You Can Make This!: Roasted Green Beans with Shallots, Red Pepper, and Garlic

You Can Make This!: Roasted Green Beans with Shallots, Red Pepper, and Garlic

Roasted Green Beans with Shallots, Red Pepper, and Garlic

 I made these for dinner tonight along with some grilled chicken and baked potatoes. They were so much better than basic steamed or boiled beans. If you haven't roasted green beans before, give it a try. They're delicious. And cheap. I got a pound of green beans for .60 cents. Add 1 red pepper for .50 cents, 4 cloves garlic for pennies, about 6 shallots for about $1.00, and a handful of toasted pine nuts. Delicious, cheap, and pretty. Can't beat that.

Here goes: Wash and snap off the ends of 1 pound of super fresh green beans. No wimpy beans here. Make sure they are crisp and moist. Then dry them off so they roast, rather than steam.

Slice up 1 red bell pepper.

Halve about 6 shallots. Keep them fairly thick so they don't burn. Throw in some whole or half garlic cloves.  I made some roasted garlic, so had the cut off garlic tops, peeled, and tossed those in.

Pour some Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir them up with a spatula.

Return to oven for another 10 minutes.

                                         Remove from the oven and zest 1 lemon over the top.

                                     Add a handful of toasted pine nuts (or toasted almonds)

                                                                    And dig on in.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh green beans

1 Red Bell Pepper

6 cloves garlic

6 shallots, halved

2 Tbls Olive Oil

Kosher salt 

Fresh cracked pepper

Method

1. Wash and snap off the ends of 1 pound of fresh green beans. 

2. Halve 6 (or so) shallots. 

3. Add 6 whole or halved cloves fresh garlic.

4. Pour 2 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the top. 

5. Sprinkle with 2 tsp Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.

6. Place in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. 

7. After 10 minutes, stir them up with a spatula.

8. Return to oven for another 10 minutes.

9. Remove from the oven and zest 1 lemon over the top.

10. Add a handful of toasted pine nuts (or toasted almonds).

11. Toss and serve warm.

Oysters on the Half Shell

Oysters On The Half Shell

My hub and I were in California recently where fresh oysters are abundant. Now, my hub absolutely LOVES raw oysters, so whenever he spots them on a menu, of course, he orders at least a half dozen or so (or several dozen) of these rock like mollusks.  Tomorrow being Valentine's day and all, I thought I'd show you how to put together your own platter of this aphrodisiac goodness. 

O.K., I still don't understand how or why these are aphrodisiacs, but, whatever. 

Let's start with what to buy. There are many different types of oysters, each having their own particular flavor and degree of brininess, due to the region in which they were harvested. You need to try several different types to ascertain what you like. 

Anyway, the only place to buy oysters is either at a reputable fish market, or at a gourmet grocer, like Whole Foods, that has excellent quality control and sells a lot of seafood, therefore has a lot of turnover, meaning fresher seafood. You really need to be careful with any raw shellfish. It must be alive and eaten ASAP. 

I buy my oysters at Whole Foods, since it is the only place in Colorado Springs that fresh fish comes in every day. And, there's no fishmonger here. Or seafood market. We are land locked.

I chose 6 "Pacific" and 6 "Atlantic" oysters, as they were the largest ones in the case. And they were on sale. For .89 cents a piece. Awesome. I liked both. I did not, however, like the oysters from Cape Cod. Too briny. Weird.

As soon as you get home, fill a big bowl with ice. Put the oysters on a thin cotton towel, and place it on the ice. Put it in the fridge. You don't want the oysters to be submerged in water. Or covered up in a plastic bag. This will kill them. Keep them cold, dry, and breathing air.

Before you ever start cleaning and shucking, get a few things in order. Either make (from scratch) a delicious cocktail sauce, (recipe at end of post), or put out your fave pre-made in a pretty dish.

 Put a serving platter in the freezer to chill out. I used a heavy metal bowl that stays really cold after freezing.

Crushed ice is great for presentation, as it keeps the oysters from turning over and spilling out their precious liquor, and keeps them nice and cold. 

I didn't have any, so I loaded up the food processor with a bunch of ice cubes and buzzed them up. Bravo! perfect crushed ice. You could also use a heavy duty blender.

 Lay the crushed ice down in your serving platter.

Slice up a fresh lemon into wedges.

Cocktail sauce: done. Check.

Ice in platter. Check. 

Lemons sliced. Check.

Now it's time to tackle the star of the day.

