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Sunday Dinner: Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salad

partysugar — Sun, 04 May 2008 06:00:06 -0700

For dinner tonight, serve a hearty, Mexican inspired salad. There are several steps to this recipe, but taking the time to prepare each component makes for a fresh, filling dish. The corn and black beans are roasted with onions and garlic to maximize the flavor. The mixture is tossed with a classic red wine vinaigrette and topped with not one, but two salsas!

A scrumptious mango salsa seasoned with chives and honey, and a tomato tomatillo salsa with parsley. Doesn't it sound delish? To get the recipe, read more.

Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salad
From Robert Irvine

Ingredients

Roasted corn and black beans:
1/2 cup grapeseed oil, divided
1 large red onion, diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1 pound frozen corn kernels or about 4 ears fresh (do not use canned corn - it becomes gummy)
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh scallions, (about 2 to 4 scallions) white and tender green parts only, sliced on the diagonal
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
Mango salsa:
1 mango, diced small
2 teaspoons diced red onion
2 teaspoons diced red bell pepper
2 teaspoons diced green bell pepper
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red wine vinaigrette:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 shallot, quartered
2 teaspoons chopped chives
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup canola oil
Tomato salsa:
1 large ripe tomato, diced small
2 tomatillos, diced small
1 garlic cloves, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade to release oils, then finely minced
2 tablespoons chiffonnade fresh flat-leaf parsley (1 small handful, about 1-ounce, rinsed and dried
2 stalks celery, small diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Make the roasted corn and black beans: preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large skillet, over medium-low heat, add 1/4 cup of oil and get the pan warm on the stovetop. Add the diced onion, garlic and corn kernels. Saute together until the corn feels cooked to the bite. Place in the oven until roasted (but not dried out) about 20 to 30 minutes.
Make the mango salsa: combine the mango, onion, bell peppers, chives, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a non-reactive bowl and chill.
Make the vinaigrette: add, 1 at a time through the feed opening of a running blender, the vinegar, shallot, chives, salt and pepper. Leaving the blender running, add the oil in a slow thin stream and allow to emulsify. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Make the tomato salsa: combine the tomato, tomatillos, garlic, parsley, and celery. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and set aside.
Fold together corn mixture and black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Add enough red wine vinaigrette to coat. (Do not feel compelled to use all of the dressing.) Transfer to a serving dish, and top with a spoonful of mango salsa in the center surrounded by a ring of tomato salsa. Garnish with scallions and cilantro leaves. Serve with any extra dressing on the side.

Serves 8.

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Sunday Dinner: Harissa-Crusted Tri-Tip Roast

partysugar — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:11:52 -0700

Tri-tip is one of my favorite cuts of beef because it's affordable and feeds a crowd. Besides being lower in cost, tri-tip is also incredibly flavorful with a lower fat content. If you have never experimented with it before, I suggest you do so tonight.

This simple recipe coats the steak with a spicy African sauce known as harissa. While the meat cooks, the sauce forms a delicious crust.

To see how it's made, read more.

Harissa-Crusted Tri-Tip Roast
From Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients

1 3/4 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1/4 cup chili paste (such as sambal oelek)*
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1 1 3/4- to 2-pound tri-tip beef roast, most of fat layer trimmed

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toast caraway seeds in small nonstick skillet over medium heat until seeds darken and begin to smoke, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
Add olive oil and garlic cloves to caraway seeds in skillet. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 1 minute.
Pour caraway mixture into processor. Add chili paste, tomato sauce, cumin, and chili powder and blend until garlic cloves are pureed. Season harissa to taste with salt.
Sprinkle beef all over with salt and pepper; place beef, fat side down, on rack on rimmed baking sheet.
Spread with half of harissa. Turn beef over; spread remaining harissa over top and sides.
Roast beef until thermometer inserted into center registers 125°F to 130°F for medium-rare, about 35 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Serves 4-6.

*Available in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets and at Asian markets.

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Going on the Lamb

YumSugar — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:33:31 -0800

I'm not sure when it happened, but lamb has become one of my favorite meats to eat. I used to be weird about it, thinking it was far too gamy. However, I realized I was wrong. When prepared correctly, lamb can be absolutely delicious and positively tasty.

I've had this recipe for Cardamom-Scented Lamb With Mashed Sweet Potatoes in my to-make file for quite some time, and last night I finally got around to making it. It takes a little bit more time than a Fast & Easy Dinner, but if you're willing, it can definitely be accomplished on a school night. The meat is seared then finished in the oven, and the whole thing is served with a red-wine sauce. To get the recipe, read more.

While perfect on its own, I accompanied mine with the suggested mashed sweet potatoes and some lightly sautéed bok choy.

