Share your recipes

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jennypenny
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by jennypenny »

Mmm, bay leaves sound good. I usually only cook with food I can store easily or grow myself. I'll try it.

I also make the same soup with ginger, red pepper flakes, and my curry powder mix. You can add a splash of soy sauce to the bowl before eating if you like it salty.

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

jennypenny wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 5:28 am
Mmm, bay leaves sound good. I usually only cook with food I can store easily or grow myself. I'll try it.
Bay leaves are very storable (is this a word?) spices/herbs, you can just let them dry in an empty marmelade jar. The key is they have to be stored vertically, and they will dry out perfectly, retaining most of the flavor, only with infinite shelf life.
jennypenny wrote:
Mon Nov 20, 2017 5:28 am
I also make the same soup with ginger, red pepper flakes, and my curry powder mix. You can add a splash of soy sauce to the bowl before eating if you like it salty.
I'm salivating in front of my PC. It's 4.25pm and I'm at work. This is not normal.

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jennypenny
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by jennypenny »

These were $.10/lb at the dairy farm, so I'm making several loaves of honey banana walnut bread. I'll share some with neighbors and family that I'll see this week and the rest will go into the freezer. I like having them around at the holidays to give to people.

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I've posted pictures of it to flickr before. I'm pretty sure I've posted the recipe too but I can't find it. I'll write it down as I bake (I do this one from memory) and post it later.

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That's not a good picture of the final product. I'll try to take a better one tonight. This bread is better if you let it sit at least a day. That rarely happens around here though. It's gluten free and I make it with and without the walnuts for people with allergies.


edit: Here's the recipe .

Notes: This is for two loaf pans. I use GF flour so the whole thing is GF. IMO these taste better the next day. The finished loaf freezes well, but wrap in plastic/cloth and then aluminum before putting into the freezer.

Pull butter and eggs out of the fridge to warm before starting.
Heat oven to 350 and grease or spray pans.
Mash 5 soft bananas. Set aside.
Whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder. Set aside.
In mixer, combine 10 tbl butter, tbl vanilla, 2 tbl honey, and a cup of sugar until creamy.
Add in flour mixture (will be coarse like graham/cornmeal).
Beat 4 eggs in mug, then add to mix.
Add a cup of chopped walnuts. Fold into mix.

Split batter between pans and bake for 45-50 minutes. Cool on rack.

You can add chocolate chips instead but break them up first so they don't sink to the bottom. (Put them in a cloth or plastic bag and smash them a bit with the bottom of a thick glass. You don't want them pulverized, only broken up.)

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jennypenny
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by jennypenny »

I mentioned balsamic reduction in the other thread. It's a great item to pour onto salads or appetizers to make them look nice and it's so easy. Mix balsamic vinegar and honey (1 cup to 3 tbl). Bring to a quick boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes. I like to reduce the volume by half. It's an attractive dressing. I really like it on steak. I make a big batch (a bottle's worth) and keep it in the fridge.

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

Did a quick and easy recipe recently.
Sage and white wine chicken and risotto.

Start by putting a bit of garlic on mid flame:

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While it's going, chop up some chicken breast

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And some fresh sage

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When the garlic is ready

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Add the chicken and two thirds of the sage

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When it has cooked for a bit, turn the flame to high and add a glass of white wine

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Cook until the wine has evaporated.

Next, prepare risotto the easy way as described in previous posts

In short:
boil three cups of broth,
add one cup of rice,
cover and leave simmering 12 minutes
Open and adjust to your liking (it will need another 5 minutes of cooking, add water as needed - you normally won't need any)

When it's almost done, add the remaining sage

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Take the risotto off the heat and let rest for 2 minutes, while reheating the chicken.

Win

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jennypenny
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by jennypenny »

I didn't get the chance to take any pictures, but tonight we had shepherds pie made with lentils instead of ground beef. It's a simple version ... cook the lentils in broth* with diced carrots and mushrooms, peas, salt, pepper, and thyme. Take it off the heat just before the lentils are cooked through. Take a little liquid out to mix up a roux with some cornstarch and add it back to the lentils to thicken the sauce. Pour them into a baking dish, cover with mashed potatoes** and a healthy sprinkling of paprika, and put into a 325 over for 15 minutes.

