Summer Pies
Homemade pies using fresh fruit are hard to beat. I imagine a lot of rhubarb pies have been made and consumed the past several weeks. And soon, fresh strawberries and raspberries will be ripe for the picking, and more desserts will be the order of business.
Small-town cafes are a good place to cash in on this culinary bonanza during the summer. A fried, Lillian Elsinga, Grand Forks, found that out recently. Lillian and some friends went on a road trip to Edinburg, N.D., to visit a friend who had moved there.
During their time in the small Walsh County town, which was named after the city in Scotland (without the "h"), they visited Anderson's Cafe. Lillian said the meatloaf special for lunch was very good, but the coup de grace was the blackberry-blueberry pie. She said the slice of pie, with a dollop of ice cream, will always keep the trip fresh in her memory.
For those who would like to try their hand at a blackberry-blueberry pie, here's a recipe from allrecipes.com that's received several favorable reviews.
Blackberry-Blueberry Pie
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold water
¾ cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1½ cups fresh blackberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
Cut shortening into 2 cups flour and salt until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water 1 tablespoon at a time until flour is moistened. Gather into a ball, and roll out onto a lightly floured board. Make two rounds. Place one crust in a 9-inch pie dish.
Mix sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and cinnamon. Stir in berries to coat. Turn filling into pastry lined pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice, dot with butter. Cover with top crust; cut slits in the top. Seal and flute.
Bake at 425 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Cover edges with foil to prevent burning, and remove foil for last 12 minutes of baking.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/30/2009 at 8:36 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
Tags: blackberry-blueberry pie, chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, pies, recipes, rhubarb pie
Meatball Sandwich
Meatball subs or sandwiches are a popular item these days. Sometimes when we've had meatballs with a marinara sauce, I like to use the leftovers in a sandwich.
While talking about this with my friend, Mac, he told of a place he used to go to eat when working in Denver that served a meatball sandwich with cherry peppers on the side. He said he probably ate a couple hundred of them during the time he lived there.
I thought he might be exaggerating a little, but knowing the kind of appetite he has specifically and how good meatball sandwiches are in general, my doubts soon were erased.
That brings me to the following recipe, which I found while looking through some old cookbooks. It looked pretty tasty to me. How about you?
Meatball Sandwich
SAUCE:
¼ cup onions, chopped, or to taste
1teaspoon crushed, bottled garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound canned tomatoes, broken up
1 pound tomato sauce
2 teaspoons parsley
2 to 2½ teaspoons salt, or to taste
1½ teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 pound ground beef
MEATBALLS:
4 slices bread, whole wheat or white
1 pound ground beef
2 eggs
½ cup Romano cheese, grated
1 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon crushed, bottled garlic or 1 minced clove garlic
1 teaspoon oregano, crushed
Dash of pepper
4 submarine sandwich buns or small loaves French or Italian bread or ciabatta
2 4-ounce packages Mozzarella cheese
To make sauce, cook and stir onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, salt, oregano and basil. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 1 to 1½ hours. When sauce is almost finished simmering, brown ground beef in separate skillet, drain off fat, and stir into sauce. Simmer another 20 minutes.
For meatballs, soak bread in water 3 minutes, then squeeze dry and add the ground beef, eggs, Romano cheese, salt, parsley, garlic, oregano and pepper. Form into 16 meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until done.To assemble sandwiches, put 4 meatballs in each of the buns or loaves, add sauce, then cheese on top, dividing ingredients evenly. (Don't use too much sauce or sandwiches will be soggy.) Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/29/2009 at 12:41 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, meatball sandwich, meatball sub, meatballs, recipes
Tuna Casserole
There are some days when I just crave comfort food. Saturday was one of those.
I won't bore you with the details, but let's suffice to say my spirits needed lifting. Plus, it was cloudy, windy a little cooler than it had been all week. So, I turned to one of my favorite comfort foods — tuna noodle casserole. It's been at the top of my list since my childhood.
I usually don't have a set recipe when it comes to tuna casserole. This time, all I did was saute some celery and red onion in a little olive oil and added two cans of tuna (water drained), a can of cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup, a half-cup of Miracle Whip Lite, a tablespoon of cornstarch, a half-cup of milk and salt and pepper to taste. I cooked this a bit while my homemade egg noodles (from Hosmer, S.D.) cooked.
When the noodles where al dente, I drained them and mixed them with the tuna in a greased casserole. I then topped this with a little grated Cheddar cheese and baked for about 35 to 40 minutes.
It tasted great.
Here are a couple of other recipes for tuna casserole. Give them a try. I'll guarntee you feel better if you're down in the dumps.
Tuna Noodle Casserole
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4½ tablespoons unsalted butter
10 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼-inch thick (4 cups)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
¼ cup sherry
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce can tuna in olive oil, drained
6 ounces dried curly egg noodles (Pennsylvania Dutch style; about 3¼ cups)
1½ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 3 slices white bread)
4 ounces coarsely grated cheddar (1 cup)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook onion in 1½ tablespoons butter with a pinch of salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about five minutes. Increase heat to moderately high and add mushrooms, then saute until mushrooms begin to give off liquid, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to saute until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add sherry and boil, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Remove from heat.
Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over low heat and whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add broth in a stream, whisking, and bring to a boil. Whisk in milk and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, five minutes. Stir in mushroom mixture, lemon juice and salt. Flake tuna into sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Cook noodles until al dente. Drain noodles and return to pot. Add sauce and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to buttered baking dish, spreading evenly.
Toss together bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss again, then sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.
Yield: Serves: 4 to 6
Tuna Rice Casserole
12 ounces water-packed canned tuna, drained
1 10.5-ounce can low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup diced onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1½ cups cooked brown rice
2 teaspoons canola oil
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place tuna in a bowl and flake with a fork. Fold in half the mushroom soup, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese and the onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Microwave brown rice 90 seconds on high or according to package instructions. Place rice on bottom of casserole dish and toss with oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread over bottom of dish. Spoon tuna mixture on top, and cover with remaining soup. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes. Place under the broiler to brown top, about 1 minute.
Yield: Serve 2.
Approximate nutritional analysisper serving: 624 calories (27 percent from fat), 18.7 grams fat (7.3 grams saturated, 7 grams monounsaturated), 84 milligrams cholesterol, 57.5 grams protein, 54.2 grams carbohydrates, 4.3 grams fiber, 682 milligrams sodium.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/27/2009 at 6:07 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, comfort food, jeff tiedeman, recipes, tuna noodle casserole
Sweet Peppers — A Stir-fry Must
There's no comparison between sweet bell peppers from the garden and those you buy at the supermarket, and that is why I always make a point of planting at least a dozen plants in my garden each spring.