Cardamom-Scented Lamb With Mashed Sweet Potatoes
From Bon Appétit, December 1999

1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup canned beef broth
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth

2 tbsp. shelled cardamom seeds
2 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 lb. racks of lamb, trimmed
2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 tsp. coarse-grained mustard
salt and pepper for seasoning
Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomato paste, garlic, and thyme; sauté 1 minute. Add wine and boil until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Add both broths; boil until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 10 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Preheat oven to 450°F. Toast cardamom seeds in heavy small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cool. Transfer to spice grinder; grind coarsely. [I used a mortar and pestle.]
Sprinkle lamb with cardamom, salt and pepper.
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add 1 lamb rack; sear until brown, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes. Transfer lamb, meat side up, to baking sheet. Repeat with second lamb rack. [I was actually only using one lamb rack and so I seared it in my heavy oven-proof skillet, moved the lamb out, drained some of the oil - careful it's hot! - and then put the lamb back on the skillet instead of a separate baking sheet.]
Roast until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125°F for medium rare, about 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Cut lamb between bones into chops.
While chops are roasting: Bring sauce to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Add butter and mustard; whisk just until butter melts. Season with pepper.
Spoon sauce onto plates.
Top with sweet mashed potatoes and lamb and serve. [I also lightly sautéed thin strips of bok choy, and wrapped them around the plated sauce. Seen in top photo.]

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Would You Eat a 12-Bird Roast?

YumSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:13:13 -0800

If you think a turducken is an impressive display of protein, then you haven't seen anything yet. British farmer Anne Petch has created a massive 50 -lb. creation containing 12 different birds - 1. Turkey, 2. Goose, 3. Barbary duck, 4. Guinea fowl, 5. Mallard, 6. Poussin, 7. Quail, 8. Partridge, 9. Pigeon squab, 10. Pheasant, 11. Chicken, 12. Aylesbury duck - each one stuffed inside the next.

Dubbed the True Love Roast because it contains a different bird for each of the 12 days of Christmas, the roast costs around $1300 and serves 125 people. It also takes over 8 hours to cook completely and 4 hours to assemble. The whole thing is definitely extravagant, but I would absolutely have to partake in a bite or three. How about you, would you eat this roast?

Oh and if you think 12 birds isn't enough, Petch is hoping that they'll do a 21-bird roast next year.

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Sunday Dinner: Loin of Pork With Fennel and Garlic

YumSugar — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 01:31:19 -0800

Pork happens to be one of my favorite meats. Yet strangely, I don't seem to eat it very often. I like the way the meat has a ton of flavor, and yet it doesn't feel too heavy. Tonight I'm hoping to fix up a loin of pork and chow down on a delicious feast. The flavor in this recipe comes from a fennel and garlic paste that is generously rubbed on the outside. After roasting for over an hour, the flavor is sure to penetrate through and make for a wonderful Sunday dinner. To get the recipe, just read more.

Note: This recipe is for a frenched bone-in loin, but if you can only find the boneless, I'm sure it will be quite tasty.

Loin of Pork With Fennel and Garlic
From Barefoot Contessa via Food Network

1 (5-pound) loin of pork, bone in,"frenched" and tied
6 garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Allow the pork to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Place the pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it comfortably.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade process the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, and fennel seeds until roughly chopped. Add the olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper and process until it forms a smooth paste.
Rub the paste on top of the pork and roast for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, and cover with aluminum foil.
Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then remove the strings, slice between the bones and serve warm.

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Soup's On: Roasted Onion Soup

partysugar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:58:30 -0800

The other day I was in the mood for onion soup. I didn't have time to caramelize the onions and simmer for several hours like the standard French onion soup recipe requires. Instead, I popped the onions in the oven for an hour. The whole house filled with a luscious fragrance creating a warm, comforting atmosphere. I pureed the onions with chicken broth and roasted garlic. The final result was a delicious, creamy soup with sweet onion flavor. I recommend passing the soup through the blender twice for a super smooth texture. To see how I did it, read more

Roasted Onion Soup
From Cooking Light magazine

1 1/4 lbs. Oso or other sweet onions, peeled and quartered
Cooking spray
1 whole garlic head, unpeeled
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. saffron threads (optional)
2 (14.5-oz.) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup dry sherry or Madeira wine, divided
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place the onion quarters on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; lightly coat onion quarters with cooking spray.
Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate cloves). Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with oil; wrap in foil. Place wrapped garlic on baking sheet with onion quarters.
Bake for 1 hour or until onion quarters are soft and lightly browned, turning after 30 minutes. Cool.