Give the oysters a good scrub under cold water. (They're really dirty). I didn't have a wire brush, so I used my mushroom brush. It worked just fine. Put them on a bed of ice to keep them cold.

Equipment you need: An oyster knife. I got this one, an OXO, at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $8.00, and used a 20% off coupon, so it was a steal. What's great about this knife is the size of the handle. It's big and offers a great, non-slip grip. Don't go off and use a regular knife or a screwdriver, unless you want to support your local E.R. and hand surgeon. Add a thick kitchen towel and you're ready to roll.

As there are plentiful sites that teach you how to shuck an oyster, I won't go into that here. Here's a tutorial link from another blogger that's really helpful:

http://www.undercovergourmet.ca/2010/04/how-to-shuck-an-oyster/

O.K. Oysters are shucked! Here's the deal: Eat them within 20 minutes of shucking to avoid poisoning peril. (Remember the trip to the E.R.? Don't want that.)

Serve these beauties with a crisp glass of champagne for the start to a beautiful Valentine's day.

These oysters are HUGE! Much better and meatier than any we've gotten in a restaurant.

Zesty Cocktail Sauce:

It's so easy to make your own cocktail sauce, just the way you like it.  All you need is some ketchup, horseradish, hot sauce, worcestershire, and fresh lemon.
Put 1 cup Ketchup in a bowl.
Add 1 Tablespoon horseradish, or more, or less, depending on how hot you like it. I use about 4 Tbls, because I like it SPICY!
  Use this:

NOT THIS! One is horseradish, the other is horseradish sauce. Sauce is for beefy goodness. Not Oyster goodness. Luv ya, Ed, but this is not where you belong.

  

Add about 1 tablespoon each hot sauce and worcestershire sauce, and the juice of 1/2  a lemon. Season with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Stir it up. Taste and adjust. 
Sauce done.


Ingredients:
Oysters
Ice
Cocktail Sauce
1 cup Ketchup
1 Tablespoon horseradish
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

Creamy Asparagus/Spinach Soup

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Asparagus. Spinach. Soup. Creamy. Cheap. Spring.  Deliciousness. Good for you. Make this. Soon.

Spring is the perfect time to take advantage of plentiful, cheap, pencil thin asparagus. This soup is easy to make, beautiful, delicious, and great for you. We like to have soup and sammy night at our house, and this is a perfect complement to a grilled panini.

Let's start with the veg. Gather 2 pounds thin asparagus spears, 3 leeks, large shallots,  8 cups fresh baby spinach, 2 ( or  so) large cloves garlic. I say "or so" because you can put in as much as you like. I happen to be a big fan, so I'll probably use about 4 cloves. 5 if they're small.

 After washing, chop the asparagus into 1 inch pieces.

 Stems

 Tips

Leeks: Trim. Cut off all the tough green stems and roots. Slice in half vertically. Leeks are full of sand, because they grow up in sand. They must be thoroughly washed. 

 Thinly slice horizontally into half moons and rinse under cold water, .

 Drain

In a large soup pot, on medium high heat,  melt 2 Tbls butter

 Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes

 Add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes

 Add half of the asparagus stem pieces

 Saute for about 5 minutes

 Add the minced garlic. Stir for 1 minute.

 Stir in 2 Tbls flour

This will help thicken the soup without adding too much fat and calories

Stir until you can't see flour anymore. You want to cook out any pasty taste

 Add 1/2 cup white wine to the pot. Here's a hint: If you won't drink it, don't use it in your food. Don't go overboard and buy a $50.00 Chardonnay. Here are a few affordable suggestions: Black Box or Boda box, or Barefoot chard. 
Scrape up all of the brown bits of yumminess from the sides and bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Stir it all together.

Add 8 cups simmering chicken ( or vegetable) stock to the pot. Stir. 

 Throw in 8 cups fresh baby spinach. Stir.

Tie up a bundle of fresh thyme (5-8 sprigs) and 2 sprigs fresh rosemary with kitchen twine. Put it in the soup pot. Stir. Simmer about 15 minutes until asparagus is very tender.

 Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, place the other half of the asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Roast for 5 minutes.

 Set aside.

 When the spinach and asparagus pieces (not roasted) are very soft, the soup is ready to puree.
Fish out the thyme bundle and throw it away. It's job is done.

 Using an immersion blender, blend until creamy and smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, put the soup in a blender, cover the lid with a kitchen towel, and buzz it up. Here's a hint: if your soup isn't as thick as you'd like it after blending it up, add a couple tablespoons of instant potato flakes. They dissolve instantly and have virtually no taste, which is why you should never use them as mashed potatoes. They are, however, a great thickener for creamy soups.