I was pretty disappointed with the production of my peppers last summer, but it looks like this year will be a different story. My pepper plants have been thriving in the recent hot spell. In fact, several have tiny peppers already forming on them.
While I like to eat peppers raw — perhaps dipped in a little ranch dressing — or in a nice salad, my preference is in stir-fries. I can't imagine a stir-fry without sweet peppers. The red ones make dishes especially colorful.
One food I particularly like to pair with the peppers in a stir-fry is shrimp. I like to use medium-sized shrimp because they take about the same time to cook as vegetables such as peppers.
A favorite Web site of mine to find healthy eating tips and tasty dishes, the American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org), recently featured a stir-fry recipe (which follows) that stars shrimp and bell peppers, both green and red. I plan on tucking it away and using it when the first peppers from my garden are big and ripe.
Teriyaki Shrimp Stir-fry with Pineapple and Peppers
¾ cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lite Teriyaki sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
¾ pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tablespoon grated or minced ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
8 large white mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup fresh pineapple, in 1-inch cubes
Cooked brown rice
Pour ¼ cup of broth into small bowl. Add cornstarch and whisk to blend. Add remaining broth, Teriyaki sauce and ground pepper. Set seasoning sauce aside.
In wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add shrimp and stir-fry until they look pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn shrimp out into bowl.
Add remaining oil to wok. Stir-fry ginger and garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and peppers and stir-fry until mushrooms look moist, 2 minutes. Add pineapple and return shrimp to wok. Stir seasoning sauce and pour it into pan. Stir-fry until the sauce thickens and boils, about 2 minutes. The shrimp should be white in the center. Serve immediately, accompanied by cooked brown rice.
Yield: Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 200 calories, 9 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 13 grams carbohydrates, 20 grams protein, 2 grams dietary fiber, 290 milligrams sodium.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/26/2009 at 8:06 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: bell peppers, chef jeff, chinese cooking, jeff tiedeman, recipes, stir-fry
Green Potato Salad
The quick arrival of summer earlier this month has turned my garden into a lush paradise. It won't be too long before my lettuce is ready. In fact, my neighber, Duane Jeffrey, already has given us a big bag from his garden. He said the key was planting it in the fall. And cherry tomatoes won't be far behind.
One thing that is ready in my garden is the spinach. I'm looking forward to the first salad either at lunch today or supper.
With a bunch ready to harvest, I've been in search of recipes using the nutrient-packed vegetable. Calorie for calorie, leafy green vegetables such as spinach provide more nutrients than any other food. This “superfood” is loaded with protein, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, enzymes and fiber and is a good source of calcium and vitamins A, C, E, K and B. And researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents.
One recipe that's caught my eye is a warm potato salad (recipe follows) that contains a generous amount of spinach. (For more potato salad recipes, go to www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/123860/.) The warm bacon dressing looks especially tasty. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Or pass on other spinach recipes that you'd recommend.
Spinach and Fingerling Potato Salad
½ pound fingerling potatoes
½ pound thick-cut bacon (can substitute turkey bacon for a lighter dressing)
2 large shallots, minced
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons minced orange zest
½ teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground pepper
½ pound baby spinach
½ cup pine nuts, toasted (see note)
Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil; add potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain; let cool until just warm. Cut into ¼-inch slices; set aside.
Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-low heat until crisp but still chewy, 8 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels. Let cool. Chop or crumble into bits; set aside. Pour all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet; wipe clean. Turn heat to medium-high. Cook shallots until golden, 1 minute.
Mix bacon, oil, shallots, vinegar, maple syrup and orange zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Heat in microwave until warm, about 30 seconds. Toss potatoes and spinach in large bowl with dressing. Garnish with pine nuts.
Note: To toast pine nuts, place in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring nuts occasionally, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.
Yield: Serve 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 350 calories, 76 percent calories from fat, 30 grams fat (5.5 grams saturated), 11 milligrams cholesterol, 420 milligrams sodium, 8 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/25/2009 at 7:58 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, potato salad, recipes, spinach
Carne Machaca
My experience with Tex-Mex or Mexican cuisine is fairly limited. Like a lot of people around here, my idea of this kind of food has been shaped by the likes of places with names such as Mexican Village, LaCampana (now called Paradiso), Taco Bell, Taco John's and the Red Pepper, just to name a few.
I have had the opportunity to eat real Mexican food on a couple of occasions, once in Topeka, Kan., in a restaurant that was set in a home in a residential area, and a couple of times at a Grand Junction, Colo, eatery. That tasty food was far from any I've eaten up on the northern Plains and northern Minnesota.
So now, whenever I see a recipe that's authentic Mexican, my interest is piqued. The most recent recipe that has caught my eye comes from famed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Mario Batali, who unveiled it at an event to benefit his new charity, The Mario Batali Foundation (www.mariobatalifoundation.org.), which was established to feed, protect, educate and empower children, encouraging them to dream big while providing them with the necessary tools to become an active force for change in today’s world.
His recipe is for machaca, a shredded beef filling that can be used for any kind of Mexican or Tex-Mex treat, from tacos to burritos. Most people who've had machaca swear they'll never go back to ground beef for tacos again.
Machaca can be made from either skirt steak or veal. The meat is marinated in a mixture of Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, chipotle, cumin and black pepper. The smoky spice combined with the freshness of the limes seeps into the meat overnight. After browning, onions, peppers and herbs are added. This creates layers of flavor on top of the rich meat, which is cooked for two hours until falling apart, shredded, and returned to the liquid. The mixture is slowly cooked down until the meat is close to dry.
According to a press release, the result is a filling perfect for tacos, flautas, burritos, enchiladas or any other classic Mexican preparation. It suggests leftovers can be topped with softly cooked eggs for a traditional breakfast as full of flavor as it is protein.
I believe this new recipe, which follows, would be perfect summer fare.
Mario Batali’s Carne Machaca Taco Filling
FOR THE MARINADE:
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Juice of two limes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of chipotle chile in adobo minced (substitute chili powder)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
½ teaspoon of black pepper
FOR THE MACHACA:
3 pounds of Allen Brothers skirt steak or veal shoulder (see note)
1 large onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced (substitute a green pepper)
1 Jalapeno, diced
1 can of diced tomatoes (with or without chilies)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin seed
1 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a large freezer bag. Cut the skirt steak or veal shoulder into ¼-pound pieces and place in the bag. Refrigerate overnight.