Place onion in a large saucepan. Unwrap garlic; separate cloves and squeeze to extract pulp into pan. Discard garlic skins. Add saffron (if desired), broth, and bay leaf to pan (I threw in a couple springs of thyme as well). Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Stir in 3 tbsp. sherry, pepper, and salt. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Place half of the onion mixture in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

Pour pureed mixture into a large bowl; repeat procedure with remaining onion mixture.
Return onion mixture to pan; cook over low heat until thoroughly heated. Stir in 1 tbsp. sherry and juice.

Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 2 tbsp. cheese. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Serves 4.

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Sunday Dinner: Roast Lamb for One

YumSugar — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 01:27:18 -0800

If you've always wanted to participate in a fantastic Sunday Dinner roast, but have never wanted to cook all that food for just one person, then you're in luck. Today I've found a recipe for a Roast Lamb for One. This delectable lamb shank is a perfect blend of rosemary, lemon, olive oil and pepper and is paired with a slight red currant gravy. Grab a glass of vino and indulge in a feast for one, read more

Roast Lamb for One
From Nigella Lawson via Food Network

1 lamb shank
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, bruised
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons red port
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red currant jelly

Put everything, other than jelly, together into a freezer bag, tie securely, and leave in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Take the lamb in its package out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
Put the lamb shank along with its marinade into a roasting tin and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the shank. Turn the shank over halfway through cooking. By the time it is done it should look bursting with bronze color; remove from the pan and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
While it is resting, put the roasting tin on the stove and stir in a little water and 1/2 teaspoon red currant jelly to make a light gravy. Slice lamb and drizzle with gravy.

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Sunday Dinner: Standing Rib Roast

YumSugar — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:18:10 -0700

A big rib roast is one of the quintessential Sunday dinners. Whether you roast yours with lots of veggies and rosemary, or salt it and serve with figs, a great roast recipe is definitely needed in your repertoire. To check out a simple one that will have your friends and family in awe, read more

Standing Rib Roast
From Williams-Sonoma

4-rib standing beef rib roast, 6 to 6 1/2 lb., tied with kitchen string
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh thyme
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 Tbs. beef demi-glace

Let the roast stand at room temperature for 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours.
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 450°F.
Generously season the roast with salt, pepper and thyme. Place the roast, fat side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast, away from the bone, registers 125° to 130°F for very rare to medium-rare, about 1 1⁄2 hours more. Transfer the roast to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Skim the fat from the pan drippings and set the pan over medium heat. Add the wine and stock and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Stir in the demi-glace, season the sauce with salt and pepper, and transfer to a sauceboat. Carve the roast and pass the sauce alongside. Serves 8 to 10.

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Sunday Dinner: Roast Chicken Drumsticks With Garlic

YumSugar — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 04:28:33 -0700

Sometimes you need a great dinner for your family, but only have a little bit of time to put it together. On days like those, the idea of putting a full roast chicken on the table seems a bit daunting. However, with a little shortcut - replacing a full roast with just drumsticks - you can cut out the excess roasting time and have dinner on the table in 30 minutes. To get the recipe for a quick Sunday dinner, read more

Roast Chicken Drumsticks with Parsley and Garlic
From Good Food, March 2004

1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
12-16 chicken drumsticks
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat a large, heavy-based lidded casserole or frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the oil and half the butter. Generously season the drumsticks with salt and pepper. When the butter is foaming, drop in the drumsticks, and fry until lightly browned all over.
Cover the casserole with a lid and leave the drumsticks to fry gently for 20-25 minutes, turning regularly. Remove the lid and add the remaining butter, along with the garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Take the casserole off the heat and leave the flavours to infuse for a few minutes before serving.

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Sunday Dinner: Crockpot Pork Roast

YumSugar — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 09:01:33 -0700

Although summer is over and fall is kicking in, there's still a lot of sunlight each day. During this time of year, where the weather is still nice - at least it is here! - but hearty fall flavors are calling your name, do yourself a favor and make a crockpot meal. Cooking with a crockpot - or slow cooker as it's also known - means that a filling meal will be waiting for you after a full day of playing outdoors. So gather up your ingredients, stick them in the crockpot and enjoy your day! To get the recipe for this simple, but delicious meal, read more

Crockpot Pork Roast Dinner
From Linda Larsen at About.com
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1 pound small red potatoes, cut in half
16 oz. pkg. baby cut carrots
3 pounds boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of fat
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (or mustard of your choice)
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups beef broth

Makes 6 servings.

Place potatoes and baby carrots around bottom edge of 4-6 quart crockpot.
In small bowl, combine mustard, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and spread over pork roast.
Place roast in crockpot and sprinkle with chopped onion.
Pour beef broth over all.
Cover crockpot and cook on low for 8-9 hours until pork is thoroughly cooked and vegetables are tender.

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