 Add 1/4 cup heavy cream. You can leave out the cream altogether if you want to lighten it up. It will still taste delish, just won't be as creamy. Blend.

 Add the roasted asparagus into the soup, reserving the pretty tops for the top. Spoon into soup ramekins and top with roasted asparagus tips, croutons, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and shaved Parmesan cheese.

So good!

Ingredients

2 pounds thin asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces. 

8 cups Baby Spinach 

2 large shallots, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, minced

3 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
 8 cups fresh baby spinach

 2 Tbls flour

8 Cups chicken (or vegetable) stock; simmering

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp per bowl

Method:

1. Gather 2 pounds thin asparagus spears, 3 leeks, 1 large white onion, (chopped), 8 cups fresh baby spinach, 2 large cloves garlic.

2. After washing, chop the asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Dry thoroughly.

3. Leeks: Trim. Cut off all the tough green stems and roots. Slice in half vertically. Thinly slice horizontally and rinse under cold water.

4.  In a large soup pot, on medium high heat,  melt 2 Tbls butter.

5. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes.
6.  Add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add half of the asparagus stem pieces and  saute for about 5 minutes.
8. Add the minced garlic. Stir for 1 minute.
9.  Stir in 2 Tbls flour and cook for about 2 minutes.
10. Add 1/2 cup white wine to the pot. Scrape up all of the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
11. Add 8 cups simmering chicken ( or vegetable) stock to the pot. Stir. 
12. Add 8 cups fresh baby spinach. Stir.
13. Tie up a bundle of fresh thyme (5-8 sprigs) and 2 sprigs fresh rosemary with kitchen twine. Put it in the soup pot. Stir. Simmer about 15 minutes until asparagus is very tender.
14. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, place the other half of the asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil, Kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Roast for 5 minutes. Set aside.
15.  Using an immersion blender, blend until creamy and smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, put the soup in a blender, cover the lid with a kitchen towel, and buzz it up.
16. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream.
17. Add the roasted asparagus into the soup, reserving the pretty tops for the top. Spoon into soup ramekins and top with roasted asparagus tips, croutons, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and shaved Parmesan cheese.

(Almost) Lobster Mac n' Cheese

(Cheaper than, but just as good) 

Lobster Mac n' Cheese

Believe it or not, prior to Dec 26, 2011, I had never made a proper Mac n' Cheese. I have, in the past, made my Mom's mac with Velveeta and canned milk, and peas. Once. It was not well received by my hub, who is the mac master in this house. So, here it was, the day after Christmas, and we had our son and daughter in law and three kids under the age of 5 coming to celebrate a late Christmas. Should I trot out the leftover tenderloin, scalloped potatoes, and green bean casserole? No way. They had that meal the day before. I needed a meal that was  kid and adult friendly, and not too time consuming... I was getting tired, after all the festivities, cooking, and jet lag. (Did I mention I returned from a working trip to France on the evening of the 22nd?) Anyway, I had lots of pasta in the pantry and langostino in the freezer (left over from my Pasta in the Park competition), and, a star was born. Thank you, H & B, for the mac pointers.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing dish
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 2 shallots or 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 large cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 cups heavy cream and 2 cups whole milk, brought to a simmer in a separate saucepan
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes (toddlers generally don't like the heat. Go easy).
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 ounces shredded sharp white Cheddar
• 8 ounces shredded Gruyere
• 8 ounces shredded Fontina
• 2 ounces shredded Dubliner
• The important elements here, regarding the cheese mixture, is to have something creamy, like Fontina, something sharp, like white cheddar, something kind of nutty, like gruyere. I just threw in the Dubliner because it was in my fridge and too darn tasty to leave out. Use what you like!

• 4 cups Langostino meat, (defrosted if frozen), thoroughly dried
• 1/4 cup (or so) Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbls butter, dotted over top of bread crumbs
• 
  
• Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust racks to the middle. Grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with butter.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water (should taste like the sea) over medium heat, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve.
3. Add 4 tablespoons butter to a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter shimmers, add the shallots and garlic and saute until translucent. Season with  Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. 
4. Add the tomato paste and flour. Stir to toast, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
5. Add the white wine and reduce about 2 minutes. 
6. Slowly add the hot cream and milk, whisking well to remove any lumps. 
7. Add the paprika, cayenne or red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Bring the cream up to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Let reduce until the cream is thick and coats a spoon, about 5 to 10 minutes. When thickened, remove the bay leaves.  
8. Stir in the grated cheeses, a handful at a time, combining well after each addition. 
9. Add the chopped langostino meat to the sauce and stir well. Add the pasta and stir. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk until you have the consistency you want.
10.  Add to the greased baking dish and sprinkle with the Panko crumbs. Top all over with little dabs of butter.
11. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Happy Mac n' Cheesing!

