Gado gado, from Indonesia

In honor of my Son, Jason's friend, Joe Brazell who will be moving to Indonesia to teach.

Gado Gado
This adapted recipe came from the book Recipes from the garden from Rosalind Creasy

For the sauce,

1 C peanut butter

3 cloves garlic minced

5 Thai chiles minced

2 inches ginger root grated

1/3 C soy sauce, or tamari

1 t salt and sugar

2 kaffir lime leaves

4 T lime juice

For the vegetables

3 C green beans, cut into 2 inch lengths

3 medium carrots julieanned

3 C spinach

3C Chinese cabbage, chopped
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 Cup Soy beans, shelled

2 C  bean sprouts

3T veg oil, olive oil or better yet coconut oil

1/2 onion sliced

4 hard boiled eggs 

To make the sauce, simmer all sauce ingredients, except lime juice,  over medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn off heat add lime juice.

In large pan, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil, cook beans and carrots 2-3 minutes until soft. Remove from pan, add cabbage, spinach and sprouts, stir just to wilt.

In frying pan add oil, heat and fry cubed tofu until brown. Remove and add onions, cook thoroughly.

In serving bowl, add vegetables, and sauce, toss to coat. Serve on plate with sliced eggs. I like to garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts. This dish is like pad Thai without the noodles! Omit the egg to make it vegan! You can of course make some rice noodles or serve this rice! I prefer black rice, or even Quinoa! 
 Happy Cooking!

Super easy stuffed mushrooms

These are a wonderful and quick appetizer! Happy Thanksgiving!!!


Estimate about 4 mushrooms per person.
Serves 10
40 mushrooms, either large white button or baby Bella's
3 C bread Crumbs or stuffing mix
1 C butter
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 c shredded Romano cheese
1 1/2 c chicken broth, or more just to moisten the stuffing.

Remove stems from mushrooms,  sautée caps in melted butter, leave caps whole, remove caps, place in oven proof dish. Sautee chopped stems in melted butter, add garlic, bread crumbs, and broth just to moisten. Stuff mushroom caps with mixture and top with grated Romano cheese, bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes!!!!

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

 Adapted Recipe from FoodNetwork.com

Alton Brown

11/2 lbs Potatoes

1/4 C Half and half

2 oz butter

3/4 t salt

Filling:

2 T olive oil

1 C onion chopped

2 carrots peeled and diced
1 stalk celery diced

2 cloves garlic

11/2 lbs ground beef or Lamb

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 T flour

2 T Tomato Paste

1 C Beef broth (Better the bullion) plus water

2 t chopped rosemary

1t thyme

1/2 C corn

1/2 c peas
1/2 C Chopped Mushrooms
1/4 C Red wine
3T Worchester sauce

Peel potatoes, cube, cook in salted boiling water. Cook until tender.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in pan on stove, add onions, mushrooms, celery and carrots, sauté about 5 minutes. Add Garlic and beef. Cook until browned. Add flour to coat, then add everything else but the corn and peas. Stir for 15 minutes and cook on medium heat. Add Corn and peas and stir. Mash potatoes with butter, half and half until fluffy. Grease a glass baking dish and spread mixture evenly (11x7) or larger. Place potatoes on top and top with cheddar cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with a nice Pinot Noir! 

Here in New Mexico, it goes without saying that of course you should about 1/2 cup diced green chili to the mashed potatoes! Enjoy!

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Cornish Game Hens with Lemon, Sage and Mushrooms

Cornish Game Hens

With Mushrooms,

Pearl Onions, Sage, Bacon,

Garlic, lemon and White wine.

This has to be one of my Fall Favorites!

This recipe originally came from a wine bottle from a vintner called Turning Leaf. I can no longer find this recipe on their website. If anyone out there has it, please send me a copy!

2 Cornish Game Hens (or 4,6 ext. one per person)

1/2 C fresh sage, chopped reserving a sprig for garnish

1/2 C fresh rosemary, chopped, reserving a sprig for garnish

1/2 C olive oil

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

1/2 lb pearl onions, peeled

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 lb variety mushrooms any kind! chopped

1 lemon sliced

1 C white wine

1 C chicken stock, I like better than bullion and water

salt and pepper

Rub chickens with olive oil and salt and pepper

Sauté bacon in high heat until browned, add chickens and brown on all sides. Stir in onions, garlic, mushrooms, herbs, white wine, chicken stock and water. Add lemons to inside cavity, and reserve 2 slices for garnish. Put rest of lemons in pan. Finish off this dish in a hot 350 degree oven. Stir and baste chickens with juices from time to time! This will make a wonderful sauce. I like to cook wild rice and serve. You can also serve with garlic parmesan mashed potatoes or creamy romano rissotto!!! 

Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon

8 oz bacon roughly chopped

3 lbs well trimmed boneless beef chuck cut into 11/2 in cubes

1/3 c flour

1/14 lbs boiling onions peeled

3/4 pbs carrots chopped

12 cloves garlic peeled

1/2 C brandy

2 750ml bottles of red wine

11/4 lbs mushrooms chopped

1/3 c chopped fresh thyme

1 T tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2 T better than bullion

1 C water

Preheat oven to 325. Saute bacon in heavy dutch oven high heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Season beef with salt and pepper, coat with flour. Working in batches brown beef in bacon fat over high heat. Transfer to bowl. Add onions and carrots, cook until light brown. Add garlic sautee 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with beef. Add brandy and bullion and water to pot to deglaze. Scraping up brown bits, about 8 minutes. Add meat and vegetables to pot, add wine, mushrooms, thyme and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Place pot in oven and cook for about 11/2 hours. Until beef is tender! This is one of my favorite hearty winter meals to make. Despite the name, it is very easy to prepare!

Happy Cooking!

Carmelized butternut squash ravioli with pine nuts and sage burre blanc

Carmelized Butternut Squash Ravioli

With Pine Nuts and sage Burre Blanc Sauce

1 package Won Ton wrappers

1 Butternut Squash 

2 sticks Butter

3/4 C Pine nuts

1/2 Cup chopped Sage and a few whole leaves for garnish

Salt and white pepper

dash of fresh grated nutmeg

1 C Romano cheese

Boiling salted water for cooking Ravioli

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Bake face down on cookie sheet with sides in about 1C water on 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. Check frequently so as not to burn. Turn squash over and roast under broiler for about 10 minutes, just to brown. Get that great carmel color going.

Melt  butter in small bowl. Scoop out squash, which should be soft and golden. Place in larger bowl, add 3 T chopped sage, 1/4 C pine nuts and 3 T melted butter and 1/4 C cheese. Salt and dash of nutmeg to taste.

Take one wrapper and brush with melted butter, add 1 t filling, place another wrapper brushed with butter on top and crimp to seal. Continue with all filling. Cook Ravioli in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes until tender.  Meanwhile, melt the rest of the butter, add sage and pine nuts.

Place drained ravioli on plates and serve with butter sauce. Sprinkle pine nuts, cheese, salt, white pepper and nutmeg on top.  Garnish with sage! Marvelous! Happy Cooking! Happy noshing! A great white wine for this one would be soft smooth chardonnay!

Potage de rouge vif d'etampes

Rouge Vif d'Etampes is a French heirloom pumpkin reminiscent of

Cinderellas Coach. In the 1800s Parisian Chefs favored it as a base for 

vegetable stocks. I find that it lends itself well to the following rich chowder, served in the french style-in the pumpkin!

This recipe cam from a book my Sister, Judy Nafus  gave me called Rosalind Creasys 

Recipes from the garden!

6 C cubed french bread

1 10 in pie pumpkin, or 4 smaller pumpkins!

3 T extra virgin olive oil

1 lb leeks, chopped

1 med bulb fennel chopped

6 cloves garlic chopped

1 t saffron

11/2 t thyme

2 T chopped tarragon

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t ground red pepper

6 C veg or chicken stock

11/2 half and half

1/2 lb gruyere cheese, cubed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread cubes for 10 minutes on a cookie sheet. Cut off top of pumpkin

scoop out seeds and stuff. Place on baking sheet. In a large sautee pan heat the oil and sauté the leeks, fennel and garlic until tender. Turn off heat and add saffron, thyme, tarragon, salt, peppers and bread cubes tossing to coat. Pour in broth and half and half. Stir gently and ladle into pumpkins. Add cheese and replace top of pumpkins. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, do not overcook. Pumpkins should be tender. You can serve in the pumpkins if they hold up, otherwise, scoop some pumpkin flesh into a serving bowl along with the soup! Serves 4. 
Thanks for your support! Happy Cooking!