In a large stock pot, fry the pieces of meat until brown. Once the meat has rich coloring, add the onion, peppers, oregano and cumin. Cook until the onions are soft.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release the flavorful bits of browned meat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is just falling apart. Add water or beef broth, if needed.
Remove the pot from the heat and remove the meat pieces. Shred with a pair of forks and return to the liquid. Reduce liquid until the meat is almost dry.
Note: The USDA Prime beef and Strauss Meadow Reserve veal for the machaca recipe can be ordered from Allen Brothers at www.allenbrothers.com. The 116-year-old company is the leading source of USDA Prime beef in the U.S., and is the exclusive purveyor to noted steak houses like Morton’s, Gene and Georgetti and Del Frisco’s, to name just a few.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/24/2009 at 9:54 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, machaca, mexican food, recipes, tex-mex
Kebabs — The Price Is Right
If you've been using the weather as an excuse for not pulling out the grill, the gig's up.
I know that spring and cool temperatures lingered far too long this year, and many people, including me, were not in too big a hurry to start grilling.
But that's changed with the proliferation of daytime temperatures in the 80s and lows in the high 50s to mid-60s. I even spiffed my grill up and threw a couple of rings of sausage on it over the weekend, which we served with some potatoes (both sweet and regular), onions and peppers. It was a fantastic way to celebrate Father's Day.
Now, I've got kebabs on my mind. Kebabs, for the novice, are grilled skewers of marinated meat and veggies. They are perfect fare for any outdoor get-together. And they're relatively inexpensive, too.
By using cheaper cuts of meat, which get nice and tender after a couple of hours sitting in a marinade, you can lower the cost of a meal considerably. If using beef, give cut-up chuck a try. And boneless sirloin pork chops can save you money over the more costly tenderloin. To really cut down on cost, go vegetarian.
Here are three recipes that I'm considering, which you may find appealing.
Coffee and Black Pepper Beef Kebabs
1 cup chopped shallots
¾ cup cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup molasses
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1½ tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1½ pounds top sirloin beef, cut into 1½-inch cubes
16 medium button mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed
16 cherry tomatoes
2 small red onions, cut into wedges
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
In a medium bowl, stir together the shallots, vinegar, oil, molasses, coffee, pepper and mustard. Add the meat and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
In a shallow dish, cover 8 10-inch bamboo skewers; set aside to soak. Heat a gas grill to medium-high or prepare a charcoal fire.
Assemble the kebabs, alternating meat and vegetables. Brush everything with marinade. Grill for 3 minutes. Turn, brush with additional marinade, then grill for another 3 minutes for medium, or until done to your liking.
Yield: Serve 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 592 calories, 241 calories from fat, 27 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 114 milligrams cholesterol, 35 grams carbohydrates, 50 grams protein, 3 grams fiber, 215 milligrams sodium.
Beef Kebabs
1½ pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 12-ounce bottle beer
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons butter
20 small white onions, blanched
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch square pieces
Place beef, beer and garlic in a resealable food storage bag; cover. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, turning occasionally. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the marinade.
Combine barbecue sauce, reserved marinade and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat to a boil, stirring; cook 1 minute. Set aside.
Heat grill or grill pan. Thread meat, onions and bell peppers on skewers. Grill until desired degree of doneness, turning and brushing frequently with sauce, about 12 minutes for medium. Serve with sauce.
Yield: Serves 6.
Approximae nutritional analysis per serving: 219 calories, 40 percent of calories from fat, 10 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 70 milligrams cholesterol, 11 grams carbohydrates, 21 grams protein, 407 milligrams sodium, 1.5 grams fiber.
Grilled Pork Kebabs and Vegetables with Couscous
2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon each: Dijon mustard, honey
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, more for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
Freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic peeled, finely chopped
1 small red or sweet onion, chopped
1 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 each, thinly sliced lengthwise: yellow squash, zucchini
1 each, seeded, quartered: yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper
1 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 12-ounce box couscous
Soak 12 wooden skewers in water 20 minutes. Combine mustard, honey, lemon juice, thyme, 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper to taste in a food storage bag; add pork. Seal; turn to coat. Let stand at least 30 minutes.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat; add garlic and onion. Cook until soft and slightly browned, 4 minutes. Add tomatoes; heat through. Season to taste. Set aside.
Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Thread pork onto skewers. Grill pork, squash and peppers until browned on one side, 5 minutes; turn. Grill until done, 5 minutes. Remove peppers, zucchini and squash to cutting board; dice. Add to tomato mixture. Heat over medium heat, stirring, to heat through, 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
Meanwhile, combine chicken broth and butter in medium saucepan; heat to a boil. Add couscous; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Cover; let rest 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Put couscous on a platter; pour sauce over. Place pork skewers on top.
Yield: Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 540 calories, 26 percent calories from fat, 15 grams fat (4.2 grams saturated), 95 milligrams cholesterol, 890 milligrams sodium, 58 grams carbohydrates, 42 grams protein, 4.7 grams fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/23/2009 at 8:07 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, kebabs, recipes
Fresh Pasta Sauce
While pulling a few weeds in my garden on this first day of summer, my thoughts were about what wonderful things I'll be able to make once the bounty starts flowing.
Actually, it was yesterday, on the last day of spring, when I first started thinking about future meals with fresh produce. I was in the midst of making a tomato-based sauce that featured some dehydrated green pepper and store-bought onions, along with the usual tomato sauce and paste, a little white wine, a couple of garlic cloves and some dried spices.
But in just a month or so, I'll be making one of my favorite sauces, with fresh peppers, onions, eggplant, zucchini and fresh herbs from my garden. And I can't forget about the fresh tomatoes.
Yes, it's a wonderful time for cooks, with all the fresh produce that will start showing up in our gardens and farmers markets. For those of you who like to cook these sorts of things like I do, here's a recipe for one of my favorite sauces, which is great over pasta.
Summer Harvest Linguine
2 tablespoons each: olive oil, butter
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1 medium eggplant, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 pound mushrooms, chopped
4 medium tomatoes chopped
1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded, chopped
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
4 black oil-cured olives, pitted, finely chopped
1 large zucchini, grated
1 cup red wine
½ cup finely chopped parsley
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 1-pound box linguine, cooked to package directions
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, ½ teaspoon of the salt and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in eggplant and remaining ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in tomatoes, bell pepper, basil and tomato paste, mixing well. Lower heat to a simmer; cover. Cook 10 minutes. Stir in olives, zucchini, wine, parsley and pepper; cover. Cook until flavors come together, about 15 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Serve with linguine.