Smoked Salmon Canape's

Smoked Salmon Canape's

These appetizers are quick, tasty, easy to prepare , and easy on the waistline.  I serve the smoked salmon dip on cucumbers, because I like crunch and taste, but you could also put it on crackers, (per request from husband, H).

Ingredients:

8 ounces fat free cream cheese or Tofutti Better than cream cheese, room temp

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 Tbls freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbls creamy horseradish (more if you like it a bit more spicy)

1 large shallot, minced

3 Tbls capers, rinsed and dried

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

1 English (seedless) cucumber, sliced into rounds

2 Tbls minced fresh dill, plus more for snipped garnish

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Just so you know: Tofutti has no butter fat, no milk; just soy and other good stuff.

When you're trying to cut down on fat and calories, you can go with the fat free / light/ soy substitutes, as long as you have big, powerful flavors to offset what can be bland tasting diet plate dishes. Like we have here with the salmon, capers, shallots, and horseradish.

Here's how it's done:

With your vegetable peeler, peel lengthwise slices of peel off of the cucumber, making stripes around it.

Slice the cucumber into rounds, approximately 1/2 - 1 inch thick. (It has to be thick enough to hold a spread). Lay the cuke slices out on a stack of paper towels and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Let this hang out for a good 20 minutes, blotting with dry paper towels as the moisture comes to the surface.
This does two things; first, it seasons the cucumber. Second, it helps eliminate some of the moisture in the cuke. If you put a dip or spread on top of an unsalted, wet cuke, it will slide right off. Probably into your lap. Or, your mother in law's lap. Or your boss's lap. No bueno.

While the cukes are giving up some of their excess water, get out your hand mixer and go to town on the spread. 

Chop up the smoked salmon into small pieces.

Rinse the capers under cold water and drain.

Thinly slice the green onions, on the diagonal, just because it looks pretty.

Mince the shallots.

Finely chop the dill.

Into a bowl, put the cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, dill, and shallots. Mix it up until smooth and creamy.

With a soft spatula, fold in the salmon, capers, and green onions.

TASTE and re-season, as necessary.

Line a bowl with a gallon size zip top bag.

Put the filling into the bag.

Zip it up, squeezing out the air. Now, snip off a corner of the bag so you can pipe the spread onto the cuke rounds.

If this step sends you into panic mode, no worries. You can skip it and simply spoon the spread onto the cukes.

If not panic stricken, go ahead and pipe some filling onto the now blotted dry cukes.

Top with fresh chopped dill, fresh cracked pepper, and serve.

Ingredients:

8 ounces fat free cream cheese or Tofutti Better than cream cheese, room temp

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 Tbls freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbls creamy horseradish (more if you like it a bit more spicy)

1 large shallot, minced

3 Tbls capers, rinsed and dried

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

1 English (seedless) cucumber, sliced into rounds

2 Tbls minced fresh dill, plus more for snipped garnish

Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Method:
1. Peel lengthwise slices of peel off of the cucumber, making stripes around it. (Just because it's pretty).
2. Slice the cucumber into rounds, approximately 1/2 - 1 inch thick.
3. Lay the cuke slices out on a stack of paper towels and sprinkle with Kosher salt.
4. Blot cukes with dry paper towels as the moisture comes to the surface.
5. Chop up the smoked salmon into small pieces.

6. Rinse the capers under cold water and drain.

7. Thinly slice the green onions, on the diagonal.

8. Mince the shallots.

9. Finely chop the dill.

10. Put the cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, dill, and shallots into a bowl. With a hand mixer, mix it up until smooth and creamy.

11. With a soft spatula, fold in the salmon, capers, and green onions.

12. TASTE and re-season, as necessary.

13. Line a bowl with a gallon size zip top bag. Put the filling into the bag. Zip it up. Squeeze the air  out.     14. Snip off a corner of the bag.  Pipe the spread onto the cuke rounds.

15. Top with fresh chopped dill, fresh cracked pepper, and serve.