* I used a leftover beef broth for the lentils and it gave it enough of a meat flavor to make the substitution work.

** I like adding parsnips or rutabaga to the mashed potatoes to give them a little flavor. My mother used to save beet juice and add it when she mashed them. My father liked saving a little liquid from his homemade red cabbage to add to the potatoes when he mashed them.

I never realized my family was so obsessed with mashed potatoes. :oops:

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

I made candied ginger this last weekend.
Not sure about the great USA, but here in Italy it's something we relate to Christmas time.
Usually we buy it, but I decided to try do it myself.

Buy some ginger

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Peel it and clean it (a potato peeler is perfect for the task)

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Slice it up thin

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Boil it for around 40 mins

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Drain it and let cool down for a couple hours in the drainer. It has to go from "wet" to "humid", so it is key that you leave it in the drainer to let the extra water flow out.

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Prepare a 60% water 40% sugar syrup, total weight equating the weight of the drained ginger.
Just mix water and sugar and heat up.
Let simmer a bit till all the sugar has dissolved

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Next, toss in the ginger

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Keep stirring with the flame on mid/low, you have to make all the water either evaporate or be sucked up by the ginger.
Then take the ginger out and let it rest in a wide surface

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If you did this correctly, only a little syrup will be left:

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Keep it as it makes a phenomenal addition for a plain yogurt or cottage cheese

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Let the ginger rest for 24 hours in a dry place.
After this, it should be a little humid and sticky.

Prepare some sugar in a big bowl

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Pass the ginger in the sugar and place again on a wide surface

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Let rest for another 24-48 hours and enjoy!

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jennypenny
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by jennypenny »

I'm struggling to imagine what candied ginger tastes like. Looks good.

DD comes homes tonight (if she can get through ATL), and then the cooking and baking bonanza for christmas will begin. I'll try to take some pictures.

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

Candied ginger is a very good digestive aid (that's why we do it around Christmas time :D).
The taste is a watered down experience of raw ginger: still spicy but not as much, feels easier because of the sugar. While many people can't eat raw ginger, I would say most can eat candied ginger.
The structure is kinda similar to a hard jelly.
It's not the kind of thing you eat pounds of, more like 2-3 pieces at the end of the meal

J_
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by J_ »

Thanks Sepia! You are presenting your recipies so well.
Ginger is good for me and I will use it and make it as shown.

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

An alternative fun recipe for my quick risotto

Sauté some sweet sausage

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Pour yourself a glass of red wine and try not drink it all

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Put a bit of red wine in the sausage

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Weigh the rice (remember: best varieties are Arborio, Carnaroli, Roma or Vialone Nano)
115g (about 4oz) per person is a generous serving.

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And approximately three times the water

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notice how in our superior metric system 500ml = 500g

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Once the wine has dried up

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Add the water, being to a boil, then add cube broth and rice.

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Cover and set timer to 12-15 minutes depending on rice grain size.

Pour yourself a second glass of wine (this step optional)

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Grate some Parmesan

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About 2-3 minutes before the alarm goes off, add some green peas, cover again and continue to cook

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When the alarm goes off, open the lid and monitor the rice.
This is when it’s ready:

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Now toss 2/3 of the Parmesan and a bit of butter, stir, set aside and cover again.
Let rest for two minutes.
The rice will suck up some more moisture

Put in plate and top with the remaining Parmesan

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Enjoy!

Dunkelheit
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Dunkelheit »

This thread is awesome, thanks!

@Seppia: I would kill for being an italian chef. I just have a master recipe request, real italian tiramisu.

Is it true that if you clean with soap a coffee machine in an italian house they kick you out?

Thanks a lot!

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

Dunkelheit wrote:
Sun Dec 24, 2017 10:11 am
This thread is awesome, thanks!

@Seppia: I would kill for being an italian chef. I just have a master recipe request, real italian tiramisu.