Yield: Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 474 calories, 27 percent of calories from fat, 14 grams fat (6 grams saturated fat) 22 milligrams cholesterol, 69 grams carbohydrates, 19 grams protein, 746 milligrams sodium, 13 grams fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/21/2009 at 1:47 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, fresh produce, fresh vegetables, jeff tiedeman, pasta sauce, recipes
The Best Cream of Tomato Soup
Anyone who thinks good tomato soup comes out of a can hasn't tasted the homemade version. I just love a good homemade cream of tomato soup.
When I was growing up, the cream of tomato soup that my mom made was something we always looked forward to eating. Hers was the way cream of tomato soup should be — gentle and soothing.
We usually had tomato soup on Fridays, when we couldn't eat meat. The thing I remember most about Mom's soup was that milk never curdled. The key, she says, it to add baking soda to the tomatoes.
It's been a while since I've had my mom's, but the homemade cream of tomato soup they serve at Al's on Gateway Drive in Grand Forks rates right up there with the best.
After sampling some of Al's recently, my curiosity was piqued, so I went to the Internet in search of a recipe that might be a worthy comparison. Here's one that came to my attention.
Cream of Tomato Soup
5 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped onion
4 tablespoons flour
4 cups milk
½ bay leaf
1½ teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 cups tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)
Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned. Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and continue to stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, bay leaf, sugar, and salt and continue to cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the milk, and bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and put through a strainer. Taste and correct seasonings. Reheat before serving.
Yield: 7 cups.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/20/2009 at 3:40 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, recipes, tomato soup
Beyond Tuna Salad Sandwiches
When it comes to sandwiches, it's hard to beat tuna salad. From the time I was a kid until now, it's been one of my favorites. I guess what impresses me the most is the number of variations you can come up with if you use your imagination.
Of course, we're all familiar with a plain old tuna salad sandwich, the kind where all you do is mix up some tuna with a little mayo or Miracle Whip. We all probably had that as kids. Those were the kind we had at school hot lunch, usually on Fridays. That's because I went to a Catholic school, and we couldn't eat meat Fridays.
As I got older, my tuna salad sandwiches became a little more varied. It seemed that adding a little sweet pickle to the mix (I still do this) really kicked the sandwich up a notch. One of my favorite ways to have tuna salad was on cracker with a slice or two of sweet pickles on top. While in college, one of my roomates, Ron Amiot, always used to have some of his mom's homemade bread and butter pickles on hand — but not for long, since I loved them with my tuna and cracker combo.
Now, I like still like my tuna salad with sweet pickles, but only diced (with some of the juice), along with a little onion, some garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Occasionally, I'll add a little chopped-up hard-cooked egg.
Once in while, I like to put tuna salad on a piece of bread, top it with some cheese and plop it in the oven under the broiler for a minute or two — my own tuna melt.
Here a couple of other variations of the tuna salad sandwich, along with three other sandwiches that would be great summer fare.
Italian Tuna Sandwich
1 6-ounce can tuna in water, well drained
2 tablespoons low-fat or regular mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ rib celery, minced
½ teaspoon drained capers, chopped
8 slices French bread (cut each slice on diagonal about ½-inch thick), toasted
12 leaves arugula or spinach
Combine tuna, mayonnaise, onion, parsley, lemon juice, celery and capers in small bowl. Spread tuna mixture on top of four slices of bread. Top each with 3 leaves arugula. Top with remaining slice of bread.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per sandwich: 410 calories, 11 percent calories from fat, 4.8 grams fat (0.9 grams saturated), 25 milligrams cholesterol, 1,070 milligrams sodium, 58 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams protein, 3.7 grams fiber.
Tuna Nicoise Sandwich
1 6-ounce can tuna in oil, well drained
4 nicoise or other black olives, pitted, chopped
1 hard-cooked egg, peeled, chopped
1 tablespoon each: mayonnaise, diced red bell pepper
1½ teaspoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 pieces (6 inches long) baguette, halved lengthwise
2 leaves Boston lettuce
1 tomato, thinly sliced
Combine tuna with olives, egg, mayonnaise, pepper, parsley, oil, mustard and vinegar in small bowl.
Layer lettuce, tuna mixture and tomato on bottom half of each sandwich. Cover with remaining bread halves.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per sandwich: 360 calories, 48 percent calories from fat, 19 grams fat (3.6 grams saturated), 135 milligramsg cholesterol, 715 milligrams sodium, 18 grams carbohydrates, 29 grams protein, 2 grams fiber.
Mediterranean Turkey Wraps
2 12-inch flour tortillas, room temperature
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 ounces smoked turkey
10 kalamata olives, pitted, chopped
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (see note)
2 tablespoons each: diced roasted red pepper, chopped basil
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Spread one side of each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise. Top with turkey. Sprinkle olives, pine nuts, red pepper, basil and cheese on top, leaving 1-inch border all around.
Fold each side over filling by ½-inch; roll up tightly starting from unfolded end.
Note: To toast pine nuts, place on baking sheet. Toast in 425-degree oven until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per sandwich: 575 calories, 51 percent calories from fat, 33 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 55 milligrams cholesterol, 1,635 milligrams sodium, 48 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 4.3 grams fiber.
Asian Chicken and Peanut Butter Sandwich
4 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 pita breads, halved
4 leaves leaf curly lettuce
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
½ apple, thinly sliced
Combine peanut butter and teriyaki sauce in small bowl; spread on inside of each pita half.
Stuff each pita with lettuce, cilantro, chicken and apple.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per sandwich: 530 calories, 38 percent calories from fat, 23 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 1,215 milligrams sodium, 49 grams carbohydrates, 36 grams protein, 5 grams fiber.
Mozzarella, Tomato and Pesto on Ciabatta
4 slices ciabatta
4 tablespoons prepared pesto
4 ounces fresh mozzarella
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 leaves red leaf lettuce
Spread each slice of bread with 1 tablespoon of the pesto.
Top two of the bread slices with mozzarella, tomato and lettuce.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutrition analysis per sandwich: 495 calories, 53 percent calories from fat, 29 grams fat (12 grams saturated), 55 milligrams cholesterol, 675 milligrams sodium, 36 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams protein, 3.4 grams fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/19/2009 at 7:50 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, recipes, sandwiches, tuna salad sandwich
Hurray for Hotdish
Sometimes, the best-tasting food is the simplest to make.
A case in point is the hamburger hotdish my wife makes. All Therese does is brown a pound of burger (she likes to use either ground venison or bison), add a can of tomato soup, a can of green beans (and juice), a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, a little minced onion and a dash of little salt and pepper before mixing it with some elbow macaroni and plopping it in the oven for about a half-hour to an hour.
