Rice Pilaf

This is a rice pilaf recipe that I have been making for some time.  It is one of those sides that goes with just about anything.  It has wonderful flavor from the butter and from the chicken stock.  I like to add lots of black pepper.  There are many different variations of rice pilaf, but I particularly like adding the bits and pieces of spaghetti.  I am sure I would like some veggies thrown in, but the simplicity of this version is wonderful.

And I can't go on without at least mentioning Rice-a-roni.  I may have had an obsession with Rice-a-roni when I was a teenager.  Obsessed enough for my bestie to buy me 16 boxes of Rice-a-roni for my 16 birthday.  And this recipe is pretty much what is on the box except no seasoning packet.  We can all benefit from removing seasoning packets from our lives.  Can we all agree that serving "rice pilaf" is much more impressive than serving "rice-a-roni"?

One note on the liquid/rice ratio, it might vary a bit depending on what kind of rice you use (like if you use a regular short or long-grain rice rather than jasmine).  It also might depend on where you live.  In CO, I always had to use a lot more liquid.  It is pretty hard to screw this up, though.  You can always add more liquid if the rice and noodles have absorbed all the liquid  but aren't full cooked.  It is not very sensitive at all.  Jasmine rice is very nice in this, though, since it isn't nearly as sticky as the regular long grain.  And  I just prefer the chew quality.

This is, of course, not to be overshadowed by the lobster tail and dish of butter sitting along side it.  Apparently, we were in the midst of "lobster season" the past several months and no one told me.  Sort of rude.  I didn't move out East to miss lobster season.

If you are wondering, I used this method for cooking the lobster tail.  It was magical.  

Rice Pilaf

adapted from Rachael Ray

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 heaping cup of broken spaghetti bits (about 1 inch pieces)

1 1/2 cup jasmine rice

2 1/2 cups chicken broth or water

Salt and lots of black pepper

In a medium saucepan melt butter over moderate heat. Add thin spaghetti bits and rice and brown for 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth or water, salt and pepper, and bring liquid to a full boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer and cook rice 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

(Servings: 4-6, Prep time: 10 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  1/5

Dishwashing Effort:  1/5

Kale, Tomato and Goat Cheese Twice Baked Potato

Day 164 in this new city and I still don't remember how to get from my house to the grocery store.  Unfortunately, that is not a joke.  Being an idiot is a constant struggle.

I am doing a new thing here on foodforscot.  It probably won't change your life.  But if it does, it might make be feel a little better about being navigationally challenged.  

I have been stocking up recipe after recipe (aka photo after photo) of all these meals I have made over the past 5-6 crazy months of my life.  I haven't posted them because many of them are "ideas" rather than recipes.  And I am lazy!  They are just things I whip up when I don't want to recipe test and just want to cook and eat without figuring out how much of this and how much of that and how long for this, etc.  So...stay tuned for weird, random, maybe overly obvious meals, recipes and ideas.  I don't know how long this will last, but I hope for it to be frequent and fun.  Which is why I will call this series:

Food Ideas for You from Me 

First up in this series are these twice baked potatoes.  You may know/remember my thing with baked potatoes.  But can I just re-iterate that a good baked potato can seriously make you feel like all is right in the world.  It has to be the most under-rated potato side.  Even I, the number one fan of the baked potato, sometimes discriminate.  I usually stuff them with steamed broccoli, cheese and/or bacon, but this kale, tomato and goat cheese version is amazing.  Make sure you respect the preparation of the baked potato.  The key to a good baked potato is to really scrub the potato skin so that it is super clean.  Because when it is oiled and sprinkled with salt and pepper before baking, it makes the most delicious crispy skin to enjoy.  If you make a good baked potato or twice baked potato, you will scarf down the entire things (including the skin).  

PS:  I have been pretty good about updating the recipe index, sometimes it is 1-6 recipes behind.  I updated the weeknight meals tab with a few things last night.  I still have a few more things to add, but will continue to update.  The restaurants tab is in need of some updating.  Fortunately and unfortunately, I have a LOT of new places to add.  

2012 foodforscot Kitchen Tip:  Keep a lot of kitchen towels around.  I probably have 30+.  Use them frequently.  Replace them frequently.  Use them to wipe down your cutting board, to dry produce, to wipe off your hands as you cook, to wipe off your knife, to wipe down your pan, etc.  I feel like for the longest time I skimped on my dish towel use (afraid of laundry maybe...?), but now I use one or two a day and it makes my time in the kitchen flow so much better.  Also, have a variety of types.  I like those thin white ones, thick towel-y ones, big ones, those hatch patter ones, etc.  All good for different things.  