Is it true that if you clean with soap a coffee machine in an italian house they kick you out?

Thanks a lot!
Thanks for the kind words. I promise I'll share the tiramisu recipe in the near future. I currently don't have the tool to whisk the egg whites, so I'll ask my wife's sister to lend me hers (she bakes I lot, I almost don't as I'm not a sweet person).
Give me a couple weeks

Yes, it's true that you don't clean the moka with soap.

Dunkelheit
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Dunkelheit »

Seppia wrote:
Sun Dec 24, 2017 11:05 am
Thanks for the kind words. I promise I'll share the tiramisu recipe in the near future. I currently don't have the tool to whisk the egg whites, so I'll ask my wife's sister to lend me hers (she bakes I lot, I almost don't as I'm not a sweet person).
Give me a couple weeks

Yes, it's true that you don't clean the moka with soap.
Wow, thanks! It's not necessary that you prepare it. A simple italian-hand-written recipe makes me happy ;)

I will ask my wife if she can share how to cook the original valencian paella. Wish me luck.

BRUTE
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by BRUTE »

brute just wanted to pop in to mention, once again, that duck fat makes all the difference.

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

I can’t believe I still haven’t posted my very basic recipe for tomato sauce.

First things first: tomato sauce is made with very few ingredients and very little cooking, so the keys are:
1- buy good ingredients
2- try not to ruin them

Tomatoes: buy only whole peeled tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes are made with the leftovers from making peeled tomatoes.
I have given my suggestion to the USA based folks as to what brand to use, in this post viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8201&start=25#p150537

Some other very good ones are the real San Marzano type from the Naples area.
The brand doesn't matter (assuming they aren't counterfeit San Marzano, which they are if they cost half what all the other San Marzano cost) because they're all made by the same packers for a matter of protected origin.

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A good way to understand if peeled tomatoes are of good quality is to look at them. The best ones will be firm and red all around, without (or with very little) yellow/orange at the tips

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The best canned ones also tend to have a sort of ceramic coating in the inside of the can, to protect the product

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Oil: buy only extra virgin, and of good quality.
A good quality extra virgin olive oil will cost minimum $10-12 for a 750ml bottle.
Monini is a good brand, so are all the DOP and IGP Italian varieties (DOP and IGP are “seals of quality”, and they do their job. Notice how also San Marzano is a DOP)

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Now, as usual, prepare some soffritto, I like for this sauce the most basic of all (garlic only)

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Once done, take out most of the garlic

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Mix the tomatoes (you can also hand crush them)

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Put in a pan on high flame, let reduce for a few minutes stirring often

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After around 10 minutes it’s ready.
I like to keep it a little liquid, so that I can sauté the pasta in it as described in this post viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8201#p128512

This is the structure I like

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Last edited by Seppia on Sun Dec 31, 2017 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Dunkelheit
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Dunkelheit »

Thanks for the new recipe!

I was just cooking (some pre-made raviolis) pasta and couldn't stop thinking about you :)

Next time I will try to copy your pasta with shrimps, I promise.

Fish
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Fish »

Is there a reason you use canned tomatoes and not fresh ones for your sauce? Peeling tomatoes is a simple matter by immersing them in boiling water. Is it a matter of better flavor, or cost or time savings? Or is it because sauce is not an appropriate use for fresh tomatoes?

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

It's simply a matter of season.
Canned tomatoes are only produced once per year, and the tomatoes are harvested at the exact peak of ripeness (well, by those who do their job correctly).
Also, fresh tomatoes, even during the season, are usually harvested sooner than peak ripeness because of shelf life matters.

So, unless you have access to local products, harvested at the right time, a good canned option will be of better quality.

The three weeks per year I can get the right fresh tomatoes from the right source I use fresh, but generally, canned is by far the best option (provided you buy good quality)

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Seppia
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Re: Share your recipes

Post by Seppia »

Also: I am cooking my favorite stew and some lentils for tonight's dinner (we have 4 friends coming), I'll post the recipe in the next few days

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