It's a favorite of our grandchildren. One night this this week, she made some for Rakeem's supper. And the following evening, he and I had leftovers, which really hit the spot before we went out to shoot some trap at the local gun club. In terms of convenience and taste, it can't be beat.
Just about everybody I know has a favorite hotdish or casserole. When I was growing up, my brothers and I used to gobble down my mom's hotdish, which was similar to Therese's.
Another all-time favorite in a lot of families is tater tot hotdish. It's not a meal I had very often as a kid, but in terms of taste and simplicity, it ranks right up their with the best.
Here's a version I came across recently, which I might just have to give a try.
Tater Tot Hotdish
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
¾ cup sliced mushrooms
1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1½ tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 2-pound bag frozen tater tots
2 10.5-ounce cans low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, red pepper, carrots and mushrooms and cook until soft. Add turkey, parsley, onion powder and paprika and cook until turkey is browned and fully cooked. Place meat mixture in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine frozen tater tots and soup. Top casserole with the potato mixture. If desired, sprinkle with extra parsley and paprika. Bake 55 to 60 minutes.
Yield: Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 283 calories (36 percent calories from fat), 11 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 28 milligrams cholesterol, 33 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams protein, 471 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/18/2009 at 8:37 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: casseroles, chef jeff, hamburger hotdish, hotdish, jeff tiedeman, recipes, tater tot hotdish
Stuffed Mushrooms
What makes picnics and other outdoor get-togethers that feature food successful aren't necessarily the main coarse. Often, the appetizers, salads and desserts star.
Something you might consider for your next party are stuffed mushrooms. The other night, we had a small potluck at work that featured food made with bacon. I know, bacon isn't the healthiest food, but it sure tastes good. And it's my opinion that all foods fit, in moderation.
One of the items we had, courtesy of Lynn Weber, were mushrooms stuffed with bacon, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. (Recipe follows.) They were wonderful, as were the other things we had.
There are many foods that you can put in mushroom caps, including all kinds of cheeses, meats, seafood and veggies. Depending on what you stuff your mushrooms with, they can range anywhere from healthy to decadent.
Here are a couple of recipes for stuffed mushrooms that have caught my eye. One recipe features sweet Italian sausage, while the other contains ground turkey. Both of them would be a welcome addition to any get-together.
Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
12 medium mushrooms (use a mix of crimini and button mushrooms)
½ pound favorite sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
½ teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 green onions, washed, ends removed, minced
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
Remove the stems from the mushrooms and finely chop the stems, reserve the caps.
Break up the sausage into a bowl.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a small, shallow baking pan.
In a small skillet heat the oil over moderate heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the mushroom stems, garlic and green onion, cooking until softened.
Increase the heat to high and add the sausage. Saute the sausage, stirring to break up lumps, until the sausage is no longer pink.
Remove the skillet from the heat and cool the mixture slightly. Stir in the egg white, bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the mushroom caps, cut side up, in the baking pan and fill them with the sausage mixture, mounding it. Sprinkle the stuffed mushrooms with the remaining 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.
Bake in the middle of the oven until the tops are golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Yield: 12 mushrooms.
Approximate nutritional analysis per mushroom: 49 calories (55 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 2 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 120 milligrams sodium, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 19 milligrams calcium, no fiber.
Oriental Stuffed Mushrooms
24 large mushrooms
½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
½ pound ground turkey
¾ cup oats, uncooked, quick or old-fashioned
½ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper, or both
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Shredded Parmesan (optional)
Remove and reserve stems from mushrooms. Place mushroom caps in large bowl.
In small bowl, combine soy sauce and sherry. Pour over mushroom caps. Cover and marinate at least 1 hour, stirring once after 30 minutes.
Finely chop reserved mushroom stems. Place in large bowl with turkey, oats, green onions, bell pepper, egg white, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Drain mushroom caps, reserving marinade. Fill caps with turkey mixture, packing well and mounding slightly. Place on broiler pan. Brush tops with reserved marinade.
Broil 7 to 8 inches from heat for 13 to 15 minutes or until turkey is cooked through. Just before pulling from broiler, you can add shredded Parmesan. Allow to melt. Serve immediately.
Yield: Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 130.5 calories, 9.6 grams protein, 14.2 grams carbohydrates, 3.4 gram fat (0.8 grams saturated), 22.4 milligrams cholesterol, 3.7 grams dietary fiber, 369.7 milligrams sodium.
Bacon-Stuffed Mushrooms
24 ounces of button-type mushrooms, stems removed
1 medium-sized onion
10 pieces of bacon or bacon bits (can substitute turkey bacon)
3 pieces of bread, cubed as small as possible
Garlic salt
Pepper
Salt
1 to 2 cups shredded Chedder cheese
Saute onion in butter. You can add a few minced mushroom stems as well to onion.
Cook bacon on both sides just to get it warm, about 5 minutes.
Finely cut bacon and add to onion as well as teaspoon salt, teaspoon pepper and tablespoon garlic salt. Season to your liking.
Add cubed bread. At this point, you may need to add more butter so it is not so balled up.
Add cheese. Mixture should be consistent as a cheese ball.
Spoon cheese mix into mushroom caps.
After mushrooms are placed in a pan, sprinkle a little garlic salt over them. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/17/2009 at 10:20 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: appetizers, chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, mushrooms, recipes, stuffed mushrooms
Scallops and Pasta
I like being on a first-name basis with the managers of the meat and produce departments at the supermarket. They always have good tips.
Where I do most of my shopping, Hugo's in East Grand Forks, produce manager Loren Kartes always has been very helpful. Recently, he rounded up the foods I needed for a mango salsa, which our Herald team sold at Relay for Life event June 5.
The same can be said of meat department manager Denny Wynne. Just this week, he pointed out that the bay scallops that are on sale were a real good deal. He said it's hard to get them and when they do, they usually cost a bit more.
I like bay scallops. They are considered the best of the scallops available in the United States. They are very adaptable and easy to prepare. They also are highly nutritious, being rich in omega-3 oil and low in calories.
So, on Denny's suggestion, I bought some bay scallops. They were a perfect match for a nice red sauce, which we served over pasta.
I prepared the sauce by sauteeing about ¾ cup of diced onions, 2 stalks of diced celery and 3 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil. Then, I added a small can of tomato sauce, 4 tablespoons of tomato paste, about ½ cup of white wine, 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste.
After simmering the sauce for about 30 minutes, I added the scallops, and cooked for another 10 minutes. (You don't want to overcook scallops.) The result was fantastic.
I'm thinking about picking up a few more scallops and using them with the following recipe, which is flavor-packed with red peppers.
