December 2013 Recipes Whitney Bremner s Recipes Roasted Red Pepper & Black Bean Soup 1 c dried black beans, ½ tsp. olive oil, 1 cup red onion, roughly chopped, 2 cloves garlic, chopped, 8 oz roasted red pepper, roughly chopped (about 2 cups), ½ to 1 chipotle pepper in adobe (more or less according to the heat you like), ½ tsp. dried oregano, 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, chopped, salt, 2 cups chicken broth, sour cream Pick through the beans for any stones and place in a pot with a lid. Cover with boiling water about 1 inch above the beans. Let sit until twice in size at least an hour or two. In a soup pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until tender. Stir in the peppers, oregano, parsley and a good pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth. Use a blender or immersion blender process until smooth. Stir in soaked and drained beans; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for about 1 hour or until beans are tender. Use a fork to smash some of the beans if you wish to thicken it a bit more. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt. Makes 2 main dish servings Duck Fat Fries Serve with Greek Yogurt Aioli 3 to 4 quarts duck fat (see how to below), 1 russet potato cut into ¼ inch sticks, 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced, 4 sprigs rosemary leaves removed (reserve woody stems for kebabs ), 1 cup freshly grated fresh Parmesan cheese, sea salt Fries Heat the duck fat to 300 F. Let the cut potatoes sit in cold water to remove excess starch for about 30 minutes before making. This helps to make fries extra crunchy but be sure to thoroughly dry the potatoes before adding to the hot fat. Slowly add the potatoes to the hot fat and let blanch for about 4 to 5 minutes, until tender. Place onto a paper towel-lined plate and set aside to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, turn the heat up of the fat up to 360 degrees F. Once the oil is heated, add the fries and cook for another 2 minutes. This will create a creamy inside and crunchy outside. With about 1 minute to go, add the rosemary and sliced garlic to the fries. Cook until everything is golden brown. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. To Serve: Plate a couple spoonfuls of the Greek Yogurt Aioli onto the plate. Place the fries on the plate in a big mound and season with sea salt. Greek Yogurt Aioli* 1 cup Greek yogurt, zest and juice of 2 lemons, 3 heads roasted garlic, cloves removed**, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper How to Roast Garlic: For roasted garlic, cover in foil and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 325 F Page 1 of 6
To a small bowl, add 1 cup Greek yogurt, lemon zest and juice, roasted garlic cloves and stir to combine. Season the Aioli with salt and black pepper and stir until smooth. *Whitney s Note: I also added about ½ cup mayo to the dip as the dip was really tangy How To Render Duck Fat At a specialty store such as an Asian Food Market you can buy duck skins which contain the desired fat. You will need quite a pound of skin to make one cup of fat Put the duck skins in a frying pan or pot; cover the skins with about 2 cups of water per pound, the fat should be entirely submerged in water. Turn the burner onto low and barely simmer uncovered for about 60 or 90 minutes. When it looks as though the simmer is dying down, watch the fat very carefully so it doesn't burn. Stir often as the bits will get stuck to the bottom of the pan and you do not want them burnt or scorched. The ingredients will be a golden colour and bubbles will become smaller as the water evaporates. I removed the pot from the heat once there wasn't anything floating on top. Next, let the fat cool in a heat-proof container, uncovered, for about fifteen minutes. When it has cooled slightly, strain it through a fine mesh strainer at least three times, and pour it into a small glass container or two. I put the "duck bacon" under the broiler for a few minutes and it crisped up nicely. Gingerbread Martini 2 oz Gingerbread Liqueur (below), 1/3 oz vodka, 1/3 oz Kahlua, 1/3 oz Irish Cream, Gingerbread Cookies, Whip Cream Add liquor to an ice filled shaker. Shake and pour into a martini glass; garnish with whip cream and top with a cookie. Whitney s Note: So, I ended up doing two parts eggnog to one part martini mixture which would make two martinis. If you're not careful everything will curdle and I lost 6 shots of booze. So a note about pouring: I mixed the cream in first, stirring while adding very slowly the Gingerbread Liqueur mixture stirring vigorously. Once it was mixed I stirred in the vodka and Kahlua Gingerbread Liqueur ¼ c. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped, 1 small cinnamon stick, 5 whole cloves, a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, 3 tbsp. Blackstrap Molasses, ¼ c. water, 1 tsp. brown sugar, 2 pieces lemon rind from end to end. 1/3 c. Rum (I used amber rum), 1 c. Vodka, 1 c. Brandy Add first 8 ingredients together and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. In a separate jar mix with the three liquors; once the spices have cooled add the mixture to the liquor. Shake well to incorporate and let stand for two days before straining. Page 2 of 6
