Cornbread

From the Joy of Cooking:

Cornbread

1 1/4 c. cornmeal
3/4 c. flour
1-4 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
2 eggs
2/3 c milk
2/3 c buttermilk
2-3 T melted butter

Combine all ingredients (wet first, then add dry), just mixing.

Bake in a 9"x9" pan for 20-25 min, or in muffin tins for 10-12 min, at 425F.

Makes 10-12 servings.

When doubling, use 1/4 c sugar, 1 stick butter.  Plain yogurt/milk combination can be used as substitute for buttermilk.  Serve with chili!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

An attempt at Chinese, without too much oil and with no soy sauce.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 package of chicken (~1 lb?)
~ 1 cup cornmeal
1 egg
1 onion
salt & pepper
mandarin oranges
cilantro

Sauce:
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, roll in beaten egg then in cornmeal (add more cornmeal as necessary).  Fry in olive oil with chopped onion, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Combine the ingredients for the sauce (adjust amounts to taste), add to chicken, cooking on low for a bit.

Before serving, add oranges and chopped cilantro, to taste.

Contemplating adding peapods, but haven't had a chance to try it.

Serve on rice.

"Pad Thai" - Peanut-Lime Chicken Salad

Again, brazenly stolen/adapted from Smitten Kitchen.  I made "adjustments" right and left for ingredients that I simply did not have, such as sesame oil, insufficient lime juice (added a few splashes of lemon to get what seemed a good consistency), no soy sauce, no carrots or cucumbers, no peanuts.  Instead I used the vegetables I had available, a half bag of frozen pea pods and lots of cilantro and green onions.  Also left out the garlic and chiles, substituting instead a couple teaspoons of the red chile sauce I'd picked up in the Asian section of the store, and used perhaps twice as much ginger as was called for.  It seems no matter what you do, it tastes flavorful.

Peanut-Lime Chicken Salad
 (2-4 servings)

Dipping sauce
 3 T Asian fish sauce
 3 T brown sugar
 6 T lime juice
 1 garlic clove, minced
Small Thai or Serrano chiles, thinly sliced, to taste

Peanut dressing
 1 1/2 T Asian fish sauce
 1 1/2 T rice vinegar
 4 1/2 T lime juice
 1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 one-and-a-half inch chunk fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
 3 T peanut butter
1/2 T sesame oil
Pinch of cayenne

Chicken and noodle salad
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
8 ounces dried rice vermicelli or other rice noodles
2 small cucumbers, cut in 1/4-inch half moons
2 medium carrots, cut in thin julienne
Additional vegetables
Small handful basil or mint or cilantro sprigs, or your favorite of the three (torn or roughly chopped)
4 or more green onions, chopped
1/4 cup crushed or chopped roasted peanuts
Lime wedges (to serve)

Make the dipping sauce: Whisk ingredients in a small serving bowl, making sure to dissolve the sugar. Leave to ripen for 15 minutes. Refrigerate any extra and use within a few days.

Make the peanut dressing: In a blender or small food processor, puree all ingredients to a smooth sauce, about the thickness of heavy cream.

Marinate the chicken: Stir together 1/2 the dipping sauce and 1/3 the peanut dressing (you can eyeball this) in the bottom of a low-sided bowl or dish. Add the chicken to the mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Cook the noodles: Package should have directions for cooking the noodles.  Mine were to soak the rice noodles for 10 minutes in hot (I used boiled) water.  I strained them out when they were fluffy.

Cook the chicken: Grill the chicken on an outdoor grill, a stove-top grill pan, or run under the broiler until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes a side. Let cool slightly, then chop roughly into 3/4-inch pieces.

To serve: You can serve each item separately, allowing the diners to choose proportions.  Or mix everything together (the noodles, chicken, vegetables, and both sauces) in one big bowl.  Excellent either way.  Can be served hot or cold.

Beef Stroganoff

Stolen from the Russians?

Beef Stroganoff

2 lbs beef, chopped
seasoned flour: 1/4 c. flour, salt, pepper
1-2 medium onions, chopped

Toss the beef in the seasoned flour, and brown in oil.  Add the onions, saute'.

Add the liquid:
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. ketchup
1 1/2 c. water
Liquid from a 4 oz can of mushrooms

Stir, and simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Just before serving, ad 1/2 c - 3/4 c sour cream and the mushrooms.  Serve over hot noodles (generally egg noodles).

Agrodolce Meatballs

Agrodolce Meatballs

(from Sassy Radish)

3/4 pound ground sirloin
3/4 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1/4 c. plain dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. dried currants or raisins
1/4 c. pine nuts
1 T. drained capers
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh mint
1 T. kosher salt, plus additional
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper, plus additional
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 T. sugar
Crusty bread, for serving

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and pork, eggs, bread crumbs, currants, pine nuts, capers, and mint.  Season with salt and pepper and knead, gently, to combine.  Roll the mixture into meatballs the size of golf balls and dust with flour.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until simmering.  Add the meatballs in a single layer and cook over moderate heat, turning once or twice until browned and nearly cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.  Tilt the skillet and spoon off as much fat as possible.

Add the broth, vinegar, and sugar and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup and the meatballs are fully cooked, 8 to 12 minutes.  Serve with crusty bread.

Makes 16 to 18 meatballs (Serves 4).

Grasshopper Bars

Grasshopper Bars

Brownie Layer:
3/4 c. unsalted butter
10 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 t. vanilla
3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. + 2 T. cocoa powder
3/4 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Melt the butter, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan.  Stir until smooth, then remove from heat.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.  Whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  Bake for about 20 minutes, then cool completely.

Mint Ganache:
1/2 c. heavy cream
10 oz. white chocolate chopped
2 T. green crème de menthe (or green food coloring)
1 t. peppermint extract

Simmer the cream, then remove from heat.  Pour immediately over the chocolate, mint, and green coloring, whisking until smooth.  Chill for about 1 hour, before spreading over the brownie.

Chocolate Ganache:
1 c. heavy cream
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Simmer the cream, remove from heat.  Pour immediately over the chocolate, whisking until smooth.  Chill for about 30 minutes, then spread over the mint-covered brownie.

Keep the brownies chilled until served.

Tabouli Salad

Tabbuli

3/4 c. burghul (bulgur wheat, cooked)
2 large bunches of parsley (approximately 1 qt, when chopped), finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped fresh mint or 1/4 to 1/3 c. dried mint
1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 or 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small dried onion, finely chopped
1/8 t. cinnamon
2-3 t. salt
pepper to taste
1/2 c. to 2/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. olive oil

Rinse burghul (crushed wheat), drain, then squeeze excess water.  Place in large mixing bowl.  First finely chop the parsley, then the green onions and the tomatoes.  Place vegetables in layers with the burghul in the order given, leaving dried onions on one-half of the layer and diced tomatoes on the other.

Add seasonings to the dried onions nad mix thoroughly.  Add lemon juice and toss with spoon and fork.  Just before serving, add the oil and toss thoroughly.

Note: Tabbuli may be prepared 1-2 hours ahead of time, leaving out the tomatoes and oil.  Just cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Add tomatoes and oil just before serving.