Pasta with Scallops and Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
¾ cup roasted red peppers, patted dry and coarsely chopped
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup low-fat ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small shallot, peeled, minced
1½ teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
½ pound pasta (about 3 cups dry)
½ pound dry (not soaked in water) sea scallops, patted dry
Place the garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Toast the garlic, shaking the pan often, until the skins are spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the garlic, cool and then peel and coarsely chop.
In a food processor place the garlic, peppers, Parmesan and ricotta cheese, parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallot, thyme and ¼ teaspoon salt; process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
At this point, the pesto can be covered with plastic wrap (press the wrap directly onto the surface of the pesto) and refrigerated up to 3 days.
Bring large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Season it with kosher salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often, until al dente, about 8 minutes. When done, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet in which the garlic was toasted. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and sear until nicely browned on each side, 3 minutes each side for 1½- to 2-inch diameter scallops.
Add the pesto to the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until it's a sauce consistency. Place in serving bowls and top with seared scallops.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 440 calories (27 percent from fat), 13 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 46 grams carbohydrates, 34 grams protein, 647 milligrams sodium, 56 milligrams cholesterol, 213 milligrams calcium, 3 grams fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/16/2009 at 7:56 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: bay scallops, chef jeff, recipes, ribs jeff tiedeman, scallops
Barbecue Ribs
Summer and barbecue ribs go together.
Take, for example, the recent rib fest in Fargo. A friend made a special trip to our neighbor to the south just to sample some tasty ribs. And this weekend, he talked about heading downtown to the Grand Cities Art Fest to try some of Famous Dave's ribs.
I can relate to the allure of ribs during the summer. One of my favorite memories of the two came back in the 1980s, on a visit to Kansas. My friend, Ted Frederickson, who was teaching journalism at Kansas University, took me to a Royals game. On the way to the stadium, we stopped off at Arthur Bryant's, one of the premiere places to get ribs in the country.
The temperature must have been close to 90, and probably was much higher inside the of the restaurant. But it didn't matter how hot it was. All I remember was being treated to one of the biggest and best racks of ribs my lips have ever tasted.
I still have an affection for ribs. In fact, when I'm done working today, a trip to the store for a rack of ribs might be in order.
And here is a recipe that I might have to try someday.
Barbecue Ribs
RIB SEASONING:
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons each: coarse salt, celery salt
1 tablespoon each: sweet ground paprika, ground red pepper
½ teaspoons ground cumin
RIBS:
4 racks spare ribs, trimmed
Hickory wood chips, (see note)
2 cups homemade or bottled Kansas City-style barbecue sauce (see following recipe)
Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat. Combine the rib seasoning ingredients in a medium bowl. Sprinkle seasoning over the ribs, shaking off any excess; set aside 15 minutes.
Place ribs over direct heat, skirt-side down. Cook until ribs start to brown, about 10 minutes; turn. Move the ribs away from the direct heat. Cover; cook, adding about ½ cup of the wood chips to the fire every 30 minutes, turning ribs occasionally, until meat is tender, about 2 hours, 10 minutes. Baste ribs lightly with barbecue sauce; cook, turning and basting every 8 minutes until well-coated, about 25 minutes.
Transfer to a platter; let rest 5 minutes. Serve with remaining barbecue sauce on the side.
Note: Hickory chips are available near bags of charcoal in the supermarket. Soak the chips 30 minutes to 1 hour; drain well.
Yield: Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 1,046 calories, 55 percent of calories from fat, 64 grams fat (23 grams saturated), 255 milligrams cholesterol, 53 grams carbohydrates, 63 grams protein, 2,247 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Kansas City Barbecue Sauce
1 24-ounce bottle ketchup
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup molasses
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, hot red pepper sauce
¼ teaspoon each: celery seeds, ground cumin, ground cloves
Combine all ingredients in a large non-reactive saucepan; heat to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors are blended, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.
Yield: 3 cups.
Approximate nutrition analysis per tablespoon: 45 calories, 1 percent of calories from fat, 0.1 grams fat (no saturated), no cholesterol, 11 grams carbohydrates, no protein, 210 milligrams sodium, no fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/14/2009 at 11:49 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: barbecue ribs jeff tiedeman, chef jeff, recipes
Wingin' It
I love hot stuff. Therese doesn't. So, whenever we go out to eat and there's something on the menu that even has the hint of hot, that's what I order.
The other night, we went to the Blue Moose in East Grand Forks. As has been the case a few times in the past, I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Salad, which comes with a bleu cheese dressing. I wasn't disappointed. The salad has a kick that is just perfect, and the chunks of bleu cheese were mouth-watering.
Buffalo chicken has become quite popular the past several years with the arrival on the eating scene of places such as Buffalo Wild Wings. Here is a recipe for some buffalo-style chicken wings and another for a bleu cheese dipping sauce for those of you who care to make your own. They'd be great at a party!
Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings
Peanut oil for frying
3 pounds chicken wings, washed, patted dry
½ cup favorite red hot pepper sauce
½ cup butter, melted
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
Heat about 3 inches of the peanut oil in a deep-fryer or deep pot to 375 degrees. (Alternatively, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.)
Working in batches, deep-fry the chicken wings about 10 to 12 minutes or until they are cooked through. Remove them from the hot oil and drain them on paper towels. Or, instead of frying, place the wings on a baking sheet and bake them, turning them halfway through baking, about 50 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the red hot pepper sauce, butter, garlic powder and seasoned salt.
Toss the cooked wings in the sauce.
If desired, you can place the sauced wings on a baking sheet and place them in a 400-degree oven for about 8 to 10 minutes to crisp them.
Yield: Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 587 calories (76 percent from fat), 49 grams fat (21 gram saturated), 4 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams protein, 1,228 milligrams sodium, 158 milligrams cholesterol, 27 milligrams calcium, 0.5 grams fiber.
Spicy Bleu Cheese Dressing
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
4 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon lemon juice
A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium bowl mash the blue cheese with the buttermilk; the mixture should look like cottage cheese.
Stir in the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and, if you like, the cayenne pepper. The mixture should be semismooth, yet with small lumps of blue cheese.
Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
This will keep up to two weeks if it's covered in the refrigerator.
Yield: About 1 cup.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/13/2009 at 8:35 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: buffalo chicken, buffalo wings, chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, recipes
Rhubarb Festival
If you don't have any plans between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, I have a suggestion. Head over to University Lutheran Church at 2122 University Ave. in Grand Forks for the annual Rhubarb Festival.