Linda Huisman s Recipes Refrigerator Bran Muffins 3 cups Post 100% Bran cereal, 1 cup boiling water, 2 eggs, beaten, ½ cup molasses, 2 cups buttermilk, ½ cup canola oil, 2 cups raisins, 2½ tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. salt, 1 cup sugar, 2½ cups flour In a large bowl, pour boiling water over bran cereal; stir to moisten and cool. Add eggs, molasses, buttermilk, oil, raisins and blend well. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt and sugar, and stir into bran mixture. Batter will keep for up to 5 weeks in the fridge. Keep in a sealed container (an ice cream pail works well, cover the top with plastic wrap, then the lid). To Bake: Spoon batter into greased muffin cups. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. Butter Tarts 2 eggs, beaten, ⅔ cup margarine, 2 cups brown sugar, packed, ¼ cup cream, 1 cup raisins, 1 tsp. vanilla Mix all filling ingredients until smooth. Pour batter into tart shells about ¾ full. Bake at 365 F for 25 minutes or until pastry is golden, and filling is bubbly. Note: if you want to reduce the sugar content, you can use 1 cup of Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. Nancy Bremner Recipes Nancy's Stacked Caprese with Tomatoes 1 large vine-ripened tomato per person cut into 3 slices, fresh buffalo mozzarella rounds cut into 4 slices or ¼ or ½ inch thick, ¼ cup fresh basil cut into long thin strips, (I substituted dried basil marinated in olive oil), 6 tbsp. olive oil, 6 tsp quality balsamic vinegar, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, 3/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper To assemble the salad, arrange tomato slice on platter, 1 tsp basil or brush basil oil on tomato, top with mozzarella, and brush with basil oil if using dried basil, tomato slice, basil or brush with basil oil, mozzarella slice brushed with basil oil, the tomato slice. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil if using the fresh basil; omit this step if using the basil oil, drizzle 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Repeat with remaining ingredients for each salad needed. Nancy's Note: The real Caprese salad is made with roasted tomatoes. How to Roast Tomatoes: To roast tomatoes line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with a non-stick spray. Use 1 Roma tomato for each salad halved and seeded. This recipe was for 6 salads so use 6 Roma and 6 vine-ripened tomatoes. Buy 3 rounds of fresh buffalo mozzarella rounds. Brush with olive oil (will need about 1 tbsp. for 6 people). Lay the tomatoes cut side up and drizzle Page 3 of 6
with more olive oil and 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar for the 6 tomatoes. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Place in a 275 F preheated oven and roast for 2 hours. Allow to cool or refrigerate in a sealed container up to 1 week. To use the roasted tomatoes in the salad arrange it in this manner, 1 fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese, 1 roasted tomato slice, 1 tsp fresh basil, another tomato slice, mozzarella, roasted tomato, basil, and the final fresh tomato slice. Pork Chops with Apples & Stuffing - Kraft A real hit with our grandchildren ranging in ages from 3-9. My husband thought they were really good too. 1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing mix for chicken (or at least 6 cups of home-made stuffing divided evenly for each pork chop), 1 can apple pie filling, 4 boneless pork chops 3/4 inch thick and trimmed of any fat Heat oven to 350 F. Prepare stuffing according to directions. Using a spray such as Pam grease a 9x9 inch square pan (I used a 13x9 as in the photo since the chops were large and had the bone in). Spread the apple pie filling on the bottom of the pan; place the pork chops evenly in the pan covering the apple layer; divide the stuffing evenly between the 4 pork chops and spread evenly on each chop. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45-60 minutes depending on the thickness of your chops. Uncover the chops for the last 10-15 minutes to lightly brown the stuffing. Serve with fresh green beans or some other fresh green beans. Nancy's Note: The original recipe recommended cooking the chops at 375 F for only 30 minutes. The chops weren't done at all at that time so I reduced the temp to 350 F and cooked for another 20 minutes uncovering the stuffing at the last 10 minutes. Chicken or Turkey Divan A very good recipe for leftover turkey or chicken. Originally we used this dish for a company meal as it was easy to cook in the oven with baked potatoes and serve with a salad. To make it really special instead of a crumb topping place a home-made stuffing on the top or use Stove Top Stuffing. To make a large dish 13x9 use 2 pkgs. of stuffing and a family sized can of Campbell's soup. The amount of ingredients depends on how many you are serving. 