Kale, Tomato and Goat Cheese Twice Baked Potato

3 baking potatoes

olive oil

2 ounces of goat cheese

3 tablespoons of butter

3 ounces of Monterey jack, shredded

1 bunch of kale, rinsed, dried, stems removed and chopped

1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash potatoes under water and scrub the skin clean. Takes about 2 minutes per potato. Completely dry the potatoes with a kitchen towel. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place potatoes on baking sheet and pierce each potato several times with a fork. Liberally coat potatoes with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in oven until fork tender. Usually takes about an hour for a medium sized potato.

While potatoes are baking, heat up some olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped kale and cook for about 15 minutes until kale is cooked down and wilted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Remove potatoes from oven and let cool slightly (or enough so that you can work with them…if you have hands of steel, start right away). It helps to cut them in half length-wise and let them sit for a few minutes to cool down. After the potatoes are sliced in half length-wise, scoop out the insides leaves about 1/4 inch of flesh and skin so that potatoes don’t fall apart. Mash together the potato insides, goat cheese, butter, some of the Monterey jack cheese (leave enough to top off the potato halves), and salt and pepper, to taste. After mixture is somewhat homogeneous, add the cooked kale and cherry tomatoes and fold to combine. Fill each of the six potato halves with the mixture and top with remaining Monterey jack cheese. Place back on baking sheet and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly golden brown.

(Servings: 3-6, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 1.5 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Green Israeli Couscous

Have I talked yet about feta?  Until a few years ago, I always bought pre crumbled feta.  It was just easier to sprinkle it in.  But also, I used to shop where there were just two options:  crumbled and not crumbled.  Same brand usually, just two options.  And whether IIII crumbed it myself or not, it always tasted the same.  

But please listen to me people: don't buy feta that way.  It is so dry.  So chalky.  And while that salty bite is nice, the real deal feta is 3000 times better.  

The real deal that I am talking about is the block of feta that sits in a liquid (like fresh mozzarella).  I wish I had a picture, but I am not that smart.  It is so soft, full of moisture, but still has the salty, tangy wonderfulness that we all need in our feta.  It is so good you would actually want to eat it by itself.  Go for it!  I promise you will be happy you did.  

Using a good feta is probably crucial to our 9 and 10 ratings.  The Israeli couscous is tossed with feta, peas, sauteed zucchini, pistachios, and some lemon zest and juice.  I used fresh English peas, but frozen wouldn't be detrimental to the dish.  I just think this mixture is perfect.  

Also, pistachios are close to my heart.  I have fond memories sitting around the table with my family, and especially with my grandma, shelling and eating pistachios.  I remember one particular time when my grandma and I were eating them and talking about how good they were and my grandma told me they were bad for us or had a lot of fat in them, something like that.  And I asked her why.  She goes, "anything that tastes this good, can't be good for you."  Amen.  But, then again, when I was really young I asked my grandma if there was fat in water and she goes, "Honey, there is fat is grandma's water."

Green Israeli Couscous

based off of Joy the Baker

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups dry Israeli Couscous

generous pinch of salt

1 zucchini, diced

2 cups fresh English peas, boiled in salted water for about 5 minutes and drained

4-5 green onions, sliced

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2-1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup roasted and salted pistachios

salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

about 3 tablespoons olive oil

about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a medium saucepan, bring three cups of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, followed by Israeli couscous. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until couscous is just tender, with a slight bite, about 10 to 13 minutes. Drain into a fine mesh strainer and set aside.

In the meantime, in a large skillet, sauté the zucchini in a little bit of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add cooked couscous and cooked peas. Toss with the rest of the ingredients, taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  10/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Oven Fries

When I first started cooking, I roasted everything in oven.  Roasted potatoes.  Roasted asparagus.  Roasted onions.  Roasted Brussels sprouts.  Roasted mixed veg.  I don't know why because my parents didn't cook that way growing up.  It was just a method I snatched on to and held tight.

And don't get me wrong, roasted veg. is good.  Great.  But, I don't think I ever gave the roasting process the respect it deserves.  Until I tried this recipe for oven fries.  And I have been making these puppies for 3 years running.  Genius!  This recipe is perfect.

I have to be honest.  There is a part of me that wants to scream/cry/throw things when I have to follow an obsessive compulsive recipe like this.  I love perfection in cooking and recipe writing, but I also hate reading and re-reading and checking a recipe while I am cooking.  I do it, though, because I know it is the only way to expand my tool box.  My friend always talks about her tool box and how she continues to learn and grow in her career by constantly filling her tool box with "tools" that she can whip out, as needed.  That is how trying recipes is for me.  If you try out enough recipes, you will find some real gems that will come in handy later (i.e. feeding guests).  AND lots of recipes are morphed versions of each other, so trying out new ones ain't even so bad.

This is why I try approximately 5 new recipes each week.  It is also why I am not dealing out original recipes left and right.  I am still building my tool box, man!  I can invent a pasta dish, a salad, a sandwich...I can definitely copy other people's genius ideas without a recipe.  But with all the great chefs out there with infinitely bigger toolboxes than me, I am happy finding and sharing my tools with you.

And this recipe is the perfect example of the development of a method that is really impressive.  If you are going to try this, follow the rules!  Heavy baking sheet!  Exactly 5 tablespoons of light cooking oil (not olive oil)!  Cover, uncover, flip, switch, rotate.  These are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  And don't try to make fries healthy.  Just eat something else. And eat these less.  Than healthy things.  Kisses.  

Oven Fries

from Cook’s Illustrated

NOTE: Take care to cut the potatoes into evenly sized wedges so that all of the pieces will cook at about the same rate. Although it isn't required, a nonstick baking sheet works particularly well for this recipe. It not only keeps the fries from sticking to the pan but, because of its dark color, encourages deep and even browning. Whether you choose a nonstick baking sheet or a regular baking sheet, make sure that it is heavy duty. The intense heat of the oven may cause lighter pans to warp.

3 russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), peeled, each potato cut lengthwise into 10 to 12 evenly sized wedges

5 tbsp vegetable oil or peanut oil

Salt and ground black pepper

Adjust oven rack to lowest position; heat oven to 475 degrees. Place potatoes in large bowl and cover with hot tap water; soak 10 minutes. Meanwhile, coat 18 by 12-inch heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet (see note) with 4 tablespoons oil and sprinkle evenly with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.

Drain potatoes. Spread potatoes out on triple layer of paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels. Rinse and wipe out now-empty bowl; return potatoes to bowl and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange potatoes in single layer on prepared baking sheet; cover tightly with foil and bake 5 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until bottoms of potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using metal spatula and tongs, scrape to loosen potatoes from pan, then flip each wedge, keeping potatoes in single layer. Continue baking until fries are golden and crisp, 5 to 15 minutes longer, rotating pan as needed if fries are browning unevenly.

Transfer fries to second baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and serve.

(Servings: 3-4, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 35 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Rosti

Rosti is a delicious potato dish that we frequently had while we were in Switzerland.  All of the signature Swiss dishes that we had are made of some combo of potato, cheese and pork.  

I guess it is a lot like hash browns, but I like to think the process is more refined.  This recipe calls for boiling the potatoes first and using a waxy potato (like yukon gold).  I thought both choices were key to Rosti, but apparently both issues are widely disputed.  I really enjoyed the waxy potato and also really enjoyed the fluffiness from boiling the potatoes before grating them.  

We had this with a winter kale salad and some cinnamon, apple chicken sausages.  

Rosti

from A Taste of Switzerland by Sue Style

2 1/4 lbs firm waxy potatoes

salt and pepper

4 tbsp butter

2 tsp olive oil

The quintessential Swiss-German dish, a bit like has browns but crustier: boiled potatoes are skinned, grated and pan-fried till golden. Firm, waxy potatoes are essential, as is a heavy-based, preferably non-stick pan.

Boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, peel and grate potatoes coarsely and season with salt and pepper. Heat half the butter and oil in a heavy frying pan and press the potatoes in to make a cake.

Cook over moderate heat for about 20 minutes or until the bottom is golden and crusty.

Invert the Rosti on to a plate. Heat the rest of the butter and oil in the pan, slide the Rosti back into the pan and cook the second side – about 10 minutes more.

(Servings 4, Prep time: ~1 day, Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:  

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

This was a great side dish.  We had this with the grilled chicken stuffed with goat cheese with smoked chile-cilantro sauce that I posted yesterday.  

I have been wanting to try Israeli couscous for a long time.  It is much different regular couscous.  Almost more like orzo but spherically shaped.  It also cooks like pasta, not instant.  And I really like it.  It has a nice texture.  I would say it lends itself well to being paired with grilled veggies, especially if it is toasted first.  I am always looking for new sides to make when we grill out.  This is a great one.  

Toasted Israeli Couscous Salad with Grilled Summer Vegetables

by Bobby Flay via Food Network

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 green zucchini, quartered lengthwise

2 yellow zucchini, quartered lengthwise

6 spears asparagus, trimmed

12 cherry tomatoes

1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded

1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded

1/4 cup basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into

thin strips)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound Israeli couscous

2 cups vegetable stock, heated

Hot water to cover

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 the marinade over the vegetables and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat the grill. Remove the vegetables from the marinade and grill the vegetables until just cooked through. Cut the zucchini and peppers into 1/2-inch pieces, cut the tomatoes in half. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the couscous and toast until lightly golden brown. Cover the couscous with the hot stock plus hot water and bring to a boil, cook until al dente and drain well. Place in a large serving bowl, add the grilled vegetables and herbs and toss with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature.

(Servings: 8, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 20 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips (and salsa)

Special Guest Bloggers…The Darnall Sisters!

I couldn't be more excited to introduce you to the Darnall sisters.  Look them, aren't they cute?:

They embarked on their very own culinary adventure and I wanted to share it with you.  Nicole (left) is my bff and roomie from college.  She is a true foodie and can make a mean side of green beans.  In college, I could always count on her for sushi night.  Shelly (right), is Nicole's little sis and loves to cook (she is a big fan of Dave Lieberman).  She has great taste in food and was the one to introduce me to kosher dogs (my one true love).  So, here is their story:

Voice of Nicole:

The idea to make homemade tortilla chips originated from our herb garden. Several months ago, Shelly ever -so -nicely planted an herb garden containing rosemary, chives, cilantro and green beans.  Today, the garden is totally OVERRUN with cilantro. I mean, it’s like a cilantro forest out there.  Soooo…I asked,“What can we do with all this cilantro?” Shelly said, “Let’s make salsa! I have corn tortillas, we can make our own chips!”

I will admit, I was a bit skeptical about making our own chips.  What if the salsa was amazing, but the chips were awful? Then what would we do? We decided to go for it.

The recipe calls for peanut oil to fry the tortillas in. I found peanut oil from 2008 in the pantry. Naturally, I g-chatted Shanon with this cooking dilemma. She said to ditch the 2008 peanut oil and just use regular old veggie oil. Sold.

We don’t have a deep fryer or anything, so we just heated up the oil in a small frying pan.  When we were sure it was hot enough (tested it with a small piece and it sizzled) we threw several slices of tortilla in there. To my amazement, they started to sizzle and cook immediately! Be sure to watch them good, they brown up real fast. Also, we used a flipper thing to turn them over and brown the other side.

Caution: make sure your kitchen is well ventilated when you start this process. We had the fan on over our stove AND windows open and two days later-the house still smells like the back of a McDonalds. Its getting better, but it seriously smelled gross after. 

We just seasoned the chips with kosher salt right away as they came out of the oil. They stay hot and sizzle for a while, so we put them on paper towels to cool.

I’m not going to expand about the salsa as I did not participate in making it. But Shelly said it was really easy and it did taste amazing. I think she used less onion then it called for.

Shelly chimes in:

A little bit about the salsa, it’s just your typical pico variety. 4 plum tomatoes, ¼ big white onion (I don’t like red onions, but choose your favorite), cilantro (I used plenty), ½ jalapeno (I would use more next time, I like spice), pressed garlic clove, juice of a whole lime and s & p. Done.  J 

Back to Nicole:

Oh, and did you know that you can freeze cilantro? I did not know this. Shelly did. Since we have that forest in our back yard, Shelly cut a bunch of it up and froze with some water in an ice cube tray. She said that later we can just thaw out the cubes and dry out the cilantro to use it. Crazy!

Here are the recipes.

Oven-Fried Onion Rings

We had these with some Ina Garten sliders.  I would make them again just for the smell!  They were amazingly crunchy and the onions were perfectly cooked.  Just the way an onion ring should be.  And when you bite into them, the onion stays with the breading!  Scot and I really enjoyed these.  

I think the potato chip coating is genius.  It takes a little bit away from the health benefits of baking rather than frying, but it gives the onion rings such a nice crunch.  This could also easily be made gluten-free by using only potato chips and gluten-free flour.    

The baking was pretty hassle free, but the assembly does take some time.  

Oven-Fried Onion Rings

from Brown Eyed Baker, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 ground black pepper

30 saltine crackers

4 cups kettle-cooked potato chips

2 large yellow onions, cut into 24 rings (see Note 1)

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place 1/4 cup flour in shallow baking dish. Beat egg and buttermilk together in bowl. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup flour, cayenne, salt and pepper into buttermilk mixture. Pulse saltines and potato chips together in food processor until finely ground; 8 to 10 pulses.

Place crumb mixture in second shallow baking dish.

Working one at a time, dredge each onion ring in flour, shaking off excess. Dip rings in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl, then drop into crumb coating, turning rings to coat evenly.

Transfer coated rings to large plate or tray.

Pour 3 tablespoons oil onto each of two rimmed baking sheets. Place baking sheets in oven and heat until just smoking, about 8 minutes. Carefully tilt heated sheets to coat evenly with oil, then arrange onion rings on sheets. Baking, flipping onion rings and switching and rotating position of baking sheets halfway through baking, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes. Briefly drain onion rings on paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately.

Note 1: Slice the onions into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, separate the rings, and discard any rings smaller than 2 inches in diameter. It will depend on the size of your onions, but both of mine ended up being sliced into 4 to get the 1/2-inch-thick rounds.

Note 2: The onion rings can be breaded in advance and refrigerated for up to an hour. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking them; if baked while still chilled from the refrigerator, the onions will not cook enough to soften and will remain crunchy.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 45 min., Cook time: 25 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version