For those of you who never have been to the event, this is really something. I've been lucky enough to be a judge at the festival a couple of times and just had a blast. Rhubarb can be found in just about any kind of food you can imagine, and I'm not only talking desserts, although there will be plenty of them. You can get dessert and coffee for $3.
Besides an all-rhubarb bake sale, the festival will include the sale of quilts, cards, napkins, cutlery and craft items. And for those of you who are interested, there also is a lunch that's served for just $7.
I've always been a fan of rhubarb. I especially like the strawberry-rhubarb jam my mom makes each spring.
In honor of the festival, here are a couple of recipes you might try.
Rhubarb Cobbler
1½ pounds rhubarb, trimmed, cut into ½-inch pieces
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup water plus ¼ cup boiling water
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place rhubarb in an 8-inch-square baking dish; sprinkle with the baking soda. Set aside.
Combine the flour, ¼ cup of the sugar, 1 tablespoon of the butter, baking powder and ¼ teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the ½ cup water until mixture is crumbly; set aside. Combine the remaining ½ cup of the sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small bowl; mix until crumbly. Set aside.
Pour the boiling water over rhubarb. Top evenly with the flour mixture. Sprinkle with the sugar-butter mixture. Bake until bubbly and beginning to brown, 35 to 45 minutes.
Yield: Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 207 calories, 12 percent of calories from fat, 3 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 7 milligrams cholesterol, 44 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 345 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Rhubarb Marmalade
10 cassia buds (see note)
1 whole clove
1 whole green cardamom, smashed
1 star anise, broken into pieces
8 to 10 stalks rhubarb, chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup grenadine syrup
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 oranges
1 lemon
1 piece (2-inches long) ginger root, grated
Heat the cassia buds, clove, cardamom and star anise in a medium dry skillet over low heat. Cook until spices toast and become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Wrap in a piece of cheesecloth; tie with kitchen string. Set aside.
Mix the rhubarb, granulated sugar, grenadine syrup and brown sugar in a Dutch oven; stir in the cheesecloth packet. Set aside at least 8 hours.
Grate the zest of the oranges and lemons; reserve. Peel the fruit, divided into sections. Add the orange and lemon sections to the rhubarb mixture; add just enough cold water to barely cover. Heat mixture to a full boil over medium-high heat; lower heat to a simmer. Cook until rhubarb is soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the ginger and reserved zests. Stir 5 minutes, skim off foam; set aside to cool.
Pour into sterilized canning jars with lids, up to ¼ inch from the top; tighten lids. Process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes (or, refrigerate and use within several weeks).
Note: Cassia buds, dried flower buds from the cassia tree, also the source of cinnamon, are available in specialty spice shops.
Yield: About 5 to 6 cups.
Approximate nutritional analysis per tablespoon: 29 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 54 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 3 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/12/2009 at 7:50 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, recipes, rhubarb, rhubarb cobbler, rhubarb marmalade
Trout Time
It's been a couple of years since I wet a line. It's not that I don't like to fish. I really do. It just seems that whenever the opportunity to fish has arisen the past few years, something has always come up. Maybe that will change this summer.
I miss sitting in a boat on a nice sunny day and catching fish as much as the next person. And I like eating the catch even more.
When a friend at the gym talked about her night's supper plans, which included steelhead trout, I fondly recalled fishing for rainbows on Bad Medicine Lake in Minnesota and how good the fish tasted.
Granted, it wasn't walleye, but whenever I cooked trout, whether on the grill, pan-fried or poached, those babies sure were good.
Of course, you don't have to go fishing to get trout these days. It's readily available in grocery stores year-round. Steelhead trout, raised on fish farms often is on sale in fillet form in supermarkets. The flesh is bright red, much like Atlantic salmon, and tastes more or less like a leaner version of that other popular farmed species.
For those of you who do your fishing in the store, here's a recipe for steelhead cakes. And it would work for anglers, too.
Gingered Steelhead Cakes with Red Pepper Slaw
SLAW:
2 red bell peppers, cored, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, slivered
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon sugar
FISH CAKES:
¼ cup cornmeal
Salt, ground red pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1½ pounds steelhead or salmon fillet, skinned, cut into ¼-inch dice
12 saltines or 3 rye crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons each: butter, oil
Toasted split rolls for serving (optional)
For slaw, toss peppers in medium bowl with garlic, salt, black pepper, lemon zest and juice, oil and sugar. Set aside.
For cakes, mix cornmeal with salt and red pepper to taste in medium bowl. Set aside. Mix egg with ginger, garlic, soy sauce and pepper sauce in large bowl. Add steelhead; toss to coat. Stir in cracker crumbs. Form mixture into 8 cakes about ½- to ¾-inch thick. (If mixture is too wet, add more crushed cracker.) Coat cakes with cornmeal mixture, brushing off excess.
Heat 1 tablespoon each of the butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook 4 cakes, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Drain on warm plate lined with paper towels. Keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter, oil and cakes. Serve on buns if desired, accompanied by red pepper slaw.
Yield: Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 545 calories, 58 percent calories from fat, 35 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 170 milligrams cholesterol, 775 milligrams sodium, 21 grams carbohydrate, 37 grams protein, 2.5 grams fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/11/2009 at 8:11 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, rainbow trout, recipes, steelhead trout
Top Chop
Pork chops are one of those foods that I've always liked. And although we don't eat a lot of pork at our house, occasionally we do get some baby back ribs and cook them in homemade sauerkraut and have them with mashed potatoes. In my opinion, that's a meal you can't beat.
But as far as chops, I could probably count on one hand the number of times we've had them in the last 10 years. That's a far cry from when I was a kid, when we used to have them at least once every week or two, usually fried. What I remember most about those meals is Mom's homemade milk gravy. It was out of this world.
I've been getting the pork chop bug lately, especially after listening to a friend describe how he was going to put some homemade mango salsa on top of the next ones his wife fixes for him.
That got me to thinking about pulling out the grill and doing the same. About the only grilling I've done so far this spring has been on my Foreman. But with a bunch of homemade salsa (canned and fresh mango) just waiting to be eaten, I figure some pork chops with a topping of salsa might just be the way to break the ice.
As summer rolls along, there will be a lot of opportunities to make fresh salsas and sauces. Here's a nice sauce recipe for pork chops using fresh blueberries, which should be coming in season in the next month or so.
Glazed Pork Chops With Blueberry Wine Sauce
¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed and drained if frozen
½ cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, divided
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound boneless pork loin chops, cut ¾- to 1-inch thick
4 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
Combine blueberries and wine in a small saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and pressing down with the back of the spoon to extract the juice.