1 head of broccoli (serves 3), leftover chicken or turkey 4 oz. per person or to form a layer of meat covering the broccoli, grated cheddar cheese to sprinkle over the meat (3/4 cup at least), 1 can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup diluted with 1/3 cup of milk and mixed well, 2-3 cups well-seasoned stuffing, seasoned salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder to sprinkle over the meat layer. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease a pan with cooking spray. Clean and cut a head of broccoli, blanch for 3 minutes in a pot of boiling water, drain well and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan, layer the leftover poultry over the broccoli, gently season with seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper; sprinkle cheese over the meat, pour the diluted soup evenly over the chicken and broccoli, cover with the stuffing to seal. Cover with tin foil and bake for 1 hour or until bubbly. Remove the cover for the last 10 minutes to lightly brown the stuffing. Serve with a baked potato and salad. Page 4 of 6
Blueberry Mincemeat - Blueberry Growers of BC. Something is missing from this recipe; do you know what it is? 1 ¼ cups sultana washed raisins, 1 ¼ cup washed golden raisins, ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup mixed candied citrus peel, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup margarine or butter, 1 tsp. lemon zest, 2 tbsp. brandy (I substituted Kracken Spiced Rum), 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground cloves, ½ tsp. ginger, ½ tsp. ground nutmeg, 4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen) In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except blueberries. Stir in blueberries and let mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator to let flavours combine and raisins to plump. You can pack in sterilized jars and process or cook and pack in hot sterilized jars. To use spoon mixture into purchased or home-made tart or pie shells, filling 2/3 full. Bake in the bottom third of a 375 F oven for 20-30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Makes about 7 cups mincemeat. Nancy's Note: So did you note what was missing? What is missing from the recipe is a thickener. I used frozen blueberries and there was a lot of blueberry juice so I decided to cook and process the mincemeat by cooking and putting in hot sterilized jars. I used 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken the mincemeat. If using fresh blueberries I would suggest beating the butter first, then the sugar, and then add 2 tbsp. flour. Follow the rest of the directions for the mincemeat. I would recommend cooking the mincemeat because I would hate to cook tarts for company and have them runny. It is a REALLY very tasty recipe indeed. Quilters Recipes of the Month! Leslie's Home-Made Buns - Using a Bread Machine 5 ounces milk, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ cup water, ¼ cup butter, 1 egg, 2¾ cups bread flour, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tsp. active dry yeast Following the instructions on your machine, prepare bun dough. Shape dough into rolls and let rise until double; about one hour. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Jo-Ann's Pumpkin (Chocolate Chip) Loaf from The Country Register 1½ cups sugar, ¼ tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. cloves, ½ tsp. ginger, ½ tsp. allspice, ¾ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. nutmeg, 1 cup flour, 2 large eggs, 1 cup canned cooked pumpkin, ⅓ cup water, ½ cup oil, 1 cup chocolate chips, ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts In a large bowl, combine sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix well to blend. Mix in flour. Combine water, eggs, oil and pumpkin and add to dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour batter into greased loaf pan (9" x 5"). Page 5 of 6
Bake at 350 F for 1 hour 15 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Cathy's Homemade Salad Dressing 6 tbsp. Olive Oil, 2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp. Dipping Oil (i.e. sun-dried tomato) Pour ingredients into a small jar. Shake well. Drizzle over salad, toss and serve. Elaine's Black Forest Cake 1 pkg. Mini Marshmallows, 1 chocolate cake mix, 1 can cherry pie filling Cover a greased 9" x 13" pan with mini-marshmallows. Mix cake as per instructions. Pour over marshmallows. Drop teaspoons of cherry pie filling on top of cake. Bake at 325 F for 40 minutes or until done. Elaine s Note: You can switch up the cake mix and pie filling for a change in flavour - try a white cake with apple pie filling, or a yellow cake with mixed berries Page 6 of 6