

Avocados are one of my favorite foods and use them in many different dishes, even desserts!

One of my all time favorite dishes to fix with avocados is definitely the mighty guacamole. I use guacamole as a dip with tortilla chips or vegetables and I also use it as a topping for fish, chicken and even burgers.

I like my guacamole chunky but if you prefer a smooth version, just mash some more – it’s a simple thing to do!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbs. diced red onion
  • 1 Tbs. chopped jalapenos
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Slice avocados in half and remove the pit and the skin.  Mash avocados with a fork until there are medium/small lumps left. Stir in remaining ingredients; mix well. Serve immediately or cover tightly and chill for up to 4 hours. Serve with tortillas.

6 Servings

Filed Under: Mexican, Starters, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
17 August 2009 Creolina’s Crawfish Bisque

Creolina’s Crawfish Bisque

August 17, 2009 By

Crawfish BisqueCreolina’s was a wonderful Cajun restaurant in downtown Fort Lauderdale near my former place of employment. All its food was wonderful, but the crawfish bisque was outstanding.

I was able to get the recipe after it closed and sharing it so you can get addicted to it also.

Note that you could use gulf shrimp if crawfish is unavailable.

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds crawfish
  • 2 ounces olive oil
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomato
  • 4 Tbsp. brandy

Directions:

  1. Boil crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain and cool until crawfish can be handled easily. Remove tail and save shells. Refrigerate tail meat.
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add crawfish shells, paprika and cayenne. Sauté 5 minutes. Add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
  3. Strain liquid into another pan. Crush shells to remove remaining liquid and add that liquid. Discard shells.
  4. Return to heat and add onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, cream and tomato. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add brandy and crawfish tail meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 8

Filed Under: American, Seafood, Soups Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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