Combine olive oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, thyme, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Preheat grill to medium-high or allow coals to burn to white ash. Spray grill with nonstick spray. Grill chops 4 minutes; turn and cook 4 minutes. Brush balsamic vinegar mixture generously over each side of chops. Continue cooking about 3 minutes per side, or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees for medium doneness, brushing frequently with vinegar mixture. Remove from grill, cover and allow to stand 5 minutes.
Combine remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir well to dissolve cornstarch and set aside. Pour berries with liquid through a sieve, reserving juice. Press down gently with the back of a spoon to remove all of juice. Return juice to saucepan; discard fruit. Stir vinegar-cornstarch mixture again, then blend into juice in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until juice is thickened and bubbly.
Drizzle each serving of chop with about 1½ tablespoons sauce.
Yield: Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 192 calories (38 percent from fat), 8 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 7 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams protein, 561 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.
Grilled Pork Chops with Summertime Salsa
SALSA:
2 fresh peaches or 3 nectarines, peeled and cut into small cubes (2 cups)
¼ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint (optional)
1 cup fresh raspberries
PORK CHOPS:
6 boneless pork chops, 1-inch thick (about 1¾ pounds)
1½ teaspoons thyme leaves
1½ teaspoons rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
For the salsa, mix peaches, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon and mint, if desired, in medium bowl. Add raspberries; toss gently. Set salsa aside.
Trim excess fat from pork chops. Mix thyme, rosemary and steak seasoning. Rub herb mixture on both sides of pork chops.
Grill over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Serve pork chops with Salsa.
Yield: Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 174 calories, 6 grams fat, 8 grams carbohydrates, 55 milligrams cholesterol, 127 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber, 22 grams protein.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/10/2009 at 10:03 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, pork chops, recipes, salsa, sauce
Still Soup Weather
I can go for soup just about anytime during the year. It doesn't matter if it's 20 below zero or 80 above. However, most people prefer soup during the colder months, usually not the late spring and early summer months.
But here it is, the second week of June, and it's still soup weather. This morning at exercise, one of my friends talked about making soup for supper. And others agreed it was a good day for soup.
With temperatures in the 30s and 40s in the morning and barely reaching 60 most days, this has been a crazy spring. I think we've had only one day where the temperature has reached 80 degrees. That's very unusual.
I was in Minneapolis over the weekend, and it even was cold there, besides being wet. But I didn't hear a lot of complaining about the weather, since it's been so dry in southern Minnesota. People didn't seem to mind the cold because the rain was much appreciated.
When I got back home, I decided some sort of soup was in order. An interesting recipe in an old Reader's Digest caught my eye at my mother-in-law's, which fit the bill perfectly.
I plan on sharing that recipe soon on the Herald food page in an article about recipes that contain three types of beans.
But today, here's one for a hearty soup that can be ready in half an hour. It's one of my favorites. And by the looks of the forecast for this week, it might be just what the doctor ordered.
Pasta and Bean Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced yellow onion
½ cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
2½ cups canned low-sodium diced tomatoes (including juice)
1 cup sliced cabbage
2 ounces uncooked fusilli pasta (1 cup)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 cups fresh spinach, washed
1 cup rinsed and drained canned red beans
¼ pound lean smoked ham, cubed (about ¾ cup)
2 ounces shredded low-fat cheddar cheese (½ cup)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, cover and cook 5 minutes. Add cabbage and pasta. Raise heat and boil, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir vinegar into horseradish. Add to soup with spinach, beans and ham. Boil 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 532 calories (22 percent from fat), 13.3 grams fat (3.4 grams saturated), 33 milligrams cholesterol, 34 grams protein, 73.1 grams carbohydrates, 16.8 grams fiber, 752 milligrams sodium.
Soupa Fasolia
16 ounces dried white beans
2 large onions, peeled and diced
4 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery ribs, diced
½ cup olive oil
1 16-ounce can chopped tomatoes
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Soak beans overnight. Drain, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and rinse again. Return to pot and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.
Saute onion, carrots and celery in olive oil until golden. Add to the beans with the tomatoes and their juice, parsley, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
Cover pot and simmer until soup has thickened and beans are tender, about 2 hours. Check often to avoid sticking, adding more water if necessary. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
Yield: Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 434 calories (38 percent from fat), 18.9 grams fat (2.7 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 17.2 grams protein, 52.4 grams carbohydrates, 13.3 grams fiber, 109.2 milligrams sodium.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/09/2009 at 7:53 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, jeff tiedeman, pasta and bean soup, recipes, soup
Chili-Rubbed Tilapia with Mangoes
My hands are a little beat up today. And Therese's might be, too.
That's because last night, we put together about 8 gallons of homemade mango salsa that the Herald crew will be serving tonight at our Relay for Life site in University Park. We cut up mangoes, avocados, roma tomatoes, red onions and cilantro for the better part of four hours, and the result was some of the tastiest salsa I've ever eaten.
We'll be selling samples of the salsa, and I'll be giving a demo on how to make it at 7:30 p.m., right after the Relay's opening ceremonies. Everyone who buys a sample will be given a recipe card so they can make their own later if they so choose.
Last year's Grand Forks event raised nearly $70,000! Hope to see you there tonight.
And for all of you fish fans out there, here's a recipe that features tilapia topped with a mango salsa.
Chili-Rubbed Tilapia with Mango Salsa
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 Roma tomatoes, washed, diced
1 ripe medium mango, seed removed, peeled and diced
½ cup diced red onion
1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, diced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup canola oil, divided
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder or favorite chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
Sea salt to taste
4 skinless tilapia fillets (about 4 ounces each)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a heat-proof platter on the middle rack of the oven.
In a medium bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, mango, red onion, avocado, lime juice, 2 tablespoons canola oil, cilantro and black pepper; toss gently. Let the salsa sit at room temperature while you cook the fish.
In a small bowl, mix ¼ teaspoon black pepper with the chili powder, cumin, oregano and about ½ teaspoon sea salt or to taste. Rub both sides of the tilapia fillets with the mixture.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium-high heat until hot. Working in batches, cook two of the tilapia fillets until lightly browned and the flesh is opaque and cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the fish to the platter in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining two fillets. Transfer the fillets to the platter, and spoon half of the salsa on top. Serve with the remaining salsa on the side.
Yield: Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 402 calories (39 percent from fat ), 18 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 33 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams protein, 278 milligrams sodium, 57 milligrams cholesterol, 82 milligrams calcium, 12 grams fiber.
Posted by: jtfoodedit on 6/05/2009 at 8:32 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tags: chef jeff, chicken, jeff tiedeman, mango salsa, mangos, recipes, relay for life, tilapia
Blog Archive: Next »