I meant to say "Spanish Tortilla" instead of "Spanish Omelet". I have a Spanish Tortilla recipe from Ann, and that is what I started with. Mine is very similar to hers, except that I cut it in half to make three servings, and I added chilies and cheese plus the sprinkling of thyme. I even sliced the potatoes the same thickness, even though I had not looked at that recipe for a while. Also, I omitted the black pepper, since I used chilies. Ann's recipe is probably similar to Sharon's, and it is also similar to Craig Claiborne's from The New York Times Cookbook, which I received in one of the swaps. Lars

Heavens, I didn't realize that I had so many favourites! Here they are: In Spain, gambas al ajillo is a favorite tapa, served sizzling hot in shallow earthenware casseroles called cazuelas. Good crusty bread is a must for dunking in the sauce. 3/4 pound small shrimp in their shells Salt Paprika, preferably Spanish 4 tablespoons olive oil 4 garlic cloves, sliced 1 small dried red chili pepper, seeds removed and cut in half, or 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon dry white wine (vermouth is fine) 2 tablespoons minced parsley Shell the shrimp. (It's not necessary to devein them.) Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Heat the oil, garlic and chili peppers or pepper flakes in a medium skillet. When the garlic is just beginning to brown, add the shrimp and cook, stirring, about 1 minute, or until just done and firm to the touch. Stir in the lemon juice, wine and parsley. Serve immediately, preferably in a small casserole. It should be brought to the table still sizzling. Makes 4 appetizer or tapa servings. -- "Tapas and More Great Dishes of Spain" by Janet Mendel ****************************** Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Makes: 8 servings Ingredients for Salmon: 2 1/2 lbs salmon fillets, cut into 16, 1 inch wide fingers 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil juice and zest of one lemon 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 TBSP chopped fresh dill salt and white pepper to taste lemon slices for garnish 2 to 3 cups baby salad greens Ingredients for Tzatziki Sauce: 1/2 cup yoghurt 1/4 cup sour cream 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 English cucumber, coarsely grated and squeezed of its moisture 1 TBSP fresh dill chopped salt, fresh cracked black pepper and lemon juice to taste Preparation: Salmon can be cooked the night before and served cold the next day. 1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic and dill in a bowl and brush it over the salmon. 2. Cover salmon with foil and bake for 15 minutes, or until just cooked through. Uncover and cool to room temperature. 3. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving the fish in the pan and put it in the fridge. 4. Combine the tzatziki ingredients in a bowl and store in the fridge until needed. 5. Make a bed of the salad greens on a serving platter, arrange the salmon on top, garnish with lemon slices and serve the tzatziki alongside. Source: Eric Akis Victoria Times Colonist **************************** Serves 4 - 6 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) (120 ml) Scotch whisky 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz) (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice 4 TBSP soy sauce 5 - 6 TBSP olive oil 1 TBSP freshly ground black pepper 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 1/4 lbs (1 kg) salmon fillet, skin on 1. Whisk together the orange juice, whisky, soy sauce, olive oil, pepper and garlic and put into a baking dish measuring 9 x 13 inches, (23 x 32 cm). skin side up. Cover with plastic film and put in fridge for 6 - 8 hours. 2. Preheat a grill or barbecue. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place skin side down on the rack. Cook over a medium high heat for 10 - 13 minutes (if using a barbecue, cover with the lid) or until salmon just flakes with a fork. Be careful not to overcook. Source: Adapted from: Rick Gallops GI Diet Green-Light Cookbook My comments: this was such an easy recipe . I baked it on a tray in my little countertop oven. The salmon marinated for 24 hours in the fridge due to a change of plans and the marinade was so tasty that after the salmon was removed I put the rest of it in a small saucepan, quickly boiled it up for a minute and we spooned it over the fish at the table. Source: Rick Gallop's GI Diet Green-Light Cookbook ************************ This is a favourite recipe from my daughter in Canada who has made herself popular in her neighbourhood with Preheat oven to 375 degrees F Pastry: Easy - doesn't require rolling, just press down with fingers and back of a spoon into a 24 cm (9.5 inch) pyrex flan dish or pie plate. 1 - 1/2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup cheddar cheese (grated) 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped Mix these ingredients in a bowl, cutting in butter with two knives until crumbly then press into a pie dish, including up the sides. Bake in pre-heated oven for five minutes. Then remove from oven. Meanwhile mix the following ingredients in a bowl: Filling: 3 eggs beat till frothy 3/4 cup sour cream 1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated) 1/2 onion, chopped 1 can salmon (7 3/4 ounces) - I prefer fresh piece salmon that has been baked - 'smoked salmon' is really good too. 1/4 cup mayonnaise Pour these ingredients into the pie crust - bake in oven approximately 45 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean. The top is usually a nice golden brown colour. If you don't have salmon on hand, tinned tuna works well too in this recipe. Here's another one I like to make which we enjoy: Mix together to a paste: 1 slice of cooked salmon, 1 med onion minced and browned in pan, 2 cups cold, leftover cooked potato, sliced then mashed, 2 eggs, 1/3 c fine breadcrumbs with parsley, S & P and dried herbs. Formed patties using hands and a soupspoon, then coated them with more fine (like sand) breadcrumbs, fried lightly in a bit of oil about 3 minutes each side. Made 10 salmon cakes. This also works with a small tin of pink flaked salmon instead of fresh. If you are able to buy salt cod you may want to try these Spanish recipes: Bacalao a La Vizcaina - Biscay Style Salt Cod ************************************************************ Ingredients: 2 lbs (1 kg) dry salt cod, soaked 2/3 cup (150 ml) - olive oil 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 12 dried, sweet red peppers (or substitute 1 TBS paprika) 3 1/2 oz (100 grams) - diced bacon 2 onions, chopped 1 TBS chopped parsley 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped pepper 1) Soak cod for 24 hours, changing the water 4 or 5 times. After the salt cod has soaked, cut it into large pieces and remove any scales and bones. Pat dry. 2) Place the oil and chopped garlic in an earthenware casserole and heat gently. Add the cod and let it stew in the oil until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain off the oil and reserve it. Meanwhile, pour boiling water over the dried peppers and let them soak for an hour. 3) Add a spoonful of the reserved oil to an earthenware casserole or frying pan with the diced bacon. Let it fry for a few minutes, then add the chopped onions and parsley. Let them stew very slowly for 30 minutes without allowing them to brown. 4) Remove stems and seeds from peppers, cut them up and add to the onions with a little of their liquid. Add tomatoes. Season with pepper. Cook another 30 minutes, adding liquid as needed. 5) Put in blender or processor and process until peppers are finely chopped. Rub the sauce through a sieve and pour it over the cod in the first casserole. Add another spoonful of the reserved oil and a little liquid. 6) Cook slowly (or bake) another 30 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary. The sauce should be thick. Serves 6. As a lenten dish, the bacon would be omitted. Source: 'The Best of Spanish Cooking' Janet Mendel Bacalao Encebollado - Cod with Onions ************************************************** Ingredients: 250 grams (8 oz) salt cod 1 green pepper 1 onion chilli pepper (optional) olive oil Desalt the cod in various changes of water for 36 - 48 hours, depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove the skin and bones and cut into pieces. Slice the onion into rings and the pepper in strips and poach gently in oil. When they are done, add the cod and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Add a few rings of chilli pepper to taste. Serve the cod and vegetables on slices of bread. Bacalao al Ajo Arriero - Cod with Garlic ************************************************* Ingredients: 499 grams (13 oz) salt cod 1 onion 3 cloves garlic tomato sauce 1 sweet red pepper (pimiento chorizero) Chilli pepper olive oil salt 1) Leave the cod to soak in cold water for 36 - 48 hours, depending on the thickness, to remove the salt, changing the water several times. After this time, remove the skin and bones and chop the fish into small pieces. 2) In a saucepan with water, cook the skin and bones for 5 minutes to prepare a stock. 3) Chop the onion, slice the garlic and sauté gently in a frying pan. Soak the peppers in water, remove the flesh and add to the pan when the onion begins to brown, together with a touch of chilli and 6 TBS of tomato sauce. 4) When it begins to cook, add the cod, fry briefly and add a little stock. Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Serve hot. Source: 'Classic Tapas' Rafael de Haro Tuna Paté Turnovers (Empanadas de Atun) -------------------------------------------------------------- 3 different recipes for the pastry: Recipe 1: 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour 1 TBS cooking oil 1 TBS baking powder 3/4 cup cold water Method: Put flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Put the oil, salt and baking powder in the well, add the water and mix together. Mix with hands until the dough no longer sticks to hands. Then roll out with rolling pin and cut out circles with saucer. Fill each with mixture, fold over to form half moon and close with tines of a fork. Deep fry in abundant oil. Recipe 2: 3 TBS lard 1 small glass (4 oz) olive oil 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour Method: Mix the lard, oil and flour to a consistency suitable for pastry. Leave for half an hour, then roll out thinly on a floured board. Cut out saucer-sized circles, place some filling on one side, flip over to the other side to cover, press the edges together and flute with a fork to decorate. Pierce one side with a fork and fry in abundant hot oil and drain on kitchen paper. Source: The Best of Canary Island Cookery Recipe 3: 2 1/4 cups +2 TBS (275 grams)all purpose flour 1/2 cup (100 grams) butter or lard 1/2 teasp salt 6 1/2 TBS (100 ml) water or wine Method: Place the flour in a bowl and add chilled butter or lard, cutting it in with a knife until mixture is crumbly. Add salt and then the liquid. Mix into a ball and knead very briefly on a floured board. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours. Roll out the pastry dough and cut into circles about 4 in (10 cms). Place a teaspoon of filling on each pastry round and fold over, closing and crimping the edges with the tines of a fork. Fry the empanadas a few at a time in hot oil until golden or bake in a preheated hot oven. Source: The Best of Spanish Cooking - Janet Mendel FILLINGS: ---------------- Tuna Paté - 4 recipes Recipe 1: 2/3 cup (150 grams) butter 3 hard boiled eggs 11 oz (approx 300 grams) drained tuna in oil 2 small tins anchovies pepper Method: Soften butter and put in blender, adding all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Put in container in fridge or spread on pastry rounds to make deep fried turnovers. Recipe 2: 1 tin tuna drained 1 small tin red sweet pimento drained 3 small triangle portions of soft spread cheese (eg Laughing Cow) Method: Blend together and put in fridge or make into tuna paté turnovers. Recipe 3: 2 tins tuna in olive oil, drained 1 small tin anchovies, drained 1 hard cooked egg Method: Chop together and blend until smooth, using a bit of oil from the tins to moisten. Use as paté or in turnovers. Recipe 4: 2 eggs 1 tin of tuna in oil 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped 1/2 onion, minced Method: Boil the eggs 10 minutes until hard cooked. Finely chop together the tuna and hard cooked eggs, the red pepper and the onion. Fill the circles of pastry, fold over and close with tines of a fork. Deep fry until golden. ************************** Grilled Shrimp with Romesco Sauce Romesco is a Catalan pepper sauce which is truly sensational, particularly with grilled fish and shellfish. But it can accompany any grilled meat or poultry or, thinned with a bit of water, serve as a dressing for veggies or salads. Large, unpeeled jumbo shrimp (prawns) 3 ripe medium tomatoes 1 head of garlic 2 tablespoons paprika, preferably Spanish 1 toasted chili pepper, seeds removed or dried pepper flakes to taste 1 dozen almonds, blanched and peeled 2 dozen hazelnuts, skinned 1 slice country style bread, toasted 1 tablespoon parsley 2/3 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vinegar Freshly ground pepper Roast the tomatoes and garlic in a hot oven (400 degrees) until the tomatoes' skins split, about 15 minutes. Remove. Skin the tomatoes, cut them in half and remove seeds. Skin all of the garlic cloves. Put the tomatoes, garlic, paprika, chili pepper, pepper flakes, almonds, hazelnuts, bread, parsley and part of the olive oil into a food processor. Process until you have a smooth puree. Beat in the remaining oil, salt, vinegar and pepper. The sauce should be the consistency of thick cream. If too thick, thin with a little water or white wine. The romesco sauce can be made in advance. Bring it to room temperature before servng. Makes enough for 3 to 4 dozen shrimp. Grill the shrimp on a hot griddle which has been brushed with oil and sprinkled with coarse salt. They will need only a minute or two on each side. Serve with the sauce. -- "Tapas and More Great Dishes of Spain" by Janet Mendel ************************* INGREDIENTS: 4 - 6 thick round slices or fillets of perch, hake or other mild, meaty white fish 2 handfuls of spinach or Swiss chard - roughly chopped 1 handful of flatleaf Italian parsley - roughly chopped 3 ripe tomatoes - skinned and cut into large dice 1 ripe tomato sliced 1 handful of spring onion - or 1 leek, finely chopped, including all green parts 2 lbs potatoes - peeled and sliced into rounds 3 fat cloves garlic, sliced 1/3 cup pine nuts 1/3 cup raisins olive oil, salt & pepper flour for dredging Utensils needed: Large shallow earthenware, Pyrex or Corningware ovenproof casserole; large frying pan. METHOD: 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut any bones from fish, season both sides with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. 2. Heat about 3 TBS oil in large frypan on stove. When oil is hot, cook fish in pan until nearly done, turning once. Depending on thickness, that should be about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Remove fish and set aside on a plate. 3. Add a bit more oil to pan and when hot put in sliced potatoes to cover bottom of pan. You will probably have to do this 2 or 3 portions at a time. Sauté potatoes and when golden turn each slice over using two forks or spatulas. As potatoes cook, remove them and place in bottom of casserole dish. 4. When all potatoes have been removed from pan, quickly brown the slices of garlic and the pinenuts in the same oil - that takes only a few seconds. Remove them and put on a small plate. 5. Place the three diced tomatoes in pan and lightly fry them for 3 - 4 minutes. Add all the chopped greens and parsley, the garlic, pinenuts and raisins to the tomato in the pan and mix together well, cooking for about 1 minute. 6. Place the pieces of fish on top of the potatoes in the casserole and arranged the one sliced tomato on top. Spoon the green vegetable mixture over all. 7. Cover the casserole with a sheet of tinfoil and place in heated oven for about 15 minutes. Source: translated and adapted from: 'Morter sa_Greixonera' ************************** PAELLA Ingredients: 1 dozen clams or mussels 1/2 kilo/1 lb prawns 1 small chicken cut up 200 grams / 7 oz boneless pork 75 ml/ 2 1/2 fl oz olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1 bay leaf 1 small onion, minced 2 green peppers 1 squid (about 300 gr/10 oz) 2 large tomatoes, peeled 1/2 kilo/1lb short grain rice 1 1/4 litres/2 1/4 pints hot liquid 1/2 teasp saffron (1/2 gr) 10 peppercorns 1/2 teasp sweet paprika 2 teasp salt 1 small tin red pimento 100 gr/3 1/2 oz cooked peas 1. Scrub the clams or mussels and steam them open. Black mussel shells with their creamy-orange flesh are especially attractive. Remove a half shell and discard, reserving shellfish on one shell. Strain and reserve the liquid. 2. Peel the prawns, saving several, unpeeled, for garnish. Cook the unpeeled ones in a little water and set aside. Prawn shells can be boiled in water for 15 minutes, then strained, and the liquid reserved for cooking the rice. 3. Cut the chicken into very small serving pieces. Typically in Spain it would be hacked into tiny pieces for quick cooking, which unfortunately makes for bone splinters. If desired, wings, back and neck can be cooked separately for stock. Cut the pork into small cubes. 4. In the paella pan heat half the oil and in it toast the garlic and bay-leaf. Remove and set aside. 5. In the same oil, slowly brown the chicken pieces with the pork. The chicken should be half-cooked in the browning process. 6. Now add the minced onion, and green pepper cut in strips to the oil. Sauté a few minutes. 7. Add the pieces of cleaned squid and fry for several minutes. 8. Add the chopped tomatoes and raise the heat to high so that they 'fry' in the oil. Add remaining oil at this point and heat well. 9. Combine the reserved cooking liquids - prawn, mussel and chicken - plus water. You should have approximately double the volume of liquid to rice, i.e., 2 cups rice, 4 cups liquid. Add the liquid to the paella pan and cook on a high heat. 10. In a mortar or teacup crush the saffron, peppercorns, paprika, garlic, bay-leaf and salt. Dilute with a little liquid from the pan, or in a little white wine, and add to the paella. Stir it in well. Cook on a medium heat until chicken is partially cooked. 5 minutes. Add the peeled prawns. 11. Add the rice to the boiling liquid in the pan and stir it to distribute evenly. (Or, add rice to the pan first and then add boiling liquid.) 12. Cook for a few minutes at high heat, then turn the heat down and let the paella continue cooking. Shake the pan occasionally, but do not stir the rice, as this breaks the grains. The rice will crust slightly on the bottom, but should not scorch. Add a little more liquid into the centre as necessary. 13. Decorate the top with the reserved clams and mussels on the half shell, cooked, unpeeled prawns, strips of red pimento and cooked peas. 14. Remove the paella from the heat when all the liquid is absorbed and rice still slightly resistant. Let it sit 5 - 10 minutes before serving. (You may place it in a very low oven for 10 minutes.) Serve the paella with quartered lemons as garnish. Source: 'The Best of Spanish Cooking' Janet Mendel Fuengirola, Spain. ************************* Serves 4 - 6 9 ounces (250 grams) salmon fillet, skinned 5 TBS extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 9 ounces (250 grams) asparagus (about 16 medium spears), ends trimmed 9 ounces (250 grams) new potatoes, if possible red skinned, cooked and quartered (approx 14 small potatoes see photo) 1 lb (450 grams) cherry tomatoes, cut in half 3/4 cup (4 oz or 125 grams) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese 6 spring onions, chopped 4 TBS fresh mint, chopped 3 TBS fresh basil, chopped 3 TBS fresh dill, chopped 10 ounces (300 grams) mixed salad leaves or baby spinach (about 2 small bags) 3 TBS lemon juice 1 tsp lemon zest 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper 1. Brush the salmon with 1 TBS olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Place salmon on an oiled grill over medium-high heat and cook, turning once, about 4 minutes per side, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily. Remove and set aside on a plate to cool. If preferred, bake salmon in oven at 425F (218C) for about 10 to 12 minutes until it is opaque. Slice asparagus spears diagonally into 1-inch (2.5 cm pieces) and cook in a steam basket placed over a frying pan or pot of boiling water until spears are tender, about 5 minutes. Then rinse them under cool water and set aside. 3. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the remaining 4 TBS of olive oil, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper. Toss the salad leaves with half the dressing and arrange on a large platter. 4. Once salmon has cooled, break it up into bite-sized pieces and place it in a large bowl, adding the potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, feta, spring onions and fresh herbs. Add the remaining dressing and toss gently. Spoon this mixture over the salad greens and serve. Source: Adapted from Rick Gallops Glycemic Index Diet Green-Light Cookbook ******************* 4 servings * 2 cups medium bechamel 2/3 cup cream 1/4 cup dry sherry 2 tsp Knorr dry Onion Soup Mix (or prepare 1 - 2 TBS caramelized fresh minced onion if you have time) 1 cup frozen peas - cooked 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced thinly and sautéed in butter 25 medium sized shrimp, cooked, peeled and cleaned with tails removed fresh ground black pepper 4 vol au vent casings chopped parsley and paprika to decorate 1) Prepare bechamel and when thickened add onion. 2) Add cream gradually, then sherry, while whisking. 3) Add cooked frozen peas and mushrooms and stir with wooden spoon. Add cooked shrimp and heat gently for a couple of minutes, stirring carefully.. 4) Taste and adjust for salt. Grind in some black pepper. 5) Serve over warmed vol au vent casings, sprinkle with chopped parsley and paprika. * Depending on the size of the vol au vent casings and if this is to be a main course or small appetiser, you may have more servings. ********************* SHRIMP SALAD WITH GRAPEFRUIT Serving Size: 4 Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ ------------------------ 1 lg French lettuce 16 lg Jumbo Shrimp 2 lg Grapefruit For dressing: 1/4 c Orange juice 1/8 c Vinegar 1/4 c Olive oil 1/8 c Corn oil 1/4 c Green olives chopped 1/4 c Onion chopped 1/4 c Parsley chopped 1 t Cayenne pepper 1 t Paprika (Spanish pimenton) Salt and pepper Cook the shrimps as usual, peel them. Peel the grapefruit and separate each piece, also peel the white skin, being careful to get the complete pieces. Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients. To serve: put the lettuce leaves on the dish, adorn with the grapefruit and shrimp. Put the dressing on top and serve. This salad will be better if the dressing can be prepared two hours before. Exported from MasterCook Patricia Wriedt. ******************** 1/2 head lettuce : romaine or a crisp iceberg is even better 8 oz (about 213 grams) tin of pink salmon - reserve juice Heinz English salad cream - this is best but if not available use your favourite light mayonnaise ground black pepper chives & flatleaf parsley for sprinkling on top dash of paprika (optional) 1) Tear lettuce into small pieces over a salad bowl. Flake in the salmon, reserving the juice from the tin. 2) Mix a few drops of salmon juice together with some salad cream in a small dish, stir and add to lettuce and salmon, mixing enough to coat to your taste, grinding pepper in as well. 3) Add some chopped parsley and top with more parsley and a few chives. Note: You may want to add the rest of the salmon liquid from the tin to the salad to make it even more juicy. I always do. Be sure the lettuce is nice and crispy. As humble as this little salad may sound - it's delicious and in hot weather I could eat it by the bucketful. In my student years I once took this salad to an elegant ladies' dinner where we all had to bring something. My little salmon salad sat in its red plastic bowl between other much more sophisticated salad arrangements. Guess which one people kept coming back for....my simple salmon salad disappeared right away ! ******************* Serves Four 1 lb 2 oz (500 grams) large raw prawns, peeled and deveined 1 teasp Thai red curry paste 1 TBSP olive oil 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 large tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped 3/4 cup (6 fl. Oz) (180 ml) white wine zest and juice of 1 lime 2 TBSP chopped fresh coriander 6 oz (180 grams) wholewheat spaghettini or linguine Lime wedges, to serve Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1. Toss the prawns with the curry paste in a bowl, until well coated Cover and chill for at least 2 and up to 8 hours. 2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook just until it starts to turn golden, about 1 - 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, lime juice and zest; bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens, about 8 minutes. 3. Add the prawns and cook, stirring, until they are pink and firm, about 3 - 4 minutes; season to taste and stir in the coriander. 4. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and add the pasta to the prawn mixture. Toss to coat and serve with the lime wedges. Source: Rick Gallops GI Diet Green-light Cookbook My Notes: When buying whole uncooked prawns (the grey ones) you can calculate buying double the amount called for in the recipe. After removing heads, tails, shells and veins I was left with half the amount of prawn in weight that I'd bought. Luckily I'd bought the double as I figured the cleaned weight would be about half the purchased weight. ******************** Served on a bed of spinach and spiced with garlic, thyme and mustard, this dish is a culinary and nutritional treasure. Source: California Table Grape Commission. 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 (6-ounce) salmon steaks or fillets 2 teaspoons honey 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided 8 cups spinach leaves 1/2 teaspoon minced peeled garlic 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved 1/2 cup dry red wine Combine salt, mustard, thyme and pepper; mix well. Rub salmon fillets with honey and sprinkle with half the seasoning mixture. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet. brown both sides of salmon fillets. Toss spinach and garlic with remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Place salmon on spinach, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake at 300°F for 10 minutes. Sauté grapes in skillet used to brown salmon. Add wine bring to a boil, season to taste with remaining seasoning mixture; reduce by half. Serve salmon on spinach; top with grape sauce. Makes 4 servings. Recipe: California Table Grape Commission. My photo *********************** SharonCb

Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 8:27 Compumom has chosen BASIL for this Cookalong. Let's put our thinking caps on and come up with a wide variety of ideas for using it. Our virtual dinner featuring basil will be on Saturday, March 14. For those that may have missed the first Cookalong..... the idea here is to post hints, recipes and discuss the focus ingredient over the next two weeks. Recipes can use any form of the ingredient. Please mention the recipe source and whether it is one that you have already made (T+T) or one that you might be trying for the first time. I'm going to make an attempt to link all the cookalongs together. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #3 -- Carrots Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 9:41 As a segue, here's what I'm planning to make next, another recipe from Orangette's blog. I have acini de pepe to use up. It combines carrots and basil. I can't afford the fresh stuff though. There is a chance that I still have some pesto cubes in the freezer. So I will have to make some adjustments. I also don't have fresh thyme. I can't afford to buy fresh herbs. But I do have dried herbs from my own garden from last summer. I'm also going to use canned tomatoes. But I know some of you lucky southern climate folks can get fresh ones! Provenl Tomato Soup with Orange, Saffron, and Tiny Pasta Adapted from Gourmet, September 2006 This business of blanching, peeling, and seeding the tomatoes may be a little fussy, yes, but it makes for a lovely, soft tomato flavor. Plus, theres nothing quite so satisfying for the fingers as slipping the skins from a few tomatoes, or scooping out their seeds and juicy slop. And aside from that mild labor, this soup is pretty straightforward. With a stir every now and then, it mainly cooks itself. And it makes for easy eating on the front stoop a table for two with a view! on an early fall evening. With a hunk of bread and some cheese alongside, its dinner. 2 lb good-tasting tomatoes 2 medium onions, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced (~2 cups) 1 medium carrot, finely chopped or cut into very thin rounds 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 (3- by 1-inch) ribbon of fresh orange zest, minced 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme Scant ¼ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes ¼ tsp fennel seeds 1 Turkish bay leaf 3 Tbs good-tasting olive oil 2 Tbs tomato paste 4 ¾ cups water ¾ tsp salt, or to taste Pinch crumbled saffron threads 1 to 2 tsp granulated sugar ¼ cup small soup pasta, such as acini di pepe 2 Tbs finely chopped fresh Italian parsley ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil Bring a 5- to 6-quart saucepan of water to a boil. Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife, and blanch them, 2 or 3 at a time, in the boiling water for about 15 seconds, until the skin around the X starts to curl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them, core them, and halve them crosswise. Set a sieve over a medium bowl, and squeeze the tomato halves gently over it, cut sides down, to extract the seeds and pulp. You may have to use your fingers to coax them out. Press on the seeds in the sieve to push through any juice; then discard them. Reserve the juice and the tomatoes. Pour the water out of the saucepan, and wipe it dry. Pour in the oil, and warm it over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, orange zest, thyme, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and bay leaf. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft but not brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their reserved juice and the tomato paste, water, salt, saffron, and 1 tsp sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon occasionally, about 25-30 minutes. Add the pasta, stir to mix, and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf, and stir in the parsley and basil. Taste, and adjust sugar and salt as needed. Serve. Yield: 4-6 servings, depending on what else youre eating Here is a link that might be useful: On stewing, and soup o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by woodie2 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 10:33 This is a tried and true favorite of mine - Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Basil-Parsley Sauce Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 18 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings 2 pounds chicken cutlets Salt and pepper 3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup Italian bread crumbs 1/3 to 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano, a couple of handfuls 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 1 clove garlic 1 (3-ounce) jar pine nuts (pignoli) 1 lemon, zested 2 eggs, beaten Olive oil, for shallow frying Basil- Parsley Sauce: 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves 1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves 1/2 lemon, juiced Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it 1 Roma or plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped, for garnish Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides turn lightly in flour. Combine next 7 ingredients in food processor and pulse-process the crumbs to chop the spices, garlic and nuts and evenly distribute the flavors throughout the crumb and cheese mixture. Transfer the mixture to a plate. Beat eggs in a separate shallow dish. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, over medium to medium high heat. Coat the cutlets in eggs then breading and add to the hot oil. Cook cutlets in a single layer, in 2 batches if necessary, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until cutlets' juices run clear and breading is evenly browned. Return food processor bowl to base and add basil, parsley and lemon juice. Add a little salt and pepper. Turn processor on and stream in oil until a loose paste forms. Serve chicken cutlets with a generous amount of basil and parsley sauce poured over the cutlets. Garnish the chicken with finely chopped Roma tomato. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by marlingardener (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 11:44 I'm not in the gourmet chef league as many of the posters are, but I do have a unique and tasty appetizer featuring basil. Dip cherry tomatoes in hot water just long enough to slip their skins. Take young basil leaves and stick them in the stem end of the tomatoes. Serve on a platter laying on a bed of crushed ice. If you can get yellow and red tomatoes, it looks prettier. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lindac (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 11:45 There was a show on the food network this past 2 weeks that was a challenge using basil. They cooked basil ice cream and a basil scented cornmeal cake.....and only one person did the traditional basil pesto over pasta.... I use lots of basil in the summer when I have it growing and fresh, but rarely use it in the winter but for the pesto in the freezer. I add a cube of pesto to lots of things like soups, sauces and as a bread dip. Linda c o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jude31 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 11:51 Nancy, you are playing my song! Love, love, love basil and I can't wait to see all the recipes posted. I'll be back with one or more. jude o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 19:26 Time to drag this one out of my cobwsebbed magazine collection. I mde this quite a few times then forgot about it. Actually the recipe calls for pork chops..... I used Trader Joe's frozen or jarred mango when I couldn't find fresh to my liking. Grilled Chicken with Mango-Basil Sauce Bon Appétit : June 1997 Ingredients 1 small mango, peeled, pitted 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves 3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth 1 1/2 tablespoons golden brown sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 4 6- to 8-ounce flattened chicken breasts, boneless/skinless Preparation Puree mango in processor. Set aside 1/2 cup puree (reserve any remaining puree for another use). Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño, then basil; sauté just until basil wilts, about 1 minute. Add broth, brown sugar and soy sauce. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in cup mango puree. Simmer until sauce thickens and coats spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare barbecue or preheat broiler. Brush chicken with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill or broil until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Rewarm sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over chicken. Here is a link that might be useful: Original recipe, Bon Apetite o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil -basil -- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 19:39 Who posted the Pho recipe. Was it RachelEllen or Natalie ntt_hou). I can't find it. I think it would be a good addition. I admit that I can't make it better than I can get elsewhere around Los Angeles, but someone ele might want to make it. It calls for lots of basil at the end. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 19:53 This is a T & T in my files from Ina Garten. David Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Feel Good Food Recipe Summary Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions) 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1 quart chicken stock or water Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold. Note: I don't have a food mill. I just use a stick blender. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 6:28 Since we both love any kind of pasta with pesto, I might be making this or perhaps I'll try to find a local Spanish recipe using basil for a change. I make this often and it's delicious: PESTO - from Italian TV demo 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups basil leaves 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 teasp salt 1/2 teasp f.g. pepper 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated 1/2 cup pine nuts (2 small jars) teasp water Process in food processor, adding oil slowly until all is creamy. SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 9:36 I'm hoping basil plants will be at the nursery in time for this challenge, but it might be a week or 2 early for that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I hate to go out and buy basil at the grocery store when it's so close to time to plant it. Here's a recipe by Giada De Laurentis I've posted before, but it pertains to this challenge, and we really like it. To make it vegetarian, I substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I've made it with regular couscous, with orzo, and with the Israeli couscous. All worked, but the regular couscous was the least successful. The slightly larger texture of the Israeli couscous or the orzo works the best. Mediterranean Salad Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (1-pound) box Israeli couscous (or any small pasta) 3 cups chicken stock 2 lemons, juiced 1 lemon, zested 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted In a medium saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the couscous and cook until toasted and lightly browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the stock, and the juice of 1 lemon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the couscous is tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the couscous. In a large bowl, toss the cooked couscous with the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper and let cool. Once the couscous is room temperature, add the fresh herbs, dried cranberries, and almonds. Toss to combine and serve. Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 20 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 6 servings Episode#: EI0819 Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved There's also a Brown Rice and Basil Salad recipe by Ina Garten I've made before that's really good. I don't have it on my computer, and don't have time now to type it out, so I'll try to do that tonight, or at least before the deadline. Linda, I saw that episode of Iron Chef where basil was the secret ingredient. I thought a lot of what they made sounded good, and some sounded odd. It looked, though, that the judges were pretty tough on both contestants, and didn't rave about any of the food. I was a little surprised they were so blase about what they were served. Sally o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by shaun (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 10:35 marlingardener I'd really love to see a picture of the recipe you posted for the cherry tomatoes. Do you happen to have one? o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lisazone6_ma (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 12:31 I make a dipping oil for bread using pesto in the winter, and fresh basil in the summer. I don't measure, I simply add things to taste, but I'll put in approximate amounts - you can change amounts to increase/decrease the total. The basic ingredients are as follows, but you can add other things or leave what you don't like out and it'll still work. 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar Sea salt or kosher salt Fresh cracked black pepper 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 hot dried red pepper crushed or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 2-3 tbsp pesto or 6-8 large fresh basil leaves chopped 2 tbsp Garlic paste made from roasted garlic, or couple cloves chopped (even if using the pesto, and I like a lot of garlic - you can reduce the amount if you prefer it less intense) I roll the fresh basil leaves together then cut them with a scissors to make strips or chiffonades (sp?) Mix all ingredients and let sit for a bit for flavors to combine. You can just refrigerate any leftovers and bring to room temp to use again. The cheese, and especially if you use the pesto, makes it on the thick side, but that's the way we like it! Lisa o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 12:43 Think I might make this dish. Haven't had it for a long time. Cherry Tomato, Onion, Basil Sauce 2 Tbl olive oil 1/2 sweet vidalia onion sliced thin few drops best balsamic vinegar 2 garlic cloves minced 1 Lb cherry tomatoes halved 8-10 Basil leaves chopped salt and pepper 4 Oz Small Mozzarella Balls (Boccacini) Or Fresh Moz Cut In 1/2 Inch Squares Place oil in saute pan, add sliced onions and saute on medium heat until limp. Do not let brown or crisp. Add a few drops balsamic. Cook a few more minutes.Add garlic and continue to cook until onions are caramelized. Add cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat until the tomatoes loose their shape and give up their juices. Add basil and simmer until basil is limp and sauce is fragrant. Add the moz and toss with fresh cooked pasta such as linguine. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Here is another favourite dish of mine. Very special. Pork With Herb Crust I usually only do one 5 rib roast but I keep the same measurements for the herbs! Serve with Garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes and green beans 2 (3- to 4-pound) racks of pork 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 Tsp salt 7 garlic cloves minced 1/3 Cup fresh basil Chopped 1/3 Cup fresh thyme Chopped 1/3 Cup fresh parsley Chopped 2 Tbl pepper Coarsely Ground 1 1/4 Cup butter (or margarine)cut up 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 Can chicken broth 1 Tbl tomato paste 2 Tbl fresh sage Chopped 1/4 Tsp pepper Rub pork with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Stir together garlic and next 4 ingredients; press onto pork. Place pork on a rack in a lightly greased broiler pan; cover bone tips with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150max, I prefer 140-145 ! Transfer pork to a serving tray.Cover and let rest while making sauce (even if you don't make the sauce let the pork rest for at least 10 minutes to redistribute juices and let the internal temp climb a bit more) Pour pan drippings into a skillet. Add butter to drippings; cook over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, until caramel colored. Gradually whisk. in broth and next 3 ingredients; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Serve with 'pork. Garnish, if desired. Yield: 8 servings.~ o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by cloudy_christine (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 12:59 Franco and Margaret Romagnoli had a cooking show on PBS years ago. One of my favorite pasta dishes comes from their cookbook, The Romagnolis' Table. It's a rich, butter-based sauce that couldn't be easier. The recipe intro says the sauce is classic with mostaccioli, ziti, and rigatoni, "and rather more special and delicate with homemade fettucine." I usually make it with our favorite thin spaghetti, DeCecco fedelini. Pasta with Tomato and Basil Sauce 8 tablesooons unsalted butter 12 fresh plum tomatoes, or 3 cups canned (I often use more than 12) 6 fresh basil leaves (or more) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I use less) 6 Tablesoons Parmesan cheese, sprinkled on the sauced pasta 1 1/4 pounds of pasta (I use less), or a 5-egg batch of home-made fettucine. Melt the butter in a big frying pan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add the tomatoes. If you use fresh plum tomatoes: peel them, and cut them into chunks before adding to the butter. If you use canned tomatoes: crush them gently with a wooden spoon as you stir them in. Break the basil leaves into the pan, add the salt, raise the heat, and when the whole combination starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Let it bubble along about 20 minutes, or until the juice has cooked away a bit,and the color darkened. Stir occasionally during the simmering process. If the sauce hasn't simmerd enough, it will sink to the bottom of the dish instead of coating the pasta when mixed. Cook and drain the pasta, and turn it out on a deep platter or a wide, shallow bowl, cover with the sauce, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Turn the pasta with a serving fork and spoon to get the saude to coat it. Serve immediately. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Thu, Mar 5, 09 at 7:38 Basil is a tough ingredient for me at this time of the year. I like fresh basil with tomatoes, corn, etc. and I rarely buy those ingredients except in the summertime. I have been making this recipe with dried basil since my college days and it's as economical now as it was then. Even though it doesn't use much basil, it definitely is the standout flavoring. CHICKEN LIVERS AND RICE - 2 to 3 servings 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch slices 1 lb. chicken livers, trimmed and quartered 1/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup uncooked rice 1 envelope instant chicken broth 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crumbled 1 whole bay leaf 1 1/4 cup water 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley (do not omit) Cook bacon until crisp in large skillet. Combine flour, salt and pepper and dredge chicken livers in it. Remove bacon and reserve. Brown livers in bacon grease. Remove and reserve. Saute onion over medium heat in same skillet (add 1 Tbs. olive oil of needed.) Stir in rice, broth pack, basil, bay leaf and water. Heat to boiling; then turn heat to low. Stir mixture thoroughly, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Cover. Simmer 20 minutes without lifting lid. Spoon reserved livers over rice but dont stir. Put lid back on and simmer for another 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle with bacon and chopped parsley. Note: You can substitute 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth for the water and omit the instant chicken broth packet. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by theresafic (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 13:49 For various reasons I was unable to participate in the first two cookalongs but I plan to on basil. My husband bought me an aerogarden for Valentines day and I have basil growing. Not enough for a whole recipe but enough for garnish or to enhance the flavor of the dried basil I will use. I am not sure of what I will make but I want something different than pesto or using it on pasta. I'll think about it and post back later. I hope that people are still interested in the cookalong for this weekend. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 14:58 I often make a salad with basil to pack for lunch - great northern beans, tuna, chopped red onion, tomato, parsley, basil, sprinkle of garlic powder and sliced black olives with an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. I mix all the ingredients ahead of time except the tuna and then add it the morning I'm going to eat it. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 15:34 I'm still in....hoping to see lots of basil ideas. David's soup is calling me but I'm not settled on a main dish but Woodies Crispy Chicken sure is sounding good! o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by joanm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 20:03 The only recipe I make often that has basil leaves is Rachael's chicken meatballs. Chicken Sausage Meatballs Rachael Ray 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick) 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/3 palm full 1/4 cup tender sun dried tomatoes (available in pouches or tubs in produce section) 10 leaves fresh basil extra-virgin olive oil Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken in a medium bowl with grill seasoning and add the fennel seeds. Pile sun-dried tomatoes on top of each other in small stacks then slice into thin strips. Coarsely chop the thin strips and add to bowl. Stack 10 basil leaves together then roll them up into a log. Shred the basil by thinly slicing the log. Add basil to the bowl. Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the chicken, mix meat together and roll into mini balls, 1 1/2 inches across, and arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degree F for 10 to 12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden. Remove meatballs from oven, add to sauce and serve with pasta. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by gardenguru1950 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 20:51 I'm not sure if I can participate in the Cookalong (is that like a billabong?) but I invented this last Friday night and it came out pretty dang good: Three recipes [to assemble] ... CREAMY BASIL PESTO WITH ROASTED GARLIC For 2 pizzas Ingredients 2- 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves 1/4 cup fresh fennel leaf 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup pine nuts, dry toasted (stovetop pan) 1 head garlic, roasted, peeled 2 oz cream cheese (or mascarpone or "Better Than Cream Cheese") 1/2 cup packaged mixed Italian cheeses, shredded 1 tsp lemon juice (about ¼ lemon) 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly finely grated Directions Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if its too thick to spread. ----- ROASTED VEGETABLES For 2 pizzas Ingredients 2 medium yellow onions, cut into thin wedges 1 large fennel bulb, cored, cut into wedges 1 small red bell pepper, chopped 1 small green bell pepper, chopped 1 medium whole head garlic, a little bit of the tops chopped off 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp fennel seed 1/2 tsp fresh milled black pepper pinch of salt (optional) 4 + 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil 6 medium white mushrooms, sliced 1 small Japanese eggplant, peeled and sliced crosswise 1 small zucchini, sliced crosswise Directions Place onion, fennel and bell pepper pieces on a deep cookie sheet and sprinkle with the herbs and pepper (and, if you wish, salt). [Save a teeny bit of the basil and oregano for the garlic.] Drizzle the veggies with 4 Tbs of olive oil and tossed well to coat. Place the garlic head on a piece of foil and sprinkle with a bit of the herbs and drizzle it with a bit of oil. Wrap the foil into a closed tent and place on the cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet with veggies and garlic into a 280°F oven and roast for one and one-half hour, turning the veggies every half hour. After one and a half hours, toss the mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini with 2 Tbs of olive oil and then mix it with the onion mixture. Roast/bake for an addition hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Use the garlic for the pesto. ----- DLS PESTO AND ROASTED VEGETABLE PIZZA Serves 4+ Ingredients 2 packages Trader Joes plain pizza dough 4 Tbs olive oil creamy pesto per recipe roasted vegetables per recipe 8 oz mozzarella, sliced thin 1/2 pound provolone, sliced thin Directions Follow directions on pizza dough package with these exceptions: have a pizza stone warming in the 450°F oven. When the pizza has set its 20 minutes, place it on the pizza stone and "blind bake" for 6 minutes. If it puffs up too much in the middle, punch it with a few fork holes. Remove it from the oven and brush the edges and about 1 inch from the edge on the top with olive oil. Spread half of the pesto onto each pizza crust, making sure not to take it to the very edge. Spread half of the roasted vegetables on each pizza crust. Lay half of the mozzarella on each crust. Top with half of the provolone per crust. Bake at 450°F for 8 minutes. Best dang pizza I've ever eatin'! Joe o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 2:07 Caught this on page 2. Joe, that pizza sounds great. I like both cheeses on my pizza too. The provolone is great. The one I made for myself last week had hunks of ricotta on it too. I'm going to be making one of my favorite uses for basil. Ratatouille. I got very nice eggplant, and the squash looks very good too. I get groceries delivered and had ordered 2 lbs of white mushrooms, which they refer to as large bulk mushrooms. The person who filled the order sent me almost 2 lbs of portobello mushrooms for the price of loose white mushrooms. Well, they are large. So... the rat stew will benefit from that nice mistake. The store is very nice when they make mistakes and naturally don't charge you extra. Smiles. I remember the recent discussion about keeping herbs/basil so I thought I'd share my method. I use a lot of basil. I make big batches of pasta sauce so that I can eat it for breakfast and lunch for most of a week. I rarely go two weeks without having it. Right now I have four, gallon size freezer bags stuffed full of basil. Many have said they make pesto and freeze it or put it in ice cubes with water. I just wash big bunches well, shake the excess water off and stuff it into the bags. The bit of water that clings seems to protect the leaves. If the basil came from the garden and the stems are long I cut them back, wash them and bag them seperately. The stems are great in sauce for long cooking and easy to fish out. My favorite is to let the basil go to flower at the end of the season and pull the whole plants up. I then cut off the flower heads and bag them seperately. I love the flavor of the flowers in sauce. Very tender. Seperate the heavy stems and rest of the plant and wash and freeze. I have heard people say that when you freeze the leaves they then turn black. Well, you don't thaw when you go to use them or they would turn black/dark. You just use them right from the frozen state and they cook up very much like fresh. When I have the big bags frozen, as I go to use each bag I crush the frozen leaves up in the bag. If there are big blocks [from leaving them too wet], I just hit them with a rolling pin or hammer. After the leaves are crushed it's ready to use. It's best to use a soup spoon to scoop the leaves out when you use them because otherwise they will stick to your hands. Smiles. The pieces of stem that were attatched are now loose and I take those pieces and put them in the sauce first. Many soften enough to be eaten, or they can be fished out if they're too big. I've done this for a number of years and it keeps me and my basil addiction going through the winter and until fresh is ready to pluck again. If you like your basil fine, you can put some in a measuring cup with some water and give it the hand blender. I might make some gnocchi with a basil and sour cream sauce for an appetizer for the ratatouille dinner. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 12:50 Wow, I'd forgotten all about this. I'm leaning toward Ruthanna's chicken livers! Annie o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by cabogirl (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 17:43 My daughter loves this dip and makes it every time we have a get together. I believe she found it on Allrecipes Sun-Dried Tomato Dip INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 cloves garlic, minced hot pepper sauce to taste 3/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh basil DIRECTIONS: In a food processor, mix the sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Process until well-blended. Add basil, and continue processing until smooth. Chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 19:56 I did break down and buy some fresh basil today. I could have bought 13 pounds of cabbage this week for the same price. LOL So I'll have to see what I can come up with for tomorrow night. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 9:46 I'm not going to be doing anything with basil tonight, because we have a wedding to go to. I might do something tomorrow, but I don't know what, yet. We've been so busy the last couple of weeks that I just haven't had time to think it out. Plus, I was hoping we'd get some basil plants into the nursery, but that didn't happen yet. Hmmm, I'll have to figure out what to cook, if anything, and do it tomorrow instead of tonight. Sally o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by compumom (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 10:16 I think I may try Cabogirl's dip! I've been MIA this week more or less and today I'm cooking a big pan of Mac& Cheese for DGS's birthday party. Since I'm going off to the market(s) this morning, I'll p/u the ingredients for this too. Coconut, thanks for the tips on how to keep fresh basil around longer! o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 10:19 Well I've bought my basil but still need some more pine nuts, for tomorrow's pesto dinner. I would have liked to try something new but sometimes other obligations get in the way and suddenly it's the 'Basil Weekend' LOL. So it will be a Sunday dinner for us. Looking forward to seeing what you all are cooking up today and tomorrow! SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 10:34 I woke up to a never before seen sight this morning - my DH browsing through a pile of my cookbooks. Except for this week when we were out of town most of the week for a death in the family, I've tried making the Cookalong ingredient in different ways and DH enjoyed the anticipation of which would be next. So he announced that he had found a perfect (?) recipe using fresh basil and I have all the ingredients for it so we'll see how it turns out. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 12:34 I'm making Jessy's mango chicken tomorrow, except I'll modify the recipe to make it in the crockpot--I'm taking dinner over to a friend's house. I'm making CloudyChristine's gingerbread for dessert from the last thread, with lemon curd sauce. And that morrocan salad with carrots. Now I just need one more vegetable. A modified ratatouille might actually be good, I have some canned tomatoes in the fridge to use up. Today I'm making the tomato soup with basil and saffron for lunch. I'll report back. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by malna (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 17:43 I hate it when life/work gets in the way of "cooking along". It was late last night by the time we got off the phone with clients, and the meat was defrosting...so stew tonight. Not something I could figure out how to get basil into - LOL. This is what I was PLANNING on making for tonight: Pesto Chicken Roll Up from Chef Bonnie Mair of The Hub Cafe 1 package of puff pastry (2 sheets) 1 (7oz) container of Pesto (or 1 cup of your own) 2 cups of baby spinach 2 cups of chicken cut into bite sized pieces 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided 1 tsp garlic salt 1 egg, lightly beaten Cook chicken in a little bit of oil and season with pepper and garlic salt. Drain and set aside. Or you can use precooked chicken, but I think this way gives it more flavor. Roll out pastry sheets onto a cookie sheet. Divide all ingredients into two and evenly use on both sheets. Spread Pesto over both sheets. Top with mozzarella, 1/2 of the parmesan cheese, spinach and chicken. Roll the pastry sheet into itself until it is into the desired shape. Place the seam on the bottom and adjust it on the cookie sheet. Do this with both rolls. Brush each roll with the egg and then sprinkle it with the rest of the parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Make several slits in the top of the roll to vent. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Slice into individual servings. With a cup of minestrone soup to start, and this for dessert: Mini Cheesecakes (from All-Recipes) with Blueberry-Basil Topping INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 tablespoon margarine, melted 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,softened 1/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 6 cup muffin pan. 2. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and margarine with a fork until combined. Measure a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, pressing firmly. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes, then remove to cool. Keep the oven on. 3. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in the egg. 4. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the muffin cups, filling each until 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan before removing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Blueberry-Basil Topping from an idea borrowed from Bakerella's recipe for Blueberry-Basil cupcakes: Purée 1 can of blueberry pie filling and 1 T. ground basil in a food processor. Sigh...I knew I should have cheated and made this a couple of days ago. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 18:24 I've had the "day off" cooking all day. My corned beef is out of the oven, my barm brack is baked. I have chicken stock simmering on the stove and chicken enchiladas ready to cook tomorrow after the farm. So what about the basil? I made that green pasta with all the basil, and had some for dinnr with a sprinkle of grated asiago because I'm out of parmesan. I figured leftovers will make a great St. Patrick's Day lunch, they're so nice and green, LOL. Photobucket Annie o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 22:01 We had pureed spinach soup with garlic, fresh basil and dill, potato rolls and a chef salad. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by theresafic (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 22:49 DH and I made Rachel Ray's chicken meatballs except about the only ingredient we used from HER recipie was basil. Basically we made Turkey Meatloaf: 1.25 lb ground turkey 1 egg 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 roasted red pepper Handfull chopped walnuts shredded romano cheese fresh basil oregano garlic Mix together and place in loaf pan, cook @ 375f for 45 minutes. We both loved it, a keeper! From Desktop From Desktop o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 2:10 Malna, you'll make it when you get a chance. You could have made it the other day, I don't think we are that strict about when we cookalong, eh? Smiles. Anne, you pasta looks great. I can almost taste it. That spinach soup has me wanting that too. Nice RuthAnna. I spy some basil on that salad too, eh? I love meatloaf Theresa and that looks like one we both would like. Well, I did make the gnocchi for a first course. After I saw Annies pasta I zapped some of my frozen basil with the egg and added it to the gnocchi as well as making a basil sour cream sauce for them. They were great. We got kind of full on them so we waited a while then had a nice bowl of the ratatouille a bit later. We were running late all day so it was nice to just slow down and enjoy our basil feast. I made the ratatouille with eggplant, basil, spanish onions, green and red peppers, portobello mushrooms, yellow summer squash and zucchini. We had it over some rice. It really hit the spot since I hadn't made it in a while. I used a ton of basil, including a bunch of my basil flowers, just how I like it and lots of garlic too. Our camera is still acting up. For some reason the battery will only last for one or two pics and if you leave the batteries in they go dead when you turn it on again. Odd. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 15:25 I'm home from vacation and cooking something for dinner tonight with basil..... ????? Just a reminder, those that posted on Cookalong #4, please check this thread tomorrow. I'll draw a name tomorrow morning...it might be you and we will be anxious to see what the next Cookalong ingredient is. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 17:07 Oh there are some really good sounding recipes here. I must try your meatballs Joan. I even have sundried tomatoes that a friend brought down from England and gave to me just this week, and I bring Montreal Steak seasoning back from Canada every year, so this is one of the rare instances when I have all ingredients. But today was our basil day and since we have a hot desert wind from the east this weekend, the temps have been around a balmy 28�C (82.4�F) and I didn't feel like doing rolled chicken breasts in the oven, so went for the pesto and noodles with a salad. We sat outside on the patio for lunch for the first time in ages. My hubby set the table and did a pretty good job.....despite that he put the tablecloth on face down (JIM TEX I'm still using the one you sent me in the swap years ago). The blackbirds and doves kept us entertained with a songfest and flying acrobatics back and forth across the garden. It's been a lovely day. I was recently asked to write restaurant reviews for a new golfing website in the south of Tenerife. I'm one of the few members of a local forum who lives in the north of the island so I accepted to test and write about restaurants here where we live, adding photos of the food and surroundings. I sent in my first draft yesterday and was pleased to see it published this morning without so much as a word changed. This is going to be very enjoyable as once I showed the writeup to the restaurant owner she invited Wolf and I to our next meal. This is a perfect hobby for foodies isn't it! Link to my writeup. SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 21:49 SharonCb, I don't know what to say other than awesome! Great column and wonderful pictures. There are some really good recipes here. I guess that's already been said but I wanted to say it again. Good job CF'ers! I made the recipe that Sharon (Chase) posted, Cherry Tomato, Onion and Basil Sauce. We enjoyed it! Sauce simmering in the pan... Photobucket Finished and ready for me to dig into... Photobucket After a week of dining out and having some pretty rich foods, this was a refreshing dish. Great way to use Cherry Tomatoes too! Nancy o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 22:20 Well the best laid plans . . . I did end up cooking and I did end up using some basil, and it was definitely a CF inspired meal, but it wasn't quite the dinner I was planning. I found out that instead of a quiet working dinner with just my friend/colleague, one of our friends and her husband was in town visiting and she just got back from deployment in Iraq. So it was dinner for five and I did most of the cooking but I brought it over to my friend's house. The dinner was in the new kitchen addition my friend is building. Sorry no pics, it just wasn't that kind of a night even though my friend has a camera. There was too much catching up to do. Our friend is from PA but now she and her husband live in Colorado so it was a treat to see them. I made curried chicken thighs and I was going to use Jessy's mango basil recipe, but while searching for mango chutney at the grocery, I found a jarred mango chutney sauce that had all the ingredients except basil, so I bought it. With that hot chicken curry I made Thai fried rice with dried mint and basil from the garden and fresh cilantro. That plus garlic, soy sauce and lime juice. The veggies were from a frozen mix plus fresh purple cabbage. It was very good with the chicken curry. Salad was plain romaine lettuce and spring mix with blue cheese dressing. Dessert was CloudyChristine's gingerbread from the last ginger thread, plus lemon curd sauce. Yes, I made lemon curd for the first time and it was yummy! Never got around to making the soup, but I finally got the ingredients for it. I just didn't feel like going out yesterday to the grocery store. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 23:18 Everyone's food looks and sounds so good! Alas, I just didn't have it in me this weekend to participate. We've been so busy the last couple of weeks, and had a lot going on, that by the time today rolled around I was doing good to open a can of soup for lunch, and I won't admit to what I ate for supper. Now that I've looked at and read about what everyone else did, I'm sorry I didn't put forth a little effort. Sally o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 23:46 I agree, lots of good looking food here for this cookalong. I went with Sharon's rack of pork recipe but used a short hunk of loin I had in the feezer. Here it is after resting a bit.... Image Hosting by I had it with some steamed cauliflower and little roasted reds....homemade rolls too...forgot to include them in the pic. Image Hosting by Taking the leftovers to work tomorrow for lunch. Yum!! David o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by compumom (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 1:38 Wow David, it looks great! I'm back to report that Cabogirl's SUNDRIED TOMATO BASIL DIP was a big success! I subbed 2% Greek Fage Yogurt for the sour cream and it worked perfectly and cut a bit of fat, nevertheless everyone raved and DH asked me to make it again, soon! It took about an hour + for the basil favor to come through. I served it with Pita Crackers from Trader Joe's, they worked well or as a fresh veggie dip. It did set up firmer than this photo shows as it was taken right after it came out of the food processor. I'm also trying Cocoanut's idea of freezing the washed basil leaves to see how they come out. No report yet! Thanks!! Here is a link that might be useful: Sundried Tomato Basil Dip o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jojoco (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:04 These all look great! My favorite way to use basil is to eat it on a sandwich with tomato, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. S&P, too. Preferably, use fresh mozz, and go pick the tomatoes just before making the sandwich. Use great bread. If you can get Judy's peasant bread from New Haven, Ct, all the better. Truly, my favorite sandwich and one of my favorite meals. Jo o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:30 Our next Cookalong topic will be picked by Lakeguy35 David please pick an ingredient and I'll start the thread. Sweet? Savory? Baking? Cooking? It's up to you! Nancy o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:36 I still have a bunch of cilantro left so I'm going to try to whip up a batch of this Thai curry paste and freeze it in cubes like I do pesto. I know cilantro looses its punch in the freezer, but adding corriander helps. This recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites. Thai Curry Paste 1/4 cup chopped scallions 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, basil or Thai basil (I'll use cilantro mixed with dried basil, which I need to use up) 2 TBLSP garlic cloves 2 TBLSP ginger root, fresh grated 1 TBLSP fresh grated lemon or lime peel, or minced inner stalk of fresh lemongrass 1 TBLSP brown sugar 1-2 fresh red or green chilis (I'll use dried) 3 TBLSP fresh lemon or lime juice 1 TBLSP dried ground corriander 1 tsp. tumeric 1/2 tsp. salt Combine in blender or food processor and puree until quite smooth. Keeps a week in the fridge, longer in th freezer. Thai basil and fresh lemongrass gives the most authentic taste. Good with jasmine or basmati rice. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:52 Yummy dinner last night - grilled chicken with mango basil sauce, garnished with basil (of course). Guests were slopping up the sauce off their plates with bread. Also making an appearance was grilled sparagus and orzo pilaf. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 14:34 Okay, I wanted to pick something that would be good for both sweet and savory. Y'all know I love my desserts. I pick LEMON! I'm thinking you can make dinner, desserts, or both.. : ) David o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dixiedog_2007 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 15:13 I've just run through real quick but there is a lot of good sounding recipes and pictures. I need to go back and really look through everything more closely. I wish I could have contributed but too much going on right now. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 15:55 Here's the link for Cookalong #5 -- Lemon Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #5 -- LEMON o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, Mar 19, 09 at 21:51 Last night I made the Provençal Tomato Soup with Orange, Saffron, and Tiny Pasta from Orangette's blog. This is some of the BEST tomato soup I have ever had! The pinch of saffron really makes it! I used dried lemon peel and a dash of orange juice instead of orange peel, dried parsley and basil and canned tomatoes, still yum! o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by rob333 (My Page) on Fri, Oct 23, 09 at 8:50 still need 1 and 2......

Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, May 25, 09 at 21:00 Our next *star* ingredient is ...... ONIONS! Picked by Canarybird (Sharon) this is going to be fun. Onions are in so much as a supporting ingredient, sometimes we forget they can also be a star. Over the next two weeks, I'll bet we all find some new things to do with onions. So post away! Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong --#9-- Rice Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 5:35 Okay I guess I shouldn't have posted this at the bottom of the other thread (sorry) so here it is again: I'll start the ball rolling with this delicious Leek and Onion Quiche. LEEK & ONION QUICHE Ingredients: 1 slice of streaky bacon finely chopped (I used 3 slices ) 400 grams (14 oz) onions halved and sliced (approx 2 large onions) 200 grams (7 oz) leeks sliced in circles 150 grams (1 cup) plain flour 1 TBS baking powder 3 TBS vegetable oil 2 TBS milk 3 TBS plain yoghurt (without sugar) (I used quark) 60 grams (3 rounded TBS) cottage cheese or cream cheese (I used cottage) 1 egg salt & pepper water 1 pyrex pie plate... measuring 19 cm (7.5 inches) across bottom ..... if it has sloping sides, top rim to rim 24.5 cm (9.3/4 inches) Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 180 - 190 C (approx 365° F) 2. Put the flour and the baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir. Leave a well in the middle and add the cheese, one tablespoon of oil, one tablespoon of milk and a pinch of salt. 3. Mix well with a round bladed knife or your hands until you have a pastry which binds well together and is slightly sticky. You may need to add a little water. Do so by the spoonful to make sure you don't add too much. 4. Place into a pie plate and spread well over the base and up the sides, patting with fingers and the back of a soup spoon. 5. Place in the fridge to rest. 6. Gently fry the vegetables and bacon in the remaining oil until soft and golden, then transfer them to the pastry base using a slotted spoon. 7. Beat the egg with the remaining spoonful of milk and the yoghurt (or quark) and pour over the vegetables, making sure that it is spread evenly over the whole quiche. 8. Season and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Here it is sliced: SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 22:00 Yippeeeee! I'm harvesting onions from my garden now, so this is perfect timing. I'll have to look up some recipes to post. Sharon, your recipe looks really good. I'll have to try it. Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 22:57 With onions, a little goes a long way with me. Having said that, I do like a few oniony things--potato leek soup, (although not cold) and tabouleh spring to mind. I think tabouleh is a classic onion-centered dish, the contrast between the lemon, parsley, mint and onion is a totally unique combination. Take out any one element, and it is seriously less. Same with my mom's sour cream, cuke, lemon and chive salad. It's a tamer version of tsatsiki. So those are some of my onion family favorites. Some day I'm going to try and make those slow cooker roasted onions. Oh yeah, that's another way I like onions, as part of a roasted vegetable melange. Red is my favorite onion for that. Here's a recipe featuring both onions and potatoes, which you might also have in the garden this time of year. It's my third favorite potato salad, behind my mom's potato, egg, dijon mustard, mayo and dill one, and Bobby Flay's sweet potato one (recipe linked here as it also has scallions), and then this one. Got it from some women's magazine quite a while back. Potato Salad with Green and Yellow Beans (can use all green) 8 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed (or G-d forbid use the frozen ones, already trimmed!) 8 oz. fresh yellow wax beans (can use celery or yellow pepper) 1 lb. new red potatoes (or any other kind of new potato) 3 TBLSP olive oil 1 TBLSP balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, pressed 1 tsp. salt (or less, I use 1/4 tsp.) 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/8 tsp. pepper or lemon pepper 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 3 small diced scallions Steam beans 5-10 min., rinse with cold water to stop cooking and retain color. Boil potatoes (15-20 min.) When cool, dice all vegetables into bite sized pieces. Make dressing and toss with salad. If you're like me, you may want to double the dressing recipe for more flavor. Healthy and colorful. Garnish with chopped parsley if you think it needs a garnish. Grilled Sweet Potato and Scallion Salad Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay 8 servings Ingredients 4 large sweet potatoes, par-cooked and cut into 1/2-inch slices 8 scallions 3/4 cup olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons honey Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley Directions Preheat grill to high. Brush potatoes and scallions with oil and arrange on grill. Grill potatoes for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until just tender. Grill scallions until softened and marked. Remove scallions from the grill and cut into thin slices. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, the mustard, vinegars, and honey. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add potatoes, scallions, and parsley and toss until potatoes are well coated. Transfer to a platter and serve. P.S. on the link to the Bobby Flay sweet potato salad. I don't have a grill, so the salad works OK with roasted sweet potatoes and scallions. Maybe you can just boil the sweet potatoes and use raw scallions but I've never tried it that way. I also add diced red peppers and a bit more honey to this. Here is a link that might be useful: Grilled sweet potato and scallion salad - Bobby Flay o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ann_t (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 23:21 Great choice Sharon. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Roasted Parmesan-Creamed Onions =============================== Rick Tramonto - Osteria Cookbook Talk about succulent! The yellow onions are pretty pungent when you slice them, but surrender their kick when they are roasted and become sweet and tender. When they reach this point, the cream sauce is poured over them, they are topped with shaved cheese, and then the whole thing is returned to the oven for a slow melt. I like to cook these in a wood oven to get some smoke on them, which makes them even better-if that's possible. Great with chicken, lamb, beef-you name it! I also like it served as a first course. serves 4 4 medium yellow onions 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup dry white wine 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved (about 2 tablespoons) 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. Slice the onions into 1/4-inch-thick rings and lay them in a shallow baking pan, such as a sheet pan or jelly roll pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. 3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream and wine to a simmer over medium-high heat. As soon as the liquid starts to bubble around the edges, remove from the heat. 4. Spoon about a tablespoon of the cream mixture over each onion slice. Cover with aluminum foil, return to the oven, and cook for about 25 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. 5. Remove the foil and top the onions with the shaved cheese. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the edges caramelize. Serve hot. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bbstx (My Page) on Wed, May 27, 09 at 12:12 When my daughter was small, she would only eat steak if she also had "steak juice" to dip her steak in. "Steak juice" is the juice which is made when these onions are cooked. The original recipe calls for cooking the onions wrapped individually in foil. However, it is much easier to serve them when cooked in individual souffle dishes. I sometimes use a huge piece of foil and wrap the entire dish (as you would if you were going to freeze the whole thing ...dish and onion) and sometimes I just put the foil over the top and try to seal really well. Baked Onions For each medium onion 1 Tablespoon butter 1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium works fine) Tony Cachere's to taste Peel the onion. Cut off the top. Cut the root end off leaving enough to keep the onion intact. Vertically slice the onion into 8 wedges, but do not slice all the way through. Place onion in an individual ovenproof dish or on large square of foil. Pour the worchestershire sauce and soy sauce over the top of the onion. Lay the piece of butter on the top of the onion. Sprinkle with Tony Cachere's to taste. Cover dish with foil or wrap onion tightly in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Fabulous with steaks...and don't forget to dip your steak in the juice! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by woodenzoo (My Page) on Wed, May 27, 09 at 16:27 Here's one of my favorite onion recipes! Onion Salsa 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 leeks, chopped 1 large red onion, diced 1 bunch scallions, chopped (both white and green included) 1 shallot, chopped 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 2 tablespoons fresh thyme 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons fresh chives In sauce pan, heat oil and saute leeks, red onion, scallions and shallot until soft. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Add garlic, thyme, mayonnaise and chives. Mix well. Good on grilled burgers, hearty breads or as a dip for tortilla chips! Cathy o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by seagrass (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 3:39 bbstx - what is "Tony Cachere's"? seagrass o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 9:25 I use onions in one form or another nearly every day. One recipe where they get to be a star is in French Onion Soup. FRENCH ONION SOUP serves 4 to 6 3 Tbs. butter 4 large sweet onions (about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled and thinly sliced 1 tsp. sugar (optional, see note) 1 cup dry white wine 2 quarts beef broth 2 ribs celery with leaves, each rib cut in half Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/4 cup dry fino sherry 4 to 6 slices baguette, cut 1/2 inch thick, lightly toasted 1/4 cup coarsely grated Emmental, Gruyere, or other Swiss-type cheese Melt the butter in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly caramelized, a minimum of 30 minutes. (The longer the onions cook slowly, the richer the flavor of the soup.) Add the white wine and cook over medium-high heat until the wine reduces to about half, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, celery, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and allow the soup to simmer until the onions are meltingly tender, about 40 minutes. Remove and discard the celery. Add the sherry and simmer soup for another 5 minutes. To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof bowls. Top each with 1 slice of bread, sprinkle with 1 Tbs. cheese, and place the bowls on a cookie sheet. Heat in the center of the preheated oven just until the cheese melts and bubbles, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and serve at once. Note: The tiny bit of sugar added to the onions helps caramelize them, but the onions themselves will caramelize if theyre sweet enough and if youre patient enough. I never use it, just keep them cooking. I always use firm yellow onions. The large white onions dont seem to get soft enough and vidalias become soft but have such a bland flavor when cooked. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bbstx (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 9:49 seagrass, it is Tony Chachere's...I misspelled it. It is a creole seasoning. The main ingredients are salt, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. It is readily available in grocery stores in the south. If you cannot get it, here is a recipe for a substitute from : 26 ounces salt, free flowing..like Morton's 1 1/2 ounces ground black pepper 2 ounces ground red pepper 1 ounce garlic powder 1 ounce chili powder (like Gebhardt's) Some online recipes also use MSG. I just looked at my can of Tony Chachere's Original and it says NO MSG on the front. Here is a link that might be useful: Tony Chachere website o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lindac (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 13:39 I have a wonderful recipe for blue cheese marinated onions....but I can't lay my hands on it....nor my mouse pointer! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 18:32 Here's a typical Spanish recipe for Rabbit with Onion. I used to make this quite often after I tried it first time in France where it was so good I was able to over my reluctance to try rabbit. Chicken may be substituted but it's not quite the same. Rabbit With Onion Serves 4 2 lbs rabbit cut in pieces of about 1/2 lb each 3 onions sliced in fine strips (julienne) 4 cloves garlic, squashed 2 - 3 TBS olive oil 2 TBS flour 1/2 cup white wine 3 bay leaves salt and pepper If you can cook this in an earthenware casserole, the flavour will be better. If not, then use a heavy frying pan and lid. 1. Heat the oil in an earthenware casserole. Dredge the pieces of rabbit in the flour and brown in the hot oil. Then remove rabbit and set aside. 2. In the same oil, put the 4 cloves of garlic, the bay leaves and the onion. When they have softened, add the rabbit and the white wine. Cover and simmer gently for an hour, stirring from time to time. If it begins to dry, add a little water. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. ************************************* Another recipe I've made adds chopped tomato and parsley and another adds small slices of potato near the end of the cooking as in the recipe above. The recipes I have all use a good quantity of finely sliced onion as well as a glass of white wine. Another recipe adds green beans and potatoes to the rabbit, garlic and onion mixture, when it is nearly cooked. And all my recipes include at least one bay leaf. Rabbit is a healthy, low fat and delicious meat when properly prepared. SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by daisyduckworth (My Page) on Fri, May 29, 09 at 2:32 I'm particularly fond of baked whole onions, perfect with a roast dinner. I used to do them mainly plain, but occasionally I'd stuff them. Here's one of my old favourites. Stuffed Onions (1) 6 large onions, peeled 1 cup mashed sweet potato 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons honey Preheat oven to 180°C. Peel onions and boil in salted water to cover for 15-20 minutes or until onions are tender but not falling apart. Cool slightly and take out centres. Mix sweet potato with remaining ingredients. Stuff onions with the mixture. Put onions in baking dish with 3mm water in bottom. Bake onions for 30 minutes. And another: Stuffed Onions (2) 6 large onions 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, soaked in 1/2 cup milk 3 eggs, lightly beaten 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup finely ground almonds large pinch ground cloves large pinch sugar 1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk 6 teaspoons butter Preheat oven to 200°C. Trim tops of onions, but leave root ends intact. Peel onions. In a large saucepan of boiling water to cover, cook onions for 5 minutes. Remove from water, let cool, and cut 2cm off top of each. Scoop out interior, leaving a thin shell. Finely chop tops and interiors. In a medium bowl, combine chopped onion, soaked bread crumbs, whole eggs, cheese, almonds, cloves and sugar. Stir thoroughly. Stuff cavity of each onion with filling, packing it down. Place onions in a buttered baking dish. Brush outside of each onion with egg-milk mixture and top with 1 teaspoon butter. Cover loosely with aluminium foil and bake 1 1/2 hours. I love a little grated or finely chopped raw onion in my mashed potatoes. Some people find it A Bit Much, and for them I'd slightly cook the onions first. Then there's pickled onions, especially the brown ones. I could eat these till the cows come home! Wonderful with sardines or salmon on a sandwich. I like a salad with rings of raw red onion, too. One salad my mother used to make was very plain, but delicious. Simply sliced tomato and cucumber arranged alternatively around a plate, with an onion rings scattered over the top, and vinegar poured over. Better than it sounds! I have often wondered if there's ANY savoury dish that isn't improved with some onion added to it?? Imagine a stew without onion, if you can! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bubbeskitchen (My Page) on Fri, May 29, 09 at 9:56 This is my recipe as printed in the DOROT cookbook: Baked Onions dellisola Comacina From Renée Adler Aschers Kitchen This is interpretation of the antipasto dish at the restaurant on Comacina in Lake Como, Italy, where Arthur and I had an amazing 4 hour lunch in 1986. They didnt speak a word of English, the food just kept coming and the onions, served as an antipasto were amazing. Through trial and error I came close to replicating them, but atmosphere, well thats another matter entirely. Sigh! Serves: 8 to 10 Prep and cooking time: About 1 hour Ingredients: 8 large yellow onions, of about even size 1 1/2 cups rich beef stock or veal stock reduced to a demi-glacé. Extra virgin olive oil Fresh ground pepper Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees 2. Cut onions in half cross-wise, leaving skin on, trim off roots, and shoot end if too pointy. 3. Lightly oil a shallow, glass, baking dish just large enough to hold onion halves in one layer. 4. Dip cut side of onions in demi-glacé and place cut side down into baking dish. 5. Brush skins with oil 6. Salt and pepper 7. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, turn onions, add 1/2 cup of warm water to pan, recover and bake 20 minutes more. Uncover and bake until just tender, test with knife. 8. Remove onions to serving platter. Add a bit of water to reconstitute stock and pore over onions. Do not make too watery. 9. Serve room temperature, or cold o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by pkramer (My Page) on Sat, May 30, 09 at 23:25 BBSTX: The baked onions were a big hit here tonight. I had rave reviews on them and requests for the recipe and to make more! Steak juice for sure. A little bit of onion sweet with a bit of heat from the Tony C. seasonings, all perfect. I served them with grilled ribeyes, bakers and portobellos all done on the grill. The next time I will add some mushrooms to the packets too. Peppi o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sun, May 31, 09 at 19:36 Once again the Cookalong spurred me to go out of me element in the kitchen this weekend, with good results. First, I made slow cooked onions in the crockpot, with just regular old white onions, some butter, olive oil and white wine and salt. Very easy and yummy! I also added a dash of Penzeys sandwich sprinkle at the end because they seemed just a tad blah to me. It's like a seasoned salt. I used half the finished product in some pasta and the rest is going in the freezer. Then, I made the new red potato and green bean salad with the red onions, recipe posted above. That really is such a beautiful salad with the red onion and green colors. I used all green beans. Last but not least was where I really went out of my element. I made "Spaghetti with Onions" from my "Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites." I must admit that is a recipe I never would have thought to make, but it called for a cup of milk, which I had in the fridge and needed to use up. It's a very simple recipe with onions, tomato and fennel as the sauce. Both onions and fennel are things I like but only in moderation. The simple combination of those assertive flavors is really, really good, they balance each other well. Spaghetti with Onions from "Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites" 4 large onions 2 tsp. olive oil 2 tsp. ground fennel (optional, I used 1.25 tsp.) 1 lb spaghetti (I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Grain) 1 cup skim milk (I used whole so can't vouch for this with skim) 1 cup canned tomatoes, crushed or coarsley chopped (8 oz. can) I used fire roasted tomatoes 1 tsp. salt or less to taste ground black pepper to taste Bring a pot of water to a boil. As the water boils, prepare the sauce. Slice the onion in half and then slice each half into thin lengthwise strips. Saute the onions and fennel in the olive oil until translucent, will take about 10 min. (Lpink's notes: here's where I used the slow cooker onions, and you could use roasted onions. If you don't have a good non-stick pan you may need to use 1 TBLSP olive oil.) Ease the spaghetti into the boiling water, stir and cover. Cook no more than five minutes. The spaghetti should not be quite done when you take it out. Add the milk and tomatoes to the onions and slowly heat up. If the milk curdles, don't worry. Cover and gently simmer. Add the drained and partially cooked spaghetti to the sauce and cook five minutes more. Stir occasionally until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is smooth. Drizzle in more milk if the sauce becomes too stiff. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Notes: according to the cookbook, finishing cooking the pasta with the sauce will add some starch and make the sauce creamy. I found that is took more than five minutes to thicken the sauce, more like 10. I also added 1/4 cup grated parmesean/romano mix to the dish. If you make it my way it is by no means low fat, but not hugely fat either. This might be good with some roasted fennel bulb too. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by pat_t (My Page) on Mon, Jun 1, 09 at 8:46 Simplistic and wonderful..... GLORIFIED VIDALIA ONIONS 5 to 6 medium sweet onions 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup sugar 2 cups water 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp. celery seed Finely chop or grate onions. Soak onions in the water, sugar, and vinegar for 4 hours. Drain well. Pat dry. Mix onions with mayonnaise and celery seed. Serve with buttery crackers. Recipe courtesy of Ms. Betty Lees of Savannah, GA. I love baked/grilled onions also. My best friend, Tracy, takes a huge sweet onion and opens it like a flower. Inside, she puts pats of real butter, Worcestershire, and salt & pepper. Baked or grilled (in foil) it is the best steak accompaniment ever. I also tried this one that was previously posted by chery2 over on the Recipe exchange and it was really good. ONIONS AU GRATIN 6 medium yellow onions 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup beef broth 1/2 cup whipping cream 2 Tblsp. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Slice the onions into 1/2" thick rings; sauté in butter until tender. Place in a greased 8" square baking dish. In a bowl, stir broth, cream, flour, salt and pepper until smooth; pour over onions. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 350° F. for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and mixture is bubbly. Yield: 8 servings. Posted by chery2 at the GW Recipe Exchange. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 2, 09 at 23:57 This retro dip recipe from Ina is always a hit when I make it. We always used the Lipton package and sour cream back in the day....this recipe tops that by a mile or more. Pan-Fried Onion DipCopyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved Show: Barefoot ContessaEpisode: Soup Lunch Ingredients 2 large yellow onions 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup good mayonnaise Directions Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool. Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature. Note: I chop the onions as I/we find the sliced ones messy and hard to keep on a chip or off your chin while eating it. Double the recipe for sure...it won't last long. David o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 9:10 Did anyone post a recipe for Onion Rings? Did I miss it? I am always searching for a gerat onion ring recipe that has a super crunchy batter - almost a tempura. Do you have a recipe like that to share? Thanks in advance! Alexa o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 9:33 These all sound so good! Alexa, I don't have a recipe on hand for onion rings, that is, don't remember where I have one, even though I made some way back a year or 2 ago when I bought a deep fat fryer at an estate sale. I'll have to search for the recipe I used. But I was imagining the other day how I could incorporate parmesan cheese into onion rings. I was wondering if I could grate some parm in with the coating for the onion rings, and then fry them as normal. Would it work? In my imagination it would be spectacular! lol. Has anyone tried something like that? Sally o yum! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 9:40 Oh Sally - that DOES sound good! What if you just microplaned a dusting of parm over them as they came out of the fryer? THe cheese would melt onto the rings! Alexa o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 10:38 I love baked onions, much like the recipe bbstx posted. I just cut the onion into 4th or 8ths but not quite through, wrap the foil up, leaving a bit open at the top, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper them and bake or grill. Vidalias are particular good for this, but they're all good. So many yummy recipes here, I don't know which to try first, I like pretty much anything with onion in it. As for onion rings, I use Diana's recipe (dlundin) with some small changes by Ann T. Onion Rings =========== Adapted from a recipe Posted by Diana (Dlundin) Onion rings 3 cups buttermilk 2 cloves of garlic 2 sweet onions (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), thinly sliced into rounds, then separated into rings 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour salt black pepper cayenne pepper Canola Oil For onion rings: Pour buttermilk into large bowl. Puree the garlic cloves on a microplane and add to the buttermilk. Add onion rings; toss to coat. Let stand 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Mix flour with salt, pepper and cayenne. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to reach depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°F. Working with a few onion rings at a time, shake off excess buttermilk, then turn onion rings in flour mixture to coat. Fry onion rings until deep golden brown, adjusting heat as necessary for each batch to maintain temperature at 350°F, about 2 minutes. Transfer onion rings to paper towels to drain, then place on baking sheet and keep warm in oven while frying remaining onion rings. Very yummy and not too heavy with batter, they're delicious. Annie o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by craftyrn (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 11:51 Here's another one from Ina Garden-- a T & T in our family. Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Dips,savory Barefoot Contessa Pan-Fried Onion Dip ===================================== Makes two cups. 2 large yellow onions 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup good mayonnaise . Cut the onions in half, and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool. Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature. Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten Crown o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ann_t (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 16:00 OOOH some really good recipes here. Ann o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 16:38 Here is a recipe from Steve Raichlen's "How To Grill" BBQ cookbook. Excellent summer side dish with your favourite BBQ meat! Country Style BBQ Onions 8 medium Vidalias 1 Can Bush country style baked beans 1/4 Cup dark brown sugar 1/2 Cup BBQ sauce 1/2 Stick (4 TBSP) butter cup in 8 pieces, room temp 2 strips cooked bacon cut into 8 pieces of 2" each fresh ground black pepper Peel the onions. Carefully hollow out the onions leaving the base in tact. Chop the onion pieces you hollowed out and mix with the baked beans, brown sugar and BBQ sauce. Spoon mixture into the onions and top with the butter and bacon. Sprinkle with pepper. Grill onions on the grill using indirect heat and medium heat (350 degrees) for 40-60 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Notes: I use my own cheater BBQ baked bean recipe instead of Bush beans. I often add some chipoltes in adobo sauce to the beans instead of BBQ sauce. Super served with pork tenderloin, ribs or chops. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 16:58 Oh boy, there sure are some great recipes. It's funny, I love cooked onions but don't like them raw. I bought some vidalia onions for the challenge and now I have to decide what to do with them. Hmmmm... what a lot of great choices. Davids dip is calling me, then again I haven't made onion rings in a long time. Chase your bbq onions sounds good and the Bush's were on sale recently so the pantry is stocked. hmmm.. Sharon did start it off with a bang with that quiche and quiche is one of my favorite things in the world. Ann's creamed onions struck a cord early on in the thread....... oh my.....But, hey, that's what's great about these threads, the wealth of recipes can keep us going for a long time. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by woodie2 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 18:20 I'm waiting for Doucanoe to post her recipe, yum. LindaC - here is your blue cheese recipe - we love it! LINDA C'S BLUE CHEESE MARINATED ONIONS Slice 4 sweet onions into a bowl and separate into rings. Mix: 1/2 cup EVOO 2 T fresh lemon juice 1 tsp salt ( I omit that!) 3 oz crumbled Maytag Blue cheese Mix and pour over onion rings and refrigerate for at least 8 hours....stirring occasionally. Here are some more of my favorites. Posted by: Cindy_Mac (My Page) on Sat, Nov 2, 02 at 21:25 This onion pudding is rich & delicious. SWEET ONION PUDDING 1 cup whipping cream 3 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt a little freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 cup butter 3 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced STIR together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually stir into egg mixture. Set aside. MELT butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion, and cook, stirring often, 30 to 40 minutes or until onion is caramel colored. Remove onion from heat. STIR onion into egg mixture; spoon into a lightly greased 8-x8-inch baking dish. BAKE at 350° for 30 minutes or until set. (Adapted from November 2000 Southern Living) Sorry that I don't remember the source for this recipe, I think its really good! BLUE CHEESE ONION GRATIN 2 large Spanish onions (about 1 pound) 6 ounces blue cheese, broken into pieces 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed Freshly ground pepper Slice onions and place evenly in buttered 9x13 baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and spread evenly over onions with a spatula. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then broil briefly until top is browned and bubbly. (Watch carefully to avoid burning.) Yield 4 servings o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 19:19 Here's a recipe that I've made over the last 30 yrs. It's not fancy, just a simple family casserole type of thing. You can make the topping from scratch, using a drop biscut recipe, just add extra milk for more of a batter consistancy. HAMBURGER DELUXE 1# hamburg 4 med.onions, sliced thin 2 Tbl. butter 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper Brown the above well. Stir in: 2 Tbs flour 1 Tbs Worcheshire sauce 1 8 0z can of mushrooms undrained 1 1/2 C strong beef stock or bullion Bring to a boil and simmer about 5 min. Meanwhile combine: 2 C baking mix (Bisquick is what I always use) 1 C Milk Transfer the meat mixture to a 3 qt casserole and drop the dough by spoonfuls over the top, it will even itself out as it bakes. Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes, then, top with: 8 oz sour cream 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese Return to oven until cheese melts. I also do a variation of this omitting the mushrooms and stirring in a pkg of taco seasoning, Use a cornbread mix for the topping. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 4, 09 at 9:43 Dh and I went to a dinner at an Hispanic friend's house one time. They were grilling lots and lots of meat, which they enjoyed but I passed on. But, they also grilled whole onions wrapped in foil, I think, but I didn't see exactly how they did the onions. When served we were instructed to squeeze lime juice over the onions. They were delicious! So, for those of you that bake or grill your onions, try squeezing lime juice on them. It's going to be hot here this weekend, so I don't think I'll be baking onions, unless I decide to bake bread. Hey, maybe I should make onion bread! Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by joanm (My Page) on Sat, Jun 6, 09 at 19:08 I made the baked onions that BBSTX posted. Yummy juice. Baked onions o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Sat, Jun 6, 09 at 20:53 Sally's post about making the onions and bread reminded me of this recipe which is SO GOOD! It is supposed to be cool here the middle of the week, so I may just have to make a loaf. ****************************************************** Braided Onion Loaf From Annie on the CF This makes one giant (18-inch) braid, or make two smaller loaves, if you like. Soft and tender, rather than crisp and chewy, it's a nice addition to a dinner breadbasket. Dough 3/4 cup (6 ounces) hot-from-the-tap water 1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk 4 1/4 cups (18 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons instant yeast 1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter or vegetable oil 1 egg Filling 1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, melted 2 cups (8 ounces) finely chopped onions, OR 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) instant minced onions 1 teaspoon garlic powder OR 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic 1 teaspoon paprika Topping 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water 3 tablespoons poppy, sesame, caraway or mixed seeds Manual Method: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, stirring till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Mixer Method: Combine the ingredients as directed in the previous paragraph, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switching to the dough hook(s) and kneading for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till it's puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk. Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for manual or dough, and press Start. Take a look at the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, and adjust its consistency with additional water or flour, as necessary, to produce a smooth, supple dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. Filling: In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until the onions are soft and golden brown. Remove the pan from the stove, allow it to cool to lukewarm, then stir in the paprika. Set it aside. Assembly: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured work surface. Roll it into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle, and cut it lengthwise into three 18 x 4-inch strips. Place a row of filling down the middle of each strip. Fold the strips over, use the heel of your hand to seal the edges, then roll into logs, sealing the ends. This is a very extensible (stretchy) dough; the logs will try to become VERY long as you roll them, but try to keep them within a few inches of their original length. Braid the logs and place the braid on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly and allow the loaf to rise for 1 hour. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush the loaf all over with the egg wash. Sprinkle it with the seeds of your choice. Bake the braid in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's deep brown and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thick part of the bread (but not into the filling) registers 200°F or higher. Remove the bread from the oven, and allow it to cool somewhat before serving. Yield: 1 large loaf. Note: This could easily be made into two smaller loaves. When you make your original cuts in the dough, simply make one additional crosswise cut, so you have six 9 x 4-inch rectangles (instead of three 18 x 4-inch). Proceed as directed above, making two loaves. You may want to reduce the baking time slightly. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by loves2cook4six (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 8:20 No recipe - yet - but last night at a party we had the most delicious pizza with carmelized onions, basil and goat cheese on a thin crust. Yumm! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 8:22 I also made bbstx's baked onion recipe and served it with grilled steak last week. It was delicious. Lots of recipes I'd like to try on this thread. I forgot to post this one, which I like to serve with baked ham. GLAZED BERMUDAS 6 Bermuda onions, peeled 2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted 1/4 cup honey 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 3 Tbs. water Halve onions and put cut side up in large casserole with cover. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over onions. Cover and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 1 1/2 hours, or until cooked, basting with sauce. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 15:31 Caliloo, I copied and pasted that bread recipe. I don't know if I'll try it today, since our predicted high is 98 degrees, but I do want to try it sometime. It looks so good! I haven't done it yet, but I'd decided to roast some potatoes and onions on the grill today, with some rosemary. I've harvested all three today, so I'm ready to use them. I don't know exactly how I'm going to do it, but I'm thinking of wrapping the onions and potatoes in foil with sprigs of rosemary, then putting them on the grill to roast. I may parboil the potatoes first, but I don't know if that's necessary. I don't know what else we'll have. I'll let y'all know. Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 16:15 The onion cookalong is this weekend ? Yikes !!! Best I'll be able to do is order onions on my "order in" pizza LOL Hope to be back in the swing of things this week. Sally, I do onions and potatoes on the grill all the time. No need to parboil just half or quarter them, depending on size, drizzle with olive oil, add a bit of salt and pepper and some fresh rosemary. Wrap in foil, wrap twice, and place on medium heat for a half hour or so. Turn occasionally. YUM! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 19:39 Well I'm just squeezing under the wire with my cooked entry from today. I intended to use bbstx's baked onion recipe as it would go nicely with the fish and other vegetables I had planned for our dinner. But when I looked for my two onions....they had somehow turned into only one onion....and when I started to open the one onion, it had turned black inside from the heat here recently. Soooo....I scrounged in the bottom of the fridge crisper and found three assorted sizes of spring onion with new bulbs attached. So that's what I used, together with some sliced leek. Oh it was very good! I'm definitely going to bake these again, but with full sized onions. The juice was delicious and I can imagine how well it would also go with a steak. So thanks bbstx for a good and simple idea. I love to bake a whole lunch in my little toaster oven, as I did today. I didn't have any of that spice mixture you mentioned so I used garlic powder and a bit of Hungarian paprika. Tasty! SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by starlightfarm (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 0:49 I just wanted to thank bbstx for the Baked Onion recipe!! I prepared it this weekend for a big family lunch and everyone LOVED it! I had a huge bag of fresh off the farm Vidalia onions that a friend gave me (just visted her sister in GA).... they were delicious. Thanks so much! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 8:08 Good job everyone, we now have some really good onion recipes to enjoy. I just drew a name...... Annie1992...your turn to pick our next star ingredient! I have to work today but will check soon as I get home and will then set up the next thread. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 9:56 Sharon, I hadn't seen your post, but I did almost exactly that! The only difference was that I wrapped it up in some Swiss Chard leaves, then wrapped it in foil. The chard turned out to be a mistake, because it, well, charred, (charred Chard). I quartered the potatoes, the onions were already small (disappointing harvest) and I put in some rosemary and a bay leaf and a clove of garlic. I served it in a bowl with fresh tomato wedges. The entire meal, with the exception of the garlic and the salt and pepper was home grown. It turned out very good, but Jerry didn't like the pieces of rosemary twigs, and I didn't blame him. Next time, and there'll certainly be a next time for this simple dish, I'll take the time to separate out the rosemary twigs before serving, but I was too lazy. I forgot to post last night. Jerry took some pictures but hasn't downloaded them yet. Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 10:14 Wow, my turn? And I didn't even get to post a picture of my grilled Vidalia onions, although I did have them yesterday. Ashley still has my camera, so I can't take pictures, but I just drizzled with olive oil and balsamic, salt and pepper and grilled them wrapped in foil. I did try the strawberry balsamic that Sherry gave me on one of them, and some lemon infused olive oil on another but the flavors were not particularly compatible, LOL. Not bad, but the others were better without the competing strawberry or lemon flavor. Hey, I just had to try, LOL. So the next ingredient? Because I have so many of them and they're such a constant source of protein, I choose eggs. Annie o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 18:33 Here's the link to the next Cooalong... Eggs Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #11 ---- Eggs o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by carrie2 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 9, 09 at 18:34 I've made something a few times that has turned out well. The first time I made it with refreshed leftover mashed potatoes, but fresh mashed potatoes work to. I spread the mashed potoatoes into a flat baking dish. Then I halve and thinly slice onions and simmer them in heavy cream until they are soft and sweet. Then spread the onion mixture over the potatoes, sprinkle with a little parmesan and bake at 350 until the potatoes are hot. It's a good accompaniment to roasted meats. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 9, 09 at 21:54 I had to work this weekend so I missed cooking with y'all. Diana's onion ring recipe is my go to one since she shared it and I'v made several of the baked/grilled versions over the years too. I'll be adding one of these to my menu in the next week or two. Thanks for another great collection of recipes! David o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by rob333 (My Page) on Fri, Oct 23, 09 at 8:56 A recipe I wanted to contribute, but didn't because the leeks aren't the "star", but it just isn't the same without them, so sorta, kinda?: Braised Lamb Shanks with Fennel, Tomatoes, Turnips and Carrots Bon Appétit : March 1998 yield: Makes 6 servings The shanks need to marinate overnight, so plan ahead. Uncork a spicy Syrah, Pinot Noir or Merlot to go with dinner. Ingredients Topping 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1 tablespoon grated orange peel 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon drained green peppercorns in brine, coarsely chopped Lamb 1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth 1 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup dry red wine 2/3 cup red currant jelly 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 3 garlic cloves, minced 6 lamb shanks (each about 1 pound) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound plum tomatoes, each cut into 4 wedges, seeded 2 large turnips, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges 2 large fennel bulbs, each cut into 4 wedges 3 large carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch-thick slices 1 cup chopped leek (white and pale green parts only) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/3 cup all purpose flour 1 tablespoon tomato paste Preparation For topping: Mix all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) For lamb: Whisk chicken broth, beef broth, 1/2 cup wine, 1/3 cup currant jelly, herbes de Provence, vinegar and garlic in large glass baking dish to blend. Add lamb shanks; turn to coat. Cover and chill overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove lamb from marinade; reserve marinade. Pat lamb dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add lamb; cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large roasting pan. Add all vegetables to roasting pan. Pour reserved marinade into same skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour over lamb. Cover; bake until lamb and vegetables are very tender, turning occasionally, about 2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer lamb and vegetables to large serving bowl. Tent with foil. Spoon fat off top of cooking liquid. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour. Stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Whisk in cooking liquid. Add 1/3 cup wine, 1/3 cup jelly and tomato paste. Boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce, then topping, over